Friday, June 14, 2013

5 Months! (Baby Eli)

Eli turned 5 months (old two weeks ago)!  It's so crazy, I can't believe how time flies.

- He's reaching out for and grabbing at things
- He loves balls, they seem to be his toy of choice
- Pretty much anything he gets in his hands goes into his mouth (or at least he tries!)
- Still playing with his feet and sucking on that big toe!
- He chews on his thumb (to relieve teething soreness is my guess) and sometimes all of his fingers at once (sometimes both hands at once)
- Almost instantly he rolls over to his back when he's on his tummy, most of the time -- He has rolled over to the right a couple times, but almost every time he goes to the left
- When he rolls to the left he leads with his head; when he rolls to the right he leads with his bum
- The past couple days he has been rolling onto his side by himself and on June 7 he rolled from his back to his tummy all the way, all by himself, with no prompting from us at all!  (So proud!)
- He watches tv.  (He'll turn his head to the side to look at it when I'm burping him on my lap.)
- He smiles at us when we smile at him, and even from across the room
- He's pretty smiley in general
- He laughs and giggles when we tickle him, and he likes flying in the air too
- He's been eating rice cereal, and grabbing for the spoon and opening his mouth for the next bite!  He seems to like it.
- He's gotten really good at tummy time!
- And he's gotten really good at head control too.  Still a bit wobbly, but he's doing so good!
- Lately he lifts his bum right when we're putting a new diaper on him.  Silly boy!
- Sometimes he doesn't like sitting like normal.  He'll straighten his legs and throw his head back a lot!
- And he scoots.  He doesn't stay sitting for long if he can help it!
- On May 16 he went "under water" in his swim class for the first time.  He did great!
- And went all the way under water this week in class!  Like 5 times!  He's such a pro!
- He splashes a lot in the bathtub with his feet
- He still kicks his feet out by lifting them up and then straightening them and kicking them down.  It's cute and silly!
- He helps Dad play his Xbox games by putting his little hands on Daddy's hands holding the remote, and sometimes he goes for the joystick himself
- He tries to stand sometimes and can almost hold his own weight for a second or two
- He went to his first DBacks game!!
- He's very patient
- He's still making cute sounds, yawning and cooing and humming and squealing
- His favorite toy is a little bug stroller toy that jingles.  He always reaches for that one when we give him an option.
- He reaches for and puts his hands on our faces when we hold him or if he's close enough to touch them.  He also likes to put his hand in our mouths and hold on.  He's also started touching other people's faces when they hold him.
- He likes to be upside down
- We've called him a variety of silly things: little bug, coconut, birdie, buddy, rolly-poly, baby dinasoaur
- He likes to suck on our camelbak water bottles
- He lounges and sleeps with his legs out (and knees bent)
- When he's on his tummy he looks like a seal or something because he lifts his legs up in the air and sometimes his whole bottom half, especially if he's trying to get his arm(s) out from under him
- Ticklish on his feet!
- Loves swim class!  He kicks his little feet and likes to play with the toys now.
- He likes it when we sing, and he likes to try to sing along
- Instead of falling asleep instantly in the car he talks to himself for at least about 10 or 15 minutes.  It's so cute!
- Adam will put out his hand to Eli and say "high five!" and Eli will reach his hand out to his hand :)

It's hard to recognize all the silly, quirky things he does sometimes, just because we don't know anything else!  I hope we can remember most of them at least.  Here's to trying.  :)









Saturday, June 8, 2013

Update on Eli: It's Almost Time

Well, the waiting is just about over.  Eli goes in for his surgery Monday morning.  All this time we've just been putting it off in our minds, feeling like June 10 was always so far away.  But now it's right around the corner.  We're still trying not to think about it, but it's becoming even more inevitable.  The nerves are starting to sink in.  And if I'm being honest, it makes me sad and want to cry.  His cute little perfect peach-fuzz head won't ever be the same.  Or at least not for a little while.  He'll have a nice long scar from ear to ear, and probably a shaved head.  He's worked so hard at growing the little hair he has now!  We're still not exactly sure what recovery and care will be like after we come home after our hospital stay.  I just know we're going to have to be extra careful with our cuddles and probably cut back on them for a while.

Our situation really isn't bad.  Eli's condition isn't life-threatening, and neither is the surgery.  It's just reconstructive, really.  And the plastic surgeon and neurosurgeon are highly trained and skilled.  I'm definitely grateful for that.  I know everything will be "OK."  You just never want to see your child go through any kind of surgery.  Especially not your baby, your infant.

Thank you to those who have given us your love and support, through words and thoughts and prayers.

I'm grateful to know that our bodies will be perfected after this life when we're resurrected, made possible by Jesus Christ, because He broke the bands of death and rose again.  I'm also grateful to know that because He conquered death, we will too, and in addition to that, the laws and ordinances in His gospel allow our family relationships to extend beyond the grave.

Eli will always be ours.

I love this little guy to pieces!