Halloween #1: check

Rrrrooooooaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrr. What a vicious lion! First thing this morning (well, after I made Alexander let me sleep in an extra hour) we put on Eli's Halloween costume! He makes a good lion, don't you think?! Although it was chilly outside, the house was nice and toasty, so, we did not leave it on all day.


Just now, Alexander said to me, "we didn't drive the cars today... or spend any money... wow". Seriously, wow. We spent all day at home. I do recall Alexander saying earlier that he 'didn't do anything today', but, sometimes, that is just fine. Instead, we enjoyed the clouds... and Bingo, our big Aussie... well, he found another pumpkin.


Friday night I was sitting on the porch waiting for Alexander to get home and here Bingo came, barreling around the corner of the deck with a pumpkin in his mouth! Pretty sure he had mistaken it for his mini basketball, I took it from him and placed in inside where I knew he would not find it again... he didn't care... he found another one.


Alexander called me outside this morning and said, look, Bingo found a hiding spot. He had 'buried' this new pumpkin by the gate. We decided to succumb to his wishes to play with it and joined in the excitement. Bingo is a special dog.


Well, the rest of the afternoon was spent lounging, eating hummus and crackers...


we even watched a movie I found lodged between my nightstand and bed-- "Up in the Air". We enjoyed it for many reasons... especially because we no longer have it lingering in the back of our minds that we have a movie lost somewhere and fear the price we must have to pay for it! We've been looking for it for two months-- geez!


I end this with my baby. He took two naps today-- one on my chest, and one on Alexander's. Oh, I love him. Alexander said this is Eli at his best-- HA! We could eat him up, we love him so.


Cheers!

Twelve weeks is almost three months...

... it really is. This morning was chilly! We know winter is around the corner, but it is so difficult to come to terms with. First thing we did this morning was practice our grabs. Well, I made toast while Eli practiced his grabbing. He is doing a swell job, and soon, I am sure, the toy will be in his mouth instead of his hand... or maybe he'll try to shove both in?

The first outfit we tried on today had our Armstrong cousins in mind. I was thinking about the oldest who recently tore his MCL and may have torn his ACL, too during the last 19 seconds of his varsity football game. Results are supposed to be in, and I am waiting to hear back about them. SO, we decided to put on our skeleton pants they got for us... must wear them out, especially this week! We're thinking of you guys!



And, then we remembered it was Eli's 12 week birthday and I had gotten him a birthday suit! When I called Alexander to tell him I had found it and what it said, he asked if they had his size, too?!? He wishes! I love Target and their $4 onesies, especially now it is cold and they have them in long sleeves!




Eli's response to all the pictures I took today... probably deserved it ;).



Twelve weeks is almost three months. Cheers!

Some days are tough...

Some days are tough... you pull out a pair of pants you still had tied from before you had a baby and you have to untie the strings to make them fit (at least they fit everywhere else, right?!?) or you desperately need to do some research and write a summary, but your child will not be anywhere but in your arms (at least he loves you, and finds comfort in you, right?!?) or you should be sleeping but you want to write, for once, about your feelings (at least I find some place to express myself, right?!?). Please, read on. I am probably going to write a book, but you may find some connections to yourself as you read...

First, I'd like to start and share the lyrics of the Bob Dylan song, "Forever Young"... the song articulates what we want our son to know:

May God bless and keep you always
May your wishes all come true
May you always do for others
and let others do for you
May you build a ladder to the stars
and climb on every rung
and may you stay
Forever young

May you grow up to be righteous
May you grow up to be true
May you always know the truth
And see the lights surrounding you
May you always be courageous
Stand upright and be strong
and may you stay
Forever young

May your hands always be busy
May your feet always be swift
May you have a strong foundation
When the winds of change shift
May your heart always be joyful
and may your song always be sung
and may you stay
Forever young
May you stay
Forever young

Okay. Today was tough. Today I wanted to run away and escape to another world. Not to, by any means, escape my son, rather, to find time for me. This has been the biggest lesson learned throughout everything-- giving yourself to everyone and everything else before you even consider a shower. No one and no words can prepare you for parenthood. No one could have given me one single ounce of advice that I would have comprehended until I actually did it all myself. Maybe this is a trait I have carried for years, or maybe this is something we all experience, I am not sure. But I know-- no doctor could have told me the ups and downs of pregnancy, the loss of your body, your freedom; no mother could have explained to utter agony of birth; no friend could have leveled with me the extreme emotional distress of having your child swiftly carted away after the hours of natural labor you've endured to not even see your child for hours after you've worked so diligently; and no person, not even God, could have prepared me for the change of life your child brings after they are home, and every second of every day you are questioning their health, checking their breaths, and reassessing yourself as a person capable of handling such a feat. No one. Life is the ultimate learning experience.
Sometimes I wish Alexander and I were millionaires and could spend every day together-- raising our son, splitting wood, sweeping up the pounds of dog and cat hair which, is inevitably, the top layer of our nice hardwood floors. I wish we could be here to keep up with everything. I wish we could do it together, more. And then I think of the alternative... me working, even part time, and I feel sick to my stomach. I think of all I would miss-- the first push off to the crawl, the first "mama" or "dada", the first pull up to his feet... all those things we get to celebrate in the first months of his life. I cannot imagine having to give those moments to someone else. That is where I am selfish. The one and only place I have found that I am hoggish in my life right now (aside from with food, I am not sure if I will ever overcome that). Right now, I do not want to share. At all. I remember reading that in the first week you are home with your child, you should stock up on food, turn off your phone, lock the door, and, in our case, park your car somewhere else, and just be with your child. Everyone else can bond later. Unfortunately, it is not that simple. Especially with two parents who like to please. But,we've tried. And still to this day I think we have had a total of maybe 4 days alone, all day, just the three of us.
Sometimes I find myself wishing Eli's life away. Last week when we had our doctor's appointment with our awesome new doctor, I had many questions that I ended up full circle after asking her saying, "all my questions can be answered by trusting he will get older". And they will. He will sleep better and he will entertain himself more often and he will grab for me (HA). He will. But, I do not want to wish it away. Today I even told Eli that it was easier when he was one month old and slept all the time. See, everywhere we go, everyone asks me how old he is and promptly describe him as 'alert'. Yes, alert, to say the least. Our doctor told us he is doing things a five month old does. As much as I want to get there, I want to stop time. Freeze!! I remember the moments of summer as a child, even teenager, and how they went on forever. Never in my life has time gone by so swiftly, but, if I did not have a son, three months would seem like nothing. But, now, that is a fourth of a year. That is one fourth closer to a mobile child. A child less dependent on me. A child who can go to the St. Patty's day parade with us and have fun. Well, he has always been a trooper and enjoyed events-- he went to the Truckstop Honeymoon show on his one month birthday!
Tomorrow is a new day, and Eli's 12 week milestone. I have many things to accomplish. I tell myself they are accomplishments now. Not things to "do", because to complete them is an accomplishment. We will make it. In fact, we are already on top. I have a son growing like a weed, literally, a husband who will do anything for us, a home we reassembled to fit our needs (and it does, perfectly), animals that care, not only about us and our home, but our son, and some squash in the fridge. Life is good today. Life is good today.

This picture of Eli and I has both of us locked in a goofy expression... I like it.




And yesterday, we got to meet and hang out with the other babies from Raintree. The three of us were pregnant together and I hope the six of us hang out more!

Lazy Sunday...

Today we spent the day relaxing... most of the day was spent in bed... we had a real nice nap in the afternoon.. the three of us.


Alexander tried to introduce Eli to sweets (don't worry, I explained it is not time for solids, yet;))


We even gave Genesis, our small dog, a much needed bath and hair cut!! I think she's happy!


Isn't Eli just darling... gosh, we love him!




Here's to another week! Cheers!

Hands...

"I'm Clean!!" That is exactly what Eli is thinking... well, maybe something like that!

On another note, Eli has seriously found his hands... they have come in handy a time or two!


Cheers!

11 weeks can seem like an eternity...

This morning, regardless of last nights sleeping situations, we woke up content. All day Eli has been all smiles, when he's been in my arms or had my complete attention. See, it was one of those days where he only wanted me. That is one of those things a parent shares with their child, being needed, being loved. Sometimes it is a bit over kill, but, in retrospect, it fills your heart with gladness.

Eli spent time checking out the sights from his crib... totally awesome wall hanging, huh?!? Gotta love the ark! My mom made that for us. I have no idea how she has the patience to do such a thing, but the end result is gratifying!


We also spent a good amount of tummy time today. Eli is getting really good at holding that head up! He looks around, checking out where sounds are coming from. I would call his name and he would swiftly move his head around trying to find me! He did! Milestones... they really happen!




By the way... I applied to grad school today! Scary, but exciting! If only there were an AMI training center in Kansas...
Cheers!

Seriously, I'm Growing Strong!

Today we went to our new doctor that is really close to where we live! We are really excited to have made this change-- we no longer have to make a long drive and have someone close! We really liked her, and found out some awesome news...


Eli weighed 15 pounds 8 ounces and was 25 inches long. Two and a half more pounds and he has doubled his birth weight! His head is 16 inches in circumference! Seriously, he is growing strong! His weight is at the top of the chart, 99 percentile... his height in the 95th percentile.... his head, well, that is just in the 50th percentile-- but that is okay. We have enough brain room! By the way... Eli is not quite 11 weeks-- he will be on Thursday!



Have you noticed this cute hat Eli is wearing? Eli's Nana, my mom, made it for him! CUTE! We are so lucky to have such wonderful grandparents!! Nana came today... we won't see her for a couple weeks-- Eli will have changed so much by then! Hopefully it goes fast! We are so thankful for her! Cheers!

We're going on a pumpkin hunt...

Going to the pumpkin patch is one of my most favorite fall activities... and today we enjoyed it as a family! We had Grandma Lynette AND Grandpa Stan there! A grandparent from each side-- how cool! We got quite the bounty of pumpkins (pics to come).


Aunt Anna was in town from Colorado-- we love having her here and appreciate her joining us at the dusty, windy pumpkin patch! :)


Grandpa Stan with Eli during lunch-- YUM!

Grandma Lynette ended up joining us with Abby, Lydia, and Masarra! Somehow, I do not have pictures of Abby or Masarra-- next time I will get you girls!! We are so thankful they all joined us for this first experience! We will always remember!

We were lucky enough to have my dad, Grandpa Stan, and Brenda join us at our house after they trudged all over the patch with us! We had a nice time introducing the dogs and simply enjoying the warm breeze with conversation. Today really turned out nice. Cheers!

Today I'm 10 weeks old!!

Such a big boy!! I've even mastered the pouty lip!!

Changes...

Baths are awesome! The only other time we have as much fun is afterward, during our lotion time! What is you see is right-- a mohawk. Eli is that cool.


We've been trying to get on a daily schedule of naps-- trying to break the whole cat nap thing to ensure healthy nighttime sleeping habits. So far, the naps have been going well. Today Eli took a two hour nap and I got some things done! Imagine that!


This morning was a bit chilly, so we tried on our new skeleton sweatshirt from our awesome Armstrong cousins and had some tummy time! He's really been pushing off lately... I wonder how soon until the pushing off goes further and we have a mobile boy! It will be fun to find out!



As for myself and Alexander... I noticed today I have only nine weeks left in the semester which makes me quite pleased. Neither of us have really had a break since Eli joined the crew. I'm looking forward to just relaxing and being a family for a bit... not worrying about other things. We really haven't had much time to just the three of us at all, let alone just the two of us (I'm crazy and not totally ready for that, though!!)! Maybe Alexander will get some time off so we can really do this. It is funny how our priorities change when we have children-- the difference in what we look forward to. The few days we spent in the hospital when Eli was in the NICU really made us both realize that so much does not matter. Sometimes I think it is difficult for people to remember we are now our own nuclear family... sometimes we forget that! But, every night we get a reminder! I love being a family.

The few I got of the pre-shower...

We got to see so many people from my side of the family this weekend-- it was WoNdErFul!! Are these not the cutest pictures with Great Aunt Jill-- she is like a grandma to me!!



This is Caitlynn, an awesome second cousin I love, and I know Eli cannot get enough of! She did so well!



Here is Leesha, my sister, and mom to be-- she is getting good practice :) !




Another great one of Caitlynn... and there is Maddie. I wish I had one of her with Eli... I am sure I will get one soon! I could eat them up, I love them so!!!!!

Our First Weekend Away...

This weekend we went to my mom's, Nana, for my sister's baby shower. Leesha is due in December. We went early so Nana could show off Eli to all her friends during the ESU/PSU football game.


We got to see many great family members-- Great Uncle Herb...

And Great Uncle Ed...




Eli took a good nap outside with Daddy before Aunt Leesha's shower.