Nine week old Elise knows she has mom and dad wrapped!

"Don't make me cry!"

Elise is gradually delving into the art of manipulation. I think she may be aware how well trained she has mom and dad, because she now cries for our attention. I’ve learned this in trying to calm her during car rides. At first, I figured she just hated being restrained. Now I’ve learned that if I sit in the back next to her, she is perfectly fine and will not cry. Of course, I refuse to sit in the back with her every car ride as I want her to get accustomed to occasionally separating from us. She’s getting better at self-soothing, but she still loves to reward mom and dad with a smile when she gets her way!

We finally got Elise trained that the pacifier = sleep. I was completely against it in the beginning, but to be honest it has been a very helpful tool. She now has a tendency to lose her pacifier while she sleeps. Of course, she doesn’t realize it and continues sucking away in her sleep. It is so cute to watch her little puckered lips and mouth go with no pacifier in sight. Sometimes, I will sit over her bed and just watch her sleep. She looks like a perfect little angel, so peaceful and content. When she is fast asleep virtually no noise will wake her. Mom and dad wish they slept that well!

Elise has also been spoiled in having both grandma and nana come to watch her on weekdays. It has been extremely helpful for mom and dad as we’re able to get more work done. We feel so fortunate to have both sets of grandparents living so close, and we're beyond thankful for all their help!

Pondering her next move

Harnessing the power of the baby grin

Elise, out and about at eight weeks

Elise in Candyland - CA State Fair 8/27/09

This week, we took Elise on her first big excursion to the California State Fair. We had a fabulous time, just the three of us! We packed a couple bottles and were able to stay for about five hours. It was so much fun, mainly because it was our first big family outing together. We saw The Fab Four (a great Beatles tribute band) and took Elise to see the exhibits and animals (though she didn’t pay much attention). It was more fun for mom and dad to get to spend some quality time with baby girl. She was great the entire time and didn't fuss once. The best part is that we got some great photos. There was an entire exhibit devoted to candy. It was decorated with a fun candyland theme and made the perfect backdrop for Elise’s photos.

While it is a great thing that Elise loves to go on outings with us, she absolutely HATES her car seat and car rides. She screams and cries almost every time we are in the car. Everybody has always told me car rides are great for getting babies to sleep...well not for her. She detests being strapped down and squirms, kicks and yells. As soon as we get out of the car and unstrap her she is fine again. I’m sure this is just a passing phase and I would much prefer that she cry on the way somewhere rather than once we arrive.

Daddy has also been making sure to hog all the baby time to himself lately! Anytime we take Elise out, he insists on leaving the stroller in the car so he can hold her everywhere we go. He has gotten so much attention from women ogling over Elise. I think he likes parading the “daddy factor” as I affectionately refer to it. Most women become trapped under the spell haha. But seriously, he just loves holding her close. Whenever I ask to hold her he replies, “She’s my baby”, and pulls her close! I find it so cute and sweet.

Elise as "Mona Lisa"

Jellybean Marilyn Portrait!

Baby GAS...the painful reality!

Ok, so here's the deal, in the past month baby gas has taken over and made the half hour after eating pretty miserable for little Elise. After her feedings, she tightens her body, pulls her legs up to her torso and cries in pain. It's awful to see her so uncomfortable and also so helpless in attaining relief. We burp her, pump her legs, pat her back and often even give her mylecon drops and while this all helps a bit it is still ever-present. I have changed my diet multiple times, to see if I can make things better for Elise, but all to no avail. We've accepted that her body will need to gradually adjust, but in the meantime GAS has temporarily become a four letter word!

The awkward truth about our seven week old

Little Elise - Seven Weeks

Ok, so I’ve pretty much decided that we have the squirmiest baby known to man! Trying to put on her diaper has become a real struggle. In fact, just holding her still is a struggle. She squirms all over place and is very strong! She loves to test her limits and push off my body with her legs. There have been quite a few occasions where I’ve had to quickly grab her so she didn't springboard off of me. I have been giving Elise more play mat activity time so she is able to get her energy out. When I put her on the play mat, she kicks out her legs and feet like she is peddling a 10 speed! She is so vivacious and spirited. It is an absolute joy to watch so much liveliness emanating from such a tiny little body!

She is getting cuter by the day, but she still has her endearing little awkward moments. I went to take a video of her, as she was looking so precious and cute, and all of a sudden her eyes went cross, her mouth went sideways, she let out the biggest yawn and then gave her signature yell. Clint and I couldn’t stop laughing.

Parents are always quick to divulge all their cute baby stories, but you rarely ever hear the awkward truth about newborns until you experience it firsthand as a parent. Babies are the funniest little beings. Sometimes when Elise poops, she goes cross eyed and balls her hands into fists ready to let loose. She burps and farts like a sailor. What’s even funnier is that mom and dad are now proud and praise her each time she gets out a fart or burp. I mean, we have to be for our own personal sanity, because if she isn’t able to get them out, she will be screaming and crying until she does.

One very cute thing Elise has started this week, is experimenting with her little voice box. Now when she smiles she lets out a coo every so often. It is so thrilling to hear her little voice emerge. Right now she makes sounds only occasionally, but each time she does it makes me so excited to hear more. I love her tiny little voice and sweet noises.

We also got little Elise together with her cousin Tyler (who is just over a year and half). It was the cutest sight ever! Elise made the funniest little face, as she was a bit unsure about all the new people. It was absolutely priceless. She raised her eyebrows, widened her eyes, and dropped her mouth wide with a look of pure uncertainty. After a while, she finally mellowed out and we took a few photos. Tyler was so sweet and gentle with her. He got excited each time she made a noise. We look forward to watching them both grow up together!

Little Cousins - Elise and Tyler!

Her unsure expression!

Warming up

Finally a smile!

Six weeks along and the slow transformation is upon us

Elise alert at six weeks

Clint and I keep saying that Elise is now slowly transforming into a baby. The first 4-5 weeks, she was more like a little machine; eat, sleep, cry, burp, dirty diapers…on repeat, and not necessarily in that order. She now exhibits all the signs of a baby in the making. She’s finally able to stare up into our eyes and really recognize us. She smiles more frequently now and is constantly alert and attentive. Each day a little something new emerges. Daddy and mommy are greatly enjoying this transformation. It has made us appreciate each fleeting moment with her, as we are quickly realizing how fast the "newborn stage" passes by. It's funny because even at a few weeks old, we keep saying she was growing too fast. But now that her growth is coupled with noticeably new development it has become exciting!

Another thing, that has been cracking me up this week, is her constant arm flailing in her sleep. Almost any sound has the potential to trigger her reflexive arm flailing. Sometimes she just does it out of nowhere. It is so funny and cute. Daddy and I get a kick out it.

Daddy has also been having some fun with baby girl by making her “dance”. He holds her upright in his arms and essentially puppeteers her to dance to different songs. It is an absolute laugh riot, and I have taken a couple baby dance videos starring little Elise. Yes, her parents have gone zany on her and I’m sure it won’t be the last time.

Her new hairline

Elise’s hair is another new topic. Her head has started to outgrow her original hairline, so now she has short lighter hair coming in on the front of her head while the back is all dark. Poor baby has what resembles a balding mans hairline. Of course this is just temporary, but it is quite funny! She has also been having her funny little "baby monkey" moments. I had to post the photo below for evidence.

Elise sleeping like a baby monkey :)

Daddy also found a bit of time this week to put together Elise’s baby jumper. Although she can’t hold her head up yet, daddy found a way to modify it so she could test it out. He put blankets behind her head and back to hold her upright, and books on the ground so she could have something to push off with her feet. It is so adorable seeing her in the jumper! She is so tiny and has a long way to go before she can touch the ground with her feet. After daddy made the necessary modifications, she was able to start pushing with her feet a tiny bit. It was thrilling for us to watch. Pretty soon, she will be bouncing around like crazy.

Testing out her new jumper

Our thoughts at one month

Daddy & Mommy with one month old Elise

Well, I’m happy to report that we survived the first month of new parenthood! Elise has grown so much over the past few weeks. Clint and I can’t even believe how much bigger she is now compared with when we first brought her home. We've especially noticed that Elise is growing upward rather than outward. She is a tall and slender little girl!

She has become more alert and interactive each day, we’ve experienced her first smile and we are both starting to get the hang of the whole parenting thing. I would be lying if I said I felt completely confident in everything yet. We still have a lot to learn and experience before we reach that point. However, what I do know is that each day is getting easier, and once we start her on a more routine schedule it should be relatively smooth sailing.

Looking back on how much she has grown and developed, just over this past month, makes us very excited for the future. We now look forward to all the milestones and new experiences she will bring in the new few months. When we think about her holding her head up, laughing, crawling, walking and talking, it overwhelms us with excitement. While we do cherish this fleeting baby stage, we also love knowing that her little personality will soon unfold before our eyes. We can’t wait to see the person she becomes. We both know she will be an incredible little girl.