Eli 6 mo

I can't believe it's been a full month since I posted…I am not sure where the time goes. I do know that it flies by and I am busy even on the days when I think I have nothing to do.  There is absolutely nothing I love more than being with my baby.  He shows me something new every day.  I never thought I could live on so little sleep.  He goes to sleep so well and in fact he sleeps about 6-8 hours straight a night. They just aren't the hours I want to sleep.  I am learning to try to relax during that time.  9 pm is not the time to sew or organize. It's the time to take a bath or watch a movie.  I am getting used to work again and actually even enjoying it some of the time.  I still miss him but I am able to do other things because I know he is cared for.  This weekend I will go on my first overnight trip away from Eli.  It is getting too close and scary now but it is something work related and I committed to it so I am going to follow through.  It will be good for us both and I have been preparing for it.  I know Eli and Neil will be fine, I am not sure I will be fine. I am already looking forward to the day I return.

Eli is not sitting up yet but he is very strong. He is scooting a little on the floor, pulling his legs up under him and pushing them out.  He makes progress but it is slow.  It is so frustrating to watch him try to get a toy and just not make any progress toward it, but I know he is gaining strength and learning daily.  He loves to jump in the jumperoo. He is almost always smiling and has a sweet disposition. He likes everyone and will smile and let anyone hold him.  He knows his daddy now and will put out his arms for daddy to hold him.  He gets very excited to see his daddy and will kick his legs and grin when he sees him.  He is getting his first tooth. We noticed it about a week ago it is on the bottom in front.  He is wearing size 6-9 months in clothes.  He babbles and is able to make the B sound over and over. Also he can motorboat his lips on command and spit if he wants to.

Eli 5 months

Someone warned me this would happen.  I have gotten too busy to blog!!! I hate that there is no spare moment in the day.  I have about 10 projects going and I just can't seem to make headway.  Maybe I will try to talk about one project a day so at least I will be blogging and letting the world know that I am not as lazy as it appears.  Today I was so busy that I didn't take a shower until 930 pm!
Eli has started growing so big! He is 5 months old and weighs about 16 lbs.  He is a very happy baby.  He is eating oatmeal cereal and drinking lots of mother's milk! He sleeps about 6-7 hours continuously at night but still wakes up to eat about once a night, then again around 6 am!  He is sleeping in his own bed.  He is now able to roll from front to back and back to front, although he quickly got bored with that trick and doesn't do it very often anymore.  He likes to jump in his jump-er-saucer and likes to watch tv. He is noticing things around him now and is easily distracted when eating.  He will examine his toys for minutes at a time and wants to fit everything into his mouth, getting very frustrated when it won't fit or if he can't make it reach.  He has found his toes and curls his legs up to his chest often when on his back.  He also is good now at putting his fingers into his mouth one at a time.  His favorite thing to do is pull his pacifier out of his mouth and turn it around and put it back into his mouth, but so far he mostly puts it in the wrong way.  He has a short temper and has recently shown that he will hold his breath if he does not get what he wants.  He is unhappy to be put in his car-seat most of the time, but once he is settled he likes to ride in the car.  He is happy to listen to music or look out the window.  He loves to be spoken to and will smile with his mouth open and a big grin on his face.  He has been to the nursery at church the last two weeks, which was very stressful for mommy, but good for both of us.
I am working 3 days a week and on those days Eli stays with Nana at her house.  Next week Eli will get to go on his first airplane ride and on his first ski trip with the family.  We will be excited to report on that experience.

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.

God doesn't make mistakes

There is no such thing as a child that is a mistake…God doesn't have accidents and he doesn't make mistakes.  Every child that is born was intended to be a perfect child of God.  There are women everywhere praying to become mothers and there are babies and children everywhere who are desperate for the love of a mother and father. A friend of mine used to say "every kettle has a lid." I believe that God intends every child he creates to have a mother and father and it breaks my heart that because of our fallen sinful world, that doesn't always happen. Every child is a gift from God. Those who don't so easily become pregnant know this so well. Remember this the next time someone tells you that their child was an accident…God doesn't make mistakes.

ELI Three months

Elijah is 3 months old today (12 weeks). He is becoming much more animated and smiles all the time.  He loves to lie on his back and look at his mobile in his bed or watch toys dangle above him.  He likes to listen to books before bedtime and laughs as if he understands the jokes.  He has found his hands and constantly puts his fingers in his mouth or sucks on the side of his index finger or thumbs.  He is ticklish and curls up when you tickle or stroke his tummy.  He is having much less trouble with gas, although sometimes he has gassy days, he does not act in pain like he used to act. He is sleeping in his own bed at least part of every night.  He goes to sleep well in his own bed and usually will go back down in his own bed after eating during the night as well. I have to say I miss him in my room and sometimes don't bring him back to his bed after nursing him because I want him to stay in our room!  Last weekend we had to attend the funeral of a 10 month old little girl, named Samantha. I won't tell her story but she wasn't supposed to die.  After that, all I have wanted to do is hold Eli and thank the Lord for him constantly.  I just want to hold him and kiss him and soak up all of the baby loving I can while he is little and will still let me kiss him or while he is too small to get away! I keep trying to remind myself of the fact that he is only mine to care for and love, but that I made a promise to God that he would always be His.  I promised to raise him to love the Lord. I plan to be the best example I can be. Eli will be dedicated to the Lord in January and although He has always been the Lord's child, at his dedication I will make that promise public.  He is such a blessing to my life. There is no better thing than seeing the smile on his face. I live for that little toothless grin!

my little reindeer

cute little grin

very serious

sweet smile

silly face

Merry Christmas!

added a little snow to that tiny hi-nee

another funny face (wondering how many more pictures his mommy is going to be taking)

Sweet baby boy! (look at that dimple)