Some of my amazing friends threw me a baby shower :)
My incredibly talented husband built this amazing crib for Ella!!! Luckily he got it finished just in time for us to bring her home... much to his dismay we turned out to be the co-sleeping type of parents. But we are transitioning her to her bed soon and she has always taken her naps in it :)
Feb. 7th Right after my epidural finally kicked in... just an hour or so before my life officially changed forever!
She's Here!!! I can't believe it!
The first time we held our baby girl! So glad that my best friend Mallory was in the room with us to photograph this moment!
SO BIG and such a Daddy's Girl right from the start!!
It's still hard to believe that God has entrusted us with this precious gift!
Our first full day home from the hospital! I couldn't stop staring at her while she slept. Breastfeeding was a beast that first week or two and this cute little face is the only thing that kept me going!
Always been a fan of bath time ( even though she looks grouchy in this pic)
This is the first smile of hers I ever caught on camera... I believe she was 3 weeks old.
My friend Mallory took some 1 month shots for us. This is one of Ella posing with the baseball that Sean used to propose to me ( we met when we were 4 and on the same pee wee baseball team so he proposed on the outfield at the local park)
I can barely remember her this small!
The scariest day of 2011 was when Ella had to be admitted to the hospital at 2 months old for Bronchitis... Even though all they had to do was put her on oxygen for a few hours and keep her over night for observation I was worried and scared the whole time! I had never known this kind of worry before... my true welcome to motherhood moment!
Not the best picture of us, but this is our first real first family photo! Ella's first Easter.
After 6 weeks of maternity leave I had to return back to work. I worked at a daycare for 6 years before I had Ella. I loved the children I worked with and met some really awesome people there, but God had different plans for me after I became a mom. In May I switched to being a stay-at-home mom and it is the best decision I have ever made. I love being Ella's sole caregiver and not missing out on any of her milestones and "firsts". Sean had lost his job a few weeks before Ella was born and got a job at WoodMizer the week before Ella arrived.... the only downside was that he was hired on nights... but being at home has allowed me to move Ella's schedule around so that she can see Sean as much as possible each day.
As soon as it was warm enough we started taking Ella to the pool! She is such a water baby and loves to splash around in the water. She didn't even mind it when we would dunk her under!
Ella's first trip to the Indy Motor Speedway. A friend of the family owns one the best suites at the track and invited us out to watch the drivers practice before the 500.
|Our first time leaving Ella for more than an hour or two... My mom and step-dad took us to Kings Island for my birthday. This was also my first experience with being engorged since I forgot to bring a pump and thought I could just hand express in the bathroom ( wrong) I was so uncomfortable on the ride home... Lesson Learned!!
This is us celebrating a friends birthday at our small group! We meet every other week with a group of people who are all our same age and do a bible study! We've been a part of this for 2 years now and I cannot imagine life without our small group! It always amazes me how God puts exactly the right people in my life at exactly the right times!
Sean and I are youth sponsors for our church's high schoolers. This summer Ella and I traveled 5 hours to Holland, MI to go to a youth conference with them! These are some amazing kids and it is a blessing to be a part of their lives! Ella did amazing during the road trip.. slept most of the time and was soo good all week during the sessions!
We did a photo shoot with my friend Mallory for Sean's Father's Day present! This one was so cute I used it to enter into all of those ridiculous baby photo contests... little did i know you normally have to pay for those sort of things but I don't care she's still the cutest in my book :)
At 4 1/2 months old I couldn't believe she was starting to sit by herself!
My favorite one of Ella and I from that day!
My silly girl loves food!!! She's such a good eater!
Zoo BOO!!! Doesn't she make such a cute zebra!
This is Ella meeting her cousin Daniel for the first time. Daniel is an extremely special little boy! He is a miracle baby for sure. He was born at just 28 weeks and was a fighter from the start! He's such a sweet little boy and kept holding Ella's hand when he met her! I'm sure they will be great friends as they get older!
Ella's first best friend... Her Grando!!! Seriously we are all pretty much chopped liver in comparison!!
These are all from a photo shoot that my friend Mallory did during the Covered Bridge Festival... If you are from Indiana I'm sure you know what that is.... but for those that don't know its just a huge craft fair that spans over a few towns. I can't believe how big my baby is!
This year for Thanksgiving Ella had the chicken pox.... Its really mommy's fault because I had shingles and gave the pox to her... We were quarantined during Turkey Day :( but she was a trooper and never really fussed about her "spots"
This year a few of my awesome friends decided that we need a night each week to just be with girls so Tuesdays are now girls nights! We meet for a few hours... talk, drink wine, play games, clip coupons, watch movies... pretty much anything goes. This has come to be my source of sanity during most weeks. I love getting closer to these ladies and learning about their lives and sharing mine with them! This is a picture of a night when we went to Wine and Canvas with a couple of girls! SO MUCH FUN!!
I will wrap up with this... My favorite picture from Christmas! I can't believe that 2011 is over and that I am currently planning Ella's first birthday party EEEEK !!! I can't wait for whats in store for 2012!
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