First Mother's Day

Sunday was my very first Mother's Day (though we sort of celebrated last year, when I was pregnant). My Dad was in town, still celebrating Dr. M's birthday and helping us with some much needed yard work. Dr. M surprised me with a beautiful tree to plant in the front yard. It symbolizes the start of our new family and my very first Mother's Day together. I'm looking forward to watching it grow along with our family. I received so many beautiful flowers and cards and went to a wonderful brunch. I may, however, be looking forward to using the overdue and much needed one hour massage gift card that Dr. M gave me. Being a mother is amazing and exhausting at the same time. Every day is a new challenge, unlike the day before. Watching my son thrive and grow and my husband become a father is so rewarding. We are learning from each other everyday and growing as a family. I always thought that I would feel "different" as a mother and, to be honest, I don't. I feel better. Like myself, but complete. I love caring for my family. My respect and understanding for my own mother has grown so much. The bond between a mother and her child is indescribable, like nothing I could have imagined. I love that little boy so much and am so lucky to be his mother. He has changed my life forever. Thank you, little E.

30th Birthday

May 5th was Dr. M's 30th birthday (he's finally catching up with me!). To celebrate we had a house full of family (and dogs!). His mother, my mom, her husband, my dad, his wife and a good childhood friend of Dr. M's and three dogs all came to visit. He received 3 birthday cakes, many beautiful cards, cash, some much needed items, steaks and a new gas grill! The weather was beautiful. We ate outside three nights in a row. The celebration continued for almost 5 days and into the weekend. Little E was a trooper and, quite honestly, he loved all of the attention from the grandparents! As Dr. M always says "A PhD and a baby before I'm 30." I can't wait to see what he will accomplish in the next 30 years...

8 months

It's been a busy month in the Moen household. A month full of "firsts" for us and our busy little boy...an allergic reaction, using a highchair at restaurants, really crawling, tornado sirens, picnic in forest park, first b-day party, fever, antibiotics and ear infection. Things started with a bad allergic reaction to something unknown, he had hives all over and even his ears swelled (Benadryl works wonders). We started using the "big kid" high chairs at restaurants, which E loves and so do we, as it keeps him occupied while we eat. The past two weekends we've experienced April showers, severe spring weather and tornado sirens...the three of us and the dogs camped out in the basement last weekend for over a half hour. A week ago it finally happened....E got his very first fever. We were in the car, on our way to Chicago for the weekend and turned around when we realized that E wasn't feeling well. A green runny nose, fever and few days later we discovered that E had a double ear infection. He received his first dose of "the pink stuff" amoxicillin (and loves it!). E also attended his very first birthday party for a friend and a picnic in Forest Park last week. He loves being outside, playing in the grass and all the other kids in the beautiful spring weather. He's been working on crawling for some time now, but decided to take a break and work on transitioning from sitting to crawling and laying down to sitting, which he's mastered. But tonight, for the first time, he actually crawled...across the room, forward! He's getting so big (almost 18 lbs now). He's so much fun. He's always happy, laughing, babbling and smiling at everyone. So far, we haven't experienced any separation anxiety or stranger danger. He's just perfect. In every way....

Food

Our little boy is getting so big, He has been eating solid foods every day for the past month and even drinks water from a sippy cup. He eats two meals a day (lunch and dinner) and I've made every one of them from fresh, cooked and pureed veggies and fruit (pour them into ice cube trays and freeze them - so easy!). So far, he's tried: avocado, banana, mango, pear and sweet potato. I've just made carrots, broccoli and green beans to try next. So far, banana is his favorite, followed closely by his new fave, mango. He gets so excited when it's meal time, he squeals and kicks his legs. He's growing up so fast :)

More Videos!

I've uploaded all of our videos to a shared site, so it's easier for you to view and for me to upload. The videos start at Christmas (when we got the camera) and go through some we took yesterday. We've captured him babbling, giggling, playing, rolling over, eating, smiling, sitting, playing peek-a-boo and trying to crawl. Have fun watching them! Click HERE for the link.

Easter

All 5 of us (dogs too) packed up and drove to Kansas City for Easter weekend. We stayed with Grandma K and Miss Sadie in Liberty. We arrived Friday and spent the evening with some good friends that we hadn't seen in ages (plus, I was due for an evening out with adults). Saturday, the weather was beautiful and we spent the afternoon shopping some local stores, sharing a lovely lunch and generally taking it easy. Easter morning little E was excited to find an Easter basket full of exciting, handmade gifts from Grandma K. We headed home early that morning, but had time to stop along the way and enjoy a nice picnic lunch outside. Easter weekend was nice and relaxing, but I have a feeling that next year we'll be hunting for eggs and chasing an eager toddler.

7 months!

Elliot is 7 months old now! I know I say this every month, but I can't believe how much he's grown in just a month - he continues to amaze me. He now has 4 teeth - the top two and bottom two and I can see more just under his gums. He's eating pureed solid foods every day and has tried bananas, avocado, sweet potatoes and rice cereal so far. He also loves his sippy cup and knows how to use it all by himself. He sits really well on his own now and loves playing by himself. He moves all over the floor by rolling from side to side, but has recently started pushing up to his hands and knees! From a belly position he pushes up to his hands and then tucks his knees under and starts rocking back and forth, which I was told is a precursor to crawling! He'll be moving before we know it - yikes! His hair is still a light brown (and much longer on top than the sides). I think his eyes are starting to change from blue to a more hazel or green color (like his mom!). Possibly the biggest milestone we've recently crossed is that E is now sleeping 11-12 hours at night!!!! Yay! I hadn't slept 8 hours straight in over 6 months! He's such a good baby - we know he's amazing, but everyone always tells us how lucky we are to have such a good baby. I love seeing his personality come through more and more every day and can't wait to see the little boy he will become...

March Madness/Sadness

Dr. M here. This is my first (and hopefully not the last) blog entry. If you do not care about sports, please scroll down and see the adorable pic of E and I below.

As you know, the Moens are huge college basketball fans and March is a great time for college basketball. So we filled out E's first bracket and had a lot of fun. Of course being a graduate of KU and having lived in Lawrence for seven years we always root for the Jayhawks and the Big 12 conference. Unfortunately, things did not go as planned for Kansas. We were all devastated by the early upset that the best basketball team in America suffered. Especially little E, he was completely distraught as you can see below.

It got me thinking about what a bitter-sweet time of year this can be when your favorite team is a perennial power. First, the NCAA basketball tournament is the single greatest sporting event ever. This loss does not change my opinion about that. However, it is a shame to me that one loss can make an extraordinary season a disappointment. A team that swept its rivals (one being a very, very good team), dominated the best conference during the regular season, and won its conference tournament should not be considered failure. This is the problem of being the favorite, favorites are bound to be upset and when it happens everyone else loves it. This is what makes the tournament so great. Everyone loves the underdog. KU's opponent played a brilliant game and that is going to go down as one of the biggest wins in that schools history. Nobody can ever take that away from them and I give them all of the credit in the world.

For teams that expect to win a national championship it is that much more agonizing to their fans when they fall. This is why I think Kansas fans are some of the best basketball fans. Everyone loves it when their team fails. Everyone throws it in their face when they lose. But the fans keep ticking. It is easy to love the tournament when your team is mediocre. When your so-so team does make the tournament your season is automatically a success and if they make a run, well that's icing on the cake. When they don't make the tourney the fans don't have a vested interest, so they can just sit back and enjoy the show. So why even bother supporting KU. Because when they do put it together, it is that much sweeter. This loss made me realize how special 2008 really was. I was finishing my Ph.D. that year and when the whole city of Lawrence came together to celebrate KU's national championship, it was incredible.

So we will continue to root for our Jayhawks through the lows and highs. Because no matter the how low the low is, the high will always be better.

E and I watching basketball

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

We made corned beef and cabbage with Irish soda bread and had some dear friends over to share it with! Per Grandma W's request we made sure E wore green all day, so no one would pinch him, of course. In fact, we all wore green :) It was a lovely day. Just a year ago on St. Patrick's day was the first time I felt little E move in my tummy and by this time next year he'll be 18 months old...my how time flies when you're having fun!

"See, I wore green like Grandma W said and didn't get pinched."

"Grandma K says my Great-grandma K was Irish."

"Like my new monster hat?"

spring is coming...

Spring is coming, I can smell it. The birds are chirping, the grass is greener, flowers are sprouting and Dr. M's allergies are starting to act up. It will be here before we know it. Last week we took advantage of some very beautiful weather and Dr. M's spring break and all 5 of us (dogs too) went to Forest Park, walked and relaxed in the sun on art hill. It was awesome to feel the warmth of the sun again. We're all looking forward to summer, the longer days and warmer weather. E is also riding in the stroller like a "big boy," no more car seat :)

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.