9 months

Ella had her 9-month appointment this past week with Dr. Macedo. She was being all bashful and shy at first, but then she warmed up to the doctor and was playing with him. Ella is still growing big at 19 pounds, 28 inches. She's also still in the 90% for height and 70% for weight, but still a smaller head. The doctor looked at her chipped tooth and didn't think it was much to worry about. We've made an appointment with a pediatric dentist, but they most likely will decide not to do anything as it's not very deep or sharp. Also at the appointment we found out that Ella has an ear infections so she is on some antibiotics to clear that up. No shots this time!

Mostly, Ella is keeping us busy because she is so active. She crawls from room to room and pulls herself up to stand very often. She can stand without help for 30 seconds all by herself! She is fascinated by how the doors swing open and closed and likes to play with them, not minding when she continually gets banged in the forehead. Instead of crawling around obstacles, she likes going over them. Her favorite thing to do at night is crawl back and forth over Tyler when he is lying on the carpet. She's getting really good at it. Even when she does a face plant, she doesn't cry. Tyler says that she is his little bruiser!

Photos by Jen Smith

Pictures for Nanna!

1- Ella loves animals! This is Marbles, Ryan and Michelle's new cat.
2- Ella and her friend Claire at Karen's house while I'm at work.

The Month of January

I have a lot of catching up to do! We drove home from New Jersey on Tuesday, January 2. It was a long 12 hours in Tyler's truck, but we finally arrived home safely. The very next day, I left in the morning to take Ella to the doctor's office for her second dose of the flu shot. The sunshine and warm weather (it reached 50 degrees that day!) deceived me and after turning onto a back road, I lost control of the car. My poor Civic went into the ditch, causing the air bags to deploy. I was in shock and completely freaked out, not even knowing I had hit black ice until the police officer explained the situation to me. Ella was not hurt at all. Our Graco SafeSeat did its job well. I got second degree burns on my right hand from the air bag explosion, partly a chemical burn and partly heat. My skin is healing quickly and now it just looks like dry, red winter skin. Anyhow, I'm not quite sure why God allowed us to be in this accident, but it forced us to search for a new vehicle a little sooner than we had planned. We found a sweet deal on a Honda Pilot in the paper, so now we have our family SUV, which was really helpful this weekend during the blizzard that we experienced in Grand Rapids. I love my new vehicle, but am still traumatized by the accident and am more cautious than ever when driving now, always looking out for signs of black ice.

School's back in session at Chandler Woods and I welcomed Krysten Karpicke, a student teacher from Central Michigan University. She is getting to know the students and families and has been a tremendous asset to our classroom. With a new person on our team, I'll hopefully make it home a little earlier for the next few months. Tyler and Ella will sure love that!

Also this month, Ella had another cardiologist appointment. She had a successful ultrasound this time! She stayed still longer because she wasn't feeling well and Tyler came along to entertain her and help me out. Dr. Schneider gave us a super report. Her circulation is great--like a normal baby her age. They'll keep watching her left pulmonary artery as it could be enlarged with a stint in the future to increase blood flow to the left lung. No need to worry about this now, and it is a minor procedure compared to the surgery she has already gone through.

Ella is sure growing up. She is now quite a proficient crawler, from room to room, and even into my lap when she wants comforted. She is also beginning to pull herself up. She can get toys out of her basket herself, and she tries to operate the stereo, adjusting the volume and opening and closing the tape cassette holder. TODAY she really surprised us when she was standing up in her crib, holding on to the rails. I was shocked and happy, and she laughed very pleased with her new accomplishment. Tyler lowered her mattress to the bottom setting in the crib so she won't fall out in her "climbing."

December and January have been such l o n g months for us because Ella has been sick on and off and NOT sleeping through the night anymore. First she woke up because she was really sick. Then she woke up because she was coughing or couldn't breathe. Now she wakes up... FOR NO REASON AT ALL! or at least none we can discern. I'm not feeding her during the night anymore. I'll give her a bottle of water (a great suggestion from Aunt Kathy-Thanks!) or put her Nuk back in her mouth and tell her to just go back to sleep. And she usually does. Now sometimes I don't even have to get out of bed to check on her when she cries. She usually can fall back asleep on her own. So... we are heading in the right direction. Tyler and I are getting a little more sleep now and we all want to stay healthy!

My biggest challenge this winter will be writing my final grad project so that I can complete my Masters Degree in Elementary Education. There will be no slacking off on this research and writing as I have a very "persnickety" prof who has very high expectations and strict deadlines. My new mantra this semester will be "They only give A's and B's. They only give A's and B's." The worst thing that can happen is that I would have to rewrite my paper... which I've already been asked to do. It can't get much worse, so it can only get better, right? The real reason that I am finally writing in this blog is because it is much more fun to do than my research. so basically, I'm procrastinating again. But, hey, I did really need a break.

If you made it to the end of this entry, you are a TRUE FRIEND! Thanks for caring about our family so much to read my long ramblings.

Christmas Pictures

Christmas Vacation

We've had a great first week of Christmas vacation. First stop, Sandy and Russ Voorhees (my parents) in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. We had brunch and Christmas celebration with the family including Ryan & Michelle and Michael & Michelle. Ella loved playing with the wrapping paper, tearing and crinkling it to hear the neat sound. That was more fun than the gifts themselves.

Now we are in New Jersey visiting the Emrick's. Ella spent time with her Aunt Kristy and Uncle Dave and also her Baba (great grandmother) Ellanora. And let's not forget Nanna and Pappy Emrick! Nanna plays with Ella every day! We are watching her explore a new environment and new toys. She is putting small objects into a container, stacking blocks, and creeping across the room. She'll be crawling in no time. She loves her doll babies and has said the word doll, repeating it after us. She also says Mama, Dada, and Baba, but I don't known if she understands what she is saying.

We hope you are all enjoying the week with your families too!

Christmas Letter

Dear Friends and Family,

It is with great joy that I write this letter to you! This year, we have had much to celebrate! Our biggest blessing has come in the form of a precious child.

Last Christmas, I was pregnant, and we were awaiting this new child wondering what it would be like to be parents. In February, doctors discovered that the baby had a heart defect which would require immediate surgery. We were told that this heart condition would affect our child all her life. This shook our world and life seemed to stand still for weeks. How could God let this happen to our little girl? Slowly, as we began to learn more about her heart, we chose to accept what we could not change. And we turned to our God who was bigger than her heart defect and waiting to hold and love us through this challenge. God gave us such a sweet comfort and peace through the rest of the pregnancy, through her birth, and through her open heart surgery. Many of you loved us through these months, showing your true friendship.

Born on May 2, 2007, 7 lbs, 7 oz, 20 inches long, Marcella Grace Emrick, our little warrior, made a quick recovery surprising doctors and nurses. Thanks to everyone for all of your prayers! Ella is now a healthy little girl, growing very well, who is extremely active and social. She brings so much joy to our lives! How cool is it that she can celebrate Christmas with us and even visit Santa! You can read her blog on the internet to get more details about her surgery and recovery. I also continue to post new entries each month so you can keep praying for her! There are lost of pictures to view as well. The website is www.marcellagrace.blogspot.com.

Having a baby helps us to connect with the Christmas story even more. How could a baby also be God’s son? What an amazing miracle! We hope you also are able to celebrate the birth of Jesus this Christmas and to reflect on WHO Jesus was and his reason for living on earth. How has God’s amazing love impacted your life?

Adventurously expectant, we greet God with a childlike, “What’s next, Papa?” We are sure that every detail in our lives is worked into something good for God. Nothing can faze us, not open heart surgery or any other struggle we can think of. We are absolutely convinced that nothing can get between us and God’s love! That’s the way Jesus has embraced us this year!

Praying you find God’s love this Christmas,

THE EMRICK FAMILY
Tyler, Christy, Marcella
and our first baby, Grayer

More Teeth

For over a month now, Ella has just had her two bottom front teeth. The drooling slowed down and we thought there would be a nice break before any more teeth decided to push their way to the surface. This week, all at once, SIX more teeth are starting to appear. Two more bottom teeth, and the front four top teeth. She's handling it pretty well and likes to chew on things, like her maple teething biscuits. She's also starting to use them to bite off pieces of things, like pickles and crackers. Her front teeth look so big, way to big for a baby, but I'm sure she'll grow into them soon. Now, we are starting the daily routine of brushing her teeth. She loves it (so far) and is much more cooperative than our dog Grayer, when I try to brush his teeth.

Ella Visits Santa

Ella was fine for a few moments on Santa's lap. Then she looked up to see who was holding her and... she lost it and started crying. She's starting to be afraid of strangers and prefers Mom and Dad. She's especially scared of men with long, white beards. How many years do you think it took Santa to grow that long beard. Yes, it's real!

Group Picture

Cousin Rachel, neighbors Jared and Rachel,
and Baby Ella at our house after her dedication.

Independent Little Girl

Here she is, trying to drink and eat all by herself!

Six Months Old

The highlight of Marcella's 6-month doctor's appointment was finding out how much she's growing. Here are her current measurements! Height: 27" long (90%). Weight: 16 lbs, 10 oz (75%). Head circimference: 16 1/4" (10%). She had four more shots including the flu shot, which made her a bit grouchy this weekend. She wasn't happy much and actually prefered Mom over Dad, believe it our not. It's the first time she has shown preference. She just wanted to cuddle with mom when she was not feeling well. Whenever Tyler took her, she started to cry.

This week she is starting to exert her free will. She will throw a temper when she does or does not want something, like a bottle or toy. First she starts crying, her lips quiver and vibrate, then she screams, and last she works herself up so that she coughs and even gags. My oh my! Tyler came home from work last night when she was in the middle of screaming like this and he just laughed. Sometimes we don't even know what she is so upset about.

Ella also wants to do things herself. She likes to hold her own sippy cup of water. She also likes to feed herself with the spoon, but that gets really messy. Now, I give her a spoon to practice with and I feed her with a second one. She prefers avocadoes and pickles. Yes I said Pickles! She will knaw and suck on a dill pickle spear, just loving it. I think she likes the salty taste. Surprisingly she also liked tomatoe garlic soup. She must get her taste buds from her dad who also LOVES garlic. I drew the line when Tyler wanted her to taste horseradish sauce last night. That can definitely wait. I won't even eat that.

Oh and did I mention she has two bottom teeth now! They came in a week apart. Her drooling has now slowed down, so maybe her other teeth are going to wait awhile to come in.

She is stronger than ever, sitting up by herself and pushing her body up in the crawl position. She loves playing with her toys, moving them from hand to hand. And of course her favorite toy.. is our dog Grayer. She smiles big whenever she sees him and loves touching his face. In the afternoons when Karen is babysitting, Ella likes to play with baby Claire. They "talk" to each other, babbling back and forth in their own baby language. They smile at each other and grab at their toys.

Ella's Dedication

Nanna made Ella this beautiful smocked dress for her special day! On November 5, she was dedicated to the Lord at the Keystone Baptism Celebration service. Pastor, Gene DeJong is holding her in the picture. Tyler shared Ella's story and why we wanted her dedicated. Then Gene and all of us prayed for her.

Five Months Old!

Look at our BIG girl! She loves sitting in her high chair, just to play or to eat :) A close look at her head reveals new hair that is growing in. It's more golden than the dark hair before, maybe more like Mom's hair. And her eyes are still bright blue. She has started crying real tears. When her eyes get wet, they sparkle. She is very curious about everything around her. Now she touches the dog, or should I say grabs his ears and pokes him in the eye! He doesn't seem to mind much. Ella also likes experimenting with her voice from grunts to squeals... but her favorite noise is growling like a lion. I think she learned that from her Baby Einstein excersaucer and the lion button she pushes so much. We can't leave her lying down for too long. She love to be STANDING upright, with our help of course. She thinks she is such a big girl!

Back to School

Because many of you have asked, I'm finally getting around to adding another post. We ended our summer with a trip out East. Nanna Emrick and Aunt Kristy threw a party for Ella in New Jersey. Lots of friends and family showered Ella with hugs and kisses and some great gifts! We used the money to start a savings accound for Ella's future education. Then, we spent a few days at the lake cottage in New York. Although we would have loved to stay longer, I had to be back to get ready for school and meet with all of my students.

It sure was hard leaving my Ella and going back to work. The beginning was the most difficult when I had to work full days. Now that I am on my part time schedule, things have settled down a bit. Ella wakes up early, usually around 6AM and would like to stay awake, so we have breakfast and read. Then when she goes down for her morning nap, I shower and get ready for the day. Often I squeeze in a bit of housework too or plan what to have for dinner that evening. Then, Ella usually wakes up just in time so I can see her for a short bit before heading off to work. When I get home in the evening, I appreciate my time with Ella (even when she is fussy) since I haven't seen her all afternoon.

Marcella's starting to eat solid food now! Since she was reaching for food off of our plates and already sitting in her high chair at the table, we thought it was about time. We started with rice cereal. We've also added bananas and avocado. When time permits I'm going to try to make my own baby food and freeze it. I got some great ideas from the book, "Super Baby Food." As ambitious as I might seem now, I know I'll need some jars of Gerber food for back up. Anyway, we are just feeding her once a day, at night after we eat dinner. That seems to be when she is the hungriest.

Also in September, Ella had her 4-month doctor's appointment. She's now 25 1/2 inches weighing 15 lbs, 4 oz. That puts her in the 90 percentile. Her head has not caught up to her body. It's circumference is only 15 1/2 inches which is only the 10 percentile. I thought that I would have a tiny, frail child because of her heart defect. Instead, Ella is such a chunk. I love her fat cheeks which I kiss often!

Ella also saw her cardiologist. She wasn't very cooperative during the ultrasound of her heart. She fussed, then cried, then screamed and really just didn't want anyone messing with her. (I think it was a full moon) We'll have to go back in four months to try again. If she won't lie still... then they might have to schedule an appointment to have her sedated at the hospital. Dr. Schneider is still concerned about her narrow vessels. In particular, the left pulmonary artery is small. It's the one that pumps blood into her left lung. We'll know more after a successful ultrasound in... January I think.

I'll post pictures soon. Ella has lost almost all of her dark hair. There is now lighter-colored hair growing in like peach fuzz. Her eyes are still blue and they sparkle when she cries as she's just started making tear drops.

A First!

I just wanted to update everyone on Ella's latest accomplishment. For the first time, on this fine afternoon, Ella rolled over! I had her laying on her stomach on the floor while I was putting some pictures in a photo album. I wasn't really paying attention, and all of the sudden I noticed that she was no longer on her stomach, but on her back! Tyler was home doing some drawings, so we put her on her stomach to see if she would roll over again... and so we could watch this time. And... she did it again. Then we decided to capture it on video, and she rolled over for a third time. Are we proud parents, or what? She is getting so strong and developing very well!

Three Months Old

Marcella is growing up and we are starting to see her personality! She is mostly laid back and easy going as long as her stomach is full of milk. She enjoys watching what is going on around her. Using the Baby Bjorn front carrier has been a great way to keep her in on the action when we are doing chores around the house. She also likes to sit upright either with our help or in her exersaucer. This was given to us by Uncle Doug and Aunt Jan! Thanks for letting us borrow it.



Look at Marcella's beautiful smile! She is a pleasure to spend time with! She likes copying our silly faces and trying to talk with us in her own baby language.





The drooling has also begun! She also chews on everything to make her gums feel better. One thing that she is learning to suck on is her thumb, but she still prefers to stick her entire fist into her mouth instead.












Because she likes bathtime so much, we have exposed her to water some more at the lake and the pool. She may be swimming on her own by next summer!






Marcella has met several other babies recently. Picured here is Braden, born just four days after Ella in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. Braden's mom, Lisa Gorczyca, and I have been friends since elementary school.

















Also, check out our neighbor kids, Rachel and Jared. They think Marcella is pretty neat and enjoy spending time with her.

This Scar

This scar will continue to tell a great story of life and healing. Everytime I look at Ella, I'm reminded of the greatness of God. He is so good to his children and he has surely taken care of and blessed our family immensely over the past several months. Our journey began as we learned about Ella's congenital heart defect in February. It continued as we learned to trust God in such a bigger and deeper way than we ever have before. Some people have asked, "Why didn't God heal her before she was born? Why did she have to go through the surgery and hospital stay?" I believe that God is powerful enough to heal in the womb, however He allowed us to go through this experience so that we would grow and learn a new appreciation for life. Marcella's heart defect has turned into such a blessing, and I'm glad that I had this opportunity to need God. I continue to lift up prayers of thanks for our daughter and for the scar that will always be a reminder of God's grace and healing in her life!

9 Weeks Old

Time is flying by so quickly. Can you believe that Marcella is now 9 weeks old? She is having longer awake times and is starting to show her personality. Her favorite times of the day are waking up after a long nap and smiling happily at me - very contented. Sometimes she thinks I am so funny that she giggles. She also loves bath times in the evening. I've never seen a baby so excited to be in the water and splash around. She even tries to catch the water in her mouth and drink it??!!! A good night for us is Marcella sleeping 7-8 hours. If she does awaken during the night, she has learned how to suck on her hand. This pacifies her enough to put herself back to sleep. In the evening, she loves to ride in her stroller as we walk around town. Thursday nights, there is always a concert on the riverwalk, and she enjoys meeting new people and listening to the music. And, let's not forget her long naps. What baby doesn't like to sleep? It's during this time that she is growing bigger! Some of her 0-3 month clothes are starting to feel snug.

14 Babies!!!

These are many of the teachers that I work with at Chandler Woods Academy. There were 14 babies born this year and two more are on the way! We made the local tv news on Friday and we will also be featured in the Grand Rapids Press. It was a big day for Marcella. We had to get ready and at school by 9am! Then we stayed to talk with other teachers and have a barbeque lunch from Sandman's. I'll be going back to work part time in the fall and job sharing with Kristy Mitchell (in the front row with the baby in red). The good thing is that the state of Michigan passed a new law that schools cannot begin before Labor Day. This is to increase tourism. Yeah! I'll get a longer summer and more time with my daughter.