Sweet Elise is one-month-old!

Elise Faye turned a month-old on April 4th! Can't believe it's been a month since we welcomed our sweet baby girl!!

She favors both of her brothers! Her eyes and cheeks look like Blake's, and she has a similar nose and mouth to Jameston. And she also has long toes and fingers like he did as a baby! She seems to be darker complected than they were at this age.

With a third child, time REALLY does seem to be flying by...there are moments I wish that time would stand still! And, honestly, there are times that I don't wish that ha!! I'm going to try to keep up the monthly updates (even if it is a little late :-)

Monthly pictures with her sock monkey from Pops and GG!

Our baby girl is growing! She is filling out in her cheeks, arms and legs. I would guess she weighs around 10 1/2 pounds and she is long like her brothers (long enough to outgrow newborn sized clothes at 2 weeks). She is currently wearing size 1 diapers. This was at her two week appt., and we don't go back again until two months...

She started smiling the day before her ONE-month birthday! It isn't consistent yet, but it is THE BEST (you can see it in her eyes, too :-) 

Here are some things we have learned about baby sister over the last month:

• She is very observant! Her eyes seem to be getting bigger and bigger. Objects that get her attention are the ceiling fan, lights, and the blinds. She is tracking objects well as well!

• And she's starting to some hair on the back of her head. But she definitely has more than the boys did, and it is darker. Brett is hoping it stays darker, so he has one kid with dark hair like him :-) She is darker complected than the boys as well, so we'll see!

• Elise likes to be held when she sleeps, which was a tough thing in the beginning, but nothing a little swaddling and practice couldn't fix :-) 
• She loves to be changed! Well, I think it is just the freedom to kick and stretch...She does the cutest thing with her neck when she stretches!

She is not as big of a fan of the paci as her brothers were. Maybe that will make weaning easier! She has found her fingers some to suck on, so we may have a thumbsucker. Time will tell...

• Elise is a super laid-back and easy-going baby! God was looking out for us with her as our third :-) 

She likes the swing, car seat, bouncer and playmat. And she doesn't mind tummy time (some days)! Thank goodness, because mommy can't carry her as much as she'd like to, with two older (and sometimes demanding) big brothers...


Girl prefers to sleep rather than eat! For the first month, she had her days and nights mixed up, as she would want to nap longer (especially in the morning) during the day and be up more at night (usually around 10-11 pm and 3-4 a.m.). But we're getting there! She has gone up to five hours at night, and then proceeds to wake up every 2-3 hours after that. She naps well during the day, whether we are at home or out and about....eats every 2 1/2 to three hours during day (if she ain't napping!)
And she likes to have her arms out and free (she's a houdini in the swaddle)! She started taking naps in her crib at 2 weeks old, and I started her in there at night shortly thereafter. We have somewhat of a bedtime routine (books with brothers, bath, nurse and then bed), and she seems to be doing pretty well with it.

She is cooing a lot, like she really has something she wants to say. Can't wait until she can talk! Look at those cheeks!
Elise has shown only some tummy troubles, so we started on Tummy Calm last week, which has seemed to help. She doesn't have reflux, like her brothers did, thank goodness! She gets somewhat fussy around 5 in the afternoon, where she seems to be fighting another nap and it's not time to eat yet. I have used the Ergo with her quite a bit, and the walking/bouncing puts her right to sleep as I cook dinner/do dishes. Another new must-have baby item that is new to me!

She has taken a bottle like a champ, which is a good thing since Mommy starts back to work in less than a month (booo!)...I sure enjoy having a daughter. Looking forward to many of our mother-daughter talks and memories together!

The boys adore her and are sweet with her (just wish they'd be sweeter with each other!). Having three is a juggling act, and there may be a little more crying and fit-throwing than we'd like these days (as I alluded to at the top of the post :-) But, we are embracing the chaos, as friends who've had three have counseled us to do, and we are getting used to our "new normal." What's normal, right?

My boys love the outdoors, and Elise seems to as well!

And she seems to like bath time, another favorite of her brothers! 

All three kids in the tub one night when Brett was out of town...craziness!
In her first month, we had her baby blessing at church. Pops joined us for the service and brunch, and he didn't want to set her down.

Elise sure looked pretty in her strawberry outfit! We have received TONS of hand-me-downs from family! I mean, the girl has a serious wardrobe...I think more clothes than any family member, ha! But her momma sure is having fun letting her wear all the cute outfits!
Elise Faye has been such a blessing to us, as we feel she has completed our family! We are SO IN LOVE with our baby girl and cannot wait to see what the coming months (and years) have in store for her. God has truly blessed us! We love you, Lise!



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