2 Months

The other day as I sat in the waiting room at the dentist office, Martha Stewart was on. She was showing different ideas for taking and framing baby pictures. One idea that I really liked was one big frame with twelve pictures in it. It had one picture for each month of the baby's first year. Well, I decided to take pictures of Elisa each month. And here are the first two for comparison...

one month

two months

On Martha Stewart the baby was wearing the same one-year-old-size onesie in each picture. So you could really see a change in how big the baby was getting in each picture. I think that's a great idea... but I didn't do it. Kind of wish I had now. Anyway, you can still see a change in Elisa... she's looking more and more like an infant and less like a newborn!

Click here to see the Martha Stewart video including some other great ideas for kids' pictures.

Craftiness Accomplished!

Okay, so you know those things that you really want to do... but you're kind of intimidated by... so you start, but never finish? Well, today I finished one of those things. I'm so proud of myself.

You see, my mom is an excellent seamstress (she even made my wedding dress!). But she didn't pass that gene on to me. I guess I shouldn't blame it on genes; maybe I'm just lazy because I know that my mom can sew anything I need - so I don't have to!

Anyway, while she was here in December she sewed some curtains for Elisa's room. But it was up to me after she left to sew the valance to go with them. She walked me through the first steps over the phone. This last Friday I completed what she had told me to do and needed my next set of instructions in order to finish them up. But when I called, my dad informed me that my mom was gone for the weekend on a retreat (the nerve!). I was determined to finish... so I was left to my own devices to figure out how to do it. I probably didn't do it the "right" way... but I did it! And I love how they turned out. I feel like this has given me new confidence to try other sewing projects.

I love the fabric. It's very girly, but kind of funky too! The fabric designer is Jennifer Paganelli. Check out http://www.sisboom.com/girlfriendsfabric.htm to see more of her fun fabrics.

Bedtime with Dad

Last night Elisa was alert and happy after her 10pm feeding. So she came and hung out with us in our bed for a little while. She was super-smiley. But it's a good thing we have a digital camera, because sometimes it takes a few tries to capture those smiles!

Just for fun

Here's Elisa - alert and studying dad.

Elisa - the name

Elisa was dedicated at church this last Sunday. We went up front and they prayed for us etc. It was very cool and meaningful. But the pastor kept on pronouncing her name wrong. He kept on saying "Alyssa." Now, when we named her we knew that people would mispronounce and misspell her name. But we decided that we liked the name well enough that it was worth it. I hope that she feels the same way.

So for all of you who are wondering... It's pronounced "ehl - LEES - uh" Think of the names Elle and Lisa and you'll do just fine.

Her name means "My God is Bountiful" or "Consecrated to God." We love the meaning. We have dedicated her to our God... who has been bountiful to us beyond belief.

Here's a picture of us at her dedication:

Here she is in her cute little dedication dress:

Girls can do anything boys can do too

Okay, I was under the impression that only boy babies sprayed pee all over while having their diaper changed. Elisa proved me wrong.

Growing Up

Today Elisa is officially one month old. I hadn't noticed that she was growing up until a couple days ago. I was trying to put a little sleeper on her and I noticed that she didn't fit into it anymore! Then I put on her coming home from the hospital outfit (which had been huge on her before) and it fit! I couldn't believe it. How did she grow so fast... and why didn't I notice? Here are the pictures... compare for yourself.

Elisa Marie

Well, our baby was born on December 13th at 11:57pm. Everything went well with the labor and delivery. It truly was an amazing experience. I'll never forget my first glimpse of Elisa. She was hanging by her ankle, and I said, "Oh, I don't think I'm ready for this!" Then they put her on my stomach and all I could say was, "Oh, you're so beautiful." This is a picture of her when she's just a few minutes old. When the doctor first saw her crown he said she was, "bald as a cucumber." But, as you can see from the picture, she proved him wrong! Here are a few more pics.

Ready or not...

Well, today I am officially 9 days past my due date.

It wasn't bad at first, being overdue that is. But as the days have come and gone, and come and gone, and come and gone... well, you get the point... I have started to get a little impatient. It's a huge mind game. Every night I go to bed thinking, "Maybe I'll go into labor tonight." And then in the morning I think, "Maybe I'll go into labor today." But so far it hasn't happened.

The risks (and here we are talking about the risk of the death of the baby) greatly increase once you hit two weeks past your due date. So tomorrow morning we are going to go in and induce. I feel relieved and disappointed at the same time. This definitely was not my first choice for how the birth would be. But we prayed about it and I feel like this is what we are supposed to do. And the goal is not a certain kind of birth experience... the goal is a healthy baby and a healthy mom. So, here goes. :-)

A fall walk

I love the fall! I loved the fall in the Northwest and I love the fall here in NW Arkansas. The days are finally getting a little cooler.

I was reading that "leaf peepers" actually come to this area (the Ozarks) in the fall to see the spectacular colors! This year hasn't been quite as good as last year.... Still plenty beautiful though!

http://www.ozarkmtns.com/foliage/reports.asp