Unpacking

As it turns out, it is much more difficult to unpack a gajillion boxes when you have a baby to deal with...

Elsie has been great during this whole moving process, but we quickly learned that we would be unpacking boxes in random 30 minute intervals, whenever Elsie decided she would take a snooze.  Granted, their have been time when she has been content to play on the floor or swing while we unpack, but it's definitely slow going.  And so, here we are, nearly a month after we arrived in PC, still unpacking.  Don't get me wrong, we're almost there, but there are still a few stragglers that remain to be unpacked.  Good thing I labeled them perfectly and I know exactly what remains....  Ha.  Has anyone seen my green wreath?  I can't seem to find it anywhere...

Burrrrrr

So I guess I'm starting to get use to the idea that it's going to be cold here in Park City.  When I looked at the thermometer two days ago and saw that it was 2.3 degrees outside, I had to rub my eyes for a few seconds and look again.  I was sure that the decimal had slid over on accident, and that it was, in fact 23 degrees out.  I was wrong, and so I began dealing with the reality that I am going to be COLD for the next 5 months.  Thank God for heat...

5 Months Old!

It's hard to believe that Elsie is 5 months old!  She is growing up so quickly, and we are loving every minute of it!  Elsie has adjusted nicely to her new home, and she has gotten much better about her eating and sleeping schedules.  She makes us smile at least a billion times a day, and we feel so blessed to be the parents of such a cool little girl!

Talk it up

Elsie is really starting to be a chatter box. She makes all sorts of noises, and I'm doing my best to get her to say "mama". I'm pretty sure she's almost there!

Elsie has also started doing a lip sucking thing, which she thinks is very funny, and I have to agree!

Happy Thanksgiving, Easter Bunny

Elsie made it through her first Thanksgiving, and although we didn't cook a turkey today, we had some great leftovers! Mike and Teisha had us over last night for a delicious Thanksgiving dinner, and we had a great time celebrating the holiday with their family and another family from down the street. I even managed to hold myself together for most of the day. It was hard for me to be away from our family, but Chris, Elsie, and I had a wonderful day, and it was special for us becasue it was our first holiday together as a family in our new home. We had a lazy morning toghether, and we took a nice long walk together. It is SO easy to see God in all of the beauty out here, and it is SO easy to be thankful for all that He has blessed us with! This time last year we were just starting to get use to idea that we were going to be parents, and today we got to spend a wonderful day with our little angel!

No more avocado...

Well, Elsie's love of avocado was short lived... We started giving her a few bights (twice a day) on Thursday, and today we noticed that she had a rash all over her body. After speaking with a nurse, we put a stop to the avocado, and we decided to wait a little while before starting little E on other foods. Sorry, kiddo, no guacamole for you for a while!

Elsie's First Walk in PC

Today we bundled Elsie up to take her for her first walk and she loved it!  It was so nice to be outside (and not hear the constant sound of cars like we did in Atlanta).  Looks like we have an outdoorsy-girl on our hands here!

 

Meet the Doctor...

We went to meet Elsie's new doctor here in Park City today. Chris has been battling a cold all week, and we were a little worried that he might have passed it on to Elsie. The doctor that we met with was nice, and she didn't make fun of Chris and I for being worry-warts. She assured us that Elsie looked great, and she sent us on our way with instructions to use a dehumidifier and lots of lotion to help with Elsie's dry skin and chapped lips. She also told us we could start giving Elsie a few ounces of water a day to help with dehydration, and he gave us the go head to start trying new foods with Elsie. Aunt Courtney recommended that we start with a Big Mac, but we though avocado might be a safer bet...

Go West...

We're home!

Elsie, Judy and I flew out to Park City on Monday, and the Lawsons were nice enough to let us crash at their house for the week. The flights out here were fairly uneventful, thanks to Gramma. It is SO much easier to travel with a baby when you have "backup", and Judy-Mom was the perfect travel companion. It also helps that everyone LOVES Elsie, so no one looked too angry when she got a little fussy...

I started working with my client on Tuesday, which went pretty well. Here's to hoping that everything works out with this job. He is a great kid (17 year-old), and it feels really good to be back working again.

Judy gave me the most awesome "gift" this week- she took Elsie in her room two nights in a row so that I could get some sleep. I can't even remember the last time I got more than 3 hours of uninterrupted sleep, and I am so thankful that she did this. I feel like a new woman! And if that wasn't enough, she also watched Elsie every day while I worked. Boy, I am sure am going to miss her when she's gone!

We had a great week with the Lawson family, and we were super excited when Chris and Joe pulled in with the rest of our earthly possessions on Thursday night! I know Chris was excited to see Elsie, and we were just as excited to see him! Joe, Judy, Mike, and Teisha helped us move stuff in all weekend, and our house now looks a lot like our house looked in Atlanta before we left- messy and all boxed up!

Today was a hard day- we drove Judy and Joe to the airport to say goodbye, which was difficult to do, but we know that we'll see them soon when we're back in Atlanta for Christmas. We are so blessed to have such a great family, and it is going to be tough getting use to living so far away...

On the Road

Chris left Atlanta today to start the drive out to Park City. He has had a busy couple of days (along with his mom, sister, and Joe), and he has a long couple of days in front of him.  Lucky for us (well Chris, mostly), Mike is going to meet him somewhere along the way and help with the drive.

Elsie and I are missing having him around, and we'll be happy when he gets here on Friday!

Elsie's First Snow

Elsie got to see her first snow today! There wasn't a whole lot of it, but there was enough to get all of us "southerners" excited. Gramma was here to see it too, which made it even more special. Today we also realized that Elsie would be needing much warmer clothes here in Park City...

Heading Back East

We flew back to Atlanta today to tie up all of our loose ends, and to hang out with the family some more before we make the official move to Park City. Thankfully, Chris, Elsie, and I got on the same flight home today. We had to fly through Denver, but Elsie did a great job. She and Chris got upgraded to first class, and I sat by myself in the back of the plane. I thought I'd get a nice nap in, but my mommy-radar wouldn't let me relax. I guess now I understand why parents are always worried about their children.

Judy and Joe picked us up at the airport (with ALL of our stuff- gone are the days of traveling light...) It was so good to see family after being gone for just a week- I know this is going to be a really hard transition for me, but I am so excited about his new adventure!

Moving in. Well, sort of...

So the plan was that Chris would drive all of our earthly possessions accross the country, we would load everything in to the new place, and then we would come back to our new home in a few weeks. In reality, our stuff is now in storage until we get back in a few weeks. Our condo was not ready to move in today (even though it was suppose to be), so plan B (or was it Plan C?) had to be put into effect. Thank goodness that we have generous friends with space where we could store all of our stuff... Looks like we'll be doing our moving in when we come back in a few weeks. Guess this will just give me something to look forward to!

Daddy's here!

I stood at the front window at Mike and TIsha's house today, and I nearly cried when I saw the big yellow truck pull up (with the little red Porsche in tow). This week has been a tough one... Elsie has decided she no longer likes to sleep at night, and I've been trying to adjust to the "working" life. It's nearly impossible to get stuff done with a baby, and it's definitely been a lesson in patience for me. Elsie is changing more and more every day, and I hate that Chris has to miss any of it. Just yesterday, she started "talking" even more. I called Chris and he talked to Elsie on the phone for a few minutes. I know it's hard for him to miss seeing Elsie everyday too. I am so thankful that we'll be back together as a family soon, and seeing Chris pull up today made me feel even more blessed that we're starting this new adventure together!

Traveling Millers

Elsie and I flew out to Salt Lake City today- all on our own. We came out early to meet with an old friend about a possible job opportunity in Park City. I must admit, I was worried sick last night about flying all the way out here without any help. Chris gave me the option of not coming, but he also told me that he knew I could handle it. With a lot of prayer (and some deep breathing exercises...), we made it just fine. As it turns out, when you travel with the cutest baby in the world, people are more than willing to help, and they understand when your child cries (or at least they put on a happy face and don't yell at you for being an idiot for taking a 4 hour plane ride with a three and a half month old).

So, our first week in Park City is ahead of us, and so far, Elsie seems to like being a mountain girl. Can't wait for Chris to get here later this week!

Big Yellow Truck

We rented the Big Yellow Truck today, and started to load up all of the boxes that we have spent the last month packing.  Funny thing was, many of the boxes were still labeled from our move two years ago.  Lucky for us, Chris was very particular about having all of the boxes labeled (printed, and stuck to the upper right hand corner of each box...), and we made sure to sort, stack, and save all of the boxes after we unpacked...

Unfortunately, I have to leave for PC for a week on Monday, and it's not looking like everything will be packed up by then....