My first real Mother's Day is tomorrow. I was talking to a friend of mine, and we agreed that when we think of Mother's Day we think of our own moms. For her it's been 6 years and she still forgets that it's a day for her as well. What a blessed gift motherhood is. The smile I get when I come home is worth more than every worry, heartache and tear.
Here are a couple of recent videos since I've been delinquent in the picture department. Our camera is still broken, but we're getting it fixed soon - never fear! Enjoy!
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Reflections on Turning 30
Well, unfortunately I must disappoint Brittney because I don't have any new pictures yet. I'm out of town, and our easy camera is currently out of commission. I do hope to put some more video up this weekend, though, so stay tuned.
Thought I'd blog a bit about the big 3-0. James and I just hit this milestone this last month. Several people have asked if it was hard. Here are my musings...
First of all, I've always thought one's 30s were a really great decade of life. I've always glorified this decade in my mind and looked forward to it. Our first decade on this earth is one of great molding and immature thought. We're busy learning simple things like how to walk, talk, and relate to others. Our second decade may very well be one of the most challenging as we struggle to free ourselves from the cocoon that is childhood. We learn to handle conflict and experiment with our independence.
Our third decade - that of our 20s - is fun but also holds many mistakes as we determine what adulthood really is. For me, this decade contained some "adult" milestones. Graduating college was the first. An exciting accomplishment to be sure, but even at the time it felt like a tiny scuffle towards adulthood itself. Second was marrying my best friend James. This was a bigger step, but still in many ways just felt like a really fun slumber party where playing house became a little more serious. Starting my career was next. As I've developed over the last 7 years I have unwittingly advanced on the road of being an adult.
Perhaps the pinnacle that would make anyone realize they were a true bona fide adult is the conception and birth of a child. Certainly once we bring another being into the world that will develop into an adult, we ourselves have reached this point. Maybe for some, but still not quite yet for me. Eliana has been such an easy child that she often seems like a blessed visitor in our home. Even after almost a year, it's almost impossible to imagine her talking to us and expressing her opinions verbally.
No, I think what has really made me feel like a real no-turning-back adult is turning 30. In my looking forward to this decade, I imagined the 30s to be the decade when I'd truly know myself. I'd be established both in my career and at home. I'd be at the enormously exciting point of starting a family with my best friend. These things have come true, and I'm grateful. Cetainly all credit goes to the hand of God in my life.
Will there be more mistakes? Most definitely. More tragedies? Likely. More disappointments? Possibly. More successes? I hope so. More kids? God willing...(twins, please!) More love? Without a doubt.
Will I tell people I'm 29 with practice? No way! I'm 30 and proud of it.
Thought I'd blog a bit about the big 3-0. James and I just hit this milestone this last month. Several people have asked if it was hard. Here are my musings...
First of all, I've always thought one's 30s were a really great decade of life. I've always glorified this decade in my mind and looked forward to it. Our first decade on this earth is one of great molding and immature thought. We're busy learning simple things like how to walk, talk, and relate to others. Our second decade may very well be one of the most challenging as we struggle to free ourselves from the cocoon that is childhood. We learn to handle conflict and experiment with our independence.
Our third decade - that of our 20s - is fun but also holds many mistakes as we determine what adulthood really is. For me, this decade contained some "adult" milestones. Graduating college was the first. An exciting accomplishment to be sure, but even at the time it felt like a tiny scuffle towards adulthood itself. Second was marrying my best friend James. This was a bigger step, but still in many ways just felt like a really fun slumber party where playing house became a little more serious. Starting my career was next. As I've developed over the last 7 years I have unwittingly advanced on the road of being an adult.
Perhaps the pinnacle that would make anyone realize they were a true bona fide adult is the conception and birth of a child. Certainly once we bring another being into the world that will develop into an adult, we ourselves have reached this point. Maybe for some, but still not quite yet for me. Eliana has been such an easy child that she often seems like a blessed visitor in our home. Even after almost a year, it's almost impossible to imagine her talking to us and expressing her opinions verbally.
No, I think what has really made me feel like a real no-turning-back adult is turning 30. In my looking forward to this decade, I imagined the 30s to be the decade when I'd truly know myself. I'd be established both in my career and at home. I'd be at the enormously exciting point of starting a family with my best friend. These things have come true, and I'm grateful. Cetainly all credit goes to the hand of God in my life.
Will there be more mistakes? Most definitely. More tragedies? Likely. More disappointments? Possibly. More successes? I hope so. More kids? God willing...(twins, please!) More love? Without a doubt.
Will I tell people I'm 29 with practice? No way! I'm 30 and proud of it.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Ellie's First Easter
Ellie has been....a handful today. She's starting to like to pick up her food herself. The green bean bowl was dumped out in short order. Soon after, she found Daddy's Dr. Pepper and promptly spilled that all over herself and the floor. She then had another nap and is now playing like an angel. What a sweet girl.
We went to Houston last week. Ellie and James drove down to hang in the hotel while I went to some training. Ellie did pretty good in the hotel room, but she's definitely gotten used to her crib in her own room, I think. We have a couple more trips this year, so hopefully she'll get unused to it easily too. A mom can hope, right?
She clapped for my mom yesterday - don't they know they're not supposed to do new stuff when we're not around? And of course, she has done no clapping for me today.
She did sign "more" twice to me today when I was feeding her. She's not consistent, but I think she's starting to get it. It's fun after all these months of signing.
Here are some fun pictures (Note: Some of the links below seem to be broken. I tried to correct them on my end, but it seems to be a website issue - sorry!):
Sure am having fun with my dinosaur toy!
Mama - you didn't want this trash to STAY in the trash can, did you?
Ravioli is yummy!
Playing with my friend Korben!
Sleepy baby cuddling with Mama.
We went to Houston last week. Ellie and James drove down to hang in the hotel while I went to some training. Ellie did pretty good in the hotel room, but she's definitely gotten used to her crib in her own room, I think. We have a couple more trips this year, so hopefully she'll get unused to it easily too. A mom can hope, right?
She clapped for my mom yesterday - don't they know they're not supposed to do new stuff when we're not around? And of course, she has done no clapping for me today.
She did sign "more" twice to me today when I was feeding her. She's not consistent, but I think she's starting to get it. It's fun after all these months of signing.
Here are some fun pictures (Note: Some of the links below seem to be broken. I tried to correct them on my end, but it seems to be a website issue - sorry!):
Sure am having fun with my dinosaur toy!
Mama - you didn't want this trash to STAY in the trash can, did you?
Ravioli is yummy!
Playing with my friend Korben!
Sleepy baby cuddling with Mama.
The bottle got me!
I can hold my bottle now!
I love Sesame Street!
My first train ride at the Easter Extravaganza at church.
Me with a beautiful hot air balloon!
My first Easter egg hunt.
I don't know what's in these, but they're fun to shake!
Like my Easter dress? My Aunt Co gave it to me - her daughter wore it years ago!
I got to meet my friend Emerson in Houston!
Sunday, April 8, 2007
Welcome to the Blog - and 10 Month Update
Hey, everyone! Welcome to our new cyberspace home.
You'll see I've moved over all of the older posts from the old site. This is mostly for me to have them all in one place, but it was sort of fun to go back through them to me so feel free if you're interested. I didn't pull in all the old photos, but I did move her 3 month montage over. It has all the best pictures anyway, so check it out if you'd like. It's in the 8/7/06 post.
Boy how they change... She's crawling, pulling up, cruising, holding her own bottle, doing some little baby dancing. She so fun these days! We're saying "No, no" and "Don't touch" a lot, though. There went our dreams of a perfect obedient child...
I plan to post more often and make this a real blog, so please check in and leave comments. Because I've heard some horror stories, and even seen some of them first hand, I've made it invitation only. Please feel free to tell anyone I may have missed to request access.
I've done a new montage covering the 3-9 month range. Check it out!
You'll see I've moved over all of the older posts from the old site. This is mostly for me to have them all in one place, but it was sort of fun to go back through them to me so feel free if you're interested. I didn't pull in all the old photos, but I did move her 3 month montage over. It has all the best pictures anyway, so check it out if you'd like. It's in the 8/7/06 post.
Boy how they change... She's crawling, pulling up, cruising, holding her own bottle, doing some little baby dancing. She so fun these days! We're saying "No, no" and "Don't touch" a lot, though. There went our dreams of a perfect obedient child...
I plan to post more often and make this a real blog, so please check in and leave comments. Because I've heard some horror stories, and even seen some of them first hand, I've made it invitation only. Please feel free to tell anyone I may have missed to request access.
I've done a new montage covering the 3-9 month range. Check it out!
Archive - From 2/26/07 - 9 Month Update
In just a few days Ellie will be 9 months old. She has given new meaning to the phrase “Wow, how fast time flies!” She is not really crawling per se. Instead she just rolls over and over. She crosses the living room and gets where she wants pretty fast now. I have set her down in the middle of the floor, run into the kitchen for a minute and come back to find her all the way across the room reaching for something that is currently out of her grasp. We are quickly discovering just how much child-proofing we’re going to have to do. She sits up great and plays both with us and on her own very well. She keeps herself content playing alone, sometimes for surprising lengths of time. Until she gets a brother or sister (NO, we’re not expecting again…yet) she’ll just have to be happy playing with us and with her toys. She started pulling herself up to her feet with the help of our fingers and stands and tries to walk with us a little bit now. She is not yet pulling herself up in her crib but it's only a matter of time.
She started eating solids a couple of months ago and Amy makes the vast majority of her food. Ellie is eating increasingly large amounts of solid foods, and is also getting coordinated enough to eat cheerios and “puffs” with two fingers/her whole hand cramming them in her mouth. They often get stuck either to her face, her bib, or her hands. Amy is still nursing, but we are realizing that there will come a time in the next few months when that will likely come to an end. Amy says she'll be sad when this happens. It’s a little bewildering to me. I think I’d be ready for my body to be MY BODY again after all this time. However, Amy has relished these months of doing that with and for our daughter, and I’m sure Ellie will miss it too. I’m so proud of Amy for working so hard at doing it so consistently, and with her work schedule, it has been a chore.
We put up her 6 month professional photos, so check them out. Please don't download them. We also just had a visit from PaPa, so enjoy the new photos there.
Ellie is a ham and is developing a flair for the dramatic. She talks and mumbles (as well as complains) with a variety of sounds. She is developing a cute personality. She is patient and happy about 95% of the time, which makes her a joy to be around. She still goes down for naps almost at the drop of a hat. We set her down in her crib, and generally speaking, she just rolls over and falls asleep, which makes our life very easy compared to some other parents of babies we know. She wakes up happy most of the time and talks to herself for amusement until we come and get her. She loves to smile and laugh, now showing off her two little bottom teeth. Ellie is so much fun and we are so blessed to have her. We hope you are all doing well. Talk to you soon.
She started eating solids a couple of months ago and Amy makes the vast majority of her food. Ellie is eating increasingly large amounts of solid foods, and is also getting coordinated enough to eat cheerios and “puffs” with two fingers/her whole hand cramming them in her mouth. They often get stuck either to her face, her bib, or her hands. Amy is still nursing, but we are realizing that there will come a time in the next few months when that will likely come to an end. Amy says she'll be sad when this happens. It’s a little bewildering to me. I think I’d be ready for my body to be MY BODY again after all this time. However, Amy has relished these months of doing that with and for our daughter, and I’m sure Ellie will miss it too. I’m so proud of Amy for working so hard at doing it so consistently, and with her work schedule, it has been a chore.
We put up her 6 month professional photos, so check them out. Please don't download them. We also just had a visit from PaPa, so enjoy the new photos there.
Ellie is a ham and is developing a flair for the dramatic. She talks and mumbles (as well as complains) with a variety of sounds. She is developing a cute personality. She is patient and happy about 95% of the time, which makes her a joy to be around. She still goes down for naps almost at the drop of a hat. We set her down in her crib, and generally speaking, she just rolls over and falls asleep, which makes our life very easy compared to some other parents of babies we know. She wakes up happy most of the time and talks to herself for amusement until we come and get her. She loves to smile and laugh, now showing off her two little bottom teeth. Ellie is so much fun and we are so blessed to have her. We hope you are all doing well. Talk to you soon.
Archive - From 1/3/07 - 7 Month Update
Wow - I can't believe how long it's been since I updated this. Sorry! Guess I'll blame the holidays.
Eliana has had a pretty good 2 months. The only hitch has been her first illness. I got sick before Thanksgiving, and it seems she got the same thing. She's been feeling bad off and on and is still hanging on to a cough. Most of the time, though, she's her normal happy self.
She continues to roll over like a champ. She's sitting up, but only for a few seconds to a minute at a time. She still topples, but she'll get there. She's so fun and interactive now. She plays with her toys and babbles so much more. She loves going on walks and swinging at the park. She's also started eating solid foods and is literally eating them up. So far, the only thing she doesn't like is green beans. :)
She's still sleeping through the night even with her sickness, which is so great. We've also dropped her late night feeding which is nice for Mama. Still no teeth, but something sharp has recently appeared on her bottom gum, so maybe soon.
We've had a wonderful two months with family. Ellie got to meet her Papaw over Thanksgiving which was great. Grandpa Fritz has successfully moved to Texas, so there will be more time with him now, too. It was a bittersweet Christmas without our Mama Jean and Mamaw....
James and I are doing well. I'm enjoying my work, and James is loving his counselling. Please continue to pray that his practice will continue to grow.
Enjoy the new pictures!
We pray for health and blessing in 2007 for all of you!
Eliana has had a pretty good 2 months. The only hitch has been her first illness. I got sick before Thanksgiving, and it seems she got the same thing. She's been feeling bad off and on and is still hanging on to a cough. Most of the time, though, she's her normal happy self.
She continues to roll over like a champ. She's sitting up, but only for a few seconds to a minute at a time. She still topples, but she'll get there. She's so fun and interactive now. She plays with her toys and babbles so much more. She loves going on walks and swinging at the park. She's also started eating solid foods and is literally eating them up. So far, the only thing she doesn't like is green beans. :)
She's still sleeping through the night even with her sickness, which is so great. We've also dropped her late night feeding which is nice for Mama. Still no teeth, but something sharp has recently appeared on her bottom gum, so maybe soon.
We've had a wonderful two months with family. Ellie got to meet her Papaw over Thanksgiving which was great. Grandpa Fritz has successfully moved to Texas, so there will be more time with him now, too. It was a bittersweet Christmas without our Mama Jean and Mamaw....
James and I are doing well. I'm enjoying my work, and James is loving his counselling. Please continue to pray that his practice will continue to grow.
Enjoy the new pictures!
We pray for health and blessing in 2007 for all of you!
Archive - From 11/13/06 - 5 Month Update
Hi, everyone,
All is going well. Our big news is that Ellie has consistently been sleeping through the night for the past couple of weeks. We're so happy!
She's still as happy and content as always. She's rolling all over the place and is just starting to sit up. So far she just makes it a few seconds before falling over, but she's getting close.
There's tons of drool but still no teeth. I imagine they'll just show up out of the blue one of these days.
We're headed on a driving trip to Denver for Thanksgiving. Ellie will meet her Papaw (great grandpa) for the first time. Cousin Georgie will be there, too, along with lots of others, so we're really excited. Keep us in your prayers that the trip goes well!
We hope you all have a very blessed Thanksgiving. We definitely have MUCH to be thankful for!
All is going well. Our big news is that Ellie has consistently been sleeping through the night for the past couple of weeks. We're so happy!
She's still as happy and content as always. She's rolling all over the place and is just starting to sit up. So far she just makes it a few seconds before falling over, but she's getting close.
There's tons of drool but still no teeth. I imagine they'll just show up out of the blue one of these days.
We're headed on a driving trip to Denver for Thanksgiving. Ellie will meet her Papaw (great grandpa) for the first time. Cousin Georgie will be there, too, along with lots of others, so we're really excited. Keep us in your prayers that the trip goes well!
We hope you all have a very blessed Thanksgiving. We definitely have MUCH to be thankful for!
Archive - From 10/17/06 - Farewell to Our Sweet Mama Jean
All,
Many of you have heard that James mom, Jean, went on to be with the Lord on October 6th. We are immensely saddened at her quick decline due to cancer. All of the kids flew up to New York week before last and we were all able to be at her side as she went. We prayed and sang over her as we told her it was ok to let go. We're grateful for that time, but she will of course be sorely missed. Thank you all for you thoughts and prayers for our family.
One positive that came out of the whole situation was that Ellie got to meet Jean's parents, Mamaw and Granddad along with some other relatives. Check out her 4 month album below. She was a great baby through all the stress and mostly just went with the flow. Her Mama was so grateful!
Ellie has been doing great. She's rolling over all over the place these days. She's also drooling a lot, but no sign of teeth just yet. Last night was the first night she went all the way through the night without eating (and just woke up once). I'm not holding my breath, but I'm hoping this starts to be a trend soon. She does great with Daddy while I work 3 days a week, and I love my time with her as well. She's a happy flexible baby, and we're loving (almost) every minute!
Many of you have heard that James mom, Jean, went on to be with the Lord on October 6th. We are immensely saddened at her quick decline due to cancer. All of the kids flew up to New York week before last and we were all able to be at her side as she went. We prayed and sang over her as we told her it was ok to let go. We're grateful for that time, but she will of course be sorely missed. Thank you all for you thoughts and prayers for our family.
One positive that came out of the whole situation was that Ellie got to meet Jean's parents, Mamaw and Granddad along with some other relatives. Check out her 4 month album below. She was a great baby through all the stress and mostly just went with the flow. Her Mama was so grateful!
Ellie has been doing great. She's rolling over all over the place these days. She's also drooling a lot, but no sign of teeth just yet. Last night was the first night she went all the way through the night without eating (and just woke up once). I'm not holding my breath, but I'm hoping this starts to be a trend soon. She does great with Daddy while I work 3 days a week, and I love my time with her as well. She's a happy flexible baby, and we're loving (almost) every minute!
Archive - From 9/4/06
Hi, everyone!
I can't believe it's been 3 months already.
I've returned to work! It wasn't as traumatic as I'd thought it would be. I've returned on a part time schedule. I work Wednesday through Friday and James cousels on Mondays and Tuesdays. As he builds his practice, we may explore other options, but for now we can both parent Ellie without daycare. We feel extremely blessed. I miss Ellie while I'm at work, but knowing she's with James makes it infinitely better.
Ellie is doing great. No major milestones to report just yet. She's considering rolling over, but hasn't done it yet. We're not in a hurry - she'll do it in her own time. Also still not sleeping through the night. Alas..... She's getting closer each week, though.
Her Aunt Becka was here this weekend and taught her how to blow raspberries with her lips. It's the cutest thing to watch her doing it. James and I look crazy doing it to her all the time trying to get her to practice more. Ahhh....the things parenting makes you do.
We got her three month photos done today. Considering how hard it is to make a baby smile on demand, she did pretty well. Here's the information if you want to view the pictures. Some of them need to be rotated to the right to be oriented correctly:
www.searsphotos.com
Create an account
Click to view new session
Session ID: 41337b105113247
Password: 2NMGPZN2C
As you'll see in the latest pictures, my dad bought a boat. We need to get a picture of the whole thing for you, but it's a 47' Chriscraft cruiser. We've loved spending time on it in the last few weeks. Between that and the pool (that she's enjoying a lot more) she's going to be quite the waterbaby!
I can't believe it's been 3 months already.
I've returned to work! It wasn't as traumatic as I'd thought it would be. I've returned on a part time schedule. I work Wednesday through Friday and James cousels on Mondays and Tuesdays. As he builds his practice, we may explore other options, but for now we can both parent Ellie without daycare. We feel extremely blessed. I miss Ellie while I'm at work, but knowing she's with James makes it infinitely better.
Ellie is doing great. No major milestones to report just yet. She's considering rolling over, but hasn't done it yet. We're not in a hurry - she'll do it in her own time. Also still not sleeping through the night. Alas..... She's getting closer each week, though.
Her Aunt Becka was here this weekend and taught her how to blow raspberries with her lips. It's the cutest thing to watch her doing it. James and I look crazy doing it to her all the time trying to get her to practice more. Ahhh....the things parenting makes you do.
We got her three month photos done today. Considering how hard it is to make a baby smile on demand, she did pretty well. Here's the information if you want to view the pictures. Some of them need to be rotated to the right to be oriented correctly:
www.searsphotos.com
Create an account
Click to view new session
Session ID: 41337b105113247
Password: 2NMGPZN2C
As you'll see in the latest pictures, my dad bought a boat. We need to get a picture of the whole thing for you, but it's a 47' Chriscraft cruiser. We've loved spending time on it in the last few weeks. Between that and the pool (that she's enjoying a lot more) she's going to be quite the waterbaby!
Archive - From 8/7/06 - Meeting Daddy's Family
Well, the last three weeks have been spent meeting James' side of the family. Mama Jean and Fritz (James' parents) have been staying with us for the last 3 weeks (minus a trip to Abilene in the middle) and are presently making their way back up to New York on a slow road trip with more family visits along the way.
Aunt Becka (James' little sister) arrived in Dallas on Saturday night. This was her first time to meet Ellie, so Ellie has finally met all of her aunts and uncles now. Becka got two short days with us before heading back to Searcy, AR for school. She's not far away, though, so we hope to see her again soon.
We just returned from her second road trip. She went with us to Bryan, TX to visit Uncle Charles, Aunt Glenda and Aunt Betty. Glenda and Betty are Jean's aunts. We had a great time visiting and passing Ellie around.
She got her shots on 7/28. We were mean and videoed it. She did really great. There were tears (hers - not too many of mine) and some really cute sad faces, but she recovered quickly and slept most of the day. She continues to grow like a weed. She's in the 90-95th percentile for weight, height and of course head size!
She's just started little laughs in the last day or two. We're excited for her to start doing it more and get it on video.
She tried her Exersaucer today for the first time. Here's a little video of her in it for you. (Yes, she's a child prodigy at two months!)
Click here to watch "Ellie in her Exersaucer"
I've also been working on a video montage of Ellie. A friend of mine told me about the perfect song for it, so I hope you enjoy!
Aunt Becka (James' little sister) arrived in Dallas on Saturday night. This was her first time to meet Ellie, so Ellie has finally met all of her aunts and uncles now. Becka got two short days with us before heading back to Searcy, AR for school. She's not far away, though, so we hope to see her again soon.
We just returned from her second road trip. She went with us to Bryan, TX to visit Uncle Charles, Aunt Glenda and Aunt Betty. Glenda and Betty are Jean's aunts. We had a great time visiting and passing Ellie around.
She got her shots on 7/28. We were mean and videoed it. She did really great. There were tears (hers - not too many of mine) and some really cute sad faces, but she recovered quickly and slept most of the day. She continues to grow like a weed. She's in the 90-95th percentile for weight, height and of course head size!
She's just started little laughs in the last day or two. We're excited for her to start doing it more and get it on video.
She tried her Exersaucer today for the first time. Here's a little video of her in it for you. (Yes, she's a child prodigy at two months!)
Click here to watch "Ellie in her Exersaucer"
I've also been working on a video montage of Ellie. A friend of mine told me about the perfect song for it, so I hope you enjoy!
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