Teeth

Say hello to my little teeth. That's right, Eli has 3 teeth! A week ago he didn't have any and now he has three! The bottom two started coming in around his 6 month birthday and the top one followed shortly after. It was a rough week with our little boy in so much pain, but we made it through and now he's happy and smiling again (perhaps showing off his new teeth). They have just popped through his gums, but will be so cute when they have fully come in. The doc said that he can put his new teeth to use by eating finger foods (cheerios, peas, etc.) around his 7 month b-day. Until then, lets just hope he doesn't bite mom, while nursing!

Swimming!

Today was Elliot's first time in a swimming pool! He loves his bath, so we figured he would love the pool too. Well, we were right! The water was nice and warm in the indoor pool and he thought it was giant bath. He splashed, kicked and laughed the whole time. He's a little fish! We're looking forward to summer and more fun in the water!

4 generations

80 years and 4 generations. Great-grandma ("GG"), Grandma Wedman, Mom and little Elliot, finally together for our first photo.

Dr. M and E out to lunch for his 1/2 birthday :)

6 month checkup

Today was E's 6 month check-up and immunizations. Looks like he's still looong and skinny. Doc said he looks like a happy, healthy baby boy and was particularly impressed with his ability to sit independently (which made his mom proud!). Our next visit is at 9 months!

The stats:

Weight: 15 lbs 14 oz (20%)

Height: 26 3/4 in (60%)

Head circ: 16 5/8 in (11%)

6 MONTHS!

It's been 185 days since little Elliot was born. That's about 1,665 diaper changes and breast-fed meals (and I'm proud to add that we're still cloth diapering and loving it). 5 months and three weeks ago, I remember wondering how we would ever make it to this point. It seemed so far away and everything was so challenging at that time. I set a personal goal of breast feeding for 6 months and thought I would be back to work by 4 months. Well, nursing is going great and I haven't even attempted to look for a job.

Little E is now sitting on his own (though a little wobbly), rolling from side to side, onto his belly and back again. He babbles constantly (a talker, like his mom?), loves putting his toes in his mouth, and smiles and laughs at us all the time. Just yesterday we noticed that he's getting his very first tooth (his front, bottom, left and top one on the same side)! He's a little fussy, but baby tylenol seems to be working well. He's still not really eating solid foods, though we offer him sweet potatoes or rice cereal each night (some times he eats the whole bowl and other times he just has a bite or two). He loves spending time in his jumperoo and rolling around on the floor or working on sitting.

As parents (especially first-time parents) we're constantly questioning our ability to raise a child though people, books, doctors and websites tell us he's right on track. Is he developing normally? Above normal? Am I making the right choices for him? Are we creating an environment that's stimulating enough? Will he meet next months developmental "milestones?" Are we good parents? The worst thing any parent can to do is compare their own child to someone else's (but it's hard not to). So, we've decided to raise little E with "no regrets" and not look back and say "I wish we had..." or "we should have..." We're doing the very best that we can and, honestly, we're raising a pretty incredible little boy! He's such a happy little guy and SO loved! His personality seems to come through more and more every day. We can't wait to see what kind of person he will become (though Dr. M thinks he will be a starting point guard for KU, of course!). Parenthood is an amazing experience, one you can only understand first-hand...

Happy 1/2 Birthday, baby boy!!!!!

Genetic Testing

Not sure this is blog-worthy, but it's something significant in our lives right now. When E was born he had the routine heel prick/blood work done at the hospital. A couple weeks after we got home, we got a call saying that one of the tests was "irregular" and that we needed to come in to have a more extensive test done. So, off to Children's we went...E just a few weeks old. This time it was way more than a simple heel prick. They had to draw a tube of blood from his little arm. He screamed and I cried too. A few days later E's dr called and said that the enzymes his body produces to digest a sugar called galactose (found in lactose), were low. The problem? This is a genetic disorder that can cause a serious, but rare, illness called galactosemia. E didn't display any symptoms of having galactosemia, but the numbers in his blood test indicated that he's a "carrier" for the genetic mutation. So, the doc wanted to do further genetic testing to see if he was the type of "carrier" that would effect his dietary needs. Galactose is found in dairy (breast milk) and if his body isn't digesting the milk properly, it could be building up in his system. The geneticists at Children's suggested that we have the blood sent to the Mayo Clinic to have more extensive genetic tests run.....

Sooo, this has all been going on since E was a couple weeks old, but, I'm happy to say that we finally got to the bottom of it. I spoke with E's doc early this week and he said that E is a carrier for the rare genetic condition, galactosemia. The good news is that it won't effect his life, or diet in any way until he decides to have children of his own....he'll need to make sure his partner is not a carrier as well, which would increase their chances of having a child with galactosemia. The doc also recommended that Dr. M and I be tested to make sure that both of us are not carriers as well (for future children).

Anyway, I'm glad we got to the bottom of all of this. But can't help but question the fact that we had genetic testing done on our little boy (and possibly on Dr. M and I). I keep hearing so much about it on the news lately....both good and bad. If we're able to prevent the birth of a very sick child in the future, it was worth it.

Valentines Day

E's first Valentines actually started Thursday with a mom/baby gift exchange with our mommy/baby friends. Grandma K arrived at our house Friday evening and spent Saturday afternoon getting some quality time with E while Dr. M and I spent the afternoon together at the City Museum (acting like kids)! Today is a snowy, cold, relaxing Sunday afternoon. Watching movies, the olympics, snuggling and making dinner together....spending the day with all of my boys...the perfect valentines day.

My Valentines!

Super Bowl

Eli's first Super Bowl. Okay, so neither one of us are big NFL fans, but everyone loves a good party and with Aunt Sarah in New Orleans, we had to root for the Saints (who dat?!). Plus, the commercials are my favorite part and generally worth watching (this year the KIA commercial with the toys driving the car was hilarious - the sock monkey tattoo, ha!). Deciding what to bring, however, took some time. With me not eating dairy (or meat) our options were limited. So, we decided to go with something I wouldn't eat, but Dr. M would love....jalapenos, filled with cream cheese, wrapped in bacon and baked (gotta love Pioneer Woman). Needless to say, they were a hit with all the guys!

Sweet Potatoes

My first attempt at making baby food.....sweet potatoes. I steamed, peeled, pureed and froze a single sweet potato (which made 12 servings!). Eli hasn't been a fan of his rice cereal, so we decided to change it up and try sweet potatoes instead. Well, he didn't like them either. The truth is, I just don't think he's ready for solid food yet. So, we're going to wait a couple more weeks, until after his 6 month b-day to really give foods a try.

New Hat

Like my new hat? Mom made it for me! She found the pattern on this blog. Dad thinks I look like a Hershey's Kiss, but mom thinks its pretty cute! I like it. It keeps my head warm in this bitter cold weather.

Handmade

A quilt, knitted booties, stuffed mouse, knitted bear ear hat, giraffe rattle, fabric block, curtains, pillows, screen-printed "jayhawk" onsies, sweatshirts and sweat pants and newest creation, applique onsies, pants and even a handmade fleece "pi" shirt.....ALL created by Grandma K for her little E over the past 6 months! She loves creating them and we love seeing what she's come up with. Who knows what will be next? We can't wait! Thank you Grandma K!

Videos!

So, we got a new video camera and have been taking lots of great videos. Here are a few of our faves:

Bath Time!


Babbling


Cereal


Dogs

Cereal

We were given the green light to try "solid" foods by E's pediatrician. So, we decided to start Sunday night. This was his first taste of anything other than breast milk (we even mixed the cereal with warm breast milk). Well, he hated it. Hated every bite. He wrinkled his nose, turned his head and spit it back out. He even started to fuss. We didn't taste it, but it smelled gross...I don't blame him. We'll keep trying it though - I've heard that it takes a baby about 5 feedings to actually like a new food. So, we'll see.... Needless to say, we took lots of pictures and yes, even video of the event. Here are a couple pics of his funny faces (which were the best part of the whole thing) :)

4 month check up

Yesterday was E's 4 month check-up and doctors visit. He was weighed, measured, inspected and poked. He received one shot and one oral vaccination (they were out of another shot that we'll receive in a couple weeks). This was our first appointment with the new pediatrician, who we really liked. We've heard many great things about this practice and feel like E is in good hands. The doc confirmed that E has eczema (like his dad). It doesn't seem to itch or bother him, but is red and looks irritated, so we're constantly slathering on lotions and this cold, dry weather isn't helping. Doc also suggested that mom eliminate dairy from her diet for 10 days to see if the eczema gets better (no dairy could be hard for mom). He still has cradle cap, which also itches, but is getting better and the doc recommended that we use cortisone cream on it. Developmentally he's right on track for his age, weighs 14 lbs 10 oz (36%) and is 25.5 inches long (64%). So, he's long and lean! We were also given the green light to start "solid" foods (rice cereal first, then pureed veggies) but aren't sure when we'll begin. Don't worry, we'll take lots of pictures and maybe even post a video of the first taste. Overall he's doing great and we're blessed to have a happy, healthy, beautiful baby boy!

New

So we thought we were going to have a thumb sucker. E was constantly putting his fingers and hands in his mouth (sometimes his whole fist). He sucked on them constantly, but never the same fingers. As you can imagine, all of this chewing was also causing a serious drool problem and his little fingers were becoming red and chapped. So, I decided to see if he would take a pacifier instead and guess what? It worked! I can't believe it! He's rejected the paci since day one, but now seems to love it. He's so calm and content with it in his mouth, it's amazing. I know it can be a bad habit to break, but think it's worth the challenge to see him so happy (I may regret this down the road). He's also discovered his toes. He loves to grab his feet, toes and socks when he's being changed, which can make things tricky. It's super cute to watch. I remember seeing him for the first time in an ultra sound and he reached up and grabbed his toes. It was so sweet. He continues to grow and change every day.

Happy New Year!

What a year 2009 was for the Moen family! It's amazing to look back and think of where we were just a year ago....pregnancy, graduation, moving to a new city, a new job, a new house and the birth of our beautiful baby boy. What a wonderful year it's been. We look froward to the year ahead and all the joy that comes with a growing baby and the changing seasons. We wish you all a happy and healthy New Year!

First Christmas

Packages everywhere, monkey bread for breakfast, PJ's and slippers all day, turkey in the oven, Christmas tree glowing, hershey kisses, family together, Christmas music, smiles, laughter, cinnamon candles, stockings hung on the fireplace, joy in everyone, twinkle lights and love....our first Christmas with our baby boy.

It was amazing, busy and wonderful. We spent a couple days in Columbia, staying with Grand-W, attending the annual Diggs Christmas party (where he met his cousins Jackson and Connor for the first time), he met Aunt Allison, had beautiful family photos taken, opened his very first christmas package, helped ice cookies and even wore adorable Christmas outfits. We spent Christmas Eve here in St. Louis with Grand-K and our friends the Valleroy's. We had a beautiful white christmas morning and loved watching it snow all day (E's first snow)! We stayed in our PJ's and played with our new trinkets, watched Christmas Story and had a delicious Christmas turkey dinner (my very first)! It was perfect....

Christmas morning

E's first snow

Giggles

Watch out, laughter is contagious!

A year ago...

It's amazing to think that this time last year I was peeing on a pregnancy test...excited, scared and surprised at the little pink "+" sign on it... Seeing the shock on our parents faces when they opened the cards telling them they were going to be grandparents for the first time... Feeling the cramps in my stomach that would turn into a beautiful baby boy... And thinking about how different things would be a year from then... Well, the past year has been a whirlwind, to say the least, but it's also been one of the best years of our lives! I'm excited for what the year ahead of us holds...