A year goes by

I happened to randomly check up on our blog tonight for the first time in many months.  And it turns out that my last blog post was exactly one year ago today.  Weird.  

That means Haddie was 4 months old the last time I wrote anything about our family.  Time flies when you're having fun...and chasing down a 16-month-old while keeping your terrified 4-year-old from falling off her bike, again.

I remember that life seemed to get a bit easier when Ella turned a year old.  I remember that it got even more manageable when she turned 18 months, then 2, and so on. The same seems true with two kids--each six month span has continued to bring more independence for both girls. So here's a quick update on where they're at right now:

     Ella is in school 5 days a week this year, in a private kindergarten class that her preschool offers with a wonderful certified kinder teacher, Miss Annie.  She was actually Ella's teacher in the 2-year-olds class when the school opened a few years ago, so the continuity has been great for Ella.  Ella doesn't accept change easily.  She needs some preparation beforehand and then she needs some time to adjust, to settle in, to find her way.  And once she's found it, she won't stop talking to you about it until you tell her that your ears aren't working anymore tonight and so maybe she could tell Daddy all of the thoughts.  And she will. Happily.

     She is quirky and sensitive and bright.  She loves pets and is desperately vying for a kitty, but accepts the reasoning that "Crazy Haddie would hurt the kitty" because she would. She loves her sister, and loves being a big sister, but she doesn't love sharing the attention and that is a continued work-in-progress. 

     I registered her for Kindergarten today at our neighborhood elementary school, Purple Sage (adorable name).  Ours is the only elementary school in the district that offers a bilingual Spanish/English program for K-5th grade, in which 10 native Spanish speakers and 10 native English speakers are placed together and more or less remain together from K-5th grade, with instruction in Spanish MWF and in English TTH.  You have to "opt in" to the program, and in May Ella will be evaluated on her English fluency and reading and writing ability to assure that she would be able to handle a dual language program.  I have some anxiety about sending her this route--see above regarding her ability to handle change--but I know that learning a second language will ONLY help her in the future, and it is something that she and I can work on and share together hopefully.   

As for her health, she's all good! When I wrote the last blog post a year ago, Ella hadn't had her tonsillectomy yet. She had a chronic cough for 2 years, had been on prednisone and antibiotics from October-February, with bouts of pneumonia, bronchiolitis, etc.  Things were rough, rough, rough for her. And yet.. here we are, with a healthy, happy Ella, and we're coming up on the year anniversary of her surgery, and that calls for celebration in the Denbar house!  The girls and I will actually be in Disneyworld with Dama, so I'll have to pack some party supplies.  I hear there's a plan to eat lunch with Doc McStuffins and Sofia the First, so we may claim that as her celebratory lunch.  In all seriousness, a weight has been lifted from this house since last April, and very few days pass, even still, that I don't thank God for the health and spunk of my energetic and precocious Ella Bella.  She is a joy and too smart for her own good and I love her.

 

     And then came Haddie. And she is teeny. And feisty. And rebellious already.  Full of determination and void of regret. She ran before she walked, and since then she has never looked back.  She pulls hair and then laughs.  She hits her head on something and unless the circumstance is dire, she can't be bothered to cry because she has places to be.  She sleeps--Hallelujah!--11 hours a night with two great naps.  She's like clockwork in that area and completely unable to be bridled in all the others.  Her favorite thing is to hurl herself across our bed into a pile of throw pillows, and it's like a workout for Hal and me to keep her from flinging herself off the edge. By her third swim lesson, she was flinging herself off the platform and submerging herself as I stood, gripped in panic, waiting to catch her and bring her back to the surface.

    In the midst of all her curiosity, she is cuddly and so many hugs-and-kisses and attached to me in a way that makes me wonder how I'll ever move on once she's decidedly out of my arms.  She has curly brown hair, not as curly as Ella's, but enough to be absolutely adorable in two tiny pigtails.  She is in the 25th percentile for weight, 50th for height, and at 16 months is still very much in 12 month pants. She's my tiny warrior and I love her.

Mom time

Last Sunday my neighbor Becky and I went to Starbucks after our kids went to bed and just hung out and caught up.  It was so wonderful.  When Ella and Helena were infants (they are 4 months apart), Becky and I would switch their carseats into one of our cars and drive all over Austin together--going to lunch at Uppercrust or taking a Mommy/Baby yoga class.  I can't believe it's been 3 years since we've done that!

When we had our first kids, I was the one giving Becky pep talks and advice, since I was a few months ahead on the parenting journey.  Now, her second is almost 1 1/2 and Haddie is only 4 months, so she's been busy filling me in on what to expect with two little ones and also lending an ear as I work out all the "new" that this season has brought.

She said several things that made great sense, and one thing that just about took the wind out of me with its simplicity and poignancy for my life.  We were talking about parenthood, wanting more kids or not,  how children change your life and marriage...you know, light conversation on a fun girls' night out. Ha.  We both came to the conclusion that exhaustion will be a constant in this life stage.  And then Becky went on to say that one thing she had learned in having her two kids is that she is flat out going to be exhausted, so she can be exhausted and mean, impatient and grumpy, or she can be exhausted and play with and enjoy her kids.  That if they jump on her back, she should just play with them.

Poignant. Simple. This is my new truth.

It's both easy and difficult to behave my way into success with this.  Easy because I'm home all day, so the opportunities are plentiful to just enjoy Ella and Haddie.  Man, they are fun.  Difficult because I'm home all day so the opportunities are equally as plentiful to backslide and be impatient with them.  I've succeeded and failed in equal measure so far, I think, but then again I feel happier and more peaceful this week.  More of each day is spent in enjoyment and less and less in frustration.  I think that counts for something.  And even better, I've found myself in actual wonderment of them on several occasions--when Ella gets on her bike and rides it without my help, or that Haddie watches, smiles at, and laughs at Ella more than anyone else.  That they are really loving each other. Beautiful stuff. The stuff of life.

Life moves pretty fast...

...with two kids.

Man, oh, man--it's amazing how quickly the days fly by.  And also how slowly they can go.  I think it's hard to have appropriate perspective on time with a 3 1/2 year old and a 3 month old for several reasons, but let's be honest, lack of sleep is the main culprit.  I miss napping with Ella.  She doesn't nap much anymore when she's home, so I'm trying to take advantage of her school days to make sure I get some rest.

I've had to consistently remind myself that we're still in "Survival Mode" to a great extent, since Haddie is still up 2-3 times per night.  I'm not against the Ferber "cry-it-out" method for her if this keeps up into months 4 or 5, but I will say that it's difficult to imagine letting her cry like that because her reflux really gives her some trouble at times.  She is just precious and sweet and smiley, and it's obvious the second she has reflux or tummy issues because she becomes so uncomfortable and upset.  So, for now, we will keep going the way we're going, and I'll nap when Ella's at school.

As for Ella, we have an appointment on Tuesday with a pediatric pulmonologist, who we hope will help us figure out how to get her asthma under better control.  This is, without a doubt, a major cause of stress for me, and is becoming compromising for her in regards to her ability to run, play, be outside, and other favorite 3-year-old activities.  Her constant cough and inflamed airways certainly add to the feeling of "Survival Mode" living.  I cannot stand that she's constantly between bronchitis/pneumonia/respiratory infection and getting over bronchitis/pneumonia/respiratory infection. It breaks my heart, and it makes me worry about her health.  There's nothing like a chronic symptom, like a cough, to make you constantly aware that your child isn't fully well.  I truly believe that this is a huge opportunity for me to practice empathy, patience, faith and perseverance.  If you had asked me (or even better Hal) before we had Ella what one of my weakest traits was the answer would have been something like, "Laura has no patience or empathy for people when they are sick."  I couldn't stand when Hal got sick---in some ridiculous way it was as if he was doing it to push my buttons.  Absolutely no sympathy.  And likewise, when I was sick, I just wanted to be alone, in my room, in my own misery.  I wouldn't complain about how I felt, but I also didn't allow any empathy or help to come my way.  Ella has changed my heart in that way.  And let me say honestly that it is very difficult to open your heart up to the feelings that accompany you when you are caring for your chronically sick child.  I do have perspective with this--I fully realize the small scope of Ella's health issues in comparison to many.  However, I'm tired of people commenting in stores about her "smoker's cough". And really, who says that about a 3-year-old? Apparently lots of people...twice this week already.  Anyway, if you think about it over the next few days/weeks/months, send a little prayer up for her or some warm fuzzies.  I'm sure answers are coming, so we are moving forward with faith and positive thinking. :)

Love my little women.  Love. love. love.

Hello, Haddie!

Ok, we had a baby on Halloween. And it's taken me until now to find the computer again.

Ahhhh, a newborn baby. Is there anything better? I want to drink her up.  I want her to stay little forever.  I want her to grow up and talk to me. I want to take in every second with her and commit it to memory.  She's my precious baby, and I am just so unbelievably thankful for her.

I don't have time to write much right now, but I'm writing this little bit to force myself back into the blogging world.  I don't want to miss what Haddie or Ella are doing these days.

But for now, allow me to introduce (courtesy of Sweet Louise Photography)...

Haddie Louise Denbar, our perfect Halloween treat.

And one of both girls, so happy to be sisters.  In fact, just today as my mom and the girls were in REI playing in the tents, Ella would leave and wander for a minute, and Haddie would start to whine and dart her eyes looking for Ella.  They are crazy about each other.

A Case of Mistaken Identities

Ella is obsessed with Francis Scott Key--yes, the one who wrote the Star Spangled Banner.  Several times over the last few months she's asked me to tell her what the song means, and at some point I mentioned the story of how Mr. Key came to write it.  And what I means by that is that I told her whatever vague recollection I have from Mr. Conrad's 11th grade AP U.S. History class.  It turns out that I actually remembered that story accurately (and I only scored a 3 on that AP test...obviously, I did not reach my full potential on that day). 

So, what I told my 3-year-old, which at the time I was sure was completely historically inaccurate, has led to her obsession with the man who wrote our National Anthem. We role play Francis Scott Key with My Little Ponies.  I'm Francis Scott Key making cheese quesadillas for lunch.  We acknowledge British accents on TV, and how the Brits took Mr. Key prisoner on a ship. Ridiculous.

This was all well and good.  Until the day when I realized that she had somehow mixed up two stories.  One was the story of how the National Anthem was written.  The other was how her 9th great-grandfather, William Brewster, was the elder on the Mayflower.  Both true stories.  But Ella now believes Francis Scott Key was her 9th great-grandfather. And from this mistake in historical accuracy, an obsession has grown.

I have a really hard time correcting her though, because she sings that song with such pride.

Total sidenote: 35 weeks tomorrow. Wow. Still waiting on the nursery bedding to ship.  Feeling big, but much less swollen than last time around--which is a huge plus.  She's almost here!

Getting really pregnant

Before kids, I thought pregnancy was relatively straightforward.  Are you pregnant? Yes. Or no.  Today totally reminded me of the truth, and it's been 3 years since I've had a big dose of it.  

You can be pregnant, pretty pregnant, or really pregnant (and several levels in between).  I'm starting to feel really pregnant.  I'll be 27 weeks tomorrow, and I think that makes me about a week or two away from the third trimester.  Now, just to clarify, I'm not reaaaaally pregnant just yet.  I'm just really pregnant.  Confusing? It makes total sense to me. :)

I just wanted to document that one day (give or take) before 27 weeks, I stopped being able to hunch over the computer or Ella's table to draw/play Legos or to read a book in bed and still breathe sufficiently.  My belly feels like it's in my chest, which helps my posture because I'm forced to sit up straight, but really makes me feel so much bigger.  Because when your belly/baby is pushing on your ribs, you realize there's nowhere else to go but out.  13 weeks of growing outward...yikes.

Maybe I shouldn't have eaten that 3rd cookie. 

Dancing Mood

Ella and I went to lunch after I picked her up from school today.  As she was eating her grilled cheese, she started to look rather pensive.  I asked her what she was thinking and she said, "Momma, are we gonna go home and take a nap after this?"  I said, "Yes."  "Well," she says, "before nap, let's turn on some music so I can dance." She then proceeded to start grooving in her seat, head bobbing, grilled cheese in left hand, right hand moving to whatever beat is in her head.

I asked her if she was in a dancing mood, and she asked what that meant.  I explained different moods and when I finished, she replied, "Momma, I want to be in the dancing mood please."  So we went home and danced.

On a separate note, three women stopped at our booth while we were eating to tell Ella how cute she is/what pretty hair she has.  It turns out that curly-headed blondes are magnets for adults, mostly grandparents.  They cannot walk by without commenting on the hair.  This may sound like I'm bragging, but the real reason I mention it is that Ella has actually learned to smile sweetly and to say thank you.  It's actually pretty hilarious. When I showed her a clip of Shirley Temple on YouTube (we've gotten that comparison several times), she determined that she could sing "On the Good Ship Lollipop" just as well as Ms. Temple.  My brain was reeling with thoughts of some future church talent show. And then Toddlers and Tiaras.  So I've reiterated to her 20 times today how smart she is. But at the end of the day, the girl just wants to dance. :)

Sisters

I've spent a good deal of time over the last two weeks contemplating what I feel about having two girls.  When we found out Ella was going to have a baby sister, it was such an exciting feeling.  First, because we didn't find out the gender when we were pregnant with Ella, so it was fun to already start planning and dreaming.  Second, because Hal and I had both said that although we would honestly be thrilled with either one, we would love for Ella to have a sister to bond with and share childhood with.

What I didn't expect, although I can truly understand why it happened, was the frequent question, "Are you disappointed that it's not a boy?" or worse, "Is Hal?"

And because no one who reads this blog ever asked me that, and because this blog is really more about chronicling the growth of my family, specifically my kiddos, I wanted to flesh out some realizations that this specific question has helped me to discover.

1.  I think it is totally natural for a parent (and pretty much anyone and everyone) to want or wish for one of each, boy and girl.  I was watching Modern Family and Mitchell and Cameron (a gay couple who have already adopted a little girl) are trying to adopt a little boy now.  It made me realize that the desire for one of each may not be gender-based (all dads want a boy, all moms want a girl, etc.) as much as it is a desire to experience the different and special things about each one.  This leads me to reiterate that I really do see the natural segue from hearing that we're having another girl to asking if it disappointed us.

2. It didn't disappoint us.  This is the best realization of all.  It's probably easy to believe that it didn't disappoint me. But Hal really surprised me with how excited he is to have another girl.  The truth is that we went through some tough times in trying to get pregnant again.  It was a difficult journey, and our ability to even have another baby seemed, at times, unlikely.  And as we rounded the year-mark and blew past it, there was a God-given peace and satisfaction that overcame our family of three.  We were a unit, and we were happy to have one another.  Not that it took away the dream of another baby, but it allowed us to accept that our family, most likely, one way or another, wouldn't look exactly like the postcard family, or even the family that we had always thought we would look like.  This obviously has more depth than can be explained in a blog post, but the bottom line is that I can see more clearly now after praying and struggling for another baby than I ever could have before that it was always going to be Ella and Haddie (she has a name!).  God knew what I felt so lost about all along. My daughters would be these two, and their existence and creation and growth is not from me, but from Him.  They are gifts that I have been entrusted to raise and shelter and grow--but they are His to lead and use for His good.

And I hope they love each other as much as I love them. :)

Cute story

Hal and I went to Las Vegas this weekend, so Ella stayed with my parents and Hal's for a few days.  On Friday night, just as they were getting ready for bed, Grandmommy (Hal's mom) and Ella were walking through the kitchen and saw a scorpion.  Grandmommy told Ella to stay back and not get too close as she dealt with the problem (shoe, paper towel, trashcan, etc.).

Apparently, the scorpion situation must have shaken Ella up a bit.  As Michele and Ella resumed their walk to the bedroom, Ella turned, looked up with big, scared eyes and quietly said, "Grandmommy, I may have forgotten to tell you. I have a little problem with monsters."

Be still my heart.

Babies, seizures, and bears...oh my!

Possibly I should split this post into two separate ones, but I hardly ever remember to blog these days, so I'd better do it all now.

First off, great news that we've been excited to share.  Ella is going to be a big sister!  We are all thrilled (including Ella...mostly).  I think our experience getting pregnant this time has taught us a HUGE lesson in letting go and allowing God to work his timing magic.  And He does, always.  Baby Denbar is due on Halloween, so I've officially declared to Hal that I'll dress as pregnant Snooki for the big day (total joke, but scared him for a minute).  I am, however, determined to wear a bright orange shirt with a pumpkin face around the belly and live up every minute of being 9 months pregnant and huge when the trend for many 28-year-old gals is to wear a teeny tiny nurse's outfit.  I'll try to get Hal to upload the video of Ella sitting in the infant carrier...she's having a few issues with the idea of sharing, but mostly she's excited to take care of the baby and be mommy's helper.

From good news to yuck, Ella had a febrile seizure on Wednesday.  Her temperature shot up to 103 degrees over an hour or two, and as she woke up from her nap, she started seizing. (Pause for the part where, as you can imagine, I...FREAKED...OUT).  I ran over to her and rolled her on her side while I dialed 911 and started giving the dispatcher our information.  The seizure stopped after a few minutes, and she was passed out with spit coming out of her mouth and some minor twitching every few seconds.  No sound, no eye contact, just still. It didn't even seem like she was breathing--there were these rasping sounds, like she was fighting for air.  Terrifying. The paramedics arrived within 5 minutes, and they immediately assessed that she was perfectly fine, breathing on her own, pink in color, good heart rate.  They basically explained that her little body is like a computer, and when it gets overloaded by such a sudden rise in temp, it will shut down and reboot bit by bit.  So, over the next 20 minutes, she started to wake up and make minor movements, and then eventually in the ambulance she awoke fully and could talk and knew where she was. It turns out that these are relatively common, and even better news, they are really not a huge deal in the grand scheme of things that can happen to little ones. It is really rare for there to be any damage (brain or otherwise) from a febrile seizure.  It's just the way their little bodies reset their temperature gauge if their temp rises suddenly.  Ok, still terrifying though. 

The weirdest part about it is that she's not exhibiting any other signs of major illness--no stomach upset, no major respiratory or throat issues, all things I would attribute to having such a major change in body temperature.  From what I can tell, she has a minor cold at most.

As for me, I've had a pretty hard time going to sleep the last two nights.  As soon as I close my eyes,  the images of her seizing flood my mind, and that is when I realize how traumatic of an experience it really was.  Because if you look at Ella today, she is her normal, sweet self, and life has continued like normal.

The title of this post is misleading: I have nothing to say about bears. :)  Just babies and seizures.

Things are good.  Life is good.  Seizures are not.

Life with a girl

Ella is just such a girl. I love it so much. There are at least 10 moments a day when something jumps out at me that reminds me of how feminine and "girly" she is. It warms my heart in all sorts of ways, but sometimes I forget how different it must be for Hal to interact with a little girl.

Like when we go to Toys 'R'Us and he says that none of the girl toys look like any fun, and then he goes over to the boy toys and determines that ALL of those toys look amazing and genius.

Or when Ella asks him to pretend play with her dolls, and he turns to me in complete frankness and sincerity and says, "I've never had to dialogue before. How do I "be" Buzz Lightyear?"

Or two nights ago when I bought Ella (Ipad and technology pro) a Strawberry Shortcake app, in which you have to sort all the different fruits into their corresponding blenders so that they can be blended into smoothies. Duh--obviously this is how the game goes because every girl knows that Strawberry Shortcake runs a smoothie bar/bakery. Well, then the game goes up a level and you have to sort out the sour berries and throw them away so they don't screw with the wonderful taste of the smoothies. We're all good.

Then, uh-oh, the game goes up another level and you have to catch the glimmer berries (still with me?) before they float away so that you can...wait for it...PUT EACH KIND OF FRUIT INTO WHATEVER BLENDER YOU WANT WITHOUT SORTING!....Hallelujah, bonus round! Btw, this is what Ella loves, loves, loves to do...buy an app on the Ipad and make me play it.

Well, Hal tried, bless his heart, and I give him so much credit. He comes from a videogame background--he gets the concept. But somewhere between sour berries and glimmer berries, his head refused to accept any more pink. He needed blue. Here's the shortest glimpse of a hilarious conversation between Hal and Ella while playing the game:

E: Daddy, you have to CATCH THOSE SOUR BERRIES! They're yuh-uh-cky!

H: (Very calmly, somewhat bored) Ok, baby, I'll get the next one.

E and H (slightly more interested) together: Aw, man! Missed another one!! Shoot!

*Game moves to next level*

H: Ok, I'm ready for the sour berries this time...wait,what the...what's this mixed berry thing??

E(exasperated): *Sigh* Dad, it's a glimmer berry.

The girl has no tolerance for the inability of the "blue gender" to understand pink. Zero tolerance.

Updates

Ella will be 2 1/2 on December 9th, so I thought it was time for a few updates before I forget them.

One is hurting my heart a little--Ella is calling me "Mom". "Mommy" is long gone these days. "Do you like this flower, Mom?" "What do you think, Mom?" Sometimes I refuse to answer until she calls me "Mommy"--is that so wrong?? Don't actually give me your answer, because I'm going to keep doing it anyway. :)

She sings AT THE TOP OF HER LUUUUUUNGS most of the day and definitely any time I can't be playing with her and she has to entertain herself. Her faves are "Hakuna Matata" and the Wonder Pets theme song, but she's working on Jingle Bells. I'll see if I can get Hal to upload her Candid Camera singing moment...

She's been cracking us up lately with the phrase "That was a good trick, guys." This is employed after something she means to do--showing off her dance moves, as well as after something she doesn't meant to do--jumping on the couch, falling off, and getting embarrassed that she made a tactical error.

We are officially in the process of redoing her room, complete with twin bed, new dresser, and lots of cute accessories. She is less than enthused about it--she's been sleeping with us for a looong time now. BUT she understands that Santa doesn't come if you don't sleep in your own bed like a big girl (somewhat cruel, but effective).

Some other things I can't think of at the moment, but those are the main points that I don't want to forget. She is silly and spunky and I'm so thankful for her. We are having the best time hanging together and learning from each other.

Potty trained

Yep, Ella is potty trained. It. Is. Amazing. We started on a Monday, and it took about three days for her to figure out that she HAD to go to the potty every time. Then another week to figure out how to realize ahead of time that she needed to go. It's been about a week now with no accidents, and yesterday she went into the bathroom, pulled her pants down, and went to the potty all by herself while Hal and I sat on the couch and watched in awe. Sidenote: The things that evoke awe as a parent are so different than before having kids.

Listen, I know that girls are easier than boys most of the time, and I am NOT trying to be braggy about this. I just want to note how awesome this transition has been, and how much Ella is proud of herself and what a big girl she feels like now.

However, I do have to note in excitement the $50/month we will now save on diapers. Score!

Bigger, bigger

Sometimes when trying to explain something to Ella, I find myself repeating the important word more times than necessary, in an attempt to have her understand my point. I forget, in these moments, that she is actually two and really does understand what I say to her.

Example: Ella wants to try a drink of my Coke.
Ella: I have some Coke, Mommy?
Me: Oh, no, honey, that's for adults--mommies and daddies. But when you're bigger, you can try it. When you're bigger (emphasis word)...

So, for the last few days, Ella has begun to list all of the things I have told her she can do when she's bigger i.e. drink Coke, jump off the diving board at the pool, play with big kids at the park who are doing stupid, dangerous things that I actually really hope she forgets she's ever seen, etc.

The way Ella explains these things to me is as follows: "Mommy, I do (this) when I bigguh, bigguh...? When I bigguh, bigguh Mommy??"

So, I've taught my very intelligent daughter to repeat herself because I thought she couldn't understand me. Oops.

On a sidenote that actually somewhat correlates with this story, I had one of those mom, emotional moments yesterday when something makes you suddenly get a true moment of nostalgia or realization of how fast time is going. We were at the pool and Ella wanted to sit with a group of older kids and teens who were eating pizza, and as they took off to go swim, she went to follow them. We were leaving the pool at that point, so I took her by the hand and just casually said something like, "You can do that someday, too, when you're a big girl. Soon enough, baby." And as the words left my mouth, I got a weird twinge of emotion. In the span of a lifetime, it will all come and go so soon. I really have to savor each moment as much and as best as I can.

Summer Sleep Schedule

This post is really just to chronicle Ella's new sleep schedule, so no fun pictures or anything.

However...
I would like to remember that Ella went through a pattern of sleep that is actually working really well for our family (insert triumphant music). For the last two weeks, she's been going to bed between 9:30-10:00 PM and waking up just after 7:00 AM. Now, the late bedtime on its own wouldn't be ideal, but here is why it works so well: she isn't waking up and crying out at night (huge plus) AND she is taking anywhere from a 2 to 3 hour nap every day! Yeeeeess! This basically means that from 7 AM to 1 PM we play, play, play, and then she falls asleep until around 4:00, gets up, eats a snack, and then Hal gets home. Talk about an easy two weeks for me!

I tried to figure out if this is something she would have done all along, and maybe I just had dropped the ball, but the fact of the matter is that she has grown into this pattern in the last few months. I thought by two that all sleep patterns would be figured out, but I see now that as Ella grows, she will continue to adjust her sleep to fit her needs--so I'm living it up until it changes again!

Fourth of July weekend

This weekend was nothing short of amazing.

On Saturday, Hal had to work a half day so in the morning Ella and I hit up the Cedar Park Farmers' Market and Home Depot. On the first Saturday of the month Home Depot sponsors a free "do-it-yourself" type project for kiddos, and this month was coaster-making. Ella enjoyed attempting to hammer nails into the plywood, although she would have much preferred to stack all the pieces on top of each other and have her own abstract piece of art. After lunch at Chipotle with my mom, we headed home for a nap. By the time Hal got home, we were up and ready to head to the Hill Country Galleria for their 4th of July extravaganza. Rosie and the Ramblers were playing--never heard of them, but they were awesome!--so we searched out some shade and ate pizza and danced. Ella fell in LOVE with the bouncy castle.

Sunday brought a wonderful sermon at church. We had a guest pastor, and to be honest most of the time I am not enthused about another pastor speaking (creature of habit right here). However, this sermon really spoke to me, and I left feeling energized and very peaceful at the same time. Then we went home with a crazy, full-of-energy Ella (now that she's finally well, she's a completely different kid--so crazy all the time and never seeming to slow down. So fun!) Of course, after a very full Saturday and an early Sunday morning, she proceeded to crash and take a 3 hour nap-woo hoo!! So, of course, we were so pleased to already have made plans to visit Hal's parents in Liberty Hill for dinner and let Ella run around like a wild banshee out on their property.

Then came the fourth of July today. I love this holiday. My parents, Ella and I participated in our neighborhood's bike/stroller/wagon parade. We decorated the BOB with red, white and blue ribbons and bows sort of last minute, but it turned out pretty cute. We all decided it was our new tradition--with one catch: each year, we have to step up our participation a notch or two. We're thinking kazoo band next year. :) Ella waved her mini American flag proudly and wore a red sparkly party hat because that's what HEB had left at 8:30 this morning. When we got home, Hal had set up her new slip-n-slide, and they played in it until lunchtime. After her nap, we three headed to our neighborhood pool for its annual pool party, and Ella wore herself out trying to keep up with the big kids. Hal spent all morning making his famous pulled pork, so we had my parents over for an uh-mazing dinner of pulled pork sandwiches and brownie sundaes. So delicious that I couldn't even allow myself to feel guilty.

Man, I realize nobody probably wants to read this entire novela I just wrote, but I'm so glad to chronicle this great weekend. Ella is healthy and happy, and literally every person that has been around her in the last two weeks has commented on what a different child she is now that she feels good. She's a crazy toddler, and I now understand how tiring it has been for all of my friends with toddlers! :)

Spring is here!

Ella has a book about a bunny who is searching for a new home. The opening page is a groundhog shouting, "Spring is here! Spring! Spring! Spring!"

Well, for the past three months, Spring has NOT arrived at the Denbar house. My sweet Ella had been so sick for so long, and we could not figure out what was wrong. We even had her adenoids out, which allowed her to breathe through her nose finally, but did nothing to help her feel better.

Finally, I forced my way into a late Friday afternoon appointment with her pediatrician (the THIRD doctor's appointment in a week-one with the ENT, one with another pediatrician because ours was booked, and this one). I demanded that something be done to make her feel better. I explained in detail the lack of sleep, the intense amount of coughing, the two-week-long fever, and her generally unpleasant mood and zombie-like appearance. She was in a rough way, to be sure.

Turns out, Ella needed breathing treatments every 4 hours for her asthma (which they finally admitted she has) AND a strong antibiotic (apart from the amoxicillin and steroid she was already on!) for a...get this...lung infection.

Now, I have chronicled all this so that the next time she is mildy (or intensely) sick, I can look back and have a gauge to go by. I thought I was losing my mind for a few weeks there, and I thought Ella was literally never going to sleep again. It turns out, we both had cause to be so distraught. She was really sick.

The real point of this post, however, is to acknowledge that Spring has arrived at the Denbar house! Ella has finished her meds, and she is a brand new girl. She is so happy and playful, and she is sleeping through the night. Today she took a two-hour nap. That's never happened before! She is loving to run and hop and wrestle. She is eating well and thriving in a way I had forgotten she could do. We are joyful and thankful for our healthy, happy girl.

"See ya" adenoids!

Adenoid surgery went remarkably well. I expected two or three full days of recover, lots of sleeping, not very much eating, lots of fussiness. First thing this morning, Ella hopped out of bed, and she has been non-stop ever since! In fact, Hal and I have both commented that we've never seen her so energetic.

PLEASE let this be a sign of things to come! Plus some better sleep couldn't hurt. :)

Adenoids...yuck!

Quick update on the adenoids: We will be having Ella's adenoids removed this Friday. It's a very routine procedure, but it does require general anesthesia, so of course, I'm a little nervous. They say children her age will recover very quickly, in just a few days, so I expect it to be a rough weekend, and hopefully for her to feel better by early to middle of next week.

Reasons for this procedure are plentiful, but in a nutshell, she has never breathed through her nose. Her enlarged adenoids make it impossible for that. She was also diagnosed with mild asthma and allergies (which make asthma worse). So...combine constant runny nose with cough, serious congestion at the same time (didn't know that could happen), wheezing as she breathes whenever there's pollen in the air (hello...we live in Austin) and the fact that all of this has been going on for at least 2-3 months at this point, and surgery was our next option. We tried nasal steroids to open up her passages, but they didn't work. And the doctor said that the only other option for opening up her nasal airway was to remove the obstructions (adenoids). He did talk to us about the fact that this may or may not clear up Ella's breathing problems, but it will at least open up her nasal passage so even if she still has asthma and allergies to deal with, she'll be able to better breathe and pass mucus, etc. through her nose and clear out her sinuses easier. I'll update after the surgery. Prayers, please! :)

Kissing Cousins

Or best friends.

This is Ella's best friend, Helena. They have a love/hate/love relationship. They love each other until they both want the same toy, and then it can get a little awkward. But mostly they just want to spend time playing and riding in Helena's wagon.