My baby is 6 months!

I can't believe my baby is 6 months, (when I started this post) almost 7 months now! I've heard it said, "the days are long but the years are short" when it comes to raising kids and I agree! I find myself telling Rilyn to slow down....it's going by WAY too fast.

Here are some pictures and little tidbits of what Rilyn Grace is up to these days:

At her 4 month check up Rilyn was in the 3rd percentile for weight (10ish pounds). By 5 months she jumped up to the 15th percentile and at 6 months she is in the 30th percentile (15lbs 4 oz). Our girls is a petite little thing.

The doctor told us to start Rilyn on baby food at 4 months to try and help her gain some weight. She has LOVED eating "real" food, as you can see in the pictures.

This is the aftermath; dirty and upset because we are done:)

Okay, maybe frozen yogurt wasn't the dr.'s orders
but it sure tasted good!

Rilyn is now eating:

Peas

Carrots

Green beans

Corn

Sweet Potato

Chicken

Apples

Peaches

Cherries

Blueberries

Bananas

Pears

Mango

Avocado

Broccoli

And she LOVES every bite :)

She is so big she holds her own bottle now!

When daddy plays with Rilyn he likes to take her to the park and swing on the swings.

sorry, I don't know how to rotate the pictures :)

In Janurary, Rilyn got to go to her first wedding and burned up the dance floor! (Her pretty dress was a Christmas present from Uncle Nate and Aunt Monica and worked PERFECT for the event)

Daddy hopes she gets his dance skills rather than mine.

Rilyn had her first soccer session. Her coach says she is quite the player. :) He might be a bit biased. (notice she is using the inside of her left foot to "slot" in the goal!)



She also had her first trip to the beach. Mommy took her to Santa Barbara to see where her and daddy went to college.



Recently, Rilyn has started getting up on her hands and knees letting us know that it wont be long before she's crawling. Uh oh! She also is pulling herself up to stand up. Yikes!

One of my favorite times is in the morning when Rilyn first wakes up and lays in her crib "talking" to herself. It is the sweetest sound I've ever heard. She is such a joy to watch as she is constantly smiling and laughing at the world around her.

 

We love you, baby girl. We can't wait to watch you grow and continue to explore and discover all the world has to offer. But please don't grow too fast :)

Rilyn Grace Elkins

I'm a little late at blogging about our precious Rilyn Grace, but I think I have a great excuse...Rilyn takes up most of my time :) Rilyn is now 3 months old, so I decided it is time to sit down and write something. I'll do my best to catch you up on her life up to now :)

Rilyn Grace. The name Rilyn was her Daddy's idea. Mommy really liked the names Riley and Jordyn and Todd wanted something unique. So, he combined the beginning of Riley and the end of Jordyn to come up with Rilyn. (We later found out it is a pretty popular name in Australia). At first, I wasn't sure what I thought of it, but it quickly grew on me. I now think it is just the right name for our little girl; unique, cute and a little spunky. We decided on Grace for her middle name because we wanted a name with meaning, sort of like a dedication of sorts. Grace seemed to be perfect..here are some definitions of the word:
"Beauty, physical, intellectual, or moral; loveliness; commonly, easy elegance of manners; perfection of form"

“The exercise of love, kindness, mercy, favor; disposition to benefit or serve another; favor bestowed or privilege conferred."

“The divine favor toward man; the mercy of God, as distinguished from His justice; divine love or pardon; a state of acceptance with God; enjoyment of the divine favor.”

Pretty amazing word, right? We pray our daughter will be full of grace in every sense of the word, but mostly that she would embrace the incredible, undeserving, life-changing grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Rilyn was born on August 22, 2011 at 11:22pm; one week late. She weighed 7lbs exactly and was 19 inches long. I went in to the hospital for a check up and they ended up deciding to induce me. 4 hours later, Rilyn's heartbeat was dropping dramatically and they informed us we would have to have a C-section. I wasn't too excited about it, but ultimately wanted our baby girl to be healthy.  2 hours later, our healthy Rilyn Grace was here...and our lives forever changed. Hearing her cry for the first time was as precious a moment as everyone makes it out to be :) Here is one of her first pictures

I feel like I could fill up pages and pages about these first 3 months with Rilyn. Instead, I will try and hit on a few highlights.



2 month photo

  A common question we get is, "are you getting any sleep?" YES, we are!!!! We have a baby who sleeps like her momma. :) Currently, at 12 weeks old, she is sleeping 9 hrs at night and I am LOVING it! We aren't using any tricks, she just likes to sleep and we are thankful.:)

Rilyn has started smiling a lot and sometimes we get some coo's and ahh's. She is already a daddy's girl, smiling and lighting up when he walks in the room.


Our sleeping beauty :)

Rilyn has been to more than her fair share of soccer games having been born right at the beginning of her daddy's soccer season. She does great at the games...mostly sleeps through them. Here are a few pictures of her ready for the games.




Her very first Puma sweatsuit :)





"I've got my uniform on, Dad! Put me in!"
(Don't worry, she has a Westmont one as well)



Here is a picture from Halloween: 

It's hard to put into words how I feel about life with a baby of my own. It's fabulous and frustrating, rewarding and exhausting, hilarious and hard, some days are so fun and some days are boring. I love being at home with my precious Rilyn and at the same time I have moments (okay, maybe hours) of wishing I was anywhere but at home with her. I don't know if it's acceptable to say that about your own daughter, but it is me being honest. I'm surprised by the range of emotions I feel while learning this new role. They don't seem to make sense. I've always wanted to be a mommy. I've dreamed of this stage of life. and in my mind I thought it would, of course, be hard but that I would absolutely LOVE being a mom. Well, some days I don't. And that has been difficult for me to come to terms with. I feel like a bad mom for having those thoughts. (and the guilt only gets worse when people ask "isn't being a mom the greatest thing ever?") But then I turn around and see this face looking at me

and I melt. and think, ' I LOVE this! Being a momma IS the best thing ever!'
Like so many things in life, I feel like motherhood is romanticised and thus little girls grow up to be moms with unrealistic expectations and then guilt for not having warm fuzzies all the time about being a mommy. It's hard. I'm learning that its okay to not enjoy every moment. It's normal, and I think healthy, to grieve the life left behind when I became a mom. I miss simple things like going to bed when I want to, eating my dinner when its hot and without trying to rock a baby at the same time, driving with two hands (rather than one holding the pacifier in the mouth of a crying baby), taking as long as I want in the shower....etc. etc. etc. It's a lot. You give up a ton when you choose to be a mom. and yet, knowing what I know now, I'D CHOOSE IT AGAIN! in a heartbeat. See, the emotions seem to conflict.

Our pastor talks about embracing 'inevitable tensions' in our faith. Instead of ignoring the hard topics that we might not be able to fully understand, we instead embrace them, trusting that God is in control of it and has our best in mind. I like to think of my conflicting emotions as 'inevitable tensions' of mommyhood. I don't understand how I can love being a mom and not love it in the same moment...but at times I do.  I can't explain it....so I will embrace it. and trust that this is where God wants me.

And other times I can't believe the life I have. Staying at home with this sweet, girl all. day. long. seeing her smiles, and coo's, holding and rocking and watching her sleep so peacefully, kissing her tiny toes, and chubby cheeks. ahh...I love it! My precious girl has brought so much joy and love into my life. I am SO thankful for this gift of Rilyn Grace!

And one last thought.... Mom, THANK YOU! I never realized all you sacrificed to be such an amazing mom. Thank you for the great example I have to look to!





My lovely mom :)



Showers, nesting and classes....

The last few weeks have been busy with all the fun details that surround getting ready for a baby! My wonderful family gave me an adorable baby shower. My mom out did herself again with beautiful hand made centerpieces, party favors, plenty of pink and all the little details to make it unique and special for me and baby. I had a great time and enjoyed getting to visit with people I don't see enough. Oh, and of course, we were spoiled with generous gifts to prepare us for this baby girl! Thank you Mom, (and my sister and sister-in-laws who organized fun games), for all your work to make me feel loved!

Our baby girl's 2 grandmas.

The spoiling continued as one of my friends gave me another baby shower. She had white onesies and socks and had everyone decorate them for the baby. This is one of my favorites:

 

Also, our wonderful lifegroup from church, surprised us with gifts. We are so thankful for all the gifts and love our friends and family have blessed us with as we prepare for this baby! THANK YOU!

I'm pretty sure my nesting instincts have been in high gear as I've taken on a few projects I would never have done before :) I told you about the wall I decorated. Here is the finished product...

The verse is Psalm 139:14 and says "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made." (fearfully and wonderfully are in pink but don't show up that well in the picture) I'm really happy with it and love the way it looks behind the crib! Hopefully it will serve as a reminder that our daughter is made BY our God, in the IMAGE of our God,  and FOR our God; and for that we will praise Him! (Below you can see the crib and all of the baby gear we have accumulated...yes, I'm working on getting it put away so she can actually use the crib :) )

My other project I took on was sanding and painting an armiore that my friend gave us to use for the baby. She used it with her son so it was white and blue and had since been outside for awhile. I thought it was super cute and that I could easily paint it and make it girly. EASILY is the key word here.... not so much. I apparently forget from time to time that I didn't get that Martha Stewart gene until I'm about 1/4 of the way in to a project. Then I'm wondering why I ever thought this was a good idea and end up rushing through the majority of it. I am not detail oriented (or very patient). I'm learning crafts and projects usually require paying close attention to detail and patience. Hmmmm...

So, this huge, long disclaimer was to communicate to you that while I am very proud of my armiore, you Martha Stewart-detail paying attention- ultra patient- I love spending 5 hrs painting one piece of trim to make sure no paint gets in the wrong spot- type people, may not be as impressed as I am. But, my little girl will be able to tell for sure that her momma made it for her :)

Here it is:

Clearly you can't see the detail from the picture but just know...if you ever come over and see it in person, don't judge me and my lack of attention to detail. :) Also, I ordered the most perfect knobs for the doors! They are cute soccer balls! Totally over-priced and unnecessary but too adorable to pass up. (and I knew her daddy would love it!)

As you can see, I've kept busy during my "maternity leave" (hehe...really it's just summer time and I'm always off during this time but its fun to act like it's for the baby) with showers and projects. We've also managed to fit some child-birthing classes into the mix. 

One word....Interesting. 

I was not thrilled to begin these classes. I mean, come on, why on earth would I want to go to a class to hear them talk about my cervix dilating to 10 cm, (while they show me a picture of a bagel, just in case I didn't know that 10 cm is ENORMOUS when you're talking about that part of your body....) and how most women tear in an unimaginable place, and to see and touch (I declined) the different instruments they will use if necessary,  and to hear how long and intense the different stages of labor are and to top it off, watch a video of two women giving birth "naturally"? (and we are only on class 2 of 5)

Let's be honest... I already knew about these things and was enjoying my world of "everyone has babies, I'm in one of the wealthiest, safest places ever, its going to hurt but what can I do about it, the baby is coming no matter what, it wont be that bad" bliss. I don't need a visual of 10 cm. I don't need a visual of these poor women who choose to not use drugs to dull the pain (no offense if you chose that way, just not for me!). 

To top it all off, the instructors like to teach us relaxation techniques. I tend to find these HILARIOUS. Last week we listened to a 11 minute CD of a women talking in a soft voice teaching us how to relax each part of our body. She started at our toes and feet, telling us to flex each muscle and hold, working up our entire body. After flexing each muscle, she tells us to "release, finding your center". What does that even mean?!? To be honest, I was laughing from the start but got worse as we reached our chest and she told us to flex our chest muscles almost enough to where it feels like you can't breathe. (Todd acted like he was hyperventilating). The worst part, when I lost it completely, was when she got to our face. First off, she told us to scrunch up all the muscles in our face. She then went on to mention each part, your lips, your nose (I commend you if you are trying it as you read :) ) your eyes, your forehead; the visual in my mind was too much. I mean...seriously...this is relaxing? Todd was trying his best to be mature..and scold me for being disruptive but really he thought it was pretty funny too. All the while, 10 other couples are acting like this "relaxation" exercise is totally normal. Maybe it is... but it was hilarious to me. I literally could not stop laughing! I so wish my friend, Alexsis was there with me! We got kicked out of 10th grade Spanish class when we had a sub because we were laughing hysterically and could not stop. It felt like that day all over again. 

So, apparently I'm not the best child-birthing class student. :) I don't want anyone to hear me saying the class isn't good. I really like our instructor. and I think the information is helpful....yet FEAR INDUCING! (Get this...the first night our instructor talked about how she loves teaching this class because knowledge is power and reduces fear and anxiety.....ummmm pretty sure I was great in my own world. Now, I have WAY more fear and anxiety about this whole birthing process! Who wouldn't after watching the videos?) I am learning some things, and everyone says it will be so helpful... Stay tuned for an update after class 5.

So, you all are totally caught up on this pregnancy journey we are on. In case you're wondering I am 36 weeks (and 4 days). Yep, that means little baby girl Elkins is coming SOON! We are so anxious to meet her and cuddle her! It seems like it can't get here fast enough. And at the same time I LOVE feeling her inside my tummy moving all around. (I'm already anticipating missing that part.) And we are trying to get in as many date nights, eating out, sleeping in, relaxing without a care in the world, and spur of the moment events we can before our lives are forever changed.... for the better. :)

29 Weeks!

29 weeks and the third trimester is here! It is hard to believe we are in the homestretch of this pregnancy. It doesn't seem like it was that long ago that I ran to Todd to tell him the pregnancy test was positive and he replied with, "has that ever happened before?" hehe. (To be fair to him, it was about 6am and I woke him up so he can't be held totally responsible for his response)


I think every day of pregnancy gets more exciting as I feel our baby kicking more and more, can see her growing in me and can begin decorating and planning for her to be here! Just recently she has started kicking/moving in response to Todd's voice when he talks to my tummy. How cool is that? She already recognizes her daddy's voice.


And this weekend I decorated the wall of her "nursery" all by myself!! Now, those of you who know me well know this is impressive as I didn't get the "Martha Stewart" gene that my mom possesses (and passed on to her other daughter). For example, give my mom a 20 yr old, nasty, cracked, and smelly trashcan and she could turn it into a beautiful wedding decoration that will have guests oooing and ahhhing for months. I have no idea how she does it, but she truly has a gift. I, on the other hand, see the trashcan and think "what a nasty trashcan." End of story. Needless to say, I was pretty proud of my creation on the wall. I'm not completely done but will post a picture below to show off my work :) ( I do have to admit my mom first suggested I use this tree...so I can't take all the credit)

(So the picture didn't turn out great. It looks better in person and I'm not done with the verse but you get the idea of the tree with cherry blossoms and then the words on the right will be in brown and will say "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made" Psalm 139:14. )


Last week I also had my first baby shower! Todd's team (the Biola womens soccer team) threw me a "book" shower. They did such a good job and blessed us with many children's books to read to our baby! It was such fun! Here are some pictures of the party :)

Along with the fun parts of feeling our daughter move and preparing for her, comes the anticipation of what life will be like with this precious one. While we are so excited to meet her, we also can be overwhelmed with the immense responsibility this child will bring. We count it a true privilege to be given this child and pray God is gracious in giving us guidance and wisdom. We truly believe this child belongs first to the Lord, second to us. Our prayer for our daughter is that she would have a hunger and thirst for God that surpasses all other things in her life. We want her to know, desire and love the Lord with all that is in her and not be distracted by the things of this world. We pray that her life would be one that puts God first, and that she would seek to glorify Him in all she does. We pray and hope these things for her, even now as she is still growing in me, because we know that she is being "fearfully and wonderfully" created in the image of God. What an incredible promise. 

24 weeks!!

I can hardly believe that we are more than halfway to the point of meeting our daughter! She has been kicking more and more each day and I love every minute of it. Todd finally got to feel her kicking the other day and it was so fun for him to have that "reality" set in that yes, there is a baby in there :)

We have acquired a good bit of hand me down baby paraphernalia from some generous friends and it's becoming more and more real each day that we will actually have a baby to use this stuff with. Todd and I many times have just looked at each other and said "Can you believe we are going to have a daughter to put in there?" It's still surreal at times.

We are so thankful for this part of our journey that God has allowed us. The idea of being parents and raising a child can be overwhelming and humbling. We have so many faults and issues of our own. Who are we to be entrusted a HUMAN BEING to take care of and raise? Oh, we are so thankful for the grace and guidance of the Lord. We know he, and he alone, has chosen us to have this child and will be faithful to see us through in raising her. He loves her more than we can ever imagine and won't fail her. She is being created by him and for him and his glory. How we rest in this truth. We can't mess her up because GOD has his hand on her. Thank you, Lord!  

Okay, and now for what I swore I would never do.... here is a belly picture. Way too many people have been asking for me to post a picture since they live far away and don't get to see me. So here it is. You're welcome. This was taken last week. Don't get your hopes up for seeing more of these... if you live far away... come visit and you can see my pregnant self :)

A soccer player? Maybe a ballerina...

Friday I felt our baby girl kick for the first time! AMAZING. People told me it would take a couple times for me to realize what it was but that wasn't the case here. She must have kicked pretty hard (did it feel like she used laces or inside of the foot, her daddy asked) because I immediately thought, 'that's the baby kicking'. It didn't feel like anything else but a kick! It has happened a couple times since and I love every time! It's a reminder that yes, there is a baby in there and she is doing well.

Every day the reality that we are having a DAUGHTER seems to become more and more real. We can hardly wait for her to be here. When I'm just sitting on the couch watching TV I like to think about having her there next to me or laying on my chest. Todd likes to talk about how she will be with HIM all the time and in her little carrier on his chest while he works and coaches. (I'm letting him think I will willingly give her up for now....) Basically, both of us can't wait to meet our little sweetheart!

We pray our daughter will be a joyful, others-centered, passionate person who desires and follows hard after our Lord. If you're the praying type, we'd love for you to join us in praying for our baby!

It's a.....

GIRL!!!!!

We found out Monday and are so excited. When the lady told us it is a girl, we both smiled but apparently did not react in the way she is used to seeing people react. So she told us "don't worry, you can have a boy next time". I immediatly replied, "No, I wanted a girl." To which Todd whipped his head around and said, "You did? You never expressed it that strongly before." :)

Well...I had in my head :). and maybe I didn't want to be disappointed so I didn't outright say how I desired a baby girl. Truthfully, we would have loved either a boy or girl, but for whatever reason, I leaned towards wanting a girl first :)

So, lot's of bows and pink are in our near future! Todd said he is now more worried that before..."boys are tough and you don't have to worry. But girls, you have be tender and careful with" were his words. I love it! He is already a sucker for her. Daddy's lil princess is on her way...can't wait to see him love on her!

I am 18 weeks and definitely feeling like I'm looking pregnant now. I think I am occasionally feeling the baby move and yes, I still have morning sickness! ehhh. (although, interesting tidbit... I only get sick when I wake up early. Anyone think the baby is like her mama and likes to sleep in? I think so!)