My baby is growing

We had Ella weighed today. We are not pushing 8lbs. Our tiny baby is now 8lbs 12oz! We can hardly believe it even though we see her growing before our eyes. So she has gone from 6lbs 4oz to 8lbs 12oz in just four weeks. Amazing.

I thought this picture was hilarious. I had mentioned in a previous post how Ella usually spits her paci JUST out of her mouth. Well, not this time . . .


Chilling out with Dad

She's a keeper

This week has been a milestone marking four weeks of life with Ella. It is truly hard to believe how fast time goes, and how much they change. People have said it all along, and I get told this almost daily . . . but until I really experienced it, I just had no idea.

We're not sure how much she weighs right now but judging from her cheeks, thighs and those little fat rolls making themselves known on her arms and back, I am thinking we could be pushing 8lbs. Most people who see her exclaim 'she's SO little' while we marvel at our 'big baby'.




It is amazing to think of all that Ella has learned in four weeks since entering this world. For the most part people only give thought to all the changes the parents go through but I look at her and her reactions to sound, movement and so on, and I realize that she too is experiencing a whole new world. She just gets more sleep than we do!

Speaking of sleep . . . we are getting some. Some nights more than others. Since watching a DVD called 'The Happiest Baby on the Block' and learning about the five S's for calming your baby, we have noticed a significant change in Ella's ability to sleep at night for longer stretches.




Ella's umbilical cord fell off and we have braved two real baths since then. She is not overly impressed with the whole bath thing. This could have something to do with the fact that her parents are not overly confident with the process yet. Bath time usually begins with some crying. The crying is replaced by the 'deer in the headlights' look, and we end bathtime as quickly as possible. Our goal is to minimise the crying, help her feel as secure as possible, and get the diaper back on asap! :) We hope to make improvements in this area. Finally we brush Ella's hair with a (brand new) toothbrush. We didn't recieve one of the nice, soft hairbrushes while in the hospital so we improvised. As I said . . . improvements to come!



This past Sunday was Ella's first cradle roll / Bible class. I dropped her off and walked empty handed to our own Bible class. Very strange. I managed to focus relatively well during our class. It is amazing that every single day my baby takes steps towards her independance. Sure, they're not big or obvious steps right now, but they ARE happening. And as her mother, I have to learn how savour the precious moments of now, but also rejoice in these steps and be ok with them.




We've had a few smiles. While most are clearly unintentional on her part, I am almost positive that one of two were on purpose. I promise you she looked right at me, our eyes locked, she smiled and her whole being said 'Momma I love you!' If I am completely wrong here, I don't need to know it. I can handle being ignorant! :) About once a day, Ella will also let out a brief and very angelic laugh in her sleep. There is absolutely nothing sweeter.

There is no doubt - Ella has stolen our hearts.

Can you handle more pictures?

You'll have to forgive me for MORE pictures of Ella. Life does not consist of much else these days. She is doing great. Three weeks old yesterday. Her cute little cheeks getting chubbier by the day. Her preemie clothes won't be needed for much longer, and people tell me before I know it she'll be graduating! Let's not go there just yet! She is gracing us with anywhere from 2-4 hours of sleep at a time at night. We'll take what we can get.

We've enjoyed a visit from Ella's Memphis Aunt Kari, as well as her Grammy, Papaw and Aunt Melissa from Abilene. Ella's Grandma, Aunts and cousins in Australia are counting the days until they can get their hands on her. Round Rock threw a wonderful shower for us on Sunday. We are blessed in many ways.





Ella likes to drop her paci out when she is done - usually right before she drops off to sleep (as in this picture)...but she usually does really well about keeping it just within reach in case she needs it again. She's pretty smart. I've seen her snag it again when she felt like she wanted it. Pretty funny!



And little by little, I am feeling like we're gonna make it! I am willing to bet that any first time mother knows the feelings I am talking about. In that first week or so at home, I had myself convinced, with all sincerity, that I would never leave the house again. I couldn't imagine us ever making it out the door in one piece (with all we needed!), getting anywhere on time, let alone enjoying the outing. But as the sanity returns, the fatigue wears off, and now that I have made it into the shower before 3pm more than once now...I am thinking that there will be life outside of apartment #2426 for our family.

Two Weeks of Life

We've been enjoying our baby girl outside of the womb for just over two weeks. She is thriving and weighed in a 7lbs 1 ounce at her two week check up. I have to admit, while wonderful to carry her in our arms, I do miss carrying her within me. Seeing her grow from within, hearing her heartbeat and feeling her kicks were all such special moments. I am so thankful for that experience.

We went to see my doctor last week and it was truly a strange thing to go there without the belly - like I had lost a part of my identity. The whole pregnancy thing almost seems surreal now.

Don't get me wrong - I love having her outside of the womb, too. Its a whole new world. Right now she is sleeping outstretched on her blankie. She is there most of the day. We give her lots of snuggles, but we also put her down. I need the break from the very frequent nursing. One of my favorite times to hold her though is when she is done nursing. She is so content. It is so hard to put her down!

There are some things about the pregnancy that I do not miss though! Like itchy hands and feet. And the restless nights caused by the pregnant body, leg cramps, crazy dreams, frequent trips to the bathroom etc. Of course, while I sleep "better" now, I am no longer a woman of 8-10 hours of sleep per night. :) Who would have thought that two or three hours of sleep would feel so good!

Ella is quite a patient baby. She is sweet natured and usually content. She seems to be a thinker. We wonder about what???


You have to wonder what a sweet little girl like her has done to make her parents end up like this:



At this point we're pretty much sticking to just the essential outings. This was one to Target. Ella and I went along so that Dad wouldn't be stressed by my shopping list and coupons. Our cart looked quite different to how it has in the past. I have come close to saying I'll never go out again! But I am sure that will pass and we will get the hand of getting out the door in one piece.

The sweetness of Ella Rhys

This onesie says 'Don't wake me, I'll wake you'. I bought this on December 5th when I found out I was pregnant. Oh the truth of it . . .


Feed me . . .


Because when you feed me . . .




A couple of my favourite places to be . . .

Ella Rhys Whaley

On Monday, July 28th, at 12:22pm, we rejoiced in the safe delivery of our first child, a daugther, Ella Rhys Whaley.

Ella Rhys weighed in at 6lbs, 4oz. She was 19 inches long. She is truly the most adorable and sweetest baby.

Ella is from German, meaning 'from a foreign land', and Rhys (which was actually listed as a girl's name in the book we used :-) - has a Welsh meaning, 'enthusiastic about life'.

It is our prayer that our Ella Rhys will always be aware that her citizenship is in Heaven. We are indeed from a 'foreign land'. And while longing and waiting for a better, more heavenly country with our family, we pray that she will desire, know, and share a great enthusiasm for life.

Ella was born at 38 weeks and 1 day, via c-section. Many of you celebrated with us that the placenta previa had resolved itself at 35 weeks, or so. However at around 36 weeks, I had developed cholestesis of pregnancy. In spite of medication, the cholestesis did not respond, and because it posed a great risk to the health of Ella after 38 weeks of pregnancy, my doctor advised us to deliver at 38 weeks via c-section. While it was not our desired or dreamed about natural delivery, the most important thing to us was the well being of our baby girl. The cholestesis already has resolved itself - praise God.

We are all doing great. We have been home since Thursday afternoon. Ella is easy to satisfy, loves to cuddle, be sung to, and read to. Her dad rarely leaves her side. We melt in her sweetness as she sleeps and dreams away, and get lost in the brightness of her bright and curious eyes when she is awake.

We have received a wonderful blessing. God heard our prayers! And His answer is greater than we imagined. Thank God with us and pray for us as we raise Ella Rhys to love Him and be light and life to this dark world!













' . . . we welcome you to our family, and we hope you find the light of Jesus shining in this place. Walking hand in hand, we will serve the Lord, and together we will celebrate His mercy and His grace. This is home for the lonely, to the tired a place of rest. It's a house of devotion to the Dearest and the Best. We welcome you to our family, and we hope you find the light of Jesus shining in this place . . .'

We love and welcome you Ella Rhys. We pray for God's wisdom as we raise you.

Aussie Mission team time

We were so blessed to be able to hang out with our teammates this weekend. We all went our separate ways in May. Shawn went on a campaign to Australia with Skyline, the Griffiths headed north to visit family in Michigan and Pennsylvania, The Mullins moved to the Ft Worth area to be with the Legacy church of Christ. And we moved to Austin to be with the Round Rock church of Christ.

So it was a good reunion and it even worked out for everyone to come to Austin! It was great to worship together, too. We swum in the pool (it has been QUITE hot here), and were blessed by time with our heart group.

A little synchronized swimming (attempted at least):


A little lovin' on baby girl:


Our team (and Maggie...the Hunter's dog):


Us - the day before we welcomed our daugther!


Thank you God for these times. On a sad note, we also learned that Jason's Grandmother, Venita Southern passed away suddenly in Oklahoma. Our family will experience the circle of life in a very real way this week. We are thankful for Grandma's long life and her good health throughout her life.

Here are some pics at 37 weeks (2nd picture) and 38 weeks (below).  Soon to come - pics of the little girl within!

Catching up with friends

The last couple of weeks have been a flurry of activity and travel. We drove to Waco to visit with the Shrocks. Seeing them again was the beginning of some wonderful reunions with friends from Memphis. Chris and Danielle are both Baylor doctoral students. We were neighbors in Memphis, and are almost related! Chris is close friends with some relatives of the Whaley family. We always enjoy our Shrock time and are glad to have a few more visits with them while we are state-side and residents of Texas.
Here's our Baylor Bears:


Our next reunion was with Danny and Katie. They are also expecting their first child, also a girl, in early September. They just got back from a survey trip to Angola, Africa. We really enjoyed visiting with them and hearing about their trip and future plans. They have been passionate about Angola for a long time. It was a target mission field for them even before the country was open! God has answered their prayers and provided visas for two visits there already, but especially for teammates. Amazing.

Following their visit and after learning that the arrival of our child was not about to happen any day soon - the doctor gave us the okay to travel to Dallas for the Global Missions Conference. We were able to see our entire team. What a great reunion. And lots of dear friends from Memphis. My heart felt full to overflowing with thankfulness that we could be there and spend time with our friends.

Corey put together a great Aussie Mission Booth:


Dinner with our team and the Hartmans:


Katie and Ileene:


And we ended the activity with a test to see how baby Girl was doing. She seems to ace these tests. We are so proud.

Habitat for Humanity and Heart Group

Last Saturday we had the opportunity to provide lunch for a crew working on a Habitat for Humanity house just north of Round Rock. A member of our Sunday night Heart Group works for Habitat. We met the home owner, and it was neat to learn more about how Habitat works.





Our Heart Group is our small group that meets each Sunday evening. Before we even arrived in Texas, they had already taken on the task of being our internal support system while here, and while we are in Australia. We feel very blessed by their support. They are willing to take on anything to help us. Last week we stuffed envelopes for a mailout. We are thankful for their tireless and cheerful support and service.

It's beginning to look a lot like a baby is on the way . . .

We finally unpacked and assembled some of the larger baby items we have received. We put together the pack-n-play, which will actually be her crib until someday in Australia we get her a real bed. We also assembled the stroller, got the car seat out, and the take along swing. For such large boxes . . . you'd think these things came pre-assembled, but . . . alas. I guess it is part of the 'are-you-capabale-of-having-a-baby' test. So far so good.





I'm thinking it is true what people have been telling us for the past nine months. "A baby changes your life". She's not even here yet, but has certainly changed our apartment. Every where you look there is evidence that a child is on the way.

Fun with the Cottinghams

Here's a few pics of recent happenings. We went out for Mexican with the Cottingham family. Jason went to OC with Nikki. I read with Hannah, and Jason reads with Julia at Buddy Camp twice a week. And Gracie, the youngest, just thinks Jason is cute. They are a neat family. After dinner we 'climbed' Mt Bonnell. In one of these pics I look like I might kill someone, but it was just a moment I was stuck in...catching my breath!

We've been in search of white cheese dip. It seems that white cheese dip (as we know it), does not exist west of the Mississippi. This is a pretty sad deal for us. But . . . in October, we hope to be back in Tennessee, at which time I will make up for the absence of white cheese dip in Texas.
This is what we got upon ordering 'white cheese dip'. Sure, its white...and its cheese . . . but . . . Sigh - we miss El Porton.





Climbing up to the top of Mt. Bonnell . . . I'm going for the worn out pregnant look.


Here's Jason and Gracie on the marble cow . . .