Eli 1 month

Eli is so precious to us already.  I am finding it hard to believe that he is 4 1/2 weeks old already!  Right now he loves to eat. He will take short spans of time in his bouncy chair, but mostly he likes to be held close to mommy.  He likes baths and will lie very still with wide eyes while you bathe him or sprinkle water on his tummy.  He is very good at spraying  mommy with pee-pee during the night or when he gets into the warm bath.  He is very gassy! Little Eli toots a lot! and big Man burps after eating.  Mom has to make sure to burp him well so that he doesn't have lots of pain with tummy gas.
This month we are starting to work on our sleep patterns.  Eli is a good sleeper if he is being held but does not like to sleep in cradle or crib alone.  I am re-reading Babywise for some encouragement on my technique for training him.   Round one at nap time today went poorly.  It ended with both of us crying and me holding Eli for his nap.  I talk a mean game but when your baby is crying so hard he chokes and is beat red because he is so mad, you pick him up.  So Eli: 1 Mom: 0----I have decided that we won't try again until I have some moral support.  Also maybe we will start working our way up to nap time alone by doing small stretches of time in bed without being held. 
The thing is I hate it because I want to hold him and snuggle him all day long, but nothing gets done that way.  And he needs to learn how to sleep and fall back asleep and soothe himself during the night on his own.  I can already see that shots aren't going to go well… his cries just break my heart even if it is for his own good!
One thing I have learned already is that I will never criticize someone's parenting decisions---you don't know what you will do until you have your own child.  If it weren't dangerous I would just let him sleep with me but that wouldn't be best for our marriage or for him; it would just be the easy thing to do.
Also I am already dreading going back to work in December, even though it is just part-time.  It will be tough to leave this little guy.  It is still so amazing to me that he is mine…that I have my very own child. I just want to sit and look at his little face all day.  I could kiss him a million times and stroke his cheek and change his diapers and hold him forever.  I love this age. I love him so much and I can't imagine anything more precious.  God gave me this little guy to care for and he outweighs any other task.  I can't even bare to think about going back to work and how much I will miss him!
I left him with my mom while Neil and I went on a dinner date a week or so ago.  It was tough but I see the need for spending time with my hubby.  I am looking forward to being able to work out again so Neil and I can run or work out together. I think it will help me emotionally and physically to feel better if I can get back to my old self and my old size.  Right now I just look like I have a beer gut and that can't be attractive.  Also I am ready for Eli to get his shots so we feel more comfortable about taking him places.  I am ready to go back to church and I am ready to show off my little peanut.  
For now here are his one month pictures, I took several photos.

Little Tiger Fan

Halloween picture/1 month, Little lamb is bigger than he is! I bet that doesn't last long.

Silly Faces!

How it went down

I didn't talk much about how the C-section happened and what it was like.  I was so nervous and excited that I didn't sleep much the night before. Neil's parents came into town and we had a nice dinner. I took a bath and went to bed early but couldn't sleep.  At around 3 in the morning, I had to get up and go to the restroom, I was having lots of cramping so I took another bath and tried to relax.  Finally at about 3:30 am I got back in bed and slept for about 30 minutes. Then it was time to wake up and get clothes on to get to the hospital for my 5 am call time!  I was so nervous that I took us to the wrong floor first. We went to the nursery floor and then had to take the elevator back down to Labor and Delivery.  They got me a room very quickly then gave me a gown and hooked up my IV and monitor for the baby and contractions.  All that stomach trouble was because I was contracting fairly frequently but Eli was doing great---he had one little heart-rate drop when I almost fainted during the IV fiasco. It had to be replaced and part of it came loose and I bled like a stuck pig.  (I think I could watch someone else bleed to death but if I see my own blood, it is all over!)  About that time the family all made it there, and we hung out until it was time to go to the operating room.  Once in the OR, I moved over to the operating table.  Instead of an epidural, I got a spinal injection to numb me from the waist down. It was not bad at all.  I felt a few tiny pricks then some pressure.  Almost immediately my legs got numb and I relaxed.  There were several nursing students (I found out later) watching my surgery and they ended up helping to take care of me the next day.  It was kind of cool, but at the time of surgery it was weird.  As soon as my legs started to numb, they pulled up my gown and started the catheter.  Modesty was not an option ; ) Everyone in there saw all of my business.  Then Neil was allowed into the OR and they started very quickly.  My doctor and another one came in and talked to me while they were working.  They allowed Neil to watch it all over the curtain and even told him he could take pictures, which I vetoed.  I felt a lot of tugging and pushing/ pulling but no pain.  I have never been so happy to hear a cry before.  My doctor said something about him pooping and then immediately said he was peeing too. "All the pipes are working!" Then they moved him to the side of me so I could see and weighed and measured, performed his APGAR test (9). Then they let Neil carry him back to the recovery room.  After they were done with me, Neil, Eli and I were able to bond for a little while and I was allowed to nurse Eli.  HE did great, latched right on and has been a great little eater.  Then our family was allowed to come in and visit and get to see Eli.  They took great care of us. All of the nurses were so good to me and made me comfortable the entire time I was there.  I was comfortable enough to want to stay an extra night just to make sure I was good to go home.   The only bad spot of Eli's birth was that he had a terrible case of baby acne.  It was so severe around his eyes that his little eyes were swollen shut almost and very red and splotchy.  It was the worst on the day of his circumcision; that was a tough day for both of us.  He was not himself due to the anesthetic they used and his baby acne made him look pitiful.  I cried and was emotional all day and even a week later looking at pictures of that day.  He looks perfect now and there is no sign of the baby acne bumps that were there.  Honestly, the pain was minor and there was never a time when I would say my pain even went above a level 5…I did take some Lortab a few times to keep it low.  In all the C-section was no problem and I would do it again for sure.  I don't have anything to compare it to but it was quick and my baby was delivered safely and relatively pain free.  I feel so blessed to have this little guy here.

Neil and I getting ready to go to the OR. Neil in his fancy outfit.

Me getting to hold Eli for the first time. Neil is a proud dad!

Looking at his little face…still can't feel my legs at this point ; )

My mom holding Eli.

Sweet little face.  already sucking on his little fingers.

JO JO holding baby ELi

Neil is watching over Eli very closely!

getting footprints for the baby book

finishing getting dressed, ready to go home

not happy

Mom and Dad soothing Eli

Proud parents!

Packed up and ready to ride

waiting for dad, who pulled up in…A NEW CAR!!!!

Dad loading Eli into the new car to go home

Mom getting in back seat to ride with Eli. Going Home!!!

Week 1 Baby Eli

Well, Eli is here and everything else seems pale in comparison. The Csection went well. I am recovering slowly but thats because I am a busy-body and refuse to slow down.  I am leaning that I need to make us  a priority. I need to rest so I can care for him.  Eli was born 7lb 10oz and 20 1/2 inches long.  H had a bad case of baby acne on Day 2 and 3 but he looks much better now.  My baby is one week old! we have our first doctors appt in the morning!  pictures will be posted soon!

Here are some things we know about Eli:  He loves to nurse..he was born with a great suck reflex! yay!
 He can sleep through a freight train.
I think he already has a great sense of humor, he plays little games and smiles about them to himself.
Broccoli makes him have gas.
He will pee or poop upon removal of diaper!

Thanks for the prayers!

tomorrow, tomorrow

I can't believe that the last two weeks have flown by! I have really been so busy getting ready for Eli that I just didn't realize how quickly the days were going after I quit working---I have been off for two weeks and I don't know what I would have done without that time.  All of his and my and Neil's clothes are washed and folded and put away and all thank you's are mailed and all supplies are organized, carseat is in the car along with all the bags except what I need in the morning to get ready.  I even had the car detailed today so it would be clean!  yes--full nesting mode!  (Thank you to my mom for helping with all of that including cleaning my house top to bottom and even the baseboards at my direction!)
I am so excited for Eli to come into this world, but I also wonder about what it will be like…how will he act, what will he look like, how will I feel when I no longer have him in my tummy, what will Neil think of me, of Eli, how will our lives change….? I am worried I will cry, I already am as I am writing this, when he is born. There is so much emotion, so many feelings that I can't even express.  Most of all I feel blessed. I am blessed to have become pregnant, blessed to have carried this little guy, so blessed to live in a time where medical technology is available to help Eli and I both to survive this process of breech birth with a C-section, blessed to have good doctors and hospitals, BLESSED to have such an awesome group of friends and family who would shower us with gifts and meals and visits and LOVE US! so much…We serve an awesome GOD who orchestrates all parts of our lives and who is able to weave together people and time and create such special circumstances for his glory.  This will be my last post before baby Eli is born tomorrow.  In less than 12 hours, I will be a mommy and I can't wait to see what scary, awesome, amazing, and indescribable things that means for me.  I will try to have pics up ASAP but I can't post well from my phone so it might be Friday before that is possible, although I should be able to post to facebook from the hospital.  For everyone following me…thank you SO MUCH for your prayers and love and kind wishes and just for thinking about us.  WE are SO blessed to have each one of you as friends and are SO thankful for this time.

the Latest

I decided today that it was my last day of work…I am just worn slap out. Unfortunately, partly due to my crazy genes (apparently I get it from my mom's side) and partly due to my nesting instinct, all I want to do is clean and paint and organize.  Since I am too tired and my stomach is too big to allow me to do everything I want to do I am just planning all the things I will do when I am able. These projects include but are not limited to organizing my pantry and creating some way to allow for more storage in there!, repainting and organizing my laundry room(thanks pinterest), cleaning and painting all of my baseboards and some of the trim, dusting all of my shades and window-sills, and reorganizing my craft/sewing room.  I wonder how I will manage all of that with a newborn : )  I bet Lucy(my mom) will help me…first I have to finish all of the projects I have already started including finishing making my hostess gifts for my shower this weekend (YAY!) I can't believe it is already time for my shower…I thought the day would never come---and now it is almost here! I will post pictures and info on the hostess gifts afterward, I don't want to ruin the surprise. However, I will go ahead and post some of the other projects I worked on the last two weeks.

Football Season wreaths for a house divided.

gift for a friend---monogramming and I finally learned to applique'

I used scrapbook paper and mod-podge to cover the top of this dresser for Eli's closet. planning to use a pinterest project to make drawer liners too.

close-up of the top

This closet is the most organized room in the house! Look at all those clothes! Those are just the nicer things, everything else-like sleepers- are folded and in drawers, organized by size…yes I am neurotic!

Quilt…made for Eli by me and Alicia and Olivia helped too! I love the colors-- you can't quite tell how vivid it is from this picture…lots of green, turquoise, and brown.

Is she cute or what?  she's a natural with that measuring tape  

The back is animal-print minky dot…love it!  Did I mention how many poses I get when Neil is taking my picture?

halloween onesie for Eli

That just shows you the half of all the projects I want to do.  I can't tell you how much sewing is going on over here! : ) but I will show you soon.

And finally, C-section scheduled for September 27, unless Eli decides to start coming sooner. It's definitely possible….

Coupon deals and Guess who?

Well here's the latest look at preggo belly

Not the greatest shot, can't blame anyone but myself for that face! It is a good indication of how big the belly really is! HAHA!


I had some professional pics taken on Wednesday by the great people at Three Nails Photography (hit them up if you need some pictures soon) and can't wait to see how they turn out--could be a couple weeks before we get to see but I will happily post some when I have them!

Here is a look at the coupon deal I ran this week for some stuff we actually really need and use…deodorant, dishwashing detergent, toothbrushes, body wash, candy!, and a couple other little things. My Swiffer stick broke (I have had it since early college so I think it was well worth paying for again---I got it free for being a demonstrator in Kmart) and I was able to get a new one in one of the deals at Walgreens this week.  Here is a shot of all I got and a breakdown on what I spent..3 transactions.

There are 7 deodorants, 2 battery toothbrushes, 4 big bags of M&Ms,  a 2pk of avent pacifiers,  Mr Clean magic eraser 2pk, 2-15ct Cascade dishwashing inserts, 1 swiffer starter kit, 4 large men's body wash, and a tiny candy pack of cherry drops (25 cent filler item). spent total of $61.77 after coupons including tax, got $10 back in RR to use at next trip and SAVED $66.01  and that was on things we need and will use ( I don't mind spending a little for the brands and products we would be buying anyway--it's really nice to save on them too and for some reason my hubby will only use this particular deodorant)

I coupon to be a good steward of money and so that if I want to splurge on something that is a bigger or more expensive item I won't feel too guilty.  My husband and I work hard and we like to do fun things and have nice things--this makes it easy for me not to feel as if I am throwing away money.  If I want something nice, I will shop around, check prices, and look for ways to save. Once I think I have a good deal or a good price I might wait a short time to make sure something else (like a discount site or a big sale) doesn't come up, but then I buy it.  Sometimes after I buy the item a better deal comes along (oh well) or I see it cheaper but I know that I have saved in other ways that make it ok for me to spend money on something that is nice, that I really want, and that will hold up and is not cheap.  Not everyone is able to say that but we are blessed to be able to.

My point is this----I have watched and waited and been patient and last week I was able to order my stroller….he arrived yesterday and I am SO happy to introduce to you our new addition….BOB!!!!

Isn't he handsome! I can't wait to get to use him! I chose orange--I think it looks very sporty and will be fine for boy or girl so I can use it for a long time!  I put it together last night and I have just been admiring him ever since then! See ya on the trails in October- suckas----hopefully (or as soon as my doctor says I can run again!).

35 weeks

I have 35 days left until my due date, however it looks like we will be scheduling that C-section sooner.  I have a tentative date for September 26 if nothing changes.  As of today, baby Eli had swapped sides and managed to bring his other leg up into "frank breech" position, with his little booty straight down. 

I am getting bigger and less flexible each day.  I still feel great, with less energy than usual but that nesting instinct is in overdrive!!! I am mostly frustrated by the things I am unable to do alone. I am not used to needing help to move the couch or bathe the dogs and that is frustrating.

A few new confessions about the joys of pregnancy for you...I have developed a ton of little skin tags (basically a tiny wart no one else can really see them) mostly in places where my clothes rub, like around my bra lines, but they get on my nerves. Good news is I guess they are common (with all the growth hormones) and they go away afterward.  The other really awesome thing is that since I have a large basketball with me at all times I now get to have not only armpit-stains from sweating so much but I get a nice sweat line under by boobs and under my belly---very attractive---this heat is crazy! I love Louisiana but seriously, how many 107 degree days can we have in one summer?

Still really thankful to be where I am. Really thankful for a healthy, growing baby. Thankful for a great doctor and a great husband, mom, family, friends, and to have a job and a home to bring my baby back to.  I will never forget the desperation of wanting a baby and to know what it is like to have that baby growing inside me.  God has truly blessed me and this miracle of life is one I will never take for granted. I cherish every day and every irritation, every movement and every trip to the bathroom. It is amazing and I pray daily for those I know who want children and are unable---there will forever be a place in my heart for the infertile and BLM.