Ready for the Bears game…

Yesterday we went over to Auntie Stephie’s and Uncle Pibe’s house to watch the Bears/Packers game. Well Eli saw a little of it in between being passed around among the ladies. He was such a good sport despite not taking his long mid morning nap like he usually does. I was nervous that he’d be fussy because of it but he was such a good boy! That’s because he just LOVES undivided attention. He did manage to fall asleep in my Friend Sara’s arms with his leg draped over her cute preggo belly. I about melted (I think she did too)

Hard to tell but she has a reeeeally cute baby belly that Eli found quite comfy

I put him in an orange top with blue pants, his matching blue and orange kicks and a knitted bears hat I got as a shower gift from my friend Leslie, so he was all set.

How cute is that hat?! Thanks Leslie!!

  I love that face. Muuuuuah!

What?! The Bears lost??

Hope you all had a nice Sunday funday :)

-Linds

My baby is TWELVE weeks old!!

Seconds before a Huggies Snugglers fail :/

There is nothing better in this world than your baby smiling up at you in recognition and looking truly excited to be in your presence :) I was feeding Eli this morning and daddy walked in after an early morning meeting and greeted us and Eli popped off, lifting his head like the big boy he is, and gave daddy the BIGGEST smile and started jabbering away like he had so much to tell him! Made my morning.

Yesterday Grandma Marilyn was over to visit/play with Eli and she bent down to sniff his butt to see if he needed a diaper change and he decided then was the perfect time to let out a loud toot (Eli doesn’t DO silent) right in her face! She said she nearly crapped her own pants. ha ha ha ha. Love that kid, although I doubt it would be as funny if it was my own nose insulted by an infamous Eli toot :) Ok, it still would be :D I never found flatulence to be a very funny topic like most people do until It was my own infant son doing it unknowingly, then its hilarious!—Like when I hear him stretching on the monitor and then a toot follows. Never fails to get me and daddy belly laughing.

In case you were wondering, we’re all doing very well with the new sleeping arrangements. I can’t wait until he can sleep with blankets and pillows, it only seems right. I wonder how babies tolerate sleeping all night, flat on their back with no cuddling of blankets and no less than 10 pillows like their mommies??? But he does it so I won’t complain.

I want to send a shout out to my uH-MAZ-ing momma who has been so hands on with Eli and making THIS momma’s job a thousand times easier than it should be. Its because of her that I’m not a sleep deprived zombie, that motherhood has been such a painless transition for me, and that Eli doesn’t have to be in day care. I truly wish all new mommas were guaranteed a helper like her. I LOVE you tons mom! Muuuuuuah! You take being an “awesome Grandma” to a new level. Sorry to all the other grammies out there, the bar has been set.

This picture cracks me up. He looks guilty like he just said "what?! I swear, it wasn't me!"

Blessed mommy,

-Linds

Mommy survived!

Well all day yesterday I was psyching myself up to putting Eli in his own room in his crib to sleep for the night. I’m happy to report that after rigging the video monitor, hanging all cock-eyed, just so, on the corner of his crib with scotch tape (so I could see the hair in his nostrils of course) I let my baby boy sleep alone alllll the way down my football field-sized hallway! I’m so proud of myself :) AND I lived to tell about it. He did just fine as I knew he would. It was so nice not having to tip toe around the room when getting ready for bed so we wouldn’t wake him. Now, would I be ready for this step withOUT my video monitor—Nope :/

My widdle peanut in his giNORmous looking crib:

Please disregard his messy closet :/

Proud Momma,

-Linds

Just wanted to say a little sumpin’…

I’m sound asleep during my nap right now but I’m never too busy to say “hi” to my peeps.”heeeeeeey!”

 

“ok, bye now”

-Eli

“I surrender!!”…and some new mittens

Ha ha! I got a pic finally during naptime :)

 
I love my little guy. Does he look like me??

Well I tried to get a picture of Eli wearing his new mittens but they were all action shots and therefore blurry since he wouldn’t sit still, so these will have to do:

Fleece lined mittens with wrap around Velcro strap

The fleece lining…

The wrap around Velcro strap…

I’m half tempted to put these on him at bedtime because he always wakes up with freezing cold hands even though the rest of him feels toasty warm :/

Now I’m inspired to make him some fleece lined booties with this same style strap because as you mothers of infants know, booties/shoes do NOT stay on! Eli lived in some knitted booties over the summer from my friend Heather because they had ties. Those suckers had no choice but to stay on! Ha ha. But, a bootie is a little more complicated then a thumb-less mitten so we shall see. I get really creative when I draw in my craft book and have coffee in my belly. There’s something about those perfectly shaped itty bitty boxes on beautiful white paper, and caffeine surging through my veins that makes me feel like I can create anything. (For those of you who “know” me, blank paper and coffee make me happy) So wish me luck!
Nighty night
-Linds

My baby is ELEVEN weeks old!

Which means I go back to work next week, boo :( Gosh how these past 11 weeks have flown by! I can’t believe it.
Eli’s neck control is really coming along. If you sit him upright and prop his back he can hold his head straight for a while until his melon teeters to one side, then he’ll topple over, ha ha. Yesterday he was in his jammies and he looked like my baby boy, today I have him in a pant outfit and he practically looks like a toddler! No more pant outfits for him :)
Here’s a video of daddy doing some “exercises” with Eli. He’s in his jammies so you can see how little he looks, then take a look at the pic below. Such a big boy!

I’m 11 weeks old!

-Linds

Definitely a growth spurt…warning, nudity ;)

Eli’s right on target for predicted growth spurts and the subsequent frequent feedings, fussiness and lots of sleeping. He wouldn’t want to disappoint anyone ;) Thank God the fussiness only lasts a day or two with him. He’s just about back to his great baby self. These “spurts” make me truly appreciate the usual good days. I honestly don’t know how people deal with colic. I know that’s the one thing in parenthood that could put me over the edge, and I’ll admit, the thought TERRIFIED me during pregnancy. I LOVE that I’m his favorite person and that a soft calming voice or cuddle can stop any of his outbursts. If that didn’t  work?!?! I don’t know what I’d do. My heart goes out to those mommy’s that do deal with colic :*(
So I told Jac that I secretly thought she was crazy for putting her kid to bed at 6:30 pm, I mean that seems so early! But, for the last 3 nights, Eli has been going through a witching hour come 6pm. I thought “what the heck?? Where’s my sweet, lovable baby boy??” So I fed him and put him down at 7pm and he was Out.Cold. Tonight, I fed him at 5pm and he was going crazy at 6pm (sucking on anything in sight, fussing and then full out crying) So I fed him and he passed out. (Aaron asks me what I put in the breast milk, ha ha) He was in bed by 6:45pm! I guess he’s been trying to tell me all along that he needs an earlier bedtime. Sorry little fella!
Aaron and I are still debating the whole vaccination thing :/ I tell him I work in a hospital and that vaccinations are important and he says not all of them are necessary. So we got Dr. Sear’s book “The vaccine book” at the library at the recommendation of my pediatrician and we both plan to read it and come to a decision soon. So Eli and I decided it was a nice day to take a stroller ride to the library.  With the colder weather here, I had him decked out in one of his new handmade hats that he got at my baby shower from my cousin-in-law Val. (Thanks Val!!! I freakin’ LOVE it!)  I couldn’t take my eyes off him! Sooo stinkin ca-uute in that thing. We did a little unintentional off roading because momma wouldn’t keep her eyes on the road :/
See what I mean??
I could just eat him up!
Grandma helped me give him a bath today after a disastrous poop fiasco… what else is new with this kid. Mommy insists on using the too-small-for-my-rump huggies naturals since we have’em. **sigh, I suppose I’ll take the blame for the blowouts :/ Poor grandma had poop everywhere :)

up my back….

On her shoulder…

  Thanks Grandma for helping me get squeaky clean! Come back to play tomorrow! :)

-Linds

This weather is a downer…

Gah! Eli is such a fuss kitten this morning. Here’s to hoping a good long nap solves the world’s problems.

I still love this face

Pray for us,

-Linds

Fall Fest in Burlington

Yesterday the family got together in front of my mom’s house in Burlington to watch their parade and enjoy the festivities. There was a bunch of activities for kids, food, and for me, crafters :) My friend Leslie came out to be the designated Eli holder until the sun started creeping in on us, then he got banished to his uv ray protected tent. Ha! No seriously, we laid him in a boppy inside and he was a happy camper (Pun TOTALLY intended, ba dum tssh!…that was supposed  to be my drum finale, use your imagination)

Love this thing. Got it as a shower gift from my Salzmann cousins :) Thanks guys!

It comes in a little round, lightweight carrying case that’s maybe a foot in diameter and you literally pull it out, toss it up into the air (I’m pretty sure this is frowned upon by the manufacturer but my hubby insists on having his fun too) and voila! Its ready to go. It even has a little auto-inflated mattress to lay down in it. (I strongly recommend you keep the instructions on how to fold this little ditty back up though otherwise you may never use it again) I just propped him up with a boppy so he could see the parade :) Best part besides sun protection? It kept all the creepy crawlies out! Woo hoo! Money well spent if you ask me.

 

 

 

 

 

A couple of the cute little cars in the parade

The grandparents and Eli

Naptime for Eli

Good times.

-Linds

My big boy…

With the colder weather we’ve had recently I had to bust out his $3 clearance outfit from walmart. I didn’t realize walmart carried organic clothing—bonus! He kind of looks a little elf-ish in this pic with his ear like that. I assure you his ears are perfectly normal, this just must be a wonky angle. This picture makes me laugh :D

-Linds

My baby is TEN weeks old today!

On our way to the orchard

But you’re probably thinking “she didn’t do a 9 week post.” Um yeah, don’t get me started. That was his “2 months old” post when he was 9 wks old. That whole thing still messes with my mind. Anyways…
Bring on the fall festivities! I can’t wait to start establishing new traditions with my little family. Today Eli and I met up with Auntie Stephie, Don, Jac, Her hubby Brent, and my little man Parker to go to Kuipers family farm out in Maple Park. We picked up some yummy snacks for home and did a little apple picking, but I was a paranoid mommy when it came to my little albino baby, aka “mini me”, getting exposed to the sun since he’s still too young yet for sunscreen. I sure hope he takes after his daddy in the skin tone department when he get older :/ So needless to say, I picked my apples in record time and rushed my kidlet inside. I’m pretty sure Gala apples aren’t supposed to be yellow but I guess that’s what I get for rushing through it. They still taste pretty scrumdiddliumpscious though.

Parker and his daddy

Is it just me, or do you break out in a big grin looking at this kid?! He is so stinkin Ca-UUTE! He also makes me laugh out loud. Lately he’s started to teeth so he puts EVERYTHING in his mouth. See those straps on the side of his hat? Well Jac told me out in the orchard he swallowed about 5in of that strap until he gagged it back up! ha ha ha. I about died when I heard that story. She really wasn’t kidding when she said he’d eat anything these days. LOL. Too funny. He is making the greatest faces now too and giggles LIKE crazy. Gah! I love that kid!

The boys

I made Steph wear the baby bjorn because he gets so heavy after a while. By the time we left, she had a softball sized drool spot on her shirt (conveniently located as if SHE were the lactating twin) and poop on her pants. She was a hot mess. Ha ha. Good thing “Bait” there has her wrapped around his finger because then she can’t get mad :) I think I’m gonna put him in adult diapers so he’s covered from head to toe and maybe THEN he won’t poop through his outfits. No, I’m just kidding….partly.

Aaaaaand Mr. Poopy Pants is spent.

Nighty night all.

-Linds

Eli is sleeping!

My precious little guy is getting the hang of this sleeping thing. Woo hoo! He’s an excellent napper during the day and has never, not ONCE cried when I laid him down at night to sleep--(talk to himself or the green light on the video monitor for an hour, yes, but has never cried). That’s my little punkin! For 3 nights in a row now he has slept 8 consecutive hours :D
In other news, my boobs hate this new routine and could pass as a bullet proof vest come 4 am when I WILL him to wake up:/ Good thing he eats and goes back to sleep. Phew!


                 

What a life!

I wish I had a picture of him in his “I surrender!” pose at bedtime but its usually dark at that time obviously and I don’t want to wake him with the flash. Oh well. The pics above are taken during naptime, hence the prone position. I still put him on his back at night.

-Linds

Eli don’t hate me…

Ok I’ve decided to share the video with you all. I figured I can do it now while it’s still cute. Its not like he’s 14 yrs old on the pot or anything-- THAT would be wrong! So here it is. Sorry I’m an idiot and turned the camera sideways again, forgetting that I can’t rotate a video, doh! Just turn your lap top sideways, I do :)
I love how he looks exhausted after the first “push” ( the 24 second mark ha ha)
Turn up your volume

Don’t forget Punkin, mommy loves you :)
-Linds

My baby is TWO months old today!

And what a stud he is!

 

Ok so here goes:
Size: He weighed in at 11 lbs 8oz and 23 inches long. That’s a 2lb weight  gain since last month!
Likes: Still likes stroller rides, his car seat, smiling, being rocked, bath time, and nursing
Dislikes: I haven’t really noticed a whole lot of things he doesn’t like. He knows what he wants and what he doesn’t want. He fusses when he’s hungry, over tired or has a gassy belly.
Feeding: He’s still exclusively breastfed. If we go out without him he’ll take a bottle of breast milk no problem. He eats every 2hrs during the day (unless he takes a long nap), and he nurses like a CHAMP! Woo hoo! Praise God!
Sleeping: He still sleeps in our room in a pack-n-play. He goes down between 7-8pm and sleeps for a good 7-8hrs straight until he wakes around 3am. I don’t mind the 3am feeding because my boobs want to explode at this point. They say your body will adjust, and until then, I’ll keep feeding him at 3am. Once I can go longer, I’ll teach him to go longer. In an effort to eliminate the middle of the night feeding though, I did try waking and feeding him at 11:3opm (He was dead to the world too. The whole time I’m thinking “what in the world am I doing waking a sleeping baby!??!”) Buuuuut, that was an epic fail just as I expected because he still got up at 2am and 5am….NEXT!) And unfortunately, he is a morning bird. This kid thinks the day starts at 5:30-6am :( Guh-ross.
During the day he takes his “big” nap between 10-11am and will sleep for 2-3 1/2 hrs. Then he’ll do a few 30min-1hr cat naps later in the day. The key is to lay him down before he is over tired which isn’t always an easy thing to predict.
So there you have it in a nut-shell. He is an awesome baby. He now smiles a LOT intentionally when you talk and smile at him. He can even mimic you when you stick out your tongue :P

more chillin’

As for mommy, I’m down to 120lbs (from my all time high right before delivery of 145lbs) which I’ve stayed at since about the 4 wk mark. I think this will be where my body wants to be which I’m ok with since I could stand to gain a little weight pre-pregnancy. Plus I chalk it up to now having 14 year old girl breasts instead of a 12 year old boys chest :)
My nipples are 90% better! Halleluiah! Gosh, there was a dark time when I thought I couldn’t stick with breast feeding. The pain was excruciating. But since my doc (Eli’s pediatrician) had me take grapefruit seed extract capsules 3x a day and put a mixture of the liquid extract on my nipples after each feeding, I’m a new woman! Phew. Now I actually enjoy nursing just as I’d hoped. Its just frustrating not knowing why I was having such pain.
Ok toodles. I may post “the video” later—still debating. (You facebook people know what I’m talking about :0)
-Linds