Conversations with Ella

So as you have read my friend Cammie is expecting. It was confirmed today with a sonogram. There is a little heart beat. So when she called to tell me Ella was with me. She wanted to know what I was screaming about and so I told her. First she said that Auntie Cammie already had a baby and it was out. She was referring to Ana their daughter that was adopted from Guatemala. Then she said that we would be twins. I explained to her that our baby would be here long before hers would. Then she wanted to know how the baby got in her belly. I told her the same way ours did God put it there. Then she wanted to know how we know that a baby was put in our belly and I thought for a moment and could not come up with anything other then we pee on a stick. She says gross. I am never going to do that. I am just going to watch my belly and when it gets bigger I will know that there is a baby in there. I was telling Cammie all of this and her vision was of Ella in the back yard pee on all of the sticks. She never asked me what kind of stick so I am sure that is was she was thinking of. Oh Ella how we love you.

I think I am giving brith to a prize fighter

So as many of you know Ella was a small baby. So as she grew the movements were not very big. Because she was my first I thought this was normal. I would lay in bed for hours and just enjoy the feeling. I loved it. They were gentle and loving. However this one has got some anger issues. I can know for sure that this baby is much stronger and bigger then Ella because I am getting beat up every night. I lie in bed and this kid just kicks and punches like no tomorrow. It keeps me up all night all with the multiple bathroom visits. So I will now be taking donations for anger management therapy. I figure we will start right away and nip it in the bud.

Seriously though that will be the one thing I miss the most. I remember feeling so empty after having Ella. I just love to feel the baby move.

Ella and Mommy Day

Well today I did not have any kids to watch so we had an Ella and Mommy Day. First we went grocery shopping and then had lunch out. Then home for naps both of us. This was a very good part of the day for me. Then we gave each other manicures and pedicures. Here are the results.
Ella chose her colors and stickers and I did all of the work.

Then there are mine. I chose all of the colors and no I did not cut myself. Ella did all of the painting.

All in all it was a great day. So much fun.

YEAH!!!!

So many of you know my best friend Cammie or have at least heard me talk about her. She is the one who I requested thoughts go out to during there adoption from Guatemala. They have one son who is 7 and Ana was brought home on St. Patrick's day last year. Well today the doctor confirmed that she is pregnant. Life has many different paths for us and theirs has been rocky but things seem to be looking up for them. Please keep them in mind and send good thoughts their way for a happy and healthy pregnancy.

Valentine's Day

On Friday Ella had her party at school. She was very excited about it. She was able to wear her new dress from Grandma Fran.It took us three days to get ready for it. She wrote out all of the Valentine's cards. That takes a lot of time. There were many goodies to eat including cookies, cupcakes and of course candy. Here are a couple of pictures of Ella enjoying her cookies and checking out her loot with Ms. Covich her teacher.

Then it was off to the store she wanted to take Daddy his Valentine's presents at work. She bought him flowers, a balloon and baked him a cake.

Of course they were both pink. I am not sure who she really bought them for, because she made sure that he brought them home after work.

On Saturday she had dance. Then it was off to McDonald's for lunch because I had no food in the house. Time for a nap then gifts.

Thanks Aunt Juju and Uncle Howard for the socks and glasses. She also got a bowling set from Mommy and Daddy.

Then on to the dinner. If you remember from last year Luke was away for business on Valentine's day. Ella and I had a lovey dinner of pizza with heart shaped pepperonis on it. Well for months now she has been talking about the pizza and how we are going to have it again. So I called the other day and they said that they were not advertising it again, but that if we wanted it they could do it for us. Just order it early. So Saturday morning I ordered the pizza. Domino's was great they had to go out and buy a cookie cutter for it, but they did it and gave us a deal on it. She was very happy. So again we had pizza for dinner.

All in all the day was just perfect. The three of us spent it together which does not happen often. It was great to be with the two loves of my life and enjoy some time together.

Busy Weekend

This was a busy one. On Friday Ella had sledding day at school. Luke took the day off of work. She was so excited that Daddy was going to go. Of course Mommy was not about to go sledding. I went to help with dressing and take pictures, which I forgot the camera. We dropped Ella off at school and then went and got breakfast. We ate with some friends of ours. We felt like real adults. It was very nice. Then off to go sledding. It was fun but tiring.

Then it was off to McDonald's for lunch with the same friends this time with the kids. Ella got really tired. We came home to have naps. I realized that I had left my purse at McDonald's. Not good. I was really lucky. It was still there.

Then on Friday night we went to Family fun night at the YMCA. Ella loves to go. We get to eat pizza, do crafts, play in the gym, and swim. She showed us how she uses noddles to float on her back. This is a big milestone for her. She really does not like to swim very much so to get this far is big.

On Saturday we had dance and then Grandma Fran came to stay. We did a lot of work on the closet. There is only one closet for both ours and Ella's new room so be divided it and put in new organizers so that we would all have enough room. Things with the rooms are coming along, but boy is time flying fast yet very slowly.

So that was our weekend. Very busy, very fun, very productive.

Delivery Date Delivery Date When Will It Be?

So here is a baby update that has been long over due. I am feeling fine. The baby is healthy. I am 28 weeks. The doctors and I have decided to have a repeat C-section. The C-section is scheduled for April 20th. The actual due date is April 25th.

Now as many of you know Ella was a C-section also. I picked her date to be September 22, 2004. I did not want the 21st because Cammie's son Ian was born on that day. What does Ella due she brakes my water on the morning of the 21st. As we all know she is very head strong and does as she wants. I should have known it was going to be that way from the get go.

So my question to you is will this baby do as told and wait until the 20th or will I have another Ella on my hands and the baby will come early. Now just some information. My sister Edna's birthday is on the 18th. She does not mind sharing her birthday, but I have tried to hope for each of them to have their own days. So there is a day of significance just like there was for Ella. So leave your comments on when you think the baby will arrive.

Hard Mommy Day

Ella has been having a difficult time as of late. I do believe that some of it has to do with the baby coming, some with the hours that Luke works nothing he can do about that, and the fact that I have a lot on my plate here at the house. I am the primary disciplinarian in the house. Just due to the fact that I am with her more, occupational hazard of working from home. Getting Ella to go to the store for shopping is like worse than pulling teeth. She fights and makes the whole time miserable. However she will willing go with Luke and has a great time, and usually is well behaved. The weekends are when Luke has more time to be with her. During the week he gets home in time to put her to bed and in the morning he has very little time with her either. So the weekends I try to leave to them, however there is only so much of the household duties that I can do.

This weekend he had to work on Saturday morning. Then there was nap and they had the afternoon to play while I got groceries. I bought everything we needed to have a winter camp out in the living room. We had a picnic dinner on the rug, got a movie and Luke and Ella had the whole night together camping out on the living room floor. Then the next day he took her sledding. That afternoon for nap Luke was tired. Have you ever slept with a four year old on an air mattress. Not much sleeping going on, so he took a nap with her. When she got up I was still getting house work done. I did however stop and have her help me pick up all of the toys around the house and then played dollhouse with her. That just did not seem good enough for her. When I took a minute to switch over the laundry she got mad and told me I was mean and wanted to go get Daddy. I took away a marble for the hour and then she really hated me and wanted Daddy, because of course he does not have any work to do and only plays with her which is fun and hardly results in her misbehaving.

Then this morning after having a weekend just for her. I ask her sit down and eat her breakfast and not fight with the other daycare kids, which is not one sided. She sits down and loudly announces that "My Mommy is a big B***h. Oh by the way one of the other Moms was at the door talking with me. Well I lost it. Thank god Luke was still here. I sent her upstairs to talk to him, because I could have killed her. She did come down and apologize and turned her self around, but for the love of good Pete. What would make her say something like that. I will be the first to admit that I am not perfect, actually far from it. I talk like a trucker. I try to watch my mouth in front of her, but no one is perfect I slip up.

Things at school have not been very good either. She has a very hard time listening and doing what is expected. The worst time of the day is gym and swim. Ella is not fond of them. She will walk away from the teachers, and not listen to them, or flat out refuse to do what is being asked of her. In the classroom it is a little better. However the other day she told her teacher that she did not like her and did not like to learn and was never coming back to school. Luke and I both talk to her about it. I have talked with Ella about it with the teachers. She loses marbles over it. I am beginning to worry about next year. I am so scared. In fact just thinking about it brings tears to my eyes.

Deep down she is such a thoughtful, nice little girl. She worries about everyone, and just loves to try to take care of them. I just worry that others do not get the chance to see that part of her. I want this baby more than anything, but I wonder if Ella will be able to handle it. As I sit here writing this with tears in my eyes, I am confused about how to make sure that I take care of the two most important people in my life, Ella and the baby. I want so much for both of them, and I am afraid that I may be hurting Ella. I just do not want her to resent me, because in her eyes I am the one bringing this baby into our family. It is in my body. She tells us all the time that she is worried about the baby, and loves the baby, but then she tells us that we will not love her anymore and that we will want to be with the baby all of the time and not with her. We have spent a lot of time reassuring her that she will have time with us alone and with the baby as a family. However that concept is just so abstract for her that she can not believe it. All we can do is just make sure that we show her when the time comes I guess.

About Luke I do not want anyone to feel as though I am bashing him. He works very hard for this family. I could not do what I do without him. Everyone is being pulled in a hundred directions. He is needed at work, by Ella, by me, and needs alone time. I am needed by the day care, Wegmans, baby, Ella, and would love some alone time; maybe that is selfish of me but I do need it. So much to juggle right now and not enough time.

Well that is enough whining, complaining, sorting out what ever you want to call it. Sorry it was so long. Just need an avenue to get some of this stuff down.