Bath Time

So tonight was bath night for little Eliza. It is amazing for something that can't go anywhere on her own, she NEEDS a bath. Since her tummy is still working things out, she is really filling diapers still. Wipees are good, but sometimes, you gotta call in the bathtub.  

We have 5 or 6 different hooded towels for her, but the only one that she doesn't cry in is her shark. It is the thickest one, so I think she stays the warmest after the bath. The hood part is too big, so it often looks like she has been eaten by the shark because the teeth cover most of her face if we do not push it back. 

And, here are those precious curls! Left untamed, they remind Michael and I of her Vo Andrade's hair. 

Great Visit

Sadly, we have to take Mindy back to the airport today. She has been such a big help over the last week since Eliza was super fussy the first few days. Thankfully, by the end of her visit, Eliza was a happy girl, full of smiles. You know she is a good friend when she comes to Nebraska (the Arctic) and is content to help change diapers, clean the kitchen, stay at home because the baby cries when we take her places and deal with sleep-deprived me! Could not ask for more.

While Mindy was here, she took Eliza's one month pictures and family pictures of us. My favorite picture of Eliza with her 1 month sticker is below. She was so patient when Mindy was taking her pictures and gave us several smiles along the way. She is feeling SO much better!

Since we had Mindy (and Brian's camera), we asked Mindy if she would take a few pictures of all three of us. This was the first time in a month that I have bothered to do anything other than a ponytail and to put a little makeup on. I actually felt human for a bit :)

More pictures here.

Fiona, the Fall Fiesta Maple

Last weekend we bought a tree and they told us it would take 2 to 3 weeks for them to deliver and plant. Well, we had a surprise visitor from the nursery show up yesterday and plant this cute little tree in our yard. I hope it grows quickly so Eliza can climb it when she is bigger.

One Month Old

It is hard to believe that we had this adorable baby a month ago. It seems like we have had her for years at this point because I can't remember life before her. Most of the pictures we have taken of her so far, she has straight hair. Well, today Mindy was changing her diaper and Eliza decided to fountain pee and get her and Aunt Mindy soaked. A bath was definitely needed after that. After the bath, we let her hair air dry and before we brushed it and we were pleasantly surprised to find these beautiful curls all over her head!

Today has been SO MUCH better than the last 4 or 5 days. I think that her tummy is starting to feel better and because of that, she is eating and sleeping better. Hopefully my girl is less fussy over the next few days :)

And the above is just a cute one. This is her I "just-got-dried-off-after-a-bath" picture. Mindy said it looks like she is riding a roller coaster. 

Nicer Weather, Nicer baby

Now that the weather is nice, we have been going on family walks. She loves her stroller, but sometimes she needs a little encouragement to calm down. Notice the cell phone in the upper right corner of the photo. That is my life-saver because it has a hair drier app on it that calms her down. Sometimes, that is the only thing that will sooth her. Thanks to Karey and Annie for the super cute hat.

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Because it is nicer in Nebraska, Mindy decided to come visit us. Eliza loves to sleep on Aunt Mindy, so now mom loves Mindy more! So far she is 4 for 4 on attempts to sooth and make Eliza sleep :)

Dad likes to use the football hold to calm miss Eliza. Aren't they adorable!

MSPI

So, over the last week I have mentioned that little Eliza has been very fussy. For the first 3 weeks, I had a happy baby and then 3 and half weeks hit and she changed into a different baby. After lots of crying, I finally called the pediatrician today explained that she has cried so much that her little cry is hoarse, she kicks and cringes after she eats, her stools are mucousy and she is congested. They said to bring her in and to bring a dirty diaper with us. They checked her out and tested her diaper. Although not visible, there is blood in her stools. They told us that she has MSPI, Milk and Soy Protein Intolerance. It usually starts to show about 3 weeks because her little tummy has irritated and trying to break down the milk and soy proteins. Now, to fix the problem, I have to change my diet so that I do not consume any milk or soy. We should start to see her feeling better in 3 to 4 days once our systems get rid of the MS crud.

Now you know I love you dear Eliza, because that means no cheese! And, I when I came home and looked in my pantry, I was amazed at the amount of foods that contain soy. My non-stick spray contains soy! We will do this diet until she is 6 months old and then will introduce soy back into our diet. If that goes well, a month later we can test milk proteins. The doctor said that most kiddos outgrow the intolerance by a year old. I have to remember that this is temporary!

I don't know if you can tell, but her little eyes are red and watery from her crying so much :(

A nice bouncer

So Sunday and Monday have been very fussy. We got the bouncer from a good friend and it only works about 30% of the time. Thankfully, we have been able to have 1 nice dinner and 1 hands-free Dr. Who episode because of the seat.

Eliza and I went to our Mommy Group and out to lunch today with Jenny and Lyra. I am hoping that as she gets a little older, outings like this will be able to be a little less stressful and more frequent :)