Giraffe

Eric took Graham to the zoo the Monday after Ellie was born. They had a blast and got to spend some quality time together. It also gave me a nice break to get some rest and just enjoy Ellie! When they came home they had a present that they had picked out for Ellie. It was a little giraffe!! Here are a few pictures of Ellie with her first stuffed animal!

Big brother giving his little sister a kiss!

First Bath

Ellie has had several baths since coming home. She isn't a big fan of them yet, but they're growing on her! :) I'm sure she'll be a regular fish like her brother before she's too much older! Here are a few pictures of her first bath at home!

Walking with Daddy

Graham has recently started to want to hold your hand while walking. He loves when he can walk holding both Mommy & Daddy's hands. This particular day Eric took Graham for a walk to get him outside for awhile as he had been in the house for a long period of time. They took a decent length walk (for a 19month old) and Graham did great walking with Daddy. He knows he's not allowed to go on the sidewalk (or past it) without holding someone's hand! The pictures are a bit blurry since they were taken through the screen in our window.

Hair Bows

Mommy is enjoying having a little girl. She had to go out and get me some hair bows/ headbands so I would look extra girly! Here I am sporting my new accessories:

Uh-oh...it's just a little too big and started to fall...

And...it fell a little more! :)

2-Week Check-up

Ellie had her 2 week check-up yesterday. At the 1 week mark she was down to 6lbs 13oz, so we were really hoping that she was gaining the appropriate amount of weight. We also wanted to hear good news about her jaundice. We were pleased to find out that she weighed 7lbs 4oz, so she has now passed her birth weight and that she has grown a quarter of an inch to 20 1/4 inches long. Her jaundice is still there, but it's a very light case that the Dr didn't seem concerned at all. Everything looks good and we go back at 1 month for another check-up. Ellie is currently in the 50th percentile for height, 30th percentile for weight and 10th percentile for head circumference. A healthy little girl as the Dr said!

Visitors

We have had several visitors stop by to see us (ok, they really want to see Ellie). Many people have brought gifts or meals and it has been such a blessing to us. Here are a couple of pictures of my good friend Renee & her daughter, Lauren, when they stopped by to meet Ellie. And, no...we didn't all plan on wearing purple! :)

Sick Boy

Like I mentioned in a previous post, Graham came down with a sinus infection the day after we came home from the hospital. He was nothing like his normal self, he laid around, slept a LOT and was very fussy. We decided to take him to the doctor just to make sure especially since we had a very new newborn in the house. Thankfully they gave him some antibiotics that seemed to help give him a quick turn around. Here's a few pictures of him lounging around. The first one was him laying on the couch with his Daddy.

Graham had just returned home from the Dr's appt here. They had to stop at the grocery store afterwards to pick up his prescription. Daddy also let him get a balloon while they were at the store, it said 'It's a Girl!!'. Graham feel asleep on the drive home and Eric carried him in the house. We were going to wake him up for lunch and then have him nap afterwards, however he was not waking up. Here you see him laying on the couch holding his balloon while asleep!

Resting in the Swing

Ellie loves to be in her swing, which is a good thing since she spends a decent amount of time there each day! As the second child with an older sibling that is only 19 months old, she doesn't get nearly as much time being held as her brother did when he was a baby. We try to make up for that in the evenings after Graham goes to bed. She's a very content baby so far, so she doesn't seem to mind!

Both of these pictures were taken the same day we arrived home from the hospital.

Extra Cuddles

Graham has been adjusting well to having a new little sister. At first he didn't pay much attention to her, which was probably a blessing as he came down with a nasty sinus infection. However, today he has really started to show some interest in her. He likes to pat her head, point out her ears, hair, fingers, etc. He even likes to give her kisses on her head. I asked him what his sister's name was and he responded by saying "Bay-bee", too cute! Here Graham is getting some extra cuddles from his Mommy whom he missed while she was in the hospital.

Graham is also enjoying having Daddy home. He hasn't had this much time to spend with his Daddy in a long time! They've ran several errands and are even planning a boys trip to the zoo tomorrow. They're going to have a lot of fun!!

Going Home

Both Ellie & myself were released from the hospital on Thursday, May 5th. We were very pleased with this since Graham had to stay an extra day due to jaundice when he was born. Ellie has a slight case of jaundice, but nothing that needed to be treated. She was given a perfect bill of health, once we repeated the hearing test! Daddy wanted to get her dressed into her first outfit, so here are a few pictures of her getting ready to leave the hospital. She looks awfully cute dressed in pink!

We made it home after stopping to pick up big brother Graham. Ellie cried for the first part of the trip, however quickly fell asleep and slept the rest of the way home.

More of Ellie

First family picture with Ellie.

Graham giving Ellie a kiss!

Checking out little sister. He had to see her toes and fingers!

Being held by Grandpa Lowery.

Being held by Grandma Lowery. Eleanor is named after her Great Grandma Massie, Grandma Lowery's mother.

Eleanor Kate

Eleanor "Ellie" Kate Armstrong has arrived. She made her entrance at 9:05pm on May 3, 2011. She weighed in at 7lbs 2.9oz and is 20 inches long. She has a small amount of dark blonde hair and is absolutely adorable. She is doing quite well, learning how to nurse and is still somewhat sleepy. We're looking forward to going home today and starting life as a family of 4! We praise the Lord for His protection over Ellie during my pregnancy and the delivery!