The Honeymooners

So, today I was in Ross and picked up a swarm of great books for a great price. Books are one of my weak points. I want to get as many as I can and create a mega library. Actually, what am I saying? Anything for Eli is a weak point. I want to live and breathe baby stuff. The idea of 'nesting' never went away after delivery. I am a perma-nester. Just driving by a Babies R Us can put me in a good mood for the rest of the day.

Anyway, I got this great book by Gymboree called 'Play & Learn, 1001 fun activities for your baby and child'. It basically is an activity guide for you and your baby from 0-30 months of age. Some of the concepts are simple and some are creative. Although, a lot seem like 'no brainers', but fall in the 'I wouldn't have thought to do that' category. So, I was reading the '3 month section. And, it says, "From three to six months is sometimes called the honeymoon period. It's a time of glorious smiles, belly laughs, exploring hands, and joyfully kicking feet. Many babies this age learn to sit....". So, I am here to say, 'I couldn't agree more!!'. Granted, I don't know what life after this is going to be like, but I LOVE 4 months! It is so wonderful. Eli smiles and laughs all the time, as well as kicks, plays, and mouths everything. On top of that, he squeaks squeals, and has just started to babble. That's right....as of yesterday Eli gave us a 'mamama' a few times (nothing today, but twice yesterday.) He is such a delight, and I have constantly thought to myself 'man, 4 months old is a really magical time'. Our Lamaze teacher had mentioned something about a 'light switch' going off around 3 months. Well, if 3 months is a light switch, then 4 months is a sunrise. I can tell that he is on the horizon of learning a world of new things, and it could not be more exciting.

So, as for a quick update. Yes, Eli is at the edge of his babbling phase, and we think perhaps teething. To our experience, he has actually had little teeth buds in sight since birth, but now we can feel a raised area along his lower gum. The last few days he has been really fussy and restless, in addition to running a slightly higher temperature than normal. So, we suspect his little tooth could be coming in, finally. But, I will be sure to keep you updated with pictures and such, when hopefully become validated.

1 month old!!

Well, our 'Mr.Man' is 1 month old! Can you believe it, has time flown or what?!? Part of me is sad that he is growing so quickly, but so proud of my lil boy. I can't wait to see him smile for the first time, start walking, talking....growing up in general. He is officially 9lbs and 7oz, and growing into a big boy.

Photo shoot:

A great photographer came out to the house and snapped some great shots of my little model. She said that it would have been a lot easier if we had snapped the shots when he was only a week old. However, we held out for a little bit longer...no worries. Although, I do have to agree, because Eli was certainly on the fussy side (enter our 2nd introduction to the pacifier). All and all, he pulled it out and got some cute pictures. However, the photographer admitted that Eli pee-ed more than any other baby she had ever photographed! He pee-ed 6 times in an hour and half time period! He pee-ed on 4 blankets (one of them twice), and his mommy!). What can I say, the boy is getting a lot to eat. :)

1 Month Epiphany!

Man...it feels good to not know what I am doing! Seriously, I finally realized that I am not supposed to have this all figured out. I know, no brainer...but it finally sunk in (one month later). My boss's wife actually sent me an email about 'high achieving women' as new time moms (I was flattered). But, this email said that women in the work field sometimes struggle because they feel like they are supposed to have all of the answers...but there are no answers! Just to see this in print and realize that this speaks for women all over the world, as first time moms...it felt good to know that I didn't have all of the answers, and I am not supposed to!

At the end of the day, every new mom does what it takes to take care of her child, and herself in the process. What one person does is not necessarily the right thing for the next person. So, how I take care of Eli is the right way.

Cracking the Code:

So, with the above being said.... I think we are starting to get to know Eli. I think Keith and I

(with the help of several Google searches!) are starting to understand our little man a little bit better.

Don't get me wrong...there are still so many 'unknowns'. It is like we are taking a test, and we have left those questions blank for now, with two possible answers, that we can hopefully fill in later. But, we are starting to figure out when he has gas, when he is tired, when he is hungry, ect. There are several times that we don't know which one is which...so we just try them all. Wouldn't it be nice if they could just tell you? Oh well, wouldn't be quite as fun, right?

(On a side note)....I am eating ALL the time!

Man, breastfeeding really takes a lot of food to support. I never had this kind of appetite during pregnancy! It is a struggle to find the time and hands to eat all of the food that it requires to feed my Eli. Seriously, I can't so much as finish one meal before I am planning out what I am going to eat for the next meal.

I know..this doesn't really have anything to do with him being one month old (except that he is growing strong!), but I just had to mention that.

Well, that is it for now. I will keep everyone updated on milestones and funny stories, as they arrive.