Meeting Some of Daddy's Side

Eleanore, you haven't been introduced to the whole Piciulo side of the family yet; that'll happen this summer in the Adirondacks.  But you were able to meet some very special people.  You connected with your Great Nana right away as she made funny faces and noises that got your attention.

I'm surprised you've got any cheeks left since Great Aunt Amy has been threatening to chew them off for months now.  :o)  The whole Tangelder family was so excited to finally meet you.  Lauren and Natalie did a great job holding you, and you really enjoyed making the same faces they did.

As always, you were very content whenever you were in Ga's arms, falling asleep immediately.  You met a few very special family friends too: your daddy's best friend and hiking buddy Tom, and your Nona's good friend Rosemary.  You were a hit no matter who's arms you were in!

4 Generations (Piciulo Side)

We were able to spend some time over at Nona (or Mimi, or whatever you decide to call her!) and Ga's house too.  You were able to meet your Great Nana.

Here is another "Four Generations" picture of you, your daddy, Nona and Great Nana.  How amazing it was to have all four under one roof!

Stocking Stuffer

I couldn't pass up this picture!  Your Grandma made you a stocking, Eleanore, that was big enough to fit YOU inside of it!  So, naturally, that's exactly what we did.  :o)

Merry Christmas to you!

Meeting Your Briggs Aunts & Uncles

Eleanore, we have been VERY busy these past few weeks.  You had your first road trip up to Michigan to meet the Briggs side of the family.  Everyone was anxious to see you.  You weren't too happy for the first four hours of the trip (and therefore either were we), but the rest of the ride was pretty smooth sailing. 
Uncle Lucas got to Grandma and Grandpa's right when we did and you loved him already, although I think his facial hair gave you a little scare at first.  I think it may have been the antlers he was wearing too...(not pictured).

But once you realized that you both have the same pajamas, you two got along great.

(Future) Aunt Dayna was very excited to meet you too.  She pretty much ignored the rest of us and went straight to you when she got there.  I don't blame her though!

Then Uncle Nate and Aunt Siah came into the picture.  Unfortunately Aunt Siah was sick, so she didn't get to spend much time with you.  Uncle Nathan took advantage though!  He's obviously a pro with babies already, you two were an instant hit with one another.   I know you're looking forward to Utah in March when you get to visit with them again, and get to know your Aunt Siah a little better.  :o)

Your First Christmas

Well, for being less than three months old and not even really aware of what's going on, I'd say you made out like a bandit this Christmas!  Santa filled your huge stocking with lots of goodies for you to play with and chew on.  You even got your very own cradle and doll, and a puzzle of your name.  Lots of cute outfits are waiting to be worn too.

 You got to spend time with Daddy next to the Christmas tree and you even saw your first snowfall in Michigan!

I'm not sure you liked the snowball that Daddy put into your hand though...Uncle Nathan captured your expressions perfectly.  :o)

 Grandma and Grandpa were happy to have everyone under their roof.  If you can tell by the pictures, Grandma held you as often as she could!

Even though you slept through most of the extended Briggs family Christmas, you were still greeted with lots of love and smiles.  You even got to say hello to your new 2nd cousin Bennett (via Great Aunt Mart's sweatshirt) and your soon-to-be 2nd cousin Baby Grunder (still in Melissa's belly).  All in all, I'd say the 14 hour drive, though long, was well worth it.  :o)

4 Generations (Briggs Side)

Well Eleanore, you were finally introduced to your extended Briggs family at Christmas this year.  You actually slept through most of the introductions, so unfortunately I don't have many pictures.  We did, however, manage to get this very special picture:

This shows you meeting your G.G. and Great Grandpa Briggs.  Grandpa is in there too since they are his parents.  With you and I, that makes four generations of Briggs!  What a special Christmas treat.  :o)

Two Months Old!

What???  I can't believe you're already 2 months old!  You turned two months on your Grandpa's birthday.  :o)  What has changed in the last 62 days?  Let's see...

• You are spending a lot more time awake, taking in your surroundings.
• You make eye-contact a lot, studying our facial expressions and watching our mouths as we talk, laugh, and eat.
• Your cry now varies depending on what you want or need.
• You smile more often and even giggle now and then.
• You're just beginning to coo, talking to Mama during the day.
• You're enjoying bath time instead of screaming through it.
• I'm finally starting to notice a pattern in your sleep and awake times...thank goodness!

I tried to capture a smile to share...here are my best efforts:

Okay, not a smile, but too cute to pass up!

Two Months Old

Messmer Family Christmas

There was a lot going on this past weekend at the Messmer household!  Your Aunt Melinda and cousin Christian, Aunt Megan, and Mimi & Ga all came to visit you and celebrate Christmas.

 You met your godmother, Aunt Melinda, while I introduced myself to your cousin Christian.  I thought MY arms were tired from carrying YOU around everywhere...no more complaining for me!

 You met your crazy Aunt Megan too.  She's the one that makes all of those loud noises and gets your brother Rockne all riled up.  I think you liked your time in her arms because you always seemed to drift off to sleep.  We should keep her around for bedtime!

 Then you introduced yourself to cousin Christian.  I think he liked having another baby around. 

 You had lots to say to him.  It looked like a very interesting conversation.  I imagine you were discussing diaper brands or favorite lullabies.

 We also celebrated Christmas while everyone was here.  Well, almost everyone if you include Aunt Jess, Uncle Mark and Uncle Daniel via Skype.  You got all kinds of cute clothes to wear, and some great toys too that you are already enjoying.

You were sad to see everyone go.  I know you're going to love 4th of July this year because we'll all be together again!

ROCKNE NOOOOO!!!!

11-30-11

Well, Ellie, this post is not about you, but it was such an insane day that I decided that it needed to be documented.  Your brother Rockne had one of his what we've come to call "Marley days."  He just couldn't keep out of trouble today!

It started when I was trying to change the sheets in the guest bedroom...Marley, er, I mean Rockne randomly decided that it was okay for him to jump up on the bed and make himself comfortable.  Shocked, I yelled, "Rockne no!" grabbed him by the collar and pulled him down.  A minute later he was up again and I repeated the process...two more times.  Finally I shoved him out of the room and closed the door to finish the job.

When I was done, I opened the door and walked into the living room.  Immediately I noticed something red in Rockne's mouth.  Upon closer examination I realized that it was one of your socks.  I yelled, "Rockne no!  Leave it!"  And retrieved the once clean sock from his mouth and placed it in your dirty clothes basket.  I no sooner walked out of your room when I saw your other red sock...yes...hanging from his mouth.  "Rockne NO!  Leave it!"  Another once clean sock, now dirty and back into the laundry.  This is all normal for a dog, right?  Well, I went into the laundry room to switch loads and Rockne followed me in as usual.  I came out with a basket and I noticed that he was lingering in there.  I turned around to find your purple pair of clean socks hanging from his teeth.  "ROCKNE, NO!"  He dropped the socks and rolled over onto his back (I'm sorry Mama).

He retired to his usual perch in the family room and I continued doing the laundry.  I went into our closet to get the next load from the laundry basket.  I wasn't in there for more than four minutes.  I walked out carrying the laundry basket straight ahead of me so as not to crush you (you were in the Moby wrap attached to my front).  As I made my way back into the family room I glanced left and saw this: a candy dish sideways on the floor; the floor littered with Hershey kisses; Rockne in the middle of the Hershey kisses staring at me and licking his teeth.  My eyes turned into saucers.  "ROCKNE NOOOOO!!!!"  I dropped the laundry basket where I stood and ran to the dog.  He jumped up and started to run away, knowing he was in trouble.  He stopped on the kitchen floor and rolled onto his back.  I grabbed him by the collar and dragged him across the wood kitchen floor to the back door and shoved him outside.  Rockne had eaten over half of the newly opened bag of Hershey kisses - wrappers and all.

I immediately called the vet who told me to bring him in, so I did.  Upon arriving to the vet's office, Rockne was spazzing out in the front seat of the car.  I managed to get a hold of his leash before he leaped out.   I was able to make it into the atrium of the vet's office before Rockne, freaking out, managed to slide out of his collar.  I now had a heavy baby in a car seat in my right hand and a leash attached to a collar in the other, while my crazy dog was jumping up hysterically and scratching on the glass door of the vet's office.  What the heck was I supposed to do?  I HAD NO HANDS LEFT!  (Not to mention patience!)  Luckily the vet saw me struggling and came out to get Rockne...who managed to get out of the collar twice more to jump up on the other patient owners there (sorry about that!).

They ended up giving him some medication to force him to empty his stomach.  Apparently many of the Hershey kisses came back out STILL IN THE WRAPPER!  He stayed there for an extra hour to be watched to make sure that he was okay.  I had your dad pick him up; I was done dealing with him for the day!  Needless to say, I was glad the day was over.  Ellie, thank goodness you were calm through all of this; I think my sanity would have been put into question if I'd had to deal with a screaming baby AND your crazy brother.  Let's hope tomorrow brings less drama...sheesh!

Ellie's First Thanksgiving!

11-24-11

 Your daddy loved your special holiday outfit.

 Even though it was just the three of us this year (and only two of us eating food) we still had quite the Thanksgiving dinner: Turkey steaks with apple slices and a maple sauce, roasted asparagus, mashed potatoes, turkey dressing, fried artichoke hearts, bread rolls, and a store-bought razzleberry pie.

 Oops, brother Rockne reminds me that it was the FOUR of us...not three.

 The tryptophan kicked in soon after the meal.  :o)  I think you had a good first Thanksgiving.  By next year you'll be able to enjoy some of the food for yourself!

A Shout Out!

11-22-11

Ellie is showing her Cedar Springs pride (though I'm not sure she knows she has any yet) by sporting her red flannel underwear compliments of the Willette family.  She looks great, doesn't she?

6 Weeks Old!

Eleanore, I can't believe how big you've gotten!  Last time we were at the doctor's office you were 9lbs 10.5oz, and that was over a week ago.  I bet you're more than 10 pounds by now!  My arm muscles are definitely getting a workout these days, especially since you're not letting me put you down much.  That's okay though, I'm enjoying it while I can! 

Here are a few pictures of you today.  Your facial expressions are really starting to come out - you're definitely going to be quite a character young lady.  :o)

I'm 6 weeks old today!

No more pictures Mommy!

The Transition From Tradition

11-9-11

Well, despite all of my best efforts, you are growing up so fast already!  You have officially made the transition from the bassinets to your crib at night.  These two bassinets have very special meanings since they each hold long-standing family traditions. 

Briggs Family Bassinet

All eight Briggs/Sinclair family cousins started out in the Briggs family bassinet.  In fact, if you flip the bassinet over, you would find each of our names written in permanent marker, along with the date of our birth.

The new generation of Briggs won't fit on the bottom, so we'll be writing your name underneath the mattress.  Since you're the first great-grandchild, you'll be the first name there Ellie!

Piciulo Family Bassinet

The Piciulo (Messmer) bassinet dates way back into the family tree.  Your daddy's papa (Anthony Piciulo) actually slept in it as a baby.  Every Piciulo since has also made his or her beginning in this same cozy bed.

 I doubt it's seen this much action before though.  Cousin Christian just used it a few short months ago, and in a couple more months, you'll have another cousin using it!

Now you sleep soundly in your very own crib, which actually came from your Great Aunt Amy - all of her girls slept in here too!  So sleep soundly Little One (and through the night please!!) knowing that both families are smiling down on you.  We love you and are so proud of our little girl!