Stupid Shirt

I made Elway this shirt...he hates it. I put it on him and he didn't move, he thought he was being punished (generally this is his reaction anytime we put clothes on him though).

Hopefully they can begin to bond (from a distance)... I'll keep you posted.

Mommy & Baby

After seeing the photos I'm sure saying this is redundant, but I am so in love with my little girl. It seems like not long ago when we were doubting whether we could get pregnant and here she is. So perfect, so beautiful. Sometimes I wonder what I ever did to deserve such a perfect gift...

New Pacifier Skills

The giant green pacifier just wouldn't stay in her little mouth so she remedied the situation. I wasn't sure how I felt about pacifiers but after seeing her so desperately trying to keep it in place, I think I'll let her keep it.

Bye, Bye Feeding Tube

Well our baby girl has been with us 3 weeks and today is was her scheduled due date. It seems like time has gone by so fast!

Luella is almost back to her birth weight (8lbs 6oz), she currently weights 8lbs 1oz. I decided since she was gaining weight so well that we would stop using the feeding tube for a while and see how things progress. Great news, she really seems to be getting the hang of it! We'll continue her physical therapy until her jaw is aligned, but the stressfulness of the situation is lifting. We knew nursing was the best thing for her, but it was a rough few weeks so thank you all for your prayers and support!

For those who aren't familiar with the situation, the doctors and physical therapist believe Luella was positioned in the birth canal incorrectly for some time. This caused muscles on one side of her head (and body) to become very tense which resulted in misalignment. We nursed Luella in the hospital and she slowing lost weight, she was down to 7lbs 2oz. At our first doctor apt we were encouraged to supplement with formula through a feeding tube until Luella 'got the hang of nursing'. We decided to stop by the St. Luke's lactation department that same day to see if there was anything else I could do to help her. After some examination of Luella's mouth they found that her jaw was asymetrical and if Luella sucked properly at breast it would cause her to choke. Thankfully they found the problem so early and got us in touch with an amazing physical therapist to help our little girl.

Uncle Nicolas

Oh Nicolas, where to begin. Luella Belle is a lucky little girl to have you in her life! I have no doubt that she will grow to adore her cool Uncle Nicolas!

By the way, thanks for all the back massages while I was pregnant!

So Smart

Since we had Luella 3 weeks early, we still had 3 more birthing classes to attend. So we decided to continue hosting the class in our home and surprise our fellow classmates with our beautiful baby girl.

Well midway through a game of "Second Stage Labor Jeopardy" it was getting a bit loud as competition began to heat up. I thought the noise might be a little too much for our baby's little ears so I took her into another room and laid her down... a couple seconds later I looked over and she was covering her ears. She is so smart!

Mommy's Outfit

Just two weeks old and smiling already! We can't believe how big she is getting and how much she is changing. She is wearing an outfit that was mommy's at this age.

Daddy's Touch

I've realized that there is only one thing more beautiful than my baby girl and that is seeing her with her daddy. She is calmed by his touch and him whispering in her ear. They are developing a beautiful relationship, he loves her more than she will ever know.

She looks happy, right?

So Great Grandma tried to help us figure out how to put Luella in her car seat in such a way that she wouldn't cry. Well it worked, but we were later told by St. Luke's Hospital staff that this was not proper car seat etiquette!

You might think after taking 12 weeks of birthing classes that we would at least know a few basics such as this...

Grandma Time

I thought these were some sweet moments with the Grandma's, Great Grandma and baby Luella. And I also wanted to show proof that there was a point in time when I actually let other people hold her! We can only hope that I exit the irrational, overprotective stage of mommy-hood soon!

First Bath

Thankful bath time has become a little less tramatic, otherwise we would have one dirty baby! I seriously considered not posting these pictures, mainly because I almost start crying every time I look at them.

Home Again

Beautiful baby Luella Belle and mommy are home from the hospital!


We went into labor at 2:30am April 28, 2009 (at 37 weeks) after 15 hours of natural labor at a birthing center (6 of which we spent pushing) Luella was born via c-section at 6:23pm at St Luke's Hospital. She weighted 8lbs 6oz and had a full head of dark brown hair!