Two years ago right now, I was throwing myself a pity party at Kaiser Ontario! I was trying to pump non-existent milk out of my sore breasts with a sore stapled gut and no baby in my room to stare at. I was counting down the minutes until the nurses would take out my catheter and let me walk to the NICU to see my newborn daughter! I was a mess!
The day Ella was born this was the only time I saw her…
I wasn’t allowed to hold her…just carefully touch her from my hospital bed…and look at her for a few minutes as they got her settled into NICU and they wheeled me to my post-partum isolated recovery room. yes isolated because I had MRSA during my pregnancy to they treated me like I had the black plague. Yeah…I was a bitter Betty. I think back to then tonight and I kinda laugh. Gosh I was so sad, worried and grumpy.
I didn’t get to hold my baby for the first time until Jan. 31st…she was 14 hours old and I finally got her in my arms…
I stared at her and just cried and cried. Yes it was hormones BUT I was just so emotional. This little girl was something we weren’t sure would EVER happen. My oncologist once told me (in August 2009) to be happy we had one child…and of course we were BUT always wanted a bigger family. So years and years later she arrived…I was so delighted!
She has brought so much to our family. She is crazy, wild, loud, hilarious, emotional, independent, strong-willed and my best girl!! People say that she is like me…but I didn’t know me as a TWO year old so I’m not gonna believe them.
She makes us laugh, makes us frustrated, and even makes me wonder sometimes. She keeps us all on our toes…including Owen. You never know what she’ll get herself into…could be a box of fruit snacks, play-doh or even marks to write on the walls…yeah. Total opposite of Owen! And I’m glad. I’m glad we can say she is TOTALLY her own little person.
This morning she woke asking us to sing her Happy Birthday….we have been prepping her all week. She got to open presents because again this year on Ella’s birthday, Daddy was away ALL night coaching his girls polo team at a tournament.
Big brother loved “helping” her.
Another birthday for Ella that lands on a work day. So it was a Nana day…we worked and went to school and Nana stayed with Ella. BUT first I had to bring Ella to her 2 year check-up. Thats kinda my mama-job…doctors are my thang.
Coming in at a whopping 24lbs 9oz (putting her in the 23rd percentile for weight) and 32.75 inches tall (29th percentile for height).
She may not be big but she sure is mighty!! Still petite but doctor wasn’t concerned because she is healthy as a horse. It was kinda funny/embarrassing though…on her well-baby questionnaire I said she didn’t eat much junk food…but as we were in there she started digging through my purse looking for fruit snacks…whoops!
She had to get a routine blood draw after her exam and I was a tad bit nervous. I feel bad for babies and lab work! BUT I was TOTALLY shocked when this little girl did not shed not ONE tear. She didn’t cry…at all!! WTF. And the guy had to wiggle the needle around a bit because he wasn’t getting a blood flow at first. And she sat there and just watched him. I couldn’t believe it! haha I have to say the lack of tears kinda concerned me! haha She’s a wild woman that feels no pain! haha She is so brave.
Ella spent the day with Nana and after work we sang Happy Birthday AGAIN and let her blow out some candles.
We had her blow the candles out a few times…it was hilarious watching her try. She was concentrating so hard. She would kinda blow, and more and more…while laughing at us cheering her on. I think she did it for the show. Owen was being SO patient and would finally blow them out after about 60 seconds of her pretending to blow, he couldn’t take it any longer!! haha I video taped it to text it to Daddy. Kinda sad that he has to miss out on birthdays for coaching. For something that goes so under appreciated…don’t get me started on that today…I’ll be bloggin’ about coaching later.
She’s a pretty easily pleased child when it comes to birthdays…for now anyways. We blew the candles out a few times and then she didn’t even want to eat the darn cake…haha What a waste!
And I feel kinda bad because she is TOTALLY the neglected second child…Owen had a HUGE pirate party when he turned two…yeah Ella is getting a family party in a few weeks. No big party for her #2…Eh..she won’t know. We love her the same..so when she reads this 20 years from now with her therapist I’ll understand why she hates me. haha jk.
We love you more than words our little Ella-Bean. Happy Birthday!
And please…be kind to us during the terrible two’s.
Love, Mama.
