3 months!

Baby girl, you are 3 months old! This post is almost a week late because we were in Texas all last week. I had to take your 3 month pictures a few days early.

Weight: At 3 1/2 months, you weigh 11 lbs, 12 oz!

Height: You won't sit still long enough to let us measure

Sizes: You are wearing all of your 0-3 month clothes and they fit you perfectly. I look at your 3-6 month outfits and can't believe that you will ever fit into them - they are HUGE on you.

You started wearing size 1 diapers to sleep in a couple of weeks ago and then, about a week before you turned 3 months old, you started wearing them all the time.

What you're up to:

- You have had a lot of firsts since the last post. You went to church for the first time on Easter Sunday. That was a stressful morning for me. Your daddy was driving the bus, but he came home and picked us up so that we could ride as a family. I was so worried that I would forget something, so I kept checking and rechecking your diaper bag. It was a rainy day, so I went to put your sweater on over your dress and it was too big. Anyway, all that to say - we didn't get a family picture on Easter morning. :( But we did have lots of fun. You were great in the nursery and perfect at the restaurant after church. Everyone "ooh"ed and "ahh"ed over you.

Since we didn't get Easter morning pictures, I waited until the next day and took some pictures of you with your Easter basket (even though your Daddy and I had eaten some of your candy). You got a special Easter bunny from Aunt Sarah and an Easter lamb in the mail from Marmee and Grandad.

- Another first - Mother's Day. This was a first for me more than for you. Daddy helped you and Darsee and Remus make a card for me. I cried when he gave it to me. It was so sweet. I love being your mom so much and this day was special because I got to celebrate motherhood.

There was a baby dedication at church on Mother's Day. We dedicated you to the Lord and promised Him that we would raise you according to His word. You got a Bible from the church to celebrate. I let you wear the dress you wore home from the hospital. It fits you so well now.

- You have gotten to spend some quality time with your ReeRee and Marmee this month. I had a training at school, so Marmee came up and babysat you for 3 whole days! I sure did miss you when I was at school. Your ReeRee comes over to babysit sometimes so that I can go to town or to the grocery store. She loves to sing to you.

- Last week, you and I went to Texas for some graduations! You still hate the car, so you cried a lot on the way down, but I can tell you're getting better. On the way back, you only fussed the whole time, not screamed. That was MUCH easier on your Mommy.

We went to Texas for your Aunt Allison's graduation from P.A. school on May 14th. We stayed with Allison and J.B. Friday night and then went to a brunch in her honor on Saturday morning. You and I didn't attend the ceremony (too long and boring), but we did go out to eat afterwards with the family.

Then, we had Aunt Ashley's high school graduation on May 20th. It was 10 years ago that I graduated from high school. I can't even believe how much has happened since then. You did a great job during the graduation. You slept and sat and then we fed you. You were so quiet! Everyone loved seeing you at the graduation, and you had lots of other visitors while we were in Texas.

- You are so much more aware these days. You love to sit in your bouncy seat and look at your toys. You have 2 favorites - the blue elephant on the bouncy and the zebra rattle someone gave you. You reach for them both and hold onto them. You also recognize Darsee and Remus. I took you outside the other day and you smiled at Remus who was sitting in the grass. It won't be long until you want to play with them.

- Your favorite non-human thing in the whole world is your bottle. It makes you so happy to eat from the bottle instead of breast feeding. I think you like how much faster the bottle is. We started out with just a bottle at night (4 oz) and you slept great for several weeks. Now I give you one 4 oz bottle of formula during the day around noon, and one at night that's 6 oz. I can't believe you want that much to eat! But when I give you only 4, you cry and cry. You're just so much hungrier at night.

- This month, you have loved to suck on your hand. You gag yourself all the time trying to fit your whole fist in your mouth. You won't take a paci unless you're really sleepy and we're holding you. But that's ok - as long as you don't start sucking your thumb.

- You are doing so well raising your head up when you're on your tummy. And you kick and stand up when we hold you. Today, I really thought you were going to roll over. You were almost there. I know it might take a little while, though, because you hate tummy time unless it's nap time. This was you after tummy time today.

I can already tell that your legs are stronger. If you take a nap in your crib, I find you in a completely different spot than when you went down. You just scoot around, so I know it won't be long until you realize that this can take you places.

- You started really talking on Saturday night. After your bath, you were laying on a towel and Aunt Allison was cooing to you. Suddenly, you decided you'd had enough of making short sounds and grunting. For the next 10 minutes, you "oooh"ed over and over again. I couldn't wait for your Daddy to see it when we got home and, sure enough, last night, you talked to him too! He was so excited.

- You still love your baths so much. You kick and kick - sometimes I think there won't be any water left in the tub! No matter how fussy you are, you almost always calm down as soon as you hear the water running.

- You like to sit in my lap now, and in your Daddy's lap. I've taken this opportunity to start reading books to you, and you like it as long as the books are colorful with lots of things for you to look at. I want you to love reading as much as I do, and I hope that we can start reading together every day.

You also like to watch the tv now. I guess this means that we're going to have to get some Baby Einstein videos for you because I don't think Grey's Anatomy is appropriate for a 3 month old. Haha.

Well, this has turned into a long post. But, sweet girl, you are changing so much every single day and I want to write it all down. You already do such funny things like smiling and being "bashful". Your personality is starting to come through, and I think you are just the most precious thing God ever created.

God has given us the greatest blessing and responsibility with you. You're amazing! I can't wait to do your 4 month post because I know that you'll be doing so many more fun things. I love you, Elysen Ashleigh.

2 Months

Elysen, you are 2 months old! Yesterday was technically your 2 month birthday, but I wanted to wait to post today so that I would have your updated stats from your doctor visit.

Weight: 9 lbs, 10 oz (25th percentile)

Height: Almost 21 inches (10th percentile)

Sizes: You are still our petite girl. You still fit into a lot of your newborn clothes, but in onesies you are wearing 0-3 months. Some of your other 0-3 month clothes fit, but most are still pretty big on you. You are still wearing newborn diapers, and I think you will be for awhile - the size 1s are huge on you!

What you're up to:

- You are such a happy girl most of the time. You smile all the time and have started really trying to coo. Every time you wake up from a nap or finish a feeding (if you haven't dozed off) you just want to smile and stretch.

- One of your favorite places is your changing pad. I think you like it because you can stretch and kick, but you're closer to our level. Also, you're in your room, which you love.

- Your daddy turned 30 this month. We went out to Monte Ne to eat with the family, and you did so well. You slept the whole time.

- We went to Tyler for the first time last week. You got to meet lots of people, which stressed me out a little, but I think you enjoyed it. I know your Grandad, Marmee, Aunt Allison, Uncle JB, and Aunt Ashley loved seeing you.

One of your favorite things while we were in Tyler was to walk outside. It was the first time the weather was nice enough for us to really take you out into the yard, and you loved going out with your Grandad.

You even got to meet your great grandmothers while we were there.

With Granny

With Nana

- On a related note, you no longer like riding in your car seat. This made our trip pretty miserable, unfortunately. We aren't sure we're going to be able to go on vacation with the family in May because I can't handle a sad baby for 20 hours!

- You still love baths! This week, your daddy gave you a couple of baths in your tub, and you loved it. What fun.

- You had your first formula one night last week and it was a true blessing - you slept for such a long time! Now we give you a bottle every night before bed and you usually sleep for 6 or 7 hours before you're hungry again. Hallelujah!

- You had your 2 month doctor's visit today. You got a round of shots. :( You have been pretty sad all day, but we've done lots of holding you and letting you sleep in our arms.

With your Bugs Bunny band-aids from the dr's office

- This weekend will be your first time to go to church, and your first Easter! I can't wait to show you off.

Your daddy and I love you so much, baby girl. Every day he looks at you and says that he doesn't know how you can be so beautiful.

I pray for you every day. I pray that God will lead you towards His will for your life and that David and I will have the wisdom to be your parents. We are so blessed and so thankful to have you in our lives.

Precious girl

Look Who's "Talking"

Reed must have inspired this girl because after hearing him talk all day Saturday, she started trying to coo that night. Now she's making little cooing sounds all the time - when she's happy. I put the little mirror from her play mat on her bouncy seat and yesterday, she sat in it for an hour just smiling, laughing, and cooing at herself.

She is 6 weeks old today and she's become a much better sleeper. The gassiness is all but gone, but now, she fusses when she's trying to fight sleep in the evening. She loves to nap during the day, but at night, sleep isn't nearly as fun. But once she's asleep, she stays that way for awhile. She only wakes up once from midnight until 7 or 8. We are glad to be getting longer periods of sleep and can't wait until those periods stretch into the 5 or 6 hour range.

Anyway, just wanted to post some new pictures and brag on our beautiful girl.

New Friends

Today, we woke up and had a wonderful Saturday morning just hanging out at home.

Elysen has been more awake and alert this week, but most of her truly happy time is right after she wakes up and eats in the morning - a time that David is never home. I was so ready for today to come so that he could see her during her happy time. Sure enough, she spent lots of time in his lap smiling and trying to talk.

Crazy Saturday morning hair!

Then, we got the exciting news that the Scisms wanted to visit! We'd been trying to see each other for awhile, but conflicts and some cases of the sniffles had interfered. Brittany had been over a couple of times, but the Scism guys had stayed at home.

Needless to say, we were excited that everything finally worked out for Reed and Elysen to meet. Reed is a little over 4 months older than Elysen - which won't make any difference to them when they are older, but right now makes them seem so different. The Scisms stayed for awhile. Elysen slept and Reed played on his blanket, talked to us, and showed us his rolling-over skills.

Our attempts at a picture were only somewhat successful.

But the sweetest moment came at the end of their visit when Elysen started getting fussy and ready to eat. She was crying and Brit held Reed up to see her. He frowned for a minute, trying to figure her out, then reached out and grabbed her hand. He just held on to her hand and looked at her wondering why she was crying. I wish we had a picture, but it was just one of those unexpected things. I fully plan to remind them both of this day for years to come when they will be thoroughly embarrassed by it.

Thank you Scisms for coming to visit. You made our day wonderful.

1 Month

Elysen, you are 1 month old today!

Weight: Approximately 8 and 1/2 lbs (that's the best we can measure with our imperfect scale)

*Update: At 5 weeks, you weighed 8 lbs, 6 oz*

Height: Your daddy says he measured and you were 20 and 1/2 inches, but again, it's not exact

Sizes: You are still wearing your newborn clothes, but some of them are starting to be a little tight. Your 0-3 month onesies are still a bit big.

You still wear newborn diapers, but they are looking a little tight as well.

What you're up to:

- You are sleeping better at night, but it's still touch-and-go. Some nights you only wake up to eat, and some you are awake for what seems like forever. We've started using some gas drops because you get lots of bubbles in your tummy and it makes you very upset.

- You like your baths. You took your first real bath this week (not a sponge bath) and you loved it - but you were so relaxed that you went to the bathroom and we had to take you out and start all over. You really love the end of your bath when we rub lotion on your feet and legs - you will probably love pedicures just like your mom!

Making faces in the mirror

You look so much older!

- You love your Baby Bjorn. If you get fussy during the day, I can put you in it and that's my time to get some things done since it's my only time to have both hands free. You always look around for awhile then fall asleep.

- You went to visit Daddy at work today for the first time. Everyone was SO thrilled to see you and hold you. We thought we might not get to take you home because everyone wanted to play with you. Your Arvest family loved getting to see you.

- Here are your 1 month pictures. I had a little trouble finding a way to help you sit up so first you ended up dancing...

...then you had to yawn...

...Then we took a break and I fed you. I had to include these pictures because you look soooo relaxed after your meal.

It's not perfect, but this one is my favorite. You are wearing a dress that your Uncle Dan and Aunt Janna got for you when they were here. You looked so big and, of course, incredibly beautiful.

I love you so much, my sweet baby girl. I can't believe we've gotten to have a whole miraculous month with you already.

2 weeks

Elysen, this post is a little late, but here are your 2 week stats.

Weight: 7 lbs 8 oz (up 7 oz from your birth weight, and up a LOT from your 1 week appointment weight of 6 lbs 13 oz)

Height: 19 and 1/2 inches - They told us you grew from your 1 week appointment, but they must have measured you wrong in the hospital because they told us you were 19 and 3/4 inches when you were born.

Sizes: You are wearing your newborn clothes and newborn diapers. I LOVE seeing you wear the things I so meticulously prepared before you were here.

What you're up to:

- The last week, you have been really sucking on your fingers, and sometimes a pacifier. I even caught you sucking your thumb the other night - not good. :)

- You still have your hair. Your daddy keeps saying that he's hoping it won't fall out.

- Your face has certainly changed since you were born, but you still look just like your dad!

- We try to give you as much time to stretch in your bassinet as you can stand because you get very gassy at night and that means no sleep for anyone.

- Dr. Denton confirmed at your 2 week appointment that you have thrush. So we have to give you medicine 4 times a day - a pretty hilarious thing to watch, I must say. You don't mind the medicine, but you must think it tastes funny because you smack your lips and look around.

- You smile in your sleep and we just know you are about to start cooing because you already do it when you dream. It might be awhile, but you sure are trying to "talk".

- Your uncle Dan and aunt Janna got to see you for the first time a few days after you turned 2 weeks old. They loved holding you and kissing you. (Who wouldn't?)

We love you very much, Elysen Ashleigh. It's only a little over a week until you'll be a month old! I'll update again then.

Blessed

Well, it's been a month since I posted last and whew, my life has changed in that month. Our baby girl was born on February 18!

I wanted to take a second to write down what a blessed pregnancy I had so that I don't forget to thank God for each of His blessings in my life.

David and I decided that we were ready to start a family in the late fall of 2009. We didn't actually start trying until the end of the year, but I was READY. I had been throwing out not-so-subtle hints for probably a year. *Blessing: My patient husband*

I expected that we'd be pregnant right away and having a baby in the fall of 2010.But as so often happens, my plans were not the Lord's. I worried and worried through the early months of 2010 thinking that something was wrong with me. I was having some irregularities that increased my fears. Every month was a disappointment. Through those months, God convicted me and worked on my heart. He reminded me of 1 Corinthians 13's reference to Faith, Hope, and Love. HOPE became my daily prayer. *Blessing: I learned to hope in Him, not in myself*

My doctor told me at an appointment in April that if we weren't pregnant by August, we'd start testing to determine what was going on. If ever I felt fear, it was that month. Suddenly, when you have a deadline, it makes things so much more urgent and scary. At the beginning of June, I packed up and trekked down to Russellville with Heather for a month of classes. *Blessing: Distraction in the form of graduate school*

On the last day of class, I woke up feeling sick. I'd been feeling gross for a few days and was convinced I had a cold and the drainage was making me nauseous. It was June 30 - our wedding anniversary. That day, as we packed up and left the apartment, Heather said "I hope you take a pregnancy test to celebrate your anniversary since you haven't been feeling great. Maybe this is it!" I had my doubts. That night, at almost midnight, David and I found out that we were going to be parents. The test turned positive immediately. *Blessing: We were going to Texas that weekend to see my family so we got to tell them the news!*

I went to the doctor for our first appointment and since we had trouble determining the due date, they wanted to do an ultrasound. David came with me a week later and we got to see our baby - who was already 10 weeks along! *Blessing: We got to have an ultrasound so early in the pregnancy - it gives such peace of mind*

I had about a month of morning sickness - strong nausea, but no vomiting. *Blessing: It was summer - I got to rest and relax, and by the time school started again, my sickness was all but gone; and Sarah was living with us, so she helped with cleaning since I wasn't feeling great*

I kept waiting and waiting to start looking pregnant, but (what a blessing) I stayed small until the last month or so of pregnancy. This made things so much easier for me when it came to getting work done and getting the nursery set up.

I wish I could list all of the blessings we had through the cards, gifts, and calls from family and friends, but that would take WAY too long to list. David and I have never known such a showering of love.

At 20 weeks, we got to see our baby again - and this time, we found out that it was a girl! *Blessings: A gifted ultrasound technician who knew what to look for; a baby girl who cooperated for the "camera"; and our friend Morgan who got to be with us when we found out.* That weekend, we went to Texas again so we got to tell our families in person.

The holidays flew by, and I knew that as soon as Christmas was over, I would have NO TIME to get things done before the baby came. David and I had really been discussing names and we settled on Elysen. Then after talking to Sarah one night, Elysen Ashleigh was our final choice. *Blessing (and miracle): David and I agreed on a name!*

I was really concerned that I wouldn't have time for my grad school classes in the spring semester, but it's my last semester, and I want to finish on time. So I signed up for the classes even though I was worried about fitting everything in. *Blessing: God took away my worry and provided 2 weeks of snow days in early February so that I could work on school and finish the nursery*

My prayers from day 1 of this journey were that Elysen would be a healthy baby and that God would give David and myself the wisdom to parent her. My only selfish want was that I would deliver her on my own without needing to be induced. The week of February 10, I started having contractions. These were more than just the Braxton Hicks that I'd been feeling for months, but they weren't regular or really painful, so we waited. At our 37 week appointment, I was already at 2 cm and 80% effaced. Dr. Birch told me that she didn't think we'd make it to 39 weeks. This was SUCH a blessing because the planner in me really needed a timeline for when to expect our baby. I knew what I needed to get done at school and had plenty of time to plan with my substitute. God knew that I needed to be able to prepare mentally, emotionally, and physically (cleaning the house) for our new arrival.

The week before Elysen's arrival was also an amazing time for David and I. Knowing this would be the last time for awhile, we spent lots of time being alone together. We watched movies and I baked cookies. By this time, the nursery was ready to go (Blessing #14: A mom who sews - she made the crib bedding and curtains). David cooked stuffed salmon for me on Valentine's Day, yet again showing me how blessed I am to be married to him.

Then, on the morning of February 18, I woke up at 3:30 cramping. At 4:30, I woke up again with cramps. At 5:30, when I was awakened yet again, I thought, "Wait a minute, these are coming in waves. Maybe they aren't cramps." I got up and went to lay on the couch (I hadn't been sleeping really well for a couple of weeks anyway - see the Snoring and Spouses post) and began timing - 8 MINUTES APART. Immediately, I texted my mom, who I assumed was asleep, but about 30 seconds later, my phone rang. After I described what I was feeling (I was still uncertain at this point), Mom said, "I think this is it - we're coming!" *Blessing: For a week, my mom had been saying that she was worried they wouldn't make it in time - I'd been in pre-labor for so long and they had a 6 hour drive. But they were able to make it in plenty of time.*

I had a scheduled doctor's appointment that morning (I was exactly 38 and 1/2 weeks), so I decided that we should probably take our hospital bags to the appointment with us. *Blessing: I had plenty of time to take a shower, wash my hair, and get everything packed up - anyone who knows me knows that this was very important to me.*

I woke David up at 6:30 and told him that I was getting ready and that I was pretty sure I was in labor. We called the doctor and they said to come on in to the office. As soon as Dr. Birch checked me (4-5 cm, and 100% effaced), she said to go upstairs to Labor and Delivery! Hooray!!

We checked in upstairs, the nurses hooked me up to all the machines, and within a couple of hours, I had my epidural (Blessing - Epidurals = wonderful). By this time, it was about noon, and my family arrived! *Blessing: Allison got to leave work early (about 12) so she and JB could come to Fayetteville that night*

A few hours later, I started feeling ready to push. The epidural did slow down my contractions a little, so they had to give me some Pitocin, but overall, everything went so quickly. Dr. Birch said my contractions looked like nothing, but they were really working! (This meant that I wasn't feeling a lot of pain even before the epidural - what a blessing).

I pushed for an hour. Elysen was being very stubborn because the cord was around her neck. But I was blessed to have a wise doctor who knew what to do and took care of the problem. David gave me so much encouragement (and ice chips - I was incredibly thirsty), but I was getting very tired after an hour. Then, God blessed me in a very strange way - He made me sick. I started throwing up from the exertion of pushing which contracted my muscles and helped push Elysen almost all the way out! Before I knew it, she was laying on my chest looking at me. She was born at 5:15 p.m. and weighed 7 pounds, 1 oz.

The next few hours were the only bad time we had through the entire process. Elysen had a lot of fluid in her lungs - more than most babies. Her cries were gurgles and she sounded like she couldn't breathe. I got to see her for a bit, but then the nurses took her to the nursery so they could really suction her lungs and eventually put her on oxygen. Even though this was a horrible time, and my family was so worried, God blessed me by sparing me from the worry. Because I couldn't leave the hospital bed, I didn't ever have to see my baby hooked up to the tubes. David and the rest of our family and friends were prayer warriors during this time. I believe that there were probably so many people praying for her that I will never know about.

That evening, the pediatrician came in and told us that he was going to lower her oxygen level. She was starting to improve. Within a couple of hours, they were able to take out all the tubes and give her a bath. Then, around 1 a.m., I finally got to see her again and hold her and try to feed her.

We stayed in the hospital until Sunday morning. By the time we went home, she was already such a great eater! This was a blessing since I'd been worried about breast feeding.

My mom stayed with us for 2 and 1/2 weeks after she was born so that I could get some rest and start to get into a schedule (and so that David wouldn't starve, haha). This was an extraordinary blessing for our whole family.

I'm sure that no one will ever read this except for me. I know that it's long and pretty boring, but I wanted so badly to take the time to write down the ways I saw God's hand over the last 9 months. He has blessed us beyond anything we could have hoped. Elysen is the most perfect baby I've ever seen. She's beautiful and she looks just like her dad. :) May I never ever forget how rich the Lord has made us through His great work in our lives and this pregnancy was no exception.