Elijah's Escapades

Vero Beach 2009

2009-08-27T15:00:00.000-07:00

20+ hours... 1200+ miles... 4 adults... 1 child... and yes, just 1 minivan. Are we crazy??? We thought we would be by the time we got there, but it was wonderful. We weren't about to miss our annual trip to Florida and Eli seemed game, so we packed him up and drove it. He was an angel during the trip down and just adored every minute at the beach. So much to see and feel! I'm so glad we decided to go. It was an amazing vacation!

Just sittin' on the deck railing, checkin' out the beach! It's good to be the king!

First time in the pool... captain of my own boat!!

Just me and my Grandpa...

Future's so bright, baby...

I think I have sand somewhere undesirable.

Lovin' the view, Grandpa!

Here comes the wave...

....jump!

My Daddy loves me.

Cute, cute, cute.

2009-06-17T12:05:00.000-07:00

Due to the massive amounts of fun that we've all been having over here, I've neglected this blog for a whole month. Shame on me... but chalk it up to learning to be a great mommy. ;) If anyone is still reading this, here's an update. Since my last post, Eli has gained some weight- he's around 12 lbs now! He's learning lots of new tricks, like rolling over and partially sitting. He's also quite good at sucking on hands and arms, drooling incessantly and flying around the house like super-baby, courtesy of his brave Daddy! He's enjoying life so much more now that he's learning to nap... an answer to tons of prayers! Here are last months photos. If I can get him to hold still, we'll do some more soon!

Toes!

Clothes get in the way sometimes.

I love this face for some weird reason. He looks like a guppy.

Terry thinks this is the best baby photo ever.

These next two crops are my faves... oh those eyes! Thanks Daddy!

We were playing with a few toys and having a ball... he was under my spell...

Then he decides it's a good idea to eat the burp cloth. Mommy thinks that's gross and takes it away...

No fun! Boo on Mom!

Easter

2009-05-08T14:57:00.000-07:00

We managed to catch a few short-lived minutes of happiness over Easter weekend. Love the fuzzy gray sleeper from Grandma! We are slowly seeeing more periods of Contented Eli and less Grouchy Eli, much to everyone's enjoyment. Finally!

Must love ducks.

2009-05-01T15:30:00.000-07:00

When I was little, rubber ducky was the accessory to have during bathtime. Of course, I must pass on tradition to my son. We decorated our entire guest bathroom in Mr. Ducky. I even found an adorable little robe to wrap Eli in post-bath. Happiness truly is canary yellow terry cloth to wrap up with. See for yourself- now go out and get your own (you know you want to...)!

This photo is a bit old now- he's much bigger than this. Stay tuned for Eli's Easter photos coming soon!

Sleep no more...

2009-04-03T13:59:00.000-07:00

I realize that it's been forever since I last posted anything, but it's because we're running on empty around here. Eli doesn't like sleep. Period. This is, of course, contrary to how he acts around everyone else. Anywhere we go, he's an angel, peacefully napping away while he's ooohed and aaahed over. This puts me in such a state of jealousy. For it's the second I lay him down for a proper nap (as in, he isn't reclining in my arms), he wakes up crying. Oh, the injustice! How I long to do housework, chores I hated previously, grocery shopping... anything to get me off the couch. I used to wish I could spend aimless days camped out in that promised land. No more. It is now my life. Round the clock: me, Eli, in his state of perpetual wakefulness, my laptop and the couch. Okay, my break's over... time to entertain my little dictator. Before I go, a photo from the sleepy days that was never posted. So cute!

Chubby.

2009-03-05T12:45:00.000-08:00

Finally, finally, finally! We're gaining weight by leaps and bounds! 6 pounds 7 ounces at yesterday's appointment. I feel like I'm taking some life-changing test every time we head in for a weight check and each time he gains, it's like an A+! You can definitely see the ounces on his cheeks and little thighs. He's even outgrowing his first outfit, a preemie sleeper. Terry calls it his "Elvis" outfit- it's white with a collar that tends to flip up, just like the King. Incidentally, I don't think Elvis would have been caught dead in a sleeper with a big monkey on the front, but you never know. In the later years he was known to wear his share of glitter and fringe...

Here's some photos we took a few weeks back- Sadie thought I was putting down a nice cozy blanket just for her!

We're planning on taking a shot like this with his elephant every month for his first year, to show how much he grows. The elephant is very special... I held onto it during each of my bazillion injections during the pregnancy.

Nursery

2009-02-27T08:57:00.000-08:00

Thought I'd post a few photos of Eli's nursery, since my hubby lost a few years off his life painting it. I had the fab idea of painting polka dots on the walls and honestly planned on doing it myself. Little did I know that when pregnant, paint fumes are a no-no. So Terry ended up painting virtually everything. I helped here and there, with a fashionable mask attached to my face. The darker dots took 5 or 6 coats of paint! We also painted them on the ceiling, to better stimulate the vision of our little prince. He just discovered the ceiling dots this week and seems to love them. Even though it was a back-breaker, I'm glad we did it. It's too cute.

Momentary Angel

2009-02-24T17:35:00.000-08:00

We have only this moment,

sparkling like a star in our hand...

and melting like a snowflake.

Let us use it before it is too late.

-Marie Benyon Ray

(taken from "Hugs for New Moms" by Stephanie Howard)

This only took a handful of seconds to capture, believe it or not. Eli has a habit of grinning frequently just before falling off into blissful newborn unconsciousness. It is, hands down, my favorite part of the day and in one instant, can take away all the bad memories of the previous sleepless night.

So, I'll be busy storing up todays grins in preparation for another long night.

Got milk?

2009-02-24T08:27:00.000-08:00

Eli and I were bonding together over a very early breakfast at 3am, when it occurred to me: God has an interesting sense of humor. Eli was busy feasting on his fit-and-trim milk diet, while I was eating a chocolate donut. I thought to myself, Eli should be the one with the chocolate donut, while I work on getting back to fit-and-trim. Life doesn't work this way, unfortunately and therein lies the humor: while my monster struggles to gain weight, making a weekly pilgrimage to the doctor for weight checks, I'm busy eating chocolate donuts and the like. And not getting too fit-and-trim in the process.

I think Eli deserves the donut.

In case you are interested, Eli's last weight check put him at 5 pounds 6 ounces, which means he has surpassed his birth weight finally. We go back to the doctor this week for yet another round of naked scale dancing. We'll be slamming the donuts between now and then. ;)

Bliss.

2009-02-21T15:23:00.000-08:00

When I'm beyond exhausted, grouchy and bleary-eyed, there's piles of laundry and days of dishes in the sink, when I'm dreaming of sleep and quiet.... I gather up my newborn son (so crazy to say that!), he gazes upward and I realize that none of that matters at all. He's here. I pinch myself, nuzzle his soft cheek and thank God.

I'm a Momma.

Smiles and Sneezes

2009-02-15T15:08:00.000-08:00

Here's Eli and Daddy hanging out, catching some TV. Of course, Mom thought this was a great time for more pictures. Eli was so peaceful, at first....

But then:

Aaahhhhh....

Chooooooooo!!!!
We were crackin' up.

The First Week

2009-02-07T16:02:00.000-08:00

Love this photo! Elijah's exactly one week old, almost to the minute. Hard to believe a week has gone by already. Don't let him fool you, though... he's almost never this peaceful. He's putting on a good show for the camera- it's all an act, trust me! He's extremely good at screaming, especially at 3am! Thankfully, Grandma and Grandpa are coming to stay for a while to let us get a little sleep. Yahoo!

So tiny...

2009-02-05T10:51:00.000-08:00

Finally home! If you are wondering how big (or small!) a five pound babe is, here's Dad's hand next to Eli. Just six days old, he's trying his best to pack on the ounces. He's hungry all the time- our little piglet!

Day two...

2009-02-05T10:50:00.000-08:00

Still in the hospital... Eli's more than ready to head home, but Mom's lagging behind. His delivery was pretty quick, so we need a bit more time to recover. We'll be heading home soon. Here's Eli on the scale....

My two loves... look at Eli's smile! Dad's arms are the best place to be. :)

Meet Elijah!

2009-02-01T19:05:00.000-08:00

The big day finally arrived and our Bean is a BOY!!! Elijah James made his big entrance at 1:48PM on January 24, 2009. Yep, he came 3 weeks early, just like we thought he might. Weighing in at 5 pounds 4.8 ounces and measuring 18.5 inches long, he is quite the little peanut! And we absolutely adore him.

Just a few minutes old and so laid back!

Too adorable in his kung-foo hospital outfit, don't you think?!

Grandma and Grandpa's first look...

No Alexander grandson can be without his New York Giants duds!

Last shot of the day with Daddy, rocking to sleep. See you tomorrow!

Waiting, wishing, hoping...

2009-02-01T19:02:00.000-08:00

Here's the Bean, snug in the belly on January 17th. Terry took some fun photos of my bump and just in time- my contractions were starting to pick up a bit. It was beyond strange to be on the other side of the camera, but I'm so glad we were able to capture photos of this incredible time in our lives. Can't wait to meet our Bean!