Fire and other excitements

We had a little scare last night! Kel had just come home from work and Ella was sleeping and I was knitting. All of a sudden it started smelling a lot like smoke. I first thought it was the crazy neighbor burning leaves again, but then someone yelled FIRE! We went out on the balcony and saw the smoke, but no fire. Turned out that it was on the other side of the house, on the opposite side of the highway. Dry trees and shrubbery had caught fire throwing flames into the air. The wind blew directly in our direction so my clever husband quickly got a hose going and started watering down the trees and the roof of our house. The cops were there in no time, but the fire department took their sweet time to get here. We had closed all windows and doors, so Ella could continue her cutie sleep, but we were ready to grab her and go if need be. Once the fire engines arrived, the fire was out in no time, but the smell remained... When Ella woke up and the wee hours for her night snack, she got to go for a stroller ride to make sure she got fresh air. She was fine of course, but she did not want to go back to sleep.

Other than that, we are looking forward to our next visitors, Grandpa and Grandma from Sweden! Yay! Three more weeks, barely before they get here!

We have our little routine down with Daddy time in the mornings and Mommy time in the afternoons and evenings. Mommy is slowly getting better, each day becomes a little easier than the one before, so we are headed in the right direction! Ella gets cuter and bigger by the day!

Ella's first trip to the clouds!

Third time's the charm! This time we rented a car that we knew for sure would make the ascent to the top of Haleakala! We cleared it with Ella's doctor and up up up and away we went! Turned out not to be the best day, it was a little cloudy, but gorgeous all the same! The Baby Björn carrier arrived just the night before so we could take Ella along for a little hike. She loved it! She fell asleep right away in other words.. We drove all the way to the top! It was a bit chilly, in the 50's up there and really windy! Mommy made sure Ella only went out and then straight back in to the cozy car! But she seemed not to mind.

The depression update is that there is nothing to report. I struggle with it, but it is manageable most of the time. Ella helps more than any medicine! Thanks again for all positive thoughts!

Post-post partum depression

After a few days of feeling much better, the anxiety crept up on me again. Not as bad as before, but enough to make me feel really low. Getting help is my new strategy, so I got a new prescription for anti anxiety medication. It really did work wonders and I hope I am going to stay functional now. Kelly's work have been so understanding, but now he really needs to go back. I feel confident enough at the moment, so let's hope for the best!
Today is Superdad's Birthday! Hooray for him! We love him dearly, what a guy! Best ever!
He got a nice Swedish massage this morning, new fancy underwear and a whole bunch of things from his Dad! We are ready to go to dinner soon at his favorite restaurant, so all in all, it should be a good day for him! Ella is happy and cuter every day! She loves dancing with her Dad! Hate to say it, but she is already a Daddy's girl... But mommy loves her dearly too!

Post partum depression

Turned out that it wasn't just baby blues, but an actual depression. It got progressively worse and I started getting panic attacks in the mornings. I called my doctor who gave me a prescription for a low dose anti-depressants. The day after it got so bad that I didn't know what to do. I called my doctor again and they recommended us to go to the ER. So we did. I felt so bad for feeling bad when I was supposed to be happier than ever. They admitted me and put me on a 48 hour hold. They did not give me anything for the anxiety and I was so tired by the time I finally got a bed, I almost passed out right away from pure emotional exhaustion. It wasn't quite Shady Acres, but not far from it. People in there were really crazy... I got some sleep though and next morning I got to see the good doctor. He doubled the dose of the anti-depressants and diagnosed me with post partum depression. After seeing the doctor I got to partake in Occupational Therapy. Arts and crafts in other words.. I made a bracelet, like a good patient. Then some meeting with the other loonies. 'One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest' anyone? Everyone was real nice, but it got a little annoying with the safety precautions, no strings, no personal belongings and so on. Kel and Ella came to visit me and I felt a lot better! I was really sad when they had to leave. I went to take a nap and when I woke up, the lady in the next bed was gone... Don't know where she went..
Next day meant that the 48 hours would be up! I was really eager to get out of there before I got really crazy! Kel and Ella came in time for the meeting with the doctor and the nurses and social workers and the whole shebang. Needless to say, I was stoked to leave! I was so proud of Kel for stepping up and becoming superDad just like that! Such a relief to know that we really do share the responsiblity! Instead of just going back home we decided to go for a drive. We drove up to Ulupalakua and the winery. It is so gorgeous up there, halfway up the volcano. We decided to keep driving after that and drove the backside of the volcano to Hana. Since I am now on medication I had to stop breastfeeding, which I am a little sad about of course. But with no feeding, my boobs felt like they would explode! Luckily they didn't, and we found a place where I could plug in my pump and relieve the pressure.. We had a stellar day and Ella made it to our fave waterfall where Daddy went for a swim. Ella was a happy camper all day! It was a wonderful day!
I am not completely back to normal yet, but well on my way. Thank you all for all the positive thoughts! I wanted to let you know that everything is alright, I suppose I had a lot of people worried.

Ella takes a bath!

As you may have heard, the baby blues hit me quite hard and I have been having a hard time adjusting to my new life as a mom. I had no idea that it could feel this way, but I am sure it will go away. The sooner the better!
Ella is a very good baby though! And today she got her first bath! She sleeps well and she doesn't really cry much either. We're getting to know each other and I'm learning to interpret what it is that she wants when she cries. Daddy is going back to work full time so mommy'd better figure this out soon!
Grandpa Mike and Heidi are here to visit and we are enjoying the island together! And here's a piccie of the new car, Leslie's Special!

Ella goes to the beach!

It's been a busy first days of Ella's life! We had to get the car registered, so Ella got to go to the DMV! Exciting beyond belief... Then Mommy had to drop off her paperwork for so she can get paid while on leave, so Ella got to go to the Marriott as well. She stayed in the car though, with Daddy. We also got to see my friend Ashlan who sold us her breast-pump, Ella snoozed through it all in her car seat. But today we walked down to Bingo's Beach so Daddy could paddle out for a few waves. Ella slept through this as well.. But she did in style in her Bumbleride stroller! Another milestone is that Daddy survived his first diaper change!
We've only just met her, but we already love her madly! She is truly the greatest work of art!