Wow- we have one week left before baby Owen arrives. I Can’t believe it. It’s so different this time because it’s scheduled. We are all set- I have been nesting and buying stuff like crazy! It’s probably a good thing he is coming so soon 😉 . Ella Rose is getting so excited as well. The other night we heard her on the monitor talking to herself before bed, which she always does, and we heard her say, ” I love you Owen!” It was seriously the sweetest moment, I wanted to cry, and really wish I could have recorded it. I know she is going to be such a good big sis. She has been practicing for his arrival by putting diapers on her baby dolls, wrapping them in blankets, feeding them bottles, and putting them in the swing (which she already knows how to operate, ugh oh). We are trying to make her role as a big sister/helper very important so she will have an easier time adjusting. I know it’ll be difficult, but I know over time, we will all get used to being a family of four. It will be so great.
Ella Rose is talking up a storm! From the minute she wakes up until she falls asleep! It is so neat to see her personality grow through her facial expressions (which tell it all), stories and sayings. I really love this age. She is obsessed with her “fro fro’s,” which are these little figurines she has collected from Frozen, Cinderella, Princess Sophia, & Snow White. They go everywhere with us! I have been documenting their journey since she brings them around everywhere we go, in her purse. It cracks us up. Whenever we get to our destination, she takes them out and lines them up perfectly. She always has a certain way she wants them and they have to be lined up exactly how she is imagining, or else…ha! Just the other day, I heard her counting them and she counted to 8 by herself! I keep trying to get it on video, but anytime she sees me with the camera she stops. We also started gymnastics a few weeks ago. We finally got into this one gym that had an extensive wait list- it is great. She absolutely loves it. We might have a future gymnast on our hands, like her Mama ;-). I am really happy she is doing it now, because she loves watching it with me on television and she is always doing these silly poses in the bath tub saying, “watch nastics.” At the first class, she even wanted to walk across the balance beam by herself. It is quite a work out for me as well, with all of the lifting and helping her tumble. This week she jumped into the pit off a high stacked mat, and she walked across the high beam by herself with the extender. She also loves climbing the wall and smelling the flowers at the top. It’s such a great way to practice coordination at this age. She really enjoys all of her activities, and it is so neat to watch her grow and change through them. It is also nice to stay busy and have a set routine during the week. Like she says , “nastics is Tuesdaiiii.”
I am really happy that we have been soaking in these last few weeks with Ella Rose. It has been so much fun with her. We have taken her to go see her first movie, “Zootopia,” which she loved. If there was a scary part, she would just come sit on our laps. But overall, she sat through the entire movie and loved the music. We are still listening to the “movie song,” (“Try Everything,” by Shakira) daily. She is also really into this song by Major Laser, “Lean On,” that her cousin John and Aunt Laura introduced her to. She calls it the”Aunt Laura, John song.” We have to tell her it’s Mommy’s or Daddy’s turn for a new song because it is beginning to drive us crazy, ha! We have also gone to the zoo, had picnics, and watched lots of movies (Monster’s Inc & Frozen, her favorites) on days Mommy is very tired/worn out. For Easter this year, we just celebrated with our little family. It was nice to take it easy. I made us a yummy brunch, we went to church, and had an Easter egg hunt for Ella Rosie. She also left out carrots for the Easter bunny to eat, and loved waking up to see the carrots were all eaten and her basket of goodies was waiting for her.
Also, I am super excited because we ended up getting Ella Rose a small swing set. We are going to try and put it up this weekend as soon as it arrives. We have a great park just down the street, but with the baby coming, I really wanted something that we could use immediately and just walk out our back door to use. Ella Rose will love it. It’s a simple one, but will be perfect for our yard and for the kiddos to play on while they are smaller right now. Luckily, the next few weeks we have lots of help from both Grandmas coming and after they leave, the babysitters will be helping as well since I can’t lift Ella Rosie for six weeks. A little nervous for that challenge, but I think we will be ok with the extra hands helping. I am starting to get a little nervous/anxious about the c -section, but one nurse really put me at ease with her kind words saying, “last time was the run and the marathon, this time it is just the run.” I really liked this metaphor, and believe we are all set. We are so excited for our growing family next week and can’t wait to hold baby Owen in our arms. It will be so great to have a new little member of our family to share our life with. Stay tuned for the next post after baby’s arrival & hopefully I’ll have some boy’s clothes to show off!
