10 Months Old!

Elena turned 10 months old at 2:38pm today...just about the time she left to go visit with her grandma and grandpa in St. Louis.  Elena will get spoiled all this week as her regular babysitter is gone, so E gets to spend lots of time with people she doesn't get to see on a regular basis!  We were so relieved to know that Elena would get to go spend a few days with my mom and dad and then Juan's sister is going to come late in the week to spend a day with Elena too.  We are so fortunate to have family close enough to take a day to come watch Elena when Juan and I can't.  We know she'll be in good hands and have a great time!!  Now, I have to figure out all the little things around the house I want to do since I don't have to worry about how much time I have to get something done before the baby wakes up!!  Ha Ha.  I know it will be nice to spend some quality time with Juan for a few days and it will be very beneficial for Elena to get out with her extended family for awhile.  I know we'll just spoil her with kisses when she returns. 
Elena has also been doing much better since she was sick a little over a week ago.  It turns out that Elena had roseola.  She came down with the high fever for a few days and then over last weekend, she developed a rash on her belly, back, and neck.  It did not spread anywhere else.  She was a little irritated by it on her neck, but never showed signs anywhere else.  It has gone away now, but the doctor's office said that the rash can come and go for a few weeks.  As long as we don't get a fever again, all is OK.
Elena has also taken her first official steps.  She has been trying for awhile now, but she is getting more daring with her attempts.  So proud of her!  I have a blurry video below, but will try to get another good one in the coming week(s).  But, for now, you can clearly see those legs moving and how excited she is...and so is everyone else in the video.  Elena is still eating all of her fruits and vegetables and loves all the homemade food her abuela makes for her...from chicken noodle soup puree to mixed fruit, Elena loves it all.  She has not shown a lot of interest in eating solid foods that she has to chew.  We have given her small pieces of bananas, crackers, noodles, and bread, but she doesn't want any of them.  One food she does love is shredded cheese.  I can mash a small ball of it together and she gobbles it up...feeds herself and all!  Hopefully she will start to try more solids soon. 
Other than our newest milestone of walking a few steps, Elena is just enjoying her "everyday life".  Waking up around 6:30-7:00 each morning, heading to the babysitters for a day of fun with her friends, and then back home for some dinner and playtime with mom and dad is about the extent of her day.  She loves taking her baths before bed each night and we just splash, read her bath books, and play with toys for awhile.  Our little baby is growing up on us so very fast.  It almost makes me tear up just thinking about the fact that she is going to be one year old in exactly two months and it makes me miss our itty bitty baby so much!!  I guess when it's your first child, you are in survival mode so much of the time that you forget to slow down and just realize that you're doing fine.  I just thank God everyday for our healthy little miracle that is Elena and how she brings so much joy into so many people's lives already...and she can't even talk yet!! (Well, besides the regular dadada or mamama)  I find myself reminiscing so much lately about what it was like one year ago...my big belly getting in the way of everything...getting the stares at the stores...and people already telling me that there was no way I was going to make it to Elena's due date of 11/29/11...What a difference a year makes. I love nothing more than being a wife and mother.  They truly are the best jobs on earth that you don't have to be paid for to do your best...even when you don't think you are.  Happy 10 months to our baby girl...can't wait for all the celebrations to come!!

 I just woke up...catching up on a little Super Why!

 Don't hate...

 This is what I do to toilet paper now when mom's not looking...

 Playing with the screen with daddy!

 I'm gonna eat your glasses, Dada!!

 It's very blurry...we couldn't get the camera to focus quick enough...but you can see her taking steps!!

We tried to take a 10 month photo today, but this is what happened...maybe later this week :)

Getting better...

Boy, it has been a roller coaster of emotions here at the Diaz house over the last few days.  Elena gave us our first fever scare on Wednesday.  We didn't think too much of it when she went to bed on Wednesday night as she was eating and drinking with no problem at all.  Elena woke up on Thursday morning with a 99 degree temperature, so I definitely thought we were in the clear.  She was still rather irritable and clingy, but with her temperature down, I was feeling much better.  She took a short morning nap on Thursday morning  so I took the opportunity to cut the grass while Elena slept.  She woke up way earlier than I assumed she would, so we had an early lunch and enjoyed some play time in the afternoon.  Elena went down for her afternoon nap a little after 1pm and she slept for a little over 2 hours.  When she woke up, her temperature had gone back up to 102.  I didn't get too alarmed as I know little ones' fevers can fluctuate often.  I decided to wait an hour or so to take the temp again and it was back down to 101.  Elena continued to act normally, with no cold symptoms whatsoever through the evening.  As we neared bedtime, Elena's fever was back up between 102-102.5.  We took a lukewarm bath and put Elena to sleep at 6:45, a little earlier than usual, but she was just SO tired.  I was very nervous on Thursday evening putting her to sleep because it seemed like she was very warm.  Just a few hours later, she woke up crying, which is very unusual for Elena.  We went in to check her and she was burning up.  I almost started to panic, but Juan quickly told me to stay calm, take her temperature, and go from there.  I took her temperature three times in a row to get a good average and we were hovering around 104-104.8.  I quickly got on the phone with the hospital nurse line to find out what the was the best thing for us to do for our baby girl.  While we waited for a nurse to call us back after my initial call, Elena took a bottle, so that was very reassuring.  She was keeping liquids down and appeared very thirsty. At this point, we had not given Elena any fever medication as she was not consistent with a fever for an extended period of time. The nurse finally called us back and let us know to just put Elena in a t-shirt and diaper for the rest of the night in bed and to go ahead and give her a dose of the infant Advil we had here at home.  We were instructed to then let her sleep, not to wake her up to take her temperature, and call the pediatrician in the morning to have her checked out.  So, of course, this is exactly what we did.  The fever medication really helped Elena and she was back down to 99 degrees by Friday morning.  She even slept through the night until about 7am.  Juan and I were the ones not sleeping through the night :)  I think we got up every hour or two to go check on her.  I stayed home from school again on Friday and my mom agreed to still come out to help me take care of our sick girl.  We went to the doctor together and he didn't see anything too alarming...her heart and lungs sounded OK, but she had just a few red spots on her throat.  Dr. Wheeler mentioned that they may turn into nothing, we just have to wait and see since Elena hasn't been showing signs of being sick.  We were to just keep her on her fever medicine and let her rest, play, and drink lots of formula.  Since yesterday, Elena hasn't spiked a fever at all.  She has remained around 99 degrees for over 24 hours...SO THANKFUL!  We were so nervous on Thursday night when Elena was burning up and her face was so red.  It was comforting to talk with the nurse, give Elena a small bottle and medicine, and snuggle her back to sleep. We keep praying each day that she remains fever free and this doesn't turn into something more!

Even when she's not feeling well, Elena likes to sit and read (or eat) her books!!

Our First Fever...

Sorry it has taken me so long to get back on here for a Diaz update!  We have been so busy over the last couple of weeks and I usually have to have a good chunk of time to sit here at the computer to get pictures uploaded and message typed.  I LOVE to sit here and blog, but time sure does get away from me each day.  It seems like I wake up at 5:15, get the day going, and before I know it, it's 9:30 at night and I've gotta start thinking about going to bed!  I would not trade this life of motherhood for anything, though.  Being able to come home everyday to such a beautiful baby and wonderful husband makes each day a blessing.
Unfortunately, being a mama means taking care of a sick baby at times and the time has officially come that Elena has her first fever.  I got a text from her babysitter late this afternoon that Elena was running a temperature.  Elena hasn't had any cold symptoms, so we are thinking, for now, that her fever is related to teething again.  When Elena got her first two teeth, we had no trouble at all with them.  I think we are getting some more now and it's hurting her little mouth.  She is gumming on everything again and has been super clingy and irritable today.  Her temperature this evening has been hovering around 101...she took a lukewarm bath (which she LOVED and played like normal), had a 6 oz bottle, and off to bed she went by 7:15...hoping she gets a good night's rest.  I am staying home with her tomorrow just to be on the safe side.  I would have been worrying about her all day if I were to go to work.  Thankfully, I can stay home for the day.
Other than our first fever, Elena has been absolutely fabulous.  Her 9 month appointment back on September 5th was outstanding.  She is growing well and remains healthy.  Dr. Hagan could still hear her heart murmur, but it's nothing we will worry about.  The pediatric cardiologist said it was a mild murmur, so Elena will be fine. She is weighing in at a whopping 17.8 lbs and is 28 inches long.  She still remains on the lower end on weight, but Elena remains healthy, lean, and long.  She is eating all kinds of foods now.  She loves most veggies and fruits.  We have given her some shredded chicken and shredded cheese triangles and for now, she seems to like them.  We are just starting to try out some more solid foods to get her used to chewing a bit more.  Elena loves her Gerber Puffs, which has helped her use her tongue and gums to chew. One thing Elena is not into yet is her sippy cups.  We have tried several different kinds and she just doesn't prefer to use them yet.  We'll keep working on that!

This is a picture we took of Elena a few weeks ago when she turned 9 months old...this was the very FIRST box of diapers Juan and I ever bought Elena with our own money...seriously...we had diapers for 9 months for this kid...THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to everyone who brought us diapers for her...they truly are the best gift.  I obviously used my $3 off coupon I got in the mail to purchase this large box of Luvs diapers and they work great!

And...here is a video of her "walking" with her diaper box...

More photos and videos from the last few weeks...

 Just trying on my Halloween costume...I'm a lil' monkey!!

Our baby loves to be shirtless...she's one cool baby :)

Eating some puffs...

 Making some music...

 Sesame Street is the best...show...ever

She found mom's good stuff ;)

9 Months Old!

Elena Elizabeth turned 9 months old on August 30th.  Honestly, I cannot believe we are pushing one year old already.  Now that we have begun a new school year, I find myself reminiscing about last year and how excited I was that I only had to make it until Thanksgiving and then I was "done" for awhile.  Not this year...we will be planning a birthday party for our little girl instead of sitting around here at home trying to figure out how to take care of a newborn!  We are SO excited, though, to begin celebrating new milestones with Elena.  We are already looking forward to Halloween and getting a first costume for Elena to go do some trick or treating at a few houses...we are hoping she is doing some walking by then.  She has already started standing for short periods of time without holding onto anything, so it is just a matter of time before she starts taking those first steps.
Elena has been doing well getting back into our school routines.  It was nice to have an extra day off yesterday for her first Labor Day weekend.  We went to visit Grandma and Grandpa Keeven in St. Louis for the night on Saturday.  Elena slept pretty well in her crib at grandma's.  Abuelo and Abuela came over for a late lunch of grilled hamburgers and hot dogs on Sunday afternoon.  It was great visiting with everyone this weekend.  Is it bad that I am already counting the days until the next weekend?! ;)
This past weekend was the first time it had rained in what seems like months.  It rained almost everyday over the weekend, but there is no complaining here.  Our plants and grass definitely needed a soaking of rain.  We have officially lost two bushes in our landscaping that will have to be dug out and replaced next spring.  We just kind of gave up on all yard work this summer...hoping to just have a fresh start with all of it in the spring again...Elena will be able to help us do some planting :)
It seems like these days continue to pass by us in the blink of an eye. Juan and I are usually up for awhile before Elena in the mornings and before we know it, we are back home for an evening of family time together until Elena takes a bath and heads to bed by 7:30.  The hours just pass by like seconds.  I find myself taking more time to cherish each second we have in the evenings with Elena because it's just so little time.  We'd love to keep her up a while longer to play in the evenings, but she is just SO tired by 7-7:30pm that we just lay her in bed and she falls asleep within minutes.  We try to keep the same schedule on the weekends too...it really helps keep everything in sync for E. 
Tomorrow we take Elena to the doctor for her 9 month check-up.  I will blog again very soon to give the pediatrician's report.  Hoping all is well and her weight gain has been doing well.  Elena has been eating a lot lately and drinking her 8oz bottles with each meal+small bottles during the "in between" time. Her little belly is getting plump...we love to blow on it to make her laugh.
Lots of pictures from the last week or so of Elena just being Elena.  No major happenings, just hanging out doing what we do best...play, play, and play. 

 Picking out a "just right book"

 Twilight appears to be a good choice.

 Hmmmm...

 Apparently, this book tasted good...paper beard!!

 Let's see what kind of mess I can make...

 Let me out!!

 Oh, hey guys!

 I'm a big girl!

Sorry for the "morning me" but she is so precious learning about her colors!

This girl loves her some Elmo and Norah Jones...and, no, nothing was plugged in that she was chewing on ;)

Back to reality!

School is officially in session and things are getting back to a regular routine around the Diaz home.  Elena has been doing great at the babysitter's this week and we are excited that grandma is coming tomorrow to give mom and dad a morning off from getting baby girl ready to go...we just leave that for grandma!  Ahhh, a few extra minutes of sleep in the morning...at least we hope!  Elena will be 9 months old next week and we just cannot believe it.  Before we know it we will be thinking about a first Halloween costume and first birthday...so many exciting memories awaiting us in the months to come. Elena is eating textured foods that abuela has made (pureed chicken soup, beef and noodles, and stews to name a few), and drinking bottles with no trouble at all and appears to be gaining some good weight.  Her belly is getting plump and her little legs are starting to get some serious rolls :)  Elena is just the cutest thing in the world.  She is now able to feed herself some Gerber puffs and it's just so hilarious to watch her pick one up and get it into her mouth.  Sometimes I will hold a puff thinking she will just take it out of my hand to eat it, but she just grabs my hand and pulls it towards her mouth so I can just put it in for her.  Smart girl. We love just watching her "gum" the puffs until it's gone.  Again, cutest thing in the world.
Elena is always on the go from the time she gets up in the morning to the time she falls asleep.  She is crawling everywhere and cruising with little trouble.  She continues to get into the dog bowls when we aren't looking and she enjoys trying to pull open cabinets that she shouldn't be into in the first place. Elena continues to find a love of books and stories.  We read a lot in the evenings after she eats dinner.  It's such a precious time. I hate that our evenings go by so fast, but our girl is SO tired by the time 7pm rolls around...she is asleep by 7:30pm without missing a beat and sleeps all night...Juan and I feel so blessed to have such a wonderful sleeper that loves sleep as much as we do. She is our sunshine in the mornings when she wakes up with a huge smile on her face and squeals of happiness to start a new day.
Below are some pictures from the last few weeks...we just continue to enjoy the "everyday life"...the simplicity of just being a family is was makes us so happy!

 Me and my Mittens

 Those carrots were delish.

 Grabbing a puff

 Stomp your feet...clap your hands...

 Love you, daddy!

 Muah!

 I'm cute

 Grabbing a good book...

 Clearly, she is an advanced reader.

First Days of School and Daycare...

Well, the Diaz family made it through the first full week back to work last week...I don't have time to upload pictures now, but will hopefully find a second sometime later this week!  Elena is starting to get back into her routine at the babysitter's house and mom and dad are getting back into school routines as well.  Elena had some good days and tougher days with her nap schedule and being crabby, but by the end of the week, she was doing well.  We hope this week she is her sweet self all day for Brenda!!  It was a great week back, but SO tiring.  I truly forget each year how tired you get after a full day taking care of kids.  But, there is no way I would trade my job for anything else.  I mean, seriously, getting to read with kids all day long and be outside on gorgeous days watching them play...and get paid for it?  Keep me signed up...
Elena continues to grow faster and faster.  She LOVES to crawl into the kitchen and open cabinets...we got latches for those today :)  She can pull herself up on our bookshelf and pick out books she likes...yesterday it was Harry Potter...she is obviously an advanced reader.  Elena is eating a variety of foods...including chicken soup, sweet potatoes, mixed veggies, and lots of different kinds of fruits. Juan's mom continues to make such great homemade food for Elena and then grinding it all up for her to eat.  What a treat for her to have homemade food at almost every meal! Elena is saying lots of sounds and getting close to an official "mama" sound.  Right now she is doing a lot of "gaga" and "ba" sounds, but every now and then we will get a "mama"...when we do we make sure to point to me in excitement!  Now to work on "dada"...
My mom was able to come out to watch Elena on Friday and I know Elena was happy to be able to stay home for the day to play with one of her grandmas!  They went out for walks, read lots of books, and played.  I know it was a great day for both.  I'm so excited that my mom and Juan's mom are able to come when they can to watch Elena and get some extra baby time in...it's also awesome because that means we can be kind of lazy on those mornings not having to get Elena ready to go anywhere.
We are on our way to our first full week of school with kids, meetings, etc...Here's to a great 2012-2013 school year for our family!  Pictures to come soon...

Summer Days Driftin' Away...

So, today is Juan and I's last weekday off for the summer.  I find myself secretly excited about starting school again next week, but then getting a bit sad about the fact that we won't be home together like we have been for a long time. Sure, weekends are awesome, but they are nothing like summer vacation.  I'm not kidding when I say this has been the most incredible summer.  Elena has blessed Juan and I's life in so many ways and by being able to spend so much extra time with her this summer and being able to see her make so many milestones has been so much fun.  From scooting to crawling to pulling herself up on anything, this summer has been full of activity for our baby girl. She is eating solids with no trouble and we are now moving into foods with texture to them...some of the homemade foods Elena has been eating have had textures to them, but now I am starting to leave a little extra so she starts getting that chewing motion under control. We gave her some Gerber puffs the other day for the first time and she loves them.  She's not quite there to putting it in her own mouth, but we help her out with that.  I know that will come soon enough.  I'm just glad she is working on her chewing motions while eating the banana puffs.
With summer days winding down, it makes me reminisce about all the wonderful things we got to do with Elena this summer because we were off from school...waking up to her noises, not an alarm clock...morning walks around the neighborhood and being drenched with sweat when we got back because it was a thousand degrees outside already at 8am...reading TONS of books all day long...banging on pans on the kitchen floor while mom cleaned up breakfast...getting on a daily nap schedule IN HER CRIB...sleeping through the night ALL SUMMER (we hope this continues)...spending lots of days in her diaper just because it was so hot...swimming in the pool for the first time...finding a new favorite TV show-Super Why! (8am PBS)...getting to see Elena crawl all over the house and get into things she shouldn't be getting into...going on a roadtrip to Florida with family...and most of all-just having our days to do whatever we wanted, even if that meant just sitting on the floor playing and talking. 
I LOVE LOVE LOVE summer and I cannot wait to spend many more in the years to come, but here's to another great school year coming up!