Good Morning Eli!

My favorite time of the day with Eli is in the morning when I get her out of bed. She usually wakes up and begins talking to her friends, the animals on her mobil. I know when I hear that little voice, I've got at least 15 minutes before she fusses and needs to be picked up for a change and feed. I just love the smile she gives me!

Playing with Daddy's beard.

Last month Eli began to reach out and touch things. One of her favorites, is her daddy's beard. Here is a small clip of their play time, taken March 26, 2010. She is so into her dad!

Look Mom, two hands!

It was the cutest sight last week when Elianna discovered she had two hands.  She was in her play-pen next to me while I was on the computer.  As I turned around to check on her I see her bringing up her left hand next to her right hand...shazam!  She was the most content baby you have ever seen.   Luckily, I had my camera handy and got some snapshots.  Since then, these hands have become her newest toys.  Enjoy!

Good-bye Harness #1 - Hello Harness #2

On Monday, April 5th, Dr. Malhis gave the okay for Elianna to graduate to the second harness, which is actually a splint (Hewsome Splint). We were very excited because it is suppose to be less invasive on her. She has actually done very well with the first harness, but this one is suppose to be from the waist down and no straps. On Thursday, April 8th, the splint came in and Elianna had it fitted. When we first saw it I was shocked to see how bulky it was and actually terrified of Eli's reaction to it. As she was being fitted she was not a happy camper. Once the tech came back and had it trimmed down it was a bit better, not as bulky. As this was occurring I had to tell myself, at least there are no surgeries and no casts.

The splint is pretty weightless and when she was put in it again, after the adjustments, she was fine. Here are a couple of pictures of her new harness. It actually looks a lot worse that what it is.

The inconvenience is more on us, the parents; each time there is a diaper change we have to take it off, but at least we are able to put pants on her now.

A few days after Eli received her second harness we had a follow up visit with Dr. Malhis. He confirmed our appointment at Children's Hospital of Los Angeles (CHLA) and told us he had referred us to the doctor in charge of the orthopedic department (Dr. Skaggs), which is great. Getting a second opinion from one of the top doctors!

Our appointment was last Friday at CHLA and it was interesting. Some of you may know that my brother, Jacob, had a hip injury when he was about 7 years old and had to be in and out of the hospital (CHLA) for about a year, due to surgeries and castings. Twenty-five years later I return with my daughter to the same department. The doctor who attended to my brother is no longer there but a nurse remembered him. CHLA has changed so much since I was last there, for the better. The staff is very friendly which was great because our appointment took a lot longer than anticipated.

Dr. Skaggs did a physical exam on Eli's hips and said that her left hip felt normal, just like the right one! Great news! He needed an ultrasound to complete his exam and to give his recommendation/diagnoses. Unfortunately, we had an authorization for x-rays. We took the x-rays that had been taken since January and Dr. Skaggs had already reviewed them. The ultrasound allows for him to see cartilage and the x-rays do not. They told us that instead of having us drive back and forth, we could stick around for an hour or two so the authorization could go through. Needless to say, four hours later and no authorization. It turns out that our medical group could not get their act together and get it signed off in a timely manner. We had to leave due to another pending appointment. At around 4:15 pm we got the call from CHLA that authorization had come through and we had an appointment with Dr. Skaggs and the ultrasound department on Monday morning.

I was not able to go, so Mark went with Eli. The ultrasound tech did not know how to do the ultrasound with the harness on so the x-ray doctor did it, which worked in our favor. While scanning, the doctor told Mark that the hip looked normal, just like the right one and exactly where it should be for Eli's age....YAY! Even though we got the news from her, we still had to hear it from Dr. Skaggs. By the time they were done with the ultrasound Dr. Skaggs had to leave to his other office; the ultrasound department took a while. Mark was told that he would call that afternoon or the next morning.

Dr. Skaggs call Mark the next morning at 7 AM and confirmed that Eli's hip did in fact look typical and there was no difference between her left and right hip....thank you Jesus! He went on to ask when was she diagnosed, how long has she worn the two different harnesses and how many hours a day does she wear it. What he recommended to do was for her to only wear it when for 12 hours a day, which means, when she goes to bed at night. Within a month we are due to go back to see him an hopefully no more harness! Keep them prayers coming!

Grandma Time!

This week Eli spent some time with both grandmothers.  With her abuelita (my mom) we went shopping at Baby R' Us and to lunch.  She was very surprised that Elianna understood the sign/word milk/leche.  I soon as I signed/said it Eli's mouth opened wide, it's actually really cute!   Also, Eli had on the dress her abuelita had bought for her.

The next day, Eli and I headed out to see her Grandma Lopez.  She had not seen her for a while due to the fact that there was an ill family member in the home (now she is better) and Grandma went to visit relatives in Texas for a week.  Grandma Lopez made us salad and chicken pot pies for lunch.  At one time, all three of us were taking naps at the same time.

Easter

Eli's first Easter was great!  It was her first time in church and she did an awesome job!  She seemed to really enjoy the music/choir.  Each time they sang/played, she would light up.  Her abuelita bought her an Easter dress and requested it be worn on the day, I complied with the request.  The three of us praised God in the family room.  I don't want to put her in the nursery yet; once she gets a bit older and her immune system is a bit stronger then she'll be going to her class.

On the Lopez side of the family there was a lunch after church but there have might have been an ill family member, so working on the side of caution, we skipped the lunch there and had lunch with my brother (Tio Jay) and his girlfriend.  It really worked out for Mark because he got to enjoy the Laker game on a flat screen TV.  All in all, it was a good day.

Transitions

There are a lot of small transitions that occur when you join the ranks of parenthood.  Everyone is aware that becoming a parent for the first time is an adjustment, but there are many mini-transitions that come along the way that no one really mentions.  Here are some that I came across:

*The luggage!!!!  Each time I leave the house with Eli I feel that I'm going on a trip, but it's just to the market.
*The free time that you have,  you learn to make the best of it.
*You begin to wonder, what did I do with my time before I had a baby?
*Boop.....it's no big thing; even if some splats on you, seriously.
*I could go all day without speaking to another adult, not on purpose, it's just how the day goes.  For me that was a huge change.  At work, I was constantly communicating with adults.  At home visits, meetings, over the phone etc...
*Time on the internet is a HUGE treat.
* You drive a bit more cautiously.
*Before anyone comes over or you go over someone's house, you will ask the question, Is anyone sick?
*When out and about, you learn who has the more convenient space for changing and feeding a baby.  Also the cleanest.  My pick, Nordstroms of Brea Mall.

Again, these are just a few changes that comes along with parenthood and they are worth it!