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...)