Our Princess is 3!!!

I know this sounds corny to say, but time really does fly by. I can't believe our little Ella turned THREE on the 21st! It seems like just a week ago that I surprised Mike by showing him the positive pregnancy test. A surprise that actually rendered him speechless for a good five minutes. MIKE and SPEECHLESS don't usually go hand in hand, but this was one of the few times he was and it is so much fun watching his mouth hang open in COMPLETE shock. Of course he was excited, but it took a good 24 hrs. for the initial shock period to wear off before excitement set in. We knew we wanted another baby, God's plan was just a little sooner than ours! His timing is most definitely perfect because I couldn't imagine my world without my sweet Isabella.

My pregnancy with Ella was HARD to say the least. At around 7 weeks pregnant I had a complication and I thought for sure I had lost the pregnancy. I called Mike at work (sobbing and scared) and he rushed home to take me in to the ER. Thankfully my parents were able to come watch Preston for us. The whole drive down to the ER I could hear the words FEAR NOT echoing in my mind, but of course I was terrified. When we arrived they wouldn't let Mike come back with me, so I spent 4 hrs. by myself in the room crying and praying. They finally let Mike come back with me when the Dr. arrived. She went to do the ultra sound and my greatest fear unfolded before me....there was no baby. For some reason she decided to try one more time and I threw out one last plea to my God...may YOUR will be done...and like a true miracle...there was our little peanut on the screen! Then in the center of the tiny peanut was a flicker...THE HEARTBEAT!!!! Even the Dr. was surprised to see the heartbeat so clearly at only 7 weeks along. Ella was our miracle!

Soon after, horrid morning sickness set in. Actually, I wish it had been only "morning" sickness. It was more like all day sickness. Some days I couldn't even get off the couch. Then my diabetes went crazy, blood pressure went crazy and my stomach always measured abnormally HUGE so they were always sending me for ultra sounds to make sure Ella was OK. Definitely not an easy pregnancy, but of course worth it for our sweet treasure!

When we found out we were having a girl, I knew I wanted to name her something special. A name that MEANT something. This little girl in my womb fought through so much, I knew she was going to be strong and I knew God's hand was on her. From the moment in the ER, I knew she was special and that God had a real purpose for her life. I wanted her name to reflect her strength and purpose. We searched with no such luck. We found names we liked, but didn't have the meaning I wanted. One day, Mike and I heard the name Ella and we just looked at each other and agreed we loved it. Of course I went straight home and looked up the meaning. It means "she" in Spanish and something about a fairy in Gaelic. Hmmmm. Not exactly the deep meaning I was hoping for. Then I started thinking of names that ended in "ella". Suddenly, the name Isabella popped into my mind. I looked it up....Isabella is ITALIAN for ELIZABETH. Then for the meaning.....CONSECRATED TO GOD. That was it. It was perfect. A salute to my Italian heritage, named after a great woman in the Bible and you can't get a better meaning than that. I knew at that very moment, in my womb was our sweet Isabella.

She was born March 21st at 3:15 in the afternoon. She was 9lbs 14 oz! Our Isabella definitely made an unforgettable entrance into this world! Today our Ella (settled on using 'ella' as her nickname) is every bit the strong little girl we knew she would be. She is always jumping off of things and loves to run. She can run pretty fast for a 3 yr. old! She is beautiful, funny and TOTALLY into fashion. She loves to put her outfits together and has a specific pair of shoes picked for each outfit. She loves to make Preston laugh and is an excellent big sister to Aaden. She can make Aaden laugh harder than any of us can. She is my baby girl, our exquisite princess, our sweet Isabella. HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEET GIRL!!!

Classic Ella "smile" at about 11 months


Learning to walk at 11 months


No hands!!


At her first Birthday party...first taste of cake....

....she loved it!


She was excited about new clothes even at one!


Her second Birthday....Aaden made his debut 2 months later!


Blowing out her candle...what a cute princess =)


Yep, excited about shoes! Total fashion diva from day one =)


For her 2nd Birthday celebration we went to the Aquarium...this picture just makes me laugh. Ella is always a ham for the camera


At her 3rd Bday party this past weekend. We just had a small party with our family. I guess she didn't like our singing..=)


With her best friend and cousin, Emma, on her 3rd Bday! We love our princess!!!