Thanksgiving Festivities

What a difference a year makes!!

Last year at Thanksgiving, Chris & I were in Germany with his dad & Donna. We visited the Cologne Cathedral, the Luxembourg National Cemetery, and lots of little towns in between. We marveled at the Christmas Markets, drank warm gluwein, and ate weinerschnitzel for Thanksgiving dinner at a little place called Mom's. Life was good.

This year, my dad, Chris's dad, Donna & Grandmama all came out to Columbus to celebrate Thanksgiving with us in our home. It was the first one that I've ever hosted, and I had so much fun preparing our house for our visitors. We talked and laughed, played Mexican Train, braved Black Friday crowds and enjoyed being together. We had a traditional Thanksgiving Feast; turkey & dressing, sweet potato casserole, green beans, corn, rolls, homemade cranberry sauce and 4 pies. It was soo yummy, and I'm still full!

But the biggest difference between this year and last wasn't the location or the food. It was that we were able to share this Thanksgiving with our precious daughter for the 1st time. Last year I was dreaming of a baby to call our own. This year, all of my hopes, prayers and dreams were a reality. I am so very thankful for the blessings that have been bestowed upon our family. And this year...Life is GREAT!

Nana to the Rescue...and other news :)

I am so blessed. Truly, I am. After feeling like I was losing my mind last week, I cried mercy and asked my mom to come out for a few days to help me. Now she doesn't just live down the block, mind you. She lives a good 9 hours away. Yet...she came. No questions asked, she came. And it was exactly what I needed.

Do you ever feel like your mom just has all the answers? I mean, I just don't understand how her mere presence can calm me down sometimes. Her gentle reassurance that I am, in fact, a good mother was so sweet to hear. Chris can tell me that all day, but I guess hearing it from my mom, someone who's been through everything herself, just makes me feel like she might just know what she's talking about :) I am so thankful for her.

Elli is doing much better now that she's eating better! There are times when she'll eat upwards of 6 oz! Uhhh, considering I was only able to give her 3 1/2 at a time I'm surprised that she was sleeping at all!! She's doing well with the formula, she doesn't seem to notice a difference at all really. And her sleeping is getting a little bit better as well. I won't say the problem has totally gone away, but we're improving and that's all I can ask for :)

She's still such a happy little baby. You might be surprised since it seems all I do is complain about her lack of sleep! Gosh, I really need to work on that! She's so curious these days, and seems to learn something new every day. Her new "trick" is grabbing the rings of her bouncy chair. She just loves it, and will crack herself up doing it! I just love seeing her little face light up when she does something new...it makes all of those sleepless night totally worthwhile :)

By the way...

Thanks everyone, for your VERY helpful swaddle tips!! We've now purchased a sleep sack, and we're ordering another swaddle blanket tonight (just in case). Can you tell that the sleep deprevation is getting to me?? This normally frugal girl is willing to spend just about anything to get at least 4 hours of sleep :) You guys are great! Keep those tips coming and I'll keep you posted on the results!

Hungry Girl

Yesterdays phone conversation w/ the pediatrician's office....

Nurse: Hi Amy, I was just calling you back to address your questions about Elli's sleep patterns.

Me: Uhh, yes. You're my last resort...I just can't help but think there is something wrong. My baby wakes up every 2 hours during the night and she's 11 weeks old.

Nurse: Well, every baby is different, so what works for one might not work for another.

Me: (totally dejected) Well, thanks anyway. I do have another question...I'm only getting about 3 oz when I pump, and when I give her the bottle at night she's taking upwards of 5 oz. Could it be that I'm not producing enough milk?

Nurse: (silent for a moment) Well shu-gah (we're in the South remember), that could be the problem. Honey, you're baby's hungry!

So, much to my utter embarrassment, I have been complaining about my sweet child's sleep patterns when really she's just been super hungry! I think this is the first of many bad-mommy moments! But, we're on track now and will be supplementing formula after every feeding from now on. We'll see how it goes tonight...I'm hoping for a miracle :)

To Swaddle or Not To Swaddle

Elli has always been swaddled at night. If she's not wrapped up super tight, her hands go crazy and she'll wake herself up. We were even swaddling her when she was in her bouncy seat beside our bed and she did fine. Now that she's in her pack 'n play (and if you're wondering why she's not in her crib, just read a few posts down!), she HATES to be swaddled. She seems to be okay when we first put her down, but after a few moments of serene silence she has a meltdown and starts screaming. The thing is, if we take it off of her she can't sleep b/c her arms still seem to have a life of their own! So, what to do?? I'm thinking of retiring the actual swaddle blanket, but maybe just using a regular blanket instead (though I have to say that I haven't had much luck with that in the past). Any of you mommies out there have a similar problem?? I'm all ears if you have any tips or solutions!

Lofty Goals

I'm on a decorating kick! I am constantly looking around my living room thinking about what I can move around/add/get rid of/paint. Chris calls it an obsession, I call it...well, maybe an obsession, but whatever! So on Thursday I made the hour trip up to Tupelo, MS to Hobby Lobby. I had this wonderful vision of all the great things I would get to help make my living room look better. I just knew that I'd walk out of that store w/ a basket full of goodies. I had a plan, I had the money, I had these great lofty goals, and do you know what I bought? Do you know what I walked out of there with???

A glue gun!

My plans were foiled the minute I started looking in the Christmas section. I got overwhelmed, lost focus, and essentially just gave up. I'm thinking that the next time I go I should take a buddy!

Halloween

We had a great Halloween this year!! My dad, sister, brother-in-law, niece and nephew all came out to meet Elliana for the first time, and we had a blast. We went to the Fall Festival at a local church, and then Chris & I took everyone up to the base to go trick-or-treating. Thanks to her wonderful grandparents, Miss Elli had three cute outfits for the evening. She started off the day in her sweet "My 1st Halloween" onsie, then changed into a pumpkin, and ended the night as a flower. Some people might think that's a little over the top...not me!! I loved it!! She was a great sport and let us take lots of pictures. Thank goodness she's pretty laid back! What would I do if she wasn't into letting me dress her up all the time?!!

It was so wonderful to get to see my niece and nephew again. We made cookies, watched movies, played in the yard, and just enjoyed being together. I hate that I miss out on so much of their lives, but it just makes me truly appreciate the time that we do have together. I love being an aunt, and I'm so excited for Elli to have 2 of the greatest cousins in the world :) Here are some pics of our weekend...

First Halloween
Elli as a flower
Such a cutie!
I love this little pumpkin!!

Papa & Elli at the park
Landry & Elliana
She had a GREAT 1st Halloween!

The Thompson Family

It's an Elli World!!

Life around here pretty much revolves around Miss Elli these days, and I can't say that I mind a bit!! She is such a joy, and I feel so blessed to be able to spend every day with her. I have to admit, I was feeling a little bit overwhelmed in the beginning (but what new mom doesn't, right?). But now that we've got a little routine down I don't feel so...well...completely helpless! I'm happy to report that our nights are a LOT less stressful now that we've moved Elli into our room to sleep. I know, I know, we totally went backwards on the whole sleeping arrangement thing. She started out in her crib from day one and now, at 2 months, she's in our room. But, you know what? I've learned to accept the "whatever it takes" advice. And, it works for us so I'll take it :)

Each day brings with it something new. She is smiling all the time now, and laughing occasionally! She can focus on things, and definitely knows her mommy & daddy's voices. She loves to look in her little mirror when she has "floor time", and she's staying awake for a good hour before she starts getting sleepy again. We're still working on the napping w/o being held...she doesn't like that so much! And, she's not a big fan of "tummy time", but we try to find other ways to help her build up her little neck muscles. She LOVES to go places and be around people. I think she takes after me in that arena!! She's just so much fun, and I wake up happy every morning knowing that she's ours...what a tremendous blessing!

I thought I'd share some pics of her just being her :)