Our Marathon to a Family

Beta results and Symptom chceck

Last week I went in for my beta draw on Wednesday just after 8am. The lab slip say stat - so because labcorp doesn't offer stat - they had to run the blood draw through UAB instead. I didn't realize this because no one explained it. Anyway I wainted all day and got no results. Thankfully I'd already had the test done that morning that showed the must desired two lines. Never heard back from the fertility clinic so on Friday morning I just reprinted the lab slip and went to do another draw. The woman who drew the blood said it would be done in about an hour. Again a day of waiting with no results. I contacted teh clinic and they said they didn't have them. So I called the lab here and she said they were faxed over and that it went through. She couldn't give me the results over the phone but if the nurse or dr called in she could relay the results to them. So I passed that info along to the clinic and they called to get me the results.

So Wednesday - November 26th Beta HCG was 45 (8dp5dt) (13 dpo)

Friday - November 28th Beta HCG was 136 (10dp5dt) (15dpo?)

Even though my tests were not any different in darkness - it indeed did more than double at the 48 hour mark.

I reach out to the clinic again asking if I need to do any more bloodwork or if they are good with just that. No response. They did however tell me to schedule an ultrasound for December 9th - which I chose the 10th because it works better for my schedule. Again the person I deal with forgets that I am not a local patient and was trying to schedule me to come in there. I don't understand why she can't remember that I am not a local patient. I also requested that she send in another script for the progesterone because I was almost out. I told her in the email I had no refills left - she tells me to contact the pharmacy to get refills. I had to contact her again and explain I am out of refills and that I need a new prescription sent in. I don't understand why she is so confused. So anyway she sent in another the way I wanted it - to get two vials at a time so I am not having to call in every week for more.

Shots are going ok - not as smooth as when we first began but still ok. I've only had one big bruise on the shot sight. They do hurt a bit more when I poke the needle through the skin. Its just tender and so lumpy right now. Its also incredibly itchy where I inject as well as down the outside of my thigh. When I do the injection it feels like its running down my leg for a bit. I can live with the itchiness though. A few times the injection sight has bled quite a bit when I withdrawal the needle - not a big deal though. I have tried the bandaids they sent but its really hard to do by myself. I also get a nasty itchy red spot from the bandaids so I try to avoid them when I can.

This morning I decided to go get my blood drawn myself again just so I can see how the numbers are doing. I will go again Friday just to see how they are doubling at that 48 hour mark as well. This time however I chose to just go through labcorp and skip the stat order on the slip so that I can check the numbers myself from home.

Lastly lets do a symptom check. I am 4w4d based on lmp and 4w6d based on an IVF due date calculator. So close enough. I like the lmp one so that my new week lands on a Saturday each week making it easier to calculate. Anyway.

So no real symptoms as of yet. I am using the bathroom a lot - but I don't know if its more that normal yet. When I first returned from California from the transfer I was really bloated for about a week, but I feel like thats subsided. I've had a couple instances of heartburn and nausea - but not enough that I could say for sure that its from the pregnancy. I did gag brushing my teeth this morning which was a first. I was tired when I woke up, but when am I not? I thought my boobs would be hurting some by now but I haven't noticed anything which was one of the reasons I wanted more bloodwork. Overall I don't feel pregnant even a little bit yet.

I'm still praying for these little embies and praying hard. I know its Gods plan whatever happens. I will say I have more peace over this pregnancy than I have in any precious pregnancy. Its honestly really strange. I remember with Leiland how deep down I felt like everything was ok - and pregnancy wise had no concerns or issues - but I still was so scared and disconnected for so long. The fear was so present in his pregnancy. Then with Owen there were some things we had to keep an eye on at the end - and again I didn't really feel any bonding with him till towards then end. This time there is just complete peace over it all. It just feels so different.

Testing day

Today is the day I get my first bloodwork done. We did the transfer on Tuesday the 18th and today is Wednesday the 26th. So I believe that means today is 8 days past a 5 day transfer (8dp5dt). There was no way I was waiting until Friday to possibly get a number though. Learned that with the first ivf cycle and I’ve always just tested myself since.

So there’s a second line - we are indeed pregnant. I’m really excited to hear what the number is and to test again and know how it climbs. I tried comparing the line darkness to the boys cycles but they weren’t comparable as far as the dates I took them in relation to the transfer.

IVF cycle 5

Long story short - we did it again.

Last year over Christmas Tim and I talked about trying ivf one more time. We talked about timing and whatnot. We planned for October but wound up pushing to November because of a conflict next summer for Leiland.

Here we are and it was transfer day today.

So to rewind a bit. Two cycles ago in September it was the weirdest cycle ever. I had no clots, no cramps, no need for Motrin, and no heating pad. I only bled for 3ish days then some light spotting. Bizarre. Then on 9/25 I have a hysterscopy procedure with my Alabama OB. All went well and all the dr could really say was my “tubes were tubing”. So that happened early in my cycle and so then come October I had nothing. Not even spotting. Again beyond weird.

Now at this point I’ve noticed my normal mid cycle aches and pains have eased up some. Not gone but definitely less.

So moving forward. Dr. Q was all good to move forward. My period was due to start on my birthday but after the previous two cycles who really knows when things will happen. If I start on my birthday that puts ovulation/ transfer right at Thanksgiving week. So we had a tentative transfer date two days prior to Thanksgiving.

Well per usual my period did its own thing and began on November 1st. Now I was already slotted to begin my Lupron injections starting November 1st and so that’s what we did. I was also instructed to go to Labcorp as soon as I could once I started. And of course I started on a Saturday and not a one lab was open until Monday. So again we have a wrench in the plans. I go Monday for the labs and it’s no biggie.

So because my period was early that means we are slotted for a transfer the week prior to Thanksgiving - the 18-21st.

So Tim and I made the plans to have me fly out with Ellie for the week. We flew in on Sunday and go home next Sunday. Transfer was today - Tuesday. There were a handful of hiccups but we got there and transferred two 5 day blasts. It was a little uncomfortable but bearable. I had a little bleeding and have been cramping ever since. After we left the transfer Ellie and I went to dinner at black angus and then watched a movie at the hotel room.

Praying for a healthy little bean to finish off our family.

This is go #5.

Of 4 cycles we have transferred 8 embryos that resulted in two healthy boys.

I’m very nervous but also know it’s in Gods hands. If it’s his plan then I know it will all work out.

Camping day 4 - Dollywood

Today we all slept in a bit. I woke up and the kids were playing nicely in their cots with their stuffed animals and listening to a tonie. I didn’t rush but we took out time to slowly wake up. We ate cereal (the kids down by the river) and got dressed in our shirts I made for them. We decided it was a beautiful weather day and to do Dollywood. We got a much later start than I would have liked. We didn’t get there till after 12 and had to park at the water park. We took the tram over to the park and got started. The kids handled the lines pretty well. Owen got a bit upset because he couldn’t rid some rides he wanted to and some because Ellie wasn’t big enough. We did a few rides which really got him smiling and then we had lunch. He ordered Mac and cheese with chocolate milk and they were out of both. So they gave him a cheeseburger instead. He loved it thankfully and ate the whole thing. Ellie and I shared a chicken tender meal and Leiland had a cheeseburger too. WE took the extra fries with us in an empty cup and the meal really helped moods lift. We decided to try out the new coaster at the park called big bear mountain. Everyone was tall enough and it was a really fun looking ride. The line showed about a 45 min wait but thankfully they had a lot of shaded spots and fans cranked and really working well. While waiting something happened and they announced it was delayed. We were thankful to be under the shaded area and so we all just sat down together. It wasn’t too long and it was moving again. We got on the ride and off we went. Ellie squeeze my hand the entire time and screamed. She did not love it. I think it was bigger than she expected. It really was an intense coaster for her. When we got off the boys were both a little shook from it as well. Oops. Who knew? So we did a bathroom break and another ride that was a bird swing sort of thing. You could steer the bird while it spun.

I decided we needed to walk and see more of the park. We had barely seen much at all. We stopped in some of the gift shops and Owen and Ellie wanted to spend their money on light up noisy swords. Owen cracked his pretty quick from putting it in his shirt. Ellie’s stopped lighting up the middle. We enjoyed all the flowers and decorations, and we found the church. The kids all loved seeing the eagles and then we headed for a train ride. We arrived just in time to catch a ride before they closed the gates. The kids were not impressed. Leiland complained it was boring and Ellie kept saying it needed to go faster. It was nice to sit and rest for a few minutes. At the end of the train ride we saw a swing ride with almost no riders so he headed that way. First we did a ride that goes up and drops down. Not at cool as the one he wanted but they all rode together and loved it. Then we made way to the swings. I finally got to go one this ride I’ve wanted to try for many years. We rode twice.

We then went to walk through the main part of the park at the start. We missed this when we arrived. Kids were wanting ice cream so we stopped and got a thing crust pizza and pretzel sticks for dinner to share. We explored the main entrance stuff then headed back to do more coasters. We rode the first coaster once more. Then we headed for one we wanted to try but had missed. We got dippin dots on the way and they ate it in line. We enjoyed the dance party music while waiting in line and unfortunately we missed the fireworks and drone light show. We caught just a few glimpses of it peeking through the ceiling and gates but that was it. Then it was our turn to ride. This one was so much better than I expected. It even went upside down and Ellie loved every minute of it. We got to ride during the dark, while fireworks went off, and loved every minute of it. On the exit path we stopped to watch the rest of the firework show.

Then it was time to head to the exit. I held Owen and Ellie’s hands and Leiland held my backpack strap. I don’t like the chaos when I’m alone with the kids in the dark but this worked really well to get us all to the exit together. We got up their bathroom one last time before the long drive. We went to the tram and because of the bathroom break we didn’t have to wait long at all for the tram ride. We got to the truck and everyone was still all smiles raving about the day. We put on some music but it took the kids till almost 1120 to stop chatting and wind down to fall asleep.

I drove the winding dark roads through the park to get back to the campground and we got to the tent right at 12:34am. Kids got ready and back to bed so quickly. I’m glad they had such a fun day and behaved so well. Overall it was another great day for the books. I know tomorrow they will be exhausted and much more irritable and touchy. It that’s ok.

One thing that shocked me was how sore my legs were walking all day because of the horse trail ride we did yesterday. So sore.

Camping day 3

Today started quite early at 3am when I woke to some intense thunderstorms. Crazy rain, thunder, and lightning. I really couldn’t sleep because there was a tornado warning with a medium threat. It started to calm closer to 5am. I pulled in kid shoes, dumped the rain collected on the rain cover, pulled the only dry chair in. I repacked the clothes bin so all the pull ups and pajamas were protected. And I prayed while snuggling Owen. We were definitely getting water in the tent. Everyone was getting wet but they all slept. Owen eventually woke and we did a bathroom break together. The rain had slowed but the river was so loud.

I coaxed Leiland to come snuggle with us and we fell back asleep for a little longer. When I finally woke everything was soaked but we got dressed and took off. We had an appt to ride horses at 10am. When we pulled up to the turn for smokemont stables the road continuing was closed because of weather. So we went to the horse stables.

Ellie was on a horse that was white named Jesse. He was so good for her and teathered to the lead guide Pricilla. I don’t know Owens horse but he was a dark chestnut brown. Leiland was on a light brown and white names Apache. I was on a brown girl named Polly. Behind me was another guide Asia and two others who were on the ride. It was a bit muddy but an absolute beautiful ride. We kept walking into wet tree branches hanging down but that’s ok. Leiland seemed a bit nervous. He didn’t like how narrow the path was but he did great. Owen was a champ at commanding his horse. When it would try to eat he’d pull the reins and he was steering him when needed. I was so proud and he was a natural. Ellie was all smiles the whole time and telling Jones with the guide up front. Ellie and OWEN said that was the best thing ever. They couldn’t be any happier.

Now the plan was to go to cades cove and possibly a hike. However when we went to leave the stables the road was still closed. So we stopped at another turnoff called minges mill I think. We went and walked to see the mill built in 1886 and saw how they channeled the water to run the machine that killed the corn and wheat. The kids only cared about catching all the little purple butterflies. When we walked back to the truck Leiland went to go potty so the rest of us climbed in the bed of the truck and started lunch. Owen thought that was the coolest way to eat lunch. When we finished lunch we drove to the visitor center to get an update on the road closure.

Turns out the storm caused a landslide closing a huge portion of the main road. There was another route to get back to the other side of the park but it was 3 hours. And it had a lot of traffic because so many were detouring. We decided not to do that today. We went into the city there called Cherokee, NC and checked out the Cherokee Indian museum. Very cool information and the boys really liked learning about it for the most part.

We decided to walk around to a few of the bear statures the kids wanted photos with. Then because it was getting hot we stopped for ice cream. We popped in a few of the suvioneer shops. We went back to the car and headed back to camp.

First I set about drying out the tent. Opened all the windows, used a towel to sop us puddles, and took out the air mattress to dry on the truck bed as well as be refilled. The kids put on swim suits and we after shoes and played in the river/ creek for a bit. Very chilly but they enjoyed it. I went to watch them but I stayed dry. By the time dinner came to I started building a fire for kids to warm up. We planned to have spaghetti but I messed up and brought the bag of just sauce and not the one with noodles already in it. So then we chose to do hot dogs. But the lighter was left on the table and didn’t want to work. Thankfully we had another in the bin that was dry. We still didn’t have much luck of getting a fire to start so I did the camping stove anyway. The hot dogs were tasty and we all enjoyed dinner. The fire started picking up very slowly. We toasted some marshmallows and everyone had one. As soon as we were gone making them the fire picked up. Go figure. The kids played with fire and worked hard to keep it going. Me with my lung issues I really struggled to blow air on the coals and the kids just aren’t skilled at it yet. We added some of the color changing crystals into the fire and we all loved seeing that. The kids played smoke ninja fighting the smoke and we just had a good time.

At bedtime we caught fireflies before brushing teeth and getting pajamas on. Ellie’s terrified to use the bathroom right now because of a daddy long legs on one of the sinks. She cracks me up. She loves watching them crawl on the tent when she’s inside and they are outside. But this was too much.

Overall a good day. Didn’t go as planned but we made the most of it.

Camping day 2

Everyone woke up feeling pretty great. We slept till 8 and it wasn’t too cold out. We ate breakfast at the picnic table before getting ready for the day. First we went to church. The kids came in with me and everyone was so friendly and welcoming. We tried finding info online and had no luck. Apparently we showed up for the Bible study and not the service. That was after. Oops. We left and went back to the tent so Owen could put his shorts on. The we decided to drive to the park. We ate pistachios and snacks along the way as our lunch.

We tried to find a place to go horseback riding. The first turn was not what we wanted and wasted a bit of time. So we moved on. Then when we got there they didn’t have any openings until 230. We decided yes we would do that and she realized it was full so we bumped it to 330. I decided we should do the next day since I didn’t want to be constrained by the need to be back by that time. So we headed to clingmans dome. I knew it was about a 40 min drive. We drove but hole cow I was not prepared for the parking situation up there. There was absolutely no space available. Finally just before we’d have to exit two cars pulled out and we got one of the spots. It was SO tight and I barely fit but I did it. I was very nervous how we would get out between how cramped it was and all the people. So we walked a bit and took a few photos.

The kids wanted to climb these giant rocks at the beginning so I let them. Owen wanted a photo at the top. So he and Leiland went but Ellie was too scared. I waited and waited but they never went to it. I called for them a few times with no response. So I forced Ellie to go with me to find them. I don’t like that panic feeling one but. Now I’m wearing flip flops because my sneakers didn’t make it in the bag like Ellie said they did. It was really hard to climb because they have no traction. But we finally got up and I found them rather quickly. I was not happy but I climbed down and took their photos. Ellie got to be in it because I could t leave her behind. So then I helped her down and the boys posed for a couple more rock photos they wanted. Finally I pushed them to get moving on the hike. It’s only 1/2 mile climb to the lookout - how hard can it be? Now was I wrong. It kicked my butt. I was struggling to breathe so much worse than I’d expect. I know I’m out of shape but sdd to it this sinus/ bronchitis issue - not a fan. But we took breaks and pushed through. Right as we got to the base of the dome I got really nauseous and had to sit. We had Hurd thunder a couple times and dark clouds were coming in. We walked to the top and you really couldn’t see anything. What a bummer. It was still cool but not the view you expect. So we head back down and plan to look in the gift shop. On the way a woman gives us a heads up that there is a mama bear just off the trail up ahead. Shear excitement and then a letdown. We never saw it. We looked. We asked others. No one else knew where. Owen was not happy. So we got to the gift shop and look around. I realize I left my wallet in the truck. So we decided to go to the truck and get it then come back. We step outside and it’s raining pretty hard. I wrap my camera in a hoodie and we book it. We are soaked. Everyone is leaving. All done, time to go. We can’t do anything in the pouring rain. I don’t have cell signal so I can’t even see how long it will last. We waited in the truck a bit but it was no use it just kept pouring. So we drive back towards the campground.

We went into Cherokee and decided to do a movie. We got there just in time to see elemental. It was so good too and the seats reclined and had heat. We shared popcorn and lemonade. Ellie and I snuggled. I was so exhausted at this point. When we leave it’s still raining but not as bad. We decide to stop for dinner because no way we can eat in the rain. We shared a plate of carne asada and the boys loved it. After dinner we head to camp to get to sleep. Everyone’s dressed warm as it has cooled quite a bit. We all fell asleep really quick and rather early.

I’m woken at midnight because of someone who screamed really loudly. No clue why though. But I fall back to sleep.

Camping day 1

We all slept till after 8am. My belly still bothered me a bit when I woke up. We went for the breakfast and no one was impressed with it. We got on the road and stopped shortly after to get gas. Then Walmart to get Owen a toothbrush and me belly meds. Got on the road again and didn’t go too far before stopping for a potty break. It was an adorable little rest stop with a creek and right on the river. We finally got on the road and made it all the way to the campground.

We got to the camp at noon. A little early to check in but they let us. We found campsite #22 and parked. It’s a strip of parking and a ton of campsites. Our site is right on the river and it’s absolutely beautiful. First we set up the tent. It went really well and the kids were even a little helpful. The hardest part is always the rain cover but we made it work. I was even able to stake it and it’s still standing now at bedtime.

Once we had set the campsite up we grabbed lunch to eat while we drove to the park entrance. Now we are camping at deep creek campground which is inside the park however there are no roads to connect to the park so we have to drive 30 minutes. We did that and went to the visitor center first. On the drive in we stopped and got the much needed national park sign photo. Then as we entered the park we were able to see elk grazing. It was incredible. Inside the visitor center the kids enjoyed a touchable map of the mountains and see so many of the places we want to see. We heard a person teach us all about the elk in the park, saw chickens pecking the ground, and browse the gift shop. We did a short walk down the trail that starts there and saw a few mamas with their calf’s. It was so close and magnificent. I watch the babies nurse with the mama and the babies were so spunky running all around.

We walked back to the car and decided to get firewood and go make dinner at the campsite. We didn’t have any luck getting firewood and so we made nachos with the camp stove instead. We made friends with a neighbor who let us toast marshmallows to start off our first night at camp.

Ellie had an idea to do a bike ride so if we went. We rode to the end of the road in the campground and found a bridge over to the campground. There was a spot for dropping off people with tubes for the creek so we rode around the circle. Over and over again. Owen was in the lead so I just kept following him. Ellie asked me to go the other way so I turned around and rode clockwise around the circle. This was obviously not what she wanted but sure made her laugh. Eventually we rode off through the picnic area, over a bridge, and back into the campground. Ellie begged for one more trip so that’s what we did. By the end we all were a little sore and my lungs were definitely feeling it.

We came back to brush teeth and get ready for bed. I dropped the boo boo oil down between the bed of the truck and the cab. Owen helped me find a good stick to help get it out. That’s necessary for us. We all settled in to our beds and have Smokey the bear on the toniebox. Day one at camp was a success. Tomorrow we will go to church and the rest is up in the air. Nothing set in stone here just a to do list of ideas.

Ellies potty training progress

Potty training Owen was tough - Ellie was easy but our life schedule made it pretty tough. She learned really quick and had few accidents for the most part at home. Didn't fight it. We started because she was so interested and I am not one to tell her no. SO when we were out and about we did pull ups. She was really good and not resistant to go potty in public when I put her on the potty. Awesome. but she still would pee in the pull up just like it was a diaper.

We started at home on October 5th. Now its January 14th and she wears underwear most of the time but diapers at night. We started going out in public in underwear. I still have to prompt her a lot to not pee in her undies and let me know when she has to go. She will protest trying at times, but I just carry a back up of clothes. We've made several outings now and had no accidents. The other day when grocery shopping she even told me when she had to go. I was just so excited she let me know.

She will poop in the potty at home now unprompted. I do catch her trying to hold pee and she will grab her self. It only takes a quick "oh hurry and go potty so you don't have an accident" and off she runs. She only poops on the small frog potty but has figured out how to get on and off the big potty alone and so she can go by her self now.

Its crazy to think of her as almost potty trained. NUTS even. The boys hadn't even started at this point. Leiland kind of but definitely not Owen.

She is still proud of herself. She didn't need a lot of bribing but I wasn't at all against it. We don't need it anymore though. Im so incredibly proud of her.

Ellie turns 2

I haven't blogged in forever. SO behind. Alas pushing forward.

Yesterday my baby turned 2. It wasn't as hard as I was expecting. She's been acting 2 for quite some time now. She is so full of life and spunk. She is a little firecracker. We weaned from nursing at about 21 months when Leiland and I went away for 3 days to cub scouts camp. It took about 5 days for her to stop asking for milk but only 2-3 days to not cry when I told her no and that it was all gone. Ever since weaning she has drastically increased the amount of food she eats and greatly expanded what she is willing to try. She still has no interest in milk, but is growing just fine without it.

In April I found some decay on Ellies teeth. I took her into the dentist right away. They had to put this stuff on that turns black to reveal the cavities. It also seals and stops any further decay. She needed 2 applications 2 weeks apart. They ended up being much worse than the dentist expected but thankfully it was taken care of quickly and prevented her potentially losing her teeth. She will go back next month to do another follow up. For fear that her nursing at night was the cause we immediately night weaned. It only took a few days. This didn't immediately stop her from waking at night though. When I was gone for camp, Tim was able to just lay her down and walk out. No tears or fight. Not what I had to deal with. But once I returned I pushed her because I knew she could do it. There was some push back, but she did it. Overall since then she has started sleeping better. She was even sleeping all night consistently for quite awhile in there until her 2 year molars started pushing. None have broke through however 2 are very swollen at the top.

Currently Ellie is wearing size 2t. She seems to be on the short side so dressers are almost always long as are pants. Leggings work great though. 18 months bottoms are now too small but many 2t are too big. Making it work. She weighs exactly 21 pounds but I have to measure the height. Wearing a size 4 diaper but is showing a lot of interest in potty training. This may be a new adventure here soon. She still rear faces in the car right now and I am not sure yet when that will change. Just playing it by ear at this time.

In the last month or so Ellie has fallen in love with Mickey Mouse. She has always kinda liked him but now she will watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and its all about mickey and the hot dog song. She will watch many things but only requests Mickey by name. She also likes Sunny Day, Bubble Guppies, and most cartoons that end up on the tv before she can request Mickey. She even likes Barney on the computer.

Although she does love her some Mickey she is REALLY obsessed with baby dolls, rainbows, unicorns, dinosaurs, the playset and her roller coaster car, and is already playing make believe. I often find her off playing in the play kitchen all by herself. She is a great helper in the kitchen any chance she gets as well as doing laundry. At nighttime she loves wearing multiple blankets and has about 9 babies and multiple stuffed animals in her crib. She walks around on tip toes, or runs and jumps all through the house. Its absolutely adorable. Such a bright spirit.

Befor Ellie weaned she wasn't a cuddler. Anytime she was able to touch me she was asking to nurse. It really made me touched out and over it at that time, but also I worried she wouldn't want me as much once she weaned. Now that she has weaned she has swapped all that nursing time with snuggles. She wants to lay her face on my chest to feel my skin, as well as putting her hand on my boobs for comfort. She is such a sweet cuddler and I just love it. I never would have guessed she would wind up such a cuddler.

On her actual birthday

Ellie and Frogs

Tonight Ellie and I spotted a frog as we went to check on the chickens. It hopped right in front of us. I asked if she wanted to hold it. She shook her head no. I asked if she was scared and she said yes, scared. SO no biggie. We tended to the chickens and whatnot. Then daddy asked if she wanted him to catch it. She was ok with that. We ended up with 3 frogs in the container for about 5 minutes. Each kid got to see them but none wanted to hold them. So before heading in we set the frogs free. I poured them out and let them be free. They hopped right past Ellie and Leiland. Ellie got nervous and ran to me. When doing that she stepped on one. Tim told her be careful she was standing on a frog and she lost it. High pitched terrified screams. I scooped her up and held her as she clung for dear life. She shook and kept saying frog. We've been inside for about 15 minutes now and she won't let me put her down and she just keeps saying frog. Scared. Poor girl might be a little traumatized.

Ellie's 10 month update

10 months old. How is this even possible? She's sure growing fast.

17 pounds, 26.5"

Size 3 diapers and size 12 month clothes (getting small)

Crawling is mastered. Stands no problem. Walks 4-9 steps and is trying all day to walk. She can stand herself up unassisted in the middle of the room but doesn't do it often. Walks along the walls, table bench, and anything she can find with just one hand to hold in. She will be walking in no time. Now she's even trying to climb on the couch and coffee table. She can climb onto our mattress on the floor and the air mattress the boys are using for now. She crawls up the stairs with lightning speed and gets to them the instant she sees they are available. Baby gate installed today thankfully.

Ellie's favorite activities include emptying every and all cabinets. Dishes, food, Tupperware - she has no peference. She had me considering cabinet locks. On every single lower cabinet. She also comes running if she hears the fridge or the dishwasher open up. Adorable. She really likes playing with cars, balls, and stuffed dolls (but not stuffed animals really).

Ellie still has issues with her reflux. She has finally begun burping on her own this month but has. Even out of her reflux meds this week and is definitely having an issue with pain when needing to burp. However it's definitely getting better. Still can't have dairy. At all. I still use butter on toast or a baked potato but that's about all. She drinks from a sip cup great but if it has my milk she just tosses it. She loves water and steals the boys juice. She is FINALLY starting to eat. Her favorite is chicken. She also seems to really like spaghetti. Two nights in a row that was a big hit by her. She goes nuts if you don't give her what she wants too lol.

Sleep has been rough. The move and teething combined had been hard on her. She now has 3 teeth and the 4th is breaking through. She's so stinking cute with those pearly whites poking through. I seriously love it. Her hairs getting longer too. Except on the front section lol. Ellie's finally learned to love the bath. Too bad she's absolutely nuts and stresses me out the entire time.

Ellie absolutely loves her brothers and will follow them if she hears them playing. She gets so excited to see them in the morning too. She says a few things. Dada, hi, and kitty. I'm pretty sure she's signing all done now and maybe starting to sign milk.

Ellie still fusses a lot. Love her dearly but she can be demanding that's for sure. We nurse most the night and laying her down to sleep has been nonexistent these days. I'm ready for her to have her room again.