Holidays, Visitors and an update of Ila Vieu, by Nicole

December was an eventful month, with lots of visitors, but before visitors Ila started smiling in response to us, instead of just smiling here and there. She has a big goofy smile that is just like Trent's "goon face" he used to make as a baby. She also has a side smirk that is as cute as all get out, and a regular smile that can only make viewers smile back. It brought us so much joy when she started smiling, and the joy has not worn off in the least bit. I can't help but smile or laugh when I get a grin from Ila, and when we smile at her, she just smiles even bigger. So we have an on going cycle of smiling at our house, and that's fine and dandy with me!

My parents and brother came to meet Ila in mid-december and we had a great time seeing them all. They loved Ila (how could't you though?!) and Ila loved them too. Uncle Chris got Ila "Sunny Sunshine" which is a friendly looking sunshine face with colorful rays that light up in sync with a few classical tunes. Ila lights up every time Sunny Sunshine comes out to play. She kicks her legs and smiles at him, and waves her arms wildly about. We have a lot of fun with that.

At Christmas time, Trent's parents came to visit and meet Ila and we had a great time with them too! Telcia and Jonathan, Trent's youngest sister and her husband joined us for Christmas as well. We all had fun spending time together, eating good food and playing games. We were sad to see them go.

Right before Trent's parents came, Ila laughed for the first time, and hasn't stopped since! She has the funniest little laugh, quick inhales with a little sound. It's hard to explain really, so just know that her laugh is adorable! She has been laughing more and more lately and laughing harder too. I didn't think anything could bring me more joy then her smiles, but I was wrong. Her laugh does!

In January, Ila got another cousin, when Bonnie (Trent's brothers wife) gave birth to Anza Elizabeth. It was sure strange to see a newborn and Ila at the same time. I guess Ila really has grown a lot since she was born. It's hard to believe that she was even smaller then little Anza, but the scales don't lie (or do they?...)!

Now, about Ila. Ila is a very strong girl. At her 2 month appointment she weighed 13 pounds and we estimate that she weighs 15 or so now. She'll be 16 weeks old this Thursday. She loves to play, and her favorite things to do are to dance with her Daddy, and fly on her mommy's legs. Trent likes to to the chicken dance with her, and she thinks it's pretty great! She loves to stand (with help of course) and has strong legs. Ila eats about every 4 hours, and skips a feeding during the night, which is certainly appreciated by me! When she goes through growth spurts, she eats every 3 hours, and may or may not skip her night time feeding. It seems like her big growth spurts occur about every 4 weeks, and last for 3-4 days. She is sleeping less as she grows up, so we have more time to play, but she still sleeps a significant amount of the day.

These days Ila is discovering her hands. Often times she catches a glimpse of them while her arms are flailing about and then she looks for them. Once she finds them she just stares intently at her fingers, moving them a little here and there. Sometimes she can grab an object in front of her, but has not quite mastered that skill. She is also getting more and more vocal. In the beginning of January she started "talking" to us. It is awesome. At first she was only doing it when prompted by our "ooo's" and "aaahhhhs" but now she just lays around and talks. Often when she wakes in the morning, or wakes from her naps, she just lays in her bed quietly, looking around. Pretty soon, she starts talking, and when I look into her crib she smiles and kicks her legs and "ooo's" at me. I prefer this over crying when she wakes up, which she also does, when she wakes up and is hungry!

Trent and I are loving parenthood more and more everyday, and feel so blessed with what God has given us. We are learning so much about each other, about Ila, and about God's love. At times it can seems crazy that so much has changed in our lives in such a short time, but never has it felt strange that we are now parents. The moment Ila was born, we became parents, and it just seemed right and natural, as if it was just meant to be. Every time I say "Ila Vieu" I'm reminded of God's love and reminded that there is no limit to the love I can have for others. Being a mom, has shown me this too, but that is for another blog, at another time! Stay tuned for more, I'm going to blog more often! :)