Followup Post

Thanks to Brandon for posting the story in from the Daily Oklahoman with my Grandpa on the front page!  If you were interested, check out his blog.  

First Steps

Elisa is finally walking at 15 months! If I was a good mother, more organized and with more time on my hands, I would have a video or something to share, but I don't. We've been very busy lately and she's keeping up as best she can. It is so cute how excited she gets about walking when we praise her and then next time she's cool as a cucumber. She still can't get to standing without some assistance, so if she falls in the middle of the floor its on her knees until she does.

She is also starting to demonstrate imaginative play and nurturing behavior. I am fascinated by how she does these things without having them shown to her! Last week she found a pacifier in her toybox (she never took it but we've never put it away). She immediately got excited, took it to her doll and put it 'in' her doll's mouth. So cute! Now this is a favorite game for her. Another time I found her in her room making a 'bed' out of blankets for her stuffed animal. The best, however, is when Brandon caught her 'bathing' her doll in the dog bowl. Hmm...don't think we'll encourage that one.

All of this is very exciting to me as I anxiously await her transition from 'baby' to 'big sister'. So glad we finally got to walking before I am too pregnant to carry her everywhere! Hopefully she'll be as loving to a new baby as she is to her doll babies.

On the downside, thanks to everyone at ETBC who suffers through our distracting display of discipline on Sunday mornings! This girl has an independent spirit and sitting through the worship service is not her idea of a good time just yet.

in case you were wondering...

My goodness it's been a long time since I've posted. I keep meaning to, but I'm so busy right now. However, this particular one has been *FORCED* by my beloved sister who indicated that someone she is related to might be having a baby. There seems to be some speculation that it is me.

Well, if you speculated as such (or heard some vicious rumour) it is true. I never really intended to keep it a secret, I just haven't had time to announce it from the blog-tops. Christina has been threatening to do it for me and I guess I've learned my lesson. That girl means business!

Apparently so do Brandon and I. We are expecting our new little edition sometime between July and August. Not really sure yet as I haven't had an ultrasound and wasn't really 'keeping track'. I actually found out the day little Sophie was born, so apparently that is four weeks ago (sorry for the delay). We are sufficiently excited and glad to get such a good value out of all that expensive baby stuff we invested in last year!

Seriously, we are feeling very blessed and excited. I will have my first ultrasound early in February so we'll try and update you all then. That is, if Christina doesn't beat me to it....

Kissing and Cousins

Well, I guess you all know my blog is falling behind horribly. Elisa is getting so active, it is hard to find time to sit down at the computer that isn't work related! So here's the quickie update on the last month.

We had a great Thanksgiving. Christina and her family were able to come for the first time since she had a family! Elisa is crawling, cruising, chattering and basically wearing me out! Here are a few photos from the last week and the holiday visit...

Going in for a kiss...my favorite new skill (thanks Grandma)
Hates sitting still!

Playing with Grandma and the cousins!

I can't believe how big she is getting. Next week she'll be turning 1! Hopefully I will get birthday pictures posted before Christmas. No promises though.

Photo Update

After over a month of owning our new camera, I am just now posting some of the pictures we've taken with it! Hopefully you have all seen the beautiful ones Andrea took by now. You may not be able to tell the difference, but it sure is easier to get the right shot. Here are a few of Elisa at 9 and 10 months... Brandon's parents came to visit and we went out for lunch. Elisa tried her first lemon!
This is not something we encourage at our house, but when I came into the kitchen and realized she had done this herself, I just had to capture the moment!

Brandon's mom came to visit and we took Elisa to the Linnaeus Gardens. She had a wonderful time playing in the fountain. Aren't we all glad to have a few pretty fall days finally?

Daddy's Little Girl

It's high time our cutie got some more recognition on this blog.

So, here are some recent snapshots. Hope you enjoy!

Looks like we'll be putting up a gate before long.

Her father is already teaching her about the importance of good eye care. Looks like she's on board as Oakley's youngest model.

There are many unexpected ways to entertain yourself with an Exersaucer. She was particularly proud of this one.

Playdate

Yesterday, Laura, Ruth and Austin came to visit me, mom and Elisa. We had a great time catching up and watching these two be cute. Austin is only 2 weeks older than Elisa, so they are practically the same developementally. He is adorable. I really thought I had the cutest baby in the world, but I guess there are some other sweeties out there too. I wouldn't be surprised if some photos show up on Ruth's blog, but here are a couple I got. Of course, neither of us could get our flashes to warm up for the cutest moment ever when they were holding hands (totally on their own I promise). These are pretty good though. Thanks for visiting guys!

June

Wow, so many memorable things have happenned this month. I am going to try and finally post about some of them to update everyone on our *fascinating* life, since I know you are all dying to hear from me!

Here are a few highlights:

• Elisa took her first airplane ride and did quite well, although I vowed never to fly with a baby in my lap again.
• We had a fabulous vacation in Florida with Christina and her family, which consisted mostly of managing four under four and the occasional trip to Walmart. .
• Elisa went swimming for the first time. She also began eating rice cereal and we have moved on to green beans - which she doesn't seem to care for.
• The first day of summer has come and gone without a ray of sunshine. It won't stop raining here!
• Elisa weighs 15.10; double her birthweight.
• Brandon spent a week in Frisco, TX (Dallas) training a new manager and I got to spend a night there as well. We left Elisa with my mom and had great impromptu getaway weekend on Oakley's dime.
• I finished my Christmas shopping - HA, HA!
• We went to a car show with Brandon's parents where they won the coveted 'best in show'
• I got another major sunburn - what can I say, it was raining and I am not used to the exterior elements!
• Oakley announced a merger with the evil Luxotica. We have mixed feelings about this and are looking for our own million dollar idea to sell to the evil Luxotica in twenty years for a billion or so...
• I have lost 10 lbs of babyweight and gained 3 back in Dallas, curses!
• I am sure there is more news of a similar mediocre nature but, let's get on with what you all came to see anyways...

3 months today...

A few photos of baby elisa...

this one of daddy and baby isn't very recent but I just ran across it

and thought it was too cute not to show off!

these were taken today, which was her 3 month birthday!

Getting the Hang of This...

Finally, I am starting to get this blogger format figured out. I apologize to everyone who subscribes to this blog because I've been playing around with it and keep editing things to figure out how things will show up. I actully feel pretty dumb about how long it took me to figure out how to title my posts. And of course, once I did I felt compelled to go back and make them all uniform. I have a feeling it may be a little obnoxious tomorrow. I hope not, but it will just be part of the learning experience I guess!

Today I put away Elisa's 0-3 mo. clothes. Wow is she growing fast! It's so sad to see those adorable little outfits get put away. Who knows if they will be worn again? Here are some more pictures for kicks...

An Overdue Update

I am ashamed of how infreqently I get around to this. I looked for a recent photo to post but they are all still on the camera and I wanted to get something posted before this little cutie wakes up! This one is from a month ago and I didn't even take it!

Brandon and I found a house for those who may not have heard. It is such a wonderful provision from the Lord and has almost all of the features I was looking for, including space enough for a growing family (not yet, but eventually on the growing part). Of course it needs some work, but what first home doesn't? The real gem is the pink carpet! Luckily there are hardwoods underneath. We are hoping to paint, put up a fence and refinish the floors in the ten days between closing and when we have to be out of our house! Any volunteers???

This month I reluctantly quit my part time job at Office Depot. I guess I just can't do everything I used to do before being a mommy! Even though I only made a couple hundred dollars a month there at the most, I really struggled with this decision especially with the new expenses of baby and home ownership. I specifically prayed that the Lord would increase my faith to do this and that I would trust Him to provide instead of my own efforts. Lo and behold I have two new interior design jobs this month and definately not through my own efforts! One of them is for a prominent local builder doing specs for a developement at grand lake. This job has the potential to open a lot of doors for me. Isn't the Lord a wonderful provider? I am so ashamed at my lack of faith when He never fails to prove Himself faithful.

4 Weeks Old

Today Elisa is 4 weeks old. She is starting to be awake a lot during the day, although thankfully she sleeps well at night. She eats and poops alot and is starting to scoot in her crib.

Already she has been to a wedding, a funeral and to work with mommy. This girl is a trooper! I am trying to get back in the swing of things and she has been very flexible.

Brandon and I got are being 'displaced'. The house we rent is being torn down for the highway expansion and we have 90-120 days to find another place to live and be moved into it! This is not my idea of good timing, but apparently it is the Lord's. He has provided this opportunity (we get relocation assistance in the form of CASH we can use for a down payment on a house!) for us and I am confident he will provide a house that meets our needs in our price range. We certainly do not deserve the blessings He has given. Pray that we would follow His leading, recognize His provision and be content with it as such.

How Adorable!

Isn't this precious? Daddy and Baby sleeping together. Today is my first day alone with Baby Elisa. Grandmas have gone home and Brandon is at work. I have high hopes of getting a few things done and, to facilitate that, I got a baby sling which we are using right now. That's right, Elisa and I are blogging together! (Actually, I am typing, she is snoring but we can't expect too much from her right now.)

My sister, Christina; her daughter, Kaitlin; and husband, Doug flew into town on Tuesday. This is the first time the whole family (including Doug) has been here to visit since Christina moved to Florida. What miracles the Lord has worked in her life since then. Doug is a great guy and Christina is patiently working on being the wife of I Peter 3. Doug has a profession from his youth, but shows little spiritual interest. Nevertheless, he is supportive of Christina and surprised her last week by showing up at the family bible hour at the chapel she attends! This is a real answer to prayer and we are excited to see the Lord continue to work in thier lives. Pray with us while they are here that we would all be a good testimony of the christian life to him and that his heart would be softened toward the assembly here in Tulsa.

Happy Holidays to all, I hope your Christmas is as blessed as mine!

The Big Day!

Tuesday, December 12th, 2006 I was scheduled to be induced at 6:00 a.m. The doctor put me on bedrest the week before so I had plenty of time to anxiously ponder and pray about the experience. Monday night I was pretty nervous and, like every other night for the past months very uncomfortable. I just prayed a lot and finally got up at about 3:30 and played on the computer for a while before waking Brandon at 4:30 so we could get ready to go.

I was having some gas pains and thinking about my horrible luck to have any additional discomfort on the dreaded day. We showered, got dressed, and finished packing. I made the bed, unloaded the dishwasher and fed the cats. Brandon was saying - "it's time to go" - and I was feeling more and more pressure.

We got to the hospital at 6:00. As I was getting on the elevator, my sister called - which was great. She asked how I was feeling and I told her about the gas. She said - "you are in labor!" I said "no, it's not really painful, just a lot of pressure."

I got to the admitting room and was admitted fairly quickly. They asked me all kinds of questions, including how much I had been dialated at my last appointment - 2cm. I asked for the epidural right away because I was afraid 1. that it would take a long time to get and 2. that it would be like when I had my wisdom teeth out and it took forever to kick in. I was pretty nervous about facing the pain because I am a big wimp!

By about 6:30 the nurse checked my cervix and said "oh, my! you're at 9 plus!" From then on, things kicked in high gear. It was a little overwhelming since I had myself all psyched up for a long day of labor. Isn't the Lord wonderful though? Elisa was born with relative ease (not that I didn't have that "Get this thing out of me!" moment!) at 10:20 a.m. She would have been born sooner if we hadn't had to wait an hour for the doctor to come break my water - which was the apparent cause of all the pressure I had been feeling, not gas.

Now we are home and she is perfect. My mom is helping which is great. I was getting up every 45 minutes when I was pregnant. I am actually getting more rest now! If you want to see pictures of my beautiful baby, check out the gallery on Brandon's blog www.lifeofthepowells.com.

Once again, the Lord has blessed me in every way and answered every prayer above and beyond what I ever imagined. He is so good! Praise Him with me!

Trying to Blog...

After starting this blogger account in September, I am finally going to post a blog! I have three weeks until Baby Elisa will be born. Is it possible to feel more pregnant every day? By then I may explode! This picture is from one of my baby showers, before I really started getting big.

While it seems too far away for physical comfort, there is still a long to do list. How are you supposed to pack for the hospital when everything you need to take gets used almost every day? Thankfully, I have lots of help.

On top of everything else, Brandon and I found out that we will need to move next spring. I have committed this matter to the Lord, several times, as I tend to find myself obsessing and worrying over the physical and financial ramifications of this. He has proved Himself faithful over and over and I know He is going to provide me with a content spirit and a wonderful home for us to raise our family in. Hopefully in that order!