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

Week four - The First Smile

Her precious smile at four weeks!

This week, we had a breakthrough; baby Elise gave mom and dad her first real smile! It has been the highlight of our week, and we were fortunate enough to capture a few great photos of her smiling. She has the cutest little toothless grin, and now mom and dad have gone into overdrive trying to encourage more! As of right now her smiles are very fast and she doesn’t give them every time. But when she does, it makes our efforts more than worth it. I had imagined this moment all the time when I was pregnant. No matter how much I pictured it, nothing can compare to the actual experience. I was overcome with joy when I saw her huge smile! It was the most perfectly gratifying moment; just baby girl and mommy sharing smiles.

We also finally gave in and introduced Elise to the pacifier this week. I held off for the first few weeks, as I did not want to interfere with her feeding routine, cause confusion, etc. On one of her fussier evenings, we finally broke down and tried out the “passy” (I've detest the word “binky) for the first time. It worked like a charm and had us wondering why we hadn’t broke it out sooner! When I first put it in her mouth, she looked up at me and frowned. A few minutes later, she was sucking away without a care in the world. Mom and dad slept great that night and have since used the pacifier as a sleep aid. We will sometimes give it to her to calm fussiness, but for the most part I want her to associate it with sleep.

Daddy also fed Elise her first bottle. I pumped and made her a small bottle just to test out how she would do. It was exciting, as it was the first time he got to feed her. She did well, drinking the entire bottle in no time flat.

We have taken Elise out on quite a few weekend excursions now. We have even taken her to a few restaurants and she does great. We bring the pacifier, just in case she gets fussy, but usually she doesn’t even need it. It has been wonderful to be able to go out to dinner and bring her along without the worry of her crying the entire time. It’s nice to know that we can still enjoy little luxuries; even with a newborn in tow!

Happy girl!