Almost 3 months!

Ellie is almost 3 months!
Here are some pictures from our weekend!
Ellie reading her monkey book on the glider (with the beautiful quilt Laura made for her in the background).

Ellie with all her furry friends (minus Smeagol and Mimzy).

Ellie enjoying some tummy time!

A few firsts...

This month Ellie had her first restaurant experience (at the Kutztown Tavern), her first real giggle (it gave her the hiccups), her first real grasps for toys, and her first dinner at our dinner table with her new high chair seat (she didn't eat, but we did). I had my first Mother's Day, and this little girl is the best present I've ever gotten!
This month has had its ups and downs, but in Ellie's mind it's been great, Mommy gets to stay home longer to take care of her! Luckily, the weather has been very nice so we've been able to take lots of walks, and we have been able to get out and see family and friends.

2 months!

Ellie had her 2 month doctor's visit this week. She now weighs 11 lbs 6 oz, and is 22 inches long. She did great at the doctor's, I felt so bad she had to get a shot in each thigh though. Sleeping at night time is getting much better, she has gone 6 hours a few times but still usually wakes up every 3-4 hours. When she does wake up she goes right back to sleep after she eats. Brad and I have been trying to get her used to taking a bottle, it hasn't been easy, hopefully she'll start to accept it soon!


She doesn't really like tummy time when she's flat on the ground, but when she's leaning over her boppy she lifts her head up very well.
Ellie's favorite toy right now is her mirror, she loves to look at herself.

Celebrations and other one month stuff

In the Vietnamese culture after a baby is approximately one-month old, there is a party to celebrate the baby’s one-month birthday. My parents hosted Ellie's the party for the Vietnamese side of our family to meet and celebrate Ellie.



This month Ellie has been smiling so much! And has even given us the occasional laugh (or high pitch shriek). It's been great that the weather has been warmer so I've been able to take Ellie out a lot more. She usually sleeps on our walks. Today we brought Ellie to Quiet Waters Park for the SPCA Walk for the Animals. We were really testing her patience since we were out for a few hours, but we got to take a nice walk and see some friends! Here are a few other pictures I've taken this month.

One Month Tomorrow!

Has it already been a month?!? We had our 4 week well-baby visit today. Ellie is now 9 lbs 5 oz! She's doing great! We were told to wait until Ellie was a month old to take her out to public places. We took our first trip to the grocery store on Tuesday, Ellie did great, she was intrigued by her surroundings and then fell asleep. This weekend we're taking our first trip to PA with Ellie. We are going to visit family and Brad has a race to run on Saturday. More updates later!

Almost 3 weeks old

Wow time flies! Last week we had our two week well-baby visit. Ellie weighed 8 lbs 1 oz and was 20 inches tall. Brad and I have been living by Ellie's schedule, hopefully she'll be able to keep a more regular sleep schedule soon. She still confuses her days and nights.
I've read that newborns should start smiling in response to us around month 2, but Ellie already smiles at us! She has such a precious smile, hopefully I can catch it with the camera soon! Here are a few pictures, she's already changed so much!

Ellie Bower

Introducing Eleanor "Ellie" Mai Bower!
Born March 3, 2009 at 4:25 am
7 lbs 2 oz - 19 inches

I was scheduled for an induction late Monday night but had to go to the hospital at noon Monday for a gel to soften my cervix. After the monitored the baby for half an hour they told us to go home and we would see them at midnight for the induction. About an hour after getting home I started to feel strong contractions and started timing them. The rule of thumb of when to call the doctor is when your contractions are 5 minutes apart, lasting for a minute, for an hour. I was having contractions 3-7 minutes apart for over an hour so we called the doctor who told us to come back to the hospital.
Luckily my labor started without the pitocin! I quickly progressed and got some medications for the pain, including the epidural. A little before 3 am we started to push. After about an hour and 45 minutes of pushing, Baby Eleanor greeted me and Brad with her precious cry. Brad cut the cord and the nurse laid Ellie on my my chest. Everything happened so fast, Brad was a wonderful labor partner, getting me ice chips when I needed them and reminding me to breathe!


If you asked me if I would do it again right when it was over, I may have said no way, but after recovering for a week and spending all this time with Ellie, I definitely would. She has brought us so much joy already. We feel so lucky to have such an adorable healthy little girl. I'm sure she will grow fast, so I'm trying to cherish every moment while she is still a little peanut. Brad and I couldn't be happier!


Ellie still has so many people to meet, let us know when you want to meet her if you haven't already!