Hanging out with Mommy and Daddy

A day in the life of a newborn (minus the crying and sleeping) ...

Eliana will sit in her bouncy seat for a few minutes before realizing that she is on her own.  On this day, I was sitting beside her trying to eat my lunch.  The key word here is trying.  :)

I know you're not surprised to see this.  It's so important to read to your kids.  It's never too early to start.  She usually starts to cry by the end of the story, but she will learn to love story time.  Guess How Much I Love You was the first book that I read to E when we were first home from the hospital.  I've noticed that she seems to really like pop up books.  

Eliana always loves her Daddy time.  I'm convinced that she gets bored with me throughout the day and just needs a little time with her Daddy.  Here they're chatting before bath time.  

Month 1 Take 2

So, these one month pictures are a little late, but I just discovered these handy stickers from Etsy.  You put them on your baby's onesie to document their growth each month.  We included this with our home photo shoot on Saturday.

We can't believe how big she's getting.  While she may not look big to you, we can definitely see a difference.  Everyone is totally right when they say your baby will grow up fast.  Eliana is already outgrowing her newborn outfits.  She's in a weird stage where the 0-3 months are a little big, but she is busting out of the newborns.  We've also noticed that she is having some awake times where she is content to chill a little bit instead of cry the whole time.  We're still waiting for the day when she'll sleep by herself for a few hours.  Snuggling is still her preferred way to sleep all day.  When she is in her bassinet crying, I have noticed that the hair dryer tends to calm her down.  We're contemplating a cd that plays the sound of the hair dryer over and over.  Who knows?  We may be on to something.

Go Bucks!

In honor of another Buckeye basketball win, I figured it was appropriate to post these cute pictures of Eliana. Surprisingly, this was my (Erin's) idea and not Fred's.  I think it turned out to be pretty adorable if you ask me, but I am a little biased.

Shhh...The Princess is Sleeping

She originally fell asleep on the big Boppy right after eating.  So, I thought leaving her in the same position on the small Boppy would work for longer than a few minutes.  I was wrong!  

She's definitely a sweetie!

This was Daddy's attempt at a quick break.  She started crying right after this picture was taken.  :)

Eliana definitely hates being put down any time of day.  She pretty much doesn't sleep unless she is being held.  Oh the joys of having a newborn!  Occasionally, we get brave and put her down while she's sleeping.  There are times that we do need to get ourselves something to eat or go to the bathroom.  Imagine that!  Here are a few pictures of her sleeping so soundly by herself for a total of maybe 5-10 minutes.  She very quickly realizes that no one is holding her, and she proceeds to lose it.  I'm having trouble with the "cry it out" method.  She got a double dose of stubborn, so she doesn't quit.  We're also wondering if she gets bad heartburn and reflux when she's put down.  Hopefully, this Zantac will start working soon.

1 Month

It's crazy how quickly things change in 1 month.  We are now somewhat getting into a routine with Eliana, and things are getting to a new normal.  She is such a blessing, and we marvel at all of her cute quirks each day.  Currently, she is starting to take some reflux medicine, and we're hoping it will help her to feel better. She has been spitting up more lately and showing some signs of discomfort with eating.  We're praying it helps and makes her feel more comfortable with laying in her bassinet by herself at night.  We can always hope, right?  Here are some recent pictures.

Look who is 1 month old!

This is her new friend, Brutus.  She wasn't too thrilled about her photo shoot with him.

This is Eliana's room.  A big thanks to Grandma Schmitt for the bedding and room decorations.  Also, a huge thanks to Fred and Devin for putting it all together.  

This was on her way to the 1 month check up.  She weighed in at 8 pounds and 3 ounces.  She also grew an inch taller (21 inches now).

2010 - We Won't Soon Forget You!

We hope that all of you have a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year's celebration!

Here's our first family picture!  Eliana is 2 weeks old.

     This year has been the craziest since we've been married.   In 2010 we made it through: a re-location (from Findlay, Ohio to Indianapolis, Indiana), a house sale (still trying to figure out how God did that one), and a new baby (Eliana). 

     From January through May, we lived apart commuting back and forth every week to spend a little time together.  We lived with a new friend, Pat, from June through October.  Finally, we moved into our new house in November.  If you're keeping score, we've had 4 addresses in this calendar year.

     Bringing Eliana into the world has been the greatest adventure that we've ever been apart of!  She is such a beautiful blessing and is growing by the day.  We're enjoying the transition into parenthood (all 2+ weeks of it).  Thankfully, we've had the help of Erin's mom, Peggy, to help us juggle the day-to-day tasks around the house and having a new baby.  She has been such a huge help to us!

     Working at The Church of Mt. Gilead has proven to be the right step for our ministry as a family to continue to help point children and families to a growing knowledge and relationship with Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. 

     Through all of this, we have found time to reflect on what God has been teaching us:

• Patience - God helps along our patience by giving us ample opportunities to show patience.  God models patience for us in that we waits for us to turn to Him.  
• Cord of 3 Strands - We are stronger when we lean on one another than when we try to take on life by ourself.  However, we are exponentially stronger when we lean into God together.  We trust that He hears our prayers.  He answers them in His way (which is higher than our way) and in His time (which is more perfect than our time).  
• Tomorrow doesn't have to be Yesterday - God doesn't waste anything.  Everyday is an opportunity to grow closer to God.  We seek to become better as Christ-followers, parents, spouses, leaders, friends as we step into 2011.

     "We know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.  And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us."  Romans 5:3-5

May God Bless you and your family, and may you turn toward Him today and find the true love and peace waiting for you there.

Merry Christmas!

Welcome Eliana!

Well after much anticipation (and pain) our girl, Eliana entered the world on December 7, 2010.  We could not be more proud of how she turned out.  It's going to be a wild ride as we try to figure out how to be parents.  In future posts, we'll make sure to note things that we are learning along the way (which will probably be common sense to seasoned parents).  All in all, we're just excited, and sleep deprived, but it is such a blessing to have Eliana in our lives.