9 Months! (Baby Eli)

Here we are at 9 months!!!  Eli has been outside of my tummy for as long as he was inside...  Approximately.  It goes by so fast!  It's so crazy.  I know I say that every month, but it's always so true!  Here's what he's been up to in the last month:

• Sitting up.  He sits unsupported like a champ!  He has learned how to balance while sitting.  He used to start falling and then fall, but now he starts falling and corrects himself.  He still falls over sometimes though.  Usually when he's distracted by playing with something or reaching for something.
• Pulling up/Standing.  He always wants to be standing!  He even tries to stand up in the bath tub, constantly!  He loooooves to be standing.  And he's so smart -- He'll be sitting next to us and will turn around and grab our hands and start pulling himself up when he wants to stand.  :)  It's hard to get things done sometimes because he only wants to be standing, for which he needs supervision of course.  :)  In the last couple days have witnessed him pull himself all the way up from sitting to standing all by himself, twice!!
• Walking.  He loooooves to walk too!  He'll walk around and around the coffee table.  He'll walk around one of our cushion chairs.  And he's brave -- He'll be walking across the coffee table and then turn around and grab onto the couch behind him, or one of us or something.  He'll even let go of us when we're supporting him while he's walking to grab something else.  We like to hold each of his hands and get him to walk places -- to Mommy, to Daddy, to his room...  It's fun, and he's gotten really good at it!  
• Slapping.  And he'll slap things too.  It's so cute!  Walk, walk, slap, slap, slap, walk, walk...  He does that in his crib with the changing table that's attached, he does it on the piano, he slaps the entertainment center when he crawls up to it, and the coffee table of course.  And Eli will give Adam high-five's too.  :)
• Bouncing.  He bounces a lot in his exersaucer and when we're holding him.  He definitely thinks it's fun!
• 2 naps a day.  He's on a flexible schedule, has been for a couple months now, and it's awesome.  So much better than the 2 hours on, 2 hours off thing I tried doing for a while (when he was younger).  I'm glad he is able to handle this routine, it's really helpful for me!  He gets up at ~7am, has a nap at ~10am and ~3pm, and goes to bed at ~7:30pm.  And he sleeps through the night!  He's a champ.  For reals.
• Loves bath time!  He LOOOOOVES the bath!  The bathroom is right across from his room, and every time he sees it he kicks and flaps his arms and gets really excited!  When he's sad I'll take him into the bathroom and he is instantly happy.  But when I turn on the water to start the bath, he goes crazy!!  And squeals!  And I've been letting him stand next to the tub while it fills up for fun.  He loves it.
• Crawling.  Just in the last week or two Eli has finally been making forward progress with crawling!!  He got really good at holding himself up on his hands, and then turning himself around, and then he would reach out for things and then would end up rolling over.  He used to roll everywhere and it was so cute.  But he's crawling now!  And it's so cute too!  We're so proud of him!  He does a half-army crawl thing.  He army crawls with his left arm (bent, using his elbow to push himself), and reaches out with his right hand, with his tummy dragging on the floor.  But I think he'll be walking unsupported before he starts hands and knees crawling.  Guess we'll see!
• Poop.  Haha, just need to mention that he has regular bowel movements pretty much at the same time every day -- Usually right before or after his morning nap.  It's helpful to know!
• Tongue. He started feeling around his mouth with his tongue lately, it's cute watching him try to learn how to use it.
• Netflix.  He gets really excited when the red Netflix loading screen comes on the tv.
• Paper/Books.  He loves paper!  He will endlessly try to get a hold of anything with paper in it.  Hymn books at church or on the piano, books when we read to him, any paper we ever are holding near him...  I've been letting him play with one of his baby books (one of those with the stiff cardboard pages) lately and he loves it, he'll just play and play and play with it.
• Mirrors.  He still has fun looking at himself and Mommy and Daddy in the mirror.
• Head turn.  When he meets new people or when people talk to him who he doesn't recognize, he cocks his head to the side like he's shy and/or trying to figure them out first before he gets too friendly.  It's silly, but that's his thing!
• Friendly/Easy going.  He's really easy going and doesn't mind being passed around to other people.  He's friendly with anyone and just likes to play!
• Social.  He's become aware of other "little people" -- It's cute and fun watching him interact with other kids, which he doesn't get to do a lot of.  I have realized this month that it's time to get him out and socializing!
• Talking/Squealing.  He is exploring all the different sounds he can make.  He's making "cuh-cuh-cuh" sounds, and "guh-guh-guh" sounds in addition to his "buh-buh-buh" sounds.  Since he's been doing that I'll sing the ABC of sounds song ("Apple, apple, ah-ah-ah...")  He likes it, and I think tries to do some of the sounds back.  He also squeals often.  It's so fun and cute.  Sometimes he'll squeal and I'll do it back, and then he'll do it back to me.  Tonight he got a little scared from the sound of the blender but when I held him while using it he started squealing like he was trying to be as loud as the blender.  And later when Daddy was holding him and I started the blender, he looked over toward the kitchen real fast and started squealing again like he was happy and excited, and like he remembered from earlier.  So cute!!
• Tummy.  Maybe it's because I'm lazy and don't clothe him all the time at home, but he's become more interested in his tummy lately.  He looks down and plays with it, and his diaper too!  So silly!
• Cups/Bottles.  He loves cups and bottles!  He loves to try to drink from them, and also to chew on the bottom of them.
• Garbage/Kitchen items.  He will play with just about anything.  I don't know why people even buy any toys for their children!  He'll stay entertained by these things for a while.  Some include: empty tissue boxes, empty toilet paper rolls, crunchy sounding bags, cardboard boxes, whisk, cups, cookie cutters, even his Bumbo chair.  He also likes to roll around and play under the coffee table.
• Eating.  He eats like a champ!  He's eaten tons of new foods now.  I've even started making my own baby food.  It's a money saver for sure!  And who knows what they really have to put in baby food on the shelf at the store to make it last a whole year before it goes bad?!  Right now Eli will eat about 15-30 minutes after he wakes up -- he'll start with a bowl of something solid, oatmeal mixed with fruit in the morning, and in the afternoon and evening he'll have either veggies or fruit.  Then about an hour or so after that he'll have an 8 oz bottle of formula.  Occasionally he'll have more.  I feel like this is going really well and we've got it down!  (But I'm sure it will be changing soon...)
• Electronics.  This kid loves electronics.  He goes for my laptop even when it's closed.  He'll also go after the Xbox remotes, the tv remotes, our phones, any cords, DVD boxes, the entertainment center, etc!  I was telling Adam the other day that I think kids these days were taught how to use technology in the pre-earth life.  Like for reals!  They are so smart!
• Teething.  Boy is this boy teething!  He doesn't have any teeth to show for it yet.  But just in the last week or so he's started making these faces like his mouth hurts.  And he's been more fussy than usual.  And he sometimes sleeps longer than usual.  Poor kid.  I wish he didn't have to hurt so much!  But I'm not sure what we're going to do when he has teeth...  I don't know how to have a baby with teeth!  It's amazing how there is always something new to learn.  Once you get familiar and comfortable, another curve ball gets thrown your way!  Welcome to parenting.  :)

I love our little miracle!!!  :)

To Be a Humble Follower of Christ

I was reading in the scriptures this morning about how there will be many people who will have gone astray from the Lord's way because of pride and wickedness, etc, and came across this short phrase:

"...because of pride, and wickedness, and abominations, and whoredoms, they have all gone astray save it be a few, who are the humble followers of Christ..."

I was humbled by this statement.  Just last night I was thinking about how I wish I could have and could still spend more time in the musical theatre scene, and was getting a little consumed in the thought.  "I chose a different life -- that of a wife and mother."  I told myself, "My choice was the one I was supposed to make...  And I'm happy about it...  Right?"  I wasn't completely convinced last night, though I knew I was right.  But coming across this verse in my scripture study confirmed to me again that I was on the right path.

The family is central to God's great Plan of Happiness.  And it's called that because it's our road map to happiness in this life and in the next.  The world tells us to put ourselves first, and do whatever we want.  I've put Jesus Christ at the center of my life instead, and have found the greatest happiness in having and being a part of a family.  I love my family!  I love my husband and my son.  I love being a wife.  I love being a mother.  I knew there would be sacrifices I would have to make.  But I knew they would be worth it.  I may not have a ton of extra time on my hands to explore interests like participating in musical theatre, becoming a professional photographer, or website and graphic designer, learning to be a seamstress or expert crafter, or even having my house completely organized.  But my family is happy and healthy, my house is functional, and we're on the Lord's path to eternal life and exaltation.  What more could I need or even want?

Isn't it amazing how you seem to always hear what you need to when you're letting the Lord speak to you through the scriptures?

I Am Happy Where I Am

The first couple weeks of Eli's life were difficult for me.  All I wanted was to hold him, to keep him to myself, and I wanted him to stay exactly how he was, to never get bigger or grow up.  It would make me want to cry when people told me that he was getting big -- He was my little baby and so special to me and I wanted it to stay that way forever!

Thankfully I emerged from those baby blues.  Because Eli has been growing, getting bigger, and he's just as cute!  I don't want to crawl into a hole with him every time someone says he's "getting so big" anymore.  I still don't want him to grow up, not too fast anyway, but I have to say that as each new stage has come for us, I love it even more than the last!  He is sooo cute and so fun!  Right now he is playing with everything, rolling everywhere, smiling and laughing a TON, and his personality is really starting to show!

I hope it will continue to be this way.  I know one day down the road (probably more than once) I'll look back and think about my little baby, and miss him like this.  But right now I'm trying to find the joy in each day as it is, and enjoy every moment with him in each stage of his life, as he learns new things and will no doubt begin to teach us.  And I'm loving every minute!

We are so blessed to have Eli in our lives, in our family!  We love him to the moon and back.  :)

"The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?
the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?"

Psalm 27:1

Update on Eli: Surgery (Backtrack)

Eli was diagnosed with unicoronal craniosysostosis at 3 and a half months old.  He had corrective surgery on his skull at 5 and a half months old.

Pre-Op

June 9 - Packing for the hospital

We woke up early Monday morning (June 10) and headed down to the hospital (TMC), about a 30 minute drive, to get there at 5:30am to check in.  We finished up some paperwork, and Eli got dressed in his little gown and the nurse took some vitals.  All the doctors came in to see us (neurosurgeon, plastic surgeon, anesthesiologist, surgery nurse), and after a long time of waiting that went by too fast, they were ready for Eli.  We passed him off to the nurse, and she carried him away and our hearts broke as we watched them head behind closed doors.  He was so innocent, so unknowing of what he was about to go through.  That moment was the very hardest we had faced as parents.  He went back to the surgery area at around 7:30am, and we went back out to the waiting room, where all we could do was wait.

The Surgery

All dressed in his gown and ready to go!

We were told by the doctors that the surgery was expected to last about 3-4 hours, and they scheduled an extra hour after that just for buffer room.  We weren't sure if that was from the time Eli went back or if it was from the time they started the actual procedure.  Adam and I tried to keep ourselves busy and our minds off what was happening to our son by playing games in the waiting room.  We got a call in the waiting room from the surgery nurse at 9:25am letting us know that they had begun the procedure at 9am.  That was the only communication from the inside we had all morning.  When 11:30am came around we started getting anxious.  It had been 4 hours since they took him back but only 2 and a half since the actual procedure had begun.  We started getting really anxious when 1pm rolled around, and tried not to feel worried every minute after.  We watched doctor after doctor come out of the surgery area looking for family of other patients to talk to them.  It was torture being away from Eli for so long and waiting to hear anything from anyone about how things were going!  Finally at 2pm I saw both doctors come out of that door!  What a happy and reliving sight!!!  To see the doctors I recognized, I almost jumped to my feet!  Adam was telling me something when I saw them and I didn't hear anything he said after that.  The first thing that was said was from the plastic surgeon to the neurosurgeon, "Should we go to one of the conference rooms?"  The neurosurgeon must have felt our concern or seen it on our faces because he quickly reassured us that everything went fine.  Phew!  We followed them to one of the small conference rooms and they told us that everything went well and that we would be able to see Eli soon.  They were very pleased with the results of the surgery.  What a load off!

Picture with Dad before the surgery

Picture with Mom before the surgery

Post-Op

We went back to the waiting room to wait for another hour until Eli was awake enough and ready to be transported to the PICU.  A nurse finally told us we were going to meet him (pushed in a crib by nurses) by the elevators.  And we waited.......  And there he was!  It was SO good to see him!!!!  We followed the nurses down the elevator and through hallways until we finally reached his room at the PICU.  He was peacefully sleeping but they had to pick him up to move him to a PICU crib.  And of course he woke up and was cranky and cried for the next 20 minutes.  But we were with our son again and all was right in the world.  The worst was behind us.

To be continued...

Mother's Day / Father's Day

Just wanted to mention our first Mother's Day and Father's Day this year and share some super cute pictures.

Eli signed cards for both days.  :)

1st Mother's Day
(before surgery) 

1st Father's Day
(after surgery)

Mommy's birthday
(after surgery)

Update on Eli: 2 Months Post-Op

Well, now it's been 2 months since the surgery.  And Eli is doing awesome!

His hair is growing and starting to cover the scar, which healed really well.  His left eye is evening out nicely, and so is the shape of his head overall, which took a little time but he's still growing all around so we expected that.  I was a little nervous before the surgery about how different he would look after, but he's still our little Eli and he looks great!  And his sweet scar is healing really well.

Taken just a few days shy of 1 month since the surgery.

His development was on pause for a couple weeks, but he's gotten right back into the swing of things. I wasn't sure what to expect with his development but it's like he didn't even have a major surgery done! He's rolling over both ways and both from back to tummy and tummy to back, eating solids like a champ, gaining lots of weight, playing with anything he can get his hands on, and smiling and giggling and talking away!  He's having a blast in life and doing very well in health and wellness.

He's been to see the neurosurgeon once and the plastic surgeon twice since being discharged from the hospital.  We won't see the neurosurgeon again unless we need to, and we have our next appointment with the plastic surgeon next month. We'll be seeing him regularly, but not as much as I thought we would need to, which is nice. We'll probably see him a few more times before the year mark from the surgery, and then once a year after that until Eli stops growing when he's in his teens.  We also have an appointment with the opthamalogist in a couple weeks just to make sure everything is still good and normal with his eyes.

About a week after we came home from the hospital Eli got sick with a stomach bug and spent the Sunday puking and the rest of the week diarrhea-ing.  It was a messy week.  But he's been fine other than that.  Everything is looking good and normal with the pediatrician; his 6 month checkup and shots were fine.  The biggest thing is that he was having trouble sleeping through the night.  He was sleeping through the night before the surgery so it was tough having to deal with him waking up again.  I'm sure he was used to being woken up in the hospital and eating around the clock again, but after about a month or so of being home, after trying to sooth him without picking him up or feeding him, we let him cry himself back to sleep during the night.  It took a couple days for him to adjust but he's back to sleeping all the way through, with the occasional 10 or 11pm 1 or 2 minute whimper wakeup (and then right back to sleep). 

All in all, this has been a very positive experience.  Everything has turned out better than we anticipated.  The surgery itself was longer than we thought, but his stay in the hospital, his bandaging, his recovery at home, his development, his personality coming back, his head shape and look, and more were and are much better than we expected.  He is doing great, and we love him!  We can't believe the support we've had from so many people.  We are so blessed and so grateful!

This was a difficult thing to go through, and I'm glad it's behind us.  But I'm grateful for this experience because we are better people and a stronger family because of it.  Our outlook of hope is solid because of our solid hope of and faith in Jesus Christ.  He atoned for all our afflictions and pains and succors us in times of need.  In His holy house, in the sacred temple, we have made covenants with God which has enabled us to be sealed together as a family for eternity.  So long as we stay clean and worthy of the blessings, nothing in this life on Earth can break that family relationship.  Eli will always be ours.  We thank our Father in heaven every day for the tremendous blessing and joy he is in our lives.  :)

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.  :)

Update on Eli: Dr Visit - Plastic Surgeon

Eli is almost 3 months old!  He is healthy and growing and just as cute as can be!  We love every second with him.  I know I have lots to update about him in his almost 3 months of life, but I wanted to share the most recent news.

Our pediatric doctor referred us to a pediatric plastic surgeon in town to get Eli's head evaluated -- it has been a little misshaped since birth.  We thought nothing of it, maybe he would need a helmet, that would be fine.  But it turns out he has something called Unicoronal Craniosynostosis, which can only be fixed by surgery.

The doctor believes one of the sutures, the top right one, in Eli's skull has prematurely fused together, resulting in the misshape of his head and brow.  Untreated it could cause major deformities in his head over time, including all the way down to the jaw.  This condition cannot be fixed with a helmet.  Surgery is the only option.  Thankfully the doctor said the condition and surgery are not life-threatening.

First things first, Eli will be getting a CT scan in the coming weeks to confirm the fusion.  Next he'll see an opthamologist by recommendation from the plastic surgeon to make sure there is no abnormal pressure on his brain and eyes.  Then we'll meet the neurosurgeon at the hospital who will be assisting the plastic surgeon (craniofacial surgeon).  Then bloodwork and cranial surgery this summer, when Eli is 5 or 6 months old.  The surgery itself will last about 3-4 hours and Eli will stay in the hospital for recovery for 5 days.  He will be monitored by the doctor until his teenage years, but the surgery should take care of the condition without need for further correction.

The condition is not super common, but not super rare either.  Apparently it is something he just has.  We didn't do anything to cause it.

Eli is doing well and does not seem to be in any pain.  Except for the shape of his head and brow he seems to be completely normal.  Counting my blessings!

Adam and I are doing fine after the initial shock of hearing the news.  Of course we are worried and nervous partly because any outcome has some uncertainty, but we are also at peace because we know our Father in Heaven loves us and Eli and will take care of him, and that he will be in the hands of very capable doctors.  How grateful I am for modern medicine and medical knowledge and the doctors who train to serve in our communities!  My faith in Jesus Christ is strengthened through this, shall we call it, trial. He makes it easier for us to witness our son go through this.

Everything should turn out fine.  This just isn't something you want to watch your child go through.  We're holding him extra close today!

We love Eli so much!  I'm glad we don't have to go through this alone.  Thanks for your thoughts, prayers and support.

Only 6 More Weeks to Go...

That's right.  I am 34 weeks this week!  Time flies...  It's really weird how it feels like it's going so slow but so fast at the same time!

I'm starting to feel the effects on my body from being pregnant.  Sleeping isn't so easy or comfortable anymore!  There could be worse things going on, but I need to get sleep while I still can!  :)

I feel so unprepared for everything that's about to happen!  It's becoming a little overwhelming.  We have things, but I know I am missing so much stuff.  Diapers?  Nursing bra?  Bath stuff?  Hmm, okay well if that's all then I guess that isn't all that much.  This is just really crazy!  Pretty much in about a month I will be a mom!  And have a little, helpless, delicate baby to take care of...  Going out in public with a baby?  Grocery shopping will be different.  Running any kind of errand or doing anything will be different...  I have so much to learn!  I don't want to get caught up in the things that can (and are!) stress(ing) me out, but I need to get ready at the same time.  How do I do that??  Neither of us know what we're doing!  We're still kids ourselves!  I do know though that even amid all this chaos and confusion and time flying I really want to enjoy every moment.  I hope I can learn to do that too.  Even now, before baby comes.

I'm feeling more and more love for this little guy.  I love feeling him moving around!  I'm getting a little sad that soon I won't be able to, and that I can't just have him with me all the time anymore.  But I know it will bring me so much joy to hold him and to cuddle with him and to see him learn and grow and to show him I love him.  I can't wait to meet him!

33 weeks

34 weeks

6 weeks and counting!  :)

Welcome to the 3rd Trimester!

What?!

That's right.  29 weeks.  Almost a whole 7 months.  3rd trimester.

bump at 28 weeks

Pregnancy goes by so fast.  I expected it to, but at the same time 9 months sounds like a really long time!

I've hit the milestone point of now having doctor appointments every 2 weeks instead of 4...  That makes it seem even more crazy and real!

At our appointment last week we had another ultrasound because the doctor didn't get good enough pictures of everything she needed to see last time.  We invited our immediate family to come to this one.  Both of our parents and Adam's brother came.  It was really cool that they got to be there for that.  At one point during the ultrasound our baby kicked and not only did I feel it but we saw his leg extend and contract on the big screen!  It was so awesome!  That was my favorite part by far.  :)

He was more wiggly this ultrasound so the footage didn't turn out as good as last time.  Plus the doctor said there is more fluid now which makes it harder to take 3D pictures.  But I included a couple still for your viewing pleasure.  :)

My belly continues to bounce around.  It's so weird but really cool to see it moving "on its own."  There is a little living thing inside of me!  So crazy.  So awesome.  The miracle of life is sooooo witnessing of the existence of God, it's not even funny.  We as humans can't create ANYTHING that was never there before (we can manipulate, but not create), except a new person.  Creation is a divine gift, one that only God could have given us.  And it is one that should be taken very seriously.  There is way too much carelessness in the world...  I could go on about that, but I won't right now.

The nursery looks like...  Well I don't know what it looks like, but it doesn't look like a nursery!  A storage room I guess, but full of empty boxes.  And we realize that I could be having a baby in 2 months... TWO MONTHS...  So we really need to get cracking on getting things ready.  !

Our little munchkin at 28 weeks: