Meet My Little Ela!

Hi again! I can't believe how time has flown by!! If you haven't seen on Instagram (sorry neglected little blog... Instagram gets all my attention) we have a new little addition to our family!

Eleanor "Ela" Joyce was born 2 weeks ago!

She is the sweetest little thing!! And I'm so happy that she fits right with our little clan. :)

She has CHUNKY round cheeks! 1 day old.

Everyone meeting her for the first time! And of course making themselves at home in the hospital bed which is QUEEN size! Have you seen a queen size bed in the recovery room before?? It was AWESOME! I slept so good! :) And the food was delicious!

As soon as we got home, these two got down to business. Isn't this what being a dad is all about?! Naps are the best with Dad! ;)

Going out for the first time! (Dr's appointment) She's such a doll! And I love the sweet gifts we've received from friends! Cutest moccs from Katey! And this sweet swaddling blanket from Emily - check out Little Unicorn if you haven't heard of them before. They have GREAT stuff!

1 week old!
Things to remember: She gets the hiccups everyday. Has the cutest sneeze. She keeps me up all night long! But she's super cute and never cries (except when she's hungry and we don't feed her right away). Her sister loves to hold her for the longest time, is always singing to her and playing with her! Tommy likes to say "hi" to her and point out that she has a nose and eyes; helps me change her diaper - brings me the diaper and wipes; and is kind of good at putting her binky in her mouth. :) Hunter likes to hold her and forces her to wrap her little fingers around his finger , and really wants her to look right at him. Jackson likes to hold her a little, and for the midst part only interacts a little, but he likes her. She smiled when Dad tickled her, and seems annoyed at his poky beard when he gives her kisses. :) We sure love her and are so lucky to have her in our family!!

Grandma came and stayed with us for the first week. It was the BEST!!! We were all sad to see her go. What a blessing! She really made the transition to 5 kids a breeze! And I'm happy to say that this second week on my own, went WAY better than I had expected. It wasn't without it's bumps and bruises, but we made it. :)

Our first family photo with all of us! :D

I am so in love with all of these little people! (and the big guy too, of course! Now more than ever!!)

2 weeks old!
It seems like she was just born yesterday!! We all love her more than ever!! Things to remember: Tommy is my little helper. He gets me diapers and wipes, and puts her binky in her mouth (and calls her binky "pee-pee" which is quite humorous). Mabel loves to sing to her and comes to her rescue if she ever starts crying, and tells her, "don't. even. think about it!!!" Jackson runs to her when she starts making noises. And Hunter randomly pops in and talks to her for a bit. Building good relationships already!! She sleeps pretty good, waking up anywhere from 2 to 4 times during the night, which I'll take. She cries before she poops. and smiled at Tommy today!! She's starting to look around more when she's awake. She LOVES being in the solly wrap, and I love it too! My favorite baby carrier! I wish I had it 5 babies ago. :) This week went a lot better than expected on my own. Though the kids have been extremely emotional!!  but I think we're starting to get to a good place. Oh, and LOVING this cute name blanket from @sewsara!! #sewsaranameblanket

Morning photo shoot. Photographers: Tommy took the top pictures. Mabel took the bottom pictures. We were cropped in all of them, but at least Ela wasn't.

She is so adorable!!! I want to snuggle her forever!!

I really cannot believe how fast the last two weeks have flown by! Especially this week, I feel like I wake up, have breakfast, look at the clock and it's already noon! Then I blink and it's already 4 pm and almost time for the Mr. to come home from work. It's actually been pretty nice, and I have LOVED spending the days just holding her. I'm trying to enjoy this newborn stage as much as possible before she grows. (Newborns are my favorite!!)

We love you Ela!!