Our Family

Our Family

Friday, May 17, 2013

5 Weeks

Ellie is co-writing this one with me.  Her and I are sprawled out on our bed together.  I can't help staring at her, holding her, and telling her I love her.  Terms of endearment seem to naturally flow out when I talk to her.  So here are a few of this week's excitement:

She is growing! She is officially in size 1 diapers, which is the next size up from newborns. She is rapidly growing out of her newborn attire.  When we put her leggings on over her onsies her little belly will hang over. It's hard to think she is getting bigger! I was telling Rand this week that I can't vividly recall what she looked like as a newborn.  AH!

This week we transitioned her from the bassinet to the pack n play in our room. That was a hard moment for me too.

I cannot handle her cuteness when she makes her baby noises, giggles, and smiles.  She has started to react to my expressions or interactions with her and I am so excited for this to continue.

She is getting strong! LOVES to kick her feet.  It seems that whenever she is awake they are moving. And she can support her neck more and more each day. 

I started reading a few books to her... I like to think she enjoys it.

On mothers day she made me this cute card ;) Rand slaved in the kitchen making a turkey feast which we enjoyed with his parents and a good friend.

We did our first bath just mom and Ellie. She didn't drown, as I feared, so it was a success!


Thursday, May 9, 2013

Almost 4 Weeks

I Love spending time with my daughter.  I feel like I can just stare at her all day. Its hard to put her down, especially at night time when she is so cute and cuddly.  Don't get me wrong, sometimes it feels like I'm going crazy, especially if she has been more "expressive of her needs" that day, but its this weird thing; I'll call it love, yup, I really love her.

One thing that I have realized and had to confess is this desire to be the only one that can soothe her, comfort her, or that she needs.  This can play out when we're with family and friends and I don't like that its there.  I would love to find freedom here.   So I've been sharing that messiness with Jesus because I know that I can't fix the brokeness of my heart there. And he tells me to trust that even in my mess there I am okay, I AM enough, and I am loved by him there. Praise Jesus for that freedom!


On that note, Here are some of the latest things I love and have noticed about Eloise:


  1. When she is really hungry her eyes get really big and she does this panicky shaking back and forth of her mouth, I have a hard time not laughing at her. 
  2. Pacifiers.  She loves them.  I'm glad we have another way to soothe her.  I recently bought some more "stylish" ones for when we "go out"ha. We have one set out at almost every spot in the house, along with a burp blanket.  Those are two things I do not like to be without otherwise it can get CRA-CY up in here. 
  3. We had our first birthday party celebration.  Her and daddy got me a target gift card and subscription to the Grand Forks Herald so I can reengage in what is happening in the big world. 
  4. Walks.  We have been getting mobile. I may have mentioned this before, but I love pushing the stroller. It elevates my mom status.  We have taken to the greenway and Ellie seems to love them.   She pretty much sleeps the whole time despite the bumps and weather. 
  5. We had our first trip to Target. Intimidating at first because who actually knows how to fit a car seat into those carts? With the help of Rand we figured this out. Many more of those trips to come. 
  6. She really loves to stare at this spot on the wall when we are sitting in the glider.  Rand and I are confused and just laugh because there is literally nothing on the spot she stares at.  It is just white!
  7. She is making more noises.  Grunts, sighs, and noises that could possibly maybe be giggles!
  8. After a not so fun first bath experience, Rand and I figured out how to double team getting her clean.  She did manage to poop in the tub, though. Eh-- no solution for this yet. 
  9. She met Uncle Bryn for the first time on Wednesday and he was bearing gifts.  He had bought her a few very cute and fashionable outfits.

Thursday, May 2, 2013

Going on 3 weeks

Little Ellie is already growing! She has had a few appointments and has grown an inch and a half and gained a little more then a pound.  Her precious little newborn outfitts are getting a little bit snug.  Over the past few weeks she has enjoyed visits from our bible study group, trips to grandma and grandpa Seay's house, and a weekend visit from my parents and her Aunt Angie.  It has been a fun few weeks and despite the feeling of never being fully rested, when we look into her big blue eyes we just sort of melt.

A few memories from the past few weeks:

She enjoys sucking on her two middle fingers, when she can find them.  Whenever she does this, it is typically accompanied by an adorable sucking nose.

She loves to move and stretch out.  I call it the Ellie sprawl out. She seems to be a mover and shaker like her mom.  She likes to look around and when she fusses, typically the combo of bouncing with her and patting her back with put her to ease.


She appears fascinated by Rand. I like to think its because he is so "ridiculously good looking", but I think she just loves her daddy, not to mention his glasses and curls.  I love watching the two of them bond.

When we are nursing or I am holding her she really likes her arms to be loose.  Often this looks like her outside arm wrapping around my side/back and her inside arm stretched across my chest.  I like to pretend she's hugging me.  I'll take whatever affection I can get.

Initially her eyes would cross over when she tried to focus on things. She is able to focus on things now  and sometimes it seems that she will react to Rand and I.  We each have caught a few smiles from her when she isn't sleeping!

We have given her two baths so far.  First one, ehh not so bad.  Second one, lets just say she was cleaned, but at the expense of her first tears being shed and mom's heart nearly breaking.  We have a few pointers we are going to use for her next Saturday both.



Both Rand and I have racked up a few not so fun diaper changing experiences.  While we are glad to now that everything is working, she has some mean burps and toots, there have been multiple occasions where we have just changed her diaper and she has proceeded to poop, poop again, and pee.  I think her record is going through 4 diapers in one changed and managing to get her shirt, pants, blanket, and Rand's shirt a bit soiled. Gold star.

Overall, we just love our precious little nugget.  My heart feels quite full and I can never seem to get enough of our little daughter.  I couldn't think of a better way to spend my 23rd birthday then hanging out with our little girl. Eating sushi, taking a bath, hitting up the freebies, eating angel food cake and enjoying the best shopping trip with my AWESOME sister Angie are also a few highlights.

Alone time with just Rand and I seem more few then before, but it has been really neat to feel a new depth take over.  Moments we do have together seem far more rich and sacred.  What a good man he really is.  We are both continueing to dream about purchasing our first home and have taken a serious interest in the show Prison Break on Netflix. Ellie and I like to cheer him on when he plays MLB on Xbox.  He hit a few homeruns this week in the game and we were pretty pround ;)

I can't wait to continue to see how she grows up! We love you Ellie!

Pictures to come :)