Eight Weeks Old

Written on Wednesday, September 9, 2009:
I would like to know where summer went! I had a baby and have been very busy with her this summer, and it has also been a very cool summer... I guess the combination of the two made summer go by very quickly! Summer is my favorite season, and I’m kind of sad that it is already over and it seems like it barely began! I’m already wearing jeans and jackets on some days and our AC has been off for some time now. I am NOT ready for the cooler weather and the even colder weather that I know will follow!

We had a busy Labor Day weekend. On Saturday we went to two of my great-aunts’ funerals where Ella met more of the Sprugel family. We also listened to the Iowa vs. UNI game. It was a close one, right down to the end, but the Hawks won! I cannot believe football season is here already!

We went to Kent Park for a Labor Day picnic with Grandma and Grandpa Jetter and Uncle Eric. After the picnic we took Ella to City Park Pool for a quick swim. Chris and I probably won the mean parents of the year award by taking her to the pool. It was a little chilly, but we wanted to take her at least once before the season was over. I can’t say that Ella loved it, but I can say she hated it less than she hates baths! :)

Ella had her second appointment at the university yesterday. She weighed 9 lbs, 12 oz. That’s a 10 ounce gain in five days!

Seven Weeks Old

Written on Wednesday, September 2, 2009:
Ella had her one month check up earlier this week. This was almost two weeks after it was supposed to be scheduled thanks to a scheduling miscommunication with the lady at the front desk of the doctor’s office. Luckily Ella and I go to the same doctor and she let Ella and I share my 6 week appointment, otherwise it would have been another three weeks before they could have seen Ella! Ella now weighs 9lbs, 2oz (still at the 50percentile), she is 22 1/4 inches long (still at the 75th percentile), and her head circumference is 15 inches (previously 75th percentile, now between 75th and 90th). Shots next time! :(

Six Weeks Old

Written on Wednesday, August 25, 2009:

Chris and I saw Ella’s first real smiles this week! It was fun to watch her eyes light up once she got the smiles going. Ella is also starting to track things by turning her head this week. She still isn’t a very big fan of tummy time, but we’re working on it!

This past weekend Ella went on her first ROAD TRIP!!!! Ella, Chris, Grandpa Jetter (Grandma had to take the train on Saturday because school started this week!) and I drove out to Denver for a friend’s wedding. Ella did a great job, she slept most of the way! Grandma dressed Ella up in a pretty dress for the wedding, but she got too hot during the outdoor ceremony, so she spent most of the reception nearly naked. Ella really seemed to enjoy the music and the dancing!

Five Weeks Old

Written on Wednesday, August 19, 2009:

Ella experienced her first Iowa State Fair this week! She got to see her first butter cow. There was also a butter Neil Armstrong this year, but no butter Michael Jackson (the people thankfully voted no!). Ella got her picture taken with a giant chicken and an ostrich egg. She got a little warm in the Butter Cow building and let us know about it! She felt much better when I walked her through the misting fountain. She was a little shocked when the water first touched her skin, but she decided she liked it and began calming down. After this we headed to the air conditioned varied industries building where Ella met Herkey and got her very first tattoo! She would have gotten a Cy tattoo too for Grandma and Grandpa Jetter and Uncle Eric, but they were not giving them out this year, sorry guys! While we were there Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Eric, Mom, Dad, Great-Aunt Jann, Cousin Ben Chris and I consumed all kinds of food, most of which was on a stick. We did not find any formula on a stick for Ella, and Uncle Eric was disappointed that he did not find his beer on a stick this year. We did see quite a few animals, lots of baby animals too. After seeing the baby piglets everybody got their own set of piggy ears!




We were all very sad when we had to take Great-Aunt Jann and Cousin Ben back to the airport this weekend, we miss them a lot already! We had several more visitors at the house this week. Ella is always so sad to see them go. I think she doesn’t like a quiet house. I got her to fall asleep in her bouncy seat in the bathroom with the water and fan running!



School starts at the end of this week. I still can’t believe that I could be setting up my own classroom this week, glad I’m not, I would be a complete mess! Instead Ella and I helped Grandma set up her classroom. Ella got to meet all of Grandma’s teacher friends, but her favorite part was napping in the new bean bag chairs in the reading corner!

One Month Old!

Written on Saturday, August 15, 2009:
Ella is one month old today! I cannot believe it has been that long! She has already changed so much in just one month!

At one month she weighs about 8 lbs, 4 oz, and is about 20 1/2 inches long (measurements taken last week).

She is barely fitting into her newborn clothes and diapers, but the 0-3 month clothes and size 1 diapers seem huge on her right now.

Ella sleeps in her pack-n-play in Mom and Dad’s room most nights. I think she has only slept in her crib in her own room 3 nights so far. Ella usually sleeps around 3 hours at a time, with the occasional night where she will sleep 6 hours at a time.

Ella loves to be held and rocked. She likes her swing and her bouncy seat. Ella likes to listen to music, and stories and she also likes dancing with mom in the kitchen/dining room, it often makes her stop crying and puts her to sleep! She likes a little bit of tummy time, but not too much! :)

Four Weeks Old

Written on Wednesday, August 12, 2009:

Who knew I’d get everything I’d wanted in three weeks time! I was offered the teaching job last Thursday. I was at Hobby Lobby picking up plates and cups for Ella’s baptism when I got the phone call. I’d always imagined what that moment would be like when I was finally offered a job. Never in a million years would I have guessed that my reaction to this job offer would be to spend an hour crying in a parking lot! I knew I wanted to stay home with Ella, but turning down the job that I’ve wanted for so long and worked my butt off over the past 4 years to get was not going to be easy to turn down. Actually it was probably one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. I went into the school on Friday to explain my decision to the principal and one of the teachers who was there. I turned down a full time teaching position in Iowa City, never thought I’d do that! Whew! But now that it is done and they are interviewing other people, I am happy with my decision and am looking forward to being a stay at home mom!

Ella had her first tub bath at home this weekend. So far she’s not a big fan of bath time. She just screamed and screamed when she was in the tub! I covered her up with a washcloth while she was sitting in the tub which made her stop crying for a moment, but then she remembered that she was all wet, and so began crying again! Poor baby! Once we’d dried her off and wrapped her up in her robe, she was a much happier baby!


Ella was baptized at church on Sunday. She was a very good baby at church, no crying, even when the pastor put water on her head! After church we went to my parents house for lunch with family and friends.

On Monday Ella and I went to Des Moines with Grandma Jetter, Great-Aunt Jann and cousin Ben. Ella had never been that far from home before, but she did a great job! She slept all the way over in the car, actually sleeping through her lunch! I think we will be just fine driving to Colorado next week! Just keep that car in motion!

Chris and I finally made it to see Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince! It was supposed to come out last November and Chris was going to take me to see it for my birthday, but then they changed the release date to July 15. We were a little busy that day, so we didn’t get around to going until Tuesday of this week! It worked out well because the house was just full of babysitters! Chris thought the movie was good, but having read the books, I was again a little disappointed. I may have to read them to Ella AND Chris so they know how much better the books are! :)

Three Weeks Old

Written on Wednesday, August 5, 2009:
Ella is three weeks old today! One night this week we woke up to see that Ella had rolled onto her side in her sleep.

With Dad back to work and Grandma and Grandpa Jetter in Colorado, Ella seemed to notice that she was home alone with Mom for the first time this week. She spent the better part of an afternoon screaming at the top of her lungs. After trying anything I could think of to make Ella stop crying she continued to cry harder and turn a deeper color of red. I felt so bad that she was so upset and I couldn’t figure out what she was so upset about that soon I was crying too. I tried calling Chris at work, but naturally he didn’t answer the phone, so Ella and I cried together until she finally fell asleep, about 5 minutes before Chris pulled into the driveway.

Ella is part of a study on infant formula at the University of Iowa. As part of this study we go in once a month for her to be weighed and measured and they send us home with a month’s supply of formula. This is a pretty good deal for us! Her first visit was yesterday, she weighed 8lbs. 4oz.!

Over the past 4 years I have worked as a substitute teacher while applying for full time teaching positions in the Iowa City district. This year I decided that I would be staying home with the baby, so I pulled my application file, resume, cover letter, and letters of recommendation from the district back in June. Monday morning I got a call from the principal at the school where I just finished my long-term sub assignment, she offered me an interview. You can’t say no to an interview, it’s good practice if nothing else right? So I went in for the interview this morning. It wasn’t my best interview, but I won’t be crushed if I don’t get the job this time. Actually, I kind of hope they don’t offer me the job because then I won’t have to decide if I’m staying home or going back to work! I already know what my decision would be, but at the same time it would be so hard to turn this job down when I’ve been working so hard to get it! You don’t turn down teaching jobs in Iowa City, they are too hard to come by. You have to know the right people and be in the right place at the right time to get a job. This time I know the right people, I was in the right place, but I’m afraid the time is just not right, Ella is only 3 weeks old and I’d have to start next week. So I’ll probably get the job...hmm.

Remember when Chris expanded our storage area under the stairs a few months back? Well we put all of my school boxes at the very back of the space because I didn’t think I’d be using them for a few years. Also, back in January Chris and I had put baby on a waiting list at the daycare at Chris’ work. We were 37th on the list in January. They called last week to see if we were still in need of daycare and I told them that we were not because I was going to be staying home, so they put us back at the bottom of the list, this time I think we are 40 something on the list. I just know I’m going to get this job tomorrow, not sure how I feel about that...