Happy Halloween

The past two days have been very busy showing off Eli's Halloween costume. I have sooo many pictures that it's hard to decide what to post so there will be many. =)

Yesterday we went to our Moms in Motion exercise class at Rex where there was a costume contest. The room was filled with tons of babies but Eli & I won first place! He got a stuffed black cat that plays sounds for his win. I'm sure it was because I dressed up too. How can you not love Cruella de Vil and her little puppy. Here are some pictures from the day.

Cute little puppy

Sleepy little puppy

Cruella de Vil and her puppy

Eli and his buddy Noah

All the babies in costume

Tonight we dressed Eli up to go to our neighborhood's kid's Halloween party. We made an appearance there and then walked around the block to say hello to some of our neighbors. We did no tricking or treating tonight (Mommy & Daddy don't need the candy!) but did have fun seeing everyone....and being seen!

Daddy's Little Monster

Cruella with TWO puppies - only need 99 more!

The family - do you like Tim's sleep deprived Dad costume?

Winnie the Pooh!

Sad Tigger - let's get this "treating" started

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

Weekend at Grandma & Grandpa's

This past weekend, we went to visit Tim's parents. It was Tim's first trip with me & Eli and all Eli's stuff. It's amazing how much you pack for one little person! We went down Friday afternoon and Eli slept the entire way - 3 hours. Of course, he was hungry when we got there but he was a great rider. Friday evening was pretty relaxing with Tim's mom having dinner ready for us. Saturday morning Eli was up at 6am like normal. Tim & his mom played with him for a bit giving me a very appreciated extra hour of sleep.

Tim's parents had planned some visiting hours for family on Saturday so everyone could meet Eli. The day was very busy and we saw friends and family from about 10am to 7pm. It was great to see family that we don't always see when we visit. The house was buzzing with energy and several other kids came by. Then, Saturday night, Tim & I got a real treat. His parents listened out for Eli after we put him to bed and sent us off for a dinner out alone. It was the first dinner out we've had alone since Eli was born. Very nice to spend some time together - we had forgotten what it was like!!

Then Sunday was a leisurely morning of spending time with Grandma and Grandpa. Eli was a good boy for the entire trip and showed off his little smile and coos for the grandparents. The drive home was pretty good. Eli got hungry about an hour outside of Raleigh so we stopped to take care of that but all in all, Eli was a champ.

Here are some pictures from our weekend.

Happy Grandpa

Hanging with Grandma

And oh how he DOES get cuter by the minute!

Eli has discovered his hands

Eli with his buddy Thomas

Smiling on the comfy couch on the sunporch

Told you it was comfy!!!

The Spotted Bodyguard

Yesterday Eli was Mr. Cranky Pants so I tried everything to get him to take his naps. During one of those times, I put him down on our bed and layed down with him. Belle wanted to come lay down with us so she hopped on the bed. It was so cute - the three of us on the bed. At one point, I got up to snap this picture. Belle being Eli's spotted bodyguard. I guarantee she wouldn't let anyone near him. I thought it was precious. I don't post too many pictures of Belle anymore - she got upstaged - but she will always be my baby girl.

2 month check

Today was Eli's 2 month doctor's appointment. He was such a good boy through the entire thing. He weighed in at 13 pounds 5.8 ounces (85-90th percentile), measured 24-1/2 inches long (95 percentile) and his head circumference was 40-1/2 cm (50-75th percentile). So, as we all know, he's a big boy!! Doctor commented that he's gaining weight nicely (if we remember, he WAS almost 9 pounds when he was born!). She also commented that he is very strong - he was pushing against her when he didn't like what she was doing - and that he tracks well, following her as she moved. All in all, we're pretty lucky with a text book baby. His eating and sleeping habits are pretty much what the books say they're supposed to be doing at this age. It's a good thing we're a family of readers so he can keep reading what he needs to do next! He also got some vaccinations today. I didn't want to have them all done at onec so he got one shot today - PediaRix which includes 3 vaccines - and the oral Rotavirus. I don't know if I could have taken two more shots today. Eli screamed bloody murder when they stuck him. Granted he only screamed for a second but it was traumatic while it lasted. BUT for all his trouble, he got a big boy band aid with Elmo on it. =) I'll take him back on the 2nd to get the other two that he was supposed to get today - HIB and Prevnar. The doctor told me that there was no medical reason for me to split them up, I just felt more comfortable not overloading his little immune system just yet. He was such a champ and other than the shot scream, did extremely well at the doctor's office.

Here's today's picture - it's so hard to carry all that cute around!!

Wow

That's all I can say about our night last night. Eli went to bed about 7:45pm and slept until almost 4:30am. I must say that at 4am I got up to see if he was breathing because I was so surprised! After his bottle, he went back to sleep until 7am. Tim peeked in on him about then and found him smiling away entertaining himself in his pack and play. Tim & I were in bed by 10pm so we got over 6 hours of uninterrupted sleep. A wonderful night! We'll see if we can duplicate it tonight. Eli has his 2 month doctor appt and shots today so I'm not keeping my hopes up. More to come on his appt later.

Movie Date

Today was a fun day. Eli & I went on a movie date. One of the local Consolidated Theaters near our house has Mom's Movie Wednesdays. Babies are welcome and everything is allowed - crying, feeding, diaper changing ..... all things baby. I met two of my new mom friends there - Robin with her son Noah and Carol with her son Ryan. There were two other moms there so five of us in all. It was such a neat experience. We saw 'The Game Plan' with The Rock. The movie was entertaining enough but what was more entertaining was watching Noah. He was mesmorized by the big screen. Every time Robin would move him, his head would turn to the screen. For a little bit, he even sat in a movie seat of his own. I told Robin that he'll be asking for a big flat screen tv in his room by the time he's 2! Ryan seemed to enjoy the big screen too. I tried to get Eli to look at it alittle towards the end but, being the youngest of the three, he just wasn't too interested yet. Overall a great day of being out and about with Eli and our new friends. We'll definitely do it again.

Smiley Boy

About a week ago, Eli started smiling. At first, I wasn't sure if he knew what he was doing and I couldn't immediately get him to repeat it. But as last week went on, he started smiling more (and not just when he's gassy!) and connecting with people more. He will look at your face and he will move his head towards your voice. It's amazing to watch all the changes that happen.

Here's a cute picture from Sunday that I just love.

The next Shaun White

First Trip to Umstead

Today was a fun family day. This afternoon we took Eli & Belle to Umstead for a walk. It was Eli's first trip of many to Umstead. We have always spent lots of time running, hiking and biking there and we feel confident Eli will know all the trails like the back of his hand by the time he's 5. This also qualified as his first trip to a State Park. We would love to take him to all the State Parks in North Carolina. If we had tons of money, we'd do all the National Parks too. We'll see what we can accomplish one park at a time. =)

So, we parked at Graylyn and walked down Graylyn to the "T". For those of you who have been there, you know exactly where we went. It was about 3.3 miles there and back. The initial 1/3 mile was pretty bumpy and I was worried that it was too bumpy for Little Man but then it smoothed out. He slept almost the entire time. It was so cute watching his little cheeks jiggle every time we hit a bump. It was a great way to end our weekend and start the week ahead.

Now time to give Eli a bath and get him ready for bed. Here are some pictures from our adventure.

Walking again?!

At the "T"

How much longer?

Whew...finally back

Trip to the Farm

This week Eli & I took our first road trip. We went to my parents' house - affectionately known as "The Farm". We left Wednesday morning and came back Thursday afternoon. It was whirlwind trip but fun. We'll give you the trip description in pictures.

From our house, we went straight to my Grandma & Grandpa's house, meeting my Mom there.

Eli with his Great Grandpa

With his Great Grandma

From there, we went to visit my other Grandmother.

With his other Great Grandma

After that, we went to Western Sizzlin' to meet my Mom, Dad, Grandparents, Uncle Mike & his wife Val and daughter Sheridan and my Aunt Brenda for dinner. It was great to introduce Eli to all of them. I was able to eat dinner with both hands that night! From dinner, we went to my parents' church so he could meet the wonderful people in Dad's congregation.

Eli's first trip to church

We got back to my parents' house about 7:30pm - time for bath time and feeding before going to bed. I was worried about Eli keeping on his schedule. I did a sponge bath with him and then took him upstairs to feed and go to bed. When we visit my parents, we sleep in the loft of their log cabin so it's open to the downstairs including all the lights and noise. I wasn't sure how Eli would do. After I fed him, I put him in his pack and play. He looked around and moved his arms and legs for about 20 minutes but then was asleep without a peep. I was so pleased. He kept on the same schedule as if he were at home - up once during the night and then again at 6:15am.

So now, all that happened on Wednesday after 1pm! Thursday morning we enjoyed the farm and animals before heading to see my cousin Stephanie and then to my Mom's work so she could show off her first grandson. We left her work to come back home and made it back safely. I was so happy to have our first trip behind us. It's amazing how much you have to pack for someone so small! Belle did not come on this trip; just having Eli by myself was enough for me.

More pictures....

The barn at my parents' with goats and cows

So cute!

Sleeping on Grandpa

Having fun with Grandma

Uncle Billy

Two GREAT nights

The past two nights have been absolutely amazing in our house. I was afraid to write yesterday for fear of jinxing the whole thing but today, I just have to tell.

Sunday night - Eli in bed at 7:30pm, up to eat at 2:30am, back up at 6am. I tried and tried to wake him up at 10pm to feed him but he was having none of it. I picked him up, moved to another room, talked to him, rubbed his arms and cheeks, kissed him....I got nothing. I was so scared that he'd be up at midnight but he must have really been sleeping good. =)

Monday day - Eli must have read the books I've been reading when I wasn't looking. He ate every 2-1/2 to 3 hours (mostly breastmilk, very little formula - woo hoo!) and took a nap in between each one. The books say 1-2 hours of wakefulness, then nap. He was textbook for the day.

Monday night - Eli in bed between 7:30pm-7:45pm, he put himself to sleep, up to eat at 3:30am and back up at 6:15am. This morning so far, we took a walk and he's finishing off a nap. Feeding time any moment now.

I can totally deal with this. Cross your fingers with me that he keeps it up!

A date for Mommy & Daddy

Today Tim & I got a nice treat - we went on a mid afternoon movie date! My great friend / next door neighbor / adopted big sister Amy offered to keep Eli for a few hours to give Tim & I some time together. It was so wonderful. We went to the Raleigh Grande to see 'The Heartbreak Kid' with Ben & Jerry Stiller. There were some pretty funny moments - and some shocking ones too! One cool thing that I noticed while we were there is that the Grande does a Mom's movie on Wednesday mornings. Moms are welcome with children 2 and under. It's a movie where crying, diaper changing, breastfeeding and anything else baby is ok. How cool is that?! I'm not sure how many moms take advantage of it but I hope to do so in the next few weeks.

Other than that, life here is all about Eli. =) We ran some errands with him yesterday and he did really well. He will be 7 weeks old tomorrow so I'm trying to figure out what we need to do to get him on a more consistent schedule and get his eating and napping more regular. I do have to eventually go back to work and I know that will be hard enough. I'm still very new at this and not sure what all to do. I have asked a bunch of my new mom friends how they've handled things and hopefully that will help me out. I've been very fortunate to meet and become friends with some other new 1st time moms - my girls from prenatal yoga are awesome and I've also met a few ladies that live near me. Hopefully this will make for some great lasting friendships between the moms and children!

Eli's first construction site visit

Today was Eli's first trip to a construction site. We met the team from my Chapel Hill Project (Benny, Joel, Randford & Benny's son Matt - unfortunately GreyWolf was at a doctor's appt) for lunch and then went to the jobsite. It was so great to see all of the guys and catch up a bit. So much has happened since I've been gone. We went back to the jobsite after lunch and it looked a lot different. Benny, my Supt, has been sending me pictures while I've been out but there's something different about seeing it in person. I stuck Joel with Eli for a few minutes while I walked the job with Benny. It was nice to be "Evia the Project Manager" for a few minutes instead of "Mom" or "Eli's Diner". Eli wore his construction outfit that my great friend Denise sent him. It has construction equipment on it and say's "Mommy's Little Boy". Eli was so good during the entire visit. He should be wiped out and sleep well tonight.

Here are some pictures from the day.

Eli's ready to walk the job in his hardhat

Benny tells Eli about all the subs

Uncle Joel

Eli & Mommy at the jobsite

The Real Baby Einstein

Check out the hair - can't you see the resemblance?!

Mommy's 6 week check

Today was my 6 week check at the doctor's office and everything checked out ok. My iron levels are low so I've got to start taking iron tablets every day. That's no big deal though. Blood pressure was good - 102/68. My weight...well, it was my weight! I'm, of course, down from my pregnancy weight but have 22 pounds to go to get to pre-pregnancy weight and then I'd like to lose 15-20 on top of that. Soooooo, that's about 40 pounds that I want to get off of me. Sounds like a lot of work but with time and patience I can do it. My goal is to lose the 40 pounds in 10 months - I think that's realistic. I'll have to break it down into smaller segments but I think that's the ultimate goal. I did get the go ahead for exercise so I'll start doing more now. I also got the "return to work" letter but I'm going to use my paid leave to stay out until probably December. I've been working some from home so I will continue that part time and that may possibly delay my full time office return to January. We'll just have to see how it goes.

But the good news for the day is that Mommy is doing great and feels great too!!

6 weeks old

Eli is 6 weeks old today. Time has flown by! I can't say the past 6 weeks have been easy, they've had their challenges but I wouldn't trade it for the world. Eli is holding his head better now, has discovered his hands and definitely knows Mommy's voice now. Last Wednesday, I was talking to him and he smiled. I couldn't repeat it so I don't think he actually knew he smiled (it could have been gas) but it made my heart smile and made me cry. He's changing so much and is just so darn cute - and no I'm not biased at all! Unofficially- by the home scale - Eli is about 12 pounds now. I have a class at Rex later this week so I'm going to get him weighed for real while I'm there. He's our little eater so 12 pounds doesn't surprise me at all.

Tomorrow is my 6 week doctor's appointment so we'll see what they say about me. I'm feeling much better these days and starting to do more walking and ready to start some sort of exercise plan to get the pregnancy weight off. I know it won't happen overnight but I really want to lose that weight and then a little more.

Today's cute pictures. We love dalmatians in this house!