A Big Day - Part 1

Well, today was a big day for many reasons! The next 3 posts will show the 3 big things that happened, all in one day!!

First big moment:
NEW CAR SEAT!
Elijah has definitely outgrown his infant pumpkin seat. It's time he move up to the next seat, the infant/toddler convertible seat. So, we got it all set up and got him in the seat today. He did GREAT!!!

Laundry Basket Fun

Before we went out grocery shopping today, I had to put Elijah down to get his diaper bag together and get his toys together. Well, the laundry basket was just the perfect place to put him while I was running around! He seemed to have fun!


THIS IS FUN MOM!



WHAT IS UP THERE??



OH, THAT'S WHAT'S UP THERE - HI POPPY!



I MIGHT BE DONE HAVING FUN NOW MOM!

Sitting like a big boy!

Elijah sits up so well these days. His balance is pretty good and he rarely has any spills! He's getting to be a big boy!


HMM, WHAT TOY DO I WANT TO PLAY WITH NOW?




WHAT'S THIS?




LOOKING UP AT OUR TV




JUST SITTING HERE WITH MY DUCKY DUCK - HI!

Cutie!!

First Tooth

Well, Elijah got his first tooth (finally) last week! I have been trying to take a picture since then, but with him being sick and just not himself, it's been tough! So, got one today - he fought a little bit, but I got the shot!

I'm Feeling Better

Elijah is definitely getting better. He now has a nasty cough and continual runny nose, BUT, he is sleeping through the night and has no fever. He has somewhat lost his voice and is whiney and clingy, but all in all, he's much better!! He's playing and getting around, so that's always a good sign!

Elijah's New Play Area

Since our 1st floor is all the laminate flooring, it's really hard for Elijah to get some traction and work on his crawling. We have a small rug in the living room, his landing strip, but he's moving too much to stay confined there! So, I've been looking at those foam interlocking squares to put in the living room for a "play area", and some of them are just so expensive! Well, we were at Costco last night, and found these foam blocks, 2' x 2' and they were only $13 for 8! Great deal! He's already doing well with traction and moving a lot - he loves his new play area, and so do we!!

On the upswing, kind of!

Well, Elijah's fever broke last night, which is good. I know that a fever of 102 isn't as bad for babies as it is for us, but it still had me worried! So, it's been reading in the 98's for about 12 hours, so that's definitely good. Although, he's SO congested and full of gunk, that he had a hard time sleeping last night, which means I had a hard time sleeping! He finally got to sleep around 1:30 or so, and then was back up at 4:00 and didn't go down until about 7:30. Now, I'm usually already at work by 7:30, so I knew that wasn't going to happen. So, I called my boss and left him a message and said I'd be in late due to hardly any sleep. I slept for 30 minutes from 7:30 to 8, and then got up and got to work at 9. AND, because I don't currently have any vacation time, I'm unable to go home early and get some rest. So, here's my boss' solution. Shut my door, shut my blinds in my office, and put up a DO NOT DISTURB sign on my door, and in his words, "take it easy". Things have been hectic, crazy, non-stop at my office, but one thing will always be good - I love my boss! Sooo, after my 11-1 meeting, you better believe my door will be shut. Of course I will still be doing some work to get caught up and such, but I definitely will be "taking it easy".

In other news . . . . my mom is coming to visit the end of March! YAY! Vince and I decided to go to Gatlinburg for a much needed getaway in March, and we had the great idea of inviting my mom to go with us! She has never been, and we love going to Gatlinburg and getting a cabin in the woods and just relaxing and eating out and shopping, and seeing the Great Smoky Mountains and such. It's been a few years since we have been since other things have come along (Elijah!!). So, I'm excited to have Elijah go on his first of many trips to Gatlinburg, as well as having my mom come! AND, we get to take our dog too since we got a pet friendly cabin! Triple Yay! Here's some pictures of our cabin we'll be staying in!

Poor Baby

Elijah has been sick the past 24 hours. He was dealing with a fever with temperatures varying from 100-102.4. Poor kiddo! We were up until after 3:30 this morning, and he finally got to sleep and slept until 9 this morning. As soon as he would fall asleep, he would wake up because he was so congested and feeling ucky. His nose is running non-stop, yet he's still stuffed up! He's coughing here and there. He's teething, so he's drooling because of that. He's been clingy and through the night he didn't want anyone but his mama! Vince tried to get him to sleep and calm, but Elijah wouldn't have anything of it. Poor baby! This was him this morning:


AWWWWW!

He's doing better now - fever is down to 99.8 and he's actually playing in his bouncy seat. He wouldn't even let Vince get an inch away from him before he would start crying. Poor kiddo! I just wish I was home with him. I'll be there soon enough and will scoop him up and help him feel better!!

Super Baby!

Elijah likes to turn his bibs around and wear them like a cape for some reason - he's a silly child at times. Tonight, his super hero name is "Little Man". What a cutie!

Heading to Church

This morning on our way to church I had to get some pictures - Elijah was looking especially cute!


ELIJAH AND DADDY



SO CUTE!!



MY LITTLE MAN



I LOVE THIS LITTLE GUY!

Like father, like son!

Preference Quiz

Preference Quiz
Just a little quiz for you. I'll give my preferences and then tag a few friends...

(1) Citrus or berries? Berries

(2) Paper or plastic? Paper

(3) Soup or salad? Soup

(4) Bath or shower? Shower

(5) Fabric sheets or liquid softener? Both!

(6) Chick flicks or drama/suspense? Chick Flicks!

(7) Art or literature? Art

(8) Car, truck, or SUV? SUV

(9) Home cookin' or dining out? OUT!

(10) Coffee or tea? Decaf Coffee

(11) Salad dressing of choice? Ranch

(12) Hardwood or carpet? Hardwood

(13) Music or movies? Music

(14) Still camera or video? Hmm, Camera

(15) Jeans or khakis? Jeans

I tag Janelle, Vince, and Tracy!

Elijah and his surgery.. . . . .

Yes, Elijah has to have surgery. I am SO sad! We consulted with the Urologist yesterday at our Children's Hospital in Cincinnati, and he is going to be having surgery in the near future (should know a date later today) . Here's the situation. He received an AWFUL circumcision when he was born (like he didn't even have one). So, we consulted with the surgeon about that. Then, while the surgeon was examining him, he noticed that his (pardon the bluntness, Elijah's only 6 months, he won't be embarressed) pee hole is too small. So, they'll have to do surgery on that, or there are further complications of multiple Urinary Tract Infections and bladder issues. SO, we decided that Elijah should go ahead and have the surgery. Poor kiddo!


I guess it's better that he has it now when he's young. He won't remember anything, the healing time will be minimal for him (for me, however, that's a different story!!). The surgery will be about an hour or so, and he'll be under general anesthesia and have stitches afterwards. I'll definitely be taking time off of work and staying with him for a while! Thankfully, Vince has a good work schedule (2-3 days a week depending on his weekend), so one of us can be with him during the week.


So, I would appreciate your prayers, not only for Elijah and his surgery, but also for Vince and I. This baby is our miracle baby, and making a decision for your baby to have surgery is hard! Pray for the doctors to have wisdom during the surgery and for a steady hand! Pray for our emotions in dealing with surgery and the aftercare.

I'll update with more specific date information as I find it out! Thank you in advance for your prayers!

Grrrr

Elijah has started mimicking my growling! It's SO cute!

Who is that kid in the mirror?

Elijah has discovered another baby in his mirror toy! This video is kind of long, so enjoy!

Crawling Attempts

Elijah is getting much better at trying to crawl (forward!). He's doing well with lunging forward and taking a big "jump" forward. Here's some pictures of him trying and then a video of him "crawling".


I'M GETTIN' SOMEWHERE!




OH, HI!




I SEE MY TOY!




I GOT IT!




SEE MY TOY MOMMY!

What a cutie!

Hey, who are you?

He looks so small!!

We've been using our high chair to feed Elijah since he has now outgrown his bumbo seat. The only thing is that the tray is so high, and he looks oh so tiny!! But still, SO adorably cute!



FEED ME MAMA!!!





ELIJAH, ARE YOU IN THERE?!

New Year's Resolutions

So, anyone else out there make some resolutions? I make them every year just like everyone else, and a lot of the time they are broken soon after they are made! This year I'm hoping to really pay attention to my resolutions. They are as follows:

1. Not drinking pop. Shouldn't be too hard since I went a few years without it previously, so that's a seemingly easy one!

2. Not drinking while I eat. This is a hard one, and some people don't understand this one. I had Gastric Lap Band Surgery 2 1/2 years ago, and a big thing that interferes with it working correctly is drinking while you eat. I have a small pouch for my stomach now, and drinking water/liquids while eating just washes the food through, therefore causing me to eat more, which defeats the point of the surgery! So, in order to have my surgery be successful 2 1/2 years later (and after having a baby!), this is key!!



3. Lose my baby weight by vacation (June 20). This is feasible, especially with my lap band - it could even be more, but I want to set reasonable expectations.

4. Lose the remaining weight by Christmas. I won't divulge how much, not yet at least :-)

5. Eat more veggies and fruit, i.e. VEGETARIAN. I know, extreme. I've done it before, and did very well with it, and pretty much enjoyed it. I have a lot of problems with most meats with the lap band, and so it just made sense for me to go that route. BUT, if I want a Ribeye, I'm going to have a Ribeye - I'm not going to be one of those extreme vegetarians - I'm mainly doing it because of my band and how the meat is not always "pouch-friendly". And I'm sure it's a lot healthier than eating all that meat!! (Anyone have good vegetarian recipes?!)

So, what are YOUR New Year's Resolutions?