Christmas Part One

This past weekend we went to McMinnville, TN to celebrate Christmas number one with Daniel's family... it ended up being quite the adventure!

We got on the road and after about an hour the van started acting like it was possessed; the lights inside the van started flickering, we could not accelerate, the blinkers did not work, the radio went out. We were so confused. Luckily there was an exit nearby, so we got off and pulled into a gas station. After a couple hours of stressing and trying to figure out what to do, with a screaming baby and a dog, we found out that our alternator was bad. The thought actually crossed my mind that we were going to miss Christmas!! Haha!
The problem was solved when Daniel's parents offered to come get us. So we sat at a Subway for 2 and 1/2 hours working on scrapbook pages for a family member's present. Eli was an angel and poor Boo had to hang out in the trunk!

We got in late and then had to be at PaPaw and Gigi's house at 8:00!!!! We actually ended up getting there only 10 minutes late! There were 22 adults and 10 kids! It was a packed house! We started with breakfast and Leah announced that she was pregnant (due in July)! That means at next years Christmas we will have three new babies, assuming no one else gets pregnant...
We sang the traditional 12 Days of Christmas, ate breakfast, played the left/right game, and opened presents. Daniel's family has themed Christmases every year hosted by one family. This year Rachel and Hector hosted the Wise Men Christmas. As a part of the theme we had to give our secret Santa a gift that we thought really hard about and before they opened it we had to present a poem or thought about why we got the gift for them. Cousin Tim (the high school English teacher in the family also a literary genius likened to Shakespeare) wrote a whole short story for his secret Santa! Needless to say, Daniel and I presented our last minute thoughts claiming we had left our poems in our broken down van :) I ended up getting a baby puree cookbook that I am really excited to use!!
The rest of the day was spent snacking on sausage balls and hanging around! That night we went back to Daniel's parents house and opened up gifts from them. We got a BRAND NEW camera and we are so excited because now we can take some great quality photos of our little man! Here are some samples:
This is Daniel's dad dressed as Santa with Eli

And here are some random pictures I took

This weekend we are going to Senoia, GA to celebrate Christmas with my family!

Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving we spent 4 days at my parents house and it was lots of fun! I think I might be the only person in the world who doesn't get excited about Thanksgiving dinner, but Daniel more than makes up for my lack of enthusiasm!

This year the whole family was together, including Grandma who just recently retired and moved down to Georgia in the beginning of October. Dad and Sean spent Thanksgiving morning running a half marathon while the rest of us (including Eli!) slept in! Later on we all watched the Thanksgiving parade while the food was prepared!

Before we ate, Dad read off a list of all the things that he and our family had to be thankful for this year. We are so richly blessed and I am glad that we spent our time reflecting on all that we have been blessed with! Here is a list of JUST A FEW of my Thanksgivings:

1- My amazing husband. I believe that God brought Daniel and I together for a reason. When I look back on our relationship and see how far we have come in just 4 years I am in awe! God was definitely at work! I am so thankful that Daniel is my husband and that I get to share this life with him! He is my best friend, a wonderful listener, extremely patient, kind, genuine, funny, and best of all he loves me for me! He is also a GREAT father!
2- My sweet boy. I am so thankful for Eli! He is such a blessing in my life and words can not express my love for him. I am exceedingly thankful that he was born HEALTHY and without complications! He brings such joy to me everyday and I can not imagine my world without him! God is SO good!
3- My wonderful family. I could not have been blessed with a more amazing family than the one that I have! When we are all together I am constantly reminded of my love for each and every one of my family members! We all fit together so well and when we are all together the love can be seen and felt all around us! Not too mention they are hilarious and we keep each other laughing constantly!
4- Daniel's job. God blessed us with Daniel's job. There is no doubt about that. With the country's economy and job market in a downward spiral it was nothing short of a miracle that Daniel got a job just six weeks after graduating college, 2 and 1/2 months before the baby was born, with insurance coverage that would help pay for Eli's birth and keep us from getting into some serious debt! Our prayers were answered! We have a steady income, a roof over our heads, and food on the table (oh yeah, and diapers!)! Praise the Lord!
5- My Savior. I am so thankful for the sacrifice that was made so that my sins could be forgiven and so that I could look forward to my home in heaven when this life is over. Now that I have Eli there is no way that I could ever imagine giving up my son to die for people that I don't even know... but I am SO THANKFUL that I have a Savior who did just that!

Thank you Lord for blessing me and my family!

On Friday Eli went to his FIRST MOVIE! We saw Harry Potter in theaters and Eli was so good! He slept most of the time and woke up once for a snack!

The rest of the weekend was spent talking, laughing, playing with Eli, and just visiting with each other. We talked about how much fun it would be next Thanksgiving and pictured little Eli running around the house! I can't even imagine! :)

First Shots and First Time Seeing Santa

Yesterday was a big day for Eli! I took him in for his 2 month shots. He actually only ended up getting one shot (dTAP) and an oral vaccine (Rotavirus). We are following the Dr. Sears Vaccination schedule, which spaces the shots out a little bit more. The nurse looked a me like I had three heads when I told her we wouldn't be following THEIR schedule... oh well!
While we were getting ready to leave I felt so guilty! I was getting him all dressed and ready to go fully knowing that he would be crying and in pain in only a couple hours. Silly I know, but still, what mom likes to hear their baby cry!? When all was said and done Eli did GREAT! He cried for only a few seconds and then was back to his normal happy self!

Later that night Daniel surprised us with a fun evening in Birmingham! We went to "The Summit", a touristy shopping center near our home, where there was a small Christmas Parade! Eli was able to see Mr. and Mrs. Claus for the first time! He loved all of the commotion -- he sat snugly in either mine or Daniel's arms just looking around, cooing, and smiling! Afterward the whole shopping center lit up with Chrismas lights and there was a firework show! We had a blast!

Flying With Daddy

Eli absolutely LOVES this!

Night Time Routine and Lullabies

We decided to start a bedtime routine with Eli, since he is a whole 2 months old (gasp!). We implemented it the past two nights. It goes like this:

Eat
Snuggle on Mommy and Daddy's bed
Daddy reads a bible story
Mommy reads a book
Daddy reads a book
Sing songs
Kisses and Hugs
Pray
Put Eli into the pack-n-play
Replace pacifier when he cries, until he falls asleep

He has successfully transitioned from the rock-n-play (a comfy chair-like sleeping cradle that sits on a slight incline) which was in our room, to the pack-n-play which is also in our room. I am SO thrilled that this was a success. I was worried he wouldn't adjust well due to being flat on his back, but he slept really well both nights! The next step will be his crib which is in his nursery.

The only problem with this routine is that I DONT KNOW ANY LULLABIES!!!

So the past two nights I have been singing him Christmas Carols. I better start learning some lullabies otherwise I will be singing Christmas Carols all year round!

Halloween and Homecoming

We have been so busy these past couple of weeks. The past three weekends we have been in THREE different states! First we were at my parents house for a visit, then we were at Daniel's parents house for Eli's first Halloween, and finally we were in Searcy for Homecoming weekend. Things have finally settled down, so here I am to update!

We had so much fun during Halloween weekend! Eli was able to meet some of his family members for the very first time -- I think over 25 people were at Daniel's parents house on Saturday! It was so crazy! On Saturday night we dressed Eli up in his Halloween costume and went trick-or-treating with Reese, Owen, and Josie! Eli was a Ninja Turtle (of course). Reese was a Super Spy, Owen was Mario, and Josie was a fairy.

Before leaving for homecoming on the following weekend, something very exciting happened!!! ELI ROLLED OVER on November 1st! We caught it on video too! Its funny because you can hear Daniel and I in the background cheering him on!

This past weekend was exciting for all of us! We were back at Harding and my whole family was together again! We were able to spend some good quality time together at our Alma Mater! Here is a picture of Eli on the road -- he's such a good little traveler:

This weekend we will be spending all of our time in good ole Birmingham! We are all traveled out for now!

I'll leave you with these pictures of Eli! (sorry for the bad quality, all we have is our iPhones to take pics!)

6 week appointment

Eli had his 6 week well-child visit today! It went really well! He is now in the 90th percentile for both weight and height!!!! His head circumference is in the 50th percentile. Everything looks right on track and he is a healthy baby boy! Here are his stats:

After Birth
Wt. -- 8lbs
Ht. -- 21 inches

3 Days Old
Wt. -- 7lbs 5 oz
Ht. -- 21 inches

2 Weeks
Wt. -- 8lb 11oz
Ht. -- 21 inches

6 Weeks
Wt. -- 11lb 7.5 oz!!!!!!
Ht. -- 23 1/4 inches


We also talked about Eli's development and he is right on track -- even ahead in some areas! Here are his major milestones so far:

 Week One 
- Smiles and laughs in sleep
- Lifts head up when you hold him against your chest
- Lifts head up when laying on tummy

Week Two
- Started eating breast milk from a bottle
- Sleeps from 1:00am - 6:00am and then from 7:30am - 12:00 pm
- Sleeps pretty much all day, wakes only to eat and cuddle
- Fusses only when hungry

Week Three
- Lifts up head when laying on tummy and moves head from side to side
- Sleeps 5-6 hours on average
- Slept from 2:00 - 9:00!!!!!
- Cord stump fell out (21 days)

Week Four
- Smiled and cooed at mommy!!!!
- Makes a lot more eye contact
- Good head control, lifts up and looks around

Week Five
- Smiles at mommy, daddy, nonna, pops, and Uncle Sean
- Pushes up on forearms to look around when laying on tummy
- Took a pacifier for the first time
- Sleeps 6-7 hours at night (usually goes to bed at 11:30)
- Hardly ever cries

Eli is six weeks as of yesterday and today he ALMOST rolled over for the first time from his tummy to his back!! He was getting so frustrated! He would make it onto his side, but couldn't quite make it all the way onto his back!

He also giggled for the first time (while awake). He was in such a good mood today -- nothing but smiles and cuddles for mommy!

We were offered the chance to give Eli 5 VACCINES today at the check-up! I decided to delay them for now. I know they have done research and there are "no detrimental effects" on the baby, but that just seems like a LOT of vaccines and really early! I think I am going to research them a bit more and try to make a revised schedule for him (delayed and more spaced out). I know this is a really controversial topic, but as the doctor said "I'm the mom, so I'm the boss". I heard Dr. Sears has a great book with lots of info on vaccines, so I might need to check that out!

Another reason that I decided to delay the vaccines is because tomorrow we are headed up to Tennessee. We are going up to visit Daniel's family -- Pap, Gram, Aunt Le Le, Aunt La La, Uncle Trysten (who will not be responsible for any diaper changes - haha!), and cousins Reese and Owen! We are looking forward to the visit and dressing Eli up for Halloween!! I guess you'll have to check back here to see pictures of his costume :)

Eli's Birth Story

This is Eli's birth story. I wrote it a few days after he was born. What better place to start then to tell about our son's arrival into this world!

Eli Grey White
8 lbs 21 in
September 15th 2010

I was scheduled for an induction at 39 weeks due to PIH.

On Tuesday night, September 14th, I went in for a regular OB appointment and then straight to Labor and Delivery after my appointment as planned. Daniel was with me the whole time.

At my appointment, I was told that I was still only a fingertip dilated. My OB just smiled at me and said "We have ways around that!". I felt confident that this induction was going to be a smooth ride.
When I got to Labor and Delivery I waited for my OB. She came in at around 6:30 pm and inserted a Cook Catheter into my cervix. This catheter was supposed to rest on my cervix, acting like the baby's head, causing my cervix to dilate. She told me that either the balloon of the catheter would fall out on its own or she would have to remove it in the morning. If it fell out on its own that meant it worked and my cervix was probably at either 3 or 4 centimeters. If it didn't fall out on its own that meant I wasn't responding. At around midnight I got up to use the bathroom and the bulb fell out!!!!! I was so excited and became even more confident that my body was going to respond well to the induction.

At around 3:30 in the morning I woke up to use the restroom and noticed that some fluid was leaking out. It was pinkish-red, so I thought it was just discharge or blood from the catheter placement. I didn't think twice about it. When my nurse came in at 5:30 in the morning I told her about the leaking. She decided to check me to see if it was my water -- it was!

My doctor showed up at 7:30 to break my water. When I told her it broke on its own she was very pleased, but she said since it was a small leak she would help it along. She broke my water even more and then I was started on pitocin.

The contractions started out pretty light and I think I was distracted by my excitement. I progressed pretty quickly from 3cm to about 5 cm. At 5 cm, my contractions were getting really painful. I finally asked my nurse for an Epidural because they were so painful and it was affecting my blood pressure. I felt almost ashamed for asking for one, like I should have been stronger. I told my nurse that I had a low pain tolerance and that I knew I would end up with an Epi. My nurse laughed at me for saying that I had a low pain tolerance and she told me that my contractions were off the charts! That made me feel somewhat better.

I got my Epi a while later. It took two sticks to get it right. I was really anxious about the placement so I jumped a lot during the first attempt. I had to calm myself down and will myself not to move the second time. It definitely paid off! After the Epi went in I felt NOTHING. It kicked in about ten minutes later and it was wonderful!! I couldn't feel pain or pressure. It really helped me to relax. I was even laughing and talking like normal with Daniel and my family. The nurse was especially amazed that I couldn't feel anything during my most intense contractions. I just smiled!

After the Epi went in I progressed to 6 cm and my cervix was 100% (very thin and ready for the baby). The baby was at 0 station and was ready to come as well. All that was left was 4 more cm. I thought it was going to fly by....
Unfortunately I stopped progressing. I remained at 6 cm for about four hours. My OB informed me that they like to see about .5-1cm dilation/hour.

At this point my OB told me that a c-section was probably inevitable. She told me that she didn't think I would progress any further and that I was stalled at 6. She told me that I needed to make a decision. I could wait longer to see what my body did or I could go back for the surgery. When she left I cried to Daniel. I was terrified of having a c-section. I was terrified of surgery, terrified of complications, terrified that something would go wrong. I honestly didn't know what to do.
I called my parents back into the room and told them about the decision that I needed to make and I cried some more. They tried their best to reassure me, but unfortunately I was so inside of my own head. I couldn't be reassured. We prayed about the decision and about what was going to happen. I prayed that I would make the right choice and that everything would turn out okay.

The nurse, who was in the room, came over to talk to me. She asked me about my concerns, then helped me see the reality of the situation. This is exactly what I needed. With the way that my mind works, I need to know the facts. I need to know EVERYTHING. Being told "You'll be fine." was not going to do it.

I made the decision to have the c-section for one reason. Eli. I didn't want my fear to cause HIM any harm. The OB told me that since my cervix was 100% effaced and the baby was so low, he was starting to come down the birth canal but wasn't fitting. The skin around his head was coming through, but since I wasn't dilating the bones of his skull would not fit. This caused "molding" (the reason he had a conehead when he was born). If this continued for long enough he could have ended up with fluid around his brain.

It had only been about 30 minutes from the time I made my decision to the time that I was wheeled into the OR. When we got to the OR, I started to panic. I couldn't believe that I was actually going to be cut into. Then Daniel came in. He took my hand and talked to me the whole time. I tried not to pay any attention to what was going on (but that was kind of impossible). The anesthesiologist laughed at me because I kept checking my blood pressure, oxygen levels, and heart rate on the monitor. He told me that I wasn't allowed to look anymore and told me that they were almost done.

Finally, I felt some intense pressure on my chest. They were pulling him out. I was watching Daniel the whole time. I told him to tell me EVERYTHING when he came out -- his hair color, his eye color, how big he was, if he was STILL a boy!

They pulled him out and I didn't hear anything. I started to get anxious. I kept asking, "Why isn't he crying!??! Isn't that bad?" It turns out that he was soaking everything in. As soon as he was born he opened his eyes and was just looking around. He finally made some noise after what seemed like forever. I started to cry right then and there. Daniel kissed me and said, "We have a baby!" I was so happy.
After Eli came out, I became very lightheaded and woozy. I had to keep my eyes closed because I didn't want to pass out and miss anything. I had the nurse tell me everything that was going on.

They finally brought him over to me and I got to kiss my precious boy! He was the most perfect and beautiful thing that I had ever seen. I couldn't stop crying OR smiling. I experienced the BEST feeling in the world -- becoming a mommy. Daniel asked me, "So... is this Eli?!" I looked at my son one more time and it was for sure, this was Eli. This is who we had been waiting for and who we had so much love for already.

Eli is the perfect baby! Besides for his good looks (which he obviously inherited from me, haha), his temperament and his personality are so sweet. He has such a gentle spirit. He takes in everything around him. He is constantly looking around and contemplating the world (at least I think so). When he is awake he is either snuggling, eating, or looking around. So far he has only cried when he was cold in the hospital and when he is hungry. When he cries he doesn't even scream or demand attention, he simply cries out to us and then stops when we fulfill his needs.

I am completely and utterly in love. My heart could not be more full. God had blessed us.

I still can NOT believe Eli is already 6 weeks TODAY!

Where to begin?!

Daniel, Eli and I went home to my parents house this weekend! It was so much fun! I love seeing my mom and dad as grandparents -- Nonna and Pops! We spent most of the time just sitting around talking and of course looking at/holding/cuddling little Eli! On Saturday we went through baby books; mine, Sean's, and Kaysi's. I think we finally figured out who Eli looks like!

4 weeks

5 weeks

These are pictures of pictures from MY baby book!

Sean and Me!

It's fun to see some of MY characteristics in Eli! Now we know why he is SO cute! Haha!

While we were looking through the baby books I thought it was so neat how my mom wrote down all of my major milestones and kept track of my growth. I decided that I want to do that for Eli! Unfortunately I am not the best scrapbooker. I also realized that nowadays you hardly ever print off pictures anyway, they're all just on the computer! So why not do a baby blog!! Brilliant, I know!

Too bad I thought of this 5 and 1/2 weeks after Eli was born! I guess the next post will have to be a quick recap on everything that's been going on so far! I can't believe my baby boy is almost 6 weeks old! Time flies!