Eloise at 5 months!

Eloise woke up EXTRA early this morning at almost the exact moment of her birth 5 months ago tas if she wanted to celebrate with me.  So I gave her a midnight snack, a cuddle, a fresh diaper & put her back in bed.  As I held her, I did think about how quickly time has gone since that wonderful day.  This girl is a sweetheart & a precious addition to our family.

This month has been big for her as she got to go on her first airplane ride to the greatest place on earth.....the LONESTAR STATE! If Texas itself isn't wonderful enough, we topped it off with seeing friends and family while we were there : ) Eloise is adaptable to say the least & enjoyed her time away from home although I know she will be full of smiles when she sees her Daddy for the first time in 2 weeks.

Some new things with Mellow Elo:

• her hair grows more every day & can now be combed over or spiked up

mini mohawk

• she delights in a good tickle from mommy & giggles

Red Raider gear in Texas

• she rolls from tummy to back easily & back to tummy with some effort....and grunting
• she LOVES to watch big sissy do anything and everything
• she is absolutely thrilled when you take her outside
• she is trying really hard to sit up on her own & can sometimes do it for about 3 seconds before folding over like a limp noodle
• she will lay in her bed for SO long wide awake looking around without ever making a peep whether she is going to sleep or waking up
• she has found her tootsies & tries hard to grab them but can't hold them for long
• she grasps things quickly, Sophie the giraffe, a rattle, & my least favorite, my hair
• she rarely complains about anything, even when she is hungry
• she is staring down food at the table....must be getting excited that we are only a mere month away from starting solids!
• she has found her voice & makes all sorts of sounds
• she lets out some trumpet like noises when she starts to get bored or tired
• she sucks on the back of her hand when falling asleep
• she is stinkin' adorable ; )

Supporting the Rangers during the World Series.  She is sporting a vintage Rangers shirt from the 80's!

She is now down to 5 feedings a day usually falling at 7:30, 11, 2, 5 & 7. When we are at home she sleeps from 7:30pm-7:30am.  When we are in Texas with a bad cold & a double ear infection, she wakes up a couple times a night trading off with her also sickly sister ....this mommy is tired! 

Eloise is usually napping from 9-11, 12:30-2 & 3:30-5.  She succesfully dropped the evening catnap when we arrived in Texas. If she starts to act a little fussy, she gets an extra long bath & rub down with her lotion to hold her over to bedtime. 

She is happy all the time.....seriously, all the time! I would love her even if she wasn't happy all the time but I am really enjoying her bright eyes & smile I see all day, every day.

5 months old & happy as can be!

Dallas Visit, Part 1

We arrived in Dallas around lunchtime & jumped right into Gaga's car to head to Great Gran's House. We had some lunch then put the little girlies down for a nap.  My mom has 3 sisters that all live in the Dallas area so over the course of a day & a half, we got to do lots of visiting with them & their families.

Both evenings we relaxed at the house playing games & chatting. Here are some pictures of our time together.  Only Great Gran had met Eloise so it was special to introduce her to the Loftin Clan....
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Kelly & Eloise

A favorite part of our trip was meeting Baby Aubrey Elizabeth. She was born in August & is just as sweet as they come! We got lots of snuggle time in with her & made sure she got to know her Florida cousins.  It would be so fun to live close & let the girls enjoy playing on a regular basis but we will do the best with our visits!  Aubrey's beautiful mommy, my cousin Amy is pictured below.

Me, Amy Beth & the future Red Raiders ; ) My cousin Amy & I were at Texas Tech at the same time & just love dressing our girls in Red Raider gear!

Lil Red Raiders, thanks Uncle Kyle for the matching shirts!

Aunt Sharon & silly Eloise with her tongue poking out

Another dear friend of mine that I always try to see when we come through town is Charlotte.  Charlotte & her husband JJ lead a small group that Robby & I were a part of the first 2 years of marriage.  Following the group's ending, we stayed close with their family & have grown so much through their leadership & encouragement.  I did miss out on seeing their boys Jack, Chase & Josh....oh how we love these kids! I was filled in on all the latest details about their lives & hope to catch them next visit.  Charlotte is always a breath of fresh air to spend time with & we are never short on laughter in our once a year coffee date.

My sweet friend Charlotte & my girls

After having 4 daughters & 7 grandchildren, Great Grandma Shirley is a pro at calming babies & keeping them happy : ) She has quickly added 3 great granddaughters that she loves very much! It is kind of fun, the 7 cousins start with 3 girls as well & we were spaced almost identical distances apart as these 3.  Her lap is still the same size, just perfect for snuggling her babies!

One happy Great Grandmother with her three great granddaugthers

The newest babes with G Gran

Charlotte loved playing with Aubrey, she covered her with toys to enjoy : )

Gaga & Elo, Lolly & Aubrey

Elo & Uncle Ron, aka Pepaw to baby Aubrey

The girls with Aunt Sandy & Uncle Darrell

We also took a trip to the beautiful Dallas Arboretum on Friday morning to see the pumpkins.  My friend Brooke met us there & took pictures for us which I will post once we get them back.  It was PERFECT weather & we had a wonderful time!

Charlotte woke up early Saturday morning with a fever : ( I should have predicted that since she has been sick the last 3 times with have visited with the Valentine's....we were headed there that morning.  We stopped at their house for a 4 hour break in our drive.  Rob's Uncle bill, Aunt Kathleen & cousin Elizabeth stopped by to visit & Aunt Jenny & cousin Karis were staying at their house so we got to do some catching up.  Bob & Jeannine served us a lovely breakfast & lunch while we were there before getting back on the road. 

Grammy & Bob-Bob, I love how Elo is staring at her Grandpa : )

Cousin Elizabeth snuggling little Eloise

Our friends Andrew & Renata joined us for the morning as well! I had to be honest & call them that morning to let them know that Char had a fever so they didn't bring Owen over.  I was so sad not to see him but we enjoyed his mommy & daddy!  They came bearing gifts from Brazil for the girls....always so thoughtful! Renata captured Charlotte for a photo : )

Renata & Char

Andrew & the eggplant from Big Bob's Garden

The Valentine ladies

After this picture was taken, Charlotte started feeling really crummy & actually fell asleep while I was holding her. This has only happened maybe 1 time in the last year & a half so I knew she felt awful.  She stayed asleep when I laid her down on Grammy's bed...this also NEVER happens.  She snoozed for a bit before we loaded up & headed to Houston.

Our drive was wonderful! Eloise has not been on a long car trip before & it has been over a year since driving a long distance with Charlotte. They did great though! We stopped a couple times to feed Eloise & let Charlotte out of her seat & made it to Houston in about 4 1/2 hours.

Whirlwind is the only word that can describe our trips to Texas.  They are always filled with fun but I am exhausted when they are over, especially after adding the kiddos to the family : )

Jet Plane Success!

We made it with mostly all smiles all the way from Orlando to Dallas! I was beyond thankful for the happy little girls I spent the morning with. Charlotte could not have been in a sweeter mood & mellow Elo was quite adaptable to the new adventure.

 

 

We arrived bright and early to the airport in Orlando. Robby was just the BEST and helped me get all the way to the security check where he bid his ladies farewell. There was a couple in front of me that had a 7 month old baby with them. They immediately looked at me & said, "You are so brave! We are scared to fly with one baby!" I said that I was sure I would survive no matter how rough it was : ) We arrived at our gate & had over an hour to sit. Charlotte is at the perfect age where watching people board a plane, load the luggage & see it back away from the gate provides the perfect amount of entertainment while waiting. Eloise was content in the stroller to watch out the window too. Charlotte kept grabbing her hand pointing saying "Look Eh-wheese, pane! peepul! wow!"

We took a trip to the potty before boarding and Charlotte went on command....very unlike her! Once we got to our seats, I put Char next to the window while Eloise & I occupied the middle seat. I was watching each person board wondering who might be the lucky one that would get front row seats to our circus on row 22. Much to my delight, the kindest man in his 50's introduced himself to me & said he would be joining us on our row. He asked if I needed anything before he sat down....how thoughtful! I told him that what he asked was very thoughtful & asked if he had children. He replied with "I don't but I have 5 older sisters who have given me 17 nieces & nephews." Wow, I figured he might have more experience than me with caring for 2 kids at once in a limited space. Turns out, he works for Parkland Hospital which is where I worked when I lived in Dallas & he was also a christian. We had lots to talk about & he even offered to let Charlotte watch a movie on his iPad.

The biggest help was that he offered to hold Eloise when I took Charlotte to the restroom.I did think for a second about if this man could hurt my child & what Robby would do. I figured he couldn't kidnap her so I accepted the offer. This was a good thing.....seriously, have they added an extra row on the back of the plane & downsized the restroom? I consider myself a petite person and I felt quite cramped! It would have been difficult with a baby strapped on me, trying to get Charlotte on the potty etc. When I brought her back to our row he asked if I wanted to trade kids & get Eloise's diaper changed. Wow! This was so great to have my own personal assistant on the airplane!

 

 

Take off was hilarious! Charlotte was squealing so loud the people a couple rows in front of us were turning around smiling. Charlotte LOVED the bag o'tricks! She really enjoyed the buckles, brushing the dolls hair, eating all the cheerios & coloring. Her favorite was the bag of felt shapes. She had no interest in sliding them onto the ribbon snake but much preferred laying them out on her tray table & handing them to me as I requested each shape by name. This provided 40 minutes of distraction! She learned pentagon, crescent & octagon which sound so cute in her own little way she pronounces things : )

 

 

Eloise, oh Eloise. There is a reason Elo rhymes with mellow! You wouldn't have noticed this little girl was on the plane until Char unintentionally smacked her over the head with a book. She cried for about 30 seconds then calmed back down. She was content under the nursing cover enjoying a long leisurely in flight meal & then per request of the big sis, she joined her in her seat!

When we were landing, Charlotte was squealing again. Once we were on the ground, She kept saying "more please mommy!" I think this girl will like roller coasters when she is older : )

My new friend even waited for us to make sure we didn't need help with bags. I told him that the Lord answered my prayer in giving me such a kind & helpful person to ride next to on the big flight!

Great Gran was waiting for us at baggage claim. I passed Elo to her, got our bag & headed out of that crowded place to start our long awaited trip!

Leaving....on a jet plane

Tomorrow is the big day....the day I have been anticipating since I booked our tickets in August.

Tomorrow will prove if I am brave or just plain dumb ; )

I am flying to Texas with Charlotte & Eloise.....BY MYSELF!

The options were to fly to & from with Robby & stay for a long weekend or go alone with my 2 BFF's & stay for nearly 2 weeks. I debated a bit what I should do & Robby encouraged me to go with the second option. He said that even if it was pure torture for all of us (and those seated nearby), it was only 2 & a half hours & then it would be over. Worst case scenario, I tell him I can't come home unless he comes to get me or gets my mom a ticket to fly home with us ; )

Honestly though, I am really excited & just a tad nervous about our time on the plane. I have been doing a lot of thinking about possible scenarios that could cause stress. The one scenario that worries me is that Charlotte does not do well when she says "Mommy tee tee potty" & I say we have to wait for a minute. It usually turns into a really loud repetitive "MOMMY TEE TEE POTTY!!!" Once we arrive in the bathroom on the airplane, it will be a circus with Eloise in a carrier on me, a diaper bag & a 2 year old that likes to investigate everything. It makes me grin just thinking about it. I will have to desanitize her upon exiting the airport : ) Nursing a baby on the plane is always an adventure then to add a big sister that might need to go "tee tee potty," wow, this could be really adventurous! Also, security should be a blast...Charlotte will probably try to climb onto the conveyor belt ; ) She has turned into a climber in the past 2 weeks....the pantry shelves, the barstools in the kitchen, onto the back of the couch & then the dividing wall behind the couch where she leaps off onto the couch shrieking with joy. I am praying for a calm & joyfully obedient child for tomorrow morning.

The other thing that I have given much thought to is how to keep little miss busy body entertained on the airplane. Here is my bag o' tricks!

What do we have for 2 & a half hours of entertainment?
- New crayons in our crayon roll up that my friend Gretchen made for Char

- a Hello Kitty coloring book with stickers

- a "Beautiful Brianna" doll with long hair, a brush & a little kitty cat

- 2 sticker books (one down on the farm & a pretty in pink dress up one)

- cheerios with pipe cleaners to string them onto

- felt shapes with a ribbon "snake" to slide them onto

- and my favorite, the new buckle board.

Charlotte is obsessed with buckles. Every time I go to put Eloise in her bouncer, car seat or swing, the buckle has been buckled....and I know it's not by me or Robby : ) If you dare try to buckle her into her car seat you might not do it again, ha! She likes to do it herself. I am hoping that she will find this very entertaining!
Last resort, I downloaded an Angelina Ballerina app on my iphone that will surely capture her attention!

My BFF's for the plane ride

CharlotteEloise

You may notice that there isn't anything pictured for Eloise.....I know just the thing that will solve any boredom, sadness or not to mention, hunger on the plane ; ) True statement but I packed a book & a couple little toys for her.

We can't wait to get there & visit with those we love & miss SO much! Texas here we come!

Celebrating Baby Piper

Over the past weekend, I along with some other ladies had the opportunity to host a shower for Traci Heinsch & baby Piper. Despite the torrential downpour that occurred from sun up to sun down on Saturday, we had a lovely time!

Traci is married to Luke who leads our worship team at CCC & is the daughter in law of Pastor Gregg & his wife, Heidi. Luke & Traci love the Lord & are overjoyed to be just around the corner from welcoming sweet Piper Marie into their life. I have no doubt that these two will make excellent parents : )

Here is the shower....in photos...

The entry table

Traci, the beautiful mother to be & the baby bump, aka Piper

We had monthly pictures of that growing bump displayed for all to see.

Amanda Sands, the cupcake connoisseur provided the cutest cupcakes I had ever seen!

Ileana coordinated all the food & did LOTS of preparing for the feast of yumminess

We asked each guest to take a moment & fill out a "Prayers for Piper"card. I am sure Traci & Luke had a great time reading through them & we hope Piper will enjoy them for years to come.

Here is Traci with Heidi, one of the Grandma's to be. This woman has been stocking up on baby clothes from the Celebration Garage Sale for quite some time. She was prepared for quadruplets ; ) Heidi is incredible with children & she has used her gifting to teach for many years. She & Gregg raised three amazing children that have grown into adults who love the Lord & are serving Him in unique ways. Piper is blessed to be welcomed into this family who will provide her with the opportunity to experience the love of Christ through his people.

Here is Traci with her mom Tami & her sister Tara who is expecting a little girl early next year. What a beautiful trio of ladies, I can only imagine how pretty the granddaughters will be! Tami & Tara came down for the weekend from Minnesota. We wish they lived here : )

As we prepared for gift opening, Leah, Traci's sister in law read a blessing for Piper that she wrote. It brought me to tears : ) I wish I could have snapped a picture of it so you could read some of the sweet words that this Auntie wrote for her little niece.

Traci with the massive pile of gifts to be opened.

We played a lovely game of Baby Bingo where each person could choose from the list what they wanted on their personal bingo board. Tasty jelly bellies were passed out to be used as markers & full attention was on the gifts being opened to see who could BINGO first.

I had the pleasure of sitting next to precious Hannah who worked so hard to fill out her board with her adorable hand writing : ) Turned out her mommy won the gift for the first bingo so they could enjoy it together.

There were all sorts of gifts from paci's to walkers, outfits to blankies, bowls to nursing covers, lots of books & an unexpected and well received gift pictured below. Traci & Luke are big Vikings fans & cannot wait to get Piper all suited up for next football season!

One of the lovely outfits complete with a hat from Heidi & Gregg

Here is Traci with the hostesses. Jenny, Ileana, Me, Cathy & Leah. Everything went so smoothly with this crew, we should go into business ; ) Thanks to Jenny for being the ring leader!

They are now just days to a couple weeks away from the birth of Piper Marie! We continue to join them in prayer for peace in their home in the coming weeks, a safe labor & delivery for Traci & Piper, increased trust in the Lord as they enter a new stage of life & MUCH joy & excitement as they go from a family of two to three!

Thank you Traci for letting us spoil you! It was really fun : ) We can't wait to meet Piper!