Ella Joy Ballesteros

Ella Joy Ballesteros, was born on April 12, 2010. I went in for a scheduled amnio on Monday, one day before I was supposed to be induced (Tuesday), only to find out that I was leaking amniotic fluid. I went into labor at the hospital and Ella was born at 4:50 that afternoon. She weighed 8 lbs 5 oz. After all that scare with bed rest, and worrying she'd be too small, she weighed just one ounce shy of her bruiser brother at birth, and the both of them were exactly 10 days early. Everything went well, and the epidural continues to be my BFF. Things are busy, life is full, but our family feels complete and I am escatic to bid goodbye to pregnancy. My parents are helping us offset the busyness, and Greyson is loving having them around. The transition has been seamless, more than I could ever have asked for. Greyson has been affectionate and curious about his little sister. His adjustment to her manifests itself in more of an increased defiance toward us and a lack of listening, both of which I'm sure are normal. For now, I'm just glad he's not taking it out on her.











The second child is just a whole other experience. I see differences in the way Roque is this time round, and in myself as well. We're a lot more confident, a lot more relaxed, and in many ways, enjoying her so much more than we did Greyson during this period. Back then, there was too much to figure out, too steep of a learning curve...breastfeeding, growth spurts, sleep deprivation, the whys, the how-to's etc. This time, everything has been easier. Her cries don't get to us as much, and just knowing she's our last baby makes us treasure every minute with her that much more. So far, she has yet to steal the show from our boisterous and charismatic son. Visitors who come by, and Ah Ma and Gong Gong have still been giving him much more attention than her, and I'm glad things are this way. It is as it should be for now.

I'm already dreading when my parents leave. Their presence has been an immeasurable blessing. There's nothing like having your mom around, when you're busy being a mom yourself. They've developed their own routine and rhythm with Greyson and it's lovely to be able to hand him off to them. I had to blog about this funny incident that happened. My folks have a strong Singaporean accent and sometimes Greyson gets in arguments with them about how things are pronounced. The other day Roque overheard this exchange:

Gong Gong (singing): You say potato, I say pota(tah)to
Greyson: You say tomato, I say carrots!