"Ellison Anne, 5 months"

I am really not much for updating my blog these days, but I am trying to keep up with my children's lives. Ellison Anne is 5 months old now. It has been an unbelievable 5 months for a variety of reasons. But we continue to thank God daily for blessing us with our "joy in the midst of heartache", our "calm in the midst of a storm", and our "beauty in the midst of ugly suffering". I feel a strong attachment to Ellison I think for some of these reasons. Of course, we have an amazing relationship because I am her mother and she is my daughter, but she and I have already been through so much during our short time together. She has brought our family joy, peace, and hope during some very sad, tumultuous, and sometimes hopeless times. She is a joy - in every sense of the word.  Thank you Jesus for my beautiful baby girl.

I think we may have another life loving, people loving, child on our hands. She loves both equally. She wakes up in the mornings smiling, smiles throughout the day, wakes up from naps smiling, and goes to bed smiling most nights. She is such a tease sometimes because I will think she is asleep on my shoulder and then she will all of a sudden pull her head back to look at me and smile!  Elijah Brooks' goal in life seems to be to make her smile - and he does a great job at it.  She LOVES to eat - which could be why she has 3 rolls on each leg! I actually started her on a little bit of rice cereal this month (June 11th), which is 1 month earlier than I started EB on, but she just seemed really hungry. The first time I offered it to her, she put both hands on the spoon and shoved it into her mouth - and lapped up the whole bowl! So, we will keep on nursing and doing some rice cereal in between feedings this month and see if that helps her "breakthrough hunger".  She also cut her 1st tooth this month - (middle, bottom/left). The one right next to it looks like it will pop through any day now. The 1st one came through on Friday June 8th (update: the 2nd one broke through on Wednesday June 13). She continues to love her bath and would sit there for an hour if I let her - just like her momma. She loves to stroll and be outside, loves to ride in the Baby Bjorn where she can be up high at people's eye level, and has even begun to somewhat enjoy car rides.  Well, maybe she doesn't necessarily enjoy them, but she tolerates them. I will take that improvement over what we experienced the first few months of her life. I think now she doesn't like her carseat because she wants to sit up, and she is still in the infant seat which reclines and she doesn't want to recline. She wants to get up and GO! She does not look like she is too far off from army crawling on her belly.  She will turn in a complete circle and get from here to there on her blanket while on the floor, but is starting to pull her knees up under her in a crawling position.  She is incredibly strong, and loves to stand on our laps while we hold her hands. She loves her family so much, and her eyes light up when any one of us walks in the room. She has done exceptionally well
having to go with the flow in recent weeks in terms of her sleeping. She is able to sleep in arms, pack n' play, car, and her own bed very well.  Elijah Brooks was never able to be this flexible, but maybe it's because he wasn't forced to be because of life's circumstances. At any rate, I am just really thankful and proud of her, for being able to be so laid back. She is still a baby and needs a predictable schedule, so we are working on getting back into our routine. She loves Baby Einstein and Praise Baby DVD's. She sleeps with her paci in the bed (may or may not be in her mouth), and her 2 lovies (pink kitty and green frog). It is getting harder to change her diaper and clothes now because she doesn't want to stay on her back and she is so strong it's hard to hold her still - annoying at times, but just thankful that she is so strong and healthy. When she is upset, she has a squeal that could break glass! Thankfully we don't hear it too much :)

Hopefully I hit the highlights for her little monthly update. Blows my mind that next month she will be half a year old.  I won't think about that yet - I will stick with 5 months old.

Ellison, maybe one day you will be able to understand how much joy and happiness you have brought to our family at such a time as this. You may never fully comprehend it, but just rest in knowing that God knew exactly what He was doing when He gave you to our family in January 2012, and you are meant to be here my dearest daughter. Yours and your brother's lives have a grand purpose. Don't ever forget that!  We love you!

That drool proves those bottom teeth were on their way