When Ella was born, people all over the country helped us out. Some people brought us food, some sent us special gifts, some gave us money, and most sent up hundreds and thousands of prayers for our sweet girl. At the time Joe and I were completely overwhelmed with the love and support. It was a scary time for us and knowing that others were thinking about us and praying for us really made all the difference.
Last week Ella got 2 special packages in the mail. First, she got a beautiful prayer blanket with her name embroidered on it. The card was signed by a woman I’ve never met, who attends a church I’ve never heard of. She is my grandmothers hair-dresser (I’m not sure if that’s the PC term) and as soon as she heard our story she decided to make a special prayer blanket for Ella. When we received the box I cried. It is still so overwhelming to have strangers take so much time to make something special for Ella. The second gift was a new Dr. Seuss book. Once again, I cried when we got it in the mail. A friend of my mom’s sent it to Ella after she read how much she loves Dr. Seuss books and it was so touching that she wanted to send it to Ella.
Saturday we headed up to Frederick, MD to visit with the Eagles. You’ve read about them here before, it’s the most amazing civic group that has adopted EB as their charity for the year. We have been able to visit with them on several occasions and have grown to love this group so much! They have the most amazing hearts! Saturday they had a bowl-a-thon to raise money for EB and they raised over $7,000! Incredible!
On Sunday it was my turn to go to the church service and Joe went to Sunday School with Ella. In the bulletin was an announcement for a new baby, and in reading the announcement I was taken back to when Ella was born and how much our church family gathered around us. They brought us food, came over to our house and offered words of encouragement, and lifted us up in prayer. On more than one occasion members of the church gathered together to pray for sweet Ella and ask for God’s healing hand. I remember one of the first Sunday’s we brought Ella to church and a woman sitting in front of us said, “Oh, this is the precious baby we’ve been praying for!” And even now (more-so than when Ella was born) our church is so supportive. It’s one of the few places we can take Ella where I don’t feel like everyone is commenting on what happened to her…because they’ve been there since the beginning.
All of these examples bring me to the point that Joe and I often talk about how we will never be able to repay all the kindness we have received since Ella was born. Just saying ‘thank you’ will never be enough. We are continually overwhelmed with how people want to help and how much they love Ella and want to see her grow and develop. You all are amazing! You warm our hearts and let us know that the world is full of amazing, kind, helpful people. Thank you…from all that we have in us, thank you for everything.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Monday, April 19, 2010
Theo Geisel
I started reading to Ella when she was 1 week old and in the NICU. I heard that studies showed that kids who are read to at an early age have better speech development. It also helps shape their memory and listening skills (what kid doesn’t need better listening skills). So I knew from the start that Ella and I were going to spend a lot of time with books. And I knew from the beginning that she was going to own many Dr. Seuss books (AKA: Theodore Geisel).
Also, in talking to a friend of mine who is an elementary school reading teacher, she said that one of the biggest issues she sees with kids is that they don’t know how to rhyme. They just can’t hear that cat rhymes with hat, or mouse rhymes with house. So I was determined to read rhyming books and poetry to Ella (Yes, she owns Where the Sidewalk Ends.)
Now, at nearly 3 years old, Ella recently discovered the joy of reading Dr. Seuss books, and now that’s all she wants to read. The problem is that she only has 3 books, and one of them is How the Grinch Stole Christmas so we haven’t been reading that. So at night Joe and I have read Green Eggs and Ham and The Tooth Book more than we would like to count. In fact, we have read it so much that Ella has much of Green Eggs and Ham memorized…and so do I…”I am Sam…Sam I am…That Sam I am, that Sam I am, I do not like that Sam I am!….Do you like green eggs and ham?” You know the rest.
The other issue here is that Ella now wants to eat green eggs! Yes, I have taken to dying her scrambled eggs GREEN! The good news is that now she’ll eat 2 eggs instead of 1…protein baby! And no, I do not dye Joe’s eggs green, nor do I dye mine. We eat regular yellow eggs just like the rest of the world. I guess as long as she’s eating her eggs I shouldn’t complain, but green eggs just really don’t look that appetizing.
Anyway, we’ve already decided that we’re going to start expanding Ella’s Dr. Seuss library. I’m thinking 1 Fish 2 Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, mainly because she has a red fish and a blue fish. Do you have any other suggestions?
Also, in talking to a friend of mine who is an elementary school reading teacher, she said that one of the biggest issues she sees with kids is that they don’t know how to rhyme. They just can’t hear that cat rhymes with hat, or mouse rhymes with house. So I was determined to read rhyming books and poetry to Ella (Yes, she owns Where the Sidewalk Ends.)
Now, at nearly 3 years old, Ella recently discovered the joy of reading Dr. Seuss books, and now that’s all she wants to read. The problem is that she only has 3 books, and one of them is How the Grinch Stole Christmas so we haven’t been reading that. So at night Joe and I have read Green Eggs and Ham and The Tooth Book more than we would like to count. In fact, we have read it so much that Ella has much of Green Eggs and Ham memorized…and so do I…”I am Sam…Sam I am…That Sam I am, that Sam I am, I do not like that Sam I am!….Do you like green eggs and ham?” You know the rest.
The other issue here is that Ella now wants to eat green eggs! Yes, I have taken to dying her scrambled eggs GREEN! The good news is that now she’ll eat 2 eggs instead of 1…protein baby! And no, I do not dye Joe’s eggs green, nor do I dye mine. We eat regular yellow eggs just like the rest of the world. I guess as long as she’s eating her eggs I shouldn’t complain, but green eggs just really don’t look that appetizing.
Anyway, we’ve already decided that we’re going to start expanding Ella’s Dr. Seuss library. I’m thinking 1 Fish 2 Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, mainly because she has a red fish and a blue fish. Do you have any other suggestions?
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Gleek
I started singing in choir when I was in 4th grade. I couldn’t tell you exactly how many different choirs I’ve sung in, but it has been a lot. Yes, I was in Show Choir…I wore a purple cummerbund and bow tie…it was shimmery. Yes, we sang and danced at the same time and it was wonderful. I loved every minute of it.
All this considered, it shouldn’t be surprising that one of my favorite shows on TV is Glee. I love the drama, I love the comedy, I love the romance, and I especially love the music!
I pride myself on not getting star struck. I have lived in DC for 7 years and over the course of that time I have met a lot of important people, so I have learned to keep composed when we meet. I have met hundreds of our country’s leaders including a president and vice president (who happened to go to the same high school I went to). I have stood in elevators with 5 members of Congress and managed to come up with something witty to say like, "Be sure to vote the right way." I've even been known to stop a very high profile House member on the escalator and ask him if he remembered his high school Speech and Debate coach (my mom...and yes, he did remember her). I have met many singers and actors and been completely able to keep my cool (ask me about the time I saw Angelina Jolie in the bathroom). However, yesterday I met someone that made me feel like I was back in 7th grade and meeting New Kids on the Block.
If you don’t know who this is, then you’ve obviously never watched Glee. This is Mr. Schuester (Mr. Shu), the trusty glee club director. I met him at the White House Easter Egg Roll on Monday, and I completely made a fool of myself.
Picture it, a hot and tired mom pushing a stroller with her hot and tired 2 year old daughter. They’ve seen all they came to see and all she wants is to find the exit. All of a sudden, there he is…Mr. Shu. Insert total freak out.
So, I saw Mr. Shu and immediately started scrambling to get out the camera. By the time I got it out of the case and prepared to take a picture, he had passed. I stood for a minute and evaluated my options:
1) Chalk it up as a loss and just tell my friends that I saw him.
2) Take a picture of the back of his head.
3) Run down the hill and grab him to get a good picture.
Well, as you can see from the picture above, I chose option 3. I grabbed Ella (I believe her exact words were “Woah Mommy!”) and started running down the hill…all while pushing a stroller. I was bobbing in and out of people like a pro. Finally, I came upon Mr. Shu (yes, he does have a real name, it’s Matthew Morrison, but to me he’s just Mr. Shu) and asked the dumbest, most obvious question, “Are you in Glee?” Hello Katie...of course he's in Glee. That's why you chased him down!
Well, because he’s nice, he said “Yes” as though I didn’t ask a stupid question. I of course asked to get a picture with him, but the woman who was escorting him to the Glee performance stage wouldn’t let him stop…not even for 1 minute (mean lady). So I just walked along side of him and snapped a picture.
He was cute, I’m not gonna lie…much cuter in person than on the show. I think they may nerd him out a bit on TV so that he goes with the theme of the show. Anyway, he was very cute and very nice. The whole 2 minutes that I was walking next to him (pushing Ella in a stroller) I was rambling on a bunch of stupid stuff about how my coworkers and I were Gleeks and how we talked about what happened on the show every Thursday morning (although now it will be on Wed. morning since the show is moving to Tuesday nights), and I know I mentioned something stupid about how I was a former show choir member…and I went on and on until finally something in my head told me to shut up, so I just thanked him for the picture and left.
There it is, my brush with fame. Right after I saw him, I saw Betty DeGeneres and Tony, Ellen’s DJ. I had used up all of my 12 year old NKOTB juices, so I just snapped a picture and left it at that.
Oh yeah, and Ella had fun at the White House too.
All this considered, it shouldn’t be surprising that one of my favorite shows on TV is Glee. I love the drama, I love the comedy, I love the romance, and I especially love the music!
I pride myself on not getting star struck. I have lived in DC for 7 years and over the course of that time I have met a lot of important people, so I have learned to keep composed when we meet. I have met hundreds of our country’s leaders including a president and vice president (who happened to go to the same high school I went to). I have stood in elevators with 5 members of Congress and managed to come up with something witty to say like, "Be sure to vote the right way." I've even been known to stop a very high profile House member on the escalator and ask him if he remembered his high school Speech and Debate coach (my mom...and yes, he did remember her). I have met many singers and actors and been completely able to keep my cool (ask me about the time I saw Angelina Jolie in the bathroom). However, yesterday I met someone that made me feel like I was back in 7th grade and meeting New Kids on the Block.
If you don’t know who this is, then you’ve obviously never watched Glee. This is Mr. Schuester (Mr. Shu), the trusty glee club director. I met him at the White House Easter Egg Roll on Monday, and I completely made a fool of myself.
Picture it, a hot and tired mom pushing a stroller with her hot and tired 2 year old daughter. They’ve seen all they came to see and all she wants is to find the exit. All of a sudden, there he is…Mr. Shu. Insert total freak out.
So, I saw Mr. Shu and immediately started scrambling to get out the camera. By the time I got it out of the case and prepared to take a picture, he had passed. I stood for a minute and evaluated my options:
1) Chalk it up as a loss and just tell my friends that I saw him.
2) Take a picture of the back of his head.
3) Run down the hill and grab him to get a good picture.
Well, as you can see from the picture above, I chose option 3. I grabbed Ella (I believe her exact words were “Woah Mommy!”) and started running down the hill…all while pushing a stroller. I was bobbing in and out of people like a pro. Finally, I came upon Mr. Shu (yes, he does have a real name, it’s Matthew Morrison, but to me he’s just Mr. Shu) and asked the dumbest, most obvious question, “Are you in Glee?” Hello Katie...of course he's in Glee. That's why you chased him down!
Well, because he’s nice, he said “Yes” as though I didn’t ask a stupid question. I of course asked to get a picture with him, but the woman who was escorting him to the Glee performance stage wouldn’t let him stop…not even for 1 minute (mean lady). So I just walked along side of him and snapped a picture.
He was cute, I’m not gonna lie…much cuter in person than on the show. I think they may nerd him out a bit on TV so that he goes with the theme of the show. Anyway, he was very cute and very nice. The whole 2 minutes that I was walking next to him (pushing Ella in a stroller) I was rambling on a bunch of stupid stuff about how my coworkers and I were Gleeks and how we talked about what happened on the show every Thursday morning (although now it will be on Wed. morning since the show is moving to Tuesday nights), and I know I mentioned something stupid about how I was a former show choir member…and I went on and on until finally something in my head told me to shut up, so I just thanked him for the picture and left.
There it is, my brush with fame. Right after I saw him, I saw Betty DeGeneres and Tony, Ellen’s DJ. I had used up all of my 12 year old NKOTB juices, so I just snapped a picture and left it at that.
Oh yeah, and Ella had fun at the White House too.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Quick Story
This weekend we went to Atlanta, GA to celebrate Joe’s cousins wedding. I’ll do a separate post with the details of our trip, but in the meantime I just wanted to share a quick story.
Our flight was Thursday night, so I left work early to give Ella a bath and get to the airport in time for our flight. We met Joe at the airport around 6:30. Since our flight was at 9 and we had some time to kill, we decided to grab a quick dinner at TGI Fridays. We were sitting at our table and had just placed our order, when a man in a military uniform came up to our table.
He said, “I travel all over the country and a lot of people buy my dinner because they see me in this uniform. So every so often I like to do the same for other people. As soon as I saw your beautiful daughter I knew that I wanted to buy you dinner.”
This man paid for our entire dinner! What a blessing! I almost started crying right there. I have never experienced anything quite like that. When I lived in Boston there were times when I was feeling especially nice and I would pay the toll for the car behind me, but that was 50 cents, not an entire meal for 3 people. And we have awesome friends and family who have bought us dinner on numerous occasions, but this was a complete stranger.
It was so touching and so very humbling! Here is a military man serving our country, yet he has the heart to buy dinner for a family that he’s never met. What a great testament to the kind of people we have in our armed services.
We, of course, thanked the man profusely and he kept saying that it was because of our beautiful daughter, he did it for her.
Our flight was Thursday night, so I left work early to give Ella a bath and get to the airport in time for our flight. We met Joe at the airport around 6:30. Since our flight was at 9 and we had some time to kill, we decided to grab a quick dinner at TGI Fridays. We were sitting at our table and had just placed our order, when a man in a military uniform came up to our table.
He said, “I travel all over the country and a lot of people buy my dinner because they see me in this uniform. So every so often I like to do the same for other people. As soon as I saw your beautiful daughter I knew that I wanted to buy you dinner.”
This man paid for our entire dinner! What a blessing! I almost started crying right there. I have never experienced anything quite like that. When I lived in Boston there were times when I was feeling especially nice and I would pay the toll for the car behind me, but that was 50 cents, not an entire meal for 3 people. And we have awesome friends and family who have bought us dinner on numerous occasions, but this was a complete stranger.
It was so touching and so very humbling! Here is a military man serving our country, yet he has the heart to buy dinner for a family that he’s never met. What a great testament to the kind of people we have in our armed services.
We, of course, thanked the man profusely and he kept saying that it was because of our beautiful daughter, he did it for her.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Murray Update
My creative juices aren’t flowing right now, so I can’t come up with a better title than that. Sorry, I’ll blame it on the rain. (Yes, I started singing as I typed that)
First, thanks for your prayers for the sleeping. I wish I could say that Ella was doing great and sleeping through the night. Unfortunately, that is not the case. She’s still waking up every 2 hours. I did go buy the No Cry Sleep Solution and while she’s not sleeping through the night, we have seen marked improvement from implementing just a few things from this book (I’m only half way through reading it). First, she’s going to bed MUCH earlier than she used to. Our theory before was that if she went to bed later then she’d sleep longer and we wouldn’t be woken up in the middle of the night. That is true, but now that Ella is going to bed earlier and getting more sleep (even though it’s broken), she’s a much happier kid. She doesn’t fight as much when Metti arrives in the morning, and she doesn’t fight as much with getting her clothes changed or her diaper changed. She has also started taking more consistent naps, which is great. They are at the same time every day (give or take 30 minutes), which means that she actually goes to bed at the same time every night (give or take 30 minutes). And the best part is that Joe and I actually get to hang out together at night! All of this is great news! The problem is that she’s still waking up throughout the night…like 4-5 times a night. Ugh. What we need to figure out is if she’s waking up because she’s itchy, or if she wakes up and doesn’t know what to do so she scratches (it can be a nervous habit for Ella). It’s a “which came first, the chicken or the egg” situation. All we know is that when we go in there she’s just scratching all over…legs, arms, back, sides, EVERYWHERE! I stay in her room and try to rub whatever part seems to be itching the most, but even then it takes at least an hour for her to get over the itchy bug enough to calm down and go back to sleep. We’ve been alternating 2 anti-itch medicines. One of them used to work great, but the older she gets it doesn’t work so well. The other works great for 2-3 nights, then doesn’t work at all, and in fact, seems to make matters worse. This is where, once again, Joe and I need prayer for wisdom.
Ok, enough of that. This weekend the weather here was absolutely beautiful! Saturday Ella and I went to visit Joe at work (yes, he worked all weekend) and we took his office cookies. Ella was very excited to see where daddy worked and to visit his colleagues. She even drew a very special picture while we were there.
On Sunday we took Ella to Sunday School at church for the first time! We are really working on active steps to get Ella into play groups and other activities with kids her age. She’s extremely shy, as anyone who has met her knows, so I can’t just throw her into preschool without at least some preparation for being around a lot of other kids. All in all she did really well. She was overwhelmed at first, but as soon as they started singing songs she warmed up. They had play time in the church’s soft play room...how ideal for Ella! She didn’t really climb all over everything, but more enjoyed watching the other kids play. She did, however, love when the kids would jump in the ball pool and she’d go around and pick up all the balls that fell out and throw them back in (just like her Paw Paw). When we went back to the room they had snacks, and Ella actually sat by herself and ate the snacks with the other kids (this is a big step…usually she wants to sit on my lap). She also went to the puzzle table and did puzzles with some of the other girls. I only knew 1 other kid in the class, so I am not judging, but Ella was definitely the best at putting puzzles together. And I lined up the blocks and when she was counting them she was counting in Boppie’s language…GENIUS!!! Anyway, it was good for her and it was good for me to see some specific things we need to work on before she starts preschool.
Metti has been taking Ella to story time at the library for several weeks and she loves it. When I come home from work she tells me all about the story they read and the songs they sang, and shows me her picture. Metti did say that Ella is the only kid that actually sits and listens to the story and does what the leader asks. The rest of the kids are running around and not paying attention. Good job Ella! Metti and Ella are also going to try out some other toddler activities around Alexandria, so we’ll see how those go. I think it will be good for both Ella and Metti to get out of the house more and play with other kids, especially as the weather gets warmer.
Given the beautiful weather over the weekend, I washed all of Ella’s summer clothes. The problem…I have been buying all 3T and about half of them are too big. She’s in that terrible stage where 2T are too small (too short) and 3T are too big. Does this give me a good reason to go shopping? I will also add that if anyone has a daughter who has outgrown her 3T clothes I’d be happy to pay good money for them. :)
First, thanks for your prayers for the sleeping. I wish I could say that Ella was doing great and sleeping through the night. Unfortunately, that is not the case. She’s still waking up every 2 hours. I did go buy the No Cry Sleep Solution and while she’s not sleeping through the night, we have seen marked improvement from implementing just a few things from this book (I’m only half way through reading it). First, she’s going to bed MUCH earlier than she used to. Our theory before was that if she went to bed later then she’d sleep longer and we wouldn’t be woken up in the middle of the night. That is true, but now that Ella is going to bed earlier and getting more sleep (even though it’s broken), she’s a much happier kid. She doesn’t fight as much when Metti arrives in the morning, and she doesn’t fight as much with getting her clothes changed or her diaper changed. She has also started taking more consistent naps, which is great. They are at the same time every day (give or take 30 minutes), which means that she actually goes to bed at the same time every night (give or take 30 minutes). And the best part is that Joe and I actually get to hang out together at night! All of this is great news! The problem is that she’s still waking up throughout the night…like 4-5 times a night. Ugh. What we need to figure out is if she’s waking up because she’s itchy, or if she wakes up and doesn’t know what to do so she scratches (it can be a nervous habit for Ella). It’s a “which came first, the chicken or the egg” situation. All we know is that when we go in there she’s just scratching all over…legs, arms, back, sides, EVERYWHERE! I stay in her room and try to rub whatever part seems to be itching the most, but even then it takes at least an hour for her to get over the itchy bug enough to calm down and go back to sleep. We’ve been alternating 2 anti-itch medicines. One of them used to work great, but the older she gets it doesn’t work so well. The other works great for 2-3 nights, then doesn’t work at all, and in fact, seems to make matters worse. This is where, once again, Joe and I need prayer for wisdom.
Ok, enough of that. This weekend the weather here was absolutely beautiful! Saturday Ella and I went to visit Joe at work (yes, he worked all weekend) and we took his office cookies. Ella was very excited to see where daddy worked and to visit his colleagues. She even drew a very special picture while we were there.
On Sunday we took Ella to Sunday School at church for the first time! We are really working on active steps to get Ella into play groups and other activities with kids her age. She’s extremely shy, as anyone who has met her knows, so I can’t just throw her into preschool without at least some preparation for being around a lot of other kids. All in all she did really well. She was overwhelmed at first, but as soon as they started singing songs she warmed up. They had play time in the church’s soft play room...how ideal for Ella! She didn’t really climb all over everything, but more enjoyed watching the other kids play. She did, however, love when the kids would jump in the ball pool and she’d go around and pick up all the balls that fell out and throw them back in (just like her Paw Paw). When we went back to the room they had snacks, and Ella actually sat by herself and ate the snacks with the other kids (this is a big step…usually she wants to sit on my lap). She also went to the puzzle table and did puzzles with some of the other girls. I only knew 1 other kid in the class, so I am not judging, but Ella was definitely the best at putting puzzles together. And I lined up the blocks and when she was counting them she was counting in Boppie’s language…GENIUS!!! Anyway, it was good for her and it was good for me to see some specific things we need to work on before she starts preschool.
Metti has been taking Ella to story time at the library for several weeks and she loves it. When I come home from work she tells me all about the story they read and the songs they sang, and shows me her picture. Metti did say that Ella is the only kid that actually sits and listens to the story and does what the leader asks. The rest of the kids are running around and not paying attention. Good job Ella! Metti and Ella are also going to try out some other toddler activities around Alexandria, so we’ll see how those go. I think it will be good for both Ella and Metti to get out of the house more and play with other kids, especially as the weather gets warmer.
Given the beautiful weather over the weekend, I washed all of Ella’s summer clothes. The problem…I have been buying all 3T and about half of them are too big. She’s in that terrible stage where 2T are too small (too short) and 3T are too big. Does this give me a good reason to go shopping? I will also add that if anyone has a daughter who has outgrown her 3T clothes I’d be happy to pay good money for them. :)
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
The Masses Have Spoken
Glitter it is! I have placed the order and we should receive them soon. I’ll deal with the glitter all over the house…that’s why we have a maid right? The practical side of me did take over and I ordered a size bigger so that she could have them for awhile. Unfortunately this means that she may not be able to wear them right away. Oh well. You can’t win them all. Thank you all for your participation and comments. I don't think we've had that many comments on a post since Ella was a baby! That is very exciting for us (and when I say "us" I really mean "me" because honestly, Joe and Ella really don't have a lot to do with the blog).
Ok, so I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again…Ella is funny. The best part is that she doesn’t even know how funny she is because she’s just being herself…her cute, funny, 2 year old self. The other night Joe was putting her in her pajamas. Ella hates changing clothes. No, it’s not EB related…it’s 2 year old stubbornness related. She just doesn’t want to have to stop doing whatever she’s doing long enough to have her clothes changed. And she knows that if she has to take off her clothes and put on her pajamas then she’ll soon be headed for bed. So last night while Joe was putting her in her pajamas, Ella started crying that she had a boo boo. After a thorough look we didn’t see any sign of injury, so Joe proceeded. Suddenly the tears about her “boo boo” stopped and Ella said, “Can the Wonder Pets fix it?”
Saturday we spent the day at home. It was pouring rain outside and I had things at home that I needed to get accomplished. So we spent most of the day playing the basement…Ella’s toyland. At one point she started running around the couch as fast as her 2 year old legs would take her, and as she was running she was chanting, “Go Ella! Go Ella! Go Ella!” We both burst into laughter and Joe said, "Where did she learn that?" Since neither of us say it, there's only one place she could have learned it...Metti...or TV.
Ella is also learning how to make jokes. She’ll look at me and say, "Hi daddy" or, "Hi Boppie" (that’s what she calls Metti) and then start laughing because she knows it’s funny that she's calling me the wrong name. Or she’ll have a necklace and call it a bracelet, and start laughing because she’s so funny. I of course completely play it up and say things like, “Hold it! I’m not daddy…I’m your mommy!” and then I tickle her belly. Her laugh is the BEST!!!
And now, for my shameless plea…we need sleep prayers. For the past several weeks (months) Ella has been waking up at least 5 times a night, and at least once during the night she wakes up and stays awake for 2 hours while we take turns trying to get her back to sleep. Joe and I both work full-time, so this does not make a good combination. We are both at our wits end. We can count on one hand…ONE HAND, the number of times we’ve had a full nights sleep in the past 2 ½ years. When she just gets up once I can deal with it (I don’t like it, but I can deal with it), but this whole waking up multiple times thing and not going back to sleep is completely ridiculous. So ridiculous in fact, that today I’m going to buy a PARENTING BOOK (Gasp!). Anyone who knows me knows I’m not the parenting book kind. I have nothing against people who are, but Joe and I tend to parents with our gut…if it feels right, then it is. This is why 99.8% of the time I have absolutely no idea what I’m doing. Sometimes this works out…sometimes it doesn’t, and with Ella’s sleeping it has definitely NOT worked out. So I’m going to Barnes and Noble today to see what I can find. Since Ella’s older we can’t really do the whole “cry it out” method (we didn’t do it when she was a baby because we didn’t want her to tear her skin up while she was crying), and we’ve tried music and all she does is sing along, even if it’s instrumental (this girl definitely got her Paw Paw’s musical gene). We’ve also tried white noise and it doesn’t work either. She has a humidifier in her room and I use saline spray in her nose thinking that might help...nope. I feel like we’ve tried everything, which is why I’m going to my last resort. Maybe a book will give us some new ideas. Like I said, both Joe and I are at our wits end. We can’t keep functioning like this. I don’t get mad at God about Ella having EB (I don’t like it, but I’m not mad), but I DO get mad about her not sleeping through the night (should I admit that?). I feel like that is one area where He could hook us up, you know. Throw us a little bone and let Ella sleep through the night. Not one night, not two nights, but every night. Ok, now I’m just sounding bitter. Anyway, please pray that Ella starts sleeping through the night. Thanks!
Ok, that’s it on our end. Thanks again for all of your comments and votes on the shoes. I know Ella will love her glitter shoes, and I’ll just deal with the glitter being all over the house (although I did go to Target this weekend and rubbed their glitter shoes as hard as I could and not one speck of glitter came off on my hand…lets hope these shoes are the same way). I’ll be sure and post pictures when they arrive.
Ok, so I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again…Ella is funny. The best part is that she doesn’t even know how funny she is because she’s just being herself…her cute, funny, 2 year old self. The other night Joe was putting her in her pajamas. Ella hates changing clothes. No, it’s not EB related…it’s 2 year old stubbornness related. She just doesn’t want to have to stop doing whatever she’s doing long enough to have her clothes changed. And she knows that if she has to take off her clothes and put on her pajamas then she’ll soon be headed for bed. So last night while Joe was putting her in her pajamas, Ella started crying that she had a boo boo. After a thorough look we didn’t see any sign of injury, so Joe proceeded. Suddenly the tears about her “boo boo” stopped and Ella said, “Can the Wonder Pets fix it?”
Saturday we spent the day at home. It was pouring rain outside and I had things at home that I needed to get accomplished. So we spent most of the day playing the basement…Ella’s toyland. At one point she started running around the couch as fast as her 2 year old legs would take her, and as she was running she was chanting, “Go Ella! Go Ella! Go Ella!” We both burst into laughter and Joe said, "Where did she learn that?" Since neither of us say it, there's only one place she could have learned it...Metti...or TV.
Ella is also learning how to make jokes. She’ll look at me and say, "Hi daddy" or, "Hi Boppie" (that’s what she calls Metti) and then start laughing because she knows it’s funny that she's calling me the wrong name. Or she’ll have a necklace and call it a bracelet, and start laughing because she’s so funny. I of course completely play it up and say things like, “Hold it! I’m not daddy…I’m your mommy!” and then I tickle her belly. Her laugh is the BEST!!!
And now, for my shameless plea…we need sleep prayers. For the past several weeks (months) Ella has been waking up at least 5 times a night, and at least once during the night she wakes up and stays awake for 2 hours while we take turns trying to get her back to sleep. Joe and I both work full-time, so this does not make a good combination. We are both at our wits end. We can count on one hand…ONE HAND, the number of times we’ve had a full nights sleep in the past 2 ½ years. When she just gets up once I can deal with it (I don’t like it, but I can deal with it), but this whole waking up multiple times thing and not going back to sleep is completely ridiculous. So ridiculous in fact, that today I’m going to buy a PARENTING BOOK (Gasp!). Anyone who knows me knows I’m not the parenting book kind. I have nothing against people who are, but Joe and I tend to parents with our gut…if it feels right, then it is. This is why 99.8% of the time I have absolutely no idea what I’m doing. Sometimes this works out…sometimes it doesn’t, and with Ella’s sleeping it has definitely NOT worked out. So I’m going to Barnes and Noble today to see what I can find. Since Ella’s older we can’t really do the whole “cry it out” method (we didn’t do it when she was a baby because we didn’t want her to tear her skin up while she was crying), and we’ve tried music and all she does is sing along, even if it’s instrumental (this girl definitely got her Paw Paw’s musical gene). We’ve also tried white noise and it doesn’t work either. She has a humidifier in her room and I use saline spray in her nose thinking that might help...nope. I feel like we’ve tried everything, which is why I’m going to my last resort. Maybe a book will give us some new ideas. Like I said, both Joe and I are at our wits end. We can’t keep functioning like this. I don’t get mad at God about Ella having EB (I don’t like it, but I’m not mad), but I DO get mad about her not sleeping through the night (should I admit that?). I feel like that is one area where He could hook us up, you know. Throw us a little bone and let Ella sleep through the night. Not one night, not two nights, but every night. Ok, now I’m just sounding bitter. Anyway, please pray that Ella starts sleeping through the night. Thanks!
Ok, that’s it on our end. Thanks again for all of your comments and votes on the shoes. I know Ella will love her glitter shoes, and I’ll just deal with the glitter being all over the house (although I did go to Target this weekend and rubbed their glitter shoes as hard as I could and not one speck of glitter came off on my hand…lets hope these shoes are the same way). I’ll be sure and post pictures when they arrive.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
To Glitter or Not To Glitter…that is the question
So, I posed this question on facebook today, and I got such an overwhelming response, that I decided I needed to take it to the next level…blogland.
Here’s the back story…I found a website that offers girls shoes in wide (you’d be surprised at how hard they are to find…apparently little boys are the only ones with fat feet). I was so excited and bought Ella 2 pair of shoes, one casual and one dress up. The dress up pair is black patent leather with ribbons to tie them on. Here is a picture.
I love these shoes! Not only are they absolutely adorable, but they are easy on Ella’s feet. With the ribbons as ties I can put them on as tight or as loose as I need to, depending on the thickness of the bandages and the state of her feet at that time. The sad news is that after just a few months, one of the ribbons ripped completely off. Yeah, I was pretty hacked off about the whole thing. Luckily, I emailed the company and they have offered a replacement pair of shoes FOR FREE!!! I can get any style they offer. SOOO, I threw this situation out to Metti and told her that I was thinking about getting just another pair of black shoes, but in a bigger size so that she can wear them when she’s older. Metti then suggested that we get glitter shoes. I know little girls love glitter shoes, and I think Ella would love them too… BUT…I am less than excited about having glitter all over our house and all over my hands from putting the shoes on, and all over Ella’s clothes. I have also heard that the glitter comes off the toes of the shoes fairly quicky, which can make them look old way before their time.
So, for the next few days there will be a poll on the right side of the blog. The question is: Do I buy Ella the silver glitter shoes, even though I know that they will leave glitter all over our house and all over her clothes, and the glitter will slowly come off over time? OR, do I forget the glitter shoes and go with something more practical?
Here is a picture of the glitter shoes, just so you know exactly what you're voting on.
Thank you in advance for your participation. I desparately need help in making this decision.
Here’s the back story…I found a website that offers girls shoes in wide (you’d be surprised at how hard they are to find…apparently little boys are the only ones with fat feet). I was so excited and bought Ella 2 pair of shoes, one casual and one dress up. The dress up pair is black patent leather with ribbons to tie them on. Here is a picture.
I love these shoes! Not only are they absolutely adorable, but they are easy on Ella’s feet. With the ribbons as ties I can put them on as tight or as loose as I need to, depending on the thickness of the bandages and the state of her feet at that time. The sad news is that after just a few months, one of the ribbons ripped completely off. Yeah, I was pretty hacked off about the whole thing. Luckily, I emailed the company and they have offered a replacement pair of shoes FOR FREE!!! I can get any style they offer. SOOO, I threw this situation out to Metti and told her that I was thinking about getting just another pair of black shoes, but in a bigger size so that she can wear them when she’s older. Metti then suggested that we get glitter shoes. I know little girls love glitter shoes, and I think Ella would love them too… BUT…I am less than excited about having glitter all over our house and all over my hands from putting the shoes on, and all over Ella’s clothes. I have also heard that the glitter comes off the toes of the shoes fairly quicky, which can make them look old way before their time.
So, for the next few days there will be a poll on the right side of the blog. The question is: Do I buy Ella the silver glitter shoes, even though I know that they will leave glitter all over our house and all over her clothes, and the glitter will slowly come off over time? OR, do I forget the glitter shoes and go with something more practical?
Here is a picture of the glitter shoes, just so you know exactly what you're voting on.
Thank you in advance for your participation. I desparately need help in making this decision.
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