4 Month Check Up

4 month shots

Eliza had her 4 month Well Baby Check Up today and Dr. Matthias said everything is going well! She is gaining weight along her curve, her head growth is right on track and her height is in the 70th percentile! She is going to be a tall girl. Although we got a lot of good news at the doctor, she has to get 2 shots, one in each leg. She has been a fussy baby since her appointment. Although she has not ran a fever, she has been crying every time she tries to roll over because she bumps her little legs where they gave her her shots. So she wouldn't hurt, we gave her the very first dose ever of baby Tylenol. Hope she feels better soon.

Also at the doctor, they checked her stools and it seems that she is still having a problem with something in my diet. The doctor said that since she is gaining weight and it doesn't seem to be bothering her (making her fussy like the dairy and soy did) to just keep a watch on it and that I didn't have to take more out of my diet.

Best Dad

So Michael was pretty lonely while we were in Texas and he says he missed us both. I know he missed Eliza more ;) While we were gone, I held the phone up to Eliza's ear and she would get excited and look around when she heard his voice. When we got home, Eliza got a LOT of kisses from dad and she had a LOT to tell him.

Today, Michael played with her alot and helped out so much because I am feeling a little frazzled from the trip. After her bath, I walked in and saw the cutest thing! Times like this make me love this man more! 

Here Comes the Bride

Over the weekend, the reason we were in Texas was to celebrate Nicole's bachelorette weekend! On Friday night, we went to a local winery and brought our own food. This was great because there was a band playing and we could just sit around, eat and drink wine! Mindy and I each made a stuffed mushroom recipe, so we had to get a picture enjoying them :)

We closed the place down and then went home for the evening. My mom and sister stayed with little 'Liza. On Saturday, we had a waffle buffet, a pool party and then went out in Dallas on a party bus. We ate an amazing restaurant in Dallas, I think called HG. I managed to steal the girls away from the fun to get a pre-party pic.

Sunday was for recouping. We mostly talked and Nicole and Mindy oogled over Eliza. I am not sure what they were talking about, by I managed to get them looking like Eliza's body guards. 

All in all, we had a fantastic weekend!

Eliza meets new family

On Saturday and Sunday, Eliza got to meet and see a lot of family! On Saturday, she got to meet her great Aunt Debbie (Babe).

Eliza and Babe

She also got to meet Uncle Todd,

And Aunt Angie, and cousins Bryce and Alexis. 

She also got to see Michael's parents and sister again! Next week when we drive to Texas, she will get to meet the rest of Michael's family :)

Eliza and Grandma

 Eliza did get to see Aunt Katie, but we didn't get a picture :( We will next time!

Eliza and Papa

Eliza Goes to Texas

 I have the best baby in the world! We had to get up at 4 am, leave the house by 5 am to be to the airport by 6 am so our flight could leave at 7 am! Through all of the jostling around, she was a happy girl! When we were going through the airport and she was in her carrier, she was singing to everyone. The TSA agents were actually nice!

Right before her first flight

I was terrified that she would have a hard time with the pressure changes, but she didn't have a problem until the final landing into DFW. For the majority of the flights she napped or stared at the folks around us. All in all, it was much better that I anticipated. 

Snoozing on the flight

When we landed in DFW, my mom and sister picked us up, and rightfully so, I am chopped liver! They immediately started loving on miss Eliza and saying how cute she was. Here are a few happy shots of her with family. 

Eliza seeing Nanny for the first time since she was 2 days old.

After going leaving from the airport, we started our trek toward Nicole's house. I can already tell it's going to be an exciting weekend!

Eliza and Aunt Mekayla

Sleeping In

Last night, Michael and I went out to celebrate our 5th anniversary and so stayed up way past our bed time. Thankfully, I am used to operating on little sleep so when the baby and fur kids starting demanding our attention, it wasn't the end of the world. Everyone was sleepy this morning except Miss Eliza, of course. Here is what a few member of our household looked like this morning.

Saphira lounging about

Coral belly up

Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed with major bed head :)

I'm Not Ready

  

So today it has finally sunk in that she is no longer a newborn and is a baby. Looking back at pictures she has changed so much! She has a more grown up little face and is getting to be a little chunk! Each day that passes, we are having more and more fun together!

Also, she is mobile. While not crawling, I know I am going to blink and she will be! I'm not ready!!

She's Not Ready

So, I was bragging about how we were swaddle free... She has changed her mind. She did just fine for several nights, but the last 3 she has decided that she would like to hit herself in the face, pull out her pacifier and generally annoy herself while she is trying to sleep. This means that she wakes up about every hour wanting her pacifier back. The big problem is that she wants her pacifier AND her hands in her mouth at the same time... firsts world baby problems...

Exhibit A

Another thing I am nervous about is her rolling over in her swaddle. Thankfully (and unfortunately) I hear EVERY noise that she makes and always run in there. We go back to the swaddle and try again in a week or so.

In other news, we bought a few new diapers from BabyBeduga.com that just came in! These are cute now, so I can't want to see the owl one on a crawling baby butt!

Eliza and Coral

Out of our two dogs, Angel and Coral, Coral definitely likes Eliza the most. Angel is feeling dethroned and won't even look at the baby. I hope she comes around when Eliza starts moving more. Coral on the other had lays close by and give the baby kisses. Today, Coral was laying close enough that Eliza could feel her fur when she stuck her hand out. 

When Coral felt her "pet" her, she turned around to see what was going on. Eliza started petting her nose and I guess Coral liked it because she asked for her chin to be scratched.

All the while, Angel was far away keeping a close eye on the situation :) I think she'll come around!

Sleep, Eat, Play, Repeat

So far we have started a good day in the Cleveland house. I woke up before Eliza and creeped on her over her crib. She is so cute I can't help it. We went night 2 without a swaddle last night and she slept like a champ. We put her down at about 8:30 last night, she woke up at 3:00 am to eat and slept through until 9. This is a bit later than normal, but we had Brian over last night playing games, so she missed her normal bed time of 7:30. 

She is always a happy girl when she wakes up, so when she starts squirming like she is going to wake up, I always tell her good morning. This usually makes her eyes open up a bit and give me a smile, which makes my heart melt! We get her out of her swaddle/sleep sac and change her diaper. This is about the time that she quits smiling and realizes that her tummy is griping at her! She eats and then when she is done, she smiles more and makes her monster sounds (which sound like she is making a 'k' sound). 

After she gets dressed, we play with her toys, practice rolling over, 'talk' to each other and stare at the dogs. Usually after an hour of playing, her eyes start getting very heavy and she has to start the whole process over again :)

So Big So Fast

Miss Eliza and Coral

Our sweet Eliza is getting too big for her britches already! It feels like just yesterday I brought her home and now she is on the floor talking to the dog and playing with her toys. Our dog Coral loves Eliza, although I don't think she fully knows what to do with her except kiss her face all over! Eliza just blinks really fast when she is getting puppy kisses but seems okay with them. Angel, on the other hand, is not the biggest fan of Eliza. She won't look her in the face and only gets close enough to sniff her before she hides behind me. I think she might be scared she is going to cry. I hope she comes around because I know they would be great pals. I just wait for Eliza to start crawling and the herding dog in Angel to come out ;)

Eliza taking her morning nap with Snuggle Bunny

We have only been swaddle free 1 night so far, but she was able to put herself to sleep and stay asleep in a sleep sac last night. Of course she needed Snuggle Bunny and her pacifier, too. This is the first time she has done that and I am both happy and sad. I am happy she is getting to be a big girl because all of her "firsts" are so exciting, but then I loved seeing my little baby burrito sleeping.

Amazed at the world around her

 Our little Eliza is very quickly realizing that there is a big world outside of mom and dad's arms. She is very eager to experience it and touch it. Up until yesterday, she has seemed wholly uninterested in her mobile above her bed. Yesterday, I walked in to her nursery and she was cooing while staring at it. Of course, when I pulled out the camera she got quiet, but I did manage to catch her smiling at it :)

 I promise I will start shooting video with the correct orientation so that it isn't so small.

Since she rolled over (by accident), she has been practicing non-stop. The last few nights she has been waking up at unusual times and I think it is because she is wanting to wake up and practice her new skills :) Silly girl!

Showing off

 Since the two of us are flying to Texas soon, I am trying to condition her that her snuggle bunny means 'comfort' and 'sleep'. So, now, anytime I am holding her and we are cooing back and forth or when she is visibly very sleepy, I make sure snuggle bunny is around. It is getting to the point that for naps, I can put her pacifier in her mouth and hand her snuggle bunny and she goes to sleep quickly.

"I loves my bunny"

 I hope this comes in handy for our flight!

Best pals

On a roll

She is mobile! She has been wiggling herself onto her side for a few days now, but has lacked either the coordination or the confidence to go any further. Yesterday, she went for it! It's not perfect yet, but she is able to roll over! I have to help her a bit at the end with her arm. With a little practice, she will be a pro!

Swimming

As I have mentioned before, Eliza loves her ball. The other day when we were at the doctor's office, she was having a ball (haha :) with it!

Target had bathing suits on sale, so we bought Eliza one the other day. Since today is Michael's first day off, we went to the Fallbrook YMCA to introduce Eliza to the pool. That pool is nice because it is indoors and the temperature is a little warmer. At first she didn't know what to think of it, but about 5 minutes in she was kicking her little legs around.

 We only stayed in about 20 minutes and then came home, but that little bit of kicking must have worn her out. She is now a sleepy baby!

Almost a year

This past year has zoomed by! Almost a year ago, we found out that we were going to be having a little Blueberry. Wow, how much have our lives changed!

Last year on July 25th, I was 5 weeks along :)

Recaps: Pregnancy Photos

Photos I should have posted about a week ago :)
Eliza is 3 months old!

Extreme cuteness!

We are so blessed to have such a perfect little baby :) She is developing so quickly. Within the last week she has found her hands and she thinks they are the greatest things EVER!

Outfit given by Mrs. Kristin

Since she is gaining finer motor skills, Michael and I bought her this ball. She is mesmerized by it because she can hold it and shake it. It is really cute watching her learn and play.

Her new toy

My favorite time of the day is definitely when she wakes up from a nap. She is the happiest baby!

Fireworks... No problem :)

Eliza has been a happy girl now that we have gone back to the swaddle and she has been sleeping well. I am also a happier girl :) Within the last few days, Eliza has started paying very close attention to the animals. Coral desperately wants to be best friends with Eliza, Angel is very cautious around her and doesn't get to close and Saphira could care less!

Good night kisses from Coral

So, I have never seen a love for fireworks like I have in Nebraska. It is legal to shoot them in the city limits here, so for several days before the 4th, there are tons of fireworks going off. The first year we moved her we were certain we were in a war zone. Last night we were afraid Eliza wouldn't sleep, but were we wrong! She slept like a champ :)

Baby Eliza and Alien Eliza (in the mirror)

About 5 minutes later :)   

Since we don't have family in Lincoln, I was getting worried about spending another 4th alone since Michael has to work for the 3rd year in a row. But, thankfully, Kimmie and Brian invited us out to the Gerlach home for a party. It was very nice to be around people and the food was wonderful! Michael was able to make it out when he got off of work and join in on the festivities. Eliza seemed completely indifferent to the fireworks. All in all, a very good day!

Swaddle it is...

So, Eliza has been sleeping in her big girl bed in a sleep sack instead of a swaddle. We thought that it might be best to change her bed and experiment without a swaddle all at once. Well, last night was night four of waking up every hour and mommy is exhausted from getting up and putting the pacifier back in. So swaddle it is! We are both going to get some sleep tonight!

In other news, Eliza is completely wowed by her hands! They taste awesome apparently and are great for grabbing EVERYthing. Although she doesn't know what to do with items when she gets them, I have a feeling she is going to start playing with the toys around her very soon. 

Little 'Liza loves being in her chair when we are eating dinner. She has started joining in on dinner conversation and gives us these wonderful smiles. Nothing better in the world :)

Big Girl Stuff

So every mom I have met likes to tell stories about their kiddos, and usually the kids don't really want that story told. My mom has and Michael's mom LOVES telling stories about Katie and Michael. So, in order to get one of my first "mom badges", I figured I needed to start taking pictures to show for future first dates. Sean and Marie got us the Billy Bob pacifier and we gave it to Eliza. She is super picky about pacifiers, so it didn't stay in for long... but I got a pic!

It seems like all of a sudden, Eliza is turning into a big girl. Michael and I agreed a month ago that when she was 3 months old, she would start sleeping in her crib in her own room. Until the other night, she was still sleeping in her bassinet in our room. Well, we got rid of the swaddle AND moved her to the crib this weekend. Overall she is doing fine with it, but she wakes up during the night several times because she wants her pacifier. I think it is going to take a little time to get back to sleeping solid, but hopefully it will come soon!

Also, yesterday Eliza got her big girl chair for the table. Up to this point, when we are eating dinner, we would put her in her bouncer close to the table. In a few months she is going to start eating solids and would need a high chair anyway, so we went ahead and got one. This one reclines to fit the baby and has a tray. She was kicking and smiling when we put her in it, so hopefully that is the "I like it" dance :)

Watching mom and dad cook dinner. She liked being higher off the ground because she could see more things. 

Her watching us while we cook in the kitchen. 

Investigating what this new tray thing is :)