Ellen Adell Draper

On November 12, 2012, we added a beautiful new baby girl to our family!  I was scheduled to be induced on Monday morning, so Sunday night we sent the kids home with Uncle Matt and Aunt Mirriam, and tried to get some sleep.  We got up Monday morning and headed to the hospital.  Because I had a c-section with James, I was only allowed a low dose of pitocin.  They got me hooked up and I started contracting.  The goal was for me to dilate enough that the doctor could break my water (even being a day past my due date I wasn't dilated at all).  After a couple of hours (and by this point I was having some really strong contractions) the doctor came to check me, and still nothing.  Grr.  But these things take time, so we kept going.  Ellen was being a wiggler, so someone had to hold the monitor on my belly the entire time.  I also had to be in a fairly laid back position, which made the contractions feel much worse.  We kept plugging along, and every hour or so the doctor would come back and check.  7 hours after I was started on the pitocin, there was still NOTHING going on.  Lots and lots of really painful contractions, but no change in the cervix at all.  We considered the options and decided that it was best to have another c-section.  Ellen Adell Draper was born at 4:22 PM.  She was 8 pounds 10 oz and 21 inches long.

 I was a bit nervous about having another c-section, partially because James ended up in the NICU with breathing issues.  This girl started off by showing us that her lungs were just fine.  She came out screaming!  I was so relieved that I started crying the second I heard her (before I even saw her).

 Once she got warmed up she calmed down some, but she was still not so sure about this whole "being born" thing.  The first thing Chris and I noticed when we saw her was how much she looks like Mariah, and also James.  We certainly have a "baby mold".

 Here she's getting cleaned up some.

 And putting her fist in her mouth.  This baby wants to be a thumb sucker!  We have finally convinced her that pacifiers are not too bad (sometimes), but she loves to put her hand in her mouth.

 We got pictures of Ellen's first bath, which was new for us.  When Mariah was born they took her in and we all fell asleep!  With James they were more concerned about getting him breathing.  It was fun for Chris to be able to watch this one get cleaned up.

 And not so happy about this bath thing!  

 And not happy about this either!

 Hmm, maybe being born isn't so bad.

 Mariah was so excited for her baby sister!  She still wants to hold Ellen constantly, and is sometimes overly lovey.

 My sweet girls!

 Mariah is helping Aunt Mirriam take a picture of Ellen.  James was happy to see his new sister, but mostly wanted to go back to Mirriam's house to play.  He loves his baby sister, but doesn't feel the need to maul her the way Mariah does.

Such a proud big sister!

October 2012 - Halloween

The night before Halloween we went to a party at Daddy's work and some friends.  They had some really cute crafts and games, the kids had a blast.

We got the kids in their costumes and they were very excited.

James taking in the sites.

Mariah got a Rapunzel flower painted on her cheek.  She was excited about the idea, but she kinda picked at it the rest of the night, I think the paint bugged her.

Enjoying one of her treats while we waited for a craft.

Mariah and her friend Adria.

On Halloween we had quite a few things going on, including going to Uncle Zack's work party.

James and Mariah got to paint some pumpkins.

After Uncle Zack's party, we went to the ward trunk-or-treat.

Rapunzel and her Flynn Rider.  Daddy grew out his facial hair just for this.

Carefully picking some treats, he had to find the candy in all those toys.

Mariah was very excited about the rings and other toys.

Getting more treats.

Rapunzel and Flynn Rider playing a game to get some candy.

Thomas on the train tracks 

Baby Ellen and I dressed up as a ghost in the night. 

October 2012

We got the chance to go to Hee-Haw Farms at the beginning of the month, and the kids had a blast!

There was a pyramid of hay bales with a slide, and this PVC pipe thing was the ladder (many kids used it as a slide too).  It took James a while to get used to it, but he was a pro by the end of the night.

Mariah was really excited to shoot the corn cob cannons, but she was done after one go,
she didn't like the noise.

The had a giant pit of corn kernels for the kids to play in, and they loved it!  There was a random baby doll in the corner that James wanted to play with.

Mariah liked burying her legs.

They had several tractors and James loved climbing on them to drive.



James and Mariah played on a tractor together while we waited to go trick or treating.

The thing the kids were most excited about was the HUGE slide!  Mariah went on this slide several times by herself last year, but she was intimidated this year and wanted to go with Daddy first.

She loved it, and then was ready to go by herself.

She said the slide was noisy so she covered her ears.

James was super excited to slide, and begged Chris to go over and over and over again!
Love that grin!

September 2012

 Mariah got to start preschool this year!  She was looking forward to this all summer.

 

 On the doorstep she started to get a bit nervous!

This is her new dress just for preschool.

 Once she saw her teacher and the other kids, she started to get excited.

I think she was still a bit nervous that I was leaving.  

 

 She was all grins when I picked her up.  She was excited to show me her letter A paper.

She loves preschool and is happy to go every day, 

and usually asks to go on days when she doesn't have preschool.

 I got to go to the Women's Expo at UVU with my mom and my friend, Nikki.  Mostly it's stuff I'm not interested in, but they have a few things I like.  They also had bounce houses for the kids.  

James and Mariah were thrilled had a ball.

 They had this fairly tall ladder leading up to the slide.  James really wanted to go down it, and once we showed him how to do it, he had a blast!

There he is at the top, all by himself!  

Not sure who said he could grow up!

August 2012

 I had tried to get James to nap and he refused, and when I got out of the shower I heard a funny noise outside the door.  I opened the door to find this!

Mariah loves to help in the kitchen and was very excited to help make cinnamon rolls.

 Thanksgiving Point had $2 Tuesdays during the month of August, so I decided to take the kids over.  I won't be going on the last $2 Tuesday of the summer next time, it was INSANE!  

I also don't recommend taking 2 kids to a dinosaur museum while 6 months pregnant.  

I'm glad we went this time though, the kids had fun and were very good overall.

 

In one area they had some fossil impressions that the kids could play around in.

I think we spent more time here than anywhere else, 

they loved running around and following the footprints!

 James is sizing up an imprint for his bum.

 James would just run from indent to indent.  Every once in a while he'd go to run off, but as soon as I'd move towards him he'd circle back around.

 Mariah peeking out of a little dinosaur cave.

 James was very excited to pet the baby dinosaur.

 Mariah was a little bit nervous of it, but she thought it was pretty cool.