my little papoose

here is elise in our moby wrap. robert did an amazing explanation of the moby on their blog (wings in the peddlar's pack). elise and i are loving it! i can carry her close and she's warm...and she falls asleep in about five minutes!! here's me and my little papoose! (i'll have to work on getting a better picture!)

our family

we finally have a family photo of the three of us. just looking at it leaves me in awe. God has been so good to us.

while i'm posting pictures, here is elise with her cousin jonas yesterday. their expressions are worth a thousand words!

oma realized in looking at this picture...that while jonas is quite upset...elise is quite unsure of what's causing his discomfort...yet she's holding his hand to help him feel better!

pretty in pink

elise continues to grow and change before our very eyes. she's becoming more alert, looking all around, and is gaining neck strength. when you hold her she is lifting her head up and turning to the sides...you have to watch out or she'll just flop herself right over! here is a picture from today. thanks to hand-me-downs from some friends, she is wearing pink and purple these days instead of just green and yellow!

a glimpse into my heart

i don't like people to know that i don't have it all together. i know it sounds silly, but it's true. yesterday and today, i hit a low. elise has been very fussy and it has brought out a lot in me. i have felt frustrated and upset. i have shed tears. and this morning, the Lord met me here and showed me my pride and my desire for control. i want to have this scheduling thing down with her...i want to have it all together...i want to look like a "good mom". i see in myself so much pride and a desire for man's praise...so much sin.

God convicted me through a web site i stumbled upon called, "How to Survive Baby Boot Camp". Here's the link in case anyone wants to check it out. it's off the Focus on the Family site: http://www.family.org/parenting/A000000457.cfm i was challenged to relinquish control, ask for help, give up my desire for perfection, and recognize and admit i can't do it all by myself...and that's ok. i was having so much trouble getting elise to sleep yesterday...and as i type this, where is she? sleeping :) Thank you Lord for that gift. the Lord is so good to show me my heart...to reveal sin that i need to repent of (through my 3 week old daughter no less)...and to remind me once again of His love for me just as i am and His sustaining grace that will show me the way one day at a time.

two important days

yesterday marked 13 years that i have been a believer and follower of Jesus. it was 13 years ago yesterday that i was at a youth retreat in the poconos, with a friend who cared enough to bring me. until that point, even though i'd been raised catholic, having gone through eight years of ccd classes, i had never heard what i heard that weekend. finally i was told the simple truth: that Jesus loved me enough to come to earth to die for my sins. i can't tell you the exact words the speaker said...but i can tell you that something happened in my heart. Jesus sought me out that night i responded to His call through prayer. i cannot describe the overflowing joy that filled my heart...i cried tears of joy, which despite all the tears i had shed up to that point in my life over my parents' divorce, lack of my father's presence, fear, loneliness...i had never cried tears of joy before. Jesus had filled the empty place in my heart. finally, it was filled. thank you Lord for seeking me, saving me, and holding me close these 13 years. i am eternally grateful.

the second important day is today. Elise is already 3 weeks old! unbelieveable! Lord, may she come to know you as well. thank you Jesus for this precious gift of life.

sleepy girl

elise is a sleeper. i know all newborns are...but i'm convinced she's more sleepy than some. she falls asleep just about anywhere at anytime. she's quite the snuggler and loves to fall asleep on your chest. and she's famous for falling asleep while nursing. and to top it off she seems to be like her mama and able to sleep through anything...smoke detectors going off, papa putting in new vents, daddy using his nail gun, saw, and hammer, football games on tv, josie barking, me dropping stuff...you name it! i don't know if she'll outgrow this wonderful ability or if we'll be blessed enough that she stays this way...but here are some shots of our sleepy little girl :)

sleeping on her mama...

sleeping in the cradle papa made her...

sleeping on her daddy...

sleeping on her mama again...

sleeping on her papa...

and just in case you were wondering...yes, she does spend some waking hours during the day :)

oma, these are for you

oma, we're so glad you get to be in california with baby nora. please know that we miss you though and hope you enjoy some more pictures! here are some from the other day along with one of her trying eat daddy's nose! she's changing every day it seems. she's having more awake times during the day (and at night occasionally!). she's focusing more and loves looking at the fans and the picture on the living room wall. amazing...

a visit from mimi

mimi came over today to help me out. elise officially peed on her while she was getting changed. and we took time for a quick photo shoot. maybe we'll even ave time to finish pride and prejudice!

all is well

elise continues to do well. she's getting on to a sleeping/eating cycle which is nice. occasionally though she won't go to sleep after eating (at night especially)...but she loves to fall asleep on one of our chests. there is nothing like a sleeping baby all cuddled up on your chest. today was my first afternoon by myself. things are healing nicely and i'm moving around more and better than before. praise God for that. these pictures are from a few days ago, but i love them!

our first trip out

here is our little one, sleeping soundly after our first trip out today! we left the house today! (our first time since coming home from the hospital) elise had her first doctor's appointment and she did wonderfully. she was great in her car seat (although mom and i had a heck of a time adjusting the straps...(would have been funny to have caught that on tape!) so we were a bit late for the appointment but the lady at the front desk got a laugh out of our car seat troubles, so i don't think they minded. elise was weighed and has already gotten back to her birth weight...even a bit over (8.1 lbs) and she's now 21 inches long. she did wonderfully at the office and was so alert, looking around at everything. of course when the doctor started checking her out, she started working on a nice poopy diaper. we changed her and just as i was about to dress her, she pooped again! gotta laugh! overall, she did beautifully! and to top it all off, she slept the whole way home. our little sweetie!!

more pictures of elise

with daddy after her first bath

"the thinker"

wide eyed

elise with her cousins

daddy's little girl