Finding the Perfect Name

Naming a child is tough work.  Serious business.  I mean, the name will follow the child for the rest of his or her life!  That's kind of crazy to think about!  Naming a child is such a huge responsibility, but also a wonderful privilege.

Deciding on a name for our second daughter was much more difficult than naming Harper.  Adam and I both loved the name Harper from the day we heard it and knew that if we had a daughter, that would be her name, no questions asked.  We didn't find out the gender of Harper before hand, so maybe that is why it was so easy, we only had one girl name and one boy name.

Before we even got pregnant, we liked the name Elliet for a girl.  I originally heard the name on a reality TV show called 'Quints By Surprise.'  (The mother also had a few other girl names that I liked - Britton and Ryan)  We told ourselves that if we ever had another girl, Elliet would be the name.

Then we got pregnant and decided to find out the gender this time around.  We told ourselves that we really weren't going to waste our time picking out names until we knew the gender.  We did make some preliminary lists for both genders, and this is what we came up with:

Boy                                      Girl
Easton                                   Elliet
Piercen                                  Hope
Sawyer                                 Aspen
Huxley                                  Rowyn
Holden                                 Hadyn

Adam really liked Murphy for a boy, which I DID NOT like at all!  I loved the names Aspen or Hazel for a girl...which Adam HATED both!

Well after we found out the gender, our baby girl was called Hope almost the entire rest of the pregnancy!  Hope Elizabeth, how pretty!  Harper gave us the approval, and then decided to tell almost anyone who asked what names we had picked out, even though it was supposed to be a secret!  I guess that's why you don't tell a 3 1/2 year old a secret, huh?!

I had my reservations about naming our daughter Hope, as I didn't want people to associate her name with the actual meaning of the word 'hope.'  Or I didn't want people to categorize the name along with similar names such as Faith, Joy, etc.  And then it happened, Harper's preschool teacher made a comment that made us change our minds.  She said "So Harper says you're going to name your baby Faith, no I mean Hope."  And that's when we decided to go back to naming our next daughter Elliet.

Now, we did have our reservations about naming our daughter Elliet, as we knew that majority of the people would associate it being a boys name, and not like it.  We also had to decide on the perfect spelling: Elliot, Elliott, Elliet, Elliett, Elliette.....decisions, decisions.  We knew that we would sometime call her Ellie for short, so we chose the spelling that would correlate with that the most.

Elliet's middle name is Elizabeth, which is my mother-in-law's middle name.  Harper's middle name is Marie, which is my mom's (and mine) middle name.  So each of the girls is essentially named after one of their grandmas.

So there you have it folks - how we came up with the name Elliet - which I'm sure is a burning questions that most of you have.

Luckily we won't have anymore children to name, as I'm pretty sure that we're done having kids.  BUT, my mom just told me the cutest boy name the other day that I'm in love with....Creed/Crede....we just may have to try for that boy now........JUST KIDDING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Related Article: What's in a name?  (Read how we came up with Harper's name)

Life at Home

Our little Elliet is already 11 days old!!!  Life at home has gone better than expected so far.  (I hope I didn't jinx anything!)  Everyone is adjusting well, including Harper.  I was (and am) prepared for her to say something like "I don't like my baby sister anymore" or "I don't want my baby sister to live here anymore" or something along those lines.  But much to my surprise, jealousy has not gotten the best of her....yet.  

Adam has be doing an AMAZING job of keeping Harper entertained.  They usually go to the pool, or go golfing or to the park every afternoon.  Adam also takes Harper along on all his errands.  The poor guy has had a 3-year-old shadow for the past 11 days.  Harper will be lost when Adam has to go back to work.  And so will I!!!  Adam goes back to work next Friday and NO ONE is looking forward to that!  (well, maybe Adam!)  

Everyone has their own little "jobs" around the house.  I am the 'feeder', Adam is the 'diaper changer' and Harper is our 'assistant' for almost everything.  Her favorite thing to do is setting up for a diaper change.  She lays a blanket on the floor and gets out "a dipe and a wipe."  Harper also throws all diapers away, retrieves pacifiers, helps burp Ellie, and bounces her in the bouncy seat.  She also helped Adam change a diaper yesterday...and it was even a dirty one!

Elliet has been a wonderful baby so far, as most newborns generally are....

Sleep: Elliet still sleeps around 20 hrs/day.  She is beginning to have more alert periods, sometimes for an hour or so.  She wakes up to eat and that's about it!  During the day she enjoys napping in her bouncy seat or swing.  At night she sleeps in her crib.  There have been a few restless nights where she has been up for 2 hrs at a time.  If I''m not able to get her back to sleep after she eats, I call in Adam to finish the job.  I generally try to lay Ellie down when she's drowsy, but not fully asleep, so she can learn how to soothe herself and fall asleep on her own.

Eating:  I am very excited to say that I am still nursing Elliet.  Most feeds go great, but sometimes she is so darn hungry and picky about her 'latch' that is takes her up to 5 minutes before she will start eating.  In addition to nursing I usually pump a few times a day.  (Our freezer is already collecting a nice supply of milk)  Elliet eats every 3 hours or so, for about 10-20 minutes each session.  I am so happy that breastfeeding is working out this time around, as Harper didn't take to nursing.  My short-term goal is to nurse Ellie until she is 6 weeks old, anything past that will be a blessing.  I don't want to nurse any longer than 6 months though.  I just don't know how I'm going to manage to find time to pump when I go back to work.  There are no such thing as "breaks" as a nurse!      

Nicknames: Ellie, Smelly Ellie, Smelly, Smelliet

Personality: I know it's too early to get a good idea of her personality, but so far Elliet is laid back.  She only cries if she's hungry or uncomfortable.  She's not a big fan of being held by Harper, mostly because she's laying down, which she doesn't like.  Harper is in her face quite often and she doesn't seem to mind...yet.  

Elliet has her first check-up on Wednesday - mostly to check on her weight.  I am so anxious to see how much she weighs - she is a very good eater and I wouldn't be surprised if she already weighs 9 lbs!

I had an appointment on Tuesday to get my steri strips removed from my incision.  My incision is healing great - no problems there.  BUT I did have an allergic reaction to the betadine that was used to clean the incision site before my c-section.  My lower abdomen was super red and miserably itchy - so I was put on steroids for 6 days.  However now I have developed an itchy rash that started on my feet, and has spread to my chest, wrists, and now face.  I don't think it's related to the betadine allergy because since being on the steroids the rash has spread, instead of clearing up.  (the steroids ARE helping my abdomen though)  I am going to make myself an appointment to follow-up on this rash though, as I don't want to spread anything to anyone here.  Wish me luck!

Heading home as a family of 4!

Such a good bis sister!

The First 24

Here is Elliet's birth story and a summary of her first day of life......

My mom and brother came down the night before my scheduled c-section to watch Harper, as Adam and I had to check-in at the hospital at 5:30 AM.  

Our last picture as a family of 3

5:30 AM

We arrived at the hospital, registered, and headed straight to my OB room.  I changed into my lovely hospital gown, got hooked up to the monitors, got my IV started, and signed all my paper work.  I was not nervous at all at this point, just very anxious (and tired)!

last belly pic ~ 39 weeks

6:00 AM

The surgical nurses, anesthesiologist, and OB/GYN came in throughout the hour to fill me in on what to expect before, during, and after my c-section.  My anxiety started kicking in and I was beginning to feel very nervous, but still excited.  A little background info: my spinal that I received during my c-section with Harper went "too high" and it was AWFUL - I couldn't talk, breath, blink, move......I honestly thought I was going to die.  No joke.  I have had numerous discussions with my anesthesiologist during the last 9 months about receiving another spinal - and the morning of the c-section was no different.  He knew exactly what to do if the same thing happened again - KNOCK ME OUT COLD!

7:05 AM

It was "Go Time" - the surgical nurses were ready to take me back to the OR.

7:15 AM

Time for the dreaded spinal - you have NO idea how nervous and scared I was.  Thankfully the spinal worked perfect, although I was still a nervous wreck.  My heart rate got up to 173 at one point!  (normal is 60-100)

7:43 AM

I hear the doctor say "she's almost here, she has lots of hair" and I lost it - I started sobbing like a baby!  Elliet Elizabeth Nerlien entered the world kicking and screaming.  I couldn't stop crying.....I was so happy and relieved that we both were healthy....

Elliet's very first picture

Adam followed Elliet over to the warmer while the doctor finished sewing me up.  The OR had a video camera on the warmer, and a screen next to me so I could watch them assess Elliet - one of the best ideas ever!  It's like I was right there - last time I didn't get to see any of that.  Adam got to cut off the excess cord, which he was excited about.  Elliet's doctor told me that "she is perfect, she is beautiful."  Elliet also respectively had Apgar scores of 8 and 9!

Meeting mommy!

8 lbs 2 oz, 20.5 inches long

9:00 AM

After spending time in the recovery room I got to head back to my room.  I was feeling great, no pain or nausea.  We spent the next few hours getting to know Elliet before allowing any visitors.  This is one of the best decisions we've made.  It was nice getting to study her little features and love up on her alone.  I also breastfed Ellie and she did amazing!  It was the perfect morning.

1st time holding Elliet

12:30 PM

Harper arrived at the hospital with my mom and brother.  She was so excited.  I was nervous as to how she would react.  I though she may be shy or act out.  But she was a natural, she took to her little sister immediately, I think it was love at first sight. :)  For the record, Harper is a baby hog - always wanting to hold baby E.

Meeting Ellie for the first time

2:30 PM

Adam took Harper back to our house so she could take a nap.  (She fell asleep within 2 blocks of the hospital!)  My mom and brother stayed with her at our house so Adam could come back and spend time with Elliet and I.  We spent the rest of the afternoon resting and loving up on Ellie.  I was still feeling good - still hadn't requested any pain medications!

5:30-6:30 PM

Our immediate family members came to meet Elliet.  At one point we had 10 visitors in the room.  It was nice that everyone was excited to meet the newest member of our family.  Elliet got passed around and didn't mind one bit.

8:00 PM

Harper left for the evening with Adam and his mom.  Adam went home with them to help get Harper settled in for the night, but after getting her bath ready Harper said "Just give me a hug and kiss and you can go."  Aww - what a big girl!

8:30 PM

Adam returned to the hospital and then the fun began....or not!  Elliet decided that she was sick of sleeping and wanted to check out her new surroundings.  She was seriously awake almost all night.....not completely awake - but not sleeping either...just drifting in and out of sleep.  The only thing that brought her peace was the urge to suck.  Adam was the official pacifier retriever for the evening, which was about every 15 minutes.    I continued to nurse every few hours, but of course my milk had not come in yet.  I continued to ask the nurse if I needed to supplement with a bottle, but she insisted that she was getting everything she needed.  She was pooping, peeing, and showing no signs of low blood sugar.  I felt so sorry for the little peanut, I just wanted to know for sure that she had something in her tummy.

Elliet finally decided to sleep at 4:30 AM.  But we survived our first night with Elliet - although it was very, very long!  This was just the first sign of having her days and nights mixed up!

Overall, Elliet's birth experience was SO much easier than Harper's...physically and emotionally.

Check back for an update on Ellie's first week of life ~    

Elliet Elizabeth

She's here!  She's here!

Our 2nd daughter arrived on June 17th, 2013

7:43 AM

8 lbs 2 oz

20.5 inches

Meet Elliet Elizabeth.........

We have been home now for 24+ hours and everyone is doing great.  Life is wonderful!  

Check back soon for more pictures!

Fathers Day Quiz

My dad is 24 years old. (Ha!)

His hair is bald. (Ha Ha!)

His eyes are green.

My dad likes to wear gloves in the winter.

He loves to eat peanut butter sandwiches.

He is smart because he knows every stuff.

My dad works hard at working.

Daddy always tells me stuff.

It makes my dad happy when I give him hugs.

If he could go on a trip he would go camping, and he would take our family.

I really love it when my dad plays with me.

If I could give my daddy anything it would be a surprise.

My favorite thing about my dad is playing games with him.

Happy Father's Day Daddy!!!

Love,
Harper (Age 3 1/2) - your only daughter....until TOMORROW!

Maternity Pictures

I'm going to post a "few" of my favorite photos from my maternity session that my very talented aunt took 3 weeks ago. (I suppose I should post them before I'm not preggo anymore.)  Enjoy!

I also had her take Harper's 3-year-old pictures.  Here are a "few" of my favorite shots of Harper:

How am I ever going to choose?!?!?  

*All photos courtesy of Jodie Bachtle Photography

www.seniornv.com

3 and 3 quarters

Harper will turn four in just 3 short months.  Here is her quarterly update:

Weight: 47 lbs (She's thick!)

Height: 41.5 "

Clothing Size: Tops = 6, Bottoms = 5/6

Shoes Size: 10 

Eating: We are finding that Harper is not a big breakfast eater.  She usually refuses breakfast when she initially wakes up, but will then ask for something around 10.  She still does a great job at trying almost everything we make and isn't too picky.  Her favorite foods are: toast, chicken nuggets, grapes, strawberries, yogurt, ice cream,  granola bars, and chocolate milk. 

Sleep: Bedtime is usually around 9 o'clock and she will wake up around 7:30.  Luckily she never wakes before 7:30, she often will sleep-in until 8:30-9!  We still don't make Harper lay down for naps, but she will nap on the recliner almost every afternoon around 4.  

Favorite Toy/Activity: Now that the weather is warming up, Harper loves playing outside.  She loves to play with her bat/ball, scooter, and chalk.  While inside, she enjoys playing with babies, finger paint, Go Fish, Old Maid, Crazy 8's, playing games on the Kindle, and reading books.
New Things:
     * Is playing T-Ball this summer
     * wipes her own butt (100% of the time!)
     *  is more outgoing! Harper will talk to almost anyone now if they try talking to her - such a relief
     * takes a daily multivitamin (gummy)
     * likes to wear my make-up
     * knows what soap tastes like :)
     * un-buckles herself from her car seat and gets out of the car on her own
     

     

7 Years

Today is our 7th Wedding Anniversary!!!  Holy cow - where did the time go?  It sure doesn't feel like it's been 7 years - which is a good thing I guess!

I once read a quote about marriage that is so true, "Marriage is getting to have a sleep over with your best friend, every single night of the week."  (Even though I hate going to bed alone on the nights Adam works.)

Before we know it we'll be celebrating our 10-year anniversary.  We both have excellent parents who have shown us how to have a successful marriage, as my parents have been married for a little over 25 years and Adam's parents just celebrated their 35th anniversary.  I hope we get to see those special anniversaries as well.

Here I sit, 38 weeks pregnant, expecting our 2nd daughter, with one of the best husbands/dads that I know - I am so blessed!

We hope to go out to eat at our favorite steak house and see a movie, and get in one final Target/Hobby Lobby trip before the baby arrives next Monday!  Wish us luck!

37 Weeks

Size of Baby: baby girl weighed 6.55 lbs at our last visit, which should put her around 7.5 lbs at birth

Total weight gain: 26 lbs

Maternity Clothes: Yes

Gender: GIRL (and she has a new name!)

Movement: Lots - and it's getting more and more painful......She has definitely dropped!

Sleep: No complaints - 

What I miss: my feet and ankles - ha!

Symptoms: I had contractions for about 3 hours on Sunday night - I was FOR SURE that I'd be having our little girl on Monday - but no such luck!  That has been our only excitement thus far....

Cravings: Tea

Best Moment of the Week: We got to see the little munchkin last week at our ultrasound - everything looked great.  I had my 37-week check-up on Tuesday and other than my BP being slightly elevated, everything else is looking good....no protein in my urine and my Group B Strep test came back negative.

Looking Forward To: Having this baby in 12 days!!!!!!!!!!  Adam and I have A LOT to do before then - mostly organizing/cleaning the baby items.

*I've had quite a few people ask me what we need/want for Baby #2 ~ so here is a list in case you're wondering too...

     * Diapers (size 1-3)
     * Wipes
     * Baby lotion, shampoo, diaper rash cream, etc.
     * Swaddle blankets - summer and winter
     * Sleep sacks - summer and winter
     * 3-6 month late summer/early fall clothing
     * Thermometer (we have a cheap ear one - I hate it!)

Oh yeah - did I mention that we still don't have a car seat for this child?!  That is on our list of things to purchase on Monday when we take our final shopping trip before baby.  Maybe this baby secretly knows that we don't have it for her yet, and she's waiting to make her debut until we have it....if that was the case - I'd head out RIGHT NOW to purchase one!

**Check back soon - I have a lot of blogs to write in the next 12 days!