Elena, So Big

Following up to my last post, it is unbelievable how big Elena is getting. Here are a few photos taken today after her bath. She is on the changing pad, but you can see she is getting very long for the area.

















Milestones: Elena has discovered her hands. She has been putting her thumb, fingers and fists in her mouth almost daily. She just gnaws on them a little bit and takes them out. I know I'm biased, but she is just adorable. She smiles all the time now. I think there was a giggle once too. I'll know for sure when she does it again. I am most excited by her recent sleep patterns. Since her vaccinations last week she has given me one 3 hour sleep time each night; usually I only get 2 hours at a time during the night. Maybe my brain fog will dissipate soon!

Elena is Growing Tall and Strong!

Today we had an appointment with the pediatrician to check Elena's development and begin our vaccinations. She did very well with the 3 shots she received. Of course she did cry, her face went scarlet red but soon faded and she stopped crying when I picked her up. However, it has been an exhausting evening already.

I had anxiously been waiting to see how much she has grown since our last check up. Today (9 weeks, 1 day) she weighed in at 12 pounds 3 ounces and is 24-1/4 inches long! Her weight is about the 50 percentile but her length is in the 90 percentile! I guess this explains why she is fitting well into the 3-6 month outfits we have for her.

To shed a little perspective on her parents: chunky baby Rachel weighed about 12 pounds and was about 22-1/2 inches long at this time. And Carl weighed about 15 pounds and was about 25-3/4 inches long at this time. It looks like she is taking after my weight and blending our lengths. It is going to be fun watching her grow!

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day! Today also marks Elena's 2 month birthday. She is getting so big so fast. We have a doctor's appointment Wednesday--she must be around 12 pounds by now. My arms are definitely getting a work out!

Chris and Lorraine had us over yesterday for dinner, it was a delight to see them. Side note: I forgot the camera yesterday and also couple of weeks ago when we went to Elena's first Padres game with Chris. Elena was 6 weeks old did really well; I had her in the Ergo carrier the whole time.

Today we had a relaxing day. I worked on the blog. Carl had some extra cuddle time with Elena and we just enjoyed be home with each other. Here are a few pictures of Carl and his little girl.

Photo Shoot--8 weeks / 2 months

Elena has had another growth spurt. She began growing out of 0-3 month clothing at 7 weeks. Now she is 8 weeks and can't fit into any of her 0-3 months clothes! When I realized this and noticed she is shedding her hair, I thought I better dress her up and take a few photos. She had fun with it for a little while, but was not keen on the wardrobe change. I was able to capture a little bit of her personality in these photos.

A Visit from The Grossi's, June 13-16

Donna and Pat (with Cassie and Cory) came to visit us and we had a wonderful time. This entry has a few photos from our weekend activities.

Grandma and Elena are admiring each other. Elena is about 7 1/2 weeks old.

On Sunday, we drove down to Shelter Island and enjoyed a picnic lunch from Point Loma Seafood. The following two pictures are from our picnic. The weather was beautiful and the sail boats were out in force. Everyone had a good time, even Elena though she was covered head to toe except for the pictures.

Later that afternoon we went to Mission Trails Park near our house. We walked a trail with the dogs. As you can see the native grasses have turned a golden color, it is a spectacular sight to see in person. I carried Elena in an Ergo carrier. With the green insert it supports infants and when she is big enough we will use the carrier without the insert. It can carry up to a 40 pound child and is so comfortable for me to wear. I can easily get it on and off. I can't say enough, this carrier is great!














Here we are, an updated family picture. Cooper is standing at our feet, and you can't see Elena, just her hat--but aren't we cute? Someday we will need to have professional pictures taken without sunglasses :)










Tuesday, June 16. Donna and Pat have come to say goodbye for this trip. Time seemed to fly by. Can you believe Elena is 8 weeks old in this picture?

Tiny Fingers & Toes, June 11

These are just a few fun pictures that were taken on June 11th. Elena is 7 weeks and 2 days old here.

I just couldn't resist taking these photos of Elena napping in her crib. She is really growing and filling out. I had a doctor's appointment yesterday and put her on the scale with me. It doesn't have ounces and we were both dressed, but I estimate without clothes Elena is about 10 pounds now. She has a check up in a couple of weeks, I can't wait to see how much she weighs. She definitely feels like a healthy baby!

Enjoy these snapshots of her tiny fingers and toes!

Elena at 6 1/2 Weeks, June 5th

Now isn't this cute? Carl, Elena and Cooper all cuddling on the couch. Cooper has really taken to Elena. He watches out for her, goes to her side when she is crying and when I'm carrying her he will follow me to her nursery. He gives her kisses almost every day.

Content little Elena. She often smiles when she is done nursing. I happened to have the camera handy and snapped some pictures. What a happy little girl.

Elena has begun to enjoy her bath time. If you look closely, you can see the water is moving. Elena now kicks her legs when she is in the water. She is so adorable. Carl snapped the playful picture of us below.
(Elena 6 1/2 weeks old)

Elena at 5+ Weeks & 6 weeks

These pictures were taken on May 28th; Elena is 5 weeks and 2 days. Elena has really started to bloom. At one month she was able to pick up her head and turn it to follow objects. She smiles to recognize her mommy and daddy and she keeps her eyes open all the time now.

The picture on the left was taken on June 2nd; Elena is 6 weeks old. She is as sweet as she looks. She only fusses when she is hungry or has a burp. She loves to be held during the day, but we do get one or two naps in her crib during the day and she still sleeps in her crib at night.

I love snapping pictures of Elena.

Elena's First Visit to the Ocean (5 weeks)

We worked my parents pretty hard, so we also needed to take some time to relax and enjoy Southern California. What better way than smelling the salt water and listening to the waves crash on land? We went to Seagrove Park (the same spot where Carl and I married). I forgot the camera, but thanks to cell phones, we were able to snap a few pictures.

These pictures were taken on Tuesday, May 26th. Elena was 5 weeks old.


The sun was out and it was a bit breezy. Elena was kept under cover except to take these couple of pictures.


The pictures below were taken later that day back at our house.

Home Improvement Projects

My parents came out to visit Elena and Carl and I put them to work! Rae Ann cleared the backyard of a few old tree stumps. One benefit to somewhat sandy soils and really hot summers is that dead tree roots break down relatively quickly so after a year you can just pull the stump and roots out of the ground.









Carl and I also decided to expand our patio. Rae Ann began digging out the old plastic blocks and pebbles put in place by the previous owner and then dug into the soil. Once she started going, Carl joined in the effort after work and on the weekend. The goal was to have the patio area prepped for Rick when he arrived. Rick and Carl would lay the pavers over Memorial Day Weekend.

A project Carl and I have been wanting to complete, but never seemed to get around to was putting down base boards. Thanks, Dad, for installing the base boards, our house looks finished and is much more welcoming when we come home.










Here is the new patio space prepped and ready for pavers. It was a hot weekend but Rick and Carl were able to install and finish off the patio over the three day weekend. What a transformation over the plastic blocks previously there. Now we just need to find a dining set and we can enjoy alfresco dining all year round!

Daddy Time

Carl and Elena looked so cute together, I couldn't resist snapping a few shots. Elena is about 4 weeks old in these pictures.

Rachel's Parents Visit

My mom (Rae Ann) flew in for a visit on May 13th; Elena was 3 weeks and 1 day old. We had a week together before my dad joined her for the second week. There was a lot of cuddling with Elena. Mom also helped us with house work and landscaping (see the next blog topic: Home Improvement for more details).

Here is my Dad (Rick) holding Elena for the first time. In this picture, Elena is 4 weeks and 1 day old. Oh, how the time is passing!