Happy First Birthday Eliana!

Eliana Fernández was in my womb for 41 weeks and 4 days and on Wednesday, August 21, 2013 at 6:14 am, I was honored to meet her and hold her in my arms. Eliana weighed 6 lbs 3.8 oz at birth. She was 18.5 inches long ~ I call her my tiny little pigeon [“pidge” for short].

As soon as she came into the world, Eliana was alert, awake, and ready to eat! She looked very much like Elisha and Elyssa when they were newborns: full red lips, piercing brown eyes, with a bit more brown hair. After all the scares during the pregnancy, she was healthy and perfect as can be. Today is Eliana’s first birthday!

Eliana’s birthing process was INTENSE and about 3 hours. It was a very intimate setting with our midwife and only one nurse, dim lights, soothing music, and Taylor reciting hypnobabies scripts – which were extremely relaxing and healing. I chose to not have an IV and sip on coconut water and almond milk instead, and did not do pain meds, as specified on my 2-page birth plan. It didn’t all go exactly as planned, yet it was as beautiful as we imagined.

Her father was nervous when we started the hypnobabies scripts at home, which was a bit frustrating and… scary, but then he gave me a blessing and the hypnosis turned out to be magical. He was supportive, loving, and exceedingly diligent in his role as my birth partner. He was able to catch Eliana with his bare hands as she joined our family. He he [pun intended]

Elisha and Elyssa were there to witness their little sister’s birth. They went to every check up and even to the birth and hypnobabies classes. They were in awe of such a sacred moment.

What a joy is to have Eliana here with us, and that she can be eternally ours. I know Heavenly Father has a powerful mission for her here on Earth. Let’s recap her first year!

Eliana loves music and has since she was in the womb. She loves all classical music, especially pieces with piano and ocarina flute, and her favorite song is Queen Of The Night by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. She has been singing along to that aria since she was 6 months old! Lately, she’s had Row Row Row Your Boat stuck in her head and she keeps singing it over and over.

Eliana is very active and playful. She rolled over at less than two months, crawled at 4.5 months, stood at 7 months, and walked at 9 months. She is so cute running around and playing hide and seek or her own version of tag. She also scared me to death when she was almost 5 months and quietly jumped out of her crib… I still don’t know how she did it!!! She was fine… but she cried because I held her… go figure!

Eliana is really smart just like her sisters. It may be because I breastfeed, or just because they were born brilliant. She is an excellent communicator and while she uses conventional sign language, she also uses her own signs until she is understood. At 3 months, she already had a “fake cough”! Her first word was “Hi!” at 4 months, because she is sooo friendly! “Hi!” was also the first word she read at 10 months (I promise it’s true! That’s why I do the Your Baby Can Read program). She loves books and the hello magazine so much and will bring the book to me when she wants it read to her!

Eliana is advanced. She started potty-training at 10 months: she says “po-po” so I can take her to the potty … then she says “WOW” when she’s done, very proud of her work LOL. “WOW” is one of her favorite words, really. I’ve really enjoyed hand-washing her cloth diapers – they are great to shape one’s arms, but lately she has been wearing a diaper only when we go to church or places where we stay over an hour or two.

Eliana is sweet. She says “awwwww” when she sees a baby or a doll. We took her to the store to pick out a baby doll for her first birthday and she was so adorable! She folds her arms to pray, since we do that before each meal, and she is starting to say “amen,” too. She started blowing kisses at just 7 months old and always gives me so many kisses and hugs! She didn’t call me “mama” until a few days ago, though… of course it melted my heart!

Eliana is a joy to be around. She gets so excited about the little things, she has so much zest for life, and is such a happy baby. She has her crazy temper moments already, but she’s able to calm down and move on from them quickly. What a great gift to have! She definitely knows what she wants and won’t stop until she gets it… a winner!

Eliana is a miracle. The name Eliana means “God has answered” and all I can say is “amen!” After being a single mom for so long, I didn’t know whether I would have the opportunity to have another baby and I feel so blessed to have her. She is worth everything — including the 365 sleepless nights.

Family Favorite First Year Memories

Dad: “I love that she sings herself to sleep and dances anytime she hears music, especially Michael Jackson. I love that she says “nose” when you tell her “no!” I loved it when she used to grab my chest hair while she nursed in the middle of the night. It was amazing when she saw an ant and she knew she had to be very gentle and had the motor skills to touch the ant without hurting it. I love that she calls everyone baby and how she comes to me at night when she is ready to go to sleep!“

Elisha: “I love her facial and hand expressions. I love her smile and her beautiful eyes. I loved watching her first tooth come out and eating her first table food. I love seeing her dance and playing with our stuffed animals. I love how she tries to grab the phone because she loves electronics, although my mom doesn’t let us use them. She has so much musical talent: she plays the piano and the guitar! I really loved when she said my name the first time, too!“

Elyssa: “I love when she says “hi” and, “hi there!” and she pretends to talk on the phone – she is such a quick learner. I love that she laughs when we are laughing and wants to be a part of all we do. I loved how peaceful she looked when I first held her. I love how musical and adventurous she is and how wants everyone to clap for or with her. She is so fun when she splashes at bath time and she always finds something to be happy about!”

Xoe: “When I first ever saw Eliana I could already see the cuteness, loving-ness, and sweetness in her and I could wish Eliana on 1,000,000 stars. She hugs her toys and blows kisses and she is the cutest baby in the whole wide world. I love that she sings opera and knows the movements to “5 little monkeys jumping on the bed.” I liked the day she started to draw on my board and I liked sharing it with her.“

Grandma: “I could write a really thick book of things I love about Eliana. Watching every little daily detail of her first year made my day everyday, and often left me astounded. We have shared so much together and we went for so many walks outside. We loved seeing the birds and all the animals, and listening to their sounds. I laughed so hard the day she kissed my lips so I would stop talking to someone else and pay attention to her! The sweetest part is that she usually would fall asleep on my shoulder and played with my hair! Her smiles are unforgettable and I admire her tenderness and love.“

We all love her!!! I am overwhelmed with joy and with the testimony that our Father in Heaven is Faithful and that His timing is Perfect! I feel humbled to have the privilege to raise some of His most select children and I pray that I can do my very best each day to live up to the standards of the magnificent calling that is motherhood.

I am grateful to YOU for allowing me to share with you the most memorable and important moment in our lives. I feel blessed to be able to share our miracle with you. Would you say “Happy First Birthday to Eliana” with me and share your own birthing and “first year of life” stories?

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