Ella's 7th and 8th week!

Our Baby Girl is Getting so Big!

I don't think there could be anything else in this world that could bring me more joy! She has recently developed some personality with smiling a lot and I guess you would call it cooing. She is so sweet and really knows how to melt your heart. She is still sleeping really well!

Before Riley's 1st Birthday Party! She's all ready to meet the boys!

At the party, sleeping in Riley's swing!

A quick pose with daddy!

Another picture with all of her flowers!

Hanging out with mommy :)

Ella with some of her (Ward side) cousins.

Chillin on her boppy at Grandma's.

Sleeping at Grandma's

Ella 5-6 weeks!

Ok, I'm already getting bad. I skipped week 4, but I'm going to try to get better! Ella is still doing great! She loves her swing and she's starting to smile on command (look below). Her last visit at the doctor was last Friday. Her percentiles have changed a little. Height is 75%, weight is 25% and head is 50%.

Our baby girl is growing so fast. Brian said she needed to start sleeping in her own room, so last night was her first night in the crib. I was sad, but I guess at some point she's gotta move out :(. Her sleeping habits are really great at night. There were two nights that she slept from 10-5 and then 5:30-8, but her usual schedule is from 10-3, 3:20-6 and then 6:20ish-9. I definitely feel well rested.

She also loves our nightly walks in the stroller and riding in the car. I think we are REALLY lucky for that because a lot of babies scream when they're in their car seat.

She goes back to the orthopedist this Thursday to get her hip checked. I'm hoping the dysplasia is doing better, but even if she has to wear her harness longer, there is no surgery involved!

She brightens up my days and life. I couldn't imagine my life without her now. I love staying home with her.

This was taken on Saturday, July 18th. I took it myself with her in my arms. That's why it's completely off centered, but we caught her smiling!!!

She still has blue eyes!

I really don't hold her that much!

Sleepy time in her swing!

This is at 5 weeks, trying out her crib!

Her little polo outfit that Grandma had to get her!

Right after bathtime. She LOVES the bath and hates getting out!

Sleepy time with daddy! I love this picture!

Ella's 1st Photo Shoot!

These are Ella's pictures from when she was 16 days old! These were taken on June 24th at my mom's house. They were done by Courtney Vogel! She was awesome. I'm excited to do them again for her 1st birthday!

Happy 3 Weeks to our Baby Girl!

Happy 3 Weeks, Ella!

It's amazing how quick they grow! Ella had her two week check up last Friday and she weighed in at 7 lbs 8 ounces! She gained a pound and a half in two weeks! She's becoming a little porker! She's getting so big to me!

We had some friends over last week that have a baby almost 4 months older than Ella and she looked like a GIANT compared to Ella.

Doctor News: Her weight compared to height is in the 19th percentile, her head is at 60th percentile and her height is 90th percentile! We found out that she has the same curvy tongue as Brian! She needs to get it clipped underneath tomorrow. Doctors say it doesn't hurt her at all. It's amazing the genes that they get from their parents! We also found out that she has a heart murmur so we are going to see a cardiologist just to make sure there is nothing structurally wrong with her heart (doctor thought she was fine because of her skin color and that she had gained a good amount of weight).

This is a picture with her daddy bib on!

2 weeks old!

Our Family, Ella's 2nd week!

Boy does time fly :) Our baby girl is two weeks old today! I still think she's a great baby. She really only cries if she's really hungry (which most of the time I wake to feed her). I did leave her for the first time. I went out to Tim's 30th birthday party for about 2 hours total. Brian fed her right before I left so she slept the entire time I was gone. I only called him once :). We also took her out once to my parents house for Father's Day. It was a nice day! Ella also enjoyed some time at her house with her cousins!

This is Ella with 3 of her cousins. She looks so small compared to the twins. I'm excited to see them at Christmas this year!

The robe is a little big, but I think she liked it!

Her own personalized towel!

Daddy and Ella are knocked out!!

Happy Week Old Ella!!!

Our First Family Picture!

Ella is one week old today!! There has been so much that has happened in the last week! We were finally able to come home from the hospital on Thursday around 11:30. It was nice to be back in our own bed. Since we got home, we found that she really loves the pacifier that came from the hospital, to be swaddled and to sleep! She usually wakes up every 2-3 hours in the night to eat, but falls right back to sleep. It's really nice for Brian and I. He usually gets her out of her bassinet then I'll feed her and change her, then she's back to sleep in no time... literally.

She has had two doctor's appointments since she came home. One was with an orthopedic because we found out she has hip displasia. Brian read that it happens to 1/200 and is most common in first born girls. She has to wear a harness for 24 hrs a day for two weeks. Then, she can wear it 12 hours on, 12 hours off for two more weeks. At first it made me a little sad, but then I realized how much worse things could really be. She's perfectly healthy in every way! Her second appointment was her newborn check up. She weighed 6 lbs even. The doctor said that was completely normal to drop weight after birth.

Maybe I'm speaking too soon, but I think she's a great baby. She only cries when she's hungry. I think every mom might be partial to their child, but being a mom is the best thing ever.

One more thing.. Ella's umblical cord fell off today!

This is Ella coming home from the hospital with her daddy :)
This was her first day home from the hospital! She likes her lounger!

Ella's first sponge bath. She wasn't a big fan.

In front of all her hospital goodies!

Off to her doctor's appointments!

I think the pacifier is her comfort zone!

She still has blue eyes. We'll see if they change!

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Welcome to the World, Ella Bree Patterson!!

Ella Bree Patterson
Born June 8th @ 6:06 pm
6 pounds 9 ounces
19 3/4" long

What an amazing day! Brian and I had to be at the hospital for a scheduled induction on Sunday, the 7th, at 8 pm. They started Cervadil at 9 pm and I started having contractions around 1 am. All was going well. Her heart rate stayed in the normal zone and contractions were staying steady. It was definitely hard to sleep. Around 7 am, I started on petocin and at around 7:30 the doctor tried breaking my water, but I was only 2 cm dilated. It did not work. I decided I needed the epidural around 8 and it was SO worth not waiting any longer. It took all of my pain away. My parents arrived around 10, so they were there to help the time go by because the day just kept becoming longer. By 2 pm, I was still dialated 2 cm. Everything was still going smooth as far as her heartrate and my contractions. By 4 pm, I had dialated 4 cm and she thought it was going to progress because my contractions were dipping. I started to feel better because things finally started to progress. The doctor still thought it could be a while before she was born, but happy to see things moving forward. At around 5:30, the doctor came in to check and she noticed that Ella's heartrate was dropping during contractions. So, she began to watch it more consistently and made the call that I needed to have a C-section. At first, I paniced because it seemed as if Ella was having problems, but then I knew she would be arriving soon and the doctor would have seemed a little more worried and concerned. From the time they said I needed a C-section to the time Ella arrived, it was about 25 minutes. She was here already!!! When she came out, I thought she looked JUST like Brian. I mean I knew the Asian gene would dominate! After the C-section, I was back with Ella in about an hour and a half. This was right after they brought her into my postpartem room. I thought she was absolutely perfect. I knew that everyone always thinks their babies are perfect and I never understood until I had her in my arms for the first time. It was the most awesome feeling. Brian was so great through everything (eventhough he was literally SO close to passing out). He's also been great with Ella. I think he's become a big pro with swaddling. This is him with his baby girl. We watched the video "Happiest Baby on the Block" and he likes to use the 5 S's often. You have to see it to know what I'm talking about. Ella is dressed up in this picture because she had her hospital photos taken that day. I think she's already become quite the model! Lastly, this is Ella with her Ward Grandparents. My mom loved that headband so she wanted a picture with her wearing it. Ella is already really spoiled!