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.