waking up to this smiley face. how could you resist not kissing/hugging/squeezing her every minute of the day (even at 3 am)… we can’t. do not remind me that she turns one month old this week.

kira playing the flute at the middle school band concert… getting a superior/excellent mark on her report card for band… having to decide if she’s gonna keep up with it in middle school or pick up another elective… the girl wants to do so much, but there is only one elective class.

cam starting little league again…machine pitch…hitting the ball everytime…getting people out at the bases… just the little athelete… totally getting that from chris. 🙂

caleb being cute as ever…calling his baby sister ‘cute and blushy’… giving her so many kisses and singing to her… and not being irritated when she wakes him at 3 in the morning.

and a visit from my cousin who lives far away…with our 6 kids running around who let us sit and have a conversation. (i wish you lived closer)

and chris and i going out for the first time since elsie was born! 🙂 and finally feeling better from my strep episode last week…yay! celebrating my sweet, beautiful, so loving and amazing sister in law’s 30th birthday…eating yummy food…seeing an asian imposter elvis- who actually wasn’t that bad! happy birthday, jenn. we love you! 🙂

it was a good weekend.

Hey mommy,
Boy do we miss you. I mean, dad’s all right and all, we’ve had some laughs. It’s just, between you and me, you’re a little better at all this than he is. Like for dinner the other night. He fed us meatballs. And garlic fries. And eggs???? Who serves eggs with meatballs and garlic fries? You don’t, that’s for sure. And yesterday he almost forgot to pick us up from school!!! I mean, by the time he got there I told him, “No dad, don’t bother, I might as well just hang out here, I mean, IT’S ALMOST TOMORROW ANYWAY. And not that I’m complaining, but, I’m pretty sure I haven’t had a bath in a while, and my brother is wearing one is his sisters shirts, and last night, in the middle of the night, daddy was wandering about the house with a flashlight, muttering to himself (he was looking for something “Elsie” misplaced). Have you noticed that dad is always looking for something? Keys. Wallet. Gown. One of us.
Of course, there have been a few bright spots, like letting us eat close to a million otter pops, and getting to sleep in your bed with him “to keep mommy’s spot warm.” But on the whole, there’s just something you should know: this place we call home, well it isn’t, not when you’re away. So come home. We miss you. And soon, I think daddy’s getting a little loopy.
Love your kids.

so i have strep throat. my first time ever having it. i pride myself in hardly ever getting sick. i get a cold maybe once a year. but this came. out of nowhere. i have no idea how i got it. i have been staying home with elsie since i had her. anyways, he took me to the doc yesterday and right after, took me to his parents house. so i can rest. in peace. you know you could never fully rest in your own home, right? i would hear baby in the background or check my email or something. so i slept here last night. and will probably stay again tonight. i got my first full night’s sleep in about 2 months. (the end of my pregnancy was hard to sleep through) he took off of work to take care of all the kids. that’s 4 kids, people. i don’t know why i am making a big deal about it- i know there are many husbands that would do the same for their wife, but i am just happy to have one. he cooked and cleaned and took care of elsie in the middle of the night. i love thinking about him being Mr. Mom. 🙂 i love you, chris. thank you.

lol- this is for you, auts. another post, the very next day. 🙂
normally, i would leave her grey eyes post up for a good number of days, but this happened last night. elsie has an eye infection. ugh. 2.5 weeks old and an eye infection already. the doc said that it had to do with the mucus in her nose…and that all the plumbing is connected. something like that. so chris took a picture of her this morning to show the doc what we woke up to. lol.
fiesty isn’t she?
if i knew how to spell the way a cat screeches, it would go here. 🙂

she is like mommy– apparently, she doesn’t like mornings. 🙂

are greyish right now. when cammy was born, his were grey for a few days. hers are still grey after 2 weeks. i know they will change into brown like the rest of our kids- but for now, i am totally giddy seeing them this shade. i know i am hormonal and my body is adjusting to just having a baby- and i guess i am a total sap anyways-but i cannot stop looking at this picture and being so IN LOVE.

and daddy has gone back to work. 😦 we had a wonderful week with him here. he helped out so much. he was at my beck and call (and elsie’s too) and i loved it. 🙂 haha.

elsie baby loves her soothie pacifier. loved this shot chris got because it’s like she’s holding it.

besides a few nights where she got her days and nights mixed up- she’s pretty much an all star sleeper. she can totally sleep through her brothers and sister running around the house like crazy. she is pretty peaceful. that makes me happy. 🙂

we love dancing with elsie. right now we are all about the walk the line soundtrack – so good. 🙂

and my rascals. being the best buds ever. playing nonstop. loving on their little sister. looking out for me– cam said- i think you are doing too much mom. is there anything i can do to help you? 🙂 awwwww.

and i miss this:

scrapbooking. can’t wait to get my huge order of pictures in the mail so i can start creating. miss that so much. finally feeling good enough to sit here and work on some stuff.

that’s it for now. 🙂

(505) the number of pictures we have taken in 10 days.
(2)  the number of hard nights you’ve given us so far.
(4)  days for your umbilical cord to fall off.
(3)  hours between feedings.
(5)  the number of hearts in this household she’s got completely wrapped around her finger.

ten days old

Ethan Willis came from a family of 9, with 7 brothers and sisters.  He’s the oldest and truest friend I have.  He used to tell me his dad would say, "before I had a child, I wouldn’t pay a dollar for it.  But after, I wouldn’t sell it for a million."  Ethan, your dad was right.  Our "little family" is now 6 in number, but I can’t believe I ever felt complete without my little Elsie.  Here’s a video of her first five days of life, I love how the kids have taken to her, and can’t believe how much she’s changed in five short days.  Enjoy.  By the by, 3694 kg’s is metric for 8.2 pounds.

Chris
(if you can’t see the video, try downloading the latest version of quicktime at http://www.quicktime.com;)  Charlie Kauffman fans, recognize the music?

https://watersfive.typepad.com/there_was_this_one_time/files/ElsieMovWeb2.mov

…we love elsie!

This morning, at 5:36AM we finally got to meet our little girl, Elsie Jennifer Waters.  The middle name was my choosing, she shares it with her mother.  You all know how special Jamie is and this is my way of honoring her, and giving our daughter something to live up to.  The name Elsie is an oldie but a goodie, it means "consecrated to God."  Jamie and I had been struggling with finding a name, and as we stole a morning together at Starbucks, we were both struck by the name as it was called out by a barista.  We both sort of looked at each other and knew this was the name we wanted for our little girl.  The monicer also has personal significance as it is the name of my beloved grandmother, a strong and beautiful woman who is a real inspiration to me. (We’ll share more about her in the coming days and months)  In regards to size, our little Elsie is of the "venti" variety, weighing in at a whopping 8 pounds 2.3 ounces, she’s a full 21 inches long.  It’s no wonder Jamie was in agony!  Finally free of her little mamacita, Jamie is recovering nicely and looks forward to coming home and sharing more about out little girl and the imprint she’s already leaving on our hearts.  Keep Jamie in your thoughts and prayers as she recovers, we thank you all for your well wishes.