Ella Joy

I had no intention of having another baby, so soon.  Peter was nearing six months old, and he had not been a breeze, like his older sister.  He had been fussing and irritable and starting to become mobile.  He had weaned himself very quickly and I was feeling out of sorts and so tired.  But that should have been my first clue - I was so tired, because I was pregnant with Ella!  I will admit it - I cried when the test was positive.  I took a second and third test, just to be sure.  When I told David, he laughed - wiped my tears and grinned from ear to ear. (That is his usual response to that sort of news.)  By the time she was born, I had 3 children under 3 years old.  And really, it was as crazy as it sounds!  Luckily, for me, Schram babies sleep and eat like champs!
The thing is, with 3 small children, so close together - you just live life, at a different pace.  I have a really hard time remembering what I did during the day, with a 3 year old, a 1 year old and an infant.  A blur.  I do recall the feeling of immense satisfaction in a simple task like grocery shopping! With a toddler in the basket, another toddler in the child seat and an infant in her front carrier.  Every task took a bit longer, but I got it done!
Then Ella turned 6 months or so, and we started to glimpse her precocious personality! This picture sums it up, perfectly - this is at her 1st birthday.  She would get annoyed by something and flop back, and look away :)  it still cracks me up... and she STILL does that!

Ella is hilarious.

Ella loves to talk about her imaginary life... If you let her, she will talk for hours about her adventures.  When she was 3 she went to 'pink girl school', she had to take a purple train there everyday, and they sometimes took a boat to Africa.

 Ella is gorgeous.

 Ella is daring and brave and loves to out-do her big brother and big sister.  When it looked like Peter might learn to ride his 2-wheeler before her, she practiced all weekend, so she could be the first one to ride a 2-wheeler.

 Ella is a corker.  She is not afraid to fight back, no matter who you are or how much older you might be.  She definitely rules the siblings.

 Ella L O V E S to dance.  She takes it very seriously.  She gets the most determined and dramatic look on her face and then dances her heart out! They dance at her school on Fridays - this is the outfit she wears 'for dancing'.  I have tried to talk her out of it, but she is so serious about it.  "It's DANCE day, mom!"

 Ella is transparent with her emotions.  This is Ella at the Portland zoo, mad at me for taking her picture - which reminds me of her Great Great Grandma Martha.

 Ella is joyful.

Ella Joy turns five tomorrow.  FIVE. I have asked her several times if she'll consider going back to 3 for just this one year, so she won't get any older.  She rolls her eyes at me and says she's going to be 5 because you can't go back to 3.  I have a feeling Ella is going to do big things!  I ask her what she wants to be, in the future, but she nearly always tears-up at the idea of not living with her family. I'm sure that will change in a few years, but for now, it's nice to know, she can't imagine life without us.  I have assured her, she can live here as long as she wants.  Here's to FIVE, Ella, you will live it to the fullest, like you do every single day!