4 Months! (Baby Eli)

I can't believe it.  Eli is 4 months old today!!  Time goes so fast.

Life has been so crazy and so awesome.  We just LOVE having Eli in our family!  It's the best!

4 months:

- liking tummy time more; he's gotten really good at holding his head up! he's beginning to be more stable
- loves swimming classes!
- drooling everywhere! he's definitely teething, which also means he hasn't been letting me sleep through the night anymore :( and he also spits up everywhere
- loves to put everything in his mouth - especially his hands! and by hands I mostly mean fists
- smiles when he sees Mommy or Daddy; and he recognizes our voices through the phone too!
- still loves looking at lights and fans on the ceiling; but he's looking at people more and even the tv!
- looks at the camera when we're taking a picture of him, but he hasn't gotten down the smiling for the camera part yet (he'll smile for us, but not the camera)
- so wiggly!
- I think his eyes are going to be green
- plenty of hair on the back of his head (although some is getting rubbed off from sleeping on his back) but still just little hairs on the top of his head! they are so little and not very dark and it makes him look bald
- recognizes himself in the mirror and smiles and then gets shy!
- finally starting to (kind of) get the hang of long naps (yay!)
- loves playing with Daddy
- talking like crazy - especially during prayers!
- talks a bunch when we sing to or around him; I think he's trying to sing along!
- doesn't mind other people holding him - he's pretty friendly
- loves to stick his feet in the air!
- holds onto his toes (we're still waiting for them to make their way into his mouth!)
- falls asleep in the car, but not all the time
- breastfeeds like a champ!
- takes a bottle like a champ, and even holds it (for those few times when Mommy has to be away)
- giggles every once in a while
- apparently tickleish on his neck! he's been laughing when we play with him and tickle him sometimes
- kicks and flails his arms and legs like crazy when he's excited
- still curls his toes up around things like they are hands trying to hold stuff

I'm sure there's probably tons more, right?  But he's doing awesome.  He's the best!

Here are some super cute pictures:

Swim class!

At Mommy's dance class

Love holding onto his feet!

Eli today! 4 months!

Update on Eli: Dr Visit - Neurosurgeon; Next Steps

Just a quick little update.

We saw the neurosurgeon on Friday.  It was mostly a sort of meet-and-greet.  He told us that he agrees with the plastic surgeon's assessment of Eli's head and needed surgery.  He's a real nice guy and very likable.  He called the plastic surgeon while we were there and they figured out a date -- June 10.  We have to be at the hospital by 5:30 in the morning.  Eek!  It will make for a less grumpy Eli though, since he can't eat or drink anything after midnight.  Anything for him!

We have an appointment with an opthamologist next Tuesday to check the pressure on Eli's eyes, just to make sure there isn't anything abnormal about it.  After that we have one more appointment with the plastic surgeon in the middle of May where he will go over everything again with us and will let us know what the plan is for surgery.  Between now and this appointment he'll meet with the neurosurgeon to devise their whole plan for the surgery.  He'll also take pictures of Eli's head then.  For a "before" reference, or documentation I guess?  Then the surgery, a couple days in the hospital, and a follow-up appointment with the neurosurgeon a week after.

From what I've heard and read, kids bounce back from this kind of surgery really fast, like a couple weeks fast!  I was really surprised to find that out.  I was thinking he'd be delayed a couple months or something (which, even if that were the case wouldn't be all that bad -- He'll still learn to talk and walk and everything like a normal kid!).  But it sounds like this really will just be a little blip in Eli's childhood.  Still, we appreciate and definitely benefit from all the prayers and support!  A big THANK YOU to all of you.  Knowing that people are out there thinking about us and caring about us means a lot.

Previous posts:

• Update on Eli: Dr Visit - Plastic Surgeon (March 22, 2013)
• Update on Eli: It's Confirmed (April 15, 2013)

 **Eli is just shy of 4 months!!  Wow!**

Book of Mormon 6-Month Reading Challenge (and Chart)

We had stake conference this last weekend (for church) and our stake president challenged us to read the entire Book of Mormon before the next stake conference, in 6 months.  Adam and I decided to act on this challenge and made it our personal goals to read it again in this time-frame.  Adam chose to read by verses, so he's reading 36 verses a day.  I don't like being left hanging in the middle of a chapter so I decided to do my study by chapter, which is about 1.5 chapters a day.  But like I said I don't want to be reading half chapters, and I know there are some REALLY short chapters and a couple REALLY long chapters... and I wanted to track my progress to help keep me on track, so I made a reading chart.  I spent a couple hours on it total.  I go kinda crazy planning things sometimes.  But I'm pretty happy with the result (so far...)!  It's only been 3 days.  Hopefully this will help me stay on track and keep up with it!  I also wanted to know how many verses were in each chapter, and I couldn't find anything online, so I did it by going through every chapter...  So there's that.  But then I was able to break up the reading schedule better.  Man, I'm crazy sometimes!

I'm grateful for this challenge to read the Book of Mormon within the next 6 months.  This true book strengthens my relationship with God and helps me feel the Spirit more throughout my day and grows my spiritual knowledge and helps me be more in line with the Savior's teachings, so I can be a better person and strengthen my family.  And I'm finding already that this challenge is helping me be a better study-er.  I've been struggling with being consistent with my scripture study.  I know I need to be better, and I want to be better, but the implementation is always the hard part for some reason.  I know my spirituality can be better improved if I took the time to study more often, and I really need it (don't we all?).  I know this challenge and goal is going to help me develop better and more consistent habits when it comes to scripture study.  I can feel it already!  The Book of Mormon really is true, compliments the Bible, and was written way back then for us, now.  How awesome is that?  Why wouldn't we want to read and study it??  I know I do!

Want to join me?  Only 3 days to catch up on.  That's not too bad!

Download Reading Chart

Update on Eli: CT Scan - It's Confirmed

The plastic surgeon called last week to tell us that the CT scan results confirmed what he had thought -- that that part of Eli's skull has prematurely fused (read the details here).  Which means he's really having surgery this summer.  A part of me hoped and thought maybe he just wouldn't end up needing it after-all...  But he does.

We could opt to not have the surgery.  But that would be silly.  The benefits outweigh the negatives.  If he didn't get the surgery then he may face a number of things throughout his lifetime, including deformities in his head that could severely effect his appearance, his brain, and even his jaw.  These doctors are highly skilled and highly trained to be so.  I trust my son in their hands.  And I trust my son and the doctors in the hands of the Savior.

The next steps are for us to meet the [very busy] neurosurgeon and see an opthamologist (to make sure there isn't any abnormal pressure on Eli's eyes).  We'll be meeting with the plastic surgeon again about a month prior to the surgery, which is when we will work out a time to schedule that.  I'm thinking middle to end of June ish.

Is this hard to deal with?  Sure it is.  Can we handle it?  Yes.  How?  Because there is hope in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  This life on Earth is not the end of our lives; We've been sealed together as a family by God's power on earth, which means we will still be a family in heaven; Christ broke the bands of death and was resurrected so we could live again as resurrected immortal beings in eternal happiness and peace, with our family!  How can I be sad about that??

Our lives here are short, but we of course don't wish for them or those of those we love to be any shorter.  So I take it one day at a time and enjoy every second I have with each person I dearly love.  And Eli is definitely at the top of that list!

Eli is 3 and 1/2 months old!  Time flies soo fast.  I love him so much!