First Day of Summer

Yes, I'm serious with this title.  We live in Phoenix so I count the first day of summer as the first day we have an official 100-degree day.  It was yesterday.  I'm always disappointed when this happens in April but we've had such a lovely spring up to this point we were almost doomed.

To celebrate this milestone, Elayna had two occasions of note today:

1)  The last day of swim lessons.  We took an 8 week mommy-and-me course at our gym.  It was a basic pool survival course so the kids were forced to hold their breath, flip over on their backs, and reach towards the wall.  It was not always fun - Elayna hated going underwater - but a definite necessity.  And she and I bonded a lot during our lessons.  I loved how she clung to me in the water and she learned so quickly.  I am really proud of her!

Here are a few pics of her new bikini ... super cute!!

2)  She's decided to walk!  She took her first steps over a month ago but has boycotted since then.  She'll occasionally take a few steps but doesn't want to be pressured.  But this morning out of the blue she took off across the living room.  I held my breath the entire time but she hardly hesitated and has been walking most of the rest of the day!  I'm not sure if this is the official turning-point but we may have a walker now!

Aaron and I have had a crazy couple of days as well.  I mentioned that his car was broken into last week.  Then last weekend, our neighbor's truck was stolen.  Thankfully, the truck was found today - intact and unharmed.  He's missing a few CD's and his GPS - so not a big deal.  In talking with several people, this appears to be pretty common right now and the thieves are after the garage door openers to break into homes.  So please be careful ....

I also caught some weird bug yesterday and spent most of the day in bed.  Thankfully, Tuesday is my 'mommy' day when Elayna goes to day-care but I work from home.  Kind of a waste of a 'mommy' day but nice to have the luxury!!!  I'm feeling much better today.

So it's been a busy week and it's only Wednesday!! 

1-year portraits

Elayna's 1-year portraits are now available online!!  Enjoy!!

www.amyleephotography.com

Click on Client Sessions.  The username is ckellum and password is elayna.

Hunting Easter Eggs

Happy Easter!!  This was Elayna's last 'first' holiday and it was a lot of fun.

First thing in the morning we 'hid' our freshly dyed eggs around the living room and helped Elayna find them.  It took her a little time to catch on ... she could find the eggs when we pointed them out and thought they were fun balls to throw.  By the second casualty, we had moved her to the carpet and were good at running interception.

By the last egg, she had the hang of putting the eggs in her basket and was having a GREAT time.

Our first week with a 1-year old

Happy Easter everyone!!  This is Elayna's first Easter (it was in March last year) so we've just finished dying eggs and digging out an Easter basket.  We're planning a fairly low-key holiday with just our little family.

It's been a pretty crazy week for us.  Elayna had both her 1-year pictures taken on Tuesday (I'll post the link when they're ready) and her pediatrician's appointment on Wednesday.  The doctor's appointment went well even with 3 shots and she is healthy and growing.  She's now 21 lbs (50th percentile) and 31 inches (75th percentile) and hitting all her milestones even though she refused to walk for the doctor.  I am still concerned about her eating habits but the doctor was not alarmed.  As an added bonus, Elayna also had an ear infection ... oops.

Now that she's turned 1 she gets to graduate to a big-girl carseat.  Tonight was her first 'ride' and she LOVED it (the infant seat really was too small).  She babbled happily to us for the whole 10-minute trip and really enjoyed facing forward.

We've also had 1 day of whole milk and so far so good.  We are mixing with formula but she seems to like it.  She does not like the sippy cup so we're still working on that.

This has definitely been a strange week for us.  On Wednesday night, Aaron's car was broken into in front of our house.  Of course, we have nothing of value in there and they did no damage to the car.  But they did take the garage door opener ... luckily we realized it and had the door reprogrammed before they came back.  But a nerve-wracking week none-the-less.

Elayna is also going through a little separation anxiety phase right now and doesn't want to sleep, walk, or go to day-care.  I hate to hear her cry and love the extra hugs I'm getting - but we're hoping she's on the tail-end of this phase.

Happy Easter - hope you are blessed and enjoy the day with family and friends.

My sweet 1-year old

Happy birthday sweet baby girl!!  Although we celebrated yesterday, her official birthday was today.  It was a quiet day; we all went to work and Elayna went to bed by 6:30pm.  Not much of a party girl!

Although I told everyone I wouldn't, I did get a little misty-eyed this morning thinking about the last year and the miracle of Elayna.  She is a precious blessing, she has added so much to Aaron's and my life, and there are so many people in her life that love her.

So it's been fun to reflect throughout the day:

6am:

• A year ago - my contractions had gotten me out of bed.  The pains were mostly irritating and I spent most of the morning watching TV and finishing some last minute work details. Aaron, however, spent the morning cleaning and preparing ... he was a little worker bee.
• Elayna @ 1 month - Elayna's favorite time of day was 3-6 am - she wasn't fussy just ready to be awake.  Unfortunately, this was NOT anyone else's favorite time of day.  Around 6, I woke Aaron (usually crying ... I missed sleep) so he could take a turn.
• Today - Aaron and I were up, showering, and getting ready for our day.  Elayna slept for another 30 minutes before breakfast.

2pm:

• A year ago - to speed things along we took Clancy for a quick walk around the neighborhood.  It worked.  My contractions increased dramatically and I was very uncomfortable while Aaron took a quick nap.  By 5pm, I was in a lot of pain and begging the doctor to let me come to the hospital.
• Elayna @ 1 month - Elayna was on a 3 hour feeding schedule and napped periodically during the day.  She and I were (hopefully) both napping while Aaron was at work.
• Today - While Aaron and I work, Elayna was at daycare.  She was taking a good nap before eating and playing with her friends.

6pm:

• A year ago - We FINALLY were given the green light to go to the hospital and I was receiving my epideral.  This was the best part of the day and I even took a nap.
• Elayna @ 1 month - It has been a long day for Elayna and evenings were her worst time.  She sometimes would cry for an hour or so -- mostly because she was overstimulated.  Aaron had the magic touch and she loved when he would sing and walk with her.
• Today - It has been a long day for Elayna and she doesn't want to play with her new toys any longer.  After a bath, bottle, and lots of kisses, she's in bed by 7.

11pm:

• A year ago - The doctor came in to break my water at 10:30 and discovered Elayna was ready!  She was born at 11:08pm.  Aaron was with me the entire time and was really interested in the delivery.  He even cut the cord.  It was still several hours until we could relax and sleep but we were so overwhelmed with our new daughter and our new adventure!!
• Elayna @ 1 month - Elayna is (hopefully) sleeping peacefully.  She sometimes woke for a feeding between 11-12 and would fall asleep again to save her energy for 3am.  She loved 3am....
• Today - Elayna is (hopefully) sleeping peacefully.  She is a great sleeper and is usually down for 10-12 hours at night.  Since we all know I love to sleep, I love this baby!

It's been a fun, crazy, and mostly wonderful year.  We have learned so much and Elayna is the answer to every prayer.  We love her a lot .... happy birthday, sugar-bear!

Happy Birthday Elayna!!

Or should I say Happy Birytday??  (per the birthday sign I bought at the discount party store.  I suppose we learn our lessons in different ways....)

Anyway, Elayna will be official 1 tomorrow.  I am so proud of my beautiful, clever daughter but would like to point out that I have not cried once (for my brother Nathan's benefit).

We held her 1st birthday party today at our neighborhood park!  The party could not have gone better ... the weather was beautiful!!  It was about 70 degrees, no wind, and the kids LOVED playing at the park.  We ate sandwiches, snacks, and cupcakes and I sprang for the park liquor permit so we could drink wine from adult-juice-boxes (yes, these exist ... thank you TARGET!)

I am so thankful for all of our friends who joined us for the party.  The park was the perfect locale so the kids could play and we could talk with our friends.  THANK you everyone for making Elayna's day so special.

Of course, Elayna was the star of the show.  We woke her up for the party and she was a little grumpy before everyone showed up.  She warmed up once she started playing and her cake was a BIG hit.  Here are a few pictures of her attacking the cake.

Mid-way through demolition ... cake is delicious and it also makes a great hair accessory.

At the end of cake demolition.  When everyone has stopped paying attention to you, its time to put the plate on your head.....

Elayna and her mom.  The layer of cake just makes her so much sweeter!!