Elijah's 1st smile

Friday, June 26th: Elijah smiled for the first time today! We didn't catch it on camera, but we'll try in the days to come. It made our hearts soar!

My 1st Father's Day

Sunday was a special day as I celebrated my first Father's Day! People asked me how it felt to be celebrating it, and I had to reply it was kind of surreal. For the past 29 years this day has been to honor my dad. To move into that group was kind of hard to believe.

We started out the Sunday attending church, the first service for Elijah. He did an excellent job sitting through the service (with some help from mom.) We went early in order to meet up with some of our good friends, Jon and Sandy, who have a 7 month old daughter, Hannah. Jon was celebrating his first Father's Day as well.

After the service we went out to lunch at one of my favorite restaurants: Texas Roadhouse. It was important to introduce little Eli to the sweet aroma of steak, mashed potatoes, soft bread, and most importantly, sweet tea.
As I turned the key in our trusty Saturn to head back home, we heard the clicking noise distinctive of a dead battery. Thankfully, we were in a shopping center with a Target that sold batteries (or so I thought). So Jamie walked over with Elijah to the Babies 'R' Us to feed him, while I went off to Target to buy a battery. (I know some of you are asking "Why didn't you just get a jump?" Basically the battery was 7 years old and I didn't want Jamie and Baby stuck in the middle of nowhere without an opportunity for a jump.) The other challenge was I didn't have my tools with me and it was raining (our battery holder is a bit over engineered with four bolts holding it in place that are not readily accessible.) I thought I would buy pliers (I've been wanting to get another one) and a battery. I got to Target and found out they don't sell batteries. Thankfully there was a Costco near by that sold our car battery size. I had to go back to Target to buy the wrench, and then back to the Saturn. Unfortunately, after trying to get the rusted bolts off using the wrench (and trying not to strip the heads) I gave up. I decided to use our new battery to jump our old battery in order to get home to use the right tool for the job. I felt like my dad, fixing the car for my family. When I went into Babies 'R' Us to pick up Jamie and Elijah, I found them dozing in the arm chair gliders section!

That afternoon Jamie and Elijah surprised me with some Father's Day gifts they had gone out together to buy the day before. It's great how well Elijah already knows what his daddy wants. In addition to a tripod for my camera (already has seen a lot of use, such as the night picture of the baby corner), I was given the quintessential Father's day gift: a tie.

That evening we hosted a board game potluck with members from our Small Group at church. It was a lot of fun and a great way to finish a great first Father's Day.

the baby corner

Elijah shares a room with us, so we have had to be creative in our use of space. David graciously moved his clothes to the front closet, and we took off the closet door to make a "baby corner" (I won't let people call it the "baby closet!") We have had fun decorating it so that now it looks pretty adorable! I especially love the "Wee Gallery" jungle mural on the wall and his safari tent. The nightlight is thanks to Elijah's grandpa Otten who cleverly helped us install it.

The Faces of Elijah

Elijah is a very expressive individual for such a little guy and Jamie and I have had fun catching it on camera. Some of the shots came during feeding times, others when he was waking up, while others he just looked at us and gave us a grin.

The Cloth Diaper Experiment

We're considering using cloth diapers-- from a money-saving perspective, and an environmental perspective. Here's Elijah modeling a stylish pair of BumGenius 3.0 one-size diapers. They're a little bulky on his slender newborn frame, but fit snugly and nicely under his onesie. The same diapers are supposed to fit him all the way through his diapering days. We'll let you know how they hold up once they are filled!

Little Citizen of Red Sox Nation

We moved to Boston in 2004, just in time to catch Red Sox Fever as they "reversed the curse" and won the World Series for the first time since 1918. David and I were reluctant to call ourselves fans, knowing that to the die-hard followers, a "true" fan was one who stuck with the Sox through the 86 lean years. In 2007, we were living a couple of minutes from Fenway Park when I commented that "David, you know the ERAs of the relief pitchers... I think you can call yourself a fan!" When the Sox won the 2007 World Series we joined the celebrating riotors in Kenmore Square (at least until people started shooting off firecrackers in the middle of the crowd. Then we left!) We felt like we had finally earned the right to be called Red Sox fans.

Elijah, however, is a born citizen of Red Sox Nation. Anyone who listens to the crowds of Fenway Park through his bedroom window from his first days, and anyone who goes to sleep by the light of the Citgo sign (near Fenway Park) can consider being a fan his birthright. It's only fitting that his wardrobe should follow. He is received by all as a true fan!

Date night

Our friends Ken and Maggie offered to babysit Elijah on his one month birthday so that David and I could go on a date. This had been done for them, and they decided to pass this on to us. Last night we brought Elijah over to their house for his first babysitting. As we left, David and I felt a little strange... it was my first time being away from Eli since he came home from the hospital. We missed him! We talked about how this was good for Elijah to be taken care of by others, but especially good for us to have date nights "just the two of us." Elijah could not have had better babysitters, and he had the added fun of being able to spend time with his little friend Keenan.

We went out to dinner and to see the new Pixar movie "Up" in 3D-- which we highly recommend. We loved it, and found it especially fitting that our first date without Elijah was to see a movie so beautifully capturing "family" (and really funny, too!) We also loved picking up our son and bringing him back home. Amazing how he's transformed our lives already!

Rolling Right Along

We laid Elijah on his belly to excercise for the first time and he surprised us by rolling over, not once but twice. We caught the second one on camera. Of course we had to look up when this is expected and we found on average this was around three months. (Just for the record Elijah was just a couple days over one month) :)

One Month Check-up

Elijah is now 9 lb 2 oz! We met with his pediatrician for the first time, as she is now back from vacation in Hawaii. I really liked her! She said Elijah looks perfectly healthy, and that she couldn't be more pleased with his weight gain. The lactation consultant watched Elijah feeding today and raved at how he looked like a "completely new baby!" and that he was sucking and swallowing "like a healthy newborn." We are continuing with his feeding plan for another week, as it seems he is gaining strength and sucking stronger each day. We are praying that Elijah will be able to continue to improve to the point that he will be able to simply nurse, and not have to take the bottle afterwards. The lactation consultant felt that this may not be too far away!

On Thursday, my 5th grade class graduated. David and I brought Elijah to the graduation, where he was adored by all. He looked pretty adorable in his blue overalls (a gift from his Oma and Poppi.)

Elijah's One Month Old!

Today we celebrate one month of Elijah being in our lives. This morning we walked to Peet's Coffee, and then sat in a rose garden in Brookline enjoying the weather with David worked on drafting his dissertation.

Resemblance

Do these babies look alike? The first picture is Jamie as a baby. The second picture is Elijah. See the resemblance?

David was commenting the other day on how cute it was that Elijah was crossing his ankles when he drank from his bottle. I pointed out that David was sitting the same way. Like father like son?

Elijah goes to school and to the doctor

Today, Elijah must have met nearly one hundred people as we visited the school where I work. A teacher at the school gave me a boy's outfit at my baby shower telling me, "It's a boy." I dressed Elijah in it so she could see she was right. He made quite the stir in his sweater vest, collared shirt and khakis! My students were so good and sweet, standing with their hands behind their backs, and peering in at him as he slept (of course!) in his stroller. Elijah met his bunny, Barnabas Bunny, who lives in my classroom, though neither of them seemed overly impressed by the meeting.

At his appointment today, Elijah weighed in at 8lb 9oz! Because of this healthy weight gain, we get to go a week before we go in to the pediatrician again. Good job, Elijah!

David is in Washington DC for a couple of days, testing the instrument he and his lab designed. Elijah and I are on our own, missing him, but doing just fine. After his day of being the center of attention, Elijah just wanted to snuggle with me in the rocker, and now is sound asleep in his swing, covered by his monkey. It's hard work being so cute!

Bath time

Elijah had his second bath today. His first one, he yelled half-heartedly in protest, but this one he seemed to enjoy. He kept sucking the bath water off of his fingers, and looked with interest at the washcloth. I loved wrapping him in his soft duck-towel, and how he snuggled in close to me after. I loved his clean baby smell, and marvelled at the softness of his skin. He was so alert after his bath, and made the cutest faces, working every muscle in his face. I could just watch him for hours!

Slowly gaining weight

Elijah continues to do well. He is gaining weight, though slowly, so the doctor increased him to a 3 ounce (or as much of it as he'll take) supplement of expressed milk after each time of nursing. He is doing better with his feedings, though is still very sleepy (and maybe a little too comfortable!) The doctor and lactation consultants feel that once his weight gain is under control and he gains more strength, feedings should come more easily, and we can work on his "technique."

We have been going to the doctor nearly every other day, often with a visiting nurse coming on the off-day. We have a little bit of a break this week-- the doctor felt that he could go until Saturday for the visiting nurse, and Monday for his next doctor's appointment. I'm looking forward to having more of a normal rhythm, without going in to the hospital all the time, though we are so thankful for all the care he's been given!

Elijah continues to be such a good baby! So far he only cries when he wants to communicate something: hungry, tired, wanting to be held... We are so thankful for his patient, peaceful attitude, and hope these are character traits we're seeing!

Babies bring out a whole new side of Boston. I take Elijah on the BU shuttle bus (practically from our door to the hospital's door) and people just coo over him! I've never felt so "taken care of," with people offering seats, to carry things, to open doors... Eli just sleeps through most of the attention! Notice his latest trick-- holding in his own pacifier (used mainly for special occasions-- like being in public!)