16 weeks

Well here we are! We made it to 4 months…I am so happy to be writing this from home. Last week at this time we were in the hospital. Eli began wheezing while my mother was keeping him last Tuesday. His little cold turned into a full blown battle with RSV.  He had to get an IV and breathing treatments. He became too weak to nurse.  It was very difficult to see him in that condition.  We handled it well and somehow he managed to keep a smile for the majority of the time there.  He did let us know LOUD and CLEAR on Thursday morning that he had developed and ear infection.  We are now on antibiotics but have discontinued breathing treatments. He is doing MUCH better!

We started a new bed time last night in hopes of having more time for Neil and I to spend together before our bed time.  He woke up an earlier than usual but overall he slept well and went down easily for me.  On the eve of his 16 week birthday, he rolled over in his bed.  I don't know if he could do it again but he did it once.  I was so proud you would have thought he sang his ABC's.

Sick baby

We had our first sick visit to the doctor today, two days after Eli was dedicated to the Lord at church.  He really started getting sick on Friday, but Saturday night it was evident that he was not getting better and he started running fever.  Oh it broke my heart that my tiny little peanut was feeling so bad.  I love our pediatrician's office, it is a big practice with many doctors and they are open 7 days a week, although only for an hour on Sunday.  They got us right in and even though Eli's normal doctor wasn't there, we liked the doctor that saw us just fine.  He has an upper respiratory virus so there is nothing to do but make him comfortable.  Now that we are home, he and I are having our first campout in his room. My mom helped me drag a twin mattress in his room and I have the humidifier running in here and he is cozied up in his carrier, to keep him upright. When he wakes up I will switch him into the nap nanny.  They gave him a good dose of tylenol at the office because his fever was 100.5…of course it spiked while we were in the waiting room and I had elected not to give him tylenol prior to leaving the house so that they would get an accurate reading.
We got no sleep last night as he was up all night wiggling around and only wanted me to hold him.  He stayed in the room with us and our room is so big that he humidifier seemed not to work as well, which is why I am in his room now instead of in my comfy bed.  I am planning on joining him in a nap, but if I wake up or get some time later before the big game, I will post some pics of the Dedication.  I wish I had gotten some of the whole group that was with him, I think now that we will want to remember that. Oh well I am the world's worst at getting distracted or overwhelmed in those situations.  For some reason I was nervous and my whole neck was broken out in hives!
Family will be over tonight to enjoy the LSU vs.Alabama BCA championship bowl.  I am nervous!!!! but can't wait to watch my Tigers play! Maybe after an afternoon nap Eli will get a warm bath and put on his gameday gear! pics to follow...

14 weeks post partum

I am 14 weeks out from my C-section which means my baby, Eli, is 14 weeks old too! I am back to work 3 days a week now and it is so tough.  When I am actually at work, I am okay, and I know that Eli is okay, too.  Dropping him off and driving away is the hard part. My mom is so sweet to him and she loves him as much as I do and cares for him perfectly and meets his every need.  He is going to love going to Nana's house when he is old enough to know where he is going. He already smiles at her when he sees her or hears her voice which is sweet.   I love that little guy more than I could ever imagine that I could love someone.  I am so in love with my husband but I can't even explain how different this love is…totally unconditional.  Everything he does is amazing and I think he is the smartest 3 month old on earth of course! I could kiss his little cheeks a million times a day! I usually like to dress him like a baby not with grown-up clothes but when I was cleaning out his drawer of the newborn sizes and putting in the new stuff I found this onesie I had forgotten about.  I love that it is a tuxedo tshirt and his tiny pajama jeans are a hoot! anyway he is growing so big.

Work has been good for me.  A great distraction, it allows me to talk to adults and use my critical thinking skills.  I get a great sense of accomplishment from my work and it doesn't hurt that I get paid. That doesn't mean that if I had the option to stay home, I wouldn't…every moment that I am away from him I miss him! Of course I talk about him all day long to all of my patients who ask about him!

He is changing daily now.  This week he started grabbing onto things when they dangle above him or gripping tightly and shaking a rattle if it is put up close to his hand.  He smiles constantly.  When I kiss his cheeks or tickle his chin he opens his mouth really wide and will "kiss" my cheek.   He is holding his head up and turns and looks around him when he hears something going on. He is very curious and I have started to have to rock him in a room with quiet or he will be distracted.  He likes to look at lights or fans or television.  He loves to listen to music and will sit and watch me get ready for work and laugh at music I play from the phone or Pandora.  He definitely knows what he likes and doesn't like. When he doesn't want to listen to a song, he fusses..and when he hears one he likes he laughs.  When he smiles his whole face lights up and his eyes wrinkle up.  He is trying to roll over but hasn't yet.  During tummy time he scoots on his belly by pulling his legs up and inching forward.  If on his tummy during a nap he scoots until he hits the side of the crib. He is sleeping very well at night. Right now his bedtime is 9:30ish and he sleeps until about 4, then he eats and goes back down until about 8.  Once he eats at 8 he is ready to be changed and dressed and then he will got back to sleep until about 11. I am able to get a lot done during the mornings if I am able to get up on my days off.  He is very happy and content when he naps and eats well. He is a great nurser except lately he wants to wave his arms over his head and push off with his legs while he is eating.

We are approaching the day he was conceived and the days of me taking Clomid and I can't help but think about how different my life was a year ago.  How desperate I felt and how I was crying out to God daily for a child to add to our family. Now our lives have so much hope and we are so blessed with this little guy.  What a difference 1 year can make.  These have been the most blessed 14 weeks of my life.