Christmas

We began our Christmas celebration at John's family's house. We celebrated from 11pm until about 3am:).

After arriving back home at 3:30am and catching a few hours of sleep, Elijah woke us up at 6:30am and we celebrated our own family Christmas at home. Elijah enjoyed opening the gifts (although he preferred to play with the paper then the actual gift:)).

After enjoying our morning Christmas, we headed over to Sarah's family for our next Christmas celebration. Elijah took a nap while the rest of us watched our nephews open their Christmas gifts.

That evening, we gave Eli his first taste of real food! He seemed to take to it rather quickly.

Eli is so fun to play with now! He has many dramatic facial expressions and loves to play!

Yay for Christmas!

Eli enjoying his first Christmas tree!












He liked looking at all the lights and ornaments.

He loves watching the train go round the tree.

What a cutie :)













So last month we started building our deck. Thanks to all the help our our friends and family! We just need to pass the final inspection.

Halloween

Chris, Eryn and the boys came up from NC to go trick or treating.


Who's that zombie pushing Eli's stroller?









The Superhero Fam: Tony Stark, Storm and Superman

Eli is 2 months old!

He is so much fun and full of smiles :)

He loves bath time!

Normal Life

Now that Elijah is almost 7 weeks old, we are getting over the shock of having him and adjusting into our new normal life. This past weekend John ran a triathalon down at Lake Anna. We stayed with some friends at their lake house and had a fabulous time!

Eli smiles so much now!

Trip to DC!

Throwing the Frisbee around with Matt and Uncle Mark. This picture was taken right before we were given free Red Bull!














Eli's first trip to the White House.














Wandering around DC looking for food.

More Pictures of Our Growing Boy!

I am beginning to dread going back to work. I still have 3 and a half weeks, but it is creeping up on me. I am really enjoying being a "stay-at-home-mom."

Elijah continues to amaze us:). John will read books to him and, as you can see, he is truly interested.

week 2 vs. week 5, look at the difference!

Cousins cheering on the Redskins!

Getting Over the Hump...

Elijah at Great Falls.










So I think I have made it past "survival mode." I am finally waking up in the morning and feeling mostly rested. I only take one or two naps during the day and am understanding more of Elijah's needs during the day. I am thoroughly enjoying being a full time mom.





Today I was able to hang out with my sister and her family. We went to McDonalds and played at the park. Eli hung out with his brand new 5 day old cousin, Maddox, while his older cousins, Xander and Jaxon, ran around the park.

Maddox and Eli sharing tummy time.

Motherhood is Hard!

I've realized that there is nothing one can do ahead of time to prepare themselves for motherhood. It is the hardest job I have ever had. Right now i'm in what people refer to as "survival mode". I am not getting a goods night sleep and my days consist of feeding, changing diapers, feeding, changing clothes, feeding, changing diapers, playtime, feeding.....well you get the picture.

I adore being a mother. It is as wonderful as everyone says it is, but I don't think people ever share how extremely challenging it is. I admit that there are some days where I would rather be 9 months pregnant again. It really is by God's grace alone that I can continue to do this. I can't take care of Elijah in my own strength, I have to constantly ask for guidance and help. Just when I think I have it down and Eli is on a routine, he changes things up. There have been times that I have just sat in the rocking chair in the nursery and just cried. But as I read this morning in 2 Peter, " His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who has called us according to His own glory and goodness." That's were I get my strength for this time in my life. The Lord's divine power.

Elijah is now two weeks and 3 days old. He continues to look different everyday and I love him dearly. I can just stare at him for hours and hold him non stop. He is an amazing creation and I look forward to seeing God's plan for his life unfold. We pray for him everyday and we really appreciate your prayers as well.

Our Growing Boy!

It's hard to believe that Elijah has been with us for 13 days now. He is growing so much every day. His little cheeks are filling out and his "old man" skin is no longer as wrinkly as before. It seems that he wakes up a little different every morning.

Little Eli is such a joy! We love watching him and learn more about him constantly. He is smiling a lot now and although these are involuntary smiles, they are still beautiful. He sleeps wonderfully! Of course we are not getting continuous 6 to 8 hours of sleep every night, but he will sleep in 2 to 3 hour chunks. He is just like his mommy and enjoys routine. His feedings and play times are becoming like clockwork and it helps me a lot to know why he is crying or fussing.

Having a baby is tons of work!! I have done nothing over these past two weeks but care for him! I'm sure I will begin to balance my time better in a few more weeks, but for now he is all I can handle! But we love every minute with him, and I don't even want to think about when I return to work in October.

"Why so serious??"

Elijah David -"The Lord is my God, my Beloved"

It's hard to believe that our first child is here already! Elijah David Ramira was born on August 20th at 11:29pm, weighing 7 pounds 2.4 ounces and measuring 20 inches in length. What an amazing experience! That first moment, we could not believe our eyes. Is this our son? I think even now, the reality of it all is still hitting us.

Elijah means "the Lord is my God." We chose this name purposefully with a prayer that he will one day know that the Lord is his personal savior and God. His middle name, David, means "my beloved." He is named after our good friend who passed very recently in a rock climbing accident. We did this not only to honor our friend, but in hopes that our son will grow to be strong in the Lord and have the same remarkable impact on others that our friend had. He is missed and thought of almost everyday.

So now we have little Eli. He is such a joy! We learn new things about him almost every hour and are so proud of him. He has already turned his head from side to side during "tummy time!" (He's our prodigy child) We are trying to savor every moment with him as we know that he only remains this size for a little while. He already looks different from the first day we brought him home. But we are excited to see what God has planned for his life and we appreciate you joining us in praying for him.