Happy New Years!!

Happy New Years Eve!!  I suppose I should be more festive but somehow today feels like an ordinary day.  Our blahs can be attributed to 2 sources:  (1) not having anywhere to go tonight and (2) Elayna's projectile vomiting.  It is a 'fun' day at our house.

I sense from most of our friends that everyone is laying fairly low tonight.  Maybe the economy causes people to cut back on New Year's fun.  Maybe chilly Phoenix causes the partiers to put away their little clothes.  Or maybe everyone is suffering from a little funk.... who knows?  In any case, we'll probably tuck Elayna in and sit outside in the hot-tub tonight.  Not very exciting but nice for us.

Also on today's to-do list:  rerun another wash of puked on sheets.  Elayna was so sick last night, poor thing.  She did sleep well -- after she fell asleep -- and woke up happy and hungry.  We were hopeful that the bug has passed but she just got sick again when we tried to put her down for her morning nap.  So after another clothes change she's finally sleeping and we'll see how the afternoon goes.  We've already decided not to hike this afternoon like we had planned.

I should also post some Christmas pictures.  We had a lot of fun Christmas -- Elayna didn't understand what was going on but it was sure exciting!!  We went to our friends Deb and Dan Lonergan for Christmas Eve dinner and had a great time.  John and Katherine Young joined us as well and Alicia dropped in after work.  Christmas day was quiet at our house but lots of yummy food and togetherness.

Playing with her new Elmo, Christmas Eve, Dan and Deb Lonergan's

Thanks Grandma Missy and Grandpa Cliff for her beautiful Christmas dress!!

Opening presents Christmas morning

Thanks Grandpa Jerry and Grandma Carol!  This toy table is one of her favorites and she's standing so great now!

Merry Christmas!!

Our sweet and happy baby!

All I want for Christmas

Merry Christmas!!  The count-down is officially here and I (surprisingly) am excited, relaxed, and ready!!  We are spending Christmas and News Years at home and I can't wait to introduce Elayna to a wonderful first holiday.  Our presents are bought (we went minimal this year), the decorations are as good as they're going to get, and our wealth of yummy food is in the fridge. 

We took Elayna to meet Santa tonight and had such a fun time!  However, I was very wrong about Sunday evenings being a good time -- Santa was really popular tonight and we had to wait over an hour to see him.  Surprisingly, we didn't mind; Kierland was beautifully decorated, and the outdoor mall had a lot to see and do while we waiting.  Even the crowd was in a good mood.

Aaron and I are both working all-day Monday and Tuesday morning this week.  Since we're paying for a full week of daycare, we're planning a 'date' on Wednesday.  While it seems a little crazy, I'm very excited to take my husband to lunch and a movie ... it feels like a special day indeed!  We are really looking forward to it -- and might plan a similar day for next week too!

4 days to go ... Merry Christmas!

Reindeer Run 5k

I always say that I wish we took advantage of more activities around Phoenix ... so to help us get in the holiday spirit our whole family ran the Reindeer Run 5k today at Tempe Town Lake.  This was Elayna's first race and it benefitted Toys for Tots -- so a great cause.

The race started at the Mill Avenue bridge and the entire event was exactly what I had hoped for.  It was non-competitive -- so although there were some serious runners the majority of the crowd were families or people just out for a fun morning.  Several people even dressed up like reindeer or snowmen or Santa (of course).  The course was beautiful, running around Tempe Town Lake and cutting into Papago Park. 

But best of all, our entire family had a great time!!  I am not a good runner (although I'm always talking myself into crazy things like this) but I still managed to run most of the race.  We stopped to take pictures, Elayna took a nap part-way through the race, and Aaron got to show off the jogging stroller (it is really awesome). 

Here are a few pictures!

Elayna's new Christmas jammies ... love the hat (although people kept calling her a boy).  It was chilly this morning so the hat was essential!

At the start of the race and about 2 miles in. 

Back at the parking lot.  I'm not sure who's happier to be done ... me or Elayna?

Mommy’s first overnight

I just got back last night from a work trip to San Francisco.  It was just a quick overnighter but because of my flight schedule I didn't see Elayna for 2 whole days.

My dual personalities fought the entire time; on one hand it was nice to have some alone time and spend time with my teammates.  On the other, I desperately missed my baby.  Elayna did great and Aaron even took a day off work to be home with her.  But so wonderful to see her fresh smile on my return!!

We are steadily preparing for our Christmas at home.  The tree is up and Elayna is only mildly interested in taking off the lights.  Here also is a new picture of her 'wrestling' the bear for her 8-month photo. 

Thanksgiving letter to Elayna

Dear Elayna --

It's Thanksgiving in Blackwell and the house is surprisingly quiet.  You are napping, the turkey is cooking, and it'll be hours before guests arrive.  So I find myself in a unique situation -- time to ponder this occasion.

To say I am thankful for you is an understatement.  You are beautiful, clever, and charming -- an answer to every prayer.  However, to say I am thankful for you is not enough ... I am really thankful for so much more:

• I am thankful for your father, for our marriage, and for his support.  He loves you wholeheartedly -- but he also continually teaches me how to be a better parent.  To find a life-partner so wonderful is rare and I appreciate him everyday; I hope you find a great love like your Dad.
• I am thankful for our families.  Our parents have taught us everything about love and how to be a family.  More importantly, our families love and adore you, little one.  I hope you will also know the foundations of honesty, hard-work, faith, and togetherness we learned from them.
• I'm thankful for our jobs, our home, our security.  This is a scary economic time, yet we have all we need.  As you sleep, I know you won't be hungry or without medicine.  May you always have a grateful heart for our abundance.
• I'm thankful for our country and the freedoms we have as women.  You have inherited the ability to vote, the freedom to say and read and pray as you wish.  You can pursue any job opportunity, any school, any dream, and as a woman our country opens so many doors.

So I am thankful for you, yes!  But I am also thankful for your future and all it holds for you.  Keep growing and learning and know that we love you unconditionally now and always.

-- Your Mom!!

Planes, Trains, and Baby Strollers – our adventures in Newark / NYC

We are now safely in Blackwell, Oklahoma, after our 4 day adventure in NJ/NY.  We flew into Newark on Thursday to celebrate my cousin Noah's wedding.  While the trip wasn't exactly as we expected, we had a fun time and some definite memories.

I was very stressed about flying with Elayna but so far things have gone well -- thanks in large parts to Aaron's help and our good friend Benadryl.  While she hasn't been completely comatose, she has slept for big chucks on the flight and been a sweet happy baby for the rest.  Yeah!!!

On Friday, we met up with my brother Nathan (who flew over from Ireland to be the Best Man) and went into NYC with my Uncle Jim.  Now first, let me explain how close Newark is to Manhattan.  The 2 cities are separated by the Hudson River but the Manhattan skyline is quite visible from most parts of Newark and they're probably 5 miles apart.  Our hotel was connected to the Newark Penn Station by a sky walk and the Path Train runs directly from Newark into the city.  It should have been so easy.  And yet, it still takes over an hour for us to reach mid-town Manhattan and the tux shop.  Quite quickly, we had to re-adjust our plans of 'running into NYC for a quick trip' as it was apparent we wouldn't get as much sight-seeing in as we would have liked.

On top of that, Elayna lost most of her lunch on the train.  Working towards my 'mother-of-the-year' award, I decided to soldier on and marched my poor sick child all over Manhattan.  She was a good sport and although she didn't feel well, she didn't complain.  We ended up seeing the SE corner of Central Park, the Park Plaza, FAO Schwarz, and the windows of Bergdorf's before making the hour+ trek back.

Here's poor Elayna all bundled up .... poor thing!!

Since Elayna still wasn't doing well later that night, we decided to skip the rehearsal dinner.  I was fairly disappointed .... but was probably a good decision as she felt MUCH better for the wedding on Saturday.

Noah and Jean's wedding was GORGEOUS!!  The ceremony was on the 22nd floor of the Newark Club with amazing views of the harbor and Manhattan.  It was very fairy-tale-ish and lovely.  Jean was beautiful and she had organized a wonderful wedding.  Every detail was perfect and yet it was relaxed and comfortable.  Elayna played in the back during the ceremony and I was able to take some good pictures -- I'll post most to the pictures tab.

There was a quick cocktail hour downstairs and then we went back to the top floor for the reception.  Elayna luckily took a quick snooze in her stroller at the start of the reception and was a dream baby the rest of the time.  She danced with her dad, Jean, her Uncle Nathan and my cousin Emily.  Dinner was amazing.  My brother gave a really sweet toast and made most of the ladies of our family cry ...

http://www.motionbox.com/videos/ee92d2b51c19e664

After the wedding, Aaron and I hired a babysitter (thanks to Jean's help!!) and went back into the city for an official DATE~!  The train was easier without a sick child and we had dinner at Lupa, one of Mario Batali's restaurants in Soho.  The food was incredible and the restaurant was small and intimate.  We then took a cab up to Rockefeller Center and walked over to Times Square.  Manhattan is fast and sleek at night and we enjoyed the people and lights.  Of course, we still spent most of our date on the train ....

Sunday morning it was my turn to be sick.  Although we still were able to visit with my family at the wedding brunch, I needed a nap the majority of the day.  Luckily Elayna was also exhausted from all the festivities so we spent most of the day in our hotel room.  Not a very exciting last day in the city....

Yesterday we flew into Wichita to spend Thanksgiving with Aaron's dad and family.  And this time it was Aaron's turn to be sick.  Poor Aaron didn't feel well for most of the flight and went to bed as soon as we arrived.  So this bug has effected us all.

So we're happy to be here and get some good relaxing.  We definitely enjoyed seeing my family though and it was nice to catch-up.  Congratulations, Noah and Jean!!!!

Technical Problems

Sorry for the lag in journaling.  For some reason, we've had a lot of problems loading our site on our home computer ... a major issue when trying to update!  I'm not sure if this is a glitch with Shutterfly or our computer but I'm happy to see everything working from my work computer this morning.

Elayna is officially crawling and it’s now time to BABY-PROOF.  This weekend she successfully opened the TV cabinet and I'm sure she'll find our collection of archaic VHS tapes fascinating (Austin Powers, anyone?).

Aaron has been playing softball for the last few weeks and has his play-off game tonight.  As his team hasn't won a game yet, we don't have a lot of hope ... but he's really enjoyed playing.

We took Elayna for her first hike last weekend and she had a great time.  We loaded her up in her baby-backpack (thanks Allyson) and Aaron carried her for 3.5 miles around our favorite mountain loop.  Clancy also thought it was a great day and we really enjoyed the Arizona fall weather (finally!)  I have pictures I'll have to add later....

We leave on Thursday for Noah's wedding in Newark.  It should be a fun weekend although I'm really nervous to fly with Elayna again.  We follow that up with our Thanksgiving visit in Oklahoma with Aaron's family.

Congratulations Barack Obama!

The national news declared Barack Obama the new President-Elect around 9:30 last night.  It is a little over-whelming the historical significance of this event and I said a quiet prayer over my sleeping daughter thinking about it.  What a great time for her to be alive -- she was born the same year we elected an African-American as President.  It gives me confidence in our American dream; it gives me faith in American system.  I can legitimately tell her she can do anything.

While I recognize the wonder of this day, I do have other mixed feelings.  I have liked Barack Obama since I read his book 3 years ago -- and yet I didn't vote for him.  My vote went to the more experienced candidate (as did Aaron's), and John McCain did win Arizona. 

I'm not sad at McCain's loss however, I'm disappointed at the overall failing of my Republican party.  In a time when the economy is suffering, the country continues its war, and George Bush's legacy is a joke, the Repubican party laid down and died.  They have become stagnant, irrelevent, and behind-the-times.  Obama's campaign out-classed and out-smarted in almost every way -- from capturing the internet technology to inspiring the grass-roots efforts.

I am inspired by the passion I saw in this election and look forward to seeing what happens in the next year.  I do think a new chapter of history has started and hope it is a good history to tell my daughter.

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween everyone!!

Elayna dressed up as a Tootsie Roll -- costume is a gift from her friend MacKensie Schug.  She was not initially a huge fan (I think the head was a little tight) but she warmed up to it once people started paying attention to her.  She is a diva after all! 

We have a very nice group of neighbors and I always feel like Halloween is one of the few times we SEE them.  This year, everyone congregated outside Eric and Lisa Alinder's house and we had a really nice visit.  Elayna was even fairly cheerful after her bedtime and she was able to meet a few new friends.  Phoenix is unseasonably warm right now but it was really pleasant at night and was a perfect first Halloween for our 'sweetie'. 

Elayna Crawls!

Yeah!!!  Elayna is finally taking off!  Tonight she just seemed to figure it all out and was suddenly crawling after her toys.  We are very proud of her.  It is a nice present for her Dad on his birthday!!

Turn to our new video page to see a quick video of her actions!

Happy birthday too, Aaron!!  We've had a nice relaxing day at home enjoying being with Aaron and loving life.  It's fun to have some quality family time!

6-Month Pictures

It's no secret that Elayna is ridiculously stinking cute.  But just to prove it, here are her 6-month pictures!  We took these on Monday with my friend Amy Lee -- who photographs families part-time out of her home.  Amy is AMAZING; she is extremely patient, great with kids, and has a wonderful eye for good pictures.  We've sat with her twice and have been very happy with the results.

Jerry and Carol were in town and sat for a few grandparent pictures too.  They also 'baby wrangled' -- entertained Elayna with toys and encouragement to make her smile.

The website is:  www.amyleephotography.com

Click on 'Client Sessions'.  The user name is Kellum and password is Elanna.

Hope you enjoy as much as we do ... the hard part will be picking the pictures we want!  Expect to see the family photos in a Christmas card coming soon.

War Wounds

Elayna is wanting to crawl so badly.  I just know any day now she'll take off and I'll be chasing her from then on.  For the past week she'll get up on her hands and knees rock back and forth.  Then in the last few days she's started 'tri-poding' -- pushing her butt up in the air with her feet on the ground and legs straight (also known as 'downward-dog' in yoga).  This is a lot of effort but not a lot of movement forward.  After a while, she does start to get frustrated but I know she'll get the idea soon.

At daycare today, she tried so hard that she took a nice header onto the carpet.  Her teachers were very upset but I think her new war wounds are super cute.  It's difficult to see from the picture but she has a small bruise beneath her left eye and red scrape on her eyebrow.  Luckily neither boo-boo hurts her in the slightest.

However, her diaper rash does hurt her right now.  It's the worst she's ever had and has to be due to some new teeth coming in.  Poor thing is miserable but I'm optimistic it will clear up soon.  Until then, lather on the desitin!

Weekend with Grandpa and Grandma

Elayna is very blessed to have such great family in her life!  This weekend Grandpa Jerry and Grandma Carol visited us from Oklahoma.  She had a great time playing with her Grandparents and they had a fabulous time spoiling her!

Saturday we all spent the day with our friends the Schugs.  Tim and Linda Schug were visiting from Billings so the men played golf and the ladies attended Peyton and Brady's soccer games.  Elayna wore out pretty quickly so we missed out on the shopping but regrouped in the evening for a great barbeque at Nate and Sarah's new house.  Delicious!

Today Elayna took her 6-month photos and we all watched Aaron play softball in the evening.  Even though Aaron's team lost, we all still had a lot of fun.  Alicia even stopped by after work!  The picture above was taken at the game.

Elayna is getting so big and is so fun to play with.  I think she's about to start crawling any day.....

First Tooth!

Elayna has her first tooth!!  While she's been a little crabby the last few days, we were caught pretty unprepared when we were giving her her bath tonight.  But there it is, the little front bottom tooth.  I'm very proud of her -- she's just getting SOOOO big!

Celebrate the small victories

The other night, my friend Tammy asked if Elayna was still sleeping in our room.  I nonchalantly said, "Of course not" as if Elayna was a pro and had been in her own room forever.  But I do have to confess this is a new milestone and should probably do my due-diligence here (especially since I know Tammy reads our blog.)

Yes, Elayna spent nights with us for the first 6 months of her life.  Aaron really liked her close by so happily we slept with her in the pack-n-play in our room.  While we discussed moving her frequently, it just never happened.  And then she got the cold .... this never-ending beast that woke all of us up at night and made it convenient to keep her by our sides. 

However, FINALLY this week we moved her to her room at night and she has done great!  Even the cold has weakened so she only coughs a few times at night.  The last three nights she's gotten between 11-12 hours of sleep and we haven't done so badly ourselves (although I think Aaron misses her).  So its official ... no more pack-n-play!

In other news, Elayna's 6 month pediatrician appointment went great.  She's now 27 inches and is back on the charts for height (90th percentile).  Her weight gain slowed as well -- she's now 17 pounds and 60th percentile for weight.  With the exception of the cough she's doing great and very healthy.

The doctor also suggested starting her on meats so we gave it a try on Friday.  I actually bought beef babyfood (which smells like dog-food by the way) and attempted to give it to her.  Elayna happily tried it, then made the worst face ever (it was hysterical) and actually gagged!  Then she refused to try anything else the rest of the day like she didn't trust me.  So I guess beef tastes like dog-food too....  We'll stick the other jars in the pantry for a while and try it another day.

It will be a busy next few weeks for us so it's nice to reflect today on the small victories we have.  Like a full night's sleep.  And a healthy child.  And beautiful cool, Phoenix weather.  And bananas for Elayna to try today.  Life is good.  :) 

Happy 6 Months, little monkey!

Elayna is 6 months old today!  She is an amazing baby and every day is a fun adventure with her.  I love to think about how much she has changed in just this last month. 

• Elayna now eats cereal, peas, carrots, apples, and pears.  Tomorrow we start sweet potatoes!
• Elayna can sit all by herself (although a little wobbly).  I love to sit with her between my legs on the floor while she plays, reaches, and learns to balance. 
• Elayna scoots backwards.  On her tummy, she'll push herself up and back with her arms.  While this used to be a slow process, she's getting really quick now.
• Elayna pivots.  Again on her tummy, she swivels her body to the left or right -- so nothing's out of reach now.
• Elayna turns over -- both sides.  She's started sleeping on her belly or her side instead of her back.
• Elayna sleeps in her room at night.  This is still in the experimental stages due to her continued cold ... but she's had no problem transitioning there.
• Elayna has forgotten how to sleep through the night.  Ok, this is not a fun milestone ... more on this below.
• Elayna has discovered her pets!  While she's always regarded Parker and Clancy with some curiosity, she LOVES them now.  When Clancy fetches, she waves her arms and LAUGHS!
• Elayna gives hugs and leans towards us when she wants to be held.  It melts our hearts!  (as a side-funny-story, she did this to one of her daycare teachers when Aaron came to pick her up one day.  He was less than thrilled.)
• Elayna splashes!!  This is new since she's learned how to sit up in her tub.

It has been an exceptionally busy month.  People we meet can't believe that she's only 6 months old -- she's so strong, active, and attentive.  Happy birthday, sweet angel!!  We love you.

However, with all her sugar, Elayna also comes with some spice.  For almost the entire month, Elayna has been battling a cold.  This started as congestion and has worked into a cough.  Almost every night, she'll be sleeping peacefully, then wake up coughing for 30-60 minutes.  Once this has worked its way clear, she'll fall back to sleep for a few hours.

I have tried to be a good-nurturing mom through this but last night reached a breaking point.  It is so hard to go several weeks without a full-night's sleep and nothing seems to help her -- not Benadryl, not the humidifier, not saline, not our undying love.  Thankfully, I have the best husband ever!  Aaron has volunteered to sleep with her tonight so I can get a full night's sleep.  We'll see how tonight goes ... but every night we hope she'll finally be getting through this.

A day in the life of Elayna

People are always asking me "So what does Elayna do...?"  And my response is generally, "Well, a lot!".  Elayna is a busy bug so I decided to give you a flavor of a day in the life of our baby girl.

Elayna is almost 6 months old and here's a typical non-daycare day.  I work Mondays and Thursdays and I usually take her in for a partial day on Tuesdays.  But this is a mommy-and-me kind of day.....

• 7:00 - 7:30 Wake up.  On a lot of mornings Elayna wakes up around 7 and is happy and chatty.  Occasionally, I have to rouse her and she's usually a pretty good sport about it.
• 7:30 Diaper changed and ready for breakfast.  Elayna takes 4 meals a day -- about 7 oz of formula per meal. 
• 8:00 Take Clancy to the park.  We try to get out in the mornings 2-3 times a week.  Clancy loves to play at the park and Elayna is a big fan of her dog.  Sometimes Elayna will sit in the swing with mom but usually we just try to throw the ball for Clancy and sit on the grass.
• 9:00 Home again and time for some light playing.  Usually we'll have tummy time before she's ready for her morning nap.  Elayna scoots backwards on her tummy -- its a slow process but very entertaining.  She'll go down for her nap once she starts acting tired.
• 11-11:30 Wake up time again!  A usual morning nap is around 2 hours.
• 11:30 Lunch!!  Elayna just started carrots.  Yum!  We'll follow the carrots (or peas, apples, or pears) with more formula.
• 12:00 Errands or lunch out!  Some days we shut ourselves inside but I also like to get out and about sometime during the day.  Sometimes this is the grocery store, post office, or Desert Ridge mall. 
• 1:30 Back home for a nap.  The afternoon nap is around 2 hours too.
• 3:30 Up and ready for dinner.  This could be fruit or just plain cereal.  I like to give her a variety (of the 4 things she eats there's not  much to choose from)
• 4:00 movie time!  Elayna will watch a 30 minute baby DVD a few times a week.  She really likes the music and colors and I get a chance to fold clothes, start dinner, or wash dishes.  Wee....
• 5:00 Aaron's home!  Elayna lights up when she sees her dad!  She has started reaching for us and giving 'hugs' and 'kisses' (kind of).
• 5:30 Bouncy time!  Elayna has a jumperoo and gets great exercise with her legs and all the toys.  It's a great activity for her while we have dinner or relax.  Sometimes Elayna will sit in her highchair too while we eat.
• 7:00 Bath time!  Elayna's favorite time of the day.  She loves to be naked and has a great time playing in the water while we sing or talk with her.  This is followed by a baby-massage from mom and a song and kiss from Dad.
• 7:30 Bottle and Night time!  Elayna is great about going to sleep and is still sleeping in our room in her pack-n-play (this is under discussion).   Under normal circumstances Elayna would sleep all night but her recent cold makes her cough.  Poor thing. 

This is our very exciting day!  Elayna is smiley, happy, and a joy to be around.  She continues to discover new things every day and loves to be the center of attention.  I'm so glad that I get to spend so many days like this with my precious little girl.  I'm very blessed!  

Weekend with Mike Kellum

Mike Kellum, Aaron's brother, visited us from Oklahoma last weekend. Aaron and I definitely had a fun time catching up and talking politics and Elayna had a great time meeting her uncle!

Mike and Aaron went to ASU Saturday morning and spent some time on campus. As Mike is a HUGE OU fan, Aaron wanted to show him Arizona State. Aaron also gave a presentation to several MBA students on his 2-week study-abroad program to Toulouse/Barcelona last summer.

Saturday evening, we all went to a Diamondbacks game -- Elayna's first baseball outing! We honestly expected it to be too much for her but she did a great job. Although the noise was a little overwhelming at first, she soon relaxed and spent almost an hour playing with paper pamphlets. We stayed the entire game -- good thing since it was a really good game. Diamondbacks beat the Rockies 6-4!!

Thanks for a fun visit, Mike!!

Farmer’s Market and Crazy Ducks

With my new hobby of baby-food-pureer, I decided I needed to spend some time scoping out the local farmer's markets.  After all, it is fall and should be a wonderful time for fresh produce.

Unfortunately, this is Phoenix:  strip-mall capital of the world.  The only farmer's market I've seen her in 7 years is at a local park with 4 sorry little tents.  However, I am determined ... and with a hopeful heart Elayna and I drove down to Cactus and SR-51 to check it out.

To my delight and surprise, this poor little gathering was actually pretty good!  The tents had drastically multiplied, there was a variety of fresh bread, salsa, crafts, and yes -- produce!!  Elayna had a great time in her stroller while I proceeded to purchase squash, carrots, nectarines, potatoes, granola ...

So yes, I probably got a little carried away.  And Aaron did raise his eyebrows that I managed to spend $40 at a farmer's market and still wanted to buy more dog treats and zucchini (which I didn't discover until I was already out of cash). 

Before getting back in the car, Elayna and I rolled over to visit with the duck-pond geese and ducks.  While I thought these ducks would keep a safe distance from us, it wasn't long before these abnormally large creatures had circled our stroller and were investigating us.  It's hard to be enthusiastic about animals to your daughter when scared the crazy things are going to start plucking her eyes out.  But no harm, no foul (or fowl? ha ha).

My brother is spending a year in Ireland and has just started a new blog.  Check it out:  http://natecoxmt.blogspot.com

Is it Monday yet?

Poor little Elayna....  She did not have a good weekend and therefore Mom and Dad also did not have a good weekend.  It's amazing how the disposition of the entire family is dependent on one 16 pound little girl.

Elayna had a cold most of the weekend and had a really hard time shaking it.  Her nose was congested, she had a cough, and the barley we tried upset her tummy.  All in all, I think there were just too many things happening at once and we needed a day to slow down.  So Sunday the whole family slept in, and Elayna felt much better!

In other news, we are expanding our small appliance collection with the purchase of a food processor.  I've been researching home-made babyfood and am committed to giving it a try.  Yesterday we made the first batch of apple puree and Aaron even said that he would eat it!  It's fairly painless, much healthier, and much cheaper than going with the store brands.  Elayna will be the official judge later this week though....

Funny new Jibjab

We've long been fans of the JibJab website and their hilarious political spoof videos.  They have a new one for 2008 and Aaron actually stars in part of it (look for him towards the end).  It's well worth the price of admission....

http://sendables.jibjab.com/view/7LTxtPwDc99gT8Do

CEREAL … such a big girl!

For the past 3 days we've fed Elayna cereal.  I really thought this would just be a trial of solid foods but she LOVES it so far.  Aaron fed her yesterday and today and she did great -- she swallows, opens her mouth for the spoon, and really seems to enjoy herself.

Here are a few pics of her first real food on Friday.

Not so sure ....  My turn with the spoon      This is GREAT!

Time spent in Billings

Finally ... more about our trip to Montana!

We flew into Billings on Monday, August 25 and were met at the airport by Aunt Margene and Aunt Allyson.  Margene and Elayna got acquainted while Allyson helped me with the bags and car.  It was so great to see them and I'm so thankful they were there -- especially without Aaron.

Elayna and I spent 3 days in Billings at Margene's.  We had a great opportunity to meet the family (Uncle Gordon, Uncle/Cousin Jay) and many friends!  Thanks to everyone for such a fun time!!

In particular, Elayna AMAZED me with her flexibility.  She was a great sport, especially on Tuesday when we packed in visiting with people as much as possible inbetween naps.  She was full of smiles, ate great, took naps on time, and in general was an angelic baby.  What a relief!!

A few fun pictures:

How to become a cowgirl:

Elayna spent 4 days in Winston last week with her Grandma Missy and Grandpa Cliff.  She had an AMAZING time and seemed to know immediately that Montana was a great place to be. 

First on the agenda:  meeting Great-Grandma Rubie -- Elayna's namesake.  Elayna and Grandma Rubie had a great time together.  They picked flowers, raspberries, and beans.  Grandma fed Elayna and took her to church to meet her friends.  And Grandma gave Elayna the Cookie-Monster sweater -- a special sweater made for me when I was little (its pretty big right now but will fit someday)

Elayna spent most of her time in Winston learning how to be a cowgirl.  Uncle Nathan and Elayna were good friends and Nate showed her many, many things:

1)  Learn to drive a tractor.  First sit on an old tractor that hasn't ran in a while so mom can take a ridiculous amount of pictures.  [Uncle Nate is adamant that the tractor DOES run.]  Elayna also has developed a unique talent to steer with her feet.

By-the-way, my dad (Elayna's Grandpa Cliff) was the state 4-H tractor driving champion in 1965.  He has a very nice trophy and won a trip to Chicago ... we take our tractor driving very seriously.

2)  Meet Gonzo the horse.  Yes, Gonzo is probably more interested in Elayna than Elayna is in him.  It will still be several more years before Elayna understands that this is not just a big dog. 

Unfortunately, Elayna didn't get to ride Gonzo the horse this trip.  But she did get to .....

3)  Sit on a saddle!!  It is never too early to develop your seat and learn to wear a hat.  Of course, both the saddle and the hat have seen better days.

4)  Learn about balers with Grandpa Cliff.  Elayna and I rested in the middle of one of our morning walks and Elayna was able to talk with Grandpa.  Look at her strong legs!!!

Aaron loves this picture ... he thinks its the snapshot of the trip and I think I agree.

5)  And stop for some necessary caffeine at Copy Cup (Grandma Missy's shop in Townsend).  Grandma also teaches Elayna about the value of a dollar.  What fun!!

So we obviously had a fun trip!  Thanks to all our family and friends - we miss you all and enjoyed seeing and meeting everyone!

Several ‘flighty’ moments

Elayna and I are safely back from our trip to Montana and had a fabulous time!!  I'll post more of the details of our trip in additional entries.

However, I feel it necessary to pause in regards to her less than perfect attitude towards flying.  Needless-to-say, Elayna is not a great flyer.  I'm not sure why I'm surprised since I also don't like flying but I was so hopeful that she would be an angelic baby on the plane.

My little daydream:

• Elayna and I would board, she would finish her bottle and then settle in for a peaceful nap.  Shortly before landing, she would flutter her eyes awake, smile at all the nice passengers around her, and quiet play with a few toys before disembarking.

Our little reality:

• Elayna was an angel on the ground, peacefully took her bottle, and even drifted off to sleep towards the beginning of the flight.
• Shortly into the flight, Elayna's awoken by the blasted airplane intercom, sits quietly for a few minutes giving mom hopes that she'll drift back off before deciding to stay awake for good.
• Mom has to entertain Elayna for the next hour and a half, exhausting all cool toys in the first 10 minutes.
• Elayna squawks at unexpected times, kicks the seat ahead of her, and in general does not practice good manners.
• Landing in Montana, she peacefully sat for the decent.  Landing in Arizona, she SCREAMED for the last 5 minutes while we taxied into the gate.  That's right ... SCREAMED.  Mom is desperate to get off the plane as are all the neighbors around her.
• Upon seeing family and/or Aaron off the plane, mom hurls Elayna into their arms and seeks a drink and/or nap.

So ... we are happy to be home.  And are planning to stock up on Benadryl before the next flight.  I have learned my lesson well.

Happy 10 Year Anniversary!

Aaron and I celebrated our 10-year anniversary yesterday!

It's incredible as we (a) don't feel old and (b) don't feel like an old married couple.  Ten years is a huge milestone and we're so thankful for the life we've built together. 

In the last 10-years we've had some incredible memories.  Aaron and I have traveled to Europe twice, Hawaii once, have our own home and 2 great pets, and share a beautiful baby-girl.  We're 'responsible' adults and have grown together as the years go by.

I'm very thankful to love and live with such a wonderful husband.

To celebrate, the 3 of us spent 2 nights in Tucson at our time share resort.  Aaron played golf, we swam in the pool, and all of us took several naps.  It was relaxing, cool, and very enjoyable.

Rolling Over!

Another first for little girl ... last night Elayna rolled over from her tummy to her back for the first time!  I thought it was a fluke so I had her do it twice.  I'm very proud of her (although she didn't appear to understand the magnitude of the event) so we'll work on fine-tuning this new skill over the next week.

We leave for Tucson on Friday and Montana on Monday.  The weekend should be a nice relaxing break for our little family.  And the week in Montana will be a great opportunity for Elayna to meet the family.  I'm very excited for the next busy week.

4-Month Photos

I am trying to restrain myself when it comes to professional photographs of Elayna. She is so cute and it’s very tempting to spend a ridiculous amount of money capturing her every smile.
I cracked yesterday though and took her to Sears for a few shots. I was very good about BUYING pictures (I only spent $10!), but can’t resist posting a few of the better poses.
Stay tuned for her 6-month photos…. Coming soon!

Welcome Ducky Tub

Elayna takes a bath almost every night as part of her bed-time ritual. This is her favorite time of the day -- she loves to be naked and we sing fun songs.

Elayna has been bathed in her newborn/infant tub up until now. This was a great tub since it was small and didn't require much water. However, as she gets bigger and bigger, the tub is tighter and tighter.

Luckily, Dad found a 'rubber ducky' bathtub for her to graduate too. As we sing the rubber ducky song frequently (with made-up words), it is perfect for our water bug.

So here are two pictures of her old and new tub ... pretty funny to compare!

           

Pediatrician Visit

Elayna and I just got back from her 4-month check-up and I'm happy to report that she's doing GREAT! 

Her weight is now 14.8 lbs (which explains my sore back) and she's gone down to 75th percentile.  However, her height is now 26.5 inches which is off the charts. 

The doctor was impressed that she's sleeping through the night so well and all of her activities are normal or ahead of schedule.  Her legs are so strong, she tracks very well with her eyes, and she had a great conversation with the doctor (probably trying to tell all the horrible things her mommy and daddy do ... like making her ride in a carseat and eat her dinner.)

She had 4 shots today and that has completely wiped her out -- I expect she'll probably sleep most of the day.  Its a great opportunity for me to get some work done and play with the website!

Happy 4 Month Birthday, Elayna!!

Yesterday was Elayna's 4-month birthday and I find myself feeling rather nostagic. She has, after all, completely changed Aaron's and my life. I can't believe she's already 4 months old and yet I can't imagine my life without her. Such a wonderful baby....

Just a few things I love about my daughter:
1) Her laugh. It bubbles up out of her stomach and at the most unexpected times. She'll smile for anyone but her laughs are precious ... those you have to work for.
2) Her eyes. Elayna has beautiful blue eyes and she is so alert and attentive. Elayna will watch you from across the room and follow things extremely well ... very advanced for a 4-month old.
3) Her sleeping. Yes, Elayna is a great sleeper!! She'll go down at night at 8pm -- after a bath and song from Dad -- eat again at 10pm and then sleep until 6am. She has consistently done this with no problems since she was 11 weeks.
4) Her cheeks. So I can't stop kissing them. Especially the little hollow right below her jaw. She has to have the softest skin ever.
5) Her curiosity. While this may haunt us later, at 4-months curiosity is a darling thing to watch develop. Elayna will study even the smallest thing intently; this morning she inspected her shirt for a long time. I love to watch her learn about the world and watch her face in deep concentration.

Happy birthday, Sugar Bear!! We love you.

Last night we went to our friends Kathy and Terry Mandy's to celebrate Brandon Mandy's birthday. It was wonderful to be included in their family dinner and we had a great time. As an added bonus, Elayna fell asleep with NO ISSUES promptly at 7:45. Aaron sang to her, layed her in the play-pen in the backroom and she was content to drift off. This is a wonderful first and really builds my confidence that we can take her places now.

Belly Laughs and Jumping Beans

Ok, so I'm devilously pleased that Elayna saves her laughs for me. Well, until tonight when Aaron finally found her giggle-switch and sent her on a long bout of merriment. I did manage to capture most of it on video ....

Cutest kid ever!!

Aaron laughs at my infatuation with taking millions of pictures of Elayna. I can't help it ... she's so ridiculously cute! I even entered her 4th of July picture in a magazine photo contest: the theme is baby's discovering. She's a winner for sure!

In a particular cute moment, I set up the 'photo studio' again and took some fabulous 3 1/2 month shots. Enjoy!!!

Hunger Strike

For the last 4 days Aaron and I have been battling our daughter to eat! For some reason (maybe its a political statement?), Elayna has decided she's not the least bit interested in food. So she's hesitatingly eating 3 ounces (she used to eat 5) and then is happy to play. She's not sick, she's not gassy, and the pediatrician says it could just be a phase. Proof again that our little girl has our stubborness and Aaron and I are NOT in charge.

Here's a cute picture I took while playing with Elayna's outfit from my Wells Fargo friends Memo and Stacey. The jacket is hand-made from Memo's mom in Turkey and absolutely darling!!

Elayna's Room is Done!!!

Ok, so I know you're suppose to do the baby's room before she arrives. But we didn't. I suppose we weren't completely sure what would happen after Aaron's MBA completed and I honestly didn't have the energy. So we waited. And once she started sleeping better, we had lots of time in the evenings to work on it.

So..... after a few weeks, 3 colors of paint, a new nail gun for Aaron to hang the trim, and the evacuation of the freezer (yes, Elayna had a freezer in her room), it is DONE!!!

Well, ok, almost done. We still have some touch-ups and the plan is to put knobs on the upper trip to hang pictures and art on the wall. But it is nearly done and should be a fun room for our little girl to grow in.

Elayna to her crib?

It's been a week of firsts for little Miss Elayna and we attempted another one last night. She's been napping in her crib very happily. Now that her walls are painted, I wanted to try to move her there full time.

So last night we tried it ... and Elayna and mom did very well!!

It was Aaron who called it off!! At about 10:30, he decided he missed his baby and couldn't sleep without her. So he moved her successfully from the crib to her bassinet in our room. And we all slept soundly until morning!

Just proof that it isn't always Elayna's mom who's the sentimental one....

First Laugh - 3 months + 1 day

Elayna has been tempting it for quite some time but today was the official day ... both Aaron and I heard her laugh for the first time. I was kissing her neck and received a sweet little chuckle in response. Such a beautiful sound!!!

Happy 3 Month Birthday, Elayna!!

Elayna had a great 3 month birthday ... with the 4th of July and an overnight trip to Flagstaff. Quite a bit of excitement for a baby!

We spent the 4th of July with our friends the Schugs. Sarah and Nathan and family came over to barbeque and swim. Tim and Linda Schug were also in town and it was great to visit and introduce them to Elayna. She wasn't quite up to fireworks yet ... maybe next year.

On Saturday the 5th, Aaron and I drove up to Flagstaff for the night. The weather was FANTASTIC and we loved eating outside to enjoy the breeze. Clancy and Elayna enjoyed themselves too. Unfortunately, the night was not as fun ... Elayna was stuffy and uncomfortable and we were all awake several times during the night. I suppose it could have been much worse for her first night in a hotel with mom and dad.

First Day of Work / Day Care

Today was a tremendous day for BOTH Elayna and I as my 12 weeks of baby-bliss finally wrap up. I've really enjoyed having so much time off work to bond with Elayna. She is a beautiful baby, full of so many smiles and surprises.

So off I went back to the office today. I'm returning to Wells Fargo part-time ... I'll spend 2 days a week in the office and a few hours working from home. This is FABULOUS and fairly unusual for the team so I'm very fortunate to have this opportunity. My co-workers were great today too. Everyone was very welcoming and very supportive of my new schedule and little Elayna.

So off Elayna went to day-care today. She had some sniffles yesterday so Aaron and I were both worried about her but she did fine. She made some new friends, played for a while, and even took a few short naps. Tonight she is exhausted and is in bed already at 7:45.

Elayna also met a new friend, Ben Nickel, yesterday. Bryan, Kim, and Ben visited us from Tucson yesterday and we had a fun time playing with the babies and grilling. This was the longest Elayna has spent in the pool and she had a great time ... I think she's going to be a water bug.

So lots of new things for our precious baby. Every day is a fun adventure.

Email to friends: End of Maternity Leave

Hi everyone --

Today is my last day of maternity leave and I'll be returning to the office on Monday!!  It's hard to believe that Elayna is already 12 weeks old.  She's an amazing baby, very smiley and talkative and observant with some occasional stubborn streaks (which she gets from her dad).  For the past week, she's consistently slept through the night (8pm - 5am with a feeding at 10pm), although she's decided that makes her far too grown up for naps.  She also had a trial day at day-care yesterday and did great … now its just her mom we need to worry about.

Here's a new picture.  She's very strong and loves to sit up or kick with her legs.  She's also a healthy baby -- 90th percentile for both height and weight  We've also updated our photo site with the latest and greatest so feel free to check her out….  www.kellum.shutterfly.com

I have loved getting to know my daughter over the last 12 weeks and have decided to return to work part-time.  This is a wonderful situation for me -- I'm very thankful to spend so much time with Elayna and still have the opportunity for some 'adult time'.  Wells Fargo has been EXTREMELY understanding and flexible with my schedule and I'm amazed at how perfectly things have fallen into place. 

Thanks to all for your warm wishes, prayers, and thoughts!
Courtney

Elayna Talks

Every day, little Elayna is delightful, surprising, and challenging. At 10 weeks old, she has not learned to roll-over yet ... but I think that is because she spends the majority of awake time talking to her mom and dad. I love to sit with her on my lap and watch her smile and coo. She's becoming more and more personable and should be a fantastic public speaker some day....

This video is sideways (oops) but so cute!!

Our 2-month Baby

I haven't been as good about updating our blog as I would like ... time sure flies with a new baby.

Elayna is beautiful of course and a lot of fun. She's about to turn 2 months-old and smiles, coos, and carries on a lovely conversation. She's noticing a lot more around her and will watch her mobile for 15-20 minutes (its a lot!!).

I have to be careful to not over-stimulate her. Since she's much more aware, it doesn't take long before she's had enough. Evenings especially are a fussy time and she needs lots of love and attention to wind down.

However, she's sleeping well at night and has several good naps during the day. We've been working on self-soothing -- especially on falling back asleep if she wakes up -- and she's done very well this week. She's going to bed around 9pm and will sleep until 6am with one night-time feeding ... not too bad for a 2 month old!

Of course, the love of her life is her Dad. Elayna lights up when Aaron comes home at night and spends a lot of time talking and mimicing his facial expressions. Aaron also has a calming influence with her when she starts to get fussy at night. I know Elayna loves her Mom but she definitely is a Daddy's Girl....

I have 3 weeks left of maternity leave and can't believe how quickly it has flown by. I'll try to be more vigilant in posting Elayna's milestones -- especially while she continues to surprise and delight us.

Email to friends: Elayna’s First Week

Hi everyone --

Our beautiful daughter, Elayna Rubie Kellum, was born a week ago on 4/6/08 at 11:06 pm.  She's healthy at 7 lbs 11 oz and 19 inches and has completely won over both her mom and dad.  She's a very sweet and snuggly baby. 

I am well-overdue for the promised pictures.  We've also saved a ridiculous amount of photos to our shutterfly site:
www.kellum.shutterfly.com

Thank you all for your warm wishes, prayers, and thoughts!
Courtney

Elayna Rubie Kellum is here!!

Elayna Rubie Kellum arrives and is a beautiful, healthy baby....

7 lbs, 11 oz

19 inches long

April 6th, 2008 at 11:08 pm

We spent 2 nights in the hospital and it was a relaxing opportunity to get to know our new baby. Aaron stayed in the room with us and brought in food so we didn't have to suffer the hospital meals. The nurses and staff are great and its been a wonderful few days of baby-bliss.

Now time to introduce Elayna to her new home, dog, and cat and begin her new life together.

Almost there!

We're a week away from the baby's due date and she could arrive at any time! Yikes! Of course we're very excited and nervous and anxious to meet the little one.

We're also playing the 'guess when she'll arrive game'. April 4th was one of my prefered dates (so her birthday would be 4/4/08) and it's looking highly unlikely that she'll show up today. So we'll keep on waiting...

But at least Aaron and I are doing alright. Aaron finished his mid-terms for his MBA yesterday so that's a relief to be over with. I've been working from home and trying to wrap a lot up ... still a lot of strings but I'm feeling better about taking leave than I was. And aside from some hip pain, my body is still functioning. In about another week, I'll be ready to evict her though.