The Van Buskirk Tribune

Ella Jade is ONE YEAR!!!

It’s been three months, did you miss us? ;) So much has been going on, here is an update:

1.      Ella now weighs 17 pounds, 14.5 ounces. She is 28.1 inches tall. Three months ago, she was 16 pounds, 10 ounces and 27.25 inches tall. She is in the 5^th percentile for weight, and 11^th percentile for height. She’s a tiny little thing, but she is healthy! She LOVES eating, especially if it comes directly from a plate other than hers. We are also continuing to breast feed. She is like clock work, nursing every 3-4 hours, day and night! (Yes, this means she is not sleeping though the night, but I do not mind at all.)

2.   So much has happened with Ella over the past few months! Her five teeth have turned in to eight; four on top, four on bottom. She has just recently learned that she can bite into things with them, so even something as small as a Cheerio must be bit in half. Pretty much nothing can get past those front teeth without getting a CHOMP! Ella is still an attention grabber, and she LOVES it! “Stranger danger” is a thing of the past. The new fun thing is to smile at anyone who makes eye contact, and if you are too far away, scream loud enough for the people around the block to hear! She has also recently learned to point, so you know who exactly is not giving her the attention she demands. (There is no hiding!) Ella is not quite walking unassisted, yet. She is great at cruising along things, and she has a little push walker that gets her from place to place, but she just wont let go. She has before (she took her first unassisted step on November 19^th), so we know she can, but she just is not comfortable enough to knowingly let go. In the past few days, she has become comfortable enough to stand without holding on to things, so we know walking is just around the corner. Ella has a good handful of words, most of which only Dustin and I can decipher. She has the basic “Mama” and “Dada” down, and uses a combination of ma, da, na, nu, ba, and bu to make up a variety of “words.” Her favorite little saying is “what’s that.” It comes out as a whispered “saa” while pointing at whatever it is she is asking about. She is really good with voice pitch. She knows that turning pitch up is a question, and turning it down is “no no.” She loves to laugh, especially if someone is laughing with her and her most favorite things are music and dancing. She continues to be the light of our lives, and we can not remember what life was like before she was here.

3.   Since Ella has reached the big ONE, we decided to go ahead and try a little dairy. I called the nurse to ask what they best way of introducing it to her was, and it turns out that it was recommended to just give it directly to her, rather than me eat something and wait to see what happens. So, on Monday, December 8^th, Ella had her first dairy encounter. We gave her real macaroni and cheese. She loved it! Best of all, she showed no signs of intolerance or any other reaction to it. This does not mean that we are home free and can give her whatever, whenever, but it does mean that we can begin introducing her to the world of dairy. It will take a couple of months to be absolutely sure she no longer has reactions, but I am optimistic that dairy will be a part of her life.

A little update about the updates:

1.   Another update via email, similar to this one, will not be sent again until is 18 months old. I have not been doing a very good job keeping “The Van Buskirk Tribune” (http://www.thebabyjournal.com/blogs/TheVanBuskirkTribune/) up to date, but I do add lots of pictures! That will be the first place you will want to go when Ella finally starts walking. I will post a video as soon as we can get one!

And, an update on Ella’s mommy and daddy:

1.   Dustin’s job is going well. Though he works for the auto industry (his company provides websites for auto dealers), his job is pretty secure. At least we hope!

2.      My business (http://hyenacart.com/GreenEllaBean) is continuing to do well. I have strayed away from making cloth diapers and have been crocheting and sewing wool pants (wool works as a waterproof cover over the diapers). The supplies cost less, and I can charge more, but they take longer to make than diapers, so the money is about the same in the end. I left the congo I mentioned before. After learning more about the website, my business, and my customers, I felt that the congo was not moving me ahead, but holding me behind. At first, I was afraid that business would hit a brick wall, but it has remained steady, and I am happy with where I am at.

Well, that’s what is happening on our side of the fence! As always, there are a few photos attached. You can see tons more as well as a few videos at the blog space I mentioned above. We hope all is well with you and your family. Keep a look out for the next update in six months!

With lots of love,

Dustin, Stephanie, Ella, and Fubbs Van Buskirk

Welcome to everyone who is visiting for the first time!

Have fun looking around at what I have been working on for the past few months. If you click on Ella's weight, height, or number of teeth in the left column, you can see charts including where she is in relation to other children her age (percentile charts).

Remember, if you want to be added to the update list, you have to let me know via email.

Lots of love!
Steph 

She just gets better every day.

This video is from Aug 13th.

Yesterday (Aug 17th), she was crawling all over the place! She is *officially* mobile!

She can do it!