Ella

Finally, after such a long wait, there she is: another little girl. And what a surprise she has for us: dark hair and dark eyes! The longer we look at her, the less sure we are of the exact colour of her eyes. Is it brown, dark blue or even dark green?

Her birth was in many ways similar to Nora’s one. This time it took 12 hours (who says the second one is easier?!?) The baby was almost two weeks late and had to be induced.  We did so early in the morning in the small countryside hospital of Mt Barker.  After a couple of hours the contractions really took off, and Mikaela got her epidural. Then things slowed down again, and it was not until nightfall when showtime started. A couple of tough and stressful hours followed of hard labour and a stubborn baby that just would not come down.  Assisted by some of the best midwifes in the business, Mikaela pushed herself beyond all limits. She was the hero of the day. She finished it almost completely on her own, but just needed some help of a suction cap (Ventouse) to finish the job. The result is a beautiful and very ‘healthy’ girl. With a height of 51 cm and weight of no less than 4.4kg (!) it was no wonder that the birth was a true struggle. Big round of applause for Mummy!!!

Our girl is called Ella. Her full name is Ella Anita Aukje Bijlsma, named after Mikaela’s Swedish aunt Anita and Jan’s sister and Frisian beppe Aukje. Ella is the first Australian citizen in the family by birth, but her names will remind her of our roots in Europe. Right?

Mum and bubs are doing well. After a couple of days rest we hope to welcome them home on Mikaela’s birthday (16^th). Yes, October will be a true birthday month in this family. Hip Hip Hurray!!!