Happy Birthday!

Last weekend we got together with the family to celebrate my birthday and my dad's birthday at the Lemp Mansion in St. Louis.  We went for their weekly Sunday fried chicken dinner and it was AMAZING, as you will see from the table picture below.  It was great to bring Elena, who behaved herself the entire time, to meet Uncle John and Steve.  It's always so much fun to see Elena with the family. 
Nothing else has really been happening around here...just back to work for us all and Elena is doing great with the babysitter.  Next week is our first full week of work and babysitters.  I'm sure it will be just fine.  In just two weeks I will be on spring break and will have another full week to spend at home with this baby girl of ours.  Did I mention she is 12 weeks now?  Yes, 12 weeks.  I will be taking her 3 month photo this week...my my how time is flying on us.  I don't want to wish the time away, but boy can I not wait until summer.  It's going to be a great one.  No summer school for me, which gives me butterflies to even just think about.  I get to spend my days with Elena...what a dream come true.  Juan will be teaching summer school, but it's not your typical summer school...he is working with middle schoolers doing a lot of exploratory type teaching...it is just a fun summer teaching gig for Juan during the month of June...I am so glad he was approached about this opportunity and ran with it...it will be really great.
Here are some of our photos from the last week or so...

 So tired!

 Hi Steve!

 MMMMM...dinner....

 A precious fist

 Flower in my bouquet from Juan

It was a long day...

We Made It!

Our first week back to reality has been a success at the Diaz homestead.  Elena did great the two days she spent with the babysitter and today she got to stay home with Abuela and just relax!  This short week at school really helped me ease back into the swing of things.  It was really great to get so many hugs and "I'm so glad you're back!" from the kids when I arrived at school on Tuesday.  I forgot how much I missed all of them too.  One of our little kindergarteners told me "Congratulations on you being able to get your baby out, Mrs. Diaz." That was probably the greatest compliment of the day ;)  I'm glad that I have tomorrow off to spend with Elena and we also have Monday off as a family due to President's Day...gotta love the days off as a teacher.  It really is the best job in the world.  Spring break is only a few weeks away...is it bad that I'm already looking forward to it?! I attached some pictures of Elena on her first day at the babysitters, which was also her first Valentine's Day.  She had a special outfit for the day.  Elena also turned 11 weeks old yesterday.  Really?  Eleven weeks already?!  She is getting smarter and stronger by the day.  She talks to Juan and I all the time and she really likes to listen to me sing my ABCs to her...I have no idea why as my voice is absolutely horrendous.  We read LOTS of books everyday and her eyes just light up each time I turn a page.  I hope we have a little reader on our hands. 

Our beautiful Valentine

Punching and kicking! Look at my thumb through my fingers!

'Twas the night before school...

Well, the time has finally come for mom to head back to work tomorrow...I think!  Today several schools had snow days, but my district did not call off school until about noon today.  We'll see if there is school tomorrow, but I am counting on going.  I already have Elena's bag ready to go, so all I have to do tonight is prepare some bottles for her tomorrow.  I'm sure I'll find out tomorrow night what I forgot to send and repeat the routine again for Wednesday.  I even have an outfit picked out for Elena's first Valentine's Day. I'll be sure to take a picture of her tomorrow for her big day.
I am looking forward to seeing everyone at school tomorrow.  I know I'll be so busy that I won't be sitting around dwelling on the fact that I miss baby girl so much!!  The days at school have always flown by and I know that won't change at all.  I know I have a lot of work to go back to, but I am so very thankful each and everyday that it is work I love to do.
Juan had a snow day today, so we laid around a lot enjoying each other's company for the day.  We all took a nap together this afternoon and now Elena is sleeping again after eating awhile ago.  I'm glad I took the time this morning to get some vegetable soup in the crock pot so dinner has been done for a few hours now.  We can just relax tonight and get to bed at a reasonable time.  I am honestly excited to get out there tomorrow and get back to reality.
I have butterflies in my stomach just thinking about how my morning is going to go dropping her off at the babysitter's, but I know it's all going to be just fine...I think the drive to school listening to my morning radio folks and some good songs will help start the day off right.
Happy Valentine's Day everyone...I know it will be memorable for the Diaz's!!

Here are some more pictures from over the last week...Elena is growing up so fast on us!  She is 11 weeks on Wednesday and it's amazing how alert she is. She is kicking her legs a bunch and batting at objects in front of her.  She LOVES to look at pictures in books and listen when we read.  I couldn't be more proud of her.

I can hold onto my binky sometimes!!

But other times I need a little help...

I love to kick, kick, kick!!!

Elena showing off her kicking moves.

Grandma and Grandpa Keeven came for some fun!

Mom and Homer.  He LOVES her.

Grandpa and Elena's hands

What up, Dad?!

My profile.

10 Weeks Old!

Today marks Elena's 10 week milestone.  I still remember when I was 10 weeks pregnant.  I had a pin that church gave me around that time that was a replica of how big her feet were at that point in her development.  Now that she is 10 weeks old, it is so hard to believe that her feet were smaller than the tip of my pinky almost a year ago.  It really is incredible what the human body can do.  I am fascinated everyday.

Elena is really getting into a good sleeping routine and it has made our lives so much better these days.  She is eating her last meal around 10:00-10:30 each night and then off to bed.  She has been sleeping until about 4-6am ...it just depends!  Juan and I have been thankful for the progress she has made in her sleep.  When she gets up in the morning, she eats and usually goes right back to sleep for a few hours again.  This has been helpful for me because some mornings I get up and get things done while she sleeps and other mornings I just stay in bed, too, and rest for a few more hours!  It's been a good schedule, but that is all about to change come Tuesday!  Back to work for me, but I know getting back into it means that summer is just that much closer...and I, for one, cannot wait to spend the summer in the sun with this baby girl of ours!!
Below are some pictures from over the last week or so.  Elena is growing so quickly...she's becoming quite the chunker!!  We love her so much!!

 I LOVE to snuggle!!

 Daddy wraps me up so good!!

 Mittens love.

 Out shopping with mom and grandma!

 Telling all my secrets to grandma!

 Reading one of my favorite books...Bee bo!!

I have crazy hair...so what?!

2 Month Well Visit

Today was Elena's 2 month check up with Dr. Hagan.  She has not been to the doctor since she was 2 weeks old.  We had a great visit today.  Elena is checking out just fine.  She is growing well weighing 10 lbs 12 oz...the 50th percentile.  She is 23 inches tall putting her in the 75th percentile.  Our baby girl is developing right on track.  Dr. Hagan heard a bit of a heart murmur when he listened to Elena's heart, but last appointment he didn't hear it, so it's just a little bump in her health that we are going to keep an eye on.  If it's still there at our 4 month appointment, we may have a cardiologist listen to Elena's heart just to be sure it's nothing to worry about. Dr. Hagan didn't seem worried and assured me that she is breathing well and eating well, so those are great signs of nothing significant. That definitely put my mind at ease.
At the end of our appointment, Elena had her first round of shots that a typical 2 month old gets.  I was all prepared for the scream that usually accompanies a young infant getting shots, but no loud, blood curdling scream occurred!  What a surprise. Our nurse that administered the shots poked Elena's thigh for the first shot and the baby didn't even move!  It was after she pulled the needle out that Elena started to cry a bit and the nurse told me that sometimes it isn't even the needle that hurts the baby, it's the medicine entering the bloodstream that can cause the pain afterwards.  Elena got two more shots in her other thigh, and by the time we left the doctor's office 5 minutes after the shots were administered, she was asleep.  She woke up for awhile when we got home and was very fussy, but she is now taking another nap.  She's had a big day!  Now to just go and hang on the couch for the rest of the day cuddling with baby girl...sounds good to me ;)

P.S. Happy Birthday Dad...I mean Grandpa!!  :)

2 Months Old!

Being 2 months old really makes me tired at the end of the day!

Elena Elizabeth turned 2 months old yesterday.  She had a great day sleeping in (yes...I did have to wake her up to eat yesterday morning...last night was a COMPLETELY different story, though)...we played a lot yesterday and even watched a few minutes of Baby First TV.  She can really focus on the television while I hold her.  Yesterday the show was playing music while a person drew a picture with lots of colors.  It was neat to watch her eyes move as the artist worked.  I know she enjoyed the bold colors, too.  We also read lots of books.  She really does love books...and I couldn't be happier about that!  We had some down time too and she helped me make some vegetable soup.  All in all, it was a great day.
Elena is able to hold onto some objects now.  She enjoys her multi-colored rings since they are easier to handle.  Tummy time is still great...she is as strong as ever, but after a few minutes, she gets fussy and wants to get up.  We just get on the floor a few times a day for exercise since she can only handle it for a few minutes. Elena loves to suck on her fists and she is even beginning to hold onto her binky at times...this frustrates me when it's time for her to sleep because she'll pull it out of her mouth and then get mad because she doesn't have something to suck on! God forbid she doesn't have that binky to suck on :) Swaddling at night is still helping with this, but most nights she prefers her arms free.

Tummy Time!

Monkey butt!

I needed a rest this afternoon!

Tomorrow Elena goes to the doctor for her two month check-up.  I'll post her information sometime tomorrow...hopefully.  I know she will have to get some shots, so tomorrow may be a bit difficult when we get home.  I know shots can really mess with a child's system, so we'll see how it all goes.  I know I'll have to be super strong holding her tomorrow as the doctor administers the shots...WE WILL MAKE IT!!  :)
Two weeks from today will be my first day back to work.  Sometimes I am just fine with the idea of heading back and other times I want to burst out into tears because I don't want to leave her...it's like going from one extreme to the next.  I know it will all be wonderful once we get a routine going...venturing out into something new can always be hard...especially for someone like me.  I also have to remember that this little girl is only 2 months old and establishing routines is not totally feasible for now.  Again, this is difficult for me!!
Here we go onto month number three...I can't wait for all the new milestones ahead!

Friday Fun!

Today Elena and I made a trip to Jefferson City, MO to meet all the teachers that I work with.  It was a great visit.  I'm just SO glad Elena chose to behave herself for most of the time.  Going back to school with her today made me realize how much I love my job and that I am looking forward to returning to it.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE being here at home with Elena and it's been the most amazing experience, but I think getting back out there in the world will help not only me, but Elena too.  Even though she is so little yet, getting out there to expand her horizons now I think will only benefit her in the future. These next few weeks are going to fly by and it will be hard not spending my entire day with baby girl, but knowing I have such a loving environment to return to at school makes me feel great about heading back to work.  Thanks to my Gordon Girls for such a fun visit today!

 I was very alert early this morning before we left!

 But, I was SO tired by the time I got home!

Mom pulled my hood up once, but I liked it down to keep me warm :)