Right Now...

Right now, Eli has this really mean face he puts on when he is upset.  His eyebrows droop and mouth turns down.  It's actually one of the cutest things I have ever seen.  One of his teachers at school told me, "If looks could kill..." well, you know how that ends...

Right now, Eli is obsessed with the lawn mower, his Dada's truck, Mickey Mouse, and Elmo.  We frequently have very long talks (I actually just listen) where he rambles on about Dada, riding the lawn mower and riding in Dada's truck.  He has the sweetest little voice...I could listen to it forever.  He often will say a sentence and chuckle really loud like it's the most hilarious thing ever!

Right now, Eli can count to 8 with me.  He knows several colors, although he must really like the color Yellow because he talks about that one A LOT!

Right now, he can say his ABC's with me.  I don't think he could say them on his own, but he says them right along with me.  My favorite part is when he bobs his head to the "L,M,N,O,P" part!

Right now, his favorite foods are pasta, mac and cheese, hot dogs, and pecan spin wheels.

Right now, we are down to him only getting his paci at bedtime.  I sneak it away from him in the morning after he wakes up.  If he thinks about it, he tries to pitch a fit for it.  I just tell him that he is a big boy and try to divert his attention to something else.  Out of sight, out of mind.  It works like a charm.

Right now, he loves going to the park.  He loves swinging, sliding and climbing.

Right now, he drives his big wheel motorcycle through the house at very fast speeds!  He makes really sharp turns, really fast!  He likes to slide around on the hardwood floors.  I let him.  It makes him happy and frankly, I love watching him.

Right now, almost every Saturday morning, Dada takes Eli in his truck and they go and grab breakfast.  Eli will dress in his wind suit pants and baseball cap just like Dada.  You can tell that he looks forward to riding in Dada's truck.  It's their little tradition.

Right now, my heart is exploding with love for this sweet blessing in our lives.  He is such a joy.  He has a smile that could melt the coldest heart.

He is an answer to our prayers.

Bath Time Fun

Eli LOVES bath time.  I LOVE a clean smelling baby! 

This is how we started...

Eli loves his rubber ducky...or anything he can chew on for that matter!

See what I mean?  He loves his feet!

I love that sweet grin!

Eli squints his eyes when I put the lotion in my hands to rub on him!  He knows what is coming!

This is the end result!  Clean baby that smells like heaven :)

 

 

 



5 Months!

My sweet Eli,

     You are growing up so fast!  I swear, it feels like just yesterday we were bringing you home from the hospital.  You are developing such a little personality.  You love smiling.  Pretty much every time we look at you, you are grinning about something!  You have started to hold your head SO high when laying on your tummy.  You look like you want to crawl already!  You have started this thing when I put you in your car seat, you raise your bottom up so I can't buckle you in!  I have to wait for you to calm down :)

On October 25th, you ate rice cereal for the first time!  You weren't sure about it at first but you quickly caught on!  On October 27th, you started really jumping in your jumparoo!  Before then, you had been just playing with the toys but now you jump so high I think you might bounce out of it!  On October 28th, you started trying to help Mommy hold your bottles.  I must say that I am kind of looking forward to the day that you can hold your own bottle!  That would sure save me some time in the mornings when we are trying to get out the door! 

You are becoming more and more mobile.  I can't leave you unattended for very long anymore!  You will end up in a totally different location than I left you in!  You love being held and rocked.  You love playing with your Daddy.  It's so sweet when you rub Daddy's face and "talk" to him.  I can tell that you guys will be best buds.  I can also tell that you are going to be very protective of your Mommy :) This makes me very happy! 

We love you so much more than you can ever imagine!  You are truly a million answered prayers.  I cannot believe you are 5 months old.  Time is going by so fast.  I'm soaking up all these precious moments with you.  No matter how big you get, you will always be Momma and Daddy's baby.  I love you, son.  Happy Birthday!

 

 

faux hawk :)

Oktoberfest 2012

Ready for church!

Your First Halloween! 

You Lost How Much??/ Randomness

Men can really get on my nerves.  Seriously.  My husband can get in his head that he wants to drop 5 pounds and magically it just falls off of him WHILE he is eating his chicken McNuggets.  I, on the other hand, could eat no more than 1200 calories in a day and exercise non-stop until Jesus comes back and still not lose a pound.  What is up with that???

Josh let me know that he lost nearly 5 pounds over a course of 3 days. The way he did it you ask?  His response-  "I just started drinking water instead of diet Mountain Dew."  I mean REALLY!?!?

..........

So, I had this awesome chart for my working out.  It included running, work-out dvd's, etc.  Friday night, while in the pits of HELL Wal-Mart, I totally messed up my baby toe.  It got caught under the wheel of the shopping cart.  I keep saying "It's broken", mainly because that sounds more interesting, but whatever I did HURTS!  It's extremely hard to wear a shoe, so running is out for a few days.  Guess bike riding will have to do for now.  I rode 4.5 miles yesterday in 26 minutes.  It felt fantastic!  The weather was perfect.   

..........

We spent the weekend in Oklahoma City.  Josh had to work a little Saturday night and most of the day Sunday.  I really enjoy going along with him on some of his work trips even if it's only for a night or two.  I love lounging around the hotel and catching up on TV shows that I don't normally get to watch.  When I'm home, I constantly feel like I need to be doing something productive.  So, it's almost like a mini vacation for me!  We spent Sunday afternoon shopping at the outlet mall in Oklahoma City.  I love that place.  I got 2 shirts from Banana Republic and a pair of sunglasses for $22!  Score!!!  It was a great quick trip!

..........

My sweet angel had his 4 month check-up yesterday.  He is growing up!  15 pounds 2 1/2 ounces and 26 inches long!  Weight is in the 50-75th percentile and height is in the 75-90th percentile!  The Doctor also said I can start giving him rice cereal.  He is really starting to notice our food and is grabbing at our plates!  I'm excited to start feeding him and see his reactions to different baby foods!  We are also on the look-out for more signs/symptoms of diabetes in our little man.  His daddy is a juvenile diabetic, and we have noticed a few jittery moments when Eli is really hungry.  His whole body will shake and nothing calms him until he gets his bottle.  I pray it is nothing.  Please pray too?  I know he will be just fine! 

..........

Lastly, did I mention that I got a TREE!?  Contain your excitement, people :) I don't think I have ever been more excited about a tree in my life!!!  I have been begging our neighborhood landscapers for a tree or maybe even more colorful landscaping and low and behold we got a beautiful maple tree!  My sister told me I need to get out more when I excitedly told her about it ;)  I think it makes our place look a little more cozy :)  I'm weird, I know.

..........



Eli and his sweet Daddy



Eli is loving his feet!

My big boy at his 4 month check-up!

26 inches long!

Eli trying to stand by himself on the couch!  Big boy!

My lovely maple tree!

4 Months

Oh, sweet Eli...why are you growing so fast??  You are developing such a little personality.  You have the most beautiful eyes and an infectious smile.  You make my heart so happy. 
........

You have had so many firsts since last month.  You went to daycare for the first time...you seem to love it!  You are really nosey, so I think you enjoy seeing all the other babies playing.

You rolled over from your back to your stomach on October 3rd!  Now you are flipping over so fast.  I turn around for one second and you are on your belly :)

You are becoming very mobile.  I lay you down on your play mat and you wiggle all the way off onto the hardwood floor.  You could care less, you just keep smiling!

You have times when you are a momma's baby.  I had to leave work the beginning of this week because you were crying and they could not figure out what was wrong.  When I got there, you saw me and smiled the biggest smile!  I think you just wanted your momma :)  We won't tell anyone, but you can get me out of work anytime you want!

You give the best, open-mouth, slobbery, wet kisses in the whole world!  You also say a word that strangely resembles the word "hey" when you want attention!  You started this on September 8th.  You are babbling more and more.  You are also giggling now and it's the cutest thing ever!

We visited Alabama the week of September 16th to meet your new cousin, Ezra.  We arrived on what would have been Nanny Johns' 78th Birthday.  She would have loved to see you!  You had so much fun with your cousins!

I love when I am feeding you your bottle, and you smile really big in your sleep when I take the bottle out of your mouth.  It's like you are saying, "Thanks for the bottle, my belly is so full!"

You love to be rocked and bounced.  You love napping with Mommy and Daddy.  You have the cutest crooked and toothless grin I have ever seen.  You are really enjoying your jumparoo now.  You still can't quite touch the ground, so we put a thin box underneath the jumper to help you out a little bit...and you love it :)

I took you to the doctor for your first sick baby visit on October 2nd.  We thought you had an ear infection, but turns out you only have allergies.  I was relieved.  I hate it when you don't feel well.

I know I say it all the time, but I am so glad that God sent you to us!  I'm excited about the future and all the "firsts" that are still to come, but I am sad that you are not a tiny infant anymore.  You are already showing signs of being independent...just like your Mommy and Daddy.  You don't want to sit down in our laps, you want to stand.  You are trying to help me hold your bottle...I'm not ready for that!  I know before long, you will be running all over this house.  I'm going to cherish every moment of your life because I know it passes far too quickly.  I love you with all my heart.  Happy 4 months, sweet baby boy!

Now for lots of pictures of the last month!

Lunch at Hideaway Pizza 10-6-12

My adorable Alabama Fan!

He was NOT loving his sunglasses!

 

My little owl

He loves his feet!

 

 

Sweet cousins- Eli and Ezra

Ezra, Peyton and Eli snoozing!

 

Napping at GaGa's House!  I love when he spreads out like this!

13 1/2 weeks apart 

Loving the jumparoo!

Loves napping with Daddy :)

*IN*fertile Myrtle/ One Year Celebration!

Today is a VERY special day.  One year ago today, I left behind my 2 year 8 month struggle with infertility and crossed over into the "puke your guts up all day, every day for 16 weeks" wonderful world of pregnancy.  Here is my story...

........October 4, 2011........

This is the day that my life changed forever.  A day that I didn't think would ever come.  My period was 3 days late.  Two years ago, I would have been doing a pregnancy test 5 days before a missed period.  Not at this time, though.  I would wait it out...seeing the negative test just made me more sad and depressed.  It actually had not occured to me that I was 3 days late until I was talking on the phone with a friend (whom I've only met once in person, but I think of her as a true friend) who was struggling with infertility as well.  After we got off the phone, it hit me like a ton of bricks...I had not started and didn't even feel like I would start anytime soon.  I dashed to my bathroom (where I had a healthy supply of tests) and low and behold I WAS PREGNANT!!!  I was in shock.  I kept looking at the plus sign and doubting myself.  Did I do the test right? (how many ways can you actually pee on a stick??!)  Was there really a plus sign or were my eyes playing tricks on me?  So...I took another one.  And guess what??...It was still positive!  Josh was out of town on a business trip.  I called him...he didn't answer.  Go figure!  I called repeatedly until he answered.  I wanted to wait and surprise him at the airport when I picked him up but I could not wait to share the wonderful news!  We were both ecstatic!  I spent the afternoon crying (tears of joy) and thanking God for this wonderful blessing!!!

........How it all started........

Six months prior to finding out we were pregnant, we started infertility treatments.  We had been trying to get pregnant for over 2 years.  I endured 4 months of blood draws, vaginal ultrasounds, clomid, HCG injections (thank you, Megan for shooting up my booty!), HSG procedure (which was very painful for me), an ovarian cyst from the clomid, and peeing on ovulation sticks almost daily.  It was all very stressful and an even bigger let down every month that I wasn't pregnant. 

It seemed like everyone I knew was popping babies out like a candy machine.

My poor husband endured his fair share of uncomfortable moments as well.  Bless his heart.  I won't put on here what he had to go through, but I just want him to know how much I love him and appreciate him for the sacrifices he made for our family.

........Stopping infertility treatments........

August 8th, 2011
I went to the infertility clinic for another ultrasound.  The nurse insisted that we do a pregnancy test because she saw something "different" on the ultrasound.  What do you know...negative again.  Broke my heart.  I remember sitting there thinking that this could be the day that we finally got that positive sign. False hope.  I was so let down and very depressed after this. 

Josh had just accepted a new job that would be taking us away from our family and friends...670 miles to be exact.  We were moving in mid-October to the Tulsa, OK area.  I was so overwhelmed with trying to get pregnant, going to the infertility clinic and trying to get ready to move that I decided I couldn't do it anymore.  I had to pack up my whole life and leave behind the people I loved the most, this was depressing in itself!  I couldn't take anymore disappointment or sadness.  I had an ultrasound scheduled for August 15th and I cancelled it.  We put everything on hold in order to move half-way across the country.  Infertility is very draining- physically and mentally...so was moving away from our home.

On November 14th, we saw this precious gummy bear for the first time!

........

I found out I was pregnant 6 days before the moving truck came and packed up my entire life.  We got pregnant when we least expected it.  We quit infertility treatments and magically we were pregnant a little over a month later.  This is the reaction of my bestie. We had a wonderful "girl date" dreaming of the future and planning everything! We told our families over our Thanksgiving gathering.  Everyone was so thrilled to meet our angel :)

Through all the tears and sad days, we now have the most precious angel in our lives.  I am so thankful that God chose ME to be Eli's Mommy.  The pregnancy was not easy.  I had severe nausea and vomiting until I was 20 weeks pregnant.  I lost a lot of weight.  But as I was puking, dehydrated and taking Zofran and Phenergan suppositories around the clock, I was still thankful to be pregnant with our little miracle.

Thanks to everyone who prayed for our miracle.  God works everything out in HIS time!

Photo Shoots, Back to Work and Getting Fit

I got to go back home a couple of weeks ago to meet my new nephew, Ezra Lander.  I must say, we can sure produce some ADORABLE little boys in this family :)

My sweet baby sister did an awesome job and is already the best little mama!  Breaks my heart that I live so far away from them...BUT it is SO much fun to go back home every now and then!

We did a little photo shoot with all of our kiddos.  Let me just say, it is EXTREMELY difficult to photograph a 3 month old, a newborn and an almost 3 year old little diva :) 

A big thanks to Jenny for taking our pics!  She always comes through for us!

Me and Eli (3 months), Shelby and Peyton (2 years and 9 months), Lorrie and Ezra (1 week and a half)

 

The sun was BLINDING us!  I love pics like this!

 

 

........

 

I started back to work September 13th after almost 14 weeks off!  Luckily, I am able to work part-time (2 days a week).  I am a Registered Nurse and I work in GI at a large hospital in the Tulsa area.  I LOVE my job!  I love my co-workers.  I am very blessed to have found this job.  I take patient's health history, start IV's, sedate patients and recover them after colonoscopies, EGD's and other GI procedures.  Never thought I would work in GI, but it is the perfect job for me!  If you are 50 or older OR if you are under 50 with a family history of colon cancer YOU NEED TO HAVE YOUR COLONOSCOPY SCREENING!  :) 

 

That being said, starting back to work meant that my sweet angel, Eli, had to go to daycare.  Thankfully, I have a great daycare at my hospital and Eli was accepted (he was #11 on the waiting list and they accepted 11...whew!!!)

 

I had so much anxiety about this.  So did my husband.  We had actually decided that I would not return to work because we were so worried about daycare.  I'm glad we changed our mind again at the last minute.  I love having the adult time and a little extra money never hurt anyone :)

 

Eli did fantastic on his first day!  He smiled at me when I was leaving and I got to spend my lunch break rocking him and loving on him!  I know in the long run, it will be so good for him to interact with other kids and possibly keep me a little more sane :)

 

 

........

 

Lastly, I am FED UP with myself!!!  I am 20 pounds over my comfortable weight!!!  I was more active when I was 9 months pregnant!!!  That is unacceptable!  I am on my way to healthy again!  I think I have my husband on board as well!  Healthy eating and exercise is how I'm starting!  I ran a half-marathon last year...I would love to run another one!  My goal is to run to benefit juvenile diabetes research (my husband was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when he was 17 years old).  Everyone, please hold me accountable!