Quick helmet update & some other updates & pics

Eli & his little girlfriend Maliyah

E had his appointment yesterday morning with the specialist. They took pictures of his head and measured it, then a doctor came in to evaluate him and talk to us. She pretty much told us what we already knew, his little head is "crooked" ;) if that is the right word for it, but it is not that bad compared to other children. He will need a helmet to correct it but Mark and I need to decide whether we will go forth with it or not. His head will not get any worse by this point, but there is a possibility that it won't "fix" itself. We have the option of waiting a few months to see what happens, or to go ahead and do it. At this point we are not sure what we are going to do, we are waiting on the call from the insurance company to see if they will cover it, if they don't we might look at a different company that I heard of that could be 3/4 of the cost to 1/2 the cost of the other place. A little more affordable. So we will see. We should know by tomorrow, so we will talk about it then and see where we want to go from there. Anyway I don't think I ever updated on Thanksgiving, we went down to my parents house and hung out there for the 4 day weekend! It was nice having my family relieve Mark and I with Eli duty ;) Aside from breastfeeding him, they literally wanted to do EVERYTHING for him, even changing dirty diapers... Ahh it was heaven :) I leave you with these pics! E is taking a bottle again which means a little more freedom for me! :) I can pump and go to the grocery store or get this, out on a date with Mark now! :)

My parents got him a walker! He loved playing in it!

He is going after everything now, even tore the paper Thanksgiving tablecloth.

He decided he was going to hold his own bottle, he didn't want anyone to feed him! He thinks he is such a big boy and is VERY stubborn!

We also attempted to fee him rice cereal over Thanksgiving weekend, since his pedi recommended we start him on it to help him sleep through the night. Well, it didn't go that great, see pics below!

Hey mom, not so sure about this chair thing....

Ohh whats this... so intrigued by the bowl he would not let Mark put it down he kept going after it!

What the heck is this stuff....



Not too convinced mom!

You mean I have to eat more?!?!

That's it, I'm done! And so he was... we tried 2 other times since then and he is still not ready so we will wait until he is 5 months and try again then. I am in no hurry, I have gotten used to him waking up to nurse throughout the night so it doesn't bother me and I doubt Mark cares since he sleeps through the night fine huh babe ;)

We have also taken him on more walks, he does not like being in the stroller laying down anymore, we had to move his seat and sit him like a "Big Boy" so he can look around.

He also loves to take off his socks now... I find him like this most of the time!

We are down to only 4 pairs of socks. He takes them off in his carseat while we are out shopping and I have left them behind at some stores, he takes them off while playing on his mat, on his bouncer, on his swing! EVERYWHERE! And then I usually only find one... I didn't know why they were disappearing until I a few outside with Eddie! :)

He is also doing really well at attempting to sit on his own. He doesn't like laying down, he prefers that someone holds his hand so he can sit and look around at everything.

Photo Shoot with the boys!

So I did a little photo shoot yesterday afternoon with the boys! Eli and Mark are awesome models! Here is a little sneak peak of the few that I have edited! I also took a few of my parents and sisters since they were up visiting this weekend but I will post as I edit them :) But I am getting to bed now since it is 2 am and I am still up playing with pictures! I will blog some more later in the meantime enjoy my boys! :)

Eli might need a helmet! :(

So we have known there might be the possibility of Eli getting a helmet for some time now. From his very first visit his Pediatrician noticed that Eli would only turn his head to the left side, this is called Torticollis. We tried putting him to sleep on his right side, doing more tummy time, I have even put blankies in his carseat to get him to turn the other way. Well his Torticollis is better now, however because he preferred that left side and whenever he was laying down would only be on that side of his head, he got a little flat spot on it. It wasn't that noticeable at first, but now that he has grown a little more it has become pretty noticeable. When we went in for his 4 month check up, his pediatrician said that he would give it until he was 6 months to see if it would "FIX" itself and so we left it at that. Well, I spoke to one of the mommies from my lactation class whose beautiful little girl got a helmet for the very same reason and she suggested if he has had this issue since birth that we get the process started because it could take a while to get in to a specialist. So Mark and I talked and decided to go ahead. I called his pediatrician today and we talked on the phone for a while, I explained that I did not want to wait until Eli is 6 months to see what happens. If the process could take up to 1 month to 2 we wanted to get it started now so we don't lose those two months. We figured it would be easier for Eli wearing it now that he is not that mobile than when he starts crawling. Hopefully his little head does "Fix" itself by 6 months but if it doesn't I would rather have those two months in already and have him get a helmet at 6 months than starting the process then and having to wait until his is 8 months! Anyway I called the specialist today and they are getting him in next Wednesday, the 9th! I didn't think it would be so soon! And it will be a Free Consultation, so they will better tell us what they recommend! I am so happy they will be able to get him in so soon! Now another issue we are going to have to face is INSURANCE! We have a crappy one that would not pay for any heartburn or nausea medication while I was pregnant, so I don't know if they are going to cover this :( because apparently it is for "Aesthetics" WTH!!! Anyway, I guess we won't know much until next Wednesday, but if he needs it I am keeping my fingers crossed that the insurance will cover it because by the research I have been doing, it could cost us close to $4,000, but if that is the case, oh well, guess we won't be Eating out or doing any "Fun Stuff" for a while, which is fine, we got plenty of DVD's here at the house for entertainment! :) Anyway, here is a picture of what Eli has right now, it is called Plagiocephaly. As you can see by the picture, the head is slanted, kinda like a triangle. Eli's little head is not to that extreme but it is noticeable looking at it from a top. Just keep your fingers crossed for him. :)

Eli's 4 months! Yeah a bit late...

He was so upset that mommy was ignoring him!

We have a monster of a child! :) He had his 4 month appointment and he is in the 90% for height and 60% for weight! We have a big boy which would explain why I am having a hard time fitting him into his clothing and why my arm is so relieved at night! He weighed in at 15lbs 10 oz and is almost 27 inches long! He had his 4 month shots as well and he did great! Didn't even cry! Well he did but it was because they were holding him down and he could no longer put his fists in his mouth, as soon as his little hands were free, he was ok!

He is still not sleeping through the night, but he is fine deswaddled now so I am chucking the lack of sleep to the "4 month wakeful". Around 4 months apparently they go through a phase where they don't want to sleep, some kids go through it, some don't... apparently E decided he didn't want mommy or daddy to miss ANY part of parenthood, so he has been trying it out ohh for the last month! He has also become a terrible nurser, he just wants to play at the boob and he will play with my face, try to shove both his hands in his mouth along with my boobie. He would rather look around and laugh for no reason than eat! According to my lactation consultant this is pretty normal as well. In her words we are in the "4 month Crappies" (Crappy nursers/Crappy Sleepers) They become so aware and interested in everything around them that they would rather do something else than eat or sleep. Ohh well, if he is not interested I can't force him... besides it's not like he is lacking in the weight department, he's got "stuff" to live off of for a good while! :) Just hoping this "4 month crappies" doesn't last too much longer. Although I have to admit, I have gotten used to his routine I wake up sometimes when he has a good night and freak out that he never woke up! Guess I can't have everything huh? :)

He is tripoding a lot more now, still wobbles and leans forward to help balance himself. Everything within his reach goes into his mouth. He is nonstop giggles and laughing, he loves to play with Eddie. The way they interact with each other is so cute. E talks and talks and talks and Eddie will just sit there moving his head from side to side and then stretching out his paw to touch E! Eddie does not leave his side and is VERY interested in Eli's toys!

Oh and one big change around the house, Eli has rolled himself over to Mark's DVD's a few times and one of the times he was actually reaching for the DVD's! Well since that day our living room went from This

To this

If you know Mark, you know he is very anal with his DVD's and has then in alphabetical order by category! He even has a spreadsheet on the computer with all the DVD's on it! (Yes my hubby is a dork which is one of the many reasons why I love him!) Anyway, when I told him Eli was somehow rolling himself over there that same night our living room completely changed! :) All the DVD's are now upstairs in our game room and the big TV is soon following.

Here he is putting anything within his reach in his mouth!

And just a few of Eli with Eddie. Aren't' they so cute together!

A year ago today!

So a year ago today, Mark and I saw this!

Mark and I were on our way up to California for his brother's 30th birthday and I went ahead and tested at the airport at around 5:00 am! Sure enough we saw those two pink lines! It was the most amazing feeling ever. I still remember the the giddiness of the entire trip. Mark and I kept saying to each other that it could be "wrong" to not get our hopes up but we could not deny the excitement we were feeling. We would just start smiling at each other for absolutely nothing! It is so hard to believe how fast the entire pregnancy went by and even harder to believe that our little man is 4 months as of yesterday! If I thought the pregnancy went fast, time is just flying now with Eli. He is changing daily and no matter how many pictures I take or how much I video tape him, I can't seem to get enough to capture every moment! (Well for my satisfaction anyway, I am sure he will hate me someday with how much I actually do take). I won't post much today, because I will be doing that tomorrow. He has his 4 month appointment in the morning so tomorrow will be a big post I promise! :) But I just wanted to remember that "Special Moment" that truly did change our simple little lives to the crazy, hectic sleepless one we have now! But we wouldn't have it any other way! Anyway here is one just because!

We are going down to RR for Thanksgiving and Nana D. got Eli some beanies and other hats to wear down there, of course I had to have him try them out first!

I love this time of year and days like today!

Because Mark gives in to my obsession for coffee, and I wake up to this!

When it's cold outside (not that it's even close to being THAT cold in Phoenix) I have a harder time getting out of bed and need the little extra boost to get me going! I LOVE, love, LOVE sipping it early in the morning snuggled on the couch!

Yes, I am addicted to it and I could drink it everyday if I could but I can't. Too much of it gives me migraines. Back in high school they had me on caffeine pills to try and control them, not knowing that they were making me worse!

Anyway then I felt a little productive since the munchkin is still asleep and made some of these for breakfast! YUM! Chocolate chip!

So now I sit here writing a quick blog before E wakes up sipping on my HUGE cup of coffee and eating my way delicious Chocolate Chip Pancakes!

Anyway, this picture is for you Mitzi! As promised Halloween 2006!

And here is one of the little man! We started getting some of his toys out yesterday and he was really intrigued by them. He especially loved his links, once he got hold of them they were pretty much a slobbery mess! :) He was trying to shove 4 or 5 of them into his mouth!

No... my life isn't perfect.

My life is not perfect! I had a son that was STTN since week one and now gets up to nurse 2 or 3 times a night! He has never slepped during the day and for the first 3 months of his life, all he wanted was to be held, he would scream bloody murder if he was put down. My arms, back, and neck have seen better days. Lets face it, towing around 14 lbs all over the house every day is eventually going to start causing some soreness. The bright side are the killer guns I am getting on my biceps! :)

My life is not perfect because Mark and I argue. We argue because it's Monday and he forgot to put the Garbage out, we argue because it's Wednesday and I am so frustrated that he has to be home late again. We argue because it's Thursday and he has no clean shirts for work. Yes I failed to notice that he was down to his last shirt again and didn't put a load in the washer, but you know what I call that a marriage.

My life is not perfect because there are days that I don't even shower, I have about 20 loads of laundry that I still need to do, our bathroom is a mess, our living room has piles of baby clothes that I still need to fold and put away, there are dishes in the dishwasher that have been there all weekend. My house is pretty much in shambles right now. My life is not perfect because Mark is at work for about 10-12 hours most days. My life is not perfect because there are days that I don't have a warm dinner waiting on the table and we have to eat a PB & J sandwich. My life is not perfect because sometimes I forget to put a liner on Eli's bottle and I spill all my hard pumped breast milk, sometimes I forget to screw on a bottle onto the breast pump and I leak all over, and you know what sometimes I also forget to put a diaper on Eli and just zip up his sleeper and a minute later realize what I just did as I am getting soaked in pee!

My life is not perfect because there are days where I feel that I just can't do it. There are days that I feel lonely and helpless. I used to think that something was wrong maybe I was getting depressed but you know what I have come to realize that it's completely normal to feel like this because I AM NOT PERFECT and I don't have any problem admitting that. I feel that it's healthy for me to admit that sometimes I feel scared that I am not doing something correct or that maybe I could have done something better. I have my flaws and that's OK.

If my life where perfect, Eli would STTN, Mark would be home with us ALL DAY. My parents would live at least within the same Zip Code as us, I would be able to take half hour showers every day, the house chores would do themselves and dinner would be ready on the table every night! But maybe if things were perfect life wouldn't be perfect because it would then be boring. I Love my UN-perfect life and fact that each day is different.

So no my life is not perfect but you know what it's ok, because to me it's perfect in every way. Although my parents don't live close, they call every day to check up on us and I know they would drop everything in a heartbeat if I ask. I have a very beautiful UN-perfect son who does NOT sleep through the night and occasionally still screams to be held. I also have a handsome and supporting husband who forgets to put out the trash but also tolerates my moodiness and still tells me he loves me even at my worst. At the end of the day I put our son in his bassinet right next to me. I lay down in my husbands arms and he hugs me tight! Everything I need is within my reach. Now that is what I call perfect!

How can I complain when I have this to look at daily!

and this waiting for me in bed!

On a side note, Eli and I have been doing a lot more reading now, I think he finally likes it and really gets into some of the books.

I had also mentioned that he had tri-podded. Here is a pic of him doing it, he can tri-pod for about 10 seconds now before tipping over! He will be sitting on his own before we know it!

Goodbye Giggles... Hello Belly Laughs! Ohh and Halloween Pics

Ok before any of the Halloween pics, I just want to Awwww my son! Eli Belly Laughed today! A full on HUGE Belly Laugh! I couldn't believe it! I yelled for Mark to come and see him! It was a little before 7:00 am and I was playing with him on the couch. I was being silly and making funny noises when he just started cracking up! I continued doing them and he continued laughing! Mark got to hear him and then all 3 of us where cracking up! Was definitely a very special moment to have our "First Family Laugh" :) Oh my gosh, it is unbelievably the most amazing feeling! I was bragging to everyone today and then I figured it was maybe a one time thing and no, he has continued doing it all day along with his little roaring! (Oh yeah, he started roaring like a lion on Monday) Ok "Awwww time" is over. :)

On to Halloween stuff, I won't say too much other than we had a lot of fun with him this month! ;) Thanks to Grandma, aunts, great aunts, cousins, and some friends for all for all of the Halloween things you got for Eli. Below are pics of him wearing the stuff but of course I could not picture everything, there are way too many pictures as it is! He got about 7 different bibs, 3 onesies, a few hats and socks, 5 sleepers and some other shirts and little outfits! We went to a few parties and below are some pics!

This is my favorite picture of him! :)

Trying to take a picture with his pumpkin = HUGE FAIL

Mommy & Eli at various different Halloweenie events

Eli and his buddies at Mommy class he had so much fun he was pooped by the time we left and fell asleep in his car seat!

I was a construction worker for one of the parties while Eli was a Baby Doctor! Doesn't he look adorable in his little baby scrubs! Below I am pictured holding a handful of candies, I was obviously way more into them than I really should be :) and then there's Dr. Eli with his nurse.

We had a little bit of everything at the party... A Hippie, Raggedy Anne, Cheetah Girl, and Sandy from Greece!

Then we had a dancing competition!

Even the animals came out to play!

The bunch before taking Eli and Adrian trick or treating!

I took a picture of his first Candy Eli got and then what he got at the end! Pretty good for only going to about 13 houses! Ohh and I did not have the best photographer, those blurry pictures are the only ones that Mark too :(

I can't forget about Eddie! He joined in on the fun as a pumpkin! He loves the costume and didn't even take it off. I had it on the couch and he even went to get it off this morning and put it on the floor to lay on it! ;)

Some of Eli's Halloween stuff

Some more

And More....

And finally, Eli with all his Costumes!

So pissed off!

So Eli outgrew all of his 0-3 month clothing and a lot of the 3-6 as well. Well my mom helped me out by putting his outgrown clothes away since I can't bring myself to do it. I cry pretty much every time I realize he no longer fits into certain outfits, anyway she got some 6 month and 9 month stuff out since the little dude is so long, well I went ahead and washed everything! I went to get everything out of the dryer and everything freaking SHRUNK! Not just a little by what seems like two inches! And most of the clothing was Carters!!!! I can't even fit his feet (huge feet if I may add) into the foot portion of his sleepers! GRRRRRRR!!!! So I am on my way to Target to buy laundry detergent and a probably 12 month sleepers at this point!

Ohh and I WILL be updating tonight with some Halloween pics! :) At least that is something to smile about!

3 Months and LOTS of stuff

3 Months Already... Well he was 3 months on Wednesday!

Yeah, I know... horrible blogger but hey I have a kid who is very unpredictable right now. I will keep it short since he is about to get up from his nap but I posted lots of pictures

Anyway, since the last two blogs, We have come and gone to California, been to a State Fair, got Eli Baptised and a few small thing in between. Our biggest news right now is that we started de-swaddling Eli at night since he is getting closer to rolling over from back to belly and we don't wan't him swaddled if he does that, anyway lets just say it has not been going great. We went from a GREAT baby who was STTN (for those of you non-bloggers that's sleeping through the night) to getting up 3-4 times now! :::Grrrrrr::: which makes for a very cranky and tired baby ALL day long. Although my sister was up for a week, I was not able to really do much because he didn't even want her to hold him. He just wanted to cuddle with Mommy most of the day which then leads to a very tired mommy who used to blog at night when Baby was in bed but now just goes down at 8:00 along with him! But I figure he was swaddled for the first 3 months of his life, it might take him that long to get used to being de-swaddled. :::Crossing Fingers::: that it doesn't last that long. Anyway, below is a list of Eli's 1'sts for this month along with some pics. There are just way too many pics to upload all so just a teaser of everything. I won't make any promises to blog by a certain day anymore but I will make a very BIG effort to at least update once a week!

Eli's firsts!

1. 1st time on a plane
2. 1st trip to California
3. 1st time meeting his cousins and everyone else on daddy's side of the family
4. 1st professional photo shoot
5. 1st time to a fair
6. 1st real giggle (wish I could have gotten it on camera)
7. 1st time on a John Deere
8. 1st time in his Jumperoo
9. 1st time drinking from a big boy bottle (forget those little 4oz bottles now)!
10. 1st time tri-poding on his own (only for about 5 seconds though before he feel forward)
11. 1st time sleeping un-swaddled (as mentioned before is not going great)
12. 1st time going to a softball game
13. Got baptised and did great!

1st time meeting cousin Paige

1st time meeting cousin Payton

Our nieces and their baby blues!

Favors for Eli's Baptism

The little man in his little outfit

At church (notice bottom right picture) our son is going to be a Rocker!

Cake (Thanks Meli for making it) it was yummy, and some of his gifts

1st time at the fair, he did great and was looking at everything. Nana & Tata did not want to put him down at all!

1st time in his jumperoo, he LOVE'S it!

Yes, we are back!

We got back on Saturday actually but have been crazy busy since then. With Eli's baptism being this coming Saturday (the 17th) I have been trying to get everything ready! I have tons of stuff to blog about and lots of pictures from our trip to San Francisco, but I really don't have time to blog right now, but I will be back to blogging after Eli's baptism. So look for something possibly next Monday or Tuesday! Until then, I leave you with this. I wanted to take pictures of Eli in his Baptism outfit. The Godmothers got him a cute little romper! He was going to wear the outfit Mark wore when he was baptised but it is still to big on him. I did love the romper though. It is nice and simple, since I didn't want any of the shiny fancy suits. He looks so cute in it, and I am so happy that our son is getting baptised. Hope all is well!

Here you go Dad

We are packed and ready to go! We will be gone for a week, so I won't be blogging until we come back. I leave my dad with this video since he is apparently devastated he is going to go 3 weeks without seeing Eli! Stay safe and I look forward to coming back and reading up on all your blogs! :)

New Look, New Look!!!

So it is almost 1:00 am and I am still up... sigh. (That is why I have the new look) I had been meaning to change it up for a while but I honestly hadn't given myself time to do it. What do you think??? Like it, I also designed the top header. I was originally going to go with something a little more different. With pictures of us as a family but I decided that everyone would much rather see Eli's cute little face instead so I went with him! I think it looks way better than staring at Mark and I. Anyway back to me complaining about still being up at 1:00 am.... (ok my whining is about to begin so skip over if you don't want to read) If only I could go to sleep. Mark and Eli have been sound asleep now since 10:00 pm and I have yet to join them. I am just so restless. We had class tonight at church for Eli's Baptism we got out at 9 and then we had to go pick up the baby. We got home I nursed the baby, and put him to bed. Then came downstairs to finish my list of things that NEED to get done tomorrow. I feel like I have so much to do still with only half the day tomorrow to accomplish it. Eli and I go to Mommy class at 10:00 am tomorrow and by the time it's over, I run the errands I need to run we will be home by around 3:00 pm only to come home try and somewhat leave some organization to the house before we leave. I need to finish Eli's Baptism Announcements and put them in the mail, then go to the Bass Pro Shop with Mark so he can get a few things he still needs for hunting. Meet up with my sisters boyfriend so he can take Eddie down to RR to my parents and there goes my day and night! :( It will be close to 9:00 pm by the time we get home tomorrow and then we leave on Saturday. We will be gone for a week and I feel I still have so much to do in order to get ready for Eli's Baptism. I know I will still have a week to get things ready but I am just a bit overwhelmed. Anyway, I drank some tea hopefully that will help me sleep a little. I will get a good 4 hours of sleep before Eli is up! But I leave you with these pictures....

Our little chunker!

This picture cracks me up! My little old man! LOVE IT!

Bumbo Fun... Smiley Boy

Eli loves the Bumbo! I try not to keep him in there for too long though, once he starts slouching, I get him out of there so he won't strain his little back, but usually every time I put him in there he starts babbling away. He had been such a happy baby and I was so excited we were finally getting to the point where he would not scream when I put him down. I had been able to get stuff done around the house and then today happened! He was so fussy all day and fought so hard when I was trying to put him down for his naps. He slepped for about 15-20 minutes off and on throughout the day so he fell hard right now. I am hoping he goes until 7:00 am! ::Keeping fingers crossed:: Today he slepped until 8:30 am!!

For some other news, Mark and I have been getting our suitcases packed for this coming weekend. We will be going up to San Francisco and spending a week up there. Mark is going hunting with his dad and uncle, while Eli and I hang out with his Grandma Lynn. This will be the first time that Eli will get to meet all of our family up in California, He will get to meet his cousins, aunts, uncles and great grandparents so I a myself and looking forward to that and getting some pictures of him with everyone! I have been stressing about everything lately because with the whole trip and packing and everything else I forgot about poor little Eddie. Mark suggested we Kennel him but I can't do that so my parents are going to be very wonderful and take care of him for two weeks! My sisters boyfriend is going to come and pick him up this Friday and my parents will probably keep Eddie down in RR until Eli's Baptism on the 17th! (Although I don't think I can go that long without our Dog, I have gotten so used to Eli, Eddie and Mommy time everyday and watching Eddie interact with Eli) Sooooo... I am thinking I might make a trip down to RR after we get back from California to pick Eddie up.

And here is Eli and Eddie... Eli wasn't too happy! :)

Anyway, I am getting very nervous about our flight. We have so much stuff that we are taking up there that it is just going to be a big headache lugging all that along with a baby, plus I am concerned about Eli's ears (If mine hurt when I fly I hate knowing that it could happened to the baby and there is not too much I can do about it) I am also concerned about all those germs at the airport and being with that many people in such a confined area for a long period of time with the baby, aside from catching a cold or something I am worried about him getting fussy on the plane and he wants to be walked but we won't be able to do that. Ahhhh the worries, there are plenty more but I am just going to have to be brave and deal with them :(

Eli had been such a happy baby, smiling at everything and then today well, he was just fussy, but here are some pics of my Smiley boy!

This post is for Tata

This post is for Eli's Tata Rey. He calls everyday asking for new pictures and is now asking for videos! He says it's not fair we get to see him everyday that I should post videos daily... well I might think about a video once a week. Here ya go Tata. (The beginning is cute the rest is just him babbling and a lot of me talking)

I don't have much to update. I love spending so much time with Eli and I thank my hubby so much for working hard so I can stay home with him. Eli is all smiles now. He is such a morning baby. We usually play the most in the mornings. Today Mark, Eli and I were up and about at 5:30 am. It was so nice outside that Mark suggested we go for a walk before he left for work. Eli loved it and fell asleep right before we got back home, we he woke up he was in such a happy mood that we did some "Tummy Time" and then some time in the Bumbo. Here are a few pictures.

Eli enjoying some "Tummy Time"

Relaxing a little before hitting the Bumbo

Wasn't too into the Bumbo this morning I couldn't get him to smile

2 Months!! Where is time going?

2 Months!!

Little Eli is 2 months today... wow, I just don't know where the time is going. He had his 2 month check up today and got 4 shots :( poor little guy, I don't know who cried more, me or him. Luckily his appointment was early enough that Mark was able to go with us so Mark held him down. He has been very sleepy all day which I thought would be nice except he seems worse, I was finally getting to the point where I could put him in his swing for more than 5 minutes but after the shots today he is extremely clingy. He just wants to be held and snuggled with (which I really don't mind I love snuggling with him) I gave him some Tylenol and he seems to be doing ok with it, and I have him here with me as I update. I have become a pretty fast one handed typer! :) He is smiling a lot more and is slowly starting to respond to his name. His hernia seems to be a little better too. He is still eating like a champ! He weighed in today at a whole 11 lbs and 6 oz and almost 24 inches long! Where is my baby going? He is in the 43rd percentile for weight now and 74th for length. He has outgrown all his newborn clothing and a lot of the 0-3 clothing as well. A lot of his sleepers were so tight in the foot area. That is all for now as it is hard to blog with one hand and a baby clinging on to my boobie!

Comparing onesie's at Birth and Now

We literally have a chunky monkey!

The Moby Wrap is still working wonders for me! The best baby item I have purchased thus far!

One day I will be able to put him down without him screaming to be held again... still waiting.

Random pic my little sister took in the car

Aunt Kayla was here this week and helped out so much, she had an OC marathon and apparently Eli liked the drama from the show as well.

I love my boys

Our family in our Cardinal Jerseys

Mark is so good with him, sometimes he is better at calming him down than I am

Eli and I at Olive Garden... one of these days I will go back to wearing makeup

Eli's hernia :(

So some of you have been asking about Eli's Hernia and how he got it... well the doctor said it is an umbilical hernia (common among babies) this usually happens when the muscle that takes food to the baby in the belly doesn't close properly. There is no way to prevent it and it should heal on it's own hopefully by age one. We do need to keep a close eye on it and continue making sure that there are no changes with it such as color or size. We also need to continue to monitor the baby and make sure he does not have belly pain so it doesn't lead to anything serious. I am a bit worried about it, but I have faith that it will slowly start healing itself up. I have been reading up a lot on it and have become familiar with what to look for when something is wrong. The fact that it's slightly purple bothers me, but we have not noticed a change in the baby as far as pain. I think I might end up taking a trip to the doctors early though since it really does worry me and since the baby can't tell me if anything hurts I would much rather us take any precautions we can take. So any prayers are welcome that this hernia fixes itself soon. Thanks!

Here is a pic of what it looks like

We also bandaged him up... this won't make the hernia go away, however like I said, we are taking every precaution we can, hopefully the pressure will prevent it from getting any bigger when he cries. The ace wrap is almost as big as his belly! Poor little guy!

Here he is just before bath time, I was getting the water ready but he loves looking at himself in the mirror! He will even talk to himself and giggle when he sees his reflection moving! So cute!

And this one is just because I love it! My child is so stinking cute! I am so in love with him!

The happiest in the mornings!

So the little man is usually happiest in the mornings which is when we play, do some tummy time, and talk, this morning though I really had to pump since he didn't seem to feed too much I was still full, anyway I decided to put him in his swing. I usually have a hard time getting him to stay in it but this morning he really cooperated. He was all smiles and was in deep conversation with the birdie mobile on top of the swing! I then of course ran to get my little camera to catch him in conversation... I am not sure what those little birds were saying to him but he just kept babbling right back! ;) Needless to say, I forgot about pumping and then had to wait until he fed again, which by the way if you look at his chubby cheeks was not too long after I took him out of his swing!

In other news, we discovered he has a hernia this week. It is nothing serious but with the size I have of course been crazy paranoid! It is the size of a large grape, but it just looks huge on his little body! The doctor is going to take a look at it again next week because I feel it's grown (It could be just paranoid mom, but Mark and I both freaked out when we noticed it was a bit purple) so we will see what happens at his appointment next week!

I will blog some more tomorrow since my little sister is here for the week, I will have the little extra help, I might try updating the blog too! We hope everyone is well! :)

Baby wearing Momma! :)

Ok so it's official... I am now part of the "Baby Wearing Mommy Club" :) Yes, that is right, I use my child as an accessory! I got my Moby Wrap today and I am already in LOVE with it! It is so comfortable and Eli seemed to like it a lot better than the sling and the front carrier! He was really content in there looking around. I can't wait until I can try it while we are out and about! Here we are sporting the new Moby! :) Yes I know my house is a mess... one day I will get to organizing again! :)

Eli is doing great, however we had a little issue with me. I had been running fevers and ended up going to the doctor, turns out I had Mastitis (an infection in my Bobbie) my ducts got clogged because I was producing too much milk so I got a shot and have been on antibiotics for a week. I go back to the docs tomorrow for another shot and to see how everything is doing. Now it seems like I am hardly producing enough milk as Eli had been very frustrated while he is nursing. He gets really angry and I hardly hear him swallow so I have an appointment with my LC (Lactation Consultant) on Friday to see what is going on. I started taking Fenugreek and Mother's Milk to see if I can increase my production again but we will just have to wait. I have been getting really frustrated because everyone tells me to keep latching him on but I can tell he is not getting enough milk and he cries so then I cry right along with him from frustration. I hate knowing that I have pumped milk in the fridge and not being able to give it to him (His sucking is suppose to help the issue with Mastitis and to increase my milk production again) I end up giving in most days and give him some of the pumped milk, I can't stand to see my little man cry with hunger when I know I am able to take care of his need, if I end up losing my milk then so be it I have been trying really hard but I am not going to let my little guy be hungry in the meantime! I have been pumping a lot more so I am hoping that helps.

On to other news, we went down to Rio Rico this weekend so Eli could meet his Great Grandma B. He was able to meet a lot of his cousins as well and even got to meet some Great, great aunts and uncles as well! Here are a few pics

Eli with Great Grandma Bertha

Eli with Great, great uncle Rey

Eli and Great Great aunt Irene and uncle Rey

Then on Sunday my dad decided to take us to Patagonia lake. We were only there for about an hour and a half before we had to leave because a huge storm came in. There was hail everywhere that we had to wait it out a little before we could leave. There was so much hail that the ground looked like it had just snowed!

Here is Daddy and Eli at the Lake

Grandma please give me my bottle!

And here are these two pictures just for fun! Eli during a bath down in Rio Rico (He LOVE's his hand)

He really has the pouting down now! :)

Eli and his Hat!

So we had a good weekend... pretty relaxing, we hung out at home most of the day Saturday and then headed off to the mall around 4:00 pm to get a few birthday gifts. Then we headed over to one of my aunts for Tacos. We were there until 9:30 pm then headed home. I nursed the little guy and we went straight to bed! Sunday was pretty much the same. My wonderful husband was nice enough to take the baby all morning and let me get a few extra hours of sleep! Then we just hung out around the house all day, played with Eli, watched some TV and slept some more. At 5:00 we went grocery shopping and Mark went to get his haircut. On the way home we stopped at another aunts house for some apple dumplings and ice cream then we came home. Pretty nice and relaxing and just what we needed! I am ready to get this week started and really looking forward to this coming weekend. We get to take a trip down to Rio Rico to visit my parents and for Eli to meat his Great Grandma Bertha and his Great Aunts and cousins as well. Ohh and I get to see my friends and hang out for a bit! Mark and I will also be making our little routine stop at "Spankys" as Mark puts it... really it's "Shakeys" but they have GREAT pizza, and we will also stop in at the "Finitos" which is the best Icee's you can get! Seriously!!!

This is what I came down to downstairs after my "extra sleep"!

Anyway that's a quick little update. Eli is doing great, he is eating a lot more now, anywhere from 3 to 4 oz every 2 1/2 to 3 hours! He starts to cluster feed wanting to eat every 2 hours in the evening which his pedi said was normal since he sleeps so much at night! We also got one night where he slept from 9:00 pm to 5:30 am!!! Of course that was only one night but hey I can't complain with the rest of the nights when he only wakes up once between 3:30 and 4:30 to eat and they is right back to sleep. He is also a lot more alert during the day now, he is staying up for about an hour. He also really likes his bouncer seat! Which is nice for me, of course I don't even leave his side while he is on it, but it is so fun to watch him on there. I got a few pictures of him on it (posted below).

Bouncing Away... Eddie was so curious!

Eddie could not figure out what to do!

He finally licked Eli's hand (Look at Eli's face)

Then Eli didn't know what to do about Eddie!

Eli's many funny faces!

And last but not least, I got this hat from The Children's Place before he was born, and we gave it a test this weekend, it's still a little big on him but he looks so stinking cute in it! Everyone kept coming up to see him and his hat! Even old little men were coming up and asking how old he was! Haha funny, and of course, being my son he was not shy at all and would make faces at everyone that would come up to us! That is all for now... I just really wanted to post pictures of Eli and his Hat!

Eli and his Hat! (Sounds like a children's book huh? Hmm... maybe that will be my next project writing a book for Eli... "The many adventures of Eli and his Hat") So what do you think sound like a winner???? ;)

Loves to stare out the window

My handsome little man!

Everyone was going crazy over his little hat!