Find Your Happiness

Our new Christmas ornament this year. I wasn't very excited when I found out last November that I was pregnant with our little surprise. I just wasn't ready yet. But as always, God's plans are and will always be far greater than my earthly plans. Eleanor is a blessing I didn't know I was missing and absolutely needed. I just love us. So much.

Five Months Old. Eeep! How is it possible that Eleanor is only a month a way from her half birthday? Time needs to slow down! Rocks by and forth.  Eleanor loves to swing her upper body back and forth when she is sitting on your lap. It's all adorable and fun until she does it so hard and hits you right on the chest and collar bone. I don't know how it doesn't give her a headache! Laughs at her siblings. She is beginning to interact with her siblings and Nathaniel especially loves it. Eleanor will gaze and follows their movement and then laughs when Kuya does something silly. Pick me up, please! Because Eleanor can now understand her surroundings, she gets really excited when I (or Daddy) walk by. She thinks we are getting ready to pick her up! So naturally, tears ensue when we pass by her. Kick, kick, kick.  This lady loooooves to kick. She can kick those chunky legs all day long! First Halloween . Eleanor dressed up as a giraffe for Halloween. It was Nathan...

For Halloween, Nathaniel was Ash Ketchum from Pokemon, Amelia was Pinkie Pie equestria girl from My Little Pony, and Eleanor was an adorable giraffe. Hubs and I dressed up as well. He was Jake from State Farm and I was Flo from Progressive ;) Most of our costumes came from our closets and the rest were made from clothes bought at Goodwill. I am very proud of Nathaniel's shirt! The stitches are definitely amateur but it looks pretty authentic from afar, don't you think? We noticed that Nathaniel wasn't as into trick or treating this year. He was excited all weekend and the day of. Bbut when it come down to the actual event, he stayed mostly next to me. I think he's still recovering from being sick. He ran a high fever over the weekend and although it is gone for the most part, I believe his body hasn't fully recovered just yet. Amelia loved going door to door with Daddy! She wanted to knock on all the doors--even the ones with the...

Hubs needed to be in Portsmouth for an early meeting yesterday and the kids and I decided to tag along. We arrived late Sunday evening and stayed at the oceanfront since it was off season. Almost all of the shops and attractions were closed but it didn't hinder us from enjoying the place. In fact, we felt like we were one of the locals (minus the fact that I'm carrying a huge DSLR). It was also Eleanor's first out of state trip and she handled the drive really well.

Eleanor is four months old! This monthly photo is by far the most difficult one (of all my children combine!) to date. She was such a wiggle worm and didn't want to sit up straight. I also forgot to use the monthly sticker and after that whole debacle, I just didn't have to energy to go back and reshoot. Giggles! Eleanor's most ticklish spot is her neck, specifically under her chin. She has the most adorable little laughs. First trip to the ER. Eleanor spiked a 103-104F temperature rather quickly when was just three days shy of being four months old. It's a general rule that any infants three months old and under must be seen when febrile. She was tested for RSV and flu and both were negative. Her chest x-ray was also clear. Unfortunately, poor girlie just had a super nasty bug and there was nothing we can do but to treat her symptoms and try to make her as comfortable as possible. Does not like to be swaddled anymore! Same goes with the pacifier. I think i...

Hubs took the older two to Mike's Farm yesterday for his work event. We were all supposed to go but Eleanor was still sick and exhausted from her first trip to the ER. I'm glad Dean still insisted on taking Nathaniel and Amelia because they had a great time. They couldn't wait to tell me all about their farm adventure with Daddy! Mike's Farm has their spooky Halloween decorations up in preparation for the haunted hay ride. This apparently scared Amelia because she just cannot stop talking about it! Thankfully, Kuya Nathaniel was there to rescue and protect her because he covered her eyes :) I love that Amelia picked a not-so-perfect pumpkin to take home. I am so used to Nathaniel picking the "best" pumpkin that I was taken aback when I saw Amelia's. She said the blemishes are polka dots. Give it to my two year old to teach me about finding beauty in everything. I should also note that Hubs took my big girl cam...

For the month of October, Nathaniel and his soccer team are sporting pink to raise awareness for breast cancer. The boys absolutely liked the pink hair. In fact, they may have liked it too much that it became a distraction! And the team who has the most "team spirit" will receive a pizza party at the end of the season. I also want to note that October is also Filipino-American History month and Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness month. Both very near and dear to us.