Elise and I are sitting on the front porch enjoying some beautiful weather. She's been having some stomach upset the past couple of days, so it's really good to see her sleeping peacefully. Dane's sisters were making fun of me on Sunday about how excited I was getting about Elise's bowel movements. But when your baby is in pain because her stomach hurts anything that comes out is wonderful and exciting.

She turned 6 weeks this past Saturday and seems to be changing right before my eyes. This past week she's really turned on the charm with her smiles. She is also proving predictable with the classic goo goo, gaa gaa. I didn't know that babies actually said that specifically, but she does. She smiles and coos the most when she's naked. In the past two days she has discovered that her fist is a wonderful thing to suck on and can bring her fist to her mouth. Before she would occasionally suck on her fist, but it was only when she was flailing around and her fist accidentally flailed into contact with her mouth. She is getting chubby! I keep saying that she grows at least one new roll everyday.

I'm getting used to this role of staying at home with Elise. I've decided that a weekly schedule doesn't work, but a weekly to-do list does. Elise isn't exactly what I would call predictable, so trying to stick to a schedule is just frustrating but reaching certain goals each week is doable. I'm loving the new role (and roll)...

For The Viewing Pleasure of Grammy and Grampy

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day AND Happy 1-month Birthday to Elise.

I'm going to try to take a picture of her on the 14th of each month in the red chair, so we can see how she's growing! This is the chair I was squatting in front of when she was born. Don't worry, it was covered in plastic!


By the way, she was definitely smiling at me when I was playing with her this morning!

Almost 1 month old!

I'm still amazed that Elise is our daughter, on loan from God. She is teaching us a lot. Things like any more than 2 hours of sleep at a time is not necessary for a mother to survive. That is true, but she's also more importantly teaching us about love and patience. I can't imagine loving another little baby more. At this point in her life there are only certain ways that she can feel loved. Feed her, hold her, feed her, talk to her, feed her, stare at her, feed her, keep her warm and dry, and feed her. She does eat a lot. I know I'm sounding a little sarcastic, but I actually love breastfeeding. It is really a special way God designed our bodies to provide for and take care of our children.

Developmentally she is growing! I weighed and measured her yesterday. 9 pounds 9.6 ounces and 21 1/4 inches long. She is getting some pudgy rolls where there were none before. She is tracking us with her eyes more and more. She holds her head up when she wants to. Last night I had a dream that she sat up on her own. She's not really smiling yet except when she is really sleepy, but it's still so cute. She grunts and strains a lot although she isn't constipated. Apparently this is normal for newborns and it will pass with time as she gets a bit more used to her bowels and gas. She has some baby acne. When she's falling asleep she coos and makes a purring noise. She's finding her voice more everyday. In the mornings and in the evenings she has a spurt of energy when she is wide awake and loves kicking and punching the air Sometimes this hyper alertness results in some fussiness in the evenings. She is precious!

3 weeks and 5 days