Eliana is Changing and Growing so Fast!

It's been about a week since we've posted pics of Eliana and she is just changing so much and growing so fast. As of Monday at the pediatrician's office, she had surpassed her birth weight and was at 9 lbs 7 oz. and was 21.25 inches. Her umbilical cord fell off just the other night so we decided to give her just a minute or so of "tummy time" on her surfmat. I was also surprised this morning to see that she had rolled herself halfway over to her side when she was on her activity gym. We are amazed by her everyday - she is so aware of everything and everyone around her. She really gazes into our eyes when we speak to her and just lifts her head up and stares at our faces when we hold her. She's even given us a few smiles that I'm convinced are the real thing...not just gas. Here are a few shots from last night and this morning:

Hanging out in her bouncy seat:

First time on the tummy time Surfmat:

Pretty girl:

Joshua's Foam Stickers

The boys received a couple bags of foam stickers from Natalie for their birthday. Joshua decided to get all of his use out of them in one shot.

Here's the priceless expression when he realizes how much removing each sticker was actually going to hurt!

5th Birthday Celebration

We hosted the boys' 5th birthday party today. I knew it would be a lot to do just two weeks after Ellie's birth, but I felt like we needed to do it for Jaron and Joshua. I know Nathan and I took the boys out for a day of fun on their actual birthday but we always have a party for them and I didn't want them to feel like they missed out on a party because of the baby. So, we had a bit of a scaled-down party for them this year...we still had a good turnout, but invited only the boys' closest friends and Grandma & Peepaw. We had pizza & cupcakes, filled up the pool and set out the slip & slide and everyone seemed to have a great time. Eliana slept the entire time in her pack & play right in the middle of all the excitement. Everyone was very generous with their gifts and very helpful if I needed it. My favorite quote of the day was when Joshua said after blowing out his candle that he "has the best friends in the whole entire Earth." I thought that was pretty cool!

Always have to include Trooper (this time sporting his "summer do") in the Birthday pics:

Eliana's photo shoot

Happy Birthday Jaron and Joshua!

Yesterday was Jaron and Joshua's 5th birthday. We have a little party planned for Sunday but because they've been such good boys through the birth and adjustment of their new baby sister, we decided to have a special day for them.

We started the morning by opening gifts. Joshua had been begging for new goggles and Jaron really wanted some new dinosaurs. The "big" gift from us was a V-smile TV system. They LOVE it. Afterward, we went to Chuy's for lunch where they surprised them with a Happy Birthday song and ice cream sundaes. We topped the day off with a couple hours at Jungle Java. For those of you who have never heard of or been to Jungle Java, it's an indoor playnasium with coffee bar...super clean and air conditioned! Perfect for kids and parents!

Here are a few pics of our day with the Birthday boys:

Jaron and his Dinosaurs

Joshua and his Goggles

Joshua's Birthday Sundae

Jaron and Daddy

Joshua and Mommy

Jaron and the Jungle Java Treehouse

The boys figuring out the Zip line

Joshua taking a break on the slide

Eliana's mood captured

Hey, you got food?

Checkin' out the patio flowers

Just Hanging Out

Sent from my iPhone

Jeannie and Eliana came home yesterday. Jeannie is recovering well although still has some pain issues (understandably). Those other parents out there will relate when I say that the conversations inevitably turn to poop when a new baby comes home... and by that I mean actually talking about the subject of poop - the quantity, the color, texture, etc. I'll just say that Eliana is eating ok and gives us the proof in her diapers. :)


The animals were very curious about our newest addition. Neither critter wanted to leave Jeannie's side when she finally arrived. Trooper sniffed at Eliana a few times and then crawled into his place - behind the recliner that Jeannie happens to be sitting on.


Ivy, the terror cat, was (and continues to be) VERY curious about sweet baby Eliana. I captured the mood...






Oh, by the way, the only balloons I plan on using from now on will be in the form of hospital gloves. I made the boys a couple of 'glove balloons' to keep them entertained when we were at the hospital with Mommy and Baby. I was so impressed at how well they stood up to the boys' torturous play. I even stepped on one of them (the gloves, not the boys) and they are still going strong. I'm just sayin'. :)

My mom got to spend some quality time with Eliana.

And Eliana got to try out her new toys.

We spent the next day (BTW, it was 106*F) just hanging out.

The boys got some pool time in.

We're enjoying all of our time together before I have to go back to work.

Life is good.

Our Beautiful Baby Girl is Here!!

What a great day... Eliana Grace Guajardo was born shortly before 1pm today. She weighed in at a hefty 9lbs 2.8ozs and 19 inches long. She is absolutely beautiful. Both she and Jeannie are doing great.

It's been a long day so I won't spend too much time typing... just wanted to share the pics.

Today's the Day!

Well, here we are. It's been a very busy nine months and I thought the day would never arrive - but here we are, sooner than I ever imagined. Today is the day we will meet our baby girl and cuddle her for the very first time. Tucking Jaron and Joshua in bed last night was quite bittersweet. For almost five years, it's just been the four of us. They have been the center of our universe, the source of so much laughter and love, and part of me is going to miss it just being "me and my boys." But I know deep down that what's in store will be so much better. We've tried to prepare the boys all along with the changes that will take place with a new baby at home and have stressed how much we will always love them, never any less than before the baby arrives. Jaron and Joshua are going to be such awesome big brothers and such great helpers. I cannot wait to see them meet her in-person for the very first time. That is one of the things I've looked forward to most since the beginning of this pregnancy. The other thing I've looked forward to is seeing Nathan with his baby girl. He's so excited and he's already such a good Daddy...I remember him with our baby boys and now I get to see it all over again, but this time with his very own princess.

I've had several random tearful moments over the past few days and I know they aren't over yet. I can't wait to see, hold and kiss Eliana Grace today. I know God will be watching over our family as we welcome our sweet girl into the world and adjust to becoming a family of five. As we enter this new chapter in our lives, I'm touched by a few scriptures we heard in church yesterday. Pastor actually referred to parents of newborns - exhaustion, stress, etc. so these scriptures really spoke to us.

"God gives grace to the humble. So give yourselves completely to God...Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you." James 4:6-8

"He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired...but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint." Isaiah 40:29-31

"So we don't look at the troubles we can see right now; rather, we look forward to what we have not yet seen. For the troubles we see will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever." 2 Corinthians 4:18

We'll be posting pics of our new bundle of love as soon as we can!