Month 3 {draft}

Sweet Cheeks-






Happy 3 months Elijah! Everyone kept telling me that 3 months was the magic number when babies get easier.... and I have to say they were right. We noticed the changes right around nine weeks when grandma came up to visit. You slowly stopped being so fussy at night. I think part of it is due to the fact that your digestive system is finally getting itself straightened out (your aren't so gassy anymore) and part was due to grandma helping figure out how to calm you down at night. Apparently you just wanted to be entertained. You would be crying your eyes out one minute only to have grandma put you in front of the mirror to stop crying immediately. We also learned to walk you around in the kitchen with all of the lights on.

You have gotten much better at car rides; you stay awake for a while and just stare out the window. We finally got a mirror put up that lets us check on you while we are driving (safely of course).

You laugh a lot now, mostly when we move around your arms or legs. Papa gives you high fives that make you crack up. You still talk a lot in the mornings and are now making a gah sound along with your others. Our 'conversations' are getting better too, you will go back and forth with us making noises.

While it seems awfully early to be teething you are drooling a ton and constantly want something in your mouth. Most of the time you have you hand shoved in there (something your thumb, but usually your pointer) or you grab our fingers and gnaw away. You also like chewing on wet washcloths and your giraffe teether.

Mama went back to work this month which has been really hard on her, but you seem to be adjusting fine. You have no problems taking a bottle anymore, although you really don't eat very much while I am gone. I like to think it's because you prefer me. You are much better at entertaining yourself now. We can set you in your swing or down on your playmat and you can be content on your own for 10 minutes at a time. You also love laying on the mat in the bathroom. You are able to grasp some of your toys now, so I think that helps keep you entertained.
You go to bed anywhere from 7:30-9:30 most nights. Mama usually goes to bed with you. We started putting you in your crib this month (instead of the pack and play). You would sleep there for a couple hours, wake up to nurse, and then refuse to let me put you back in the crib. You would be asleep in my arms but wake the minute you touched the mattress in your crib, so I would take you back to bed with me. Somehow, over the last couple weeks, I stopped putting you  in the crib all together. I think a lot of it is I love having you asleep next to me, especially since I miss you so much during the days when I am at work. Sure, you don't leave much room in the bed for me and papa, but it does make nursing you in the middle of the night easy. I have to force myself to start trying to get you back into your crib before it is too late though.

We didn't have any doctors appointments this month so I am not sure of your weight and length, but you sure are growing. You are out of 0-3 clothes and in 3-6 months. I having a feeling you are going to outgrow these way before 6 months too.


...........to be continued.....

Eli Laughs

Elijah has been laughing for a few weeks now, but papa's high fives get him going every time. 

Happy Halloween

Month Two

Sweet Boy-

You are 2 months old today, yet it feels like you have been a part of us forever. The time is moving so fast and you are growing and changing at an alarming rate ( at least for mama). You now weigh 10 pounds 13 ounces and you're 22 1/2 inches long. The doctor said that puts you in the 25% on the growth charts... so you are a little peanut like you mama and papa.You are a chunky monkey, with a double chin and meaty little thighs.

We took you on your first road trip earlier this month to visit mama's family. You were great on the ride down, sleeping most of the time. You got to see grandma and grandpa as well as auntie rachel. You also got to meet mama's grandma, aunts, uncles, and cousins. It was a busy weekend for you. Maybe a little too busy.  It seemed to throw you off a bit and made for a very loooonnng ride back to Maine. Boy were you mad. The drive that usually takes about 4 and a half hours ended up taking 8 hours after all of the stops we had to make to try to calm you. 

Month 2 has been a bit challenging for us. You are really fussy  in the evenings starting as soon as you get out of the bath. You cry and scream and nothing we do seems to help. The doctor says you have reflux so we tried a medication, but it didn't seem to help so we stopped. You had your first adjustment by our chiropractor friend, and we will go again to see if it helps even you out. We have been putting you to bed earlier, you are usually asleep around 8. This is much better than the 10 or 11 o'clock bedtimes you had last month. You do however still wake up every 2 hours ( we need to work on that). 

You are learning how to take a bottle and have done quite well. You are still not thrilled about it and would probably prefer it from the source but it is something you have to learn so that papa can feed you when I go back to work in a couple of weeks. That's gonna be tough on mama.

You still love bath time as well as taking showers with your papa. You always want to be held and fuss pretty quickly after we put you down. You are getting stronger, holding your head up well and pushing off our laps with your legs.You love when we help you jump and are all smiles ( yes, you started smiling this month too). We think your belly and sides are ticklish, papa says he even heard you giggle once.
You are making new noises, including ohhhs and ahhhs. Most of your 'conversations' take place in the mornings.  We take you for walks outside which you seem to enjoy. You mostly look up at the trees and sky. We think you will be a little nature boy.

 Two months down and forever to go. Love you always.

Fall

We have been enjoying nice fall weather around here this past week. Tony, Elijah, Aunt Denise and I all went apple picking a couple weeks ago. Eli seemed to enjoy it, staying awake the whole time and looking all around. We got lots of Macs and Cortlands and have been enjoying apple crisps and apple pies.
Elijah really enjoys being outdoors. He goes for walks in the woods with his papa and looks up at the colorful trees and watches the leaves fall. He and I had a little outdoor photo shoot and he was quite content just laying in the leaves.


I love this season and wish it would only last longer....unfortunately living here in Maine means winter is just around the corner.

6 weeker

Elijah is already 6 weeks. Supposedly there is a growth spurt that occurs right around now which can make for hungry, fussy babies. I am thinking we have it going on.... Our nights are long; up every hour and a half to feed and our evenings are spent finding ways to soothe a fussy baby. Bath time always calms him down for a while, as does bouncing with him on our big exercise ball. Hopefully things will calm back down after this growth spurt. He was sleeping for 4 or 5 hours straight at night for a little while, mama would welcome that again.

So Long Sweet Nora

We lost our sweet little Nora yesterday. She was hit by a car in front of our house. I am trying my hardest not to let myself think about it...but it is hard.




She was such a good cat. She showed up here as a kitten, just a tiny little thing. She was a momma to 5, earning her the more often used name of mommy. She was a happy cat that never really out grew being a kitten. Always playful and very affectionate. She would run around the yard and fly up into the trees. We really will miss her.

Month One

I can't believe you are one month old today...the time has flown by.

This past month has been the most amazing month of my life; and maybe one of the hardest too. You are changing so quickly, growing faster than I imagined. While I am excited to watch you become more and more aware and interactive, I am already thinking how I will miss my teeny tiny you. We went to the doctor today for your one month visit and you already weigh 8 pounds 15 ounces and you are 21.5 inches long. In one month you have gained 2 pounds (you weighed 6 pounds 15 ounces the day we left the hospital) and have grown 2.5 inches.



You are a sweet, sweet boy. You are cuddly and easy going (most of the day). You are very alert, always checking out your surroundings. We read books together and your favorite pages to look at are the baby faces and black and white checkered page.You seem to love looking at faces, mirrors, windows and lights the most right now. We lay you on you tummy on your activity mat and you just stare at yourself in the little mirror.


Your are a strong boy... I could have told you that when you were still in my belly. From the day you were born you have been practicing lifting you head up... and today you are pretty good at it. Your arms are constantly moving. Sometimes this is problematic for you... they get in the way when you try to nurse, you wack your face quite often, and recently you have starting pulling on your hair or you ears and making yourself cry.



Bath time might just be your very favorite thing to do. You can be crying your eyes out only to stop in an instant when we bring you to your tub. It seems to mellow you out.

Papa has brought you into the shower a couple of times. Both times you fell asleep. The only downfall with bath time is when it is time to get out. You are not impressed with this. We bundle you up in your towel and sit in front of the heater and this seems to help.


Evenings are your least favorite time of day. Come 6 or 7 o'clock you seem to think the world is crashing and begin crying your eyes out. The only thing that will console you is nursing. The last few nights you have stayed attached to me for over an hour (poor mama!). Your papa and I take turns trying to calm you down. We swaddle you, rock you, bounce you, bathe you, change you, sing to you, nurse you, you name it, we've tried it. Each thing will work for a few minutes and then you will start right back up. Eventually, around 10 or 11 things settle down and you fall asleep. Some nights you will sleep for the next 5 hours, which means we get to sleep too.


You are full of all sorts of noises. Lots of grunting, little squeaks and sighs. You get mad if we move you when your asleep sometimes and let us know by scrunching your shoulders up and whining. Your are always grunting and stretching too. There are lots of other noises that come out of you as well... you are one gassy boy and could compete with grown men. Sometimes I'm not sure if certain noises are coming from you or your papa. You stinker.



I could go on and on about you and how much we all love you....

Forever. Mama

Happy Anniversary!

The second week

Things are going well. After 2 weeks of having my mom stay with us to help out we are now on our own. Just having an extra set of hands around the house was amazing helpful. And all of her cooking and cleaning wasn't so bad either.

We are beginning to understand what Elijah needs when he cries... the majority of the time he is crying about gas. He is one gassy baby and gets really uncomfortable. It is hard for his mama to bear sometimes. We are trying some gas drops as recommended by his pediatrician to see if they help. Sleep is up and down. Sometimes he sleeps in 3-4 hours stretches, other nights he is up unless we are holding him.

More to come. I want to write out our birth story... but honestly don't remember all the details. I'll get Tony to help and will get my act together soon to get it written.

Week 1

New Life

Things are going well....Lots to learn for both baby and his mama and papa. Will post details soon, when time allows, right now I need to use Eli's nap time to eat breakfast and shower.

Papa and Eli napping at the hospital

A very tired looking Mama and Eli our second night home

Auntie Rachel and Eli

New Family

Elijah Arrives!

Elijah Louis entered the world August 27th at 3:34pm. 7 lbs 5 oz. 19 inches. Tons of hair. We are so in love and everyone is doing great. Will post more when we are home.

Due Date!

...........and no baby........

39 Weeks