Baby Ella's First Photo Shoot

We wanted to get family pictures taken for Christmas, and capture this precious and fleeting time on film, so we dressed up and ventured out when Ella was two weeks old. I don't know what I was thinking, but somehow we pulled it off!

Our New Baby

Here she is, a day old! Little Ella joined our family on November 24th at 4:51 p.m. after a short three hour labor, born in the birthing pool at home with our wonderful midwife, Heather. Baby Ella weighed in at 8 lbs. 10 oz. and was 21 3/4 inches long. She has been a peaceful and content baby since day one and we are thrilled to welcome her into our family!

39 Weeks and Counting...

Here I am at 39 weeks, 1 day and counting... (this was taken on November 14th)

It's hard to believe that nine months could take so long and yet pass so quickly. Here I am, anxious for the first real contractions to come, yet not quite ready to part with the wonderful aspects of pregnancy.

This picture is taken a couple of days after my husband returned from working out of town for a week. It was my job to milk our cow twice a day while he was away, nine months pregnant and all. Let me tell you- I felt like a true pioneer and gained a new respect for them during that time!