Dallas Blooms at the Dallas Arboretum

This was a special trip for us. Jason and I got married at the Dallas Arboretum in the fall of '99. And to go back now with a little one was so special. I tried telling her the whole story of "this is where we got married, and this is where the reception was , and this is where mommy got bridal pictures..." I am not sure she was listening, but she is pretty smart, so I am sure she will remember all of it. And boy was it hot and muggy! Our trip got cut short, but we still managed to take a few pictures and enjoy some really pretty flowers.






This is the path from our wedding to our reception. To think that almost 9 years ago we were shaking the hands of our guests on this same path and today I am holding a baby.

Daddy time... I love to see her little head on his shoulder. She is such a daddy's girl too!

Pooped and hot... She came to the arboretum in a dress and a bow and left in just a diaper.

Car ride home, not so pooped... I was holding the camera over her head from the front seat. She was cracking up!


And if walking around the arboretum wasn't enough, we added a walk around the neighborhood!

Eliana's First Easter

Our gift from God celebrated her first Easter today! She got to wear a pink bow on her head for the first time and got her first full Bible with her name on it. She seemed to like wearing her dress, although it seems that she likes to eat it not just wear it (see picture below). We are so blessed for the gifts that God has given to us. First, His Son, Jesus, who died and rose again to give us eternal life. Then, Eliana Grace, who is the answer to our prayers. We have a lot to celebrate this Easter.

Her first Easter dress . . .


Happy Easter baby . . .


Sleepy Easter baby, before dad got her up from her nap. She was chewing on her dress, it was soaked!

Sittin' Pretty

My name is Eliana Grace Smith and I have been helmet-free for one day!





Eliana would like to send a shout out to her friend, Charlotte Reagan, who let her borrow her bumbo seat today.

It's a GOOD Friday!

Off with the helmet, on with some cool shades! 


This is Eliana's first day without her helmet and she is ready to accessorize! We are so excited to be able to kiss her all over her head. We are so thankful for the DocBand and our baby's new head. This is Eliana before her last sleep in the helmet.

Mugshot

Excuse me Miss, have you been drinking (milk that is)? This would make an excellent mugshot of little Eliana, although she will never need one. Granted this is just after she ate dinner, took her helmet off, and was getting ready for a bath. Even in this disheveled state, she is still adorable.

Video Time with Some Friends

Eliana enjoys her videos (Baby Einstein and Baby Faith) tremendously, maybe a little too much! Here you see her hanging with some of her friends, Mr. Parrot and Luv Bear. It is amazing how she responds to the videos, specifically laughing at the puppets and little kids smiling when they would come on the screen. It is fun to see her enjoying the little things in life.

Three Fingers are Better than One Thumb

Eliana learned pretty early on to find her mouth with her hand (reference the very first picture of her on this blog--her sonogram). She has moved progressively from the thumb to the index finger and now she has decided that all the fingers work just fine. As you can tell she is very proud of herself and her ability to stuff her fingers in her mouth (this will be something we will have to work on soon). But isn't she sooooooo cute!

Garage Sale

Every morning it is a joy to walk into Eliana's room and see her smile and stretch as she is waking up. She is growing fast and we just want to soak up every moment. In skiing, when someone wipes out going down the slopes and their skis, poles, gloves, etc. spread far and wide it's called a "Garage Sale." Well, I believe that when you go to get you daughter up in the morning only to find one sock toward the top of the bed, one toward the bottom, her sleep positioner kicked off at a 45 degree angle, her at the opposite 45 degree angle, and her pajamas trying to work their way off you have a "Garage Sale." Fortunately, she hasn't figure out how to get her diaper off by herself, yet. I guess it's time to get rid of the sleep positioner!

What an E-Venture!

Eliana went to her first Easter egg hunt. And besides the fact that it was really cold and we missed the hunt, she still managed to walk away with a few eggs in her basket.






But I think she would rather eat the basket. More candy for mommy!



All smiles 'cause she knows if mommy eats the candy, she will get some too!

Eliana's Opinion of Sesame Street

She either had a lot to say to the puppets, or maybe she was trying to say, "Why am I being smothered by all these toys!" I had to be a little stealth with the camera, because the performance is placed on pause when she sees the camera recording her. She also has a lot to tell her mobile, yesterday she woke up an hour early from her nap, but spent the time chatting with her bugs.



Eliana having fun in her playard. She loves to watch her blinking star!

And The Sleep Position Is....

You never know what you may find when you go get Eliana up for the morning. I don't know how she does it, but she makes it to the bottom of the bed. And her little leg made its way out too!

Food Meet Eliana, Eliana Meet Food

Well, Eliana moved into another new phase...SOLID FOOD! She is starting out with one meal a day of rice cereal for the first two weeks. She seemed to like it overall, but there was definitely a lot of overflow on her face to clean up for mom and dad. It is amazing how well she adapts to each new thing along the way. We have truly been blessed by our little girl.

Our Litte Science Lover

Eliana went on her first educational trip in her four month old life. We went to the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC. Here are some pics of her and dad enjoying the sights...

Valentine's and Another Road Trip

It was a great first Valentine's with my girls. Eliana got her first Valentine card and bear from her dad. I think she liked it!!! Also, the Smith's were on the road again this weekend. It was a great trip with our great traveler.

Valentine's Girls...


Our Smiley Traveler...


At the Horse Races...


Eliana and mom cozy in bed at the hotel...

Our Little, Happy Houdini

Our Eliana is growing healthy and strong. It seems the older she gets the bigger her smile gets. We are just eating up every minute that we have with her. To our surprise she has started moving around A LOT at night. A few nights ago, we found that she had moved about two feet to the bottom of the bed. Then this morning Patty found her all the way out of her sleep positioned and turned perpendicular to where she started. I know this is only a foretaste to the movement that we are about to experience as she continues to grow and get confidence moving around. Enjoy the pictures. I think she is pretty proud of herself from the smile on her face.

My Most Embarrassing and Proud Moment

As a dad, it is amazing the things you will do for your little girl. I have to admit that this is one of my most embarrassing and most proud moments. Embarrassing in that all my family and friends will be hearing my high-pitched silly daddy voice. Proud in that my little girl giggles and smiles at her funny dad. I hope you enjoy!



P.S. Notice Eliana's supergirl helmet, it is actually a Doc-Band. It is helping correct her head shape that was misformed from her position in the womb. She will be wearing it 23/7 for 5 weeks or so. She has adjusted to it great and it doesn't seem to bother her at all. More pictures to come soon.

Our Little Traveler

The first flight of Eliana! I must say that we took more to the airport as new parents than we probably needed, but you have to be prepared. Our little traveler did such a great job before, during, and after the flight. Fortunately, we had an extra seat beside us for her to stretch out and enjoy the ride. I must admit that I was a little unsure how she would do, but she came through with flying colors. Here are a few pictures and a video of her first trip on her first flight.

Mommy and Eliana waiting for boarding...


Daddy and Eliana in our seats...


Eliana being her smiley self...


All packed up and ready go...


Some video of our funny girl...