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!