Ella Tapp Is Awesome!

What a crazy, fun, sleepless, busy month it has been...and I wouldn't trade a moment of it for anything. Avery is now one month old and growing like a weed.

In fact, it seems like there is a "growing" competition in my house these days. Both girls are getting so big. We celebrated Ella's 3rd birthday on June 15th. I can't believe my baby is 3!!!

I started writing this blog almost a year ago for a number of different reasons. I wanted to share our experiences with Ella's diagnosis and development. I also wanted to have a record of this time and something that I can share with Ella when she is older. I want to remember the important milestones, etc, but I also want to be able to look back at the blog and smile and remember the fun moments that we shared as a family. I have done a lot of reflecting on the last three years recently. The time has gone by so quickly. I keep telling both girls to slow down a little....I want to take a deep breath and enjoy every moment. As I think about the day Ella was born and the stressful times we dealt with, I am even more grateful for all that we have today.

I decided today's blog would be special for Ella...and every birthday blog to follow for both of my children. A love note of sorts for the two most important girls in my world!

Dear Ella,

You are 3 years old now. A big girl in every sense. You continue to amaze and inspire us every day. I love your new independence and determined personality (even if you are fighting me about hair and clothes and what to have for a snack!) You have had quite a year. You not only got up and walked for us, you soared! I think your new sentence (that is on repeat these days) "Ella Tapp is awesome" can truly define YOU and what you have accomplished. I am even prouder of how you have changed your father and me. We are much better people because of you. You taught us the true meaning of unconditional love. You made us fighters, advocates -- you gave us a reason to speak up and make sure you have the very best there is in every aspect of your life. Today you woke us up at 6am. You were ready to start our day. With a big smile and sparkling blue eyes you crawled into our bed. The next thing we know....you were jumping on the bed! It's this new daring side that excites me. If someone told me a year ago, that this would be the start to my day, I most definitely would have been skeptical. I have learned though, that there is nothing that you can't or won't do. I look forward to the next year and what I will be writing about. One thing I know for sure is, it will be AWESOME! I love you, Pnut!

On The Charts!

Ella is just a few days away from turning 3! It's hard to believe that she is growing up so fast. She really is a BIG girl now. Not only is she handling her big sister duties very well. She has gained a new level of independence now that I have my hands full with a new baby. She has also grown a lot taller and stronger. In fact, Ella is finally on the growth charts! At her recent three year old well visit we learned that our 27 lb 34 inch toddler is in the 16% for weight and the 2% for height. It may not seem like much, and yes she is still a Pnut, but she is growing and catching up. It's been a tremendous year for Ella.

Ella loves to ride her bike!

Ella took her first steps just about one year ago. I will never forget the day. It was June 14th (the night before her birthday). We had just gotten home from the pool and she was excited to see her balloon still floating in the living room. That balloon and a little bit of cheering from Jason and me was enough for her to take those first solo strides across the living room. I can honestly say it was one of the happiest days for us. I cried at the sight of her doing it all on her own. She had worked so hard for this. It was hours of time with Jen and Linda (our awesome PT's) that had finally paid off.

Today Ella is doing all the things a girl her age should be doing. She runs, jumps, climbs and pretty much finds every way possible to get into trouble. She has even shed some of her cautious ways as we have found her standing on her toy chest, jumping on the bed, and even climbing the tall slide at the playground.

As we get ready to celebrate another milestone with her birthday, I am excited to think about the future. I can't imagine what she will accomplish next. I know she has such a bright future and so many more exciting moments :-)



Caught climbing the toy chest!

In 'Da Club

One week ago today...at 9:44 pm the Tapp's officially became a family of four! Avery Jessica Tapp was born healthy and happy at Albany Med to the tune of 50 Cent's "In Da Club". She was almost as impatient as her sister and decided to surprise us with an early arrival. While it wasn't exactly how we thought our Friday night was going to be, we couldn't be happier. Our doctor was awesome and knew that we had been through a lot with Ella's delivery. She made every effort to make this time around calm and memorable.  We had music playing in the OR (hence the rap tune on the radio ;-) ), Jason was able to take some great pictures and their was a calm, happy mood all around.

When we heard that first, loud cry, a sense of relief filled both of us. Avery tipped the scales at 6lbs 7oz and was 20 inches tall. Not to be outdone by her big sister, she did have a few curve balls for us. After a quick trip to the NICU (because of some concern over some extra fluid in her lungs), she was back down in my room. The NICU was more of a precaution than anything and while it was really upsetting to hear that she was going up to the place where we had so many difficult memories from our time with Ella, I am relieved to know that she was getting great care. We left the hospital on Monday as a party of four. I can't even express the feeling of happiness that drive brought me. It is everything I have hoped and dreamed about for the past nine months.

Our first week at home has been pretty amazing. Avery is the perfect addition. She is a good baby...and certainly has her own feisty little personality! Ella is a fantastic big sister. She has made the transition better than we could have hoped. She loves to help with diapers and thinks it's hilarious to tickle her sister's toes. I can't believe how BIG my Pnut feels now. She has gone from my baby to my big girl over night.

Jason and I are doing great and learning how to be parents of TWO! We appreciate all of the kind comments, phone calls, text messages and well wishes we have received. It's an overwhelming feeling to have so much love both for our family and from our family and friends.

Celebrating Jess

How do you explain to an almost three year old what today is? How do you tell her that someone who loved her so much is not with us?

Today would have been Auntie Jessica's 29th birthday. It was a day filled with a lot of emotion...tears, memories. A day we have been thinking about since January 15th when Jessica became our angel. Jason and I have spent so much time talking about how important it is for us to share our memories of Jess with Ella and now Avery. We want them to grow up knowing how special their Aunt was...how much Jessica ADORED Ella and how excited she was for a new niece. It is not fair that she is not here today, not here this week to share the news of a new baby, not here to enjoy new memories with.

Jason and I wanted today to be more than just tears though, so we planned to celebrate Jess. Ella helped me make cupcakes.

We frosted them pink and yellow (Jess's favorite colors). Each girl got a rose and we wrote messages on balloons to send up to heaven.

It's a new tradition we plan to carry on every May 31st. As the girls grow, we hope to be able to share with them our memories of Jess and make them feel like she is always with us. Our girls have the best guardian angel their is. We promise to raise them with the kindness, feisty attitude, and love that Jess taught us all.

Happy Birthday Jessica. You are missed so much every day. We love you...always in our hearts!

What a difference....

The weather was beautiful this weekend and we had a few things we wanted to do....enjoy lots of time outside, and pack in lots of family time. The count down is on to baby, so we are soaking in every moment we can before things get a little crazy ;-)

We made an impromtu trip to Hoffman's Playland on Saturday. It's a small amusement park for little kids not far from our house. We have been once before -- last summer at the urging of Michelle (Ella's speech therapist). What a difference a year makes (less than a year actually!). Ella was SOOO excited to see the rides.

I literally had to hold on to her before
she busted down the gates to get on a ride!

She was so impatient just waiting in line for tickets and had to be the first on the rides. During our first trip last year, she was certainly happy, but pretty passive about everything. She smiled on the rides and seemed to enjoy it. I KNOW she enjoyed this trip.

Look Mom, I can fly!

As fast as one ride ended, it was on to the next one and she just kept asking us for "more, more". She drove her boat as fast as she could and bravely hopped on the plane ride....flying solo. The smile on her face is an image that means so much to Jason and me.

We are so lucky to have such a happy girl in our lives. Where she is today and the things she is doing are honestly something I always hoped for, but I must admit that in some of those low moments and days when everything seemed to be going wrong, I had doubts.

I remember right around this time last year, wondering, hoping, praying she would walk. Today she not only walks, she runs, climbs and jumps! She knows her colors and letters and animals and is starting to talk much clearer. It is truly amazing! She wants to badly to exert her independence and has sparked quite an attitude. I even said to Jason just yesterday (as Ella was emptying the water cooler for what seemed like the 20th time), remember asking for this trouble?!

Things are certainly going to get interesting as we welcome the new baby. We have already caught Ella "hanging out" in the bassinet in the baby's room and very curious about the crib coming back and the little diapers set up. I think after a little adjusting, she will do just fine. She is such an easy going kid and she loves to be a helper, which is exactly the role I see her taking on when the baby needs to eat or be changed. Two weeks (or less) and counting. June 6th will be here before we know it....can't wait!

The Traveling Tapp's

In just a few hours, we are packing up the car and hitting the road for Boston. It's a trip we make all the time. This trip is a little different though. It will be the last time we will drive down I-90 east before the baby is born!

 I remember the first trip back to Woburn we made with Ella.


Ella's first trip to Woburn...and her first meeting
with her Great Grandmother!

It's only a two and a half hour drive and we stay at my parent's house, so it shouldn't be a big deal, but I think it took me two days to pack and prepare for that trip. Ella was only a few weeks old and just getting out the door to run an errand was a major ordeal. It's funny how times have changed and we have it down to a science now. I am sure adding another little person to the mix will shake up the routine all over again (expect to see a return of the Tapp train wreck, Mom!)

This trip, while it's significant in that it's our last before we are a foursome...is also an important visit to Boston Children's hospital for Ella. We have a follow-up appointment with the genetic endocrinologist that we met in January. She would like to see Ella every four months and actually has lab work done every month (thankfully that can be done in Albany). Our experiences with Dr. Holm have been very good up to this point. She calls to check in every month and update me on the results of Ella's lab work. I am anxious for today's appointment because it's the first time Dr. Holm will see a healthy Ella. Our last visit was the day Ella was discharged from Children's after the pneumonia. She was still a very sick little girl and had lost a lot of weight. At the time, there were no changes made to her medications...and there still haven't been any. This has proven to be a good thing. In the last four months, Ella continues to make so much progress. She is a lot more coordinated. She has a great appetite. She has been able to fight off little colds and viruses much better and her speech has improved significantly. However, we are well aware that it's a delicate balancing act and we can expect to have some tweaks to her doses along the way.

It will no doubt be a stressful day (doctors visits like this always are...no matter how many times you do it), but it will be a day that I will remind myself constantly to enjoy. I have to appreciate how lucky we are...to have such a happy little girl, to be able to make the drive to world class hospital, and of course, to be lucky enough to be getting ready to welcome another lovely lady into our lives. Today's little moments become tomorrow's precious memories :-)

First Things First

Well I have been a very neglectful blogger in recent weeks...I could come up with million and one reason's why, but there is really no good excuse. I have certainly thought about writing. I have wanted to write. I have even had time to write, but for some reason I found a way not to. I am not sure what I am avoiding. Ella is doing really, really well. In fact, life is really good! Perhaps it's my subconscious mind really just wanting to keep the good chi that has been surrounding us recently.

Ella on the plane with Jason!

There is so much to share and a lot to smile about. We are about six weeks away from going from a family of three to a family of four. While that is exciting in itself, it's really just the icing on the cake. We have had the chance to enjoy so many "firsts" as a family recently....like Ella's first plane ride. It's a big moment for any kid, and Ella will always be able to share a special story when it comes to her first flight. We went to Tampa at the beginning of April for the Frozen Four. Union's awesome season concluded with a trip to the National tournament. This was such a huge moment for Jason's career and one that Ella and I did not want to miss. This was his first trip to the tournament and it happened in his first season as a full time assistant with Union! (I told you we had a lot of "firsts"!)

 Ella was such a great traveler. She wasn't phased at all by the plane and behaved so well throughout the entire trip. I was able to get time away from work....by agreeing to work while I was there. I sent back stories every day and even did live shots the day of the game.

Game day live shot!

It was so much fun to be able to cover such a great moment. We also even had some time to spend with our dear friends, The Taylor's who just happened to be in Tampa on spring break the same week. We snuck in some beach time and a few dinners. It was the perfect treat!

Ella and Samantha at the beach :-)

We've even had a moderate break from doctors and therapies and everything else. It has been a welcome break...and one that seems to have refreshed all of us. Between traveling, holidays, and school vacations, we have been off more than on with appointments, but it hasn't set us back which is a huge bonus for Ella. It's a great indication of how strong she is getting and how much she is catching up. Ella only has a few months left before she transitions into the preschool program. We are back on schedule now and ready to get the most out of her final summer in the EI program. Her paperwork and preliminary transition plan are set. Preschool here we come in September!

The recent weeks following the end of the hockey season have provided some wonderful family time. It is great to have Jason home more to soak up every minute we have before life becomes (blissfully) hectic with a new baby. Ella continues to surprise us every day with a new word or a new dance move. She is such a happy girl. I can't wait to see how she adjusts to being a big sister!