August 2009 
The last month of summer begins nice and relaxing, with nowhere to go, and only the threat of school starting. But on the 17th, Ella checked in to the hospital for a scheduled surgery--the creation of a bladder for her, using parts of her intestines and appendix. After surgery, there was a mix-up in the food order, and she began eating too early, causing an ileus (a condition in which the intestines go on "hold" and don't process anything). She was in the hospital for three weeks as a result. She came home on September 7.
Taking a nap after checking in. The hospital does a lot of stuffed animal gifts...
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Playing with mommy's Sasha baby.*
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Relaxing with Daddy. She has her IV set up, and needed a brace on the other arm so that she wouldn't pull it off.
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Back in the room, post-surgery. A very pale, sleepy Ella.
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Still pretty woozy a day or so later.
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You can see here that her tummy is quite distended. This is the result of the ileus. It was very painful for her.
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Things got worse before they got better. She lost over 10% of her body weight, and was getting hollow-eyed and dehydrated. My poor baby...
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Feeling a little better, reading Curious George.
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She kept wanting to read mommy's "magathneen" (magazine). We would often walk to the floor's lobby and read the magazines there at the kids' table.
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Auntie sent Ella some Cinderella-themed toys...Ella loved them, and played with them every day.*
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Ella got tired of me trying to photojournalize this experience, and got mad at me for taking pictures. With this kind of bed-head, who can blame her?*
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Playing with her "Cinderellas" as we call them.
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Mommy, leave me alone. I feel rotten.
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Feeling a bit better, and coloring on a card Grandma Lu sent (it was supposed to be colored on!).
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A change of pace...sitting in a chair in her room!
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