5 Weeks

Photos first and then the latest news.....

One of Elliott's newborn photos courtesy of our friend Heather! She was 2 weeks old here. I can't believe how much she has changed since then!

Elliott is 5 weeks old here. She enjoys her bath time. We just have learned not to do them at night because unlike some babies where baths calm them, baths just cause Elliott to be WIDE awake.
Once again, she is 5 weeks old. Daddy is doing a great job! He even braves the poop diapers like a champ now. He has been gone a lot this past week and we have missed him very much. I really appreciate his help and couldn't imagine doing this without him.

We are now 5 weeks old and doing well. Elliott had her month check up this week and has gained to right at 10 pounds and gained 2 inches in length. The Dr. said that she is doing great and can be expected to gain an ounce or 1/2 ounce a day. How crazy is that?!?

I think that she must be in a growth spurt now, as she is eating more and has been cranky the last two days. She has also started having tears when she cries. That is a sign of growth and it makes it even harder on us when she cries. Poor pumpkin!

Shaun is back to work full time and that leaves a lot of mommy and Elliott bonding time! We are getting more of a routine down and hopefully we will have a schedule that works for everyone soon.

I managed to make it out of the house on Friday alone and attempted to do some Christmas shopping. It was chaos out there! I never noticed how many people around you in public do things that are dangerous. For example, when walking into Target, there was a group of people standing right by the doors smoking. So, everyone walking in and out of the store had to walk through their smoke. My shirt smelled like it and it was only a minute that I was exposed to it. If Elliott was with me, I would have been one mad mama! While standing in the check out line, I was surrounded by sick people. The man in front of me kept sneezing without covering his mouth! And he looked like he should have been in the hospital he was so pale and sickly looking. The woman behind me had a terrible cough and I had to look back several times because I thought she lost her lung. To top it off, as I walked to my car, the woman parked beside me was sitting on her back bumper smoking. So, as I rushed to unload my bags into the back of the tiguan, I endured her smoke again and got to smell it all the way home until I rushed into the shower.

So, note to self, it is so not worth the trip for me right now! I'll shop online: quick, easy, and no inconsiderate people. My friends keep encouraging me to get out of the house and I do agree that I need to do so. If I go out, it won't be shopping, maybe to the gym or to get a pedicure!

Christmas is coming soon. I have been overwhelmed with the number of Christmas outfits that have been given to Elliott! It is a virtual 12 days of Christmas Elliott fashion show! She has also received several presents already and I think more Christmas cards than Shaun and I! We aren't doing the whole visit with Santa thing due to her being in quarantine still and the fact that Mall Santa's creep me out due to all my years working child abuse cases. Special side note: clowns, people who do puppet things, people who dress up Santa, Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy, all make me nervous!

Shaun and I are looking forward to spending our first Christmas with Elliott. Shaun has to work due to how the holiday falls, but we are taking some time this week and next to enjoy. Shaun preaches on the weekend of January 1 and 2. We hate that we can't be home to see our family and friends. We really hate that we will miss seeing some of our family who only comes in during the holiday. And all the fun and food that the holiday brings! We are truly blessed to have such wonderful family and friends. We love y'all and look forward to seeing you sometime in the new year. You know, y'all can always come visit here too.

Merry Christmas!