Hanging Out

Check out that scratch under her eye.  This is what happens when I don't cut her nails in a long time, and she gets frustrated when I put her down.  

I added links to her animals, so she can hit and kick them.  She seems to enjoy hanging out in her play pen a lot better now.  

It Takes a Village

Eliana doesn't even know it yet, but she is so blessed.  She has so many people in her life that love her so much.  As parents, Fred and I are so grateful to have such awesome family and friends to help us raise our daughter.  I know there will be times when we lack as parents, but our friends and family can help to give E something that she really needs.  Thank you to all of our family, friends, and church family who will help to shape E into a beautiful girl and eventually woman on the inside and out.  

This is our friend Devin who is a huge fan of our little blessing.  I'm thankful that Devin and Leah are a part of her life.    I'm not sure why we don't have a picture with Leah, but we will take care of that pronto.  

Grandpa Schmitt is another man in Eliana's life who is wrapped around her finger.  This is definitely not a bad thing.  

Here Eliana is feeling the love on Christmas day from Grandma Schmitt, Aunt Carrie, me, and Grandma Smith.  There are lots of cool things to learn from these lovely ladies.  

Baby Steps

We've been trying some new things with Eliana because she needs to learn to sleep on her own.  So, we've been putting her in this napper/rocker thing that fits beside the bed.  Since she still gets up at night, it's easier to have her so close.  She has been doing okay with it.  Some nights are better than others.  We're also trying to get her to eat, stay awake, and then go to sleep for a nap.  Again, she is doing okay with it.  I think it's hard on both of us because I can't stand to here her cry so much.  It's so sad, but I know she will get it soon.  

Her 3 month outfits bulge in the belly, but they are long enough for her.  I can't believe how big she is getting.  

Daddy to the rescue: E was so tired one day after crying so much at night.  So, daddy cuddled her for awhile.  Notice how sound she is sleeping because she's being snuggled.  Also, notice how her pants are up past her belly button.  Some of her 3 month outfits are a little big.  

Such a Big Girl

We hung out upstairs on Sunday while Daddy was at church.  Check out those cute slippers compliments of Grandma Smith.  :)

I thought this outfit was so cute that it deserved a photo shoot.

Look who started smiling at us!  She used to just smile a little bit right when she would start to fall asleep.  It was so cute, but her eyes were closed.  The real thing is much cuter.

This is mid smile, but it's still really adorable.  We talked a while, and I read her a few books.  She seemed to like it pretty well.  :)

Wordless Wednesday

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.