Ellianna meets Santa!

 Our area Bass Pro store had free pictures with Santa so we took advantage of the free offer!  Elli did great, didn't cry but also didn't smile.  Unfortunately, we left our SD card out of our camera, so these images will have to do. I apologize for having to twist your neck, I can't get the pictures to be horizontal.

Christmas Cookies

What are 2 girls to do when a cold front comes through south TX?

 Bake Christmas cookies and listen to Christmas music of course!

Weekend Birthday Party

We had a surprise 30th birthday party for a friend this weekend.  Theme was poker and cocktail dress attire.  Perfect opportunity for family pictures!

 Elli wasn't too sure what to think of her parents kissing her...

Blanky

Because Ellianna has no interest in pacifiers and can't seem to find her thumb when she needs to soothe herself to sleep, I talked to Ryan about introducing a security blanket.  I was hoping she would begin to associate the blanket with sleep, safety, comfort, etc. which will hopefully also help with long car rides.  Elli loves the blanket!  However, this isn't quite how I intended for her to sleep with it... Gosh, she makes me nervous because she loves to have stuff against her face when she sleeps.

Afternoon stroll

Two happy girls enjoying their afternoon walk in the TX sun!

GO PACK GO!

We've got a little Packers fan in the house...

4-month photoshoot

Miss Ellianna,

We had to re-do your original 4 month pictures because you were moving so much that they were all blurry!  Here is our 2nd attempt and we got some good ones :)

There's that left leg kicking again...

Cracking yourself up :)

4 months...

My sweet Ellianna,

This past month has been so much fun as you are developing new skills and growing stronger every day.

A big change for our family this month was the quitting of your nanny.  You are being spoiled by both your daddy and I as you are now under our supervision full time.  While your daddy is at school during the week, you and I have our girl-time and go on walks, go shopping, and talk.  On the weekends, you and your daddy have your bonding time and you two go out for lunch, grocery shopping, and walks around the neighborhood.  One afternoon, you and I visited your daddy's class at school because they were learning about infant reflexes.  You were perfect for the students!

Developmentally speaking, you have discovered your voice.  You can be heard across the house making noises, happily yelling, or talking to us.  About 2 weeks ago, you started giggling!  Your laugh is such a beautiful sound but you are a stinker and we have had trouble recording your little laugh.  You love kicking your legs, especially when in your bouncer.  I am worried that someday you will tip yourself over because that left leg sure propels the bouncing.  Your face lights up with a big smile as soon as Mickey comes on t.v. when you watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  Other cartoons that interest you are The Cat in the Hat Knows About That and Curious George.  You alternate between your Bumbo chair, your bouncer, and the boppy pillow when you watch cartoons.  I try to read books to you but your attention span isn't too long for books yet.  When playing on your activity mat, you don't stay in one position for very long.  You very quickly kick your legs up, roll to your side, arch your back, and squirm in a circle.  You are also grabbing your knees and sometimes manage to hold your feet.  Your neck muscles are getting so much stronger as when you are carried, you no longer lay your head on our shoulder but rather are looking around to see where we are going.  Tummy time has made big gains this month with your head up to 90 degrees and tracking both directions.  You typically love bath time, splashing and kicking those legs until there is more water out of the tub than inside the tub.  You have transitioned completely to 3 month clothes and size 1 diapers but we are starting to look at the 6 month sleepers as you love to kick those legs and we don't want you to bust through the footies!  You are now taking 4 ounce bottles every 3-4 hours.

Shortly after your 3-month letter, you began sleeping 4-hour stretches again.  However, that only lasted about 1 week and lately we have been struggling with what they call the '4-month sleep regression.'  Some nights you will sleep 3 hour increments but most nights we are lucky for 2-hours.  Apparently at this age, you are just so much more aware of your environment and more mobile, that you wake yourself up at night by an odd position you got yourself into or you are just simply awake.  We have had several middle of the night tummy time sessions because you are wide awake.  When you awaken, you aren't necessarily looking for food, you are just awake.  One consistent sleep pattern this past month is your morning nap is about 90 minutes to 2 hours after you wake up in the morning and you will sleep for a good hour.  You also average 2 naps in the afternoon but those naps are between 30-60 minutes.  I think your naps have become more consistent because when you are awake, we are busy playing and talking and watching the things around you whereas when you were younger, you just weren't as aware of your environment.  We have moved your from your co-sleeper back to your pack n' play and I'm not sure your were ready for those changes but we are sticking with it for now.  We were hoping to have moved you up to your nursery already but with our Christmas vacation to visit family, we didn't want to go through the transition to your own room twice.  However, come January, you will be officially moved to your nursery.

I was waiting to post this letter because you had your official 4-month appointment today.  You now weigh 11 pounds 6 ounces! and length of 25 inches with head circumference of 15.75 inches.  Your weight and length remain in the 5th and 75th percentiles again this month. Your doctor also felt some scallops along your bottom gum and feels that teeth could be breaking through in the next month or two!  You showed off your smiles and coos to the pediatrician and also showed her how you roll and grab your feet.  We were given the green light to add rice cereal but we'll probably wait for a few weeks because we don't want you to simply feel full, we want to continue to push your calories.  The pediatrician said we no longer need to use the Human Milk Fortifier to increase your calories by 20% so that was very exciting news.  Your pediatrician commented how social you are, what good eye contact you make, and your happy demeanor.  She said that she feels it is more important to look at you as a whole rather than just your weight.  She feels that you will continue to grow appropriately and remain on the petite side.  You did real good with your 2-month vaccines however you were really upset with the 3 shots and one oral vaccine today.  I hadn't heard you scream and cry like that since they tried to start your IV in the hospital :(  Next appointment is for your 6-month vaccines.

You and I continue with our breastfeeding journey.  We have started going to a breastfeeding 'cafe' every week for advice from the lactation consultants and I have learned so much about what I did wrong those first 4 weeks from not pumping when I was away from you to not seeking help with your latch sooner.  You are our first born and I didn't know that your latch was hurting me and our milk supply.  I figured that because you are our first, that it is common for nipple pain and discomfort.  I can't believe how much I feel I've learned from this cafe, I look forward to implementing these tricks the next time around.  For now though, we continue with nursing with however much I'm able to provide for you and supplement with your cousin's breast milk.  One new thing I love these past 2 weeks is that sometimes while nursing, you will detach and just look at me with the biggest, happiest, gummy smile which melts my heart.  We've made it this far, we can make 2 more months!

Oh Miss Ellianna, we have had quite the time this past month.  Your personality continues to be easy going and happy.  But when you are upset about something, you sure let us know with those lungs of yours!  These past two months have been so much fun and full of changes and although I miss your newborn sweetness, I am so excited to watch you grow and develop.  We love you so much!

Ellianna's Visitors Part 3

 Uncle Jason came to visit Ellianna in October and timed his visit to help me at the airport when we flew home to the Midwest.  Poor Jason, was probably tired from his Tough Mudder race in Austin but we had our list of projects waiting for him :) We did give him some down time to spend with his second niece though! Uncle Jason does have the touch with both his nieces as he was able to consistently calm Elli when she was crying.  I think one of Jason's most memorable moments was realizing that he weighed more as a newborn than Elli weighed at 2 months! 

Some projects included dusting our high shelves, washing the windows, trimming some plants, ripping out our banana trees that haven't grown in 2 years.

Happy Thanksgiving

 

Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours...

Ellianna's Visitors Part 2

When Ellianna was 2 weeks old, Grandpa and Grandma Larson came to visit for 2 weeks!  Ryan and Tim were able to enjoy some golf and fishing.  Linda and Tim were able to go to South Padre Island for a nice dinner and sunset.  Tim helped Ryan finish the upstairs floors with some caulk around the edges and they ripped the carpet out of our master closet.  We are now completely carpet free :)  Linda was able to spend quality time bonding with Elli.  It's hard to remember all that we did for those 2 weeks but I'm certain that it centered around Miss Elli.





I wanted to make clay molds of Ellianna's handprints and footprint and we got that accomplished.  The molds are hanging in her nursery as a permanent keepsake of how little she was as a newborn.

 Ellianna went to her first party for our friend at 3 weeks old.  She slept most of the time we were there then woke up and cried on the way home :)














 Ellianna and Grandma Linda

Ellianna's Visitors Part 1

This is part of a series recording Ellianna's visitors and the fun she had with them visiting her in Texas.  These posts are long overdue, but better late than never!

I believe my dad was laughing at just how small Elli was.

Ellianna welcomed her first visitor when she was just 25 hours old.  Grandpa Bob flew down to meet her and get to know his second granddaughter.  He stayed for her first week.  Some highlights of that week included cuddle time on the couch, first lunch outing to PF Changs, and first shopping trip at Bass Pro.  I still remember my dad laughing as we left the hospital and Ryan and I tried to figure out how to put Ellianna in the car seat.  (I am still so surprised that the hospital didn't ask if we had a car seat, didn't check that the baby was secured properly in the car seat...they just wheeled us out!)  We didn't get much accomplished this first week...well, we as in Elli and I.  We spent that week learning this breastfeeding thing, learning how to care for the umbilical cord stump, how to change clothes on a newborn...basic bonding.  While Elli and I were bonding, Grandpa Bob ripped out the vinyl tile in our laundry room and 2 bathrooms to lay new ceramic tile.  I'm not sure how smart Ryan and I were to go from 3 bathrooms to 1 and no laundry room the first week home with our newborn, but we all survived!  In hindsight, had Ryan and I known how much time and work goes into laying tile, we wouldn't have done that project during our first week with Elli.  Thank you Dad for your hard work!  We love our new tile floors!

At Bass Pro: Ellianna 1 week old

Swimming with Mo and Tex in the evening.  This night we found a snake in the pool... :)

Final night in Texas...beautiful summer evening.

Sleep...

If only we slept so well at night...

So here's our struggle: Ellianna will sleep great for her naps in her swing but we really want to end this habit.  Her naps will average 1 hour in her swing.  Naps in her crib?  Average 10 minutes.  I know she needs her sleep so even though we don't want her napping in her swing, we end up giving in so she gets her sleep.  I guess if we are consistent for a few days of napping in her crib...she should learn, right?

This little one just can't get on a consistent schedule.  This past week has been bad for sleeping at night.  For a few nights she was wide awake for 3 hours in the middle of the night.  The past 2 nights, she went down at midnight.  Some nights she will sleep 4-6 hours while other nights she is waking every 2-3 hours.

Our goal is to definitely have her sleep figured out before Christmas.  It's probably going to take patience and persistence on our part but all babies eventually figure it out!  If only babies came with little instruction manuals! :)

A week of change...

This past week has brought with it many changes for us. 

Last Monday, our nanny was late so I texted her asking if she was okay.  She replied stating that she took another job, at a store, and she was sorry.  Ryan and I were so disappointed that she didn't give us any courtesy to tell us in advance, give us a day notice, or even to contact us Monday morning.  She said nothing Friday when working with Elli.  So, after spending Monday and Tuesday trying to find someone new who we would feel comfortable with, we decided that while Ryan is at school during the week, I will stay home with Elli which means I will work in the evenings and weekends while Ryan is home with Elli.  I'd be lying if I said I'm not excited for this opportunity.  I know this current set-up is just to get us through the next 5 weeks before we head north for Christmas but I loved spending everyday with her last week.  And, she was an angel while Ryan spent Friday with her. Come January, we will either find a permanent replacement or enroll Elli in daycare as she will be older and hopefully have a stronger immune system.

Updates for Elli: We have changed from newborn clothes to 3-month wardrobe!  I'm so excited with the new outfits she is now wearing.  Elli didn't have much selection of newborn clothes because so many friends had cautioned me from buying newborn size as babies don't stay in that size for long....So at 15 weeks, Elli's head circumference and length has officially exceeded newborn clothes. 


Developmentally, Elli made several gains last week.  She is now bringing hands to midline, reaching and grabbing her toys, has grabbed her feet a few times, continues to suck that right thumb, and she is now watching the dogs walk by her.  She is tolerating tummy time for longer periods of time and lifting her head 90 degrees now to watch her toys.  We are also trying to eliminate her napping in her swing during the day.  That was a bad habit we allowed and I'm hoping that by napping in her bed during the day, she will go down easier at night as she will associate her bed with sleep.  Bed time continues to be a struggle of will with her.  I can spend 2 hours rocking her, listening to her lullaby CD, but she won't fall asleep until she is ready.  We have tried moving her bath time up so she doesn't get over-tired but 10 p.m. is the earliest this little one gives in to sleep. I feel that she is often overtired by evening but she remains stubborn and continues to fight sleep.  I tried to let her cry herself to sleep for a nap but after 10 minutes, she was hot, sweaty, red, buggery and more awake then when I laid her down.  Neither Ryan nor I agree with the cry it out method especially since Elli puts herself to sleep while swinging in her swing.  We have a white noise machine which also projects pictures onto the ceiling but this little one lays there staring at the pictures for 20 minutes without getting sleepy.  We are welcoming suggestions from everyone as we are willing to try anything!

AND...I finally got my hair cut.  Those 11 inches will hopefully make some little girl happy through the Pantene Beautiful Lengths program.  It has been nearly 2 years since my last donation and it always feels like the right thing to do.  Now I just need to learn what to do with a shorter style!

Because it's Monday...

Hard not to look forward to the day when I've got this smiling face to look at :)

Can you find Elli?

Disclaimer: Yes, I know there is all kinds of wrong with this picture. Her crib should be empty and free from stuffed animals, pillows, blankets...but this was a supervised nap.  I was in the nursery with her reorganizing her clothes so she was monitored.  Actually, I was trying to figure out her cold weather clothes situation for Christmas :) This nap, her first one in her crib, lasted a whole 10 minutes! And she was able to soothe herself to sleep while sucking on that right thumb. Big day in our house!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween greetings from my favorite little banana :)

Fall Photoshoot

Start by cleaning out pumpkin

Assemble props and place baby inside pumpkin

 

Try to capture baby's attention while baby tastes pumpkin.

Attention is captured!

Enough is Enough!

Happy Fall from the Larson's!

 

Yes, we are THOSE parents!

Sitting, Bumbo-style

I'm getting to be such a big girl!

Afternoon Surprise!

There's a first time for everything!  I came home from work this afternoon and Elli's nanny was so excited to show me Elli napping.  Reportedly, Elli put herself to sleep while sucking on the pacifier!  So maybe I won't stop offering the pacifier yet...

3 months...

My little Ellianna,

Its so hard to believe that you have been in our lives for only three months because you have taught us so much!  You have completely turned our lives upside down.  You continue to challenge us and have thrown any ideas we had about raising a newborn out the window.  You have taught us more patience than I thought we had.  Your smiles light up a room and your coos make everything else seem insignificant.

You went on your first vacation this past month to meet your extended family in the Midwest.  You were a great little traveler.  Much to my relief, you either nursed or slept on the plane and the change in pressure with take off and landing didn't seem to bother you.  You enjoyed walking through the airports, looking at all the people and lights.  You also began to tolerate sitting in your car seat for longer periods of time with less fussiness.  Your Great Aunt Karen and Uncle Scott gave you a lullaby CD with your name in the songs and this is the first CD that I have found to calm you...not consistently of course, but this CD made for pleasant car rides that weekend.

Unfortunately, you developed another cold.  You have a forceful cough and nasal congestion.  You and I are taking steam showers together to help loosen your mucus and once again, you dread the bulb syringe.  However, we learned a lot from your first cold so we were more prepared this time and you are steadily improving.

Your personality this past month is once again a happy, easy going baby.  Your fussy times are when your diaper is wet yet you don't fuss with poopy diapers, when you are hungry, and when you are overtired.  You continue to bless us with some of the worst smelling gas, something you showed off while visiting family.  But, your gas seems to be decreasing as this past week wasn't very bad at all!  We have put away our exercise balls as you no longer required that intense bouncing motion for calming.

Your hair is beginning to thicken slightly and grow longer.  Everyone confirms that you do indeed have a reddish tint in your hair so it'll be interesting to see if that lasts.  Speaking of your hair, you have rubbed a tire track into the back side by your constant moving when in your swing or on your activity mat.  We need to increase tummy time!

You love sucking on your hands.  You have been seen shoving your whole fist in your mouth while smiling away.  You continue to refuse the pacifier and I'm not sure how much longer I am going to keep offering it to you, as it seems kinda pointless.   I have seen you roll from your back to your side and you have brought one of your hands up towards the bottle, often holding onto our fingers while you are feeding.  You have also developed a love of ceiling fans.  You are also now happy to watch t.v while in your bouncer or our laps and will focus on the colors for about 30 minutes before you are ready for a new activity.  I'm not proud of letting you watch t.v. at such a young age, but, sweet child, your lengthened attention span has allowed me to wash dishes and fold laundry while you are happy and independent.

Your salivary glands became active around 8 1/2 weeks and you are a little drool machine.  Bibs are your new fashion accessory!  Your bottle intake varies between 2-3 ounces every 2-3 hours.  You do okay with your daily vitamin, despite how it smells.  You remain in newborn clothes and diapers but size 1 diapers are also in the rotation and size 3 month sleepers for the length.  Diaper changes have become fun for you as you enjoy kicking your legs around and bringing your knees to your chest...all while strengthening your tummy muscles.  You are enjoying bath time and kicking your legs around in the water.  You enjoy shopping, but only because you like the vibrations when your car seat is in the big basket of the shopping cart.  You nap best on your tummy but I'm not comfortable with letting you sleep on your tummy at night. 

First dinner in high chair 10/20/12

You and I continue to plow ahead with breastfeeding.  We have become a much better team with the weekly clogged ducts and combining warm compresses with your suction, the blockage only lasts for 1 day now.  The bonding time while nursing is something that we both enjoy.  We were given an amazing gift from your cousin, hundreds of  bags of her frozen breast milk to help us.  This gift is allowing us to continue nursing while supplementing with breast milk rather than formula which means NO COLIC!  I think the best way we can thank them is to see your weight go up in the percentiles!

I should probably mention your growth stats here.  We visited your pediatrician yesterday for a follow-up to your cough and you have officially broken 9 pounds!  You weighed in at 9 lb 1 oz, length of 24 inches, and head circumference of 15.2 inches.  You remain in the 5th percentile for weight but the pediatrician no longer feels you are a 'failure to thrive' as your growth chart curve from birth is steady along the 5th percentile line.  Pediatrician feels you may just be a late bloomer.  Your length however is in the 75th percentile!  So you are indeed long and lean.

Bedtime continues to be challenging for us as you have your own ideas of when and where you will sleep.  We aren't comfortable with the cry it out method, so we're just going with the flow.  After repeated failed attempts to sleep in your bassinet, you wind up sleeping in your co-sleeper between us without stirring.  But each night is different and most nights, you will stay in your bassinet.  We have been doing your nightly bed time routine for the past month.  We start with your warm bath around 9, lotion and massage, put your PJs on, and either nurse or bottle feed while rocking to your lullaby CD.  Regardless of what time we start your routine, you don't fall asleep until 10:30 - 11 p.m. but then you fully wake for the day between 9-10 a.m.  You usually wake for a feeding and diaper change twice during those hours.  Before your recent cold, you were consistently sleeping 5-6 hours before waking.  If you would just stop fighting sleep, it would make bedtime and naps so much more enjoyable!  Naps remain hit or miss and you seem completely fine with that.  The other day you napped from 11:30-12 and 1-1:30 p.m. then didn't fall asleep for the night until 10:30 p.m.  You are anything but a typical baby!

Oh Miss Ellianna, you are loved by so many and I know you are loving us back.  It's hard to imagine what we did with our evenings before you arrived because that seems like distant memories. This past month has been lots of fun, watching you develop and explore.  I can't wait to see what you learn this next month!