6 months

It's hard to believe that 2 more months have passed. Lots of things new things have happened with our little, Elliot and we are having a blast!

Little E,
Your daddy and I think the world of you and can't get enough of this little smile of yours! Since you started solid foods about 1 1/2 months ago, you have really begun to grow. You've enjoyed almost all the foods we've introduced with the exception of peas. :) Although, your favorite foods right now seem to be carrots, sweet potatoes, mango and bananas.

We almost made it to our goal of nursing for at least 6 months! Unfortunately, with Mommy's return to work and other variables out of my control, your last milk bottle was two weeks ago. I'd like to think you haven't noticed the difference between milk and formula, but I'm sure you do. In fact, your Daddy and I are surprised you enjoy it, because it certainly doesn't smell very good as we prepare it! But you are now taking 8oz with an occasional 6oz when you eat more food and seem to be doing fine.

During the last month, we've seen you roll over for the first time! Luckily daddy and I were at home together with you and were able to enjoy that little milestone. This is a true testament to what I'd heard before you were born- babies will decide to accomplish their tasks or reach their milestones in their own time. And while I thought I'd see you roll over from your tummy to your back first, it was the complete opposite. :) In fact, we're still working on tummy to back right now. But I know you'll do it when you're good and ready.

A few more things we've seen and enjoyed about you these past 2 months:
- You're so close to sitting up on your own without our worry of you falling backwards
- Your laugh is infectious and is most often heard while being tickled by Daddy or being thrown in the air. Did I mention you love your Daddy?! Man o man, there's nothing like Daddy right now. We pretty much fight over who gets to put you down at bedtime, get you up in the morning and so on. But there's no doubt about it- when you want to be consoled, snuggled or have your bottle, Dad's the go-to person these days. And I'm glad y'all are bonding so well. (with a little secret jealousy mixed in there, too :) ).
- You are starting to show your smile to others now and it's so fun to watch.
- You are sleeping through the night, UNSWADDLED! This is still very new for you (maybe one week in) and something we consider a huge accomplishment. We went through a few rough nights trying to help you transition but you are now sleeping with just your legs in a little velcro blanket and have slept through the night without a peep. In fact, you've slept on your tummy for 2 nights now!
- You've still got pretty blue eyes and I hope you keep them! We think these must have come from your poppy (or so we like to tell ourselves) because there are no blue eyes in this Burke family.
-We haven't been to the doctor yet for your 6 month check up and I can't wait to hear how much you've grown!

This is one of your favorite books to read and eat! (Thanks, Aunt Debbie!)

Spring is finally here, but way too warm right now. If you're anything like your momma, you will stay close to water this summer!

a little ride on the turtle or frog? we weren't quite sure what this thing was!
But we know you'll come to love this park in the next few years.

First taste of squash

And new shades!

One other fun thing we did with you this month was get you your very own passport because we are taking you to Europe this summer, little Elle! Daddy is teaching a group of senior high students in France/Italy for a few weeks and we decided we'd make it a family affair! Some think we're crazy- and maybe so, but we are excited about this family adventure and look forward to more fun memories with you.

We are completely in love with you and are in disbelief that you are already 6 months old! We thank God each day for you and the opportunity He has given us to be your parents. Happy 6 months, Elliot!

Love,
Mommy

3 and 4 months

(**warning-this is a long one and the spacing is all weird- despite my many attempts to edit with no success when publishing)

I can't believe you are already 4 months, Elliot. My, how you've changed in the last 2 months!

(you love walks to the park)

For starters, you're sleeping through the night with only a few exceptions here and there. And luckily, you so kindly did this the week before I had to go back to work :). We don't know what we did (probably nothing!) but it just happened and we are loving it!

Here are the highlights during your 3rd month

- you found your hands and you love to put them in your mouth!
- you continue to dislike being on your tummy, but we're working on it :)
- you are smiling and "talking" more than ever and we have had so much fun with you
- you pooped in the bathtub for the first time (I thought your Daddy was going to lose it!)
- we placed you in the bumbo seat this month and were surprised at how well you did. You are getting so strong!
- we are still swaddling you at night because we're not sure any of us will get sleep if we don't ;)
- we increased the amount of milk you drink to 5 oz this month and you officially moved up to size 2 diapers. Not to mention your departure from size 0-3 month clothing! You're not so tiny anymore and that has been a little sad for Mommy.

We celebrated your first Thanksgiving with Grammy's side of the family and you met several family members for the first time!

(your cousin, Taylor couldn't wait to hold you and you fell right asleep!)

The biggest thing during this 3rd month was Mommy's return to work. I feel so lucky to have spent 12 weeks at home with you. I don't count those 2 weeks at home (on the couch!) that I spent waiting on you. :). I always told myself that I am not a stay-at-home Mom. But as Dec 14th came closer and closer, I started to re-think that. We just got into a lovely routine while we were at home together and I am still adjusting to this new one! Those few hours after getting home and before your bedtime are so precious to your Daddy and me. We are anxious for the weekend most of the time!

We were so blessed to have you stay with Daddy, Grammy and Grandad/Grandmom for the first 2 weeks of my return to work and that certainly helped me feel more at ease while I was away from you. Daddy was so glad to have some special time with you and I think you loved it, too.

This last month (your 4th) has been full of new things.

-You've turned the corner with tummy time. You still don't like it but you are tolerating much better and trying so hard to roll over! You haven't quite mastered that on your own, but with a little help from us, you make it happen.
- You are full-out laughing! We enjoy all your coos but there's nothing like your little laugh. It's only fitting that your first laugh came through a little song and dance with Daddy. I tried for hours to get you to laugh with me but I just didn't have what it took that day. (Daddy's girl, already!). But we've found our little thing now and I just love hearing it.
- You are keeping that head up a lot! You love facing out on our laps and being propped in a sitting position anywhere, really. You love the Bumbo even more this month and especially love being held on my hip.
-You love story time. You are more aware of everything lately, but especially books. You switch your gaze back and forth as we read and enjoy placing your hands on the pages, too. (and I help you with you touch and feel books, of course). I love this time of day when we are reading together!
-You started Day School at Highland and you love your teacher, Miss Jesse! You're surrounded by boys right now but we're think a little girl is starting soon :)

We had several photo shoots with you this month in preparation and celebration of Christmas and it was so fun. We started out with some pictures of you and your BFF, Juliette at her house. And y'all certainly put on a show for us!

Juliette let you borrow her hat and and I think this is the only "smile" we got out of you that night!

And this is pretty much how most of the pictures went.. both of you doing your own thing. But looking adorable doing it, of course!

We did manage to get a cute one, I think.

We had fun one day trying to get a photo for our Christmas card. You did great, but we pushed you to the limit a bit. :)

For your first Christmas Eve, we had Grammy, Grandad and Grandmom over to our house and we had such a good time.

We headed back to visit with both of your Grandparents on Christmas morning

It's hard to believe that you will be walking this coming Christmas. We are savoring these snuggle times with you, as we know things will be much different this year!

We never made it to meet Santa before Christmas, but he made a special stop to see your BFF, Juliette and we jumped in for a visit, too. (Thanks, Leslie!)

We are so glad you feel better, Juliette- we missed this little grin!

We have enjoyed bundling you up on cold days and getting you pumped about the Grizzlies since they started back in Decemeber. I guess we have a little work to do on your excitement with the NBA!

We love you, sweet baby. You are our joy in life and we are so very thankful for you!
Happy 4 months!

the first 6 weeks

Well, we've started to settle into a routine during the day, for the most part. Getting out of the house has become easier and I just love toting E around town. Although, we've yet to venture out at night as a family but plan to this weekend. Hopefully she'll be just as good!

The biggest thing that has happened during her 6th week was sleeping through the night twice! What a big difference that made for me those two days. Its true what other moms say, l felt like a new person!

She's now coming up on her 7th week and of course I had grand plans to post about her at one month but you can imagine how difficult it is. She is changing and growing so much! We've enjoyed her looking at us more intently and making new noises, but especially her recent moments of smiling. She loves to be on her changing table and this is where I seem to get the most smiles from her. It's just the sweetest thing!

But sometimes we catch her doing things like this

And we think it's hilarious. In fact, its one of my favorite pictures. She just has the cutest look on her face!

Something we failed to do (which I hope we don't regret) is set up a full session of pictures of Elliot as a newborn after we got home. Obviously, our life was turned upside down and the last thing on my mind was setting up a photo session. But while we were at the hospital, our friends Stephen and Amanda Jerkins stopped by for a visit and Stephen snapped a few pictures of our family and we are so thankful he shared his talent with us. They are a few of my most treasured photos and I am so glad we have them. Thank you, Stephen!




Two weeks ago we set her up for her one month pictures. She's just a little tired!

I love this picture because I think she looks like my Dad :)


And here's our little cutie at 6 weeks

My darling,
You have brought so much joy into our life. These first 6 weeks of your life have been wonderful and we are enjoying watching you change and grow, although its bittersweet! You have certainly become a little snuggler as you love to sleep on us and we love it just as much. Mommy is enjoying her time with you at home so much. You are becoming more awake during the day and love to be on your tummy. But I think your favorite thing right now is to ride in the stroller for family walks! You are a blessing my dear and we are just so in love with you.
Mommy

Elliot Grace

Our sweet girl was born Tuesday, September 20 at 11:11 pm and we've been home now for almost four weeks with her. We are loving every minute with Elliot, even in the middle of the night when she wakes us up! (I've had to change this sentence multiple times now, as this was started the first week of her life! Oh well!).

On to her birth. Overall, I can't complain about the delivery because the process took only 6 hours after being sent to the hospital. I went for my 38 week check up that Tuesday with no signs of labor, no contractions, no pain whatsoever. In fact, I had a list of things I planned to do that week as I was taken off bedrest. But Elliot had different plans, of course! I was completely surprised to hear my doctor say that I needed to go straight to the hospital. I felt completely normal. So much so that I replied " You're kidding! I was planning to go home and bake some gingerbread cookies!". Even as I left the office, I still couldn't believe that I was in labor and thought to myself, " If this is labor and I'm this far along (6cm) I can do this without an epidural, for sure."

I lasted 2 hours after being induced before I surrendered (I don't think I've surprised anyone here, especially you Moms who have gone before me and warned me!). I was glad I gave it a whirl and was completely okay with my decision. Two hours after I received the epidural, this sweet thing came into our life.

First look at Daddy

getting ready to go home


When we got home that night, we kept her in the car seat, put it on the kitchen table and had our first meal as a family. I started thinking about how many times Grant and I have sat at our table and talked about one day having children, how many prayers had been offered up regarding children and then specifically, Elliot for the last few months and I just couldn't believe it was finally a reality. We ate side by side so we could stare at our sweet girl across the table while introducing her to the Beatles, "I will" as her first song. After dinner, Grant gave her a tour of her new home with more good tunes to follow and we soaked up every moment with her on her first night at home!

Her first bath. This girl loves getting her hair washed!


We've been trying to take pictures each week and here she is at

One week


Two weeks


Three weeks


We've also been trying to get out of the house each day and I think I'm starting getting the hang of it. I'm so happy the weather is beginning to change. It makes our walks around the neighborhood so nice!

And finally, after what seems like an eternity, our sunroom is completely empty and clean! I feel so much better being at home without a huge mess to look at each day. Next, we'll be tackling the last minute items of Elliot's room, which I so planned to post before she was born! I hope I can finish that post in less than a month. But first, it's time to get back in the kitchen. I'm thinking something pumpkin!

5 weeks out

The new popular question that's been thrown at me lately is , " So, you've got the nursery ready, right?" My answer is and has been for awhile, a resounding "no!" Depending on who's asking, I'll give details as to what's left and what's holding us up on finishing the room.

Before I go any further, let me say that I absolutely love my husband and his many talents. And I'm beyond grateful for all his hard work in our house! But let's not forget that I am pregnant, emotional and 5 weeks away (hopefully) from giving birth.

And this is the current scene at our house.

Meet our sunroom. The place where things go when projects are happening. The place where big boxes stay for awhile until we finally do something with them. And the room that makes me want to scream most days when I come home. (loving the toilet, aren't you?!)

The sunroom mess is there because of this.

Meet the sweet husband. He started remodeling our main bathroom one month ago. He's making progress and working so hard. I think he knows he won't have time for this soon! :)

But then there's this.

Our guest bedroom. Or what I like to call, "I'm too lazy to find a place for this, so I will throw it in this room and shut the door." This hasn't changed for a month. Except accumulated more things. It's supposed to be the room where my mom sleeps for the first few nights of Elliot's life. Yikes!

But just last night, we made some progress in Elliot's room. Bedding and curtains are in and ready! Here's a sneak peek.

(sorry for the dark picture, Grant's the real photographer in the family)

And while all this remodeling business is happening, Grant finished another project he'd been longing to do. And one I am so excited to have complete!

He created this mosaic tile of our beloved city, all from 7in and 18in colored tiles. We've enjoyed eating outside lately and admiring Memphis. (But I'll love it even more when the cool weather arrives!).

Now, do you blame me for having a few freak out moments at our current situation? Especially after being restricted from my normal pace of life and relying on others to help me. I'd say its not too out of line. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, though and I'm hoping this weekend will prove to be productive and I'll have more pictures of Elliot's room for you soon!

the new routine

While getting a regular check up over a month ago, the doctor found that there were signs of potential preterm labor in my future. Therefore, she instituted this statement to me " Take it easy. You can run one errand after work and then go home." All this said as I'm walking out of the office. So, I took it for what it was. I only ran one errand after work and went home, but still continued with my activities at night (in or out of the house).

Apparently that was the wrong thing to do! (Grant tried to convince me otherwise throughout the these 2 weeks and I wouldn't listen). So at the next appointment, my doctor filled me in on the reality and Grant was there to remind me that "he told me so" as she proceeded to tell me EXACTLY everything he said in the last 2 weeks. He enjoyed that moment way too much!

So, here's the deal. For now, I am still at work. I have drastically modified my schedule to eliminate walking all over the hospital to see patients and been spared the patients who require more physical assistance. I love my co-workers for being so patient and willing to accommodate! After work, I can go one place only. If I have a doctor's appointment, that's my one thing. And whatever it is, it must be an activity that limits me being on my feet.

But here's the kicker- I can do only one thing on the weekends. When I had the church shower, I had to choose between that and church. One thing, means one thing. Yuck!

That has made life at our house a little interesting. I have not cooked, washed the dishes, cleaned or exercised. Instead, my sweet husband has taken over most of these responsibilities while my Mom has cleaned the house a couple times. I cannot thank them enough! While you might think it's nice to be waited on and told you "must rest", its enough to about drive you insane. Especially when there are so many things to accomplish before this little girl enters the world!

I am now 34 weeks pregnant (its taken me 2 weeks to get back to this post I started awhile ago) and only 2 weeks left until I will possibly get the clear for more freedom. So, since I started this post almost 2 weeks ago, I've been feeling better and have allowed myself a little more freedom. (Shhh... don't tell).

During this extra time of being at home, I discovered a pretty fun and easy project I'd like to share with you. When thinking of what I would get 13 lovely ladies who hosted my church shower a couple weeks ago, I really wanted to make something instead of purchasing. Unfortunately, I do not sew (yet!) or have any other crafty talents, other than good penmanship (so I've been told). But when I saw this tutorial for making soy candles, I thought for sure I could do this. It proved to be just as easy as it looked. Here's the final product (sorry, I'm horrible about "in the process" shots).

pretty cute, right?!

What I used:
- set of Ball canning jars
-scraps of fabric on hand
-twine on hand
-small tags
-watercolors on hand
-small pieces of wood on hand (to hold wick in place)

I bought all the candle-making supplies + tags at Hobby Lobby (on sale!) and the essential oil from Whole Foods. Everything else I had on hand at the house. If I had more time, I think I would have shopped on Etsy for other essential oils as the tutorial suggested, but I do love Lemongrass. It reminds of my favorite candle that Target sells.

Possible changes for next time:
I think I'd put more drops of the essential oil in the melted wax, as the candle seems to do better in smaller, confined areas for maximum benefit. :) And I'd improve my water color skills!

There are so many different containers you could use and endless fragrance options. I would love to find a really nice fall scent and go to town with that!

I think they make great gifts!

Thanks, Pinterest. I'm officially obsessed.

Overload

A lot of things have happened since I last posted and there's no way I plan to tell you about them all right now. But two very fun and memorable things took place within the last 3 months, for myself and my dear friend, Leslie.

We celebrated Leslie and her bebe Juliette (due any day now, we hope!) in June at my house with so many wonderful women and dear friends from our church. I won't go into great detail because Leslie has already documented this event very well. But here a few snapshots of the party.

(had to sneak in one of my favorite flowers)

We had such a great time celebrating Leslie and her future Juliette :)

See Leslie's post for more details on tutorials for a few of the handmade pretties above.

Before I move on, I must say that I've forgotten one other really important event that occurred in between these two: We chose a name for our little girl!

Elliot Grace Burke

There you have it. We love it. And yes, we will call her Elliot.
(I've had too many ask if we would call her Ellie. Although, we can't control what her future friends might call her)

And just last week we celebrated Elliot's future arrival with some of the very same women from our church. It was just perfect. Since most of the photos I have involve me, I won't be documenting much from this day because as you can imagine, I don't particularly enjoy looking at photos of me right now. But I am so thankful to all the women who helped make everything beautiful and for Leslie and Martha's mom, Pam for hosting in her gorgeous home!

Look at the cute banner that Martha made

I just loved this flower arrangement

I ate way too much of these delicious treats. Everything was so good!
We feel very blessed to have so much love from our church family and friends. Such a fun day!

And for those of you who have asked, here's the one and only posed belly shot that exists throughout the last 8 months.
I hope I won't be too sad I don't have more. Oh well!

Celebrating my birthday with Grant several weeks ago (about 28 weeks)

Next time I'll tell you about the fun project I did to thank the hostesses at my shower. I promise, it won't take me 3 months to do so.