It’s been about 3 weeks since I’ve posted and to say they have been a busy 3 weeks would be an understatement. Ella is now 2 ½ weeks old and she is tiny and perfect. I’m happy to say that the C-section went well; she was born at 8:50am on August 16th. When she was born she immediately started screaming and turned pink, I don’t think there is a larger feeling of relief then to see your baby round, pink and crying for the first time. Although we had no reason to think there would be any complications I was still nervous going in and overjoyed as they wheeled us out together.
It’s funny but it really does now feel like our family is complete. When Kellen was born I knew eventually we would have another baby this time it feels like all of the pieces are in place and we are a happy family of 5. Ella was 7lbs 5 oz. when she was born and lost almost a full 10% by the time we went to the nursing center at Evergreen for our post-partum appointment; she was a super small 6lbs 9 oz. She then started to gain slowly so they wanted to make sure and continue to monitor her until she started gaining at least an ounce per day. As of her doctor’s appointment on Tuesday she is now gaining an ounce per day and we expect her to be at birth weight or higher by her weight check next Wednesday. I’m confident she’ll get there because she definitely eats like her brother did and he filled out quickly.
Having a newborn again has been a lot of fun this time. I don’t feel the nervousness that I did the first time around. People tell you it is different the 2nd time and it truly is. I feel so much more confident about the day to day with her then I did with Kellen. The flip side is that I don’t have the same luxury of time that I did the first time around, sitting on the couch staring at the baby until 11:00 is not an option with a wild 2 year old running around. Kellen now feels like a giant, it’s hard to believe he was ever a newborn and so tiny. Jamie’s grandparents have been in town visiting and I wonder what it must be like to see your children become grandparents. It’s unbelievable to me that Patrick will be a teenager and Kellen is 2, I can’t imagine them as adults, it’s both exciting and scary. It has been really special to have so many generations together at once. Ella has also gone to visit her Abuelito with Papa and I. It has also been really different to be at Grandma and Papa’s full time. I can’t thank them enough for all of their help, especially with Jamie gone. Ella and Papa have their special bond already and Grandma is slowly developing a complex and Ella stops crying as soon as Papa holds her. The good news for Grandma is that Kellen is still loyal to her.
I haven’t taken nearly enough pictures as each day has been hectic trying to get Jamie and Patrick ready to leave for the UK. I’m including a few from the hospital below and am determined to start taking more immediately.
Jamie and Patrick left for the UK last night. It was much harder than I thought to say goodbye to them. As he said goodbye to extended family the reality of how much time we spend with family really started to hit home and how important everyone is to us. We will miss the small moments throughout the year, not just the birthdays and holidays but the Sunday morning before Seahawks games or getting together for drinks just because. I think those smaller moments are the ones we will miss the most.
Now that Jamie and Patrick have left I’m anxious to join them. My recovery from surgery has been going much quicker than anticipated so the doctor thinks I’ll be cleared to travel on October 11th. There are still details like Ella’s visa that need to be finalized but October 11th is our tentative date. Jamie found a house during his house hunting trip and our furniture should be there the first week of October so it helps to be able to visualize where we will be living and makes it feel more real. There is a park just half a block from the house so it’s also nice to know that the babies will be happy there too. Patrick will start school next week and I can’t wait to hear his impressions and see pictures of him in his uniform. The next few months will be a series of firsts for all of us!
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