Baby Update

Well, our little Miss Eliza is 7 weeks old now, and doing well. She is smiling a lot and starting to really focus in on people and objects. She is doing better with daytime naps, though she still doesn't like to take them in her crib. At night though, she does great -- usually waking only once between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. She has started making little gurgles and cooing noises which are super cute, and seems to enjoy her bathtimes now. Here are a few pics of her over the last few weeks.

Home School History Fair

Last week, Hannah and Jack joined other area home school students to participate in their first history fair. Hannah chose to make her display about the famous pioneer and author, Laura Ingalls Wilder, whose Missouri home we visited this summer. Jack also chose a topic he is quite passionate about: the Titanic disaster. It was a good opportunity for them to practice their presentation skills and also to learn about other students' projects/topics. Both kids enjoyed themselves and are already talking about what topics they want to do next year.

Hallo-WEENIES and BOO-gers

This year, our church small group hosted an outreach event at our friends' home on Halloween night called "Hallo-WEENIES & BOO-gers" (translation: hot dogs and burgers). Basically, we gave out free food and candy, put up a garage-door screening of "It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown", and had an all around good time getting to know our neighbors. Dave even had some of his buddies bring the fire truck by for the kids. We had a great turnout, and will probably do it again next year.

A Visit From The Tooth Fairy

Here's Jack showing off his missing tooth (the bottom one). This is his first one to lose the conventional way -- his top tooth got knocked out in February when he took a dive on the basketball court. Well, not totally knocked out -- it was broken off above the gumline and had to be removed by a dentist. This time, Dave yanked the tooth out with a piece of thread (a much cheaper procedure!) Anyway, Jack was thrilled to get his $1 reward the next morning.

Getting In A Routine...

Eliza is three weeks old as of yesterday. We are still working on getting into a daytime routine. Although she is on a set feeding schedule, she refuses to take naps in her crib, despite numerous attempts and much "crying it out". She also does not seem to like falling asleep in the swing or bouncy seat, or even in her carseat. SO, we have been doing a lot of baby-holding! Fortunately, she does very well at night, probably because she is exhausted from having resisted sleep for half the day! She had her second Dr. appt. yesterday, and she is up to nine pounds already. She is really a sweet baby and we are all enjoying getting to know her.

The two big kids have been doing home school with Dad for just over two weeks now. He is doing a great job teaching, probably better than I do! I'm sure I will have a huge challenge ahead of me when he goes back to work...hopefully Eliza will be taking naps unassisted by then!

Introducing...Eliza Claire

Our precious little girl arrived on her due date, September 16th, at 3:18 a.m. She weighed in at 7 lbs., 15 oz. and measured 21 inches long. The delivery went smoothly but because of there being meconium (baby poop) in the amniotic fluid, she had to have her lungs suctioned out for a good 15 mintues after her birth. Probably due to that stress, her blood sugar levels were on the low side, so she spent from Tuesday to Saturday in the NICU getting dextrose (sugar) through an IV as well as antibiotics for any possible infection. This was all mostly precautionary, and she is now doing just fine and is gaining weight and adapting to being at home and getting into a routine. We are all madly in love with her, especially big sister and big brother, who have been very eager helpers and baby holders! There are a few additional photos of Eliza that a friend of ours took while she was in the NICU. She has posted them at http://shesabeaut.blogger.com/

Summer Fun

We have had one wild and crazy summer, with FOUR trips taken in July alone! Add to that the fact that we started our home school back up in mid-June to allow for a break in September (when baby #3 is due). We have spent the majority of this month getting ready for baby and squeezing in more school, with the goal of having six full weeks of our curriculum completed before I deliver.

Our first trip was a visit to CA for the DiLiberto family reunion, followed by a stay in Newport Beach and trips to both Disneyland and Legoland. The day after we returned from CA, Dave and I went down to College Station (for the first time in over eight years) for the Texas Firefighter Olympics. Dave's softball team came in fourth, so no medal, but we had a fantastic time. About a week after that, Dave, Jack and my dad left for NYC to attend two Yankee baseball games and an Oldtimer's game (check out the cute kid on the Jumbotron), while my mom, Hannah and I drove to Missouri to visit the Laura Ingalls' Wilder Home and Museum. We are so glad we had the opportunity to take all of these trips, but as always, it was nice to get back home.