happy halloween!

2 months till Christmas

Holy. Cow. TWO months!

Every single year on December 26th, I say "next year, i'm going to christmas shop through out the year so i'm not freaking at the last minute finding gifts" and every single year i'm still searching high and low the last week before Christmas for at least a few gifts.

However, I've bought TWO gifts so far this year...both for Elaina. Of course. Sadly, she's the only person I'm excited about shopping for.

This is her Bounce-A-Bout. I'm so excited to see her in it! Heck, I may give in and give it to her before Christmas. Not like she's going to know the difference. haha. Her party pooper daddy probably won't let me though...we'll just have to do it while he's at work! :) I think she's going to LOVE this. She's already putting weight on her legs and 'standing up' in our lap, so I think by Christmas she'll be jumping and bouncing like crazy.

Other than babies, people are SO hard to buy for! I never know what to get people and when you ask them you get "Oh, nothing." as a reply. I'll admit I'm guilty of saying that...so I can't complain too much. But I'm not buying for myself...though that would be easier. :D

Hrm...off to Amazon I go to get ideas.

3 months tomorrow...wait, WHAT!?

How can this be? My baby is 1/4 of a year old!
NOOOOOO! :(
Time needs to sloooow down.

Well, since that's not going to happen I guess I'll just have to suck it up and accept the fact that my little girl won't stay that 7lb 9oz baby I feel in love with at first sight. Instead, she's now a head holding, fist sucking, toe watching, cooing and drooling machine. She's changed so much over the past month!

Now, for some Elaina updates:
*Her bedtime is usually between 7 and 8 and she sleeps through the night till anywhere between 6 and 8. Uh, THANK GOD. This is seriously an answered prayer. She's such a good sleeper and Mommy really appreciates that now that I'm back at work.

*She eats probably around 30 - 34 ozs each day. She's had some tummy/gas issues, but her pediatrician suggested giving her Mylanta and it really seems to be helping...and she loves the taste. ew.

*0-3 months clothes are beginning to fit a little snug (depends on the size), but 3-6 months are still a tad long. Oh well. Oh, and most shoes she has are STILL too big. Is it that her foot is super skinny or do they make baby shoes extra wide??

*All that hair she lost around 5wks old is growing back QUICKLY. It seems to be a little lighter than before, and much thicker, but it's so soft and just kinda fuzzs out everywhere. So cute.

Here are some pictures from the past month. 3 month "sticker onesie" shoot to follow ASAP!

ABC's of yours truly :)

A is for AGE - 25
B is for BED SIZE - queen
C is for CHORE YOU HATE - putting laundry away
D is for DOG'S NAME - he's my parents dog, but his name is Benji.
E is for ESSENTIAL "START YOUR DAY" ITEM - a nice hot shower
F is for FAVORITE COLOR(S) - pink or turquoise
G is for GOLD OR SILVER - Silver...or white gold
H is for HEIGHT - 5'7"ish
I is for INSTRUMENTS YOU PLAY - i played trumpet in HS
J is for JOB TITLE - operations manager
K is for KIDS - Elaina Rose :)
L is for LIVING ARRANGEMENTS - with the hubs and baby girl...bought our house in Oct '09
M is for MOTHER'S NAME - Sharon
N is for NICKNAMES - Poops, Granny (both from the lovely DH!), E,
O is for OVERNIGHT HOSPITAL STAYS OTHER THAN BIRTH - just our 1 night stay after having Elaina
P is for PET PEEVES - oh lord, the list is LONG.
Q is for QUOTE FROM A MOVIE - Go ahead! I ain't scared of no po po! call the po po, ho! call THE PO PO HO!!! ((loooove Madea!)
R is for RIGHT HANDED OR LEFT HANDED - Right
S is for SECRET CRUSH - Chris Daughtry...it's not a secret though!
T is for TIME YOU WAKE UP - around 6:30 usually.
U is for UNDERWEAR - not sure of the brand...whatever JCPenney has
V is for VEGETABLES YOU DISLIKE - onions, celery, peppers
W is for WORKOUT STYLE - um, not at all! that explains the extra 30lbs I'd LOVE to shed.
X is for X-RAYS YOU'VE HAD - stomach, knee, teeth
Y is for YESTERDAY'S BEST MOMENT - all the smiles from Elaina
Z is for ZOO FAVORITE - penguins

2 months.

Two months ago today we welcomed our beautiful baby girl into the world. :) I can't believe it's been that long. Being the total sap that I am, I started crying last night looking at her and realizing how much she's grown. I'm so proud of her...so in love with her...so happy to have her to call me 'Mommy'.

Elaina had her 2 month check-up this morning which included shots. Um, by the way...this mommy does NOT like seeing her baby girl get shots. :( It was horrible. I'll admit I cried. Anywho, she weighs 12lbs 12oz and is 23 1/2" long. 95th percentile for both. We asked the doctor about her little gagging episodes she has occasionally and he said it sounds like she has reflux. He suggested we set her in her carseat for 30-45 mins after feeding her to see if it helps. He also said that if she starts to cry everytime it happens that they'll start her on Zantac. Hopefully it doesn't get that bad. Other than that, he said she looks great!! :) Just what we wanted to hear.

By the way...she pooped on the doctor. hahahahaha! He was so nice about it though. Like he said "Any pediatrician who can't stand the smell or sight of poop should consider a new profession"

I'll post her 2 month pics ASAP. She's so tired from her shots that I'm not even going to attempt to torture her with a photoshoot. I even let her go without a hairbow today...I told her I was only making an exception b/c she was getting shots. :P

Here are a few pics taken of her since last update.

6 weeks...

6 weeks...I can't believe it. The day she was born I remember thinking "No going to the office for SIX weeks! It's going to feel like forever and I can't wait to spend it with Elaina!"...I was wrong. It flew by so fast...too fast. Now, I'm getting ready to head back to work on Tuesday. Needless to say, I'm NOT looking forward to it.

Elaina,
You're laying here beside me on your Boppy being a little "fuss pot" as I like to call it, squirming, whining and waving your arms...and I love it. I sometimes wonder how your Daddy and I ever lived in the house before it was filled with cries, baby farts, and adorable little coo's. It's hard for me to remember life before you. You have grown so much over the past 6 weeks, especially the last 2. Every single time I look at you, I swear you've changed. How is that possible? Your eyes just keep getting more and more blue, your legs keep getting longer, your belly keeps getting rounder, and your hair just keeps getting thinner. (boo!) You've brought so much happiness to so many people already...I can just imagine the next 6 weeks, 6 months, 6 years. Thank you for choosing me as your mommy...I'm so blessed to have you.

All my love...
Mommy

before heading to Mommy's 6wk check-up!

...counting your blessings

I get mad at myself sometimes because I feel like I go throughout life and don't appreciate all the good things that I've been blessed with...until I see, hear, or read something that smacks me in the face and says "BE GRATEFUL!"

A local family is going through a very tough time (understatement to say the least) that I honestly can't even imagine experiencing. Their son, who turns 18 tomorrow, is dying from cancer...they expect him to pass at any moment. God. I can't even begin to think about hearing the words "Your child has cancer". His mother keeps an online journal for him and I read a few entries this morning and eventually had to put my laptop away because I was crying so hard. This family is so strong and believing in God until the very end. I hate that I had to read her heartbreaking words to make me realize how much I have to be thankful for.

The past 5 1/2 weeks have been the best of my life. I couldn't even begin to thank God enough for sending this precious bundle into my world. But then I can't help but feel guilty for all the times I've cringed when she starts to cry, all the times I've been short with Kevin because I'm sleep deprived, or the times I've complained about having so many visitors. I can't promise I won't be hateful and I can't say I always enjoy 3a.m. feedings but I can say that I thank God for giving me someone who loves me more than anything and puts up with my moods and I thank him for a healthy baby girl who has the strength to wake-up at 3a.m. and cry for food. I vow now to take a moment every day and thank God for all my blessings...my family, my friends, my health, my job...all of it.