Busy Bees

This week was busy and exciting on a few fronts.

Dad flew to Chicago for training for a couple of days this week - his first out-of-town trip since Ella's been home. Mom got a taste of single parenthood. Even though it meant very little relaxation, it honestly wasn't too bad because I didn't feel guilty eating frozen dinners instead of cooking elaborate meals. But of course, I missed having Tim around.

On Monday, Tante Gerda watched Ella for an hour while I ran an errand. It's nice to have the convenience of willing babysitters (thanks!).

Tuesday, we drove to West County to meet a former co-worker of mine (Jen Fischer) for a sushi lunch. Ella stuck to formula, she's watching her figure. It was so nice getting out of the house and socializing! Afterwards Ella and I went to Babies 'R Us to get some diaper essentials, along with the next stage of dishware for Ella: sippy cups, cereal bowls, spoons, etc. Even though she isn't quite ready for these items, it's easier to pick them up while I'm there and I'm sure she'll be using them before we know it.

On Wed, Ella and I visited Nana and Papa for a playdate. It was so cute seeing the playmat set up on the living room floor when we arrived...do you think they were excited?? : ) Ella entertained very well by being awake, eating and playing while she was there. On the playmat, she kicked her legs, swung her arms and babbled something very wise for about 30 minutes. It was fun for all of us, and it never hurts when Nana sends you home with some tasty soup. Later that afternoon, Grandma Jerry stopped by our house to say hello. By this time Ella needed sleep though so the visit was short.

Thursday was a rainy, 'stay-in-your-pajamas' kind of day, and that's just what we did. I caught up on laundry and tried to declutter the house in prep for the real estate agent coming on Monday. Our plan is to have the agent give us advice on what we can do in the next 12 months to get our house in the best condition to sell next year. We aren't necessarily excited to go through the process of moving, however we are quickly realizing that we need more space.

This week we officially stopped using Ella's heart monitor and the in-home nurse this morning documented it! This means a more peaceful night's sleep for everyone in the Lynbrook household (including the cats). The reality is that Ella really didn't need to wear the monitor anyway since she wasn't having any heart rate drops or respiratory issues, it was more for us (Dad) to get comfortable not using it. The in-home nurse placed the call to the Pediatrician today which means a 3rd party will pick up the equipment from our house soon. YAY!

Speaking of in-home nurse visits, I believe that today was the last of those as well. Her weight was 9 lbs, 8.8 oz, which is only up 1 oz since last week however the trend is that she is gaining and we believe the Pediatrician is getting comfortable with that. (The in-home scale is usually a few ounces lower than the Ped scale.) Her height/length is approximately at the 40th percentile for a 2-month old (her adjusted age) and weight is approx 20th percentile. Her height and weight proportions are in sync, which is most important.

After scrubbing the floors and eating lunch on the go, Ella and I went to City Hall downtown to get her birth certificate. We are so excited to finally have it, so we can now apply for Ella's passport for a *fingers crossed* trip to Europe next Summer! As expected when dealing with government entities, our trip to City Hall encountered a few delays and involved plenty of people-watching. After not finding any parking nearby, we walked 6 blocks across busy streets, I carried a stroller up a flight of stairs (because the only accessible ramp is through the basement...shady), the homeless begged us for spare change and we waited in line for 30 minutes to complete a 'birth certificate print request' using a No. 2 pencil. Gotta love the efficiencies of the government. (Oh, and as a side note for Ella's memory book, let it be known that healthcare in America will soon be run by the government as approved in March 2010. Scary.)

After that adventure, we headed back home where we had our First Steps development meeting with the Service Coordinator, Physical Therapist and Dietitian. The meeting went well and we defined goals and outcomes for Ella over the next 6 months. She'll be working on things such as strengthening her neck & head control, sitting up, rolling over, purposeful batting of toys, and introducing more calories and solid foods into her diet. I'm anxious to get started. We work with her quite a bit and recently made black & white picture flashcards for her to work on understanding contrast. I think she's going to be a smart little cookie.

After a little relaxation (blog time!), we hope to see Ella's cousin Evan play baseball at the Affton ball fields (field conditions permitting). I am hoping the weather stays nice so we can continue our walks in the neighborhood again next week.

Whoever said that a stay-at-home mom just sits around eating bon bons all day was very misinformed. ; )

-Mom