Can anyone make this happen for me?
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Isn’t this the face of “satisfaction”?
Tonight we put Ella in her new “snuggly” – a gift from her 2nd Cousins in L.A., Brock & Esther Sheets (thank you guys).
Until this gift arrived, we have been “swaddling” Ella with her two arms OUT – they are not included in the burrito-style folding of two “receiving blankets” because they would somehow find their way OUT of our intricately folded origami swaddling and up to Ella’s face and into her mouth.
So, we receive this gift from Brock & Esther (and baby Reagan) and decide to give it a shot – keeping Ella’s hands down by her side to encourage her to be MORE swaddled.
What commenced seemed more like a straight-jacket than a cuddly, swaddled situation –
With merely her tiny little head protruding from this “swaddle-me blanket”, Ella looked hilarious – so of course I snapped photos of our little one.
For about 5-minutes we were literally SHOCKED at how calm she was at having her hands down by her side, wrapped snuggly by this new invention we received from L.A.
About 5-minutes, I said.
In just that amount of time, while we watched, my Houdini-daughter managed to free both of her arms and get them BOTH within mouth-reach!
Seriously, it was an amazing thing to watch.
So, for your next birthday party, corporate event, bar mitzvah, or other “shindig”, consider hiring “Escaping Ella” to entertain your guests!
Yes folks, our baby girl weighed in at 9-pounds, 3-ounces today at her weight-check at Dr. Pitts’ office!
Jess had to see Dr. Pitts today and was diagnosed with “mastitis” (look it up if you’re curious).
Some antibiotics should take care of the problem.
My wife is a trooper!
I came home this afternoon JUST in time to miss the “projectile poopage” that happened just minutes before I walked through the door.
Sure was sad to miss that photo-op!
A 2-hour and a 3-hour segment of sleep last night made for a long day today.
Going to bed early is something quite “new” for me and one of the things that will continue to take some “getting used to” as this whole Fatherhood thing continues on.
When I got home today it was a beautiful thing to enjoy burping Ella as she released her last few gulps of “dinner” onto my clean shirt! I spent a few hours with Jess and Ella before heading back to my weekly Bible Study group where I had to confess my being nearly a MONTH behind in our weekly readings! A MONTH! They were shocked. I had to buy the sodas around the table (a “punishment” we set up early in our founding). It was good to be back with the guys again enjoying their fellowship and God’s Word together with like-minded brothers.
Tonight Ella decided to “vocalize” her dislike of going to bed before Mommy and Daddy.
This is NOT the first time, of course, but it brings into question this thought – Will the feeling of needing to “make things better” for my daughter when she is screaming her tiny little head off, suddenly or gradually go away? Obviously, if her little hand was in a door-jam or she was being fed something too hot, etc., the instant reaction is AND SHOULD be to help her quickly, but the “I’m vocalizing my dislike of this thing” (tonight it is sleeping – tomorrow, who knows) – when will that get easier to “ignore”? Will it ever?
Some have said it will. Some have said that they knew those who DIDN’T “get over” those useless cries and kept themselves only 2-inches from their baby at all times.
Have I mentioned lately just how life-chaning fatherhood has been thus far?
3-weeks and already my life is COMPLETELY different than it was even that morning of Ella’s birth!
I need some sleep and some time to talk about the day with my wife. She is a beautiful woman, ya know.
(this is the first post in a while without a picture of Ella – but as always, you can see a daily-updated photo of our darling daughter at www.ellasheets.com!)
First – a “Happy Mother’s Day” to MY mother, Sally Sheets! Thanks, Mom for all you’ve done to make sure this toe-headed yungin’ grew up to be a man who fears the Lord. Thank you for putting up with my “antics” (read “sermon illustrations”) and for always loving me and being my supreme example of a wife/mother who loves the Lord first with her family right behind!
Second – a “Happy Mother’s Day” to the newest mother I know – my wife! You are the most beautiful wife that I could’ve ever asked for (and yes, I tell her that to her face, not just online!) Thank you for being so tough. For sticking through the hard-stuff and for giving your very life to the cause of raising our daughter! You amaze me.
Third – a “Happy Mother’s Day” to my Mom-in-law whom I’ve grown to love ever since the first time I met her on the first time I picked Jess up for a date! Wow time has flown! You’ve raised two great girls and are an influential part in both of their family’s lives – in a GREAT way! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Jess enjoyed her first Mother’s Day today at church with our daughter Ella with the help of HER mother who drove over from Bluffton this morning to assist in the “first day of church” since Ella’s birth! After church we took Ella on her first meal-out to Applebee’s! She slept the entire time!
After lunch my buddy, Jeremy came over to spend some quality time getting to know our daughter and conversing with us.
Tonight we enjoyed the Survivor finale, though we weren’t excited with the result. Terry should’ve won!
Pray for the Sheets family this week as Daddy goes back to work and Mommy is home with Ella by herself with NO family in town these first few days to help. (This is notably MORE of a stressful situation for Stevan than it is for Jess as was marked by his typical stressful “bowing before the porcelain throne” this evening upon realizing the coming week’s largeness.)
Some photos from today:
Three generations!
Ella on stage with Daddy during morning announcements
Ella is asleep at Applebee’s while we eat.
Ella is visited by her buddy J.T. Freeman
