15 Months...

Last week, we had Elliana's 15 month check up. Our little peanut is now weighing in at just 20.4 lbs (11%) and measuring 31" (66%).

Each day, Elliana's new talents amaze me. She seems to understand everything we say and mimics us more than I sometimes realize. Today, we ate lunch on the deck. I saw a few crumbs on the deck floor, so I bent down, picked them up and threw them into the grass. Not realizing Elliana would make the connection, she dropped a piece of her cracker, bent down and threw it over the side of the deck. Umm....guess I learned not to clean up until AFTER meal time is over.

Yesterday, I learned not to give a 15-month old a chocolate chip granola bar when it was 80 degrees out. Oh, and then not to pick her up once finished eating, while Momma is wearing a light colored shirt. Ahh...I love learning new things. But most of all, I love the lessons that only Elliana is able to teach me.

I wasn't prepared...

During my pregnancy, I read almost daily in preparation of what laid ahead. I read on how the baby was developing, how my body was changing and how to prepare myself for the many changes that were in store for our family. I sought out advice of new moms, experienced moms, and practically anyone I could zap knowledge out of.

I prepared to be the best person that I could be as my role morphed from solely wife to a balancing act of wife and mother. I feel like I prepared really well for all of the baby "stuff." It's been 15 months since this bundle of preparation and joy entered my life.

I've experienced a lot and learned even more since Elliana was born. I've learned the joy my heart can have when I first heard her tiny giggle. I've learned the happiness that comes with watching my daughter learn. I've experienced the excitement of watching Elliana take her first crawls, and soon after her first steps. I've experienced the frustration of not always being able to solve Elliana's problems. I've experienced the mess involved with a toddler learning to eat table foods, and the joy of Elliana actually taking her first bites of "real" food.

Overall, I've learned that I wasn't prepared for perhaps the most important teaching I had been told: how quickly time would pass. In the blink of an eye, this tiny helpless newborn has morphed into an independent, beautifully opinionated toddler.

A toddler that walks up stairs, rather than climbs. A toddler that eats the same food that I do. A toddler that communicates with me through words and sign language, better than some adults that I have met. A toddler that knows what I am saying when I say it, and answers appropriately when I ask her questions.

I guess I wasn't prepared for how quickly she would grow and the incredible impact this tiny baby would have on my life. I wasn't prepared for how much more my heart could grow when our family of two, became a family of three. In the years ahead, I'm sure that there is more to come that I won't be prepared for. Until that time comes, I will try to prepare my heart for more love, more laughter and more growth...and realize that being unprepared is sometimes a blessing.

Lots of Egg-Citement

On Saturday, our neighbors invited us over for an Easter Egg Hunt. It took a few minutes for the kids to get the hang of it, but oh, how fun it was to watch!

Elliana quickly got the hang of collecting the brightly colored eggs and putting them in her basket.

Elliana loved opening the eggs to find the hidden treats within. As you can tell, she was really excited to learn that this egg contained a dollar bill!

On my mind

There are a few things on my mind this afternoon. I'm thinking about the nap that I was looking forward to all morning, that never took place due to the noise of construction across the street. I'm thinking about how grateful I am that Elliana & I have met friends in our neighborhood to provide daily fun and laughs. I'm thinking that I really should have waited until AFTER Easter to break open the bag of jellybeans I am currently snacking on.

But most of all, I am thinking about how incredibly blessed I am to be the mama of this little girl and the wife of my adorable husband. Just look at how adorable they are as they watch basketball and eat potato chips. They sure make my heart happy.

Oh Doh!

Oh Doh! Two simple words, one simple phrase, and about the best thing I've probably ever heard Elliana say. Sure, Elliana has said this a million times when trying to say "Oh, no!". She also says more than this and continues to learn more and more words, but the reason this phrase is so important isn't because of what it means, it is because of one time she said it.

Let's take a step back a couple days, and maybe it will all make sense. The day, Saturday, March 6, 2010 was just about the most beautiful day of the year to that point. Sun shining, blue sky, warm air. It was a weekend and we were spending our usual time as a family. What better way to spend the day than to go to the park and go for a walk? So we ran some errands in the morning, had some lunch, and headed out to the park.

We took a walk, over 5 miles, while Elliana took a nap in her stroller. We rode the swings, walked around the lake, and soaked in some sun. Truthfully, it was the perfect day. That is before it went perfectly wrong.

On the way home from the park, our little chatter box in the back seat got a little quiet. Interesting, I thought, she had already taken a nap. I glance in the rearview, which reflects off the mirror for the car seat which puts Elliana in my view. Not sleeping, but certainly quite. Ashley takes a look; yep, not sleeping. "Hey Elliana, everything alright?": no response. Unusual. Hmmm. "Elliana?" Nothing. Something's wrong.

Ashely began to investigate. We can hear her breathing, but she isn't responding. Urgency begins to creep into mind, but really it hasn't settled in. Ashely crawls to the backseat, I'm driving 70 MPH. Ashley confirms something is really wrong. Elliana isn't responding, she isn't moving, she is staring into nothingness, and isn't getting any better.

Details of what follow aren't critical, but in summary it means a 911 call, paramedics, ambulance, emergency room, and home: yes, we all came home, thank God.

When we reached the emergency room, Elliana was moving but still hadn't spoken or made a noise, and certainly had lost every bit of her personality we had come to love. We began asking if this is how she would be FOREVER. We were reassured it was temporary, but we had our doubts.

We were told Elliana had suffered a febrile seizure. SEIZURE? Yes, SEIZURE. They told us how this is fairly common and this type of seizure is caused by a spike in body temperature (fever) in infants and toddlers. It was something I had never known of and will never forget.

We sat impatiently waiting for something to happen with Elliana. She still would't talk to us, didn't cry, didn't laugh, and honestly the worst thoughts and possibilities came to my mind. Then it happened. The pacifier she had been holding fell to the floor and a little voice that followed, "Oh Doh!", instantly brought tears of joy to Ashley and I. That is our little girl, she is "coming back to life". Nothing could have made me happier in that moment. As time passed, everything we know Elliana can say and do came back and we were given our little girl back. Yes, our little girl was back and we could stop to be grateful.

She has been home for a couple days and we have been keeping her fever under control as much as we can. They tell us this seizure will have no long terms effects but Elliana could be prone to it happening again.

So now you can see why two little words, one little phrase can mean so much. Seeing your child staring blankly, emotionless, immobile is something I could never wish upon anyone. And after seeing such a thing, those first words, "Oh Doh!" mean the world to Ashley and I on a day we will never forget.