Getting Ready for Christmas

One of our Christmas traditions has been having our nephew Caleb over to help decorate the tree and house. This started back in 2001 when it was just Caleb and myself. Caleb has graciously made room for Mark, and now Ellie as well. We got the house all ready on Saturday evening, enjoying pizza, dorito's, pop and a couple rounds of Mario Kart on the Wii.

Thanks to Ellie's cousin Emmarae, who was born at a similar time of year, Ellie has an extremely adorable Christmas-themed wardrobe. Mark, Ellie and I read the Christmas story in church on Sunday, and she was decked out in her "Mrs. Claus" outfit - I don't think anyone in the service was listening to me, nor do I think they even knew Mark was holding Ellie. She was very, very cute.

We are looking forward to spending our first Christmas as a family, with our extended family and Grandma Ratzlaff who is coming to spend it with us.

More pictures

September 21










December 2

Baby Dedication

With the support of our family and church family, we dedicated Ellie to the Lord on Sunday, November 16th. It was a very special event for Mark and I, made more so by the presence of our family members that were able to come.

We were given a beautiful dress by one of the ladies at church that Ellie wore that day. This dress had been used for her children, and we were honoured to have it given to us. I had been looking for a little dress for Ellie to wear to her dedication, but since she is still rather small it wasn't easy, so having one given to us was a real blessing.

Church Baby Shower

On Saturday, November 15th, Ellie and I went to our 3rd baby shower - this one put on by the church ladies. It was a brunch shower and the food was so very yummy! My Mom was able to come to the shower and brought Ellie and I corsage's to wear.

We were blessed with many wonderful gifts - lots of books, some new outfits, two little bathing suits, and our next car seat! I was able to visit with most of the ladies that had come, and Ellie was shared and passed around the room, sleeping for most of the time.

It was a wonderful morning spent with great friends.

Nov 18th chats with Ellie

Watch me Grow! (part 2)

Oct 10 - 1 month old




Nov 10 - 2 months old

Watch me Grow!

birth - approx 4 lbs 3 oz; 17" long











1 month - approx 5 lbs 8 oz; 19" long












2 months - approx 7lbs 6 oz; 21" long

Nov 10 - 2 months old

Watching Ellie grow has been a lot of fun. At two months, she is now the size of an average newborn - 7 lbs 9 oz and 21" long.

She has started smiling in the last two weeks, and will "talk" to you if you talk to her. Mark was rewarded with a spontaneous smile by Ellie when he picked her up one day this weekend. She is such a joy for us.

Ellie's Hip - update

On Thursday, October 30, Ellie and I made one of our regular trips to the Children's Hospital for a check-up on her hip. Our doctor said that her hip has done really well and he's given us the month off from visiting him (we've been going every 2 weeks). He also said that if we have a solid month of healing, she will be done her treatment in December!!

We are very thankful for the faithful prayers and support from everyone that is standing around us, and we ask for continued prayers as we go through this next month, that Ellie's body will continue to respond to the work this harness is doing for her hip.

Ellie and I will go back in December for another ultrasound and follow-up visit - we will keep you posted!

Our Little Pumpkin

Since Ellie was so small, we came up with the idea to try and find a pair of Yoda ears for her to wear on Halloween. We didn't think that we would be able to find a costume small enough for her, but figured we'd probably luck out on a little hat of Yoda ears. Not so much!! There was no "Star Wars" accessories out this year - at least where I looked, so the hope of finding a set of Yoda ears was quickly fading. Mark started drawing out how we could make our own, when I stumbled across the PERFECT outfit - a little pumpkin sleeper. I found it on the preemie rack at Sears, it was a 7lb sized sleeper and fit Ellie great (a little big).

Ellie went trick-or-treating to Grandma and Grandpa's and hung out with all her cousins and aunties who loved her fuzzy orange outfit. After supper, Mark and I walked down the block to our friends house (who has looked after Ellie a few times for us) for a spontaneous evening visit. Mark and I handed out candy while Karen and Pat played with and held Ellie.

Prenatal Reunion

This week was a fun week for us. Ellie and I had our 6 week check-up, our first interactive (and repeated) smile, a trip to Grandma's, a Hitmen hockey game, and our Prenatal Class Reunion!

Our Prenatal Class Reunion was a blast. There were 8 couples in the class and everyone knew what they were having except us - everyone was having a girl. We had been getting huge boy "vibes" during our pregnancy, and our instructor, Gloria, was sure we were also having a boy by the way I was carrying the baby. I figured she knew what she was talking about as she'd been nursing for 30 years, so it was fun telling everyone that we had a girl. Only 6 families were able to make it to the reunion class, but it was a lot of fun playing with all the girls and seeing how cute they are.

The oldest baby was born on July 5, and Ellie was the youngest, born on September 10. The next youngest baby was 3 weeks older than Ellie, and I was just in awe to see the developmental differences that a mere 3 weeks will make.

Oct 10 - 1 month old

At our doctor's appointment this week, Ellie weighed 5 lbs 7 oz and was about 19.5 inches long! She had dropped to about 4lbs 2oz in the hospital, so her weight gain is something we get very excited about. We knew she's grown in length, as we've had to lengthen her harness, but we had no idea that she's grown two-and-a-half inches!! I look at her and think she's gotten so big, and then laugh at myself and think she's still not the size most babies are at birth.

Ellie has started interacting with us and her mobile, though at this point it's still mostly her mobile - she mainly looks at us with a "what are you doing?" type look on her face. She's an awesome baby.

Watch me Grow!

September 14, 2008
4 days old
about 4 lbs 3 oz
17 inches long
(still in the hospital)








October 11, 2008
1 month old
about 5 lbs 8 oz
19.5 inches long
(at home, protesting her bath)

Ellie's Hip - update

On Monday, October 6, Ellie and I made a trip to the Children's Hospital to have an ultrasound on her hip. My Mom was able to come with us as this was Mark's first day back at work, so that was really great. Ellie was very calm and relaxed during the entire ultrasound, but it was a real blessing to have an extra pair of hands.

The following day, Mark was able to come with us for our results appointment with Dr. Harder, our Orthopedic specialist. He said that the ultrasound showed that the cup of her hip joint had stabilized so her hip was no longer in danger of dislocating and she could go into a less-intense brace (as opposed to her harness) until the joint strengthens and solidifies. Praise the Lord!

Well, our little angel was too little for the pelvic brace - a brace that will go on outside her clothes - so she is still in her harness. The good news is that we are now able to take off her harness and bathe her normally (as opposed to sponge baths), without fear of injuring her hip at all.

We head back in 2 weeks for a status check on her harness and hip - originally, Dr. Harder had said it would take 3-6 months for Ellie to grow out of this, and he hasn't changed the time-line which is great it's not longer.

We are very thankful for the prayers and encouragement our friends and family have provided over these initial weeks and as we continue along this journey to complete healing.

Ellie's Hip

At her birth, the pediatrician discovered that Ellie had a displaced right hip. We had an Orthopedic Specialist from the Children's Hospital visit us while Ellie was still in the NICU - he said that it would be a 3-6 month process and that she would grow out of it. What he explained was that the socket that the hip sits in did not grow properly in the womb, so she needed to be placed in a harness to allow the hips to sit at the proper angle so this growth could take place.

During our first week at home, we had an appointment at the Children's and Ellie was dressed in her harness. We were told this harness would be on for a month, we would go back for weekly check-ups during this month, and at the end of the month her progress would be evaluated and the next step would be implemented. It was difficult to watch her go into this harness, but it doesn't phase her one bit.

Our Week #1 visit revealed that Ellie's hip had stabilized and the doctor couldn't pop it out - great news! He also said we did not need to go back until her ultrasound, which was great - we had a free week with no doctor's appointments!!

Ellie's ultrasound is on Monday (the 6th), so we will have a better idea of how her hip is progressing. We have lots of people praying for us and family and church friends have been great supporters to Mark and I through this.

I had to make a trip up to the Children's yesterday to see our nurse - Ellie has been growing so her harness had to be lengthened - very exciting to see!! At 3 weeks of age, she is now 5 lbs and 2 oz and has graduated from Preemie-sized diapers into Newborn-sized diapers - it's great to see her growing and plumping up.

September 19 - 9 days old

Our first week at home

Today is our 1 week anniversary of bringing baby home! Due to Ellie's low birth weight, she spent 4 nights in the NICU ward at Foothills Hospital, and then one night with me in my post-partum ward before we were allowed to take her home. Mark was able to spend the last night with us in the hospital as a "care by parent" night, which was really terrific.

Ellie was born by emergency c-section after about 7 hours of labour, and as a result of her low-birth weight, needed to be in the NICU mainly for observation. She was hooked up to external monitors (thankfully no internal tubes) and her vitals were watched. We were blessed with an amazing nurse on Night #1 who brought Ellie to me to feed every 3 hours - nurses on both the post-partum and NICU wards said that had never happened before. I feel that this helped with both bonding for Ellie and I as well as the excellent start to breastfeeding that we have had. I am very thankful for this nurse.

Since Ellie was in a different ward than I was, I was blessed with the ability to truly sleep between feedings. Mark would wheel me down to the NICU every 3 hours to feed her, then back to post-partum to sleep - he'd then go and sit with Ellie and talk to her or just hold her. My day nurse on Day #2 was marveling at my mobility - I guess there were 3 c-sections on the 10th and I was doing the best of all of them. I think this is because when I was in my room I could just sleep - as hard as it was to not have Ellie with me, I can see the blessing of it in that I was healing a lot faster than anyone expected.

We were able to introduce Ellie to my parents, Wendy and Julie and Mark's Mom and her husband. It was very special for me to have my sisters come and meet my baby - something that I was priviledged to do for both of their first-born children. There's something truly magical about meeting a baby in the hospital I think.

We were able to come home as a family last Monday evening - a really special event as we didn't know if Ellie was going to have to stay at the NICU until she gained more weight. Since she's been home, she's been eating like a little piggy and has almost regained her birth weight.

The Lord has truly blessed us with this tiny addition into our family - Mark and I thought life was complete before her arrival and are amazed at how more full life has become.

Family Pictures

It's a Girl

Eleanor Patricia was born on Wednesday, September 10th, at 7:12 p.m. Weighing 4 lb, 11 oz, 17 inches from head to toe. Mother and baby are doing great.

Mr. Webster's definition of: WAIT[ing]

Main Entry: wait
Pronunciation: \wāt\
Function: verb
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French waiter, guaiter to watch over, await, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German wahta watch, Old English wæccan to watch
Date: 14th century

Transitive verb
1: to stay in place in expectation of
2: to delay serving
3: to serve as waiter for

Intransitive verb
1 a: to remain stationary in readiness or expectation
b: to pause for another to catch up —usually used with up

2 a: to look forward expectantly
b: to hold back expectantly

3 a: to serve at meals

4 a: to be ready and available
b: to remain temporarily neglected or unrealized

Our first Baby Shower!

When my office first brought up the subject of having a baby shower, I had hoped that we would be able to have it before the baby came. My co-workers set the date for September 4th, and we all kept our fingers crossed that the baby wouldn't come before that date. Since I was placed on modified bed rest last week, it was a little unknown if the shower would happen, but my doctor said I would be able to go so I was very thankful for that.

Wendy and Julie picked me up with Emmarae and Hadyn - a tight squeeze in Wendy's car, but no one seemed to mind. We arrived at my office just as the pizza lunch was getting delivered and we dug right in - it was great to see my friends and co-workers and visit with them (outings have been a real treat over the last week), and pizza is always a good meal.

I had a terrific time and it was a great experience to share with my sisters and nieces - Mom was on holiday or she would have been there too!

The Baby's Room

Well, we survived the hardwood flooring project and though we're still in the midst of reassembly, it's really a blessing to be able to eat at a table again, sit and relax on our couch, and not have to zig-zag between the china cabinet, grammo-phone and rock collection to get to our bed!

On Friday and Saturday we assembled the Baby's room - both had various moments of "it's really happening" during the set-up. Mine came when I assembled the mobile and it started playing it's cute little song, Mark's came once the crib was assembled and he "realized" there was a crib in his house! Our rocking chair arrived last week so it was able to be set up and taken for a test run - I think the Baby likes it as it seems to go to sleep every time I sit and rock in it.

Now all that's left is that we wait!

Finished Floors

These incredible before and after pictures say it all. The floors got refinished by Dad and Mark on the weekend and look amazing!

The Final Big Project - Hardwood Floors

It seemed like such a good idea when Mark suggested we re-finish the hardwood floors before the Baby came - actually, it took me a few weeks to get my head around the fact that it would be a good idea before little feet were running around. We set July 12th as the go/no-go date depending on how the other projects were coming along - as a result, the project became a GO.

I'm sitting in what I feel is the eye of the storm and what also feels like the eve of this major project, though it's not getting officially underway until Saturday morning, and am now thinking we're a teeny bit crazy. Last night I spent the most time I've spent in a Home Depot in my entire lifetime - over 2 hours - it seems that Mom and I have miles of trim to paint in the garage while Dad and Mark are doing the floors, and I wonder what life will look like in a week from now. Will we have survived? Will Dad and Mark be best bud's or need a bit of a break from each other? Will we be able to move our furniture back in next Thursday?

Mark's big fear is that as soon as the floors are sanded my water will break, sending him into a state that requires he leave the project unfinished. Mine big fear was that the rental of the planned belt-sander would require us having to replace floor joists and perhaps basement repairs too, should it have been held in one spot too long. Thankfully, we didn't get a belt sander but the "safer" option, and after today's doctor's visit, it doesn't appear that Baby De Witt is in a hurry to leave (which is good b/c it's way too early anyway).

Here's to the floors...

10 weeks to go....

With only ten weeks till Baby, we decided it was time to start working on the baby’s room. Our new window arrived and was installed on July 7 – an event I watched with a lot of fascination. The installer was done in about 2.5 hours and did it entirely on his own! (I thought there would be a crew).

We had all our paint ready to go, so the day after the window was installed, we started painting. Not having successfully found a tester-pot in the colours we wanted, I was quite nervous as we started rolling on the yellow – it was bright! Thankfully it dried “dull” and looks really good with the bedding held against it.

Since this is my first attempt at a blog, I will keep it short but hope to put more pictures up as the baby’s room progresses over the weekend.