An Autumn Stroll

We went for a walk through our neighborhood to enjoy the crisp Autumn weather and the sunshine. Franklin carried Eliana in a sling under his jacket.
Franklin had this view of Ellie throughout the walk.

We enjoyed looking at the changing color of the leaves on the trees and seeing how many leaves had fallen off the trees. We don't get to enjoy this part of Autumn everywhere in the world, so we are enjoying it while we are here.

She's 1 month old!

Here she is at one month old. It's unreal that a month has already passed! Sometimes I feel like it's gone so fast and I can't believe it's been a whole month. Then there are times when I think to myself, "It's only been a month? It seems like she's been a part of our lives forever!"

One thing that Franklin and I are enjoying is Ellie's smiles. We think we are starting to get smiles that are reactions to us. That is so much fun.

Grandpa Loren meets Eliana

My dad came up after his long trip to Texas to meet Eliana. He brought a stuffed animal (small, so it can fit in our suitcase) from Graceland, where he stopped on his way to Texas. Eliana was fascinated by Dad's stories. :) What a good grandpa.

Hanna comes to visit!

Hanna drove up from the cities to come and meet Eliana. We had a great time visiting. Hanna and I went for a walk, and the Franklin, Hanna, and I played the longest Phase 10 game ever because Eliana wanted to make sure she got some attention every few minutes. Thanks for coming Hanna!

Eliana's first "normal" bath.

Once we got permission from the doctor to give Eliana a normal bath, we thought we'd give it a try. She hasn't been too thrilled with sponge baths, so we weren't optimistic about how a normal bath would go. We were surprised that there were no tears or screaming. She actually seemed to really enjoy it. If we'd have let her sit in the warm water all day, I think she'd have been thrilled.

Eliana's Two Weeks Old!

Yesterday we had Eliana's two week check up. (Even though she was actually two weeks and one day old...) Her jaundice is no longer a concern, her belly button is healed, and she is very healthy. She weighed in at 10 lbs 8 oz! She also grew 1/2 inch so she is now 21 1/2 inches long. The doctor is impressed with her development (she can already roll from her back to her belly and vice versa).
Yay for a healthy baby!

Look what we've found in the laundry.

This is how a new mommy makes only one trip from the laundry room to the bedroom.

Observations of a New Daddy by a New Mommy

You know you have a new daddy in front of you if he is:

1. A tad bit over-protective. For instance within the first 15 min of having the baby at home as he gazes at his baby he says, "If any dog ever even barks at my daughter, I will drain its blood." (Just a note for you dog lovers, we have since walked past a few barking dogs with our daughter, and they all still have all of their blood.)

2. A tad bit unsure of himself. For instance when the baby is absolutely inconsolable and mommy has done everything a mommy can do, daddy stands to hold the baby vertical and rock back and forth. The new daddy says as the baby whimpers, "I am not very good at this." Yet within 2 minutes of that statement the new daddy's baby is sleeping soundly. (And the mommy is happily relaxing on the bed thinking she has the best husband in the world.)

3. Extremely in love with his daughter. You know a new daddy is in love with his daughter when every time he comes home and sees, holds, or thinks of his daughter he glows as he says, "She is so beautiful!" (The wife then glows because occasionally the new daddy follows this comment with the loving comment, "I knew I would have a beautiful daughter because I have a beautiful wife.")

What a good new daddy!

Cleaning?!

You can ask my mom, my husband, or any of my college roommates...cleaning is not my thing. I only clean if someone is coming over or the situation is desperate. Today, however, I dusted and vacuumed our room AND I washed our sheets for no other reason than to make sure Eliana was well taken care of (with the bonus of knowing Franklin will be super impressed). I feel like I have graduated to a new level of either adulthood or mommyhood. :) We'll see if this cleaning thing lasts of if it's just the short lived excitement of having a new little one.