The Magic Chair

Every parent can say that there are toys that they can't stand and toys that they really like. Right away Jennifer and I grew a deep appreciation for Elisa's bouncy seat. It is fun and interactive with an aquatic theme. Most importantly, Elisa loves it! She will be really sleepy and fussy and will not want to give in to a nice nap. We simply strap her into her little seat and off she goes into the world of sleep. This bouncy seat, with it's bubbles and songs and floating/spinning fish always gets the job done. Therefore, we have dubbed it - the Magic Chair! We even ask Elisa if she would like to go to her Magic Chair (for fun, it isn't a punishment!) She has yet to turn down an invitation.

It isn't just for sleeping. She enjoys playing with it too. When she isn't sleeping she is watching the fish move around as they are pushed around by bubbles. She really gets into it!

The Magic Chair is by far my favorite of Elisa's many gadgets. I only wish they made one that was big enough for me!

(this particular picture of Elisa in her "magic chair" is without the floating fish attachment)

3 Weeks Old

Today Elisa is 3 weeks old! She is growing so fast I feel like we will be sending her off to college before we know it! Her features are changing slightly and she is beginning to be too big for some of her infant clothes. She is such a joy! We love playing with her and singing to her and talking to her. She is a lot of fun to take out. Everytime we leave our apartment with her she goes to sleep and doesn't wake up until we get back home. We will consider ourselves lucky for now!

Elisa's Grandma Lucena, Jennifer's mom, headed back to the states on Saturday after her 17 day stay. We feel so fortunate that she was able to make the trip and help us get settled. We are definetly feeling her absence. My parents will be the next family members to come and see Elisa. We expect them to arrive for their 10 day stay in late August.

Well, that is it for now. I hope you enjoy the new pictures. You can probably see the changes in her little face. I will keep posting so that you can all watch her grow.

Until the next time....

"little missy"

I recently changed the name of this blog from "Terry's Baby Blog" to "Adventures of 'little missy'". I wanted to give Elisa a little ownership of the blog since I started it because of her. The "little missy" part of it comes from her Papa (Jennifer's dad). He started calling Elisa "little missy" several months back because, like the rest of the world, we were keeping her name from him too. So, among the other various nicknames that she has acquired from family "little missy" is one that I think will stick.

Update: We are doing fabulous! Elisa is the most pleasant baby. She does three things and does them well: sleep, eat and poop. (I'm sure she will be really embarrassed if she ever reads that I complimented her pooping ability!) One other thing she does pretty well is scream. She can scream like an woman running from a masked murderer in a horror flick! It is pretty funny. She doesn't really cry, she just lets out a mean scream when she is mad. I am sure I will share more about this talent in the future.

We went to the pediatrician this last Thursday and he said she is doing great! After 10 days she had almost gotten back up to her birthweight and had grown 2 centimeters in length. Her mom and I are so proud! We are simply amazed at how awesome she is. I never thought that my life could be so drastically changed so fast - it has never been better!

Pictures!

Here are a few pictures of our first couple of days at home! Enjoy!

Gamma is here, Gamma is here!

Today Jennifer's mom made it to us all the way from Colorado Springs, Colorado! It is a long way to Porto Alegre, Brazil. This should be a fun visit with Gamma Lucena. Elisa has been asleep for most of the visit so far. Of course, we have all night to shake things up! Elisa digs the night life!

Welcome Home!

Elisa is all wrapped up in her bear suit... ready for the trip home!

The bear suit was cute, but a little big and a little hot. We changed and are ready to go home!

Daddy straps us into the car! Off we go...

Elisa took to her new surrounds almost right away. After a feeding and a diaper change she fell fast asleep in her crib.

Gamma is on her way here all the way from the United States! We need to get our rest so that we can be spoiled properly!

Stay tuned for stories of our great adventures...

Elisa Lucena Terry - The Cutest Baby Ever!

Thank you all for the wonderful things you had to say about me in my daddy's last blog! I sure want to meet all of you. Until we do I will listen closely to all the wonderful stories my parents have to tell about you all.

Love,
Elisa Lucena

Say "hello" to Elisa!

Well everyone, I finally made it! Just a few hours short of my exact due date. I was born at 8:20pm on Monday, June 26, 2006. I weigh 8 lbs and am 20 inches long. My daddy says that I am the most beautiful baby ever, so it must be true!

You can call me Elisa!

Elisa Lucena Terry
June 26, 2006

Elisa and Jennifer's first meeting (in the outside world)!

Sascha, Dr. Claudia, Elisa & Jennifer after the birth.

Elisa bonds with her mommy!

Elisa's first bath. She enjoyed having her hair washed.

Daddy and Elisa practice the secret handshake.

A proud daddy with his precious baby girl!

It has been a long day for little Elisa. It is time to catch some z's.

Today was a remarkable day for our growing family. Jennifer was simply amazing! She did a great job throughout the labor and deliver! Both mommy and baby are doing great and are expected to come home in a couple of days. Thank you all for your love and prayers. We appreciate you.

Stay tuned for more pictures!

Nothing yet...

We are six days shy of the baby's due date and nothing to report. I read yesterday that only 5% of babies are actually born on their due dates. So far, Jennifer hasn't had any contractions to speak of. We are practicing our breathing techniques and trying to get ourselves ready for the main event. We have been enjoying a lot of time together; watching the World Cup, cooking, talking about the baby, etc. We met our pediatrician yesterday. We are both pretty satisfied with most of his philosophies. It has put our minds at ease to know that we have good doctors.

I do think that we have decided on the baby's name. Of course, we are still waiting to see her before we "officially" give it to her, but I think that we both agree that this is the name. It feels good to have settled on something. We will let you know what it is ASAP!

I don't plan on posting another blog until the baby arrives. So, until then...

The Waiting Game

We had an appointment with our OB on Tuesday. It went really well. She said that the baby has grown a lot and that she is pretty big. If she was good at making guesses she would say that the baby would be born this week. So far though, nothing. Jennifer hasn't had any contractions yet, but we are hopeful that the baby will want to come soon. We are currently at 38.5 weeks and are officially playing the "waiting game".

We have packed the bags and practiced the routes to the hospital. I made a cheat sheet of our Lamaze breathing techniques and Jennifer made a cheat sheet to covert the possible weight of the baby from kilograms/grams to pounds/ounces and her length from centimeters to inches.

The finishing touches (curtains) will be completed on the baby's room today. So, we literally are running out of things to do... except pace. Fortunately, the World Cup is on everyday so that keeps us a little occupied - that and work! It is cool to me that our baby will be born in Brazil during the middle of the World Cup. Brazilians are nuts during this event. Everything shuts down during a Brazil game; stores close, buses don't run, every city becomes a ghost town. The visit with the OB that I mentioned above had to be moved several hours so that it wouldn't conflict with the Brazil match that day! If I am right in my prediction about the baby's birth being this coming Sunday (18th) it will be on the day of Brazil's next game against Australia. Hope the doc can be pulled away from the TV!

Keep checking us for updates. I will do my best to keep you informed.