Ella turns TWO!
Ella Weighs: 19lbs 11.5 oz
Height: 32 inches
Height: 32 inches
The month of March is often recognized as a time for renewal and
rebirth. Winter begins to fade and the beauty of spring blooms begin to paint
the landscape. Sunshine fills the days, hugging all in its path. When I think about Ella and our journey, I find that March is the most fitting month for her. Those first days and weeks spent with our little one were bleak and dreary, but the season we find ourselves in today is vibrant and thrilling.
Two years ago, sixteen weeks earlier than expected, we became
parents to our precious miracle, Ella Marie. She entered the world, announcing
her arrival with the loudest cry a one-pound baby could produce. In the months that followed, we watched our little one fight for
her life. As the pages of the calendar turned, Ella gained strength. Ninety-eight
days later, she left the NICU. Three-hundred and sixty-five days later, she
turned one. And now, seven-hundred and thirty days later, we are celebrating our
little girl as she turns two.
Daily we find ourselves with eyes fixed on Ella, in awe of her. We celebrate the little moments. We celebrate the big moments. We join in her laughter. We strive to enjoy each moment to its fullest potential. We revel in the company she provides. To love a child is a beautiful thing. We are thrilled Ella is ours to love.
Ella got to come to Mommy's classroom in celebration of Dr. Seuss's birthday. She sat on a chair with a cup of Goldfish and listened as Grandma read aloud some Seuss favorites.
Ella's curiosity continues to grow and develop. This month, she showed great interest in the assembly of her birthday trike. She took the axels and looked for pieces to slide them into. She took the screwdriver and without hesitation matched it to a hole in the handle bar. She lit up with pride as she figured out how each piece worked. Spring break was filled with play dates. Ella spent time around kids of all ages, following them around curiously. We have noticed her shyness fading a bit and she is beginning to engage more with others. She explored playrooms, gardens, playgrounds, and wandered around the land at Pops and Glamma's house. She celebrated St. Patrick's day visiting Great-Grandma Trina. She let several people outside of her core five (Mommy, Daddy, Grandpa, Grandma, and Uncle Zach) hold her and love on her. Some of these individuals have waited over two years for Ella to be in their arms. We are appreciative of all that have respected Ella's boundaries. It took her some time, but now she seems ready to mingle! We are proud of Ella for emerging out of her shell around family and friends.
BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION!!!We celebrated Ella's second birthday at Grandma and Grandpa's house with family. We had cupcakes and ice cream. Ella enjoyed playing with her cousins. This year she was less overwhelmed and roamed freely among her party guests. She stopped often to check in on her baby cousin, Charlotte. I skipped the fuss of a sugar-free cake creation this year and handed Ella a cupcake and a bowl of ice cream. She ate the cupcake politely, focusing mainly on the icing. Instead of singing Happy Birthday, which seems to make her quite anxious, we sang the first stanza of the Ants Go Marching.
***A special thank you to everyone who donated to our preemie pajama project. You have blown me away with your donations. We have collected 90 items! (and they are still coming in!)
A few of her favorite
things-Outside, ALWAYS
-observing the neighbor's chickens
-talking on her “cellphone”
-cleaning... It is the cutest thing. She goes around the house with anything resembling a rag and "wipes down" stuff. The oven, the door handles, cabinets, floor, her high chair, her shopping cart...
-cleaning... It is the cutest thing. She goes around the house with anything resembling a rag and "wipes down" stuff. The oven, the door handles, cabinets, floor, her high chair, her shopping cart...
-walking up and down the
sidewalk as far as we will let her roam
-bubbles
-stickers
-pretend play
-reading books
-water play
-stickers
-pretend play
-reading books
-water play
A few of our favorite
things-being Mommy and Daddy to our precious miracle
-the constant out pour of support and encouragement from friends and family
-watching Ella as she begins to interact more and more with other kids
Favorite foods
-strawberries
-goldfish crackers
-yogurt
-Go-go squeeze applesauce
-Go-go squeeze applesauce
Favorite books
-Goodnight Christmas
-Doggies- Sandra Boynton
-Go, dog. Go!
-Foods with Moods
-Dear Zoo
-Who do you love?
-Foods with Moods
-Dear Zoo
-Who do you love?
Medical Update
At her two-year old check up we discussed Ella's progress. Ella is setting her own growth curve. Although she is on the petite side, she is a healthy and strong baby girl!
A lot of time you will hear people say that preemies often catch up by the age of two. This is certainly not true in Ella's case and in fact not true for many of our preemie friends. With each decision made during her NICU stay we were always informed of possible risks and long-term complications. In the NICU, Ella was on many oxygen therapies, rounds of steroids, and had a grade III brain bleed. All of those things had the potential to cause damage or present issues later on. So, we have kept an eye on a few things including speech and her walking. Our pediatrician agreed it would be best to get a physical therapy evaluation and see what they have to say. Sometimes the way Ella distributes weight in her legs and feet seems a bit off. None of it seems to stop her though! She would spend hours toddling up and down the sidewalk if we let her.
We have started speech and have completed two sessions. At this point, we are working on getting Ella to recall a word anytime. Dog and da-da are her most used words.
Next month, we visit the cardiologist to check in on Ella's pulmonary stenosis.
A lot of time you will hear people say that preemies often catch up by the age of two. This is certainly not true in Ella's case and in fact not true for many of our preemie friends. With each decision made during her NICU stay we were always informed of possible risks and long-term complications. In the NICU, Ella was on many oxygen therapies, rounds of steroids, and had a grade III brain bleed. All of those things had the potential to cause damage or present issues later on. So, we have kept an eye on a few things including speech and her walking. Our pediatrician agreed it would be best to get a physical therapy evaluation and see what they have to say. Sometimes the way Ella distributes weight in her legs and feet seems a bit off. None of it seems to stop her though! She would spend hours toddling up and down the sidewalk if we let her.
We have started speech and have completed two sessions. At this point, we are working on getting Ella to recall a word anytime. Dog and da-da are her most used words.
Next month, we visit the cardiologist to check in on Ella's pulmonary stenosis.
Team Ella Marie and March of Dimes
March of Dimes Walk is coming up in Tulsa on Saturday, April 28th.
This year’s walk will be held at Tulsa University. The walk will begin at
10:00am. We would love to have you join us. It is free to participate. Please
consider joining us for the walk, donating to the cause- or both.
If you make a donation, make sure to check out the March
of Dimes matching gifts page to see if your company will generously match your
donation.
Here is the official 2018 Team Ella Marie t-shirt!
Shirts are Unisex Bella and Canvas: Heather CVC/Blend Colors: 52% Airlume combed and ring-spun cotton, 48% poly
Shirts are Unisex Bella and Canvas: Heather CVC/Blend Colors: 52% Airlume combed and ring-spun cotton, 48% poly
Available in 2T-YS and AS to 3XL
Adult T-Shirts- $15.00 (+$2.00 for 2X/3X)
Toddler (order a size up)
and Youth T-Shirts $12.00
Orders and money due to Amanda Gruenberg by Thursday, April 12th
(Make checks payable to Amanda Gruenberg)
A portion of the proceeds will be donated to March of Dimes.
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