Snowfall

 It snowed today. Ordinarily, I don't like snow, but today was special because it was Elizabeth's 1st snow. So I bundled the girls up and took them outside to play for a little while. Unfortunately, their outfits were sort of piecemeal and so I had to substitute in some of their daddy's outerwear. So Evie is wearing her daddy's scarf:

 And Elizabeth is wearing her daddy's hat:

They look a little silly. :) But they both had fun in the snow...for the 10 whole minutes we were out there. Then the snow leaked through Evie's snowsuit footies (because they wouldn't fit in her boots) and she got cold and wet and wanted to come back in. But we did manage to make a mini snowman! And the girls were super cute, in an oversized-accessory kind of way, so it was all worth it.

Music in Her Heart

Well, we took Evie to her 18-month check-up today. She's a perfectly healthy and happy little girl, very advanced in her verbal skills. But after listening to her heart, our doctor told us that she has a Still's murmur, a benign flutter in her heart that should go away as she grows. Afterward, I told Evie, "It's okay. It just means you have a little music in your hear, that's all!" And she does! This child sings and dances all day long. She loves making music, or "meek" as she calls it, by plunking on the piano keys or banging on pipes; in fact, here's a little video of her "playing" her daddy's trombone!

Someday, when she's older, she's probably going to want to pursue her love of music, and Todd and I are prepared to support her no matter what she chooses to do, whether it be to sing, to play an instrument (Todd's hoping she'll follow his footsteps with the trombone!), or to dance. Regardless, I know she'll always have a little music in her heart, even after the murmur goes away!

Goodies for Boobies

I did it! I've managed to nurse Elizabeth exclusively for 3 whole months! I'm especially proud of myself after the whole debacle with Evie, and my goal is to nurse Elizabeth exclusively until she's 6 months before introducing her to solids. I must say, though, that I'm a big fan of some amazing products that make the whole experience just a little easier.

First of all, my trusty breast-pump that I received from WIC while in Utah. This thing is helping me keep my supply up and store several ounces of milk in the freezer.

Next, something to store the milk in. Honestly, I'm not super thrilled about these bags because they seem to keep bursting, but they're what I have. And, I currently have over 25 ounces of milk stored in these freezer bags!

I had this nipple butter left over from my attempts with Evie. It smells vaguely of raisins, but it does the job of stopping the pump from rubbing me, and helps prevent cracking and soreness.

This is seriously one of my favorite nursing products ever! Not only do the cups help keep my clothes from rubbing against me when I'm sore, but they also collect the milk that leaks out so I can save it instead of letting it going to waste!

I borrowed Lindsay's Boppy pillow when she came for Elizabeth's blessing and immediately went out to get one of my own. It really helps keep Elizabeth in the right position and tucked in close to me when she nurses.

All together, these items really make nursing lots easier than it would be otherwise!

3 Months--Ella

Today, my tiny girl turned 3 months old! Not so very tiny anymore, I guess. And, as if to celebrate the fact that she's a quarter of a year old, she rolled over for the very first time! I've been getting signals from her that she was pretty close to making it, so I had the camera ready, just in case. Sure enough, I'd barely turned the camera on, when she suddenly rolled onto her back. She was pretty startled, but I was so proud!

Elizabeth is a much quieter baby than Evangeline was at her age. She soaks everything in, but instead of babbling as much as Evie did, she says a lot with her eyes. I love that her eyes are still the same beautiful blue that they were when she was born, but it's taken me this long to get used to them. Todd and Evie both have dark brown eyes, so it's a little disconcerting looking down at Ella while nursing her and seeing these huge bright blue eyes gazing back up at me. She's a beautiful girl, especially when she smiles. Before her baby blessing, I told my mom on the phone that I was getting a little nervous because it seemed that she was taking forever to smile. She told me, "Oh, she's just waiting for her Nonna." Sure enough, on the day of her baby blessing, she smiled at my mom for the very first time. This follows the same pattern that Evie set. While I would love to be the first one that my babies smile at, it's fun that they reserve their first smiles for my mom. I know that she loves it, and I hope that all of my kids follow this sweet tradition.
Once she'd smiled for my mom, she found it easy to smile at everyone, but especially Mommy and Daddy. And she smiles with her whole face; her eyes narrow into sparkly slits, her nose crinkles, and her cheeks practically touch her ears. I've gotten so many comments from ladies at church about what a pretty and happy girl she is. I love it! She just hasn't learned how to smile for the camera yet, so I don't have any proof of these gorgeous smiles, but I'm hopeful that I'll get some cute pictures of her soon. Last week, when she came to stay with me in the hospital, she laughed for the first time! It was a low and quiet little chirp/chuckle combo, but it was a real pleasure for me during an otherwise awful week.
Elizabeth is a much more snuggly person than her sister is, which is both good and bad. I don't have as much time and energy to devote just to her because I have an active toddler to keep track of who also needs my attention. When I put down Elizabeth to deal with Evie, I feel like I'm cheating her of the quality time she craves, which her sister got at this same age just by default. On the other hand, when I have time to snuggle her after her meals, I love feeling her warm little body burrowed into me. I wanted that with Evie, and I was a little sad that Evie was so independent so early. Elizabeth thrives on contact; where Evie would always calm down when I sang "I've Been Working on the Railroad," Ella prefers having her hand held. When I try to sing songs to her to help calm her down, she just looks at me like I'm crazy and keeps crying, but once I take her little hand in mine, she immediately starts winding down. I keep reminding myself that she's not her sister. She's developing on her own timetable, and her personality is her own. I love that little person she's becoming, and I'm grateful I get a front-row seat to watch her grow up. Happy 3 Month-iversary, sweet Ella girl! Mommy loves you!

Recovery

Oh, I'm feeling so much better! Except for a couple of minor hiccups, my surgery went very well.  Despite being offered painkillers several times during my hospital stay, I didn't need them. However, about an hour before my surgery was scheduled, I started getting a migraine, so I asked for some Dilaudid. After about 30 seconds, the world had tilted about 20 degrees to my right, and I kept losing my train of thought. Finally I laughed, and said that I felt like the sultan on Aladdin:

When I was wheeled in to the operating room, I remember saying hello to everyone in the room, and thanking them for being there, and then my memory goes black. The next thing I remember is my doctor leaning over me, telling me that my surgery was a success, and asking how I felt. I told him I was itchy and then I passed out again for what felt to me an hour, but what was probably only 15 seconds. I remember being surprised that he was still there, but he asked if I wanted any Benadryl to help with the itchiness. I said that I didn't want to run up any more of a bill than I already had and passed out again. After probably 3 more mini-naps, I ended up getting the Benadryl, and they finally wheeled me to my recovery room where Todd and Elizabeth were waiting. By this point, my incisions still didn't hurt, but my right shoulder did from where they had pumped me full of air. I was starving, but by the time the food came, I just couldn't eat, so the lady very kindly packed up my food so I could take it home. On the ride to my sister-in-law's to pick up Evie, I fell asleep countless times, making the trip feel like hours. But my incisions were starting to get sore, so when we finally made it home, Todd had to help me climb into bed.
The next day, we were invited to a dinner party, and despite being sore, I was excited to go. Everyone was surprised when we showed up the day after my surgery, but I had a great time. I was thrilled to be able to eat whatever struck my fancy without fear of a debilitating attack! And now, I'm feeling even better. Hooray for no gallbladder, hooray!