Halloween

Eliana's second Halloween.

Last year she was a very cute pumpkin.

This year

she was a very cute

Snow White.

We took her to a small gated street 

where there was about 12-15 houses.

Eliana was so excited.

Not as much as I was

I'm sure.

She did a great job.

She wanted to walk the entire time.

The first house

they had music and as soon

as she stepped to the front door

the Ghost Busters 

theme song

came on.

She just danced her booty away!

She didn't want to leave.

At the end of it she was worn out

and we were ready to eat her candy :)

The Big 1!!

Exactly a year ago

Eliana Marie

was born.

A beautiful girl.

Before she was born 

I new exactly who she would be.

A smart girl.

Before Casey and I were married,

my mother and I feared if I would be able to conceive.

A month and two weeks into our marriage

I found out I was pregnant.

I thank my Heavenly Father for giving me such a precious gift.

A gift that will help me learn in every way.

Today she is 

1

She has grown so much 

learned a lot

has taught me a lot.

I thank the Lord every day

for the opportunity that I have 

to be home with her.

To be able to watch her grow.

See every milestone.

Her first words.

Her first teeth.

The first time she crawled.

Her first steps.

So many memories that I will not forget.

Yesterday we were able to give her a birthday party.

It was fun.

She had a great time.

We ate.

Had music.

The kids broke a Pinata.

Took home a goody bag.

Sang Happy Birthday to her.

Which she liked.

And at home we opened her gifts.

I had a great time planning and shopping

for her party.

I can't wait for all the other ones to come.

I already have the theme for next year!

11 Months!

Holy Cow! 

11 Months already?

We have enjoyed these 11 months

and watching Eliana grow has just been

the best thing.

Being able to stay at home with her is what I always dreamed.

Well being able to stay at home with the kids was my dream.

Eliana has done a lot this month.

Grew some teeth.

Likes Patty Cakes.

Ate cheerios. (Made her gag)

Drinks from sippy cups. (Not the ones that she has to suck. The bigger kid ones. Sometimes she takes in a little too much but she just coughs it up with big red eyes and a huge smile.)

And learned to walk.

She is still a little scared to walk on her own.

She feels like she needs to hold onto our fingers.

Dear Eliana,
We love you very much. You are almost a year old and our love for you grows more each day. Your baby brother is almost here! We know you are going to love him. How? Because you show love to other children, especially babies. You like to cuddle with them, giving them huge hugs. You are a lot like your mommy and not in the best way hehe but we love that you are very talkative. Just like you are a lot like mommy you are also a lot like daddy, very loving and caring. I love when I watch a movie that makes me cry you stare at me and wipe the tears off my face. This is how I know you will be a great sister, but trust yourself like we trust you. You can walk! We are always there to comfort you when you fall and pick you up but you can do it.

I haven't been able to post like I use to.

About everything.

Or even write things down.

It's a little hard with a little that wants my attention all the time.

Not a bad thing.

But very tiring especially with this pregnancy.

But I love being able to watch her grow.

10 Months 2 to go!!!

Wow 10 Months!

I can say that the months have passed by so fast

but so we have enjoyed every minute of it!

This month Eliana has done so much to get in trouble

She has chewed all the dvd boxes that she got ahold of!

She even got a hold of some the library ones.

She bit mommys (both) shoulders, cheek, and a toe this morning!

She grew 2 top teeth and I can see the next one. 

She wakes up in the middle of the night for feeding.

 Last night she was up from 2-5ish am.

She kept tossing and turning.

Today she is fussy one. 

Those teeth are bothering her.

Happy 10 months baby girl!

9 Months!!!

3 Months Left!

And she will be 1 year old!

Today we had her 9 months dr visit...

No shots!

Thank goodness because I just can't watch that!

She did good.

She is 3 months older than the last time she was at the Dr...

So she wanted to touch everything.

She was only pricked so that they could get blood drawn to check for Anemia...

No worries she is healthy as healthy can be.

She weighs 17 lbs and 11.5 oz

She is 28 in long.

The only time she cried was when we had to hold her ankle so she would sit still.
Dr said she is one healthy baby and the only thing left for her to do is drive the car.
Can't believe how fast the time has gone!

7 Months!!

Today Eliana turned 7 Months!

No shots!

No doctor visit!

O how she is growing!

We have only been in Texas for a month and people are already saying how big she looks.

I see her everyday so I can't tell unless I look at pictures.

This month has been full of fun for Eliana.

She has seen her cousins and loves to be around them.

She loves to see their pictures at grandma Trish home.

She has become better around people.

She use to be inside our apartment and no one visited 

but now she's around a lot of family.

She loves being around her uncles Cristian and Christopher.

And why?

Because she loves to dance and listen to music

and they dance her and put music on for her.

She finally has a crib to sleep in and she enjoys it.

BUT

she also tries to pull herself up and out.

For now she can't.

Summer Fun!

So I had not gone to the zoo in who knows how long.

So my excuse was that I wanted to take Eliana.

I am so glad that we went.

Eliana enjoyed the animals.

She loved the flamingos.

(The first animal we saw)

We saw many animals that were amazingly huge.

She was afraid of the elephants at first but grew to like them.

I didn't want to leave with her fearing them.

She loves fishes.

Which is a good thing because I am terrified of them.

She also liked the penguins. 

And the animal she loved absolutely was the 

Sloth Bear.

She was excited to see a real life bear.

The only bear she has seen was a stuffed animal Po panda bear.

(Kung Fu Panda)

So when she saw the bear she was blowing kisses at him and even 

waved goodbye when we left him.

(We got it on video)

I was more excited to see Elianas reaction when she saw the animals.

I didn't want to miss the zoo before heading back to Utah.

My parents joined us and we were so glad to have their company.

After a long and fun time

Eliana passed out.

I was done for the day as well.

 

Play Date!

Today Eliana had her first play date.

She enjoyed it more than I thought she would.

It was nice of my cousin Natyeli to invite us over.

She has a cute girl just 2 months older than Eliana.

Of course it's a little difficult for them to play with each other but they played with toys.

We had a good time. 

It was nice to catch up with my cousin and just think of how crazy things are.

20+ years ago our mothers took us on play dates and here we are with these two.

I am 2 months older than she is.

It was great!

A Mother's Day Gift

Having Eliana as my daughter has been one of the greatest gifts I could ever ask for.

I will never forget when I had a dream of her.

When I felt her first movements in my belly.

When she was born.

The joy she brings to us.

Each milestone is something so great!

Always reminds me of the great love my Heavenly Father has for me!

I look forward to every milestone 

and today she got her first tooth!

I know I'm going to miss her gummy smile!

Haircut!

Eliana had her first haircut today!

Yes by me.

I am a cosmetologist and worked 3 years in a kids salon

I would say its allowed.

She did much better than a lot of the kids at the salon.

I was afraid though.

I didn't want to cut it too short

but in order to even it out I think I should have cut it shorter.

But for now it's good enough.

I can drink from a cup!

Let's face it

Eliana just thinks she is older than what she is

And can just do about everything we can

including

drinking from a glass or cup.

Yes. 

She is only 6 months and thinks she can.

Well

She can.

But she's moving too fast.

We are letting her do this because it will be easier to take her away from a sippy cup.

She also likes to drink from water bottles.

She just wants to do everything the way we do it.

It was quite entertaining watching her do it.

Such a smart girl!!

Texas at last!

We finally made it to Texas

and 

even though Ms. Eliana had her shots

she did great!

She slept during the trip and did not wine.

She had never really been out or seen trailer trucks.

So when we would stop to eat 

we would take her out and she would just be amazed about the trucks

the cars

the scene.

She played when she was awake and slept the rest of the time

when she wasn't eating.

The trip was more tiring on us than on her.

Home Sweet Home

Roadtrip!

Woohoo it's Texas Time!
But before that we had Eliana's 6 month appointment.
She is doing great!
Healthy as always!
The shots is not the best part...
But she is growing and is still in the 75th percentile for height
and 25th percentile for weight.
The only thing that we are hoping during the trip is that Eliana does well
and doesn't get uncomfortable or tired of sitting.
Texas here we come!

Dad Visits!

So excited for this weekend! 

We are off to Texas!!

Woohoo!

We get to see the whole family...we hope.

Before we go my dad came to visit us.

We enjoyed his company.

I, of course, missed him!

Eliana cried the entire first day he was here but after that she was fine with him.

We love my dad!

 

This cutie!!

So this past week 

Eliana has been a little crazy...

Rolling crazy...

Sock crazy...

Feet crazy...

 Chewing crazy...

even Screaming crazy.

We still love her.

Last Friday

we had dinner at Aunt Katherine and grandmas.

Melinda, Peter, and Cassidy were in town.

Eliana loved them.

That evening Eliana decided to

roll like crazy.

 I kept having to turn her.

Then one of the times I walked towards her

to turn her around again.

she began moving her arms and legs as if she could crawl 

away from me.

When we were home 

we noticed that we had to be careful and watch her anywhere 

she is placed because she gets a little crazy.

She can roll from back to belly

but once she is on her belly 

she begins to cry 

because she can't go anywhere

or roll back onto her back.

So if  I put her on the couch

she rolled.

Floor...roll.

Even as I changed her diaper 

I reached for the diaper 

rolled...

Reached for the baby powder

rolled off her diaper.

She's a quick one.

Trust me. 

For the past weeks

she has liked to keep her feet up.

When she's being changed 

it's very helpful.

When she eats 

at times

I have to hold the bottle between her legs

because she raises her feet. 

Since she likes to keep her legs up

she began to notice her socks.

 I guess she began wondering 

what was under them.

So, she began taking off her socks and throwing them.

 

Then I caught her actually taking the socks off 

and taking them to her mouth.

She began to think that mama may be a little interested in her hobby.

Nope.

So we decided that we needed to go on walks

especially when the weather is really nice.

Eliana has enjoyed these walks since she is seeing more.

The sky, trees, etc.

Since we walk around a park

we have stopped several times

to take a nice break

and spend some time.

Eliana also enjoys this.

It was a great week!!!

Rolling!

Just in time!

Eliana decides to roll over by herself the day

before she turns 5 months.

It's great!...

except we missed it.

I was busy cleaning the sink under the restroom.

Casey was studying right in front of her

He called me and she was just on her tummy like nothing. 

This is the first time she rolls on her own period.

She hadn't rolled from her tummy to her back until the second time she rolled 

from her back to her tummy...

that was on accident.

The second time..

again..

I was in the bathroom 

Casey was in the kitchen.

He at least caught the end of her roll.

But it's great!

The times she rolled onto her tummy

she started to move her hands and legs 

as if trying to crawl.

Uh-Oh!

She may even be crawling by when we go to Texas.

Nothing is better than watching or catching

the little ones milestones.

What are those...toes

So for the past couple of days when I leave Eliana

Then come back

I notice she has been holding her feet up high.

She stares at them and then starts touch them.

It's very cute

to see 

how she is discovering things and what they do.

The best part is walking in just seeing her feet up high in the play pen.

(Which has been her crib)

Such an adorable child.

She is such a blessing.

We may not want to be awake early

but as soon as we see her face 

she gives us a huge smile and just makes the mornings perfect.

Just looking at that gummy smile

makes everything better.

The Little Stinker

Since we got back from Christmas, Eliana has grown a bit. Is it bad if a child is already half her mother’s height by the time she’s 4 months?

She is such a great child. She has slept 8-10 hours a night since Christmas. It is great! She wears her mother out! Mommy would like about 14 hours of sleep. Eliana has been trying to roll over for quite a bit. We’ve been trying to help her. Hopefully she will catch on quickly. She has experimented a lot with her sounds and it’s wonderful! We love every sound she makes and that she ends up with spit all over her face (and mommy’s sometimes). For some reason she only likes to move her right foot. She will move her left foot but only when she wants. We try to hold her right foot and she’ll then move her left. It’s as if she will be running on one foot. (I guess that would then be hopping) She doesn’t scratch her face now. She will only touch her face with the palm of her hand. It’s very cute. We get plenty of “Eliana and Mommy” Time and it’s great! I have her laughing but she doesn’t laugh for the camera. Quite sad. She has taken a sudden interest in our armpits. No idea why. She will take her index finger and try to pull our shirts so she can see our armpits. Bath time is begging to be fun for her. She has a very flirtatious smile. We love it. She makes our hearts melt. We love when she wakes up because she just wakes up with a bright smile every time. It’s adorable. Tummy Time is lasting longer than before and she’s doing great! She does good when it comes to taking the pacifier to her mouth she just needs to figure out what part goes in her mouth. Her hair is crazy uneven! But her first haircut will probably take place on her birthday.  (Trim) She prefers to sit over laying. She sometimes prefers to fall asleep on her own. And her favorite toy is still the doggy. When she sees that toy she goes crazy kicking and flapping with her eyes wide open. Then she tries to fit him all in her mouth and gets angry because he doesn’t fit. She likes pointing her feet. Hopefully a sign she will be a ballerina or gymnast. 

Her first day out in the sun.

The weather today was quite magnificent.

It was sunny.

Nice breeze.

So we decided to go for an ice cream.

I had a coupon for my birthday.

So Eliana was able to ride her car seat without her sight being blocked.

She was a happy girl.

Don't let the picture fool you.

She got really excited when she felt the breeze.

 I promise she wanted to jump.

It was quite funny.

(I carried her while we walked outside.)

We had fun and she enjoyed it.

Not sure why she had that expression.

Torticollis Checkup

So I posted before that Eliana had an appointment with the Pediatric Rehab.

We took her yesterday at 4. 

I would have posted when we got home but

I wasn't feeling well.

So we got there a little late

but made it.

They took us in and asked us questions.

Like...

Does she like to turn to one side more than the other?

Does she have a flat head?

Does she sleep on her back?

Does she sleep facing only to one side?

Etc.

But since our Dr visit on Feb 20,

She has been doing better.

So anyways they told us they were going to check her and if anything

they would do some x-rays.

May I say she made us look like liars again?

They asked us about tummy time and how long she lasted.

Our response?

"Oh about 3-4 times a day. She doesn't last more than 2 ish minutes."

I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

She lasted I'd say 10-15 minutes.

Not cool. But at the same time good.

In the end,

They told us she was one of the most normal babies they have ever seen.

They gave us some stretching exercises to do with her.

They also told us to keep an eye on her because it could be the end of torticollis or the beginning of it.

There were only two minor things.

Her neck needs a little more stretching to one side. 

Nothing bad.

And her trunk needs a little stretching,

because when she is sitting she tends to bend to her left side more.

They said it may have been something during the pregnancy (her position) or during labor.

Other than that everything went great. She was a happy baby and did everything for them. 

So I gave her tummy time earlier today and she did great!

Lasted 15 minutes.

Then she fell asleep.

Nice hair!

Woohoo for another day.

So this morning (the usual routine) Eliana woke up I fed her and she didn't fall asleep. So I decided daddy needed a rest and we went to the living room. It was all fun and games until I looked at the microwave clock. 5:15 am What?! I thought it was later. It's ok. I'm not that tired apparently. So I put Eliana in the swing. She fell asleep around 6:30. Off to bed back again. 

Such a silly girl.

Today...let me tell you. Today was the day she wanted to set a trend. Check out the hair. That is a faux hawk my friends.

Feeding solid went pretty good again. I think she enjoyed it a little more. 

So proud of the little girl. She is very dependent. She doesn't want mama to put her to sleep she has been doing it on her own since we got back from Texas. No matter where she is. If she is sleepy she WILL fall asleep on her own. I was changing her diaper and she was falling asleep. It was kinda funny. When I was done. Bam! Gone. She's good. 


Our only problem...she was in bed by 7:30 pm

Woohoo!

Phew! I was a bit scared for last night but Eliana was perfect. She fell asleep at 9:30pm and woke up at 8am!! Yay for Eliana!! So that was great.

That little one has gotten away from getting a bath yesterday. Every time I want to give her a bath it's like she knows and falls asleep, and well, if we wake her up she gets cranky. Not today though. She did not get away this time. After Casey went to school I gave her bath. Wish I had the camera. It was the first time she didn't wine or cry or wiggle because she didn't want a bath. She did great. Maybe she realized that she was due for one. Then, I let the water fall from the cup onto her belly slowly. She kept staring at the water fall and tried grabbing the water. Then I let it drop on her foot and she wiggled her little toes. Hurry for the perfect bath time.

She has officially discovered what she can do with her hand and now tries to reach for whatever she can. Even across her body. She reaches for the toys and loves her toy doggy. Just yesterday she was putting his ear in her mouth. Must like the texture. She got so angry when her hands were accidentally dropping the toy. She's trying though.

Today she had her first "solid" meal. Just about a teaspoon of rice cereal mixed with breast milk. We tried feeding her on Monday but after the shots and doctor visit she was not happy. Today I succeeded. It wasn't much but it is what I wanted to start with. I believe at first she was like "um what is this?" Then she couldn't keep her eyes off the bowl and spoon.

Today I also made her appointment to get evaluated for "torticollis".  March 1. So let's pray that she doesn't have this. It may not be something that the nurse considered "bad" or a "problem" but I don't want to find something, like that, wrong with Eliana. She seems fine to me.

Other than that. Today was a mighty fine day.

One more thing. How can I make this girl stop putting her fingers in her mouth. I give her toys and still she likes to chew on her finger. I guess you can't break a habit from a baby yet. Every time I see her I take her hands out of her mouth. But seriously at times her fingers go in to far, she starts gagging (and coughing at times). And then smiles as if it was funny. I guess she forgets because it happens a lot.

What a Night!

Not the best night but it wasn't the worst. So obviously Eliana got her shots yesterday. Not fun. Can't blame her. She decided she needed to sleep. She fell asleep at 5 pm. Way too early. She was done for the day. Casey decided that he needed to wake her up. The poor child. She did not want to wake up but she needed to eat. So around 7 or 8 Casey made her a bottle to wake her up. She would not wake up. She ate alright but not for one second did she open up those beautiful brown eyes. I can't blame her after a long day. Anyways she thought the perfect time to wake up was at 3:30 am. It's a good thing Casey let me sleep in yesterday before starting the day because I was not a bit tired when she woke me up. I fed her (breastfed and formula) and laid her in her bassinet. She fell back to sleep within 20 min. It wasn't all that bad. Then she woke up again at 8 am. I just hope that we get back into her routine tonight. I don't know what I will do if that doesn't happen. Wish me luck.

4 month Doctor visit

Woohoo! So Eli Belly Jelly Bean in officially 4 months old. Time is flying a little quicker than usual but it's perfect. Eliana is growing everyday and we love her very much. So today she got her shots. Not a bad thing but I don't like seeing her in pain. I don't think any mother likes to see their children in pain. Luckily I have a great husband who holds her while she gets her shots because lets just say I get a little teary. Is that bad? Anywho. Before going to the doctor Casey and I (along with Eliana) went to the movie theater. We watched The Secret World of Arrietty. It was great. We picked this movie since it was Elianas first time in a movie theater we figured that maybe a quiet movie would be fine. At first she seemed a bit startled during the previews. They were a bit loud. I made sure to cover her ears a bit so it wasn't too loud. When the movie started she was enjoying it and fell asleep. Maybe a little too quiet for her lol. The cinemark is at the mall so before heading to the doctor and after the movie we walked around the mall. Kids clothing are so cute but money does not grow on trees.

We were a bit early at the doctor, which I don't mind, so they took us in. Eliana got weighed and measured. She weighed 12 lbs and 13 oz. She has gained about 3 lbs in the past 2 months. She measured 25 in. So she is on the taller side. Thank goodness. Don't want the child to be short like her mother. After that we had the nurse practitioner come in (she was awesome) and talk to us and exam Eliana. She did tell us that we should take Eliana to a chiro or something to get her neck looked at. She seems to like to turn to one side more and hold her head at a 45 degree angle. She just wanted to be safe, she said nothing serious. Then the most tense part for me...her shots. I am sorry if this makes me a weirdo or whatever it shall be named, but I cannot hold her while she gets her shots. I cried the last time and when she got her ears pierced. (And when she finally held her head up...shh) Those were of joy though. So luckily my husband was the brave one, he still wanted to cry. (He told me that later.) I did not, however, cry this time. Almost. So I held her until she was calm. Now she doesn't have to worry for another 2 months. Yippee. The poor child has taken 3 naps since then and the last one she's been out for quite a while. Even though this was hard on me she did a great job.

During this month this little girl has done a lot. Grown. Obviously. She is less unhappy about tummy time. They last longer. Loves to put things in her mouth. Likes to look at her hands a lot. Loves to hold onto our fingers. She is a strong girl. Always has been. She has been trying to roll over and hopefully this month that goal will be achieved. She has enjoyed looking at herself in the mirror and squealing at the top of her lungs. She enjoys playing with her toys and chatting away. (cooing and gagaing) And if there is one thing that she likes to do in the mornings after eating is watching a little of mickey mouse clubhouse. She smiles just looking  at pictures of mickey and minnie. She already recognizes them. That is only to entertain her while Casey and I have breakfast before he goes to school.

I just love being a mother. Well...her mother.

Roll over...o ok just break dance

For the past week I have noticed that anywhere that I lay Eliana she quickly tries to roll on her stomach. It doesn't make sense to me. Well I guess it does but she doesn't like being on her tummy. When I set her on the play mat she tried rolling over. So I decided I'd watch her and see what she would do. I want her to do it on her own and if I need to I will help. She needs those muscles worked. So this went on for about an hour. She kept trying to roll onto her tummy but nothing. She was just break dancing on that floor. It's ok Eliana I am here to cheer you all the way. In the end she fell asleep when she was really close to getting to the position where she started. One day. Maybe next week.

Good Girl...Bad Time

So it's the Saturday before Valentine's and the last thing we want is to spend money that we don't have. Well we have some just in case but we'd rather not spend it. So a while back I won a free 10x13 picture and I decided to schedule it today. Not good. Not that it would interfere with anything but you'll see what I mean. So we get there and Eliana is great! All I want is a family portrait right? No. The photographers are sneaky. She says first Eliana by herself. Now you have to know that Eliana will not keep her head up while tummy time. She just doesn't feel like it is important in any way. The lady asks if Eliana is ok with being on her tummy. We say not really. Um she made us look like liars. She was beautiful for the pictures. What did mom and dad have to end up doing? Buy them. Of course. That is the last time we take her to fancy "Get a free pic" place. Obviously we will go to other places but that's the last time we go there. She was such a good girl at a bad time. 

3 Months!

This month unlike the others went by quick. Perhaps because half of this month was spent in Texas. The other half at home trying to recover from the trip.

She has goo'd and gaga'd more than the other months and smiles every time we talk to her. (well just about...sometimes she just doesn't want to hear it).

She has finally learned to grab things. She's not very good at it but she is doing it more often. It's a bit interesting as she struggles, but very nice that she is trying.

Christmas Break! Worst and Best!

Wow where to start? 
So the worst part of the break was that I spent about half of the break without an arm and hand. It was there...just not working. It needed a little oil. I held Eliana with one arm and hurt it on our way to Texas. That night we got there until 3 days later ...PAIN! Thank goodness my mother is a massage therapist. Hurt like nothing before (not even labor pains were this painful). But being able to see the family and such made up for it.
Then something happened that can't get out of my head that was a little embarrassing to me but you can't take time back. It's all good. I won't see them for at least another 6 months. Maybe it will be forgotten. 


Now the best... Family. Everyone else (not grandmas) who had not seen Eliana except in pictures were able to finally meet her. Such a sweet girl. 


Casey and I got to go to the movies and watch Sherlock Holmes. It had been a while. 


Crazy parties and long nights with my family but I enjoyed it. I missed them all. Great food from both sides of the family. Different but yummy.


We had Eliana's first professional photo shoot. Thanks to my Aunt Yessenia and Unlce Chris but the girl wasn't all in the mood. No matter. The pictures turned out beautiful.


Eliana was able to get her baby blessing. Ugh. Late. We were late. How do you wake up at 7 am and arrive late to a baby blessing at 9. I will tell you. A cranky baby. She was just not in the mood. Little jelly bean was not having it. Yea so I was so embarrassed from being late that I didn't catch a word of her blessing. It was as if for minutes I was deaf. Yea so a couple of people pointed out that we were late. Yes we know that. They must not have kids or remember how babies can be. It's all good. At least it wasn't because we slept late. This was a wonderful thing for her to get her baby blessing with the ones we love. 


ELIANA GOT INTO A SLEEPING ROUTINE! Definitely a good thing.


The best part of the trip was Casey and I celebrated our 1 Year Anniversary. We were able to leave Eliana for a night with my parents and spend some time together. We ate at Ruby Tuesday's at the Harbor and spent the night talking away like before. It was great. Didn't want it to end. 


Last but not least I have no idea where to place this but we were going home with more than we left with. It's a good thing I am a freak about fitting things and we did not leave anything behind.


Finally Home Sweet Home. We looooove our families and we enjoy every second that we are with them but man home is home and we were ready to be home. So tired.