First Smiles

Ella has started smiling in the past week. I finally managed to capture a couple on camera...Enjoy!






In other Ella news, we went back to the GI Specialist a week ago. Ella still had blood in her stool. The doctor recommended that I cut wheat out of my diet, in addition to the dairy, soy and nuts. I just didn't think I could do that, and maintain a healthy lifestyle...or the energy I need to chase after Ryan! S0--he sent us home with some samples of formula (Enfamil's Nutramigen). I struggled a bit that night with whether or not to make the transition to formula. I wondered if I should just give it a go with the dietary restrictions. But, after another LONG bout of Ella's crying that night (mind you, she is crying in pain because it hurts her to poop), I decided to make the switch. I felt my reasons for wanting to continue with breastfeeding were selfish and that I needed to do what was best for Ella...in this case, the formula. The results have been promising, so far! She is a completely different baby this week (in a good way!). Her crying has SIGNIFICANTLY decreased and she doesn't appear to be in pain anymore when she has a bowel movement. I have seen minimal blood in her stool this past week (it has lessened throughout the week) and she just seems much more content. We take her back to the specialist tomorrow and are praying for good news!

I can't believe she will be 7 weeks on Saturday!!

Enjoying an End of Summer Treat

Yum Yum!

How quickly they grow...

I was taking some pictures of Ryan playing football the other day, and I remembered a picture we had taken of Ryan at 2 months of age. We had put James' football beside him to show his size in relation to an object (for family members that were far away at the time and didn't get to see how he was growing). I just can't believe Ryan is going to be 3 years old in less than a month. In some ways it seems like just yesterday that he was as big as the football, and in others it seems like forever ago. It's fun to see him now, actually playing with the football, and I realize how blessed we are to have two healthy children.


Ryan at 2 months old



Ryan--one month shy of 3 years old (not the size of a football anymore!)


Speaking of growing...Ella is just over a month old now. If I am being honest, I have to say it has been an exhausting month! While I said in an earlier post that I am trying not to wish away these newborn days just for an extra wink of sleep...perhaps wishing away one day...for just one extra wink...would be ok!? Whew!


A couple of weeks ago I noticed some blood in Ella's stool. In addition, her fussiness took on a whole new level...crying for hours at a time. I took her to the pediatrician and he thought that perhaps she had a food allergy (after ruling out that it was a possible bacterial infection). So...he set us up with a Gastroenterologist. At our visit with him last Monday, he evaluated her stool and confirmed that it was testing positive for blood (thank goodness for people that WANT that job...but who in their right mind would think of that as their ideal profession?). He told us that it appears that Ella is allergic to something in my diet. As a result, he told me to give up dairy (including beef), soy and nuts for a week and then bring her back to re-evaluate and to be sure the blood has left her stool. We go back to him on Wednesday of this week. The dairy hasn't been as much of an issue for me (as they make a dairy free substitute for just about everything that I would normally eat/drink) but the soy has been the biggest issue. Soy is in just about EVERYTHING!! If it wasn't for Wegman's and their natural/organic food aisle...I'm not really sure what I would eat! I've become quite the label reader in the past week! Ella seems to be doing a little bit better, so hopefully we will go back to the doctor on Wednesday and get a good report. It has been stressful, to say the least.


The good news about Ella is that she has gained well in the past month. When they weighed her at the specialist's office the other day, she was up to 8lbs, 7 oz, and she measured at 22 inches. I am hoping we can get past this food allergy stuff and that we can begin enjoying life with 2. Ryan has been a trooper and has been hanging in there with us...he unfortunately has to take a back seat to Ella's fussiness sometimes.



Ella posing in her pretty dress



Ella-one month old


She's lucky she's cute and that she has paused from a few crying spells in the last couple of days to give me a smile or two (real ones, I believe!).

A Conversation with Ryan...

First, let me set up the scenario for you. It was bedtime for the kiddos at the Carlson house. James was working nights (his first weekend back to work since we brought Ella home) and had already gone off to work. I was trying to figure out exactly how I was going to get both kids ready for bed without him. I fed Ella and put her down in her crib. Feeling somewhat successful, I went into Ryan's room to get his jammies on and get him ready for bed. Ella started to cry (as a side note, she seems to be suffering from a bit of colic...although on this particular day/night it sure seemed like more than just a "bit"). Thinking to myself that she had already been changed and fed, I decided to let her cry for a bit while I took care of Ryan's needs and got him somewhat settled for the night. With Ella screaming in the background, here is how the conversation in Ryan's room played out:

Ryan: "Mommy, why is the baby here?"

Mommy: "Well, Ryan, she is part of our family, so she belongs here with us."

Ryan: "Well, why did we bring her home?" (did I mention we have hit the "why" stage?)

Mommy: "We brought her home because she is your baby sister and we love her."

Ryan: "My ears hurt."

Mommy: "You know what, Ryan? Mommy's ears hurt too!"

Ryan: "Do Daddy's ears hurt?"

Mommy: "No, Daddy's ears don't hurt because he is at work."

Ryan: "Oh."

You have to love toddlers...they are so honest! At least I could empathize with him...my ears had had enough, too!

MiMi's Visit

My Mom (aka MiMi) came for a visit this past week to meet Ella. We hadn't seen her for 7 whole months (WAY too long!). Mom takes care of my 88 year old grandfather in her home in Maine and isn't able to get out much. He requires full time care these days. Hospice has come in to help, which made it possible for my Mom to get away for 5 days. We are thankful she was able to visit and we enjoyed our time with her. Here are some new pictures...some random, some from my Mom's visit. Enjoy!


Ella relaxing on a quilt made by one of my Mom's friends


Mom holding Ella


Proud Mom and Grandmother


Yet another shot of Ryan holding his sister (I just can't resist getting the camera out...he's so darn cute with her!)

Ella's First Week at Home

Ella will be one week old tomorrow. So far her days consist of sleeping (A LOT) and eating (A LOT MORE!). If she is not napping, she is eating. We need to fatten her up a bit...she's just a little peanut! Hopefully she will soon be able to fill out all of the adorable baby outfits we have for her!

Ryan is quite enamored with his little sister. His reaction to her is much different than I thought it would be. I haven't seen too much of the jealousy that I expected. He just loves to kiss her and cover her up (yikes!) and he can't wait to hold her in the morning when he gets up. He is such a great big brother...and has been a pretty big helper for Mommy and Daddy!

James and I are adjusting to the newborn phase again. It's funny how much you forget from the first time around. While I do feel a little more relaxed about what to do when such and such happens...each baby is so different and there are things that pop up that make me wonder...am I doing this right!? All in all we are adjusting pretty well. I know the newborn phase doesn't last forever. I am trying not to wish it away just for a few extra winks of sleep. When they turn 3 they don't like to cuddle as much!!

Here is a peek at some photos from Ella's first week at home. Enjoy!


Sweet little Ella


Grandma and Grandpa come for a visit (and Ryan is saying cheese)


Mommy trying to catch a few Zzzzzzs


Our little lady in her first summer dress


Proud Big Brother Ryan

Introducing...

Ella Naomi Carlson
Saturday, July 12th, 6:51 pm
7 lbs, 4 oz, 21 inches



We are praising God for another healthy baby. Labor and delivery went well (much faster than the 21 hours I was in labor with Ryan!). In fact, James almost missed the delivery because he was in the hallway calling my Mom and his parents to let them know that it would probably be a few more hours, as I was only 5 cm dilated when the doctor checked me at around 6pm. After he hung up the phone, he stopped off in the restroom. When he came out...the nurse was calling for him from down the hall saying "Hurry up, Dad...this baby is coming sooner than we thought!". By some gracious miracle I dilated 5 cm in 20 minutes and began pushing at 6:30. Ella made her grand appearance at 6:51 pm. Whew!