Lessons Learned from Taking Photos with Eden Marushka!

Lesson #1: Eden does not take orders . . . the usually smiley girl FREAKS out when people try to get her to smile for a picture. She will smile when SHE wants to and at no other time. (Check out the pout on that girl!)

Lesson #2: Don't mess with the "hair". (Can also be translated as: Don't put stuff on her head.) Third and final lesson: Living with Eden is always exciting. Seconds after her freak out, here she is laughing away. What a girl!

She's getting so big!

And is definitely gaining some hand-eye coordination.

Advent
We finally got our first really good snowfall and it is really feeling like Advent. Eden goes to sleep to the sounds of the Dale Warland Singers at night, and during the day she naps by the fireplace to John Gary, Harry Connick Jr, "Peanuts" and Ella Fitzgerald's Christmas albums.

We set up our Nativity set in our tiny door that sits in the wall on our landing. As we go up and down the stairs during the day it helps to reminds us what the season is really about.

I can't wait to teach Eden about the birth of Our Lord and see the wonder in her eyes as she counts down the days to His Birthday. Somewhere along the way I seem to have lost that wonder, but with the birth of Eden I am beginning to regain that lost sense of awe and amazement.

Even Ozma seems delighted by the season. This is the first time that she has had a whole yard to herself and with the addition of snow she is now running around the yard as if she is training for a race; running figure eights, and pulling such sudden stops that the snow flies out in front of her landing.

Welcome to our new house!

Here is our living room.

Our kitchen and front foyer.

And here: our bedroom and Eden's room.

And at long last our dining room ceiling is finished and it looks fabulous!

We are having a blast getting to know the area and making this house a home. Eden still will not sleep in her crib. She is extremely stubborn, and is fairly dramatic (I wonder who she got that from:). But as soon as the holidays are over we are going to begin the battle of the wills, and she'll have to get used to sleeping in her own room.

But for now she is a pleasant face to wake up to every morning. She loves to smile, blow bubbles and has begun to babble in an adorable low toned voice. She purses the sides of her lips when she speaks and looks like she can't wait to tell us everything!

She loves her Mom and Dad!

What a smirk on that girl!

The Sunshine Girl

Eden is all smiles . . .

She loves to blow those bubbles.

And practicing her crawl technique. Only 3 months and already she's getting herself ready for mobility!

Eden's first big move!
Eden was a champ during the move. Through all the chaos, she kept her cool. Here she is, keeping watch over boxes.

Here she plumps the pillows, warms the bed, and motions to the movers where to put more blankets. And all while sleeping!

She even helps me fold laundry. (Isn't she getting chunky!)

3 Leaks!
The dust has finally settled, and boy what a month it has been. On our first day in the house we noticed a fairly significant drip coming from the ceiling in our dining room. Jay, his dad, and Jim (the amazing handyman) opened up the ceiling in that spot and fixed a problem with the 2nd floor shower drain. Problem solved! or so we thought. Soon enough there was another drip, and after opening up more of the ceiling we discovered another problem and black mold! All in all we ended up finding 3 leaks in the dining room ceiling! So we had to tear the whole ceiling down. Here the boys survey the damage.

And here is the cause of one of the leaks. A huge crack in a very large cast iron pipe.

And here is what was inside the pipe!

In the midst of moving!

More blogs, pictures and updates on the whole process coming sometime next week!

Eden went to her first Rennaissance Faire on October 8th. As you can see, Jay dressed as a monk, and we had Eden dressed up like a Jester. What a trouper. She slept most of the day, only waking when she was hungry and for the joust at the end. All of the shouting and cheering intrigued her. She's such a curious little girl already!

Eden has taken
quite nicely to bathtime . . .
I'm hoping this means
that she'll love to swim!

Here she is . . . with what
Jay calls her "Frog arms"
position.

Saturday, the 17th of September, Eden was baptized!
The ceremony was performed on
the Providence College campus in the priory chapel by Fr. William Folsey.

Grandma and Grandpa, Nana and Papa, and our cousin Eleanor were all able to be there. Eleanor and my brother Rob are the godparents . . . though Rob couldn't make it out to Providence for the baptism, we know he was there in spirit.

Eden amazingly slept through the whole ceremony, only opening her eyes as Fr. Folsey poured the water over her head. She closed them abruptly as soon as she realized that no, in fact it wasn't bathtime. (a drama queen already, posed on her very own fainting couch)

EDEN HAS ARRIVED!

Eden Marushka Davis:
Born September 1st 2006 at 1:10pm
in Rhode Island.

She weighed 7lbs 7oz
and was 19 inches long.

Jay was by my side the whole labor
and was an amazing support through
it all.

Only 11 hours of labor and look at the great prize!!! She's a total sweetheart and we are both madly in love.