Elsie Mae Hess

As you can tell from my previous post, we changed her middle name. Please dont comment on it, it will make me burst into tears! (with the lack of sleep I'm still not quite back to normal.) The original plan was to name her after my grandma but we changed at the last second because we liked the sound of Mae as Elsie's middle name and I also wanted to save Jeannette for our next girl so I can give her the same initials as me... KJH.

BUT.... Now I'm in panic mode... what if we dont EVER have another girl?! What if our next girl is forever down the road?! I'll feel guilty until then! I already told everyone her middle name was Jeannette (including my grandma Jeannette who recently passed). I feel like a jerk for changing it.

ADVICE: Don't make any real decisions while in labor.

Anyway, I know my Grama knows that she is very much loved... but I still worry if I should have just left her name how it was.

On to happier things.

Elsie was born on 10.10.10 at 6:50ish PM, weighed 6 lbs 11 oz and was 19 inches long.


After her bath she looked less like an alien. I take far too many pictures of her to put them all up... she looks different in every single one and changes every single day.
For now she is just a tiny little peanut that loves to snuggle in right under your chin and sleep on your chest.
She HATES wet diapers (we have to change her immediately after) but can somehow sleep through a poopy one.
She has big eyes and loves to stare at things... but by things I mean white walls and ceilings and occasionally the light coming through the window.
She makes lots of cute/funny faces, especially when she is trying to wake up but usually has a scowl on her chubby little face.
I wanted to put this picture up because apparently, this is how she came out! Head and hand together. She is never without her hand or hands in her face. We have to keep them covered because she scratches herself so much.

Her bilirubin count was high (she had jaundice) after we brought her home so that little light you see behind her is a bili blanket to help lower it. She is doing great now though and no longer looks like a glow worm.

One more thing... Benjy is a GREAT dad. He sings to Elsie, jumps right in on diaper changes, takes over burping her, loves to rock her to sleep and smothers her in kisses. Its so cute.