End of October

I have neglected to update this blog in awhile, so for you frequent readers...sorry. Things here have been busy. Last week Monday, my parents had a long layover in Charlotte on their way back from Germany visiting Paul & Jodi. After getting them back to the airport, bags checked in - they got to their gate only to discover that the flight was overbooked and they were looking for volunteers to take the next day flight back to Minneapolis. If we'd only checked it out sooner, they could have spent the night here. They'd already checked all their bags and couldn't get them back if they chose to stay overnight, oh well, maybe next time. Elise has started eating rice cereal, and is doing pretty well eating from a spoon. Her other big accomplishment in the last week or so is that she can sit unassisted for several minutes at a time. With all this growing and learning, her daily routine/schedule is once again changing. Just when you think you've figured it out - it changes!! I am so happy to be home with her each day, but this last week was challenging. She wasn't napping well
which makes my days very long. I think that in some ways I've had a few days of mourning the way things used to be...come home and have dinner, relax on the couch...long, relaxed Saturday mornings with a cup of coffee...just quality time for John and I. After talking with several of my girlfriends, I realize that this is completely normal after you have a baby and adjust to meeting their every need - it can be all-consuming. This weekend has been good - and especially today, she took a long afternoon nap (and I did too).
Here's just a few fun snapshots from the last couple of weeks. She tried on the pumpkin costume (borrowing it from her little friend, Ali Slack) , and she'll probably wear this for Halloween around the neighborhood this week. We also bought her a fairy costume, but the wings make it hard to carry her - so I think we'll save that one for next year.
She's enjoying books more, and she slaps the pages when we read to her - or she tries to help us turn the page or bring it to her mouth.

John and I are both involved with the choir at church, and we're gearing up for a Christmas production Dec. 14, 15 & 16. We're discovering that having a baby with all the dress rehearsals and performances is a little more challenging. Thankfully they have childcare many of the rehearsals, but it makes for a few later nights for Elise, too.

On Saturday I took another sewing class - we learned how to make zippered cosmetic bags. My neighbor, Michelle and I are also going to another class on Tuesday night - how to make hair bows. It should be a fun evening. I'm planning to sew up several bags to have a small inventory for Christmas gifts - so if you need a quick, fun gift for the holidays - let me know! Well - the evening is getting later and later...so I'm off to bed. Thanks for reading.

Elise is 4 Months Old

Our little girl is 4 months old! She went to the doctor last Friday and she is just growing and growing. Her weight is 15.4 lbs and she is 26 inches tall. She's so long that she fits into her 6-9 month sleepers already.
Grandma & Grandpa Ratzlaff came to visit this past weekend, too. We had a choir retreat in Blowing Rock, NC and they came along to help us with Elise so we could enjoy the retreat. Elise was a gem and did very well over the weekend, despite the fact that she got 4 shots at the Dr. Friday. She's sitting in her Bumbo seat, and can sit assisted a little bit too. She still loves the exersaucer, and now she's got enough hand coordination to grab toys and bring them to her mouth. (She could grab them before, but couldn't get them to her mouth). Her sleep patterns are still great - she's sleeping 9-10 hours at night, feeding, and then back to sleep another 2-3 hours before getting up for the day. She's also started giggling, and this weekend Grandpa Ratzlaff did a little cheer with her and had her just giggling outloud. "Elise, Elise, she's our girl....Yeahhh - Elise!" What fun - maybe we can get it on video at some point. She also had her first taste of rice cereal on Monday. Her first feeding went pretty well - just like any baby, it was messy! She's so sweet - we're enjoying her as she's becoming more and more aware of everything around her and able to do a little more each week. She can see us across the room, and she likes to feel the books when we read to her. I'm so grateful to be home with her each day. It doesn't matter if it's Saturday or Tuesday - our days blend together, but I wouldn't want to be anywhere else right now.

Baby Dedication Sunday - Oct. 7, 2007

Today we dedicated Elise at Church at Charlotte. The verse we chose for her is Luke 1:46b - 47: "My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior." We also wrote her a letter so that when she is old enough to understand, she can read about why we chose to make a public declaration of our intent as parents to raise her to know and love Christ. John and I have been praying for her to come to know Jesus at a young age, and that she would have a real and personal relationship with Him before she leaves home. What a big responsibility as parents! Thankfully we aren't doing this alone - we've got our heavenly Father to give us wisdom and family and friends to encourage us. Curt videotaped the dedication this morning, but we don't have the right cord to load it to our computer. (pb&j - perhaps you can send back the firewire cord with mom and dad after their visit?) This week we are expecting grandma & grandpa Ratzlaff on Thursday morning - they're coming for the weekend & we'll head to the North Carolina mountains.
We continue to uplift our friends, Jason & Elizabeth daily in prayer for their little preemie, Chase who was born last week Tuesday. They've set up a Caring Bridge website to keep everyone updated. In case you'd like to read - you can visit them at http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/chaseallbert
We trust all is well with you - Have a great week. We'll try to post a short video of the dedication once we figure out how to get it loaded. Blessings!

Please Pray for our friends...

Here's a picture of our friends, Jason & Elizbeth & their little boy, Knox and they've been expecting another little boy, due January 2nd. Yesterday (Oct. 1st) Elizabeth had an emergency C-section and delivered their baby. She was only 6 months along, and he was a little over 2 lbs. According to Elizabeth's mom, he cried after being born - which is a good sign for his lungs, but he's in the NICU and will be there for quite some time fighting for his life. Right now this is all we know, but we'll keep you posted. We know that God is the giver of life and He can sustain this new baby.
I am just reminded of the verse in Psalm 139
"...your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."