Tuesday, December 27, 2011

16 months (draft)


get tissues, blow own nose
pop, again

new dance moves, swinging arms, spinning
put things away on your own
organize cabinets
empty dishwasher
tea, spoon, bowl, oatmeal,
roll sleeves up
coloring
feed self with spoon/fork
cheese puff obsession
if yours happy and you know it routine
christmas in ct


Sunday, November 27, 2011

15 Months (draft)

Eli.... you are growing leaps and bounds. We are constantly amazed at how smart and receptive you are.

stomp feet
kick
boogers
blow nose
throw away trash
pound it
bubbles
kitty cat
hand motions itsy bitsy spider
microwave
animal noises (kitty, cow, chicken, owl, bear, dinosaur, monkey,lion) not dog!
climb into crib from bed

sick....er visit
















Thursday, October 27, 2011

Month 14 (draft)



October (month 14) was a busy one for us.
 
                                                                                                           We started the month out with a trip to Fryeburg Fair.You quietly took it all in and seemed to enjoy looking at all of the animals. You saw pigs, cows, sheep, goats, chickens, and bunnies. We didn't make it into the alpaca and llama barn unfortunately. Papa wanted to watch some of the woodsman day activities so Mama put you in your stroller and pushed you around until you finally fell asleep. 



The following weekend Grandma came up to visit. With Halloween fast approaching we planned a trip to Pumpkinland. It was a gorgeous (although hot) day. You did a lot of walking (still with a little support) and got to check out more animals. You and Grandma even fed the sheep. You had a grand ol time playing in the sand in the parking lot. We picked out a pumpkin, made you pose for some pictures, and headed home.









Pumpkin Land


 You have finally started to really adjust to daycare. You are much better about not crying when Papa drops you off or when Mama shows up to pick you up. You seem to be bonding with two of the girls that work there (Lindsey and Cassie), so that helps. All of the other kids there are kind of obsessed with you. For the most part they are all older than you but they are constantly getting in you face and telling each other that they are 'your best friend' (didn't think that business started so early). You do pretty well putting up with it but are sure to let them know when you have had enough. The staff there taught you how to blow a kiss (so cute).
"Don't you make me mad" face!
Plumbers crack.

You are making other animal noises now (besides just meow). You moo and roar. You are also saying toast.... which is your favorite breakfast at the moment. You like to help get the bread and put it in the toaster. You also help get out the jelly and butter. 

Family Portrait- October 2011


Still loves his kitties... and they tolerate it.


First snow of the year.... not impressed.


Wednesday, October 12, 2011

The Birth Story..... a year (and thensome) later . Part 2

We arrived at Mercy (hospital) around 5 am and parked the car. I didn't feel the need to jump out in front of the hospital doors and the walk from the lot wasn't very far. I did have to stop a few times on the way up to Labor and Delivery to deal with my contractions. Once there, check in was quick as I had per-registered and we had been there 2 months earlier with preterm contractions. We were sent to the triage room (the same one we were in 2 months earlier) and I changed into a gown. We meet our nurse, Maureen, and she hooked me up to the monitor to check my contractions. I had to lay in bed for this and it was pretty uncomfortable. She told us Jen, our midwife, would be in around 7am and that I could wait for her to come to be checked for dilation, or that I could be checked now. I told her I would wait... I didn't want to be disappointed if there wasn't much progress and I felt like the longer I could go the better. I was becoming increasingly uncomfortable and needed to use the rest room. I was unhooked form the monitors and allowed to go the bathroom. This is when I noticed that I was bleeding a bit.... and that made me realize that this was really going to be happening today. I had told the nurse that my contractions felt much better when I was in the shower so she got me set up to use the shower off of the triage wing. I probably spent close to an hour in there with Tony sitting in a chair in the corner. It was right around 7 that I decided to go back to my triage room, as I knew Jen would be arriving soon.

Soon enough she showed up and it was time to check to see if there was any progress. She told me I was (only!) a one (Tony recalls it being 2 though) and confirmed I was in active labor. We would be staying! (Thank God because I had always heard stories about hospitals sending laboring mothers home if they weren't very dilated) They told us it would be a bit until there was a room available and suggested we walk around the halls for a while. After a couple quick phone calls to Tony's sister Denise and my mom, we did just that. I was in a hospital gown, so they gave me a robe. I slipped back into my flips flops and took off for the halls. I remember stopping in front of a big window and watching as the sun came up. Everything was so surreal. I took it in as much as I could. One lap around the halls and a stop in the bathroom and I had had enough. Not long after that it was time to move to our room. It was time for a shift change so we met our new nurse Ashley. We had briefly met her when we had our scare at 32 weeks. I remember thinking that she seemed young that time, but this time I felt more at ease. She mentioned remembering us from last time which also reassured me.
We got settled into our room. Ashley had me in the bed so she could put me on the monitor for a few minutes. Our plan all along was to birth as natural as possible. This meant minimal monitoring (as long as all was well and safe), no IVs and no meds. We talked about me having something to eat or drink. Ashley filled my giant hospital issued water jug with her "special elixir" She wouldn't reveal what was in it; but it tasted like a mix of fruit juices and seltzer water. Good stuff. I hadn't spent long in the bed when I was asking to use the shower again. I was in and out of the shower probably 2 mores times and had one more bathroom trip. I had packed some of my own clothes to labor in ( think it was a nursing top and a jersey style skirt) but my modesty went right out the window. After my showers I wrapped a towel around my waist and called it good (honestly I am not sure if I even did that). Ashley suggested I try laboring on my hands and knees for a while. She adjusted the bed (that thing had some crazy configurations) so that I could lean up against the top of it and covered my backside with a sheet. I was having some serious back pain during this phase. Tony and Ashley would rub my lower back for me and applied counter pressure during my contractions. I remembering feeling like my nurse was a godsend. She was so intuitive about what I needed and I felt such a strong feeling of ease with her around. One of the great parts about the hospital we were at is that your nurse is assigned solely to you; meaning Ashley was in the room with us practically the entire time I labored. While I wanted Tony in eye shot at all times, I really felt myself drawn to the women in the room (nurse Ashley and my midwife Jen).

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Month 13 (draft)







Elijah.... you are officially past Mama dressing you in onesies with monthly numbers on them! Sure, I could have continued making them but I guess I just decided not to.

You have really morphed into a big boy this past month. You are so close to being an official walker. You can take about 8-10 steps before you crash... and you are getting better at sitting yourself down before you actually fall.

We went on our annual apple picking trip, this year with Aunt D, Uncle Matt, Chris, Jen, your cousin Rori, and Grampy. You rode in the wagon, 'helped' push it, and loved eating the apples. You also got a taste of your first cider donuts.






You also began attending daycare 'fulltime' this past month. You go from about 11:00-3:00 Monday through Friday. It took about 3 weeks for you to really adjust to it. You would cry everytime Papa would go to leave and on and off throughout the entire day for the first few weeks. You also refused to nap and wouldn't eat much for lunch. Papa would try to stay with you for a bit before he had to leave and Mama would hang out for a while when she picked you up in hopes of helping you adjust better.

sleeping in stroller
tunnels

coloring





You had your second official haircut. It took Mama and Papa about 3 or 4 days to get the job done, but between scissors and then clippers it came out pretty good. You were not impressed with the clippers at first, but managed to put up with it long enough for us to get you all evened out.


new teeth

walking

fryeburg fair

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Month 12 (draft)


Today was your first birthday little man.... and what a long day it was. We are all exhausted so your 12 month post will have to wait until tomorrow!

It is hard to believe that you are one year old already. The last year has been the most exciting, challenging, and rewarding year of my life. 



 We celebrated twice, first in Connecticut at Grandma and Grandpa's house with Mama's side of the family, and then again here at home with Papa's side family. You were fantastic at both of your parties! Your big 'cousins' and 'friends' were happy to help you open you presents and you were more than welcoming of their help. Mama made you a little lion cake (modeled after the cover of one of your books). It took you a bit to figure out what you were supposed to do with it, but once Papa handed you a spoon you seemed to be all set.



The Birth Story..... a year later. Part 1

 (A post I actually began writing a month after Elijah was born is finally making it's way out a year later. This will be split among several posts. )

It was a Thursday night. Tony was at work and I was home, busy crocheting... something I picked up in the last month of pregnancy to help pass the time. i had been having contractions but hadn't paid much attention to them as it was nothing new. I had been having contractions since I was around 20 weeks pregnant and these felt no different from those. It was around 8pm when I thought i would time them..mostly out of curiosity.... I really didn't think that it was the start of labor. I found some online contraction timer and timed them as I continued to crochet tony a hat. For nearly an hour I recorded the start and finish of each contraction. They were all about 4-5 minutes apart and just about a minute long. I decided that I would ignore them for a while and then re-time them in an hour. They weren't really uncomfortable at the time. It was around this time that Tony called to check in. I mentioned what was going on and he asked if he should come home. I said no, that I didn't think it was really anything. I timed them for a bit again around 10pm and they were still abut 4 minutes apart...still I dint think much of them. I figured they would go away when I went to bed. I went to bed around 11:30, tony got home from work and joined me in bed around 1am. It was a bit after 2am that I got up because the contractions were becoming really uncomfortable. I told Tony I was going to go stand in the shower for a bit. He followed me to the bathroom and began timing my contractions once again. I leaned against the shower wall, more and more uncomfortable and would say okay when the contractions started and stopped. This proved to be a confusing way to let tony know how to time them. After a handful of 2-3 minute apart contractions, I decided that we didn't need to time them anymore. It was time to call the midwife. Tony made the call to have her paged. About 10 minutes later the midwife Ellie called back. Tony explained what was going on and she asked to speak to me. I talked to her, while still in the shower. She said it sounded like early labor and that it was up to me whether or not I was ready to head into the hospital. We decided that since we live an hour away it was probably best to head in. I got out of the shower and tony and i dressed, grabbed some last minute items (cameras, snacks, laptop), feed the cats, took out the trash, and we were off.

I had been dreading what the car ride to the hospital would feel like for weeks...afraid that every bump would be excruciating and hating the idea of being constrained. In reality it wasn't so bad. It helped that it was 4 something in the morning, so traffic was at a minimum. The worst bumpy back road in our area had just been freshly paved, so it was no longer bumpy. It was still dark out, and I remember wishing tony would put on the high beams because I was afraid of deer or moose running out in front of us. unfortunately something did run out...a raccoon...and we couldn't stop in time. That part sucked...and I tried not to think much about it. The hour long ride consists off about 40 minutes of back roads followed by 20 minutes highway time. Reaching the highway was a relief and left me feeling a little better. i remember tony attempting to talk to me a few times, but don't think I ever really replied to him. when we reached Portland I made a quick call on my cell to let my mother know we were heading in. my family lives about 4 hours away, in Connecticut, but had been planning to make the drive up for the birth. As we got closer to the hospital I became more uncomfortable. we sat at a red light just a few blocks away from the hospital for what felt like forever. I finally told Tony to just go through it.

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Month 11 (draft)


Little Boy-
Happy 11 months! I absolutely cannot believe that you will be a year old next month.  The time has flown by and my sweet little baby boy is turning into a sweet little toddler. 
You continue to be more and more fun each month. This past month is no exception. You are really beginning to understand things these days and love learning. Books are still fantastic in your eyes. We read several books every night and you will often flip through books on your own during the day. You are excellent at turning pages and lifting the flap in peek a boo books. You especially love books when we point to pictures and tell you what they are. You can say Mama, Papa, Bobo and Ah (for Thera-cats), out, hot, meow, bok bok (chickens),  ball and bye bye. The last few aren't super clear to make out, but they are pretty good. You understand so many words now and point to things when we say 'where is ____'. We can ask and have you point to outside, kitty cats, puppy dogs, fish, trees, lights, fans, mama, papa, grandma, grandpa, grampy, your aunties, babies, chickens, cars, trucks, the mail, spoon, cup, book, certain toys (dragon, seahorse, animals (your mobile), crib, window, door, water, tub, your diaper, mouth, eye, hair, belly..... I'm sure there is more.


Monday, June 27, 2011

Month 10 (draft)










Well Elijah..... your 10 month post is going to have to wait until tomorrow. You were a wild man tonight and were up until 10:30. Mama is ready for bed now too.





Sweet boy-
Happy 10 and a day! Tonight was much smoother with you in bed by 7:15. This whole bedtime deal needs work lately. Some nights you are down at 7:30 while others you are going strong until 10:30. I'm pretty sure it hard to do in part with you still taking 3 naps on some days. Within the last week or so I have been doing what I can to help eliminate your last nap of the day. You sleep well through the night however have been stirring at 5am here and there. Otherwise you are normally up between 7:30 and 8:30 am. You are still in the bed with Mama and Papa simply because we haven't felt the need to do otherwise. I do think however, that we will be lowering the mattress in your crib in the coming weeks and making an effort to transition you to sleeping in there on your own.

You still eat like a champ; there is really nothing you will refuse. You are showing less and less interest in your purees and more interest in Mama and Papa's 'real food'. Aside from the regular old baby food you are eating Mum Mums, yogurt melts, puffs, cheese/veggie munchies, shredded cheese, deli meat turkey, yogurt, rice, oatmeal, blueberries, watermelon, banana. You get bites of some of our meals too, like toast, corn on the cob, and barbecue ribs (haha). You had been nursing before I went into work, then 2 bottles, then nursing 2 or 3 more times when I got home from work. Now that school is out for the summer we are just about back to exclusively nursing. This is good because I was experiencing a pretty dramatic decrease in my milk supply which is resolving itself with all of the nursing.

These months continue to be more and more fun with you. You have improved on your clapping and waving. There are lots of words you understand and respond to. You know: clap, wave, dance, splash, outside, kitty, trees, mama, papa, grandma, grandpa, auntie, diaper, mouth, nose, kisses, milk, and  high five. You dance when you are happy or excited, such as when you eat something yummy or mama sits down with you to play. You also dance when you hear music from your toys, television shows/commercials, or when Mama or Papa sings sometimes.

You are without a doubt mobile now. It is a combination of crawling and scooting. This means trouble for the cats as you are obsessed with them. You LOVE love love Bodhi and Thera and squeal at the sight of them. You are determined to be right on top of them all of the time. Your 'pet' them, smack them with your toys and lately pull on their tails. You have also recently started leaning into them with your head to give them a 'kiss'. Thankfully they are pretty accepting of your 'love'; especially Thera.
You pull yourself up on whatever you can get a hold of: the couch, your highchair, toy basket, laundry hamper... You are also constantly grabbing for our hands to help you stand so that you can walk around. Even if you are just holding onto a finger or two you are getting around pretty well. 



swimming
biting
doctors appt...............
..........