Happy Due Date

Ellie is three months old today, and today is her due date! So she is now zero, a newborn. Her development and growth will be based on today's date, for the first two to three years, rather than on the day she was actually born.

Ellie has been home for three weeks, and as of a week ago, she was 6 lb, 8 oz and 18.5" long. When she left the hospital she was eating about 2 oz every four hours, and now she's eating about 3 oz every four hours. All the hair on the top of her head has fallen off, Ian keeps saying she doesn't look like a girl without long hair. She does look more feminine with a bow in her hair (these pictures may show lots of bows, but really she spends very little of her life with a bow)! She mostly sleeps, but usually has an awake period each day, often in the evening. She grunts and groans while she sleeps, and so is quite loud, but she does sleep all night except for when she's eating.

All dressed up, with no place to go! Poor Ellie won't see much outside the walls of our house for months. If she gets sick, she could get really sick, back-in-the-hospital sick. So, she stays home to try and avoid germs (the doctor's office is the only place she gets to go, ironically, a place full of germy little kids......). Everyone has to wash their hands to be near her, change their clothes when they come home from work/school/church/the store, and stay away when they are sick. That's a little tricky when there are three little boys in the house who keep getting sick! But so far, Ellie has been healthy.

She's been busy helping me with the laundry since she's been home :). She liked this basket of warm-from-the-dryer clothes!

Ellie spent her first Christmas mostly sleeping, she didn't care much for any of the festivities, but her brothers were more than happy to open gifts for her. She finally woke up at night after her brothers were in bed, looking like a darling little elf!

And, just because I think they're cute.....