4th Of July

For the Fourth Of July we went to visit the 'Rents in North Carolina. Kevin and Jackie, my brother and his wife, were there also. Kevin's birthday is July 4th so it was a party weekend.

We played frisbee golf, went flying in a Cessna 172rg with dad, had filet mignons on the grill, homemade carrot cake, and almost burned down the neighborhood. Seriously, the very first firework (sounds weird in the singular) that was lit left a little burning ash that landed in the top of a pine tree. We thought it would go out, but instead it began to catch the tree on fire. Fortunately, with lightning quick assembly of two hoses, Dad was all over it and saved the entire Hickory metropolitan area from certain disaster. Whew!

The four of us drove up to the mountains during the weekend, so the first picture is me and Sabina on top of Grandfather Mountain.

The second picture is the birthday boy holding Eli in her Fourth Of July outfit (that Tita bought her) while she was singing the Star Spangled Banner.

Progress

These two pads are the same size so look at the difference in Eli's length in the two photos.

5 days (2/26/08)

















4 months (6/21/08)

Leyendo

Over at Tita's (Sabina's mom) house, there are some children's books in Spanish. Sabina and I both spent some time with Eli reading (leyendo) some Spanish to her.

She really seemed to enjoy the books so we've been reading to her more.

1st Father's Day

Grandpa, Grandma, and Daisy came to town for Father's Day. This was the first time Daisy and Eli met.

Eli got her first surfboard....um...for Father's Day.

This is what I got for Father's Day. It doesn't fit and it's not really my color, but I guess it's the thought that counts. It says "Daddy's girl." I got some other stuff too - just not one to boast about my new iPhone. Just kidding. I didn't get an iPhone, but Sabina did make me that amazing egg sandwich for breakfast!

Ah, the best Father's Day present ever.

Ok, Not So Much

The first night without the swaddle and pacifier went pretty well. The next two nights got progressively worse. Since we had some events and a roadtrip coming up (and didn't want anyone else to suffer while she cried), we decided to enter Eli into the bonus round with the swaddle and pacifier - Time Extended! Plus, she's not really to the point where she can soothe herself with her hand yet, although she's very close. She gets her hand in her mouth, but hasn't straightened her thumb just yet.

We're going to try again after July 4th weekend.

The Time Has Come Grasshopper

Eli finally destroyed the Miracle Blanket so it was time to start transitioning her out of it. Last night we swaddled her in it but left her arms out. That's right, she was free to do whatever she wanted with her arms all night!

Well, she cried for about 30 minutes and then slept all night. She's amazing!

I Know You're Wondering

I'm sure you stay up late at night wondering what Eliana's favorite toy is. Well, wonder no more.

It is this amazing ball that Uncle Kevin and Aunt Jackie gave her. She can easily grab it with either hand and try oh so hard to put it in her mouth.

One Dessert For Each Year

Sabina and I slipped away for an overnight trip at The Gaslight Inn to celebrate our third wedding anniversary. The Ivy Cottage was awesome and that's the chair we sat in to watch our wedding video and reminisce (I know, you're starting to tear up).

It was our first overnight trip since Eliana was born. But, we didn't have to worry because Tita (Sabina's mom) took care of Eli the whole time. Tita even sent us photos and sound recordings of Eli to our phone so we wouldn't miss her too much.

We went to Murphy's for dinner and had the Bonzo (3-layer cake - brownie, cheesecake, chocolate mousse) for dessert. We intentionally did not finish dinner because we were planning on having three desserts (the Bonzo at Murphie's, gelato at Paulo's, and ice cream at Ben and Jerry's).

When we got over to Paulo's for the gelato, we found out that they only take cash. Doh! Didn't have any on us. So, we made our way to Ben and Jerry's and finished the night with two desserts.

But, when we set a goal, we're persistent to achieve it. So, the next day we went to Figo Pasta for lunch and then walked next door to Paulo's (this time with cash in hand) for some gelato.

There ya go, one dessert for each year of marriage. Saweet!

1 Scale And 2 Needles

The last visit to the doctor involved a weight update. For those of you playing along at home, Eli is now 10 pounds 7 ounces (15 weeks at the time).

After that she got one shot in each leg as she continued her immunizations. She was not a fan of those two needles, but she did pretty well after a few minutes of crying and settled down in mom's arms.

ESP Anyone?

Post a comment as to what you think Eli's thinking in this picture.

(She told me afterward, so I'll let you know if you guess correctly.)

Looking Forward

Eli's not allowed to face forward in the car seat yet, but she is in the Baby Bjorn. This is her first ride out in front.

Cachetitos

In Spanish, cheeks are cachetes. But, when they are so adorable that you can't even stand to not kiss them, they're called cachetitos.

Mom can't even resist the lure of the cachetitos.

Reelly?!?!?!?!?

Dad, u havnt updatid the blog in tu weeks?!?!?

I hav bin doin kewl stuf!

Is There Something In The Water?

This is a reunion picture of our last Community Group which ended last August. When we started two years ago, we were 6 married couples and none of us had kids. Now, all of the couples have their first child (number 6 belongs to the couple on the far right and is due to arrive at the beginning of August). There must be something in the water here in Atlanta!

Kids clockwise from top left - Cash, Carlson, Isaac (in the oven), Karis, Harris, and Eliana.

You Scream, I Scream, We All Scream For...

For those of you who don't know, Sabina and I are a CARES Team through Apartment Life where we put on events at our apartment community each month in exchange for discounted rent. This month we tried a new event called Ice Cream Truck. We loaded up some coolers with ice cream, put on some cheesy music and drove around handing out free ice cream.

We had a TON of people surround us. I felt like we were pulling up at the Oscars.

But, c'mon, who wouldn't want a Snickers ice cream bar or a m&m's cookie sandwich?!?!?!?

Meanwhile......

Family Birthday Celebration

Just after the Baby Dedication was Family Birthday Celebration at Watermarke Church. This is where any child or student from kindergarten through high school who has accepted Jesus as their savior in the last year gets baptized.

Sabina has been leading a small group in UpStreet (the environment for K-5) for three years now and has had most of the same kids the whole time (kindergarten, then 1st grade, now 2nd grade). One boy, who's been in her group a little over a year, is Cael. Well, one evening last September Cael called Sabina at home to tell her that he had just accepted Jesus as his savior. Sabina was so touched that he thought to call her at home to share this HUGE decision in his life.

So, here is Cael at Family Birthday Celebration in his VIP seat just before he got baptized. His whole family was there and, of course, his amazingly wonderful small group leader.

Baby Dedication

Eli was officially presented in public at the Watermarke Church Baby Dedication. We basically showed her off, stated that we intend to raise her in a Godly manner and then prayed for her. All three grandparents were there of course, as well as Dusty and Angela Schaffner.

Eli was so excited about her new Bible with her name inscribed that she wanted to put her foot on it.

Zzzzzzzzzz......

The Second Thing

Ok, the second thing isn't actually a thing. It's a person. I mean she's a person. Jennifer Walker. Jennifer has been the true completion of the miracle. She delivered exactly what is stated on her website - The Perfect Baby Gift..... a good night's sleep.


We met Jennifer at the church where I work and she gave us her book, DVD, and swaddle blanket for a baby gift. She has been so patient and encouraging as we've asked her a TON of questions. She got us to get Eli on a schedule (from her book) and Eli was sleeping through the night at 9 weeks!

Now, previously we had asked Jennifer what qualified as "sleeping through the night". She said from 9:30 pm until 6 am. And, that's exactly what Eli has been doing since the beginning of May!

Jennifer, if you saw the last post about the Miracle Blanket, we're sorry. We tried swaddling her the way you showed us, but she still wiggled out of it because we couldn't ever get it as tight as you did. The motivation of a full night of sleep was so strong that we weren't patient enough in practicing the swaddle. We wanted sleep - and the perfect swaddle was the only thing getting in the way! So, we may be cheating by using a ready made swaddle blanket, but it's working!

Jennifer also showed us a TON of other things regarding taking care of Eli. We finally know how to bathe Eli with less than four hands! We feel sooo much more confident as parents.

Thank you, thank you, thank you Jennifer!!!

The First Thing

Two things have entered our home in the last few weeks that have dramatically altered the course of our family. Here's the intro to the first one:

mir·a·cle [mir-uh-kuhl]
–noun
1. an effect or extraordinary event in the physical world that surpasses all known human or natural powers and is ascribed to a supernatural cause.
2. a wonder; marvel.
3. a wonderful or surpassing example of some quality.

The glory of the Miracle Blanket entered our home. Some of our friends recommended it after they had used it because the poor little baby has no chance whatsoever of freeing themselves. Sounds like torture, but a baby under 3 or 4 months actually loves it.

Eli gets a big smile on her face as we're wrapping her up like a little taquito. But, the real bonus is that she sleeps all night because she doesn't work her arms free and startle herself.

Ever since the arrival of the Miracle Blanket we have not had to get up in the middle of the night to re-swaddle her. If you don't think that's a miracle, please re-read the definition above.

Do You Still Yahoo, Google or Wiki.... or Do You ChaCha?

If you haven't heard of ChaCha, prepare to be blown away! You simply text a question, any question, from your phone to 242242 (chacha) and you get the answer within a few minutes. Oh yeah, I'm not even kidding. Here are some of the ones I've sent (this is from my log on chacha.com):

Where is wolf camera in perimeter mall, atlanta?
Wolf Camera in Perimeter Mall is in Section C. on the lower level between Dillards and Bloomingdales. Have a great night!

How much does a gallon of water weigh?
A US gallon of fresh water at 4 degrees C weighs 8.34 pounds. Have a good day!

Which exit off 75 in valdosta has a zaxbys or chick fil a?
Exit 22 on I 75 has a Zaxbys in Valdosta. Have a great night and keep on chachaing! 1 800 2CHACHA!

What is invert sugar?
Invert Sugar (also called Nulomoline) is created by combining a sugar syrup with a small amount of acid such as lemon juice.

At What times tonight is the movie iron man playing at the amc theaters in orange park, florida?
7:30pm, 8:30pm, 9:00pm, 9:30pm, 10:30pm, 11:30pm

Are you kidding me?!?!?!? That's amazing! Ok, really it's just my way to limp through life without an iPhone.

Happy? Mother's Day

Great, Sabina's first Mother's Day and I made her cry. Actually, it was a good thing. Sabina is sentimental, so this was a great gift. Since all of our photos are digital, these are the first ones we have actually printed.

Here's a picture of her gift. Can you tell which photo is Sabina as a baby? Here's a hint, it's not the bottom left.

Say Cheese

While we were down there, we went to Babies R Us to get some photos. Here are a few:

Top: Four generations of great-grandma (Oma), grandma (Teresa - aka "Tita"), mom (Sabina), & baby (Eliana). I know there's someone out there who thought that the woman in the middle was Sabina's sister. This mistake happens quite frequently actually. I think it's the special Nicaraguan anti-aging secret of rice and beans and Starbucks that Teresa likes so much.

Middle:
Eli and Sabina (for her first Mother's Day)

Bottom:
Me and Eli. Aren't we precious? (Okay, Sabina's doing a little editing here...)

Hartelijk gefeliciteerd!

No, I didn't sneeze. That's how you say Happy Birthday in Dutch. We went to a birthday party for 6 year old Lara (in the yellow). Somehow she's related to me through Sabina's cousin... but once you get past three or four relations, I'm lost.

Anyway, Oma went with us, and here she is holding Eli.

Road Trip!

This past weekend, we went down to Florida to stay with Sabina's grandmother (Oma). We decided to go down there because we would have four generations together for Mother's Day.

Eli and I had fun singing Cake and Stone Temple Pilot songs on the way down. She liked it much better than sitting in that stuffy little car seat. Ok, before you call DFACS, she didn't actually ride in my lap, she rode in the car seat.

Let The Needles Begin

Ok, so we settled on a vaccine schedule in The Vaccine Book by Dr. Sears. It slows down the number of shots Eli receives at once to minimize the stress to her system. So, on this visit she just received two vaccines and only one involved a needle. The rotavirus vaccine is the liquid in the picture on the top and the DTaP is the needle in the picture on the bottom. Well, you can't see the needle because the nurse was lightning fast.

Actually, a little too fast. She put the band aid on Eli's leg but missed the shot spot. Eli only cried for about 6.78 seconds and then she calmed down in Mom's arms. Then we were able to move the band aid to cover the correct spot.

Mellow Mushroom? Fellini's? Nah...

For those of you who don't know how granola we are (well, try to be), we grind our own wheat to make homemade bread, muffins, pancakes, etc.

Well, we tried making pizza for the first time with the freshly-made wheat. It was absolutely amazing! The next time we have Mellow Mushroom, Fellini's, or any of those "lesser" pizzas, they just won't compare.

Total Destruction

Remember the post where Eli got her hand out of the swaddle? She's moved on to bigger and better. Check out the complete and utter destruction of the swaddle in this picture!

If Sabina Had A Toy Store.....

...this would be the name.

Vaccinations, ugh!

Yep, they start talking needles at the two month visit. But, before I get to that, here's an update on how she's doing.

She weighed 9 pounds 2 ounces yesterday (9 weeks) and was 21.5 inches long. Everything looked great and the doc said she's doing very well.

Now, she was due to get some shots yesterday but we ended up postponing them so we can figure out what to do for Eli. There's so much out there about the pros and cons of vaccinations that I'm just about paralyzed from all the data.

It seems like slowing down the number of vaccinations at any one time and spreading them further apart might be beneficial. Do any of you have any wisdom or experiences to share?

Who Says!

So at two month's they told us not to even think about sitting in the newborn area anymore. Whatever! Sabina and I still call ourselves newlyweds even though we'll be married three years in June.

Anyway, here we are waiting at the pediatrician's office in the "big kids" area.

Now This Is Rare

It's not rare that she's a little Houdini and managed to get one hand out of the swaddle. What IS rare is that it didn't wake her up.

She's getting stronger so we've had to take swaddling tightness to a new level. The third level may involve duct tape and ratchet straps.

See The Resemblance?

The two pictures in the back are of me (Steve) when I was a baby. The blanket over Eli is the same blanket as the one in the photo. Ya think she looks like me?

The Beach, A Fire And An Aquarium

Turns out there's one more thing I can stare at endlessly. Let this video repeat for about 20 or 30 minutes and experience one of my favorite times of the day.

Let's Just Go Try It

We weren't exactly sure how to put the car seat in the shopping cart. This seemed to work. Please let us know if this is way wrong or violates some kinda child safety regulation. But, hey, Party City made for a colorful photo.

C'mon, You've Never Taken A Pineapple To A Wedding?!?!?!?

So, we were at a wedding and thought it was funny that the pineapple was the same size as Eli.



Ok, here's a picture without the pineapple.

Breakfast Anytime

Tita was pretty excited to sit next to Eli at J. Christopher's.

Sabina and I just wanted to make sure Eli knew where to get the best chocolate chip pancakes in the world.

The Apple Of Her Eye

We went to the mall and Eli insisted on going to the Apple store. She thought it was an answer to prayer when she saw the pink iPod display.








So, she bought one with the money she made babysitting.

Higher Please

Oh, if diapers would go up as high as the back of the neck.

For you non-parents out there, the yellow is normal it's not a result of the layer of pollen that covers absolutely everything in Atlanta right now.

Hands Free

Hands free is good when you're on the phone flying down the highway and it's great when Mommy is toting Eli around in the Baby Bjorn.

Despierta

We've asked Tita to only speak to Eli in Spanish so that hopefully she'll learn two languages easily growing up.

Here's a video of her singing to Eli in Spanish.

Eli's First Bottle

We started introducing a bottle today and will hopefully give Eli a couple bottles a week. That way I can have a little more quality time with her and Tita can feed her so that Sabina and I can hopefully make our weekly date nights a little longer.

Finally!

The rest of Eli's belly button finally fell off. Seemed like it would never happen!

Just Like Mommy

So, this is how Sabina holds her hand when she brushes her teeth. I mean, c'mon, how did Eli pick that up? So cute!

Tummy Time In Action

Eli did a great job in Tummy Time with Dad, Mom, Grandpa, and Grandma encouraging her.

More Pink

The pink just keeps coming. I have to admit, she's pretty darn cute in this one. It's her first time in a dress as well.

I think I'll have to go watch a few episodes of Man vs. Wild to compensate.

Pacification Embarkation

Well we waited the recommended 1 month before introducing the pacifier. Let me just say that bath-time was the PERFECT time to try it. Worked like a charm!

Visit From Grandparents!

Grandpa and Grandma came to visit for Easter!

Tummy Time!

The doctor also said it was time to go ahead and start tummy time a couple times a day. Eli did so well her first time! Check her out getting her head off the floor!

Then she turned her head to the other side.

Then she was done. :-)

One Month Stats

So here's the scoop from her 4 week visit. Eli now weighs 7 pounds 4 ounces and is 20.75 inches long. The part of her belly button than fell off previously wasn't all of it. So, we will continue with sponge baths until the rest falls off.

Also, her right ear had gotten red, swollen, and had a little yellow funk on it. So, the doctor gave her some antibiotics. The doc said that she would normally wait to see if it gets better or worse, but since she's still so young, it wasn't worth the risk.

Old Faithful

At the pediatrician's office, we got Eli into her birthday suit so she could be weighed. W