Happy Turkey Day

Today was Eli's very first Thanksgiving. We started our morning off the way I always did growing up...watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. He wasn't that interested in it, but he did kind of gaze up at the TV every now and then, probably to appease his Mommy. Before we knew it, it was time to get ready to go to Josh's grandmother's house for Thanksgiving dinner. This was Eli's first time to really get out of the house and go "visiting" since he was born, so we wanted him to look and smell really nice. We gave him a bath (no tears at all this time!) and then dressed him in his Thanksgiving outfit.



Brian and Danielle Pepper gave this precious outfit to him before he was born. Their little girl, Olivia Kate, is exactly one year older than Eli. I loved being able to look at Olivia Kate and see a preview of things Eli would be doing in one year. Unfortunately, they moved back to Tennessee a few months ago. We really miss them, but stay in touch through her blog. Thanks Brian and Danielle for the outfit. Eli got lots of compliments :) Eli looked precious in his Thanksgiving outfit, so I had to do an impromptu photo shoot. He cooperated very well-I guess he's finally getting used to the flash!






We put him in his Boppy to finish watching the parade while we both finished getting ready. Then it was time to head over to Mamaw's for dinner.

Watching the parade...a tradition of mine I hope to continue with Eli.

Kind of a half smile...that counts, doesn't it?

As you can tell from the pictures, Eli spent most of his Thanksgiving asleep. He ate right before we left and konked out. He woke up long enough to eat for a few minutes and then went right back to sleep and took about a 2 1/2 hour nap. He ate again and then, yes, you guessed it, went right back to sleep! LOL!

Already sleeping!

We loaded up and went home and waited for him to wake up so he could eat one more time and go to bed for the night. Too bad for Eli, because the only Thanksgiving food he was able to have was Mommy milk. He didn't seem to mind, though. He gobbled it up! Our first Thanksgiving as a family of three was wonderful. I hope all of yours was as well! Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Gobbling up the last of his Thanksgiving meal

No turkey coma here....this is a Mommy milk coma!

Playtime

Eli and I are on Day 3 of being alone together all day and we're both doing very well! We are slowly getting on a schedule and I'm finding creative ways to get normal things done around the house with a newborn. The bathroom fan works great for when I have to fix my hair and do my make-up every morning :) Eli sits in his Boppy bouncy seat and just stares and looks around while I get ready. He seems to enjoy the noise. Here are some pictures of him on his activity mat. We got out his activity mat this weekend, because when he's awake he loves to sit and stare at everything around him. I love laying beside him while he's on it. I wish I knew what was going on in that head of his!

ABC's of Thanksgiving 2008

A few years ago, Dan mentioned that every year growing up he and his family would name something they were thankful for using each letter of the alphabet. Sounds corny, I know, but I think it's such a great way to appreciate all the wonderful things you have in your life. There are so many things that we take for granted on a daily basis. This thankful exercise helps you realize just how extremely blessed you are; at least it does for me. Try it! You'll find that you're thankful for some things you wouldn't have thought of at first-check out my list to see! Regardless of whether you choose to do this thankful exercise or not, remember the real reason we celebrate Thanksgiving. Sure, there's going to some great good, awesome football games, plenty of family and friends to visit with, but it's a time to reflect and think about how blessed we are. God has so richly blessed our lives. Use this day and every day after this to thank him for all he has done for you and your family!

A- Automobiles. Can you imagine if you had to walk everywhere? Well, maybe that would be a good thing. I don't guess we would have such problem with obesity in America. Still, I'm very thankful that Josh and I both have automobiles that we can get around in. We'll be driving them for awhile, but at least they work and still look good!

B- Butterflies. They make me smile. Plus, I love how an icky caterpillar can turn into something so beautiful. Kind of like when God changes us...he takes someone that's icky on the inside and turns us into something beautiful.

C- Coins. I love using change to buy things, especially Happy Hour Sonic drinks. I love using extra change to buy things...it makes me feel like I'm saving money-even though I'm really not-but it lets me keep dollar bills in my wallet instead of lots of coins.

D- Dad. My dad is one of the greatest people I know. He is the man I measure all other men against. He is a wonderful man of God and I am so thankful that God made him my earthly father. He has always been there for me. He set such a wonderful example to me of how a Godly man should live his life. My dad is a prayer warrior. There hasn't been a time when he has called to check on Josh and me where he hasn't ended the conversation in a prayer. I love him so much! I am so thankful to have a father like him!

E- Eli! I can't tell you how much this little boy has changed my life for the better. I can't imagine not having him in my life. He is such a miracle! For so long, I prayed that I would be able to hold a child in my arms, and God answered my prayer. Every night when I'm rocking Eli to sleep, I sit and stare in wonder at the precious gift I hold in my arms. I am so thankful for my beautiful little boy.

F- Family and Friends. What would our lives be like without our family and friends? Very empty, I think. I'm so very thankful for the family and friends that are in my life. They are such a strong support system and are always there for me. This was so apparent during my pregnancy. So many people poured out their love on our family. Josh and I feel very blessed to have so many people we can call true friends in our lives.

G- Gas. Yes, I'm thankful for the gas that we put in our automobiles and more importantly that it's going down every day! WOO HOO! Keep on going down!!

H- Home. I'm so thankful for my house. Josh and I are very happy in our little home. We've been able to do some remodeling recently and it turned out great. I love that we have a place where we feel safe and secure, a place where family and friends can gather, a place that is full of love and happiness.

I- Icicles. One of my favorite things to look at in winter, especially in Colorado where they seem to reach incredible lengths.

J- Josh! Josh is my heart. I love this man more than life itself. There are days I want to pinch myself because I can't believe that God has given him to me. He is my dream come true, my best friend, the love of my life, my hero, my confidant, my support, my partner for life. He is such a wonderful man. I'm so thankful to have him in my life. Eli and I are so blessed to have him. He is the best husband a girl could ask for and such a great Daddy!

K- Kisses, especially forehead kisses from Josh. They make my heart melt. I also love the kisses I get from Eli, even though he doesn't realize what a kiss is yet...I still like to pretend he does!

L- Ladybugs. One of my favorite insects. I think they're considered good luck, too, so I especially love when they land on me..makes me feel lucky :)

M- Mom. I'm so thankful for my Mom. She loves me unconditionally and would do anything for me. Plus, she went through 18 hours of labor with me. Talk about LOVE! Thanks for all you do Mom! Eli is lucky to have a Grammy like you :)

N- Noses...well, not everyone's nose. I prefer Eli's. It's probably the place I kiss him the most. He's got the cutest little nose ever :)

O- Otters. They're the cutest ever! I love their whiskers. At the zoo back home, the otter exhibit was one of my favorites. They always look like they're up to no good. They make me smile and laugh.

P- Presents. OOOH! I love presents! I love giving presents and I love receiving presents. I love waking up in the middle of the night on Christmas Eve and staring at the Christmas tree with all the presents underneath. I love shaking the presents and trying to guess what surprise is inside. I seem to turn into a kid again whenever Christmas comes around. I love sneaking peeks at my presents-although now, everyone that knows me has gotten smart and they don't use bags, they double tape boxes, and they even hide presents from me! LOL! Hey, it keeps me young :)

Q- Q-Tips. How good do your ears feel after you use a Q-Tip? Pretty darn good!

R- Rest. I am so thankful for the days when I can kick back and relax. I especially love Saturday mornings because Josh and I can just rest and relax all day. It refreshes the body, soul, and mind.

S- Seasons. Not just the four seasons we have every year; although, I'm very thankful for those-spring and fall the most! We also need to be thankful for the seasons we go through in our lives. Sometimes we go through a season where everything seems to be going so perfectly. Be thankful and happy in this season. There are other times we go through seasons where it seems as if nothing is going our way. We should still be thankful for these seasons, too. Sometimes it takes a season like this to make us lean on God just a little bit more or it causes us to put our faith to work. In Ecclesiastes 7:14 it says, "When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider: God has made the one as well as the other." Obviously, we wouldn't have these bad seasons if God didn't want us to learn something. Use the good seasons and the bad seasons to be thankful that you have a God that cares about you no matter the circumstance, no matter what you're going through, no matter what you've done or haven't done. He loves you in good times and bad.

T- Time. I'm thankful for the time I get to spend every day living this wonderful life. I don't know how many seconds, minutes, or hours I have left in this life, but I'm going to enjoy each and every one.

U- Umbrellas...without them we'd all look awful on rainy days.

V- Veggies. They taste good and are good for you!

W- Waterfalls. They're beautiful, powerful, and an awesome aspect of God's creation.

X- X-Rays. I'm glad we have the technology we have today that we can see something that is under the skin. I've only had to have one, but it gave me peace of mind to know that nothing was wrong with me.

Y- Yesterday. I'm thankful for all my yesterdays because they help me live my life today. They teach me more about myself and help me make good decisions for now. The mistakes of yesterday shape and influence the way I live my life today. Life is best understood looking backward, they say, but it can only be lived forward. Let your yesterdays help you live your life to the fullest today.

Z- Zoos. I'm a big animal lover and I love going to zoos to see all the magnificent creatures that live in them.

There you have it. My ABC's of Thanksgiving. Remember, more than anything else, to thank God for all the incredible blessings you have in your life this Thanksgiving. He has blessed our lives beyond measure!

Back to Work for Daddy

Today Josh had to go back to work. Sigh......I miss him already and it's only been 4 hours. It has been so great to have him with me the past three weeks. He has been such a great help to me! I never had to worry about who would watch the baby while I went to take a shower or fix my hair or wash clothes. He was always here and was always more than willing to jump right in and help with Eli. Today he had to go back to work. Eli was a little fussy yesterday and I think it's because he knew his Daddy was going back to work-I don't really know if this is true, but it sounds good! Josh adores his little boy and Eli is quite smitten with his daddy, too! I'm so glad we live in a small town because Josh is at least going to be able to come home every day and spend an hour with us. Now Eli and I just have to find ways to occupy our time alone with each other every day until I go back to work. I'm sure we'll be able to find something to do!

Josh and his "Little Buddy"

First Real Bath

Eli had his first "real" bath Saturday. After weeks of doctoring with rubbing alcohol, his umbilical cord stump finally fell off Friday morning. Hooray! I was ready for our son to get his first real bath. We set everything up in the back bathroom-tub, washcloths, hooded towel, and shampoo. We were ready to go! Unfortunately, it was kind of cramped in there with all three of us, which is why we only have this one picture. We may have to readjust our game plan for the next bathing experience. Overall, Eli seemed to enjoy it more than the sponge baths he had been getting. He really enjoyed having the warm water poured over his little tummy. He would cry in between pours, but once he felt the water he would stop crying immediately. I can't wait until he can actually play in the tub with bath toys, but for right now I'm going to enjoy moments of sweetness like this. :)

Milk Coma

My son is a porker. Yes, you read that right. I just called my son a pig. :) He loves to eat, which I can say, he gets honestly from both of his parents. Food is one of the things we LOVE! I'm looking so forward to the holidays because of all the yummy food I'm going to get to eat. Of course, all that food is not going to help me lose the remaining baby weight, but that's what New Year's resolutions are for, right?

Anyway, back to Eli, when he gets hungry and starts rooting around he makes little grunts that sound just like a pig. Once he starts eating, he acts like he is ravenous and hasn't had a meal in days, when in actuality it's only been 2 hours. LOL! Eventually, he gets full and passes into a state Josh and I call the "Milk Coma." He gets through eating and the expression on his face is one of absolute bliss. I love it! We took some pictures of him in his "Milk Coma" the other night. If you look hard enough you can see the milk actually running down the sides of his face. See, he really is a little piggy! But he's my little piggy and I LOVE HIM SO MUCH!

2 Weeks Old

Today Eli is 2 weeks old. It's hard to believe that our little guy is only 2 weeks, because it feels as if he has been a part of our lives forever. We are loving life with our baby boy. He is so much fun-even though he mostly just eats, sleeps, poops, and pees. Those rare moments when he is awake, his big blue eyes just stare so intently and curiously at the world around him. It makes us wonder what he's thinking about. He is such a good baby. He's still eating about every 2-3 hours during the day and about every 3-4 hours at night. He loves being rocked to sleep, putting his head on your chest, cuddling with you, "Daddy Time", eating, and sleeping in his swing. I still feel so much gratitude and thankfulness when I am rocking my baby boy to sleep every night. I can't believe that God gave us this incredible blessing. I never knew I could love someone so much.

Working hard to get that head up :)

Today Josh, Eli, and I went for our newborn portrait session with Jamie Ainsworth. Eli was in a pretty good mood when we got there and only got fussy towards the end of the shoot. For a 2 week old, I think he did very well. He had to eat a few times while we were there so he would go to sleep, but once he went to sleep Jamie was able to arrange him like she wanted. Jamie took some amazing pictures and I can't wait to see the final product. I think Eli may be like his daddy when it comes to pictures though, but hopefully, he'll get used to the camera because it's not going away! As soon as I get the teaser proofs from Jamie, I'll post them. I can't wait to see them! I know how awesome they are going to look. Thank you, Jamie for this incredible gift! We had a such a great time today!

Weekend with Grammy and Grandma

This past weekend my mom and grandmother came down to visit us. Well, they mostly came to see Eli; Josh and I just happened to be here, too. :) Can you blame them though? My little boy is so cute! I love to just sit and stare at him all the time. We are so blessed to have him in our lives. Before I get to the pictures of Eli with his Grammy and Grandma, I have to show these pictures. Every morning after I feed Eli, he and Josh have what we call "Daddy Time." Eli loves sitting and staring at his Daddy. I love it! Plus, he looks pretty cute in his Daddy's Helper outfit. His pants are a little big still, but we're working on putting some weight on him.



Mom and Grandma got here Saturday around lunch time. Eli had just finished eating so he was sleeping, but he soon woke up. I guess he realized he had company and woke up to spend time with them. This was the first time my grandmother had held Eli. She wasn't able to come to the hospital when he was born, so I'm very glad she was able to make this trip to come see her first great-grandson.


Eli was great all weekend. Mom, A.K.A. "Grammy", and my grandmother enjoyed getting to see him and spend time with him. Here are some pictures from our weekend with Grammy and Grandma. Mom's camera takes better pictures than mine, so I have to give her all the credit for these pictures. I'm so glad they were able to come down and visit with us. Eli is extremely blessed to have so many people that love him so much!

My Missing Belly

My blog friend, Cheryl, did this with her little boy after he was born and I loved it, so I'm copying her. Hope you don't mind, Cheryl! Here is Eli one week and 1 day after he was born. It's hard to believe that he fit in my tummy! He seems so much bigger now!

40 weeks 3 days

1 week and 1 day old

I must say that I do miss having him in my tummy sometimes, but I'm so glad he's here. He has brought so much joy to our lives!

1st Doctor's Visit

Today we went to the doctor for Eli's first check-up. We were both very anxious to see how much weight he had gained since leaving the hospital. He has been feeding so well-about every 2 hours during the day and every 3 hours most nights. As a new mom, I want to make sure that I am doing everything I need to do to help him gain weight and grow like he is supposed to. Plus, I was very ready to meet his pediatrician. She is one of the best in our area and we have heard nothing but great things about her.


We got to the pediatrician's office and had to wait about an hour before they called us back to the room. Let's just say it was quite humorous to watch Josh around all those other kids. One kid seemed intent on making sure that every magazine in the magazine rack ended up on the floor by way of throwing them across the room. Another kid (a SICK kid, I might add, that was in the WELL room!) was crying and hollering. There was a TV in the room playing an annoying kids movie and we couldn't change the channel or adjust the volume. Josh compared this experience to a visit to Wal-Mart, a place he utterly abhors! I hope the next time we go it's better, but we'll just have to wait and see.

We finally got called back and they had us undress Eli except for his diaper. Luckily for us, Nicki had given me a few pointers on what to take to the doctor's office, so I had a blanket packed and ready to keep him warm while we waited on the doctor. My little man would have been freezing, otherwise! (Thanks for the heads up, Nicki!) The nurse weighed him and he had gained 4 oz. Way to go, Eli! He was 7 lbs. 14 oz. at birth, left the hospital weighing 7 lbs. 6 oz. and today he weighed 7 lbs. 10 oz. My mommy milk is working! They took his temperature and he was in the normal range. We went back to the room and she measured his length and his head. I forgot to ask her what his head measurements were, but his little body was 20 inches long. I don't know how he lost an inch from the hospital, but hopefully we'll make that up next time. We got back to the room and waited for Doctor Russ. Eli got hungry, so we gave him some mommy milk in a bottle while we waited. Finally, Doc. Russ came and we LOVED her. She made us feel so good. Everything we are doing is right. Yay us! She answered all of our questions, even the stupid ones, and didn't make us feel like our questions were stupid at all. She checked Eli and said he looked great. We will go back in one week just for a weight check. We want him to be at or above his birth weight by then. We're going to work extra hard on that this next week :)