Day Seven- One Week Old

Sweet Elle is one week old today. It's hard to believe a week has already gone by. Elle and I have learned a lot this week about each other. A few of the best moments: I was washing bottles in my dishwasher, aka bathroom sink, and she started whining. I kept washing bottles and she didn't stop whining so I peeked my head around the corner and started talking to her. She opened her eyes and looked around the room, once she found me she closed her eyes and went back to sleep. Yesterday, we were relaxing in our amazing multi-purpose living room/kitchen table/changing table, also know as our bed, and Elle reached over and grabbed my finger. I thought it was a fluke, but she did it several times throughout the day.

I have had a lot of emails with questions so I thought I would try and answer some of them. If I don't answer your questions or only answer part of it please understand there are certain details we have decided to keep private and when Elle is older she can't tell her story if she wishes. Some might know more of Elle's story than others and we ask you to please keep that information in your personal vault. Elle has known from day one she was adopted, we will talk openly to her about adoption and her birth family and answer any and all questions honestly and age appropriate.

About Elle:

Elle's birth mom is Peruvian/Hisp, she is 16 years old, 4-9, 110 lbs, long black straight hair, petite, and beautiful (according to all the nurses and our attorney). She is healthy and didn't smoke, use drugs, or drink during pregnancy. She lives with her mother and stepfather. She is a highschool student, makes good grades, runs track, and is looking forward to going to college to study Law. Elle's birthfather is African American.

Name Change?? I'm sure this was a big surprise. About a month ago Chris and I were talking and I told him I was thinking about changing names. Yes, he looked at me like I was crazy, and yes, some days I am. But the name Laila was a name we named Jung from Korea. It wasn't like it was just a name. We had a picture and all Jung's information, she was Laila. For the next several months we still referred to "the baby" as Laila, but I had a hard time with it, whenever I said Laila, I still thought about Jung. So, this past month we have tossed around several new names. I have no clue where I ran across Elle but I did and we both liked it. We tossed around some middle names, but never really gave it much thought. We were hoping Elle's birthmom would name her or we could use the birthmom's name. Elle's birthmom's middle name was Marie and we both absolutely fell in love with the name. Marie is also a family name-my grandfather has a sister named Marie and my mother's middle name is Marie. So, in the end Elle and her birthmom have the same initials- EM and they share the middle name Marie.

Elle had a rough night last night. She finally went to bed about 2am. She woke up at 545am ate and we went back to bed until 11am. It rained this morning and suppose to storm later this afternoon and evening. I gave Elle a bath and she loved it. Her little arms and legs were going in every direction. When I poured water over her head she froze and just laid there. She is definitely a water baby, which is a good thing, she will fit in perfectly with Cody and Owen.