4 Months Old

What a cutie! I'm not biased at all, but she sure does put up a fight for the cutest (chunkiest) little girl around. A couple of weekends ago, we went and visited Catelyn in Holland, MI and took all the kids to the beach. It was kinda stressful, but the beach was beautiful. It was the first time the kids had been to one. In fact, Ethan came home and told us "I need a bigger sandbox". The kids kept wiping their feet off because there was sand on them. Nevermind that there was sand everywhere, especially in our van afterwards. We also spent some time with my sisters and their cousins. The kids always like playing with their cousins.

Elizabeth is getting so big already. Part of me is sad at how fast she is growing because I know it's the last time to see it. Toby is officially off the fathering wagon, he had the surgery done a couple of weeks ago. Elizabeth is starting to eat cereal now. I forgot how frustrating it is for them to learn to eat. She is always spitting it out and it drives me crazy. She's eating 4 times a day, about every 4 hours. She really is a good girl. When I take her to the gym, half the time she is still sleeping in her car seat when i pick her up. She loves to smile at everyone and anyone as well. Oh, and she's sucking her thumb at night now too. We've been so blessed with a wonderful little girl.

Elizabeth: The Shining Star

Well, she is officially 3 mos. now. Can you believe it? Time sure does fly by, it seems like just yesterday that she was a teeny little newborn. Now, she's a big ole' chunker with some massive thighs. She is absolutely the best baby in the whole world (i'm not biased at all). I can take her anywhere and she doesn't fuss at all. She lets anyone hold her and even strikes up conversation with a few smiles thrown in. Our biggest dilemma is her inability to just "take care of business". She seems to struggle with it, and grunts and groans at usually about 5 am trying to get it out. Once she finally does, it usually results in clean-up because the diaper just can't hold it all. I mean it though, she is so low maintenance. We usually just plop her down in front of some dangling toys and she's good to go. Haley and Ethan do a good job of entertaining her too when she does get a little bit fussy. I hope the trend continues and she stays happy. It sure make my life swell!

You Are My Sunshine (12 weeks)

Elizabeth has been sharing her joy with the world regularly. She loves to smile for everyone, and she loves laughing at brother, sister, mom, and dad. She's starting to talk a little bit too. She's still sleeping through the night (although we have to get up occasionally to plug that mouth) and growing by leaps and bounds.

The Many Smiles of Ellie!

It sure is nice to get some appreciation. This girl loves to show it!

She Laughs!

On Saturday, Elizabeth had her first laugh! Daddy was playing peek-a-boo with her and she just belted it out. In fact, she couldn't stop. Since then, mom has been trying, but to no avail. So, Dad gets the advantage. She is also improving on the talking. A few more coos have appeared here and there. Ellie has also been sleeping through the night consistently. She goes down around 9:30 pm and wakes up between 6-7 am. Praise The Lord! We are so blessed to have this time to sleep now, and when we most need it. She continues to grow and officially has rubberband wrists. I really enjoy holding her and marveling at God's special little creation.

She's 2 Months!

Yesterday Elizabeth visited the doctor for her 2 month check-up. She now weighs 12 lbs. 12 oz., which is less than i suspected (she's a big girl) and is 23 1/2" long. The poor girl had to have 4 shots, so she was a little cranky. She has thrown out a few coos here and there and is still working on that giggle. She continues to be more alert and has almost perfected getting that thumb into her mouth. On Sunday night, she slept 8 hours, so hopefully soon she will be sleeping through the night.

6 Weeks Old

We visited grandparents over the Easter weekend and got all dressed up. Here are pictures of our cute little bunny. :) She's pretty much smiling every time after she eats as well. She's trying really hard to make sounds too, but just ends up opening her mouth with nothing coming out.

Ellie also got to spend some time with her cousin Dominick. Even though he has filled out some too, we think Elizabeth has got him beat!

5 Weeks Old

Ethan is definitely the protective older brother.
Here he is laying down with and hugging her.

Sometimes Elizabeth will find her own thumb
to console herself.

She also has a herculean grasp as she has
on Crystal's hair in this photo.

4 Weeks Old: We Have A Smile!

We finally got a smile out of her this week. It isn't consistent yet, but it was more than just because of gas. We think she might be getting her days and nights mixed up a little bit because we've had a few rough nights. It also appears that we may have a puker; something we're not used to. Last week, Aunt Amber came to visit with her little boy Dominick (they're only 4 days apart). It was neat to see how different the two little babies were even though they're so close in age. Elizabeth has definitely surpassed her brother in weight (when he was this age) as she was a whopping 11 lbs. 13 oz. at her 1 month weigh-in. She gained 3 whole pounds!!!!

3 Weeks Old

At 3 weeks, we still haven't seen many changes. She is starting to hold her head up better, but still flops it down after several seconds. We haven't seen any smiles (except for during those bouts of gas). She is staying awake longer during her wake times and is starting to sleep longer at night (about 3.5 hours at a time). It's pretty clear that Ethan and Haley love playing with their sister, and protecting her. The two of them spent a couple days at Granny and Paw-Paw's last week, so Toby and I were able to spend some time doing those things we used to do without hauling three kids around, like getting groceries, and shopping. It's amazing how hard we thought those things were with just one child, and how easy it now seems with just one child. I started my diet last week and hope to get back to the gym within the next week. Some may think it's too soon, but when all you've got to wear is maternity clothes, it can sure be a motivater. Elizabeth goes in for her weigh-in next Monday, but i'm sure they'll find she's gained quite a bit. She'll be a little sumo wrestler before ya know it!

2 Weeks Old

Elizabeth is now 2 weeks old. Not much new with her, she's still in the comatose state and sleeping all the time. She wakes up almost exactly every 3 hours to nurse. We have a hard time keeping her awake for her wake time. Overall, she is a very good baby. The rest of the family is doing well too. Mom and Dad are starting to get used to the schedule and brother and sister love her to death. Ethan was distraught today because she was crying to sleep. He wanted to hold her because he didn't want her to cry.

1 Week Old

Elizabeth is now 1 week old and doing very well. She has gotten on a good nursing schedule and doesn't require much extra coaxing to go to sleep once she's been put down. She is starting to open her eyes alot more and look around at her surroundings. Mom is very tired, but feeling very good; not much soreness. Ethan and Haley really enjoy her "wake" time as they do a good job of keeping her awake.

We're Home!

After 2 days at the hospital, we finally got to come home with Elizabeth. She is such a good little baby already. She is nursing so well, and sleeping pretty good between feedings. We were very excited that we didn't have to bring home a bili blanket with this one for her jaundice. Haley and Ethan are full of innocent questions. It will take some adjusting for them as they are already testing their boundaries, but they love Elizabeth and are anxious to spend time with her.

Baby's Here!!

Little Elizabeth Danielle joined us just before 4pm on Monday. She weighed in at 8lbs 70z, and 20 inches long. She's perfectly healthy, although she gave us a little scare during delivery when her heart rate was dropping during every contraction. It turns out that the cord was wrapped around her neck, but it ended up being just fine. Here are some very early picts of our newest little darling.

Last Belly Photos

Here are some photos we took before baby arrives and the belly is gone.