She belongs to Him...

Today Elisa was a part of the baby dedication at church. There were about 30 little ones there...just amazing to think of the little new lives that God creates every day. Our pastor Jeff (the same one that married Wil and I) prayed for the little ones and gave a "charge" to the parents. He reminded us of the blessings that these children already have, growing up in a Godly household. So many people grow up not knowing Him and OUR children have the opportunity to grow up in a household where we can demonstrate His love from day one. Wow. What a charge. There's no doubt that Wil and I feel blessed with the gift of parenthood, and I know that God is looking at us with compassion in his eyes. Boy, it can be tiring and sometimes you don't know how to satisfy the little one. But through Him, we succeed.

My prayer is that we can be Christlike examples to her. So God just help me with my patience!

She looks like Wil!

You know just on a side note, many people have said to me, "Gosh, Amy, Elisa looks so much like Wil, not you, I'm sorry." What is it?! I wonder do wives really NOT want their babies to look like their husbands? I am so happy that when I look at Elisa, I see Wil's face, his hair, curls, etc. It may sound absolutely cheesy, but when I look at her, I do think of my hubby and I think of the wonderful father she has! I am thrilled! I just hope she has his demeanor!

Life just passing by...

This weekend was absolutely wonderful. With Wil being gone for a week, we hadn't had a "family" weekend for a while. Saturday we worked around the

house...finally putting up curtains and decorating a little. Little by little our new home is starting to look like a home. Then Grandma Cindi offered to babysit and Wil and I had a great date.

Conversation is never a problem for us, so we enjoyed a nice dinner and movie -- thanks Grandma!

Sunday Elisa went to church for the first time. I felt like she was growing up so fast when I dropped her off at her "Birth to Crawling" Sunday school room. I think we missed her during the service more than she even noticed (we were told she just slept most of the time!). We were constantly feeling the little pager, wondering if was working or not.

It is really beginning to feel as if she is growing so much! First time out for an evening, then church...I really missed her. I guess I have been spoiled by having her with me all day.

Sunday evening ended with a nice stroll around our neighborhood which has a path with a scenic view. Ahhh....parenthood and couplehood.

Motherhood moments and ... beans

Wil and I witnessed Elisa's first smile the other morning. It was so adorable and I spent the entire day trying to recapture it. I think she was just fooling us!

I am part of a Mother's Breastfeeding Support Group through the hospital I delivered at and it is so wonderful. There are anywhere from 20 to 30 mothers that come once a week with their babies to share ideas and ask questions from 2 nurses that run the group. But most of all, we spend our time sharing and supporting each other. These women know what it is like to have a 1-week, 6-week, 2-month-old, etc. baby. Often you begin to describe what your baby is doing and another mother immediatley chimes in with, "Oh, yes, I experienced that, too..." It amazes me the instinct of a mother. And I am really thankful that I have my own mother to constantly ask advice from and this group.

Elisa is now starting to look at me or if she hears my voice, to move her head from side to side, looking around. I can't believe that God created such a wonderful bond. When I wake up in the middle of the night, I often am awake before she cries for me. Elisa and I spent the past few days with my mom while Wil was out of town and my mom would ask me how many times I woke up during the night. Often, I had no clue. Elisa's feedings have just become second nature to me. I think I just sleep walk when I go and pick her up and feed her. I can't even remember what life was like in the middle of the night weeks ago .... :)

We went back to the doctor this week and with another opinion Elisa doesn't have reflux, but is a colicky baby. Thank goodness we don't have to take that awful medicine anymore! She is really quite good during the day and at night comes our troublesome times. But everyone says it lasts just a few months.

I keep thinking, I can't wait til 3 months when everyone says she'll be doing so much more and acting so differently. But in reality, I want to savour these moments right now...

Speaking of savouring, after a year of being in the states, Wil finally cooked beans last night! They were really good! That might sound crazy, but for 2 years beans were a staple item in my diet, but coming back to the states I had no idea how to cook them....thanks, Honey!

I'm one month old!

I can't believe a month has passed. Today Elisa is one month old and just changing every day.
She is gaining weight so well. At last check she weighed 8 pounds 12 and a half ounces! So, gaining an average of a pound a week! She is sleeping better, about 4 hours at night, then she wakes up for a feeding. Of course I have my ears always alert for every sound she makes, so mom doesn't get to sleep as sound. She also spends more time awake with her beautiful eyes open as you can see in this picture.

Wil and I are still adjusting to figuring out all her whines and cries, but he is so good with her. I am definitely so blessed to have a husband that works so hard so we can stay at home together! Thank you, honey!

Grandma Nuria and Aunt Wendy (Wil's mom and sister) have purchased their tickets to come visit! We can't wait for them to meet Elisa at the end of October! She will definitely be immersed in Spanish for several weeks. :)

No lo puedo creer, ya pasó un mes, hoy Elisa cumplió un mes de edad y de estar cambiando todos los días. Por ejemplo, ha estado subiendo bastante de peso, la última vez pesó 8 libras y 12 onzas, eso significa que está subiendo una libra por semana, además está durmiendo un poco más, en la noche llega a dormir hasta 4 horas seguidas. Yo por mi parte permanezco siempre alerta ante cualquier ruido que hace, así que su mamá tampoco duerme muy bien que se diga. Por lo demás pasa más tiempo despierta y con sus ojitos lindos abiertos como pueden ver en la foto.
Wil y yo estamos aprendiendo a saber qué significa cada ruido que hace, pero él es muy bueno con ella, me siento tan bendecida con un esposo que trabaja tanto para que las dos podamos pasarla bien en casa, gracias mi amor.
¡¡Mi abuelita Nuria y mi tía Wendy ya tienen sus boletos para venir a visitarme!! Ya no nos podemos esperar para que vengan a finales de octubre, ahora sí va a estar en un ambiente de sólo español durante varios días :)