3 Weeks Old

Happy 3 weeks to little Ellie!  She continues to be a sweet, snuggly baby.  The last two nights she has slept for 3.5-4 hour stretches, which really helps Mom and Dad out!  :)  She is fond of the swing, Boppy pillow and anyone who will hold her!  Can't help but love this little baby!!

And then there is Mya...she likes to exercise...with her shirt off.  I don't judge...I just record!

Big Girl Ride

Mya outgrew her tricycle.  It was time to upgrade...to a princess bike!  Boy, was she ever excited about it!  She helped Greg put it together and then could not wait to take it for a spin around the neighborhood.

She was soooo proud of herself!  (And don't worry, she did put on a helmet after these pictures were taken!)

While I stayed in with Ellie, Greg took Mya around the block.  She came back with tears and her first official road rash of the season.  She did very well driving the bike.  Greg said she was actually pretty quick, she just took the corner a little too fast and fell!  :)  We've been dealing with cooler than normal temperatures, so we haven't been out and about with the bike that much.  Hopefully very soon we'll be able to be out every day!!

Two Weeks Old

Sweet Ellie turned 2 weeks old on Tuesday.

She's plumping out nicely!  When she is awake, she is very alert.  She tracks voices and likes to watch her hands.  What a simple life she leads!

She's been working very hard on holding her head up.  She reminds me of a turtle popping out of its shell!

This picture just makes me laugh!

One Week Old

Ellison turned one week old on Tuesday.  When we went to get her jaundice levels checked (3 days old), she weighed in at 7 lbs., 3 oz.  That put her in the 27th percentile for weight.  It was down just a bit from her birth weight, but I'm fairly certain that she has made up for it since!  Her cheeks are filling out and she loves to eat!

Big sister Mya even took a selfie of her and Ellie.  Cuteness!

The First Week

Our first week home has looked a lot like this...

This child likes to sleep.  By no means am I complaining, but we were used to Mya.  Mya took 20 minute naps during the day.  Ellison takes 2 hour naps during the day.  Greg and I looked at each other and wondered what to do with all that time!  Sleep!  Ellie is super cuddly and I adore napping with her!

We've had some people stop by...like 3 grandmas in one day!  Ellie got to meet her Great Grandma Ruth for the first time!

Mya continues to love up her sister.  She is all about being hands-on.  She likes to help us dress Ellie and is helpful when we need diapers or burp cloths and will go get them.  She has helped out at bath time and always wants to give Ellie kisses.

And then there is Mya.  

Ellison Ruth Telisak

Little Ellison is one punctual baby!  Our journey to meet her started on Monday, March 31st.  I had been having contractions on and off for weeks, but Monday night things started to feel a little different.  I didn't think much of it because I didn't want to get my hopes up.  I went to bed around 9 p.m. and not even 10 minutes after I laid down, my water broke.  The nervousness set in immediately!

I called my midwife on call and she wanted me to come in soon because I was GBS positive.  I quickly called my parents and they were down in no time to pick up Mya.  We arrived at the hospital around 10:15 p.m.  I was having some contractions, but nothing major.  I was checked and already 4-5 centimeters dilated.  By 11 p.m., the contractions were coming regularly and with more force.  It's really amazing how you can block out the pain of contractions from previous deliveries!  My midwife suggested it would be a good time to get the epidural just because the contractions were intensifying very quickly.  I got an epidural around 12:30 a.m. and it was the best thing!  Other than my legs feeling completely full of lead, I couldn't feel one contraction.

My midwife wanted me to rest while the labor progressed, but I don't think I slept at all because of all the adrenaline pumping!  I had no idea how far I was dilated until the nurse called for the midwife because it looked like I was ready to push.  I pushed twice and little Ellison was here and ready to meet us!

She was born on Tuesday, April 1st at 3:51 a.m.  She weighed 7 pounds, 9 ounces and was 21 inches long.  I cried when I saw her.  Shocker!  She was beautiful and I was just so thankful that she was healthy and here.

The next couple of days were a whirlwind and were exhausting.  We had our families come and visit and meet the newest member of our family.

with Aunt Tanya 

I wish I would have recorded Mya when she entered the hospital room.  It was priceless. The pure joy that she had in her radiated throughout that room.  She was beyond excited to meet her baby sister!

meeting Grama Shell

and Grampa Bruce

with Grandma Pat

with Uncle Pat

with Aunt Tina

with Grandpa Steve

Ellie had some low levels of jaundice in her system.  As a preventative measure, she was put under a UV light to flush the jaundice out.  She hated it.  It was probably the little raccoon mask that she hated the most, but in any case, it wasn't comfortable for her.  She couldn't be held and couldn't be wrapped up in a cozy blanket.  We tried to keep her under there as much as possible.  Thankfully her levels didn't rise all that much, so we could still be released on schedule.

By Thursday, we were very ready to head home and start to figure out this family of 4 thing!

So far, Ellie has a very laid-back attitude.  She sleeps waaaaay more than Mya ever did at this stage.  She loves to snuggle under a warm blanket and be held by mom and dad.  She is a little sweetie.  We are so very lucky to have two very special little girls in our lives!