First trip out of Michigan for Elijah!

We had a milestone last weekend – Elijah went the furthest away that he has ever gone! All the way down to Dayton, Ohio. What a little traveler!

We left early on Friday afternoon to try and beat the rush and get Eli there around his bedtime. He took a nap right away on the trip down, and we managed to keep him entertained for quite a while. But being in that seat for so long wasn’t very fun, and he let us know!

What really stunk though was that the rest areas in Ohio were all closed, with porta-potties in their place. Fine for Jon and I, but that meant we had to change Eli’s diaper on the frost seat of the car with the door open. While it was cold and windy outside. Brrr. Baby no-likey.

Elijah seemed to hit “the wall” at about 3 hours of being in the car. After that no amount of books or toys could stop the complaining. We soldiered ahead and arrived about 3 hours and 45 minutes after we started, which wasn’t bad. The ride home was the same story. I think he did really well overall. I’m hoping that once we get his new seat installed, which is much comfier, that it will be a little nicer for him.

We had a lot of fun on the weekend! Elijah seemed to like watching his two cousins push their trucks around and run around playing. He played in the activity gym that Uncle Scott and Aunt Jill had from when Nathan and Andrew was little, and also scored a bunch of old toys and clothes from the boys. New toys to play with, yay!

The worst part was having to leave though, since we don’t get to see each other that often. I can’t help but think how much fun we would all have if we lived closer. Maybe someday!

New funny word

Last week I was goofing around with Elijah and happened to say that soon we would feed him "bananas." The little nutball started laughing! Now we say ba-ba-banana and he cracks up!

Another sure fire way to get smiles -- sit on the ground with your knees up, put him on top of your knees and bounce him and then open your knees and let him "drop" (not really drop, you keep holding him and everything, but he drops farther than where your knees were and faster). He loves the "lose your tummy" feeling as we call it. Isn't it amazing the lenths we'll go to to get laughs out of a tiny little person? :)

Rice Krispy time for Eli!

After saying that we were going to keep the blog updated, we promptly haven’t written anything! That’s the way life goes with a little one, I guess.

The biggest change here is that Elijah started solid food about 10 days ago. If you can really call soupy cereal “solid”!

We started him on rice cereal, and he really took to it right away! We captured the unforgettable first bite – a big grimace – and then Elijah started eating with gusto. We’re not sure though whether the cereal agreed with him. Within the next 24 hours his runny nose worsened, and he started having major poopie blowouts. That could have just been from his cold though, so we weren’t sure.

When we went to Ohio to celebrate birthdays last weekend though we didn’t feed him cereal, and on Monday his runny nose and poo issues had resolved. Then on Monday night we fed him rice cereal again and the nose and poo problems resumed. Plus we both noticed that shortly after starting the feeding Elijah started trying to shove anything into his mouth (towards the sides which was different) and chew and rub his tongue on the object. Maybe a slight sensitivity to rice? I’m not sure.

Well, on Tuesday I decided to try barley cereal and see how he reacted to that. He gobbled it down (2 bowls full!) and had none of the weird chewing behavior. Still a little of a runny nose, but not like on Monday night, and no poop incidents so far. So I’m thinking that it may have been a sensitivity to the rice cereal. We’ll keep eating the barley and see how it goes. It’s all so nerve-wracking to not know what is going on. I guess that’s just part of becoming a parent though!

These are a few of my favorite things . . .

Here are some of my favorite memories and activities with Elijah from the last couple of months. As I reflected on these memories I understood, for the first time, what Luke 2:19 really meant – “But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.” There will never be a day of my life where I won’t think about my son, pray for him, and love him with all of my heart. So, like Mary, here are some of the moments I’ll be treasuring and pondering. I’ll keep sharing as we keep making new memories together.

Holding Elijah on my chest while he sleeps. In the first weeks of his life Eli and I spent many hours propped up at just the right angle on the couch, both snoozing, or me watching tv while he napped. At the time I was concerned that holding him so much would mean that he would never fall asleep in a crib on his own for naps, but Jon just told me to enjoy the time and not worry about it. I was so tired all the time that holding him on the couch was the extent of my energy, so I went along with Jon. Now, looking back, those are the some of the happiest moments I have, snuggled up cozy with my precious son.

Watching Jon comfort Eli by marching him around like they were both in the Michigan Marching Band together. Eli would calm down immediately and be content just snuggled securely in his daddy’s arms!

The moment when Uncle Jeremy discovered that the big blue exercise ball was the magic antidote to calm Elijah down -- our lives were so much easier from that day forward!

The first sponge bath, when Jon and I were terrified about how to clean him, and he looked so skinny and scared. It was over quickly, but he was crying and I was wondering how stinky would he really get if I never bathed him again? Fast forward to the first tub bath, where Eli started freaking out the minute his butt hit the water, and ended up screaming for about 45 minutes after that. And I was wondering if it would be inappropriate to only give Eli sponge baths until he was 10? Fast forward again to the first tub bath, around 4 and a half months, where Elijah realized that splashing in the water was fun! I ended up soaked and the kitchen counter and floor were drenched. But he was laughing and happy and that was all that mattered.

Seeing Elijah develop and learn new skills. Some of my favorite milestones – The first time Elijah focused on his hand and just kept studying it, trying to understand what it was. When he started playing with toys and I knew he was batting at them on purpose (even though others said it was random). Watching him go crazy kicking in his activity gym and having a good time. The first time he held toys in his hands and could actually hold on! Eli being able to hold his head up on his own and not being floppy anymore (and not having to worry about that little neck and big floppy head!). The first time tummy-time became “lift-up-my-head-and-look-around-at-my-toys-time.” Reading Peek-a-Who to him and watching him smile at the pages as we peek-a-mooed, peek-a-booed, peek-a-zooed, peek-a-choooed, and peek-a-youed. Being able to put Elijah in the highchair and have him sit there happily playing with toys as I emptied the dishwasher (new freedom to get things done in the kitchen AND keep the baby entertained at the same time, woo hoo!). Being there the first time he rolled over and catching the look of surprise and then the big grin on his face.

Seeing Elijah smile for the first time and knowing it was a real smile, just for me. Then seeing him smile at Jon and knowing it was a real smile, just for Jon.

The first time he looked at me while I was talking to him and went, “ahhh ahhh” in a tiny little voice, and I realized that my son was communicating with me!

Remembering the first time Elijah laughed when I “mooed” at him, and now hearing him laugh when I say crazy things, like “ba boop” or “aye carumba.” He seems to get a big kick out of different words and it’s fun trying to get him in his super-laughing mood and then listen to him go crazy. Any time he laughs my heart is suddenly completely happy and so full of joy I think it’s going to burst!

Walking into daycare to pick him up and seeing him get so excited when he sees me that he gets a huge smile and his whole body just shakes because he is trying to kick his arms and legs so fast!

Hearing Elijah wake up in the morning, talking to himself. Then walking into his room and saying good morning and getting big smiles and a non-stop string of gibberish as we get him up.

Watching him kick (or feeling him when his little feet are pointed in my direction!) during diaper changes or when we first get home. He gets so excited that his feet and hands are a blur, he has a big smile, and he gets such excited breathing that no sounds come out of his mouth, though you think he’s about to burst open with big happy noises.

Feeling Eli’s little hands on my face when I give him zerberts on his cheeks. He looks at me and smiles and babbles while patting and holding on to my face.

When Elijah puts his arms around my neck and his head down on my shoulder when he’s tired, and I feel such powerful love for Eli, followed next by immense gratefulness to God for giving me this little miracle. In some ways I'm like the Grinch in "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas" -- I know that sounds ridiculous, but when I had Elijah I think my heart grew three sizes in one day, just like the Grinch! God has blessed Jon and I beyond our expectations, and our little boy is proof of that!

Roll Eli, Roll

Well, Elijah has figured out how to roll-over! Last week, on his 5-month birthday he rolled over twice, after being so close for about two weeks. Previously he would try to push himself over by kicking his top leg back and pushing on the floor, which only succeeded in him putting an extreme arch in his back and scooting sideways! But finally, out of extreme frustration, he got all the parts moving in the right direction and flipped over. He looked up at me with a big grin, grabbed a toy, and then started crying (extreme frustration, remember?).

Well, for the next few days he had a cold and wasn’t feeling well so he didn’t even attempt to roll, not wanting to be put down on the floor at all! But yesterday when I came home, Jon’s mom told me that he had rolled back to tummy about 8 times or so, and had even rolled from his tummy to his back twice – which I had never seen him do before! Now he has the back to tummy roll down pat. He just looks at you and goes!

Jon had missed all of Eli’s rolls, so when Jon came home last night we put Eli on the floor and sat watching him. After a little bit of playing with us he got bored and then started looking around. And then, quick as a wink, he rolled himself over! And Jon got to see it (see – I wasn’t lying, honey!). I’m guessing Elijah is going to figure out pretty quickly how to string the rolls together and get around. We better start the baby-proofing!

Sleeping Like a Baby?! From birth to 5 months.

Eli started off sleeping in our room in the bassinet portion of our pack-n-play, and I would breastfeed him in an office chair that we had moved into the bedroom. After a few weeks of this though it was clear that babies are loud sleepers and mommies are super-reactive to every little thing their babies do. Translated -- Eli was keeping Mom up all night long and she was going crazy. So, at about 4 or 5 weeks old Elijah was introduced into his own habitat – his room and his crib. He seemed to do pretty well, though he liked being snuggled between the side and a rolled up receiving blanket.

Shortly after the move, however, it appeared that Elijah had mild reflux. Mild enough that the doctors didn’t want to give any medicine, but severe enough that after feeding him he would fall asleep and then wake up about 30 minutes later screaming. You could hear things coming up, then him re-swallowing whatever it was, and then he would start crying. So the nights weren’t going so well. During the day he did fine as he usually slept on my chest as I dozed on the couch, all propped up and surrounded by pillows so there was no danger of him falling. After about 2 weeks of the screaming at night routine, we put Eli to sleep for the first time on his tummy – absolutely scared stiff because of SIDs. Now though, when the junk came up Eli would just let it run out of his mouth and not re-swallow much of it and he stopped screaming (except when he was hungry!). We debated and prayed a lot and decided to just let him continue to sleep on his tummy. He didn’t need any blankets or anything so we weren’t as concerned about SIDs. Now, every night before I put him to bed I just pause before laying him down and pray that God protect him through the night and watch over Elijah for me.

Starting around 8 weeks or so we started putting Eli down in his crib for naps “drowsy but awake” as the books called it. It took about two weeks for him to get the hang of it but then he did. When it’s naptime and bedtime now you can bring him up to his crib and read books or cuddle for just a few minutes and then when you put him down he just sucks his thumb and falls asleep on his own. The drowsy-but-awake routine really helped with that, in my opinion. We read a book (well, okay, I read LOTS of books) that really made sense to us, especially since we didn’t want to do the whole cry-it-out bit when Elijah was older. It was called “Good Night, Sleep Tight: The Sleep Lady's Gentle Guide to Helping Your Child Go to Sleep, Stay Asleep and Wake Up Happy.” I would highly recommend it, as well as “Happy Sleep Habits, Happy Child.”

At this point, though napping well on his own, Elijah was still waking up 2 or 3 times a night to eat (he would eat at 9 or 10 pm, then usually would skip the 1 am feeding but sometimes not, and would be up at 3 am and then 5:30 or so and then 7:30 am to start the day), which is normal for breast-fed babies, but rather exhausting for breastfeeding mommies. Pretty soon after we started Elijah on formula he started sleeping longer at night though, and dropped the 1 am and 3 am feedings. Within two weeks he wasn’t waking at all, until about 7 am. Happy happy mommy and daddy!

Now he is quite the prodigious sleeper. He goes to bed around 7:30 and sleeps until 7. Lucky mom and dad! It helps that he found his thumb and likes to suck that to put himself back to sleep. The only time he’s changed his sleeping-the-night routine was when he was sick and congested (would wake up because he couldn’t breathe and suck his thumb at the same time) and the times he has fallen asleep for the night somewhere else and then we try and put him down in his crib for the night (doesn’t work, he keeps waking up over and over again all night long!). Most mornings we hear him waking up, get up and get dressed, etc. and by the time we’re done with that he’s in his crib jabbering away to himself. Such a content little boy!

Feeding Fun -- Birth to 5 Months.

Breastfeeding started off well, with Eli feeding right away after he was born. He got the hang of it pretty quickly and even with a cracked nipple (ouchy -- it sounds as painful as it was) we were doing really well. Eli hit a growth spurt around 3 weeks old and wanted to eat ALL the time, which almost drive me to insanity. Fortunately, at the end of that week my parents came to help and Elijah slept almost all night on a special pillow-top mattress – my dad. :) I got to sleep, yippee! Of course I leaked all over the place, but that was a small price to pay for precious hours of sleep.

For the next few weeks the breastfeeding was going well, but after about 6 weeks (right around when the hormones triggered by birth start to drop and your body, through supply-and-demand action, has to begin to produce enough hormone to stimulate milk production adequately) Elijah started getting less and less content after eating. We thought he was just having a hard time falling asleep or was just colicky, but looking back I think part of it was hunger (not all, but part at least).

Around 8 weeks I was getting more and more concerned though. I couldn’t pump hardly anything to store-up for when I went back to work, Elijah was wanting to eat all the time, did not stay content very long after finishing eating, and I was getting almost no sleep, since he was still waking up 2 or 3 times a night to eat. At his two month appointment he had dropped to the 10th percentile for weight, and while still healthy, was certainly growing at a slow rate. They weighed him and then had me feed him and reweighed him and all he had eaten (after 15 minutes) was half an ounce! I went on herbs all kinds of junk to try and boost my milk production, but it is just not practical to nurse a baby every 2 hours and just “throw” in 2 more pumping sessions during the day. Uhm, when exactly am I supposed to do that?! All of this turned me into a walking stress-ball and a very unhappy mom -- looking back I realize how close to the edge of losing it I really was.

Anyway, that was a long way of saying that we ended up supplementing with formula, beginning right around 11 weeks old, which made Elijah MUCH happier immediately! He guzzled down six ounces, then looked up at me and smiled. Turns out he’s a happy little baby! Pretty soon after starting on formula, even with nursing before supplementing and everything, he decided that he liked the bottle better than mommy, and he started not wanting to nurse. So we ended up feeding him pumped milk in a bottle and then formula.

Turns out I’m not cut out to be a dairy cow though (even with meds and herbs to help) and after a few weeks I was pumping about 5-6 times a day (taking about 3 hours or more a day to do this!) and only getting 4-6 ounces for the ENTIRE day. This really seemed ridiculous to us, since it was taking so many hours throughout the day. If I had been getting a lot it would have been a different story (but then, if I had been making enough milk then Eli wouldn’t have been getting formula anyway!). So, at around the 4 month mark the pumping stopped and Elijah had his last drop of breast milk. I still wish I could have breastfed him longer, but I also appreciate Jon being able to take the morning feedings easily when I’m off to work, and being able to leave him overnight with Grandma and have some nights off! One not so great thing about formula though – it’s expensive (eBay is wonderful, let me tell you) and the poopies stink on formula A LOT more than on breast milk. Oh well! I still get upset sometimes about not being able to continue, but it really was the best decision for our family. The most important thing is a happy, healthy baby, with a happy mommy, not a walking stress-ball mommy.

We're getting ready to start solid foods soon, so we'll keep you updated on how that goes, it should be fun!

Time to start blogging again!

Well, our sweet little Elijah is over 5 months old now, so we thought we should probably start updating the blog again with all the wonderful moments we're having (we’ll probably throw in the not so wonderful as well). :)

The first two months were sooooo difficult – no one tells you that! They make it sound like a baby is all sweetness and light. There is light, but also a lot of exhaustion and stress. I’m going to try and categorize our experiences over the first few months in a few posts, but suffice it to say I have a new respect for all moms and dads out there. And I finally believe the advice that it does get better – when I was in the moment I didn’t think it ever would but, having gotten past those first weeks of uncertainty and exhaustion and stress, I now know what people were talking about. It does get better, and now the rewarding moments outbalance the stressful ones! Praise God!

Anyway, we're back in the saddle again and ready to share the fun we're having with our little bean, Elijah Scott. :)