One month!

Again, I'm shocked that so much time has gone by since the little guy arrived. I've been told that the whole first year becomes a blur, it goes by so fast. So, I'm trying to enjoy the little moments....the random smiles he gives me, the baby noises he makes and how he falls asleep any time, any where so easily. Little Eli has been so good, we've been able to go out to dinner, over to friends houses, to local fall festivals (my fave) and shopping. With the onset of flu season and the fact that this year is supposed to be bad one, I'm glad we've been able to get out and enjoy the fall air. This weekend will be our first road trip to grandmas house...wish us luck, we may need it.

The Moen family at the Forest Park Balloon Glow on September 18:

Week Three

Another week....it's almost as if I can see him actually growing before my eyes. He changes everyday. He's becoming much more interactive and alert. When he's awake, he's busy staring at everything, watching me, tracking his toys and making cute little baby noises. He also loves to look at himself in the mirror behind the changing table. I have to admit that we've been lucky, he's generally very quiet and calm, fussing only when hungry. His eyes are still the dark blue/grey of a newborn, but we're anxious for them to change (will he be brown like his dad or green, like his mom?). He's started to smile - though random, it's still adorable! He's still eating every 3-4 hours, but at least we're on some sort of a schedule....even at night, it's not too bad. The last of our guests left on Wednesday (we've had two nights to ourselves in the past 3 weeks). It's nice having the house back to normal again, but the help was definitely appreciated - and needed! Gotta run...sounds like someone is hungry.....

Week Two

It's hard to believe we made it through the first two weeks! Everyone told us the first two weeks were the hardest part. Now that they're behind us, I hope everyone is right because it's been pretty rough. Don't get me wrong little Eli is a great baby, it's just tough nursing, rocking, changing and caring for him all day and all night, every 2-3 hours. I could really use a massage and a good 8 solid hours of sleep. I have to admit that we've been fortunate to have a ton of help from friends and family over the past two weeks! Last night was the third night that the little guy has slept in the nursery in his crib (which he really seems to like) he sleeps a good 3-4 hours between feedings. This week we purchased a sound machine for Eli's crib that plays various "white noise" sounds like rain, ocean, summer crickets or even a human heart beat (his current favorite) which I think is also helping him sleep at night. We've been to the pediatrician twice now (once at 3 days and once at two weeks). Overall, he's a healthy, rapidly growing little boy! At his two week appointment yesterdat the Dr wanted him to be back to his birth weight....well, the little guy exceeded his birth weight by 7 ounces and grew an inch!! No wonder he's been so hungry lately! Dr M said that if he keeps growing like this, he'll be 8 feet tall by the time he's two! His weight is pretty average in the 44%, but his height is in the 89% - I think he's gonna be tall, like his parents - watch out KU basketball! He doesn't go back to the Dr until his two month check-up where he'll receive a cocktail of immunizations. Overall, he's a great baby and true joy to have in our lives!

One week!

Wow, has it been a whole week already? It's amazing to think back to where we were this time last week. The funny thing is this week has been harder than labor and delivery combined. I feel like that's the part people leave out (or maybe I just ignored that part when mixed in with the massive amount of baby advice I was given while pregnant). All I have to say is thank goodness you can only be a first-time mother once. It's the hardest yet most wonderful thing I've ever done.

Little E is becoming more and more alert every day. He opens his eyes, looks around and is getting cuter every day :) His little belly button scab fell off yesterday, so we're exclusively cloth diapering now. It's amazing how much more absorbent the cloth is than the Pampers we were using. Plus, his little hinney in that big diaper is adorable. We've taken a couple strolls around the neighborhood and even braved getting some lunch at a nearby restaurant this weekend (which went amazingly well). Overall, he's a happy, healthy baby boy!

During the day, he's a great baby, but at night gets quite fussy (we call him Elliot the dragon at these times). He's been on this weird schedule of wanting to eat about every 30 mins from 7pm to around 1am some nights. Then finally falls asleep for 4, maybe 5 hours (which is nice). Dr M and I are still in great need of a good nights rest, but are handling new parenthood as best as we can. We've been told that the first two weeks are the hardest part.