Ellie is 1 month old AND happy due date!

Today marks a couple of big milestones. Ellie is one month old and today is her due date. It is hard to imagine what it would have been like if she was born "as scheduled." This month has been filled with great times.

Some highlights of her first month:

-Her first cry! We were nervous that Ellie wouldn't be quite ready for handling the world on her own since she was 4.5 weeks early. It was so great to hear her cry and know that was an awesome sign that her lungs were working. The first minutes of holding her were so special although almost a blur now. We are so grateful that she is healthy and has 10 long fingers and 10 long toes!

-The night Ellie was born after all of the excitement of our unexpected early baby settled and visitors left- Jason and I sat and held Ellie in an overwhelming emotional moment of amazement and awe.

-6 pounds and 1/2 ounce! That was a great day for Ellie an for us. It was just such a relief to have her finally gaining weight after all the worries and feeding troubles.

-Cuddle time- Ellie is a big time snuggle bug and both Jason and I have enjoyed just spending time with her. She is such a little peanut when she is warm and snuggled up. Sometimes she just wants to lay with us for a little bit. Some of our best moments have been when the three of us are just quiet and comfy. It is great to be a family!

-We took Ellie to church for the first time this past Sunday. Our church is getting ready to move into a new building and we were able to tour it. It was great to have her with us for the service and then walk through the rooms where she'll go to church. One night this week she was in her bouncy chair on the table while we were eating, when we said grace we each held one of her hands and she gripped down so hard- it was so sweet!

-Little baby noises- Ellie has the cutest little noise that she makes every once in awhile. Our favorite sounds like a little laugh. We are going to try to catch it on video.

-Pooping in the bath! During her very first bath she gave us the joy of relieving herself in the warmth of the water. I guess that is total relaxation.

-The outpouring of love and support from family and friends. We are so happy that she will grow up with such a wonderful group of people loving her!