Baby Steps

on being a new parent...

2011-10-25T18:05:00.000-07:00

it's been a long time again, sorry to say our life has been nutty lately and blog posts fall pretty far on the "to do" list around here. i was inspired the other day to write this up or at least get my thoughts out in the world so they are no longer swirling in my head. as joel can tell you, sometimes i can get caught up in a thought (or series of thoughts) and really process them to death. so sometimes it's good for me to write them out and put them into the world, a nice release you know? well on to the meat of it...

recently we've had a baby explosion in our life, which is so wonderful and makes us more excited for the arrival of our little one. this weekend i was able to see one good friend's new baby (3 month old so not that new anymore!) and talk to a friend with a 3 week old over the phone. i was reminded how hard it is to have a new baby for the first time and all the emotions and thoughts that go into that fourth trimester! i also remember feeling so lost and almost paralyzed at times by indecision and not knowing if what i was choosing to do was "right" or the "best" thing to do for eli. such a hard time! so i wanted to write a post about some of my thoughts about what we new parents need in the very beginning and reminders of what we need throughout our whole journey as parents. these are just my thoughts, you may disagree or think otherwise and that's fine. it's just some of what i feel i've learned these past few years and need to remember as this little one comes.

be careful with parenting books

the credit should actually go to my mom for this one! before eli was born she reminded me that babies don't read parenting, sleep, feeding, "approaches" books or any books for that matter. each baby is unique and may take a little from every book, a lot, some or none at all. i think for me this was one of the hardest things to learn and remember. i like to read and "have a plan" and babies don't do that, especially newborns! they don't have schedules, they're not predictable, they don't stay with the same thing or routine. which on one hand is so frustrating! but on the other it's a beautiful thing, a lesson that we need to go with the ebb and flow of life. not just march along on the set path we maybe envisioned for ourselves. life is a winding road with forks and switchbacks, hills and valleys and long stretches in which the road seems to go on for miles. i think that our kids teach us to enjoy the journey if we allow ourselves to let go of our set plans and enjoy our world around us. and if you've read a book that you think is good, go ahead and recommend it. but don't be offended if your friend doesn't agree or doesn't follow the advice. it doesn't matter, this is not about you or your baby. it's about their own unique family and it might just not work for them at this time. when we recommend books we always preface it with "this worked for us but it may or may not work for you. take it with a grain of salt, ultimately do what works best for YOUR family."

everyone has their own path

going from this parenting book idea is a reminder that every family has their own path and it is unique from one family to the next. what works in one family may not work in ours or in our friend's lives. it doesn't mean that it's wrong. it doesn't mean that they are going to screw their child up for the rest of their lives (obviously this excludes neglect and abuse). we need to extend grace to each other and stop making the families in our lives feel guilty for their choices. so a family chooses to nurse their baby to sleep or they have baby sleep in a nursery or they co-sleep. it doesn't matter, let's extend grace to each other and not push our agenda or ideals on another family. you have no idea what is going on behind closed doors or what dynamic is not obvious to you. let's approach each other with the attitude that if it works for you, it works for you. let's try to embrace that diversity and acknowledge the wisdom in each individual approach.

extend grace

first and foremost, let us extend grace to ourselves. having your first baby is HARD! the first 8 weeks (or longer) are really hard, your life has been turned upside down and inside out. it's okay not to be running errands on day 3 or even week 6. or only getting a half a load of laundry folded because you need to nurse and sleep almost all day. you've gone from a life centered around you and your partner (if that's the case) to a life in which a being depends solely on you. that is hard! we need to extend grace to ourselves when we just feel like there's no end or all we want is more than 3 hours of uninterrupted sleep and we resent our baby (again, obviously not if it leads to neglect or thoughts of harm, that's not okay). it's okay to have those emotions, being a parent is hard and we, as a society, don't talk about it! that was one of the things that we found most frustrating after having eli. no one wanted to talk about how hard it is with a newborn. people were taken aback when we said "we've learned we're not newborn/baby people, so this really sucks" which made us feel guilty. or made us feel like we did something wrong. extend grace to new parents, don't try and fit them into the model that you feel is best. give grace.

we're meant to raise our children in community

as a christ-follower, i believe that we have been designed for community. for me, the trinity ultimately exemplifies this concept and since i believe we are created in god's image i believe we NEED community. therefore, we need to raise our children in community. and i believe that community needs to be diverse, not a homogenous one in which we only include people who think and believe like us. it requires you be confident in your choices and your thoughts but willing to listen and be open to other ideas. one thing i love about the mothers, families, singles and couples that make up our community is that no one is the same! we all approach parenting and life a little differently but our main goals are the same. we just travel different paths to get there. we all want our kids to love others, treat people with respect, explore their world, challenge their world, seek out adventures. there have been many times where we've leaned heavily on each other to get through this life. amongst some of my closest mom friends we have a joke that our kids are screwed because instead of just having one mom they have 4 moms to contend with and keep track of them! it's good to share parenting with others and trust others to love your kids and help them develop into the amazing adults they're going to be someday. i strongly believe we're not meant to wander or navigate this life alone, that is an existence that is fruitless.

thank you for letting me put this out there and hopefully get it out of my head. maybe it will make some more space to start preparing for baby #2!

strawberries

2011-08-02T20:27:00.000-07:00

what's heaven for almost any toddler? free range in a strawberry patch! over 4th of july we traveled to eau claire and were able to go strawberry picking (for super cheap). initially when we arrived eli didn't know/understand where we were but it didn't take long. after about 5 minutes roaming the rows with grandpa he realized that they were laden with one of his favorite fruits. and if he asked grandpa for "berry peez" than he could have one. well it only took about 5 more minutes before he realized he could just cut out the middle man and go for the fruits himself. oh boy, watch out! he was like a kid in a candy shop! the squeals alone were entertainment enough! thankfully grandpa had the foresight to distract eli so he didn't gorge himself on strawberries (and gave him some time to get some red handprints on a shiny, white buick.) needless to say eli had a good time and we picked a ton of fruit to last us through the winter!

holy camoly

2011-08-02T20:06:00.000-07:00

oh.my.word. it's been 6 months! well we've had changes in the anderson household and our family is about to get a little bit bigger. that's right, in december/january we are expecting another little one. are we crazy? maybe, but we decided eli shouldn't get ALL the attention (wink, wink). here are some answers to some common questions we've recieved:

how do you guys feel about being pregnant again?
it's interested how different this pregnancy is compared to eli's. part of us feels like "ho,hum, shannon's pregnant" and it doesn't feel as big this time around. (hopefully this little one doesn't get the wrong impression.) we're excited that we're pregnant it just seems as we're more used to the idea, if that makes any sense at all. we do have our 20 week ultrasound next week and i'm really excited to see the baby (we're not finding out, we like surprises). i'm excited to put a "face" to this baby and to see it move around. one thing we will say, this pregnancy seems to be flying by so much more quickly. it's hard to believe that i'm almost halfway there! like a dear friend describes, it's like when you drive to someplace new on the way there it seem like it takes forever but on the way back it doesn't take that much time at all.

homebirth? again?
yes, we are going to have another homebirth provided everything is normal and going great. we're sticking with our dear friends and midwives from open arms midwifery and couldn't love them more. since we're having a winter baby, i'm excited not to have to drive to the hospital in snow and ice. (knowing our luck, there will be a super storm!)

how do you(shannon) feel?
i've been feeling okay, my first trimester was pretty rough. lot's more nausea and more gastrointestinal issues than i remember with eli. thankfully, those symptoms have subdued and at least i can manage my heartburn with some prescription medication. also, i'm learning/remembering what i should and shouldn't eat and how that effects how i feel. for example, i can't eat hamburgers; they make me feel awful. i think it may be the high fat content of the burger that makes it hard for my body to digest the food (which is a total bummer here in grilling season). i've also been experiencing more braxton hicks contractions than i remember and the leg cramps have returned in style. oh well, i guess it's natures way of just getting me ready for interrupted sleep again. i've been feeling the baby more and that is absolutely wonderful! it helps with the "ho hum" feeling i described above and gives me a shiver every time. today, after reading a dear friends birth story, i had my first real rush of excitement about meeting this little one. who will it be? what will it do? is it a boy or a girl? that felt good.

overall we're starting to remember the mystery of pregnancy and the anticipation what this little one will be like. it's nice to be on the other side of parenthood with a little bit of experience under our belts. it has been helping to relieve some of the anxiety of a new baby knowing that no/low expectations are best. we are reminded to think about this pregnancy and this little ones future life with an open mind.

the twinkie wars...

2011-02-10T10:23:00.000-08:00

so most of you know this already but i'm pretty stingy when it comes to refined sugar and sweets for eli. i know, i know...some say we're being too uptight and depriving him of the wonders of juice and ice cream. but really, we ALL (especially me) could eat less sweets and refined sugars and our waistlines would be much happier. nonetheless, grandpa cole has been threatening this mama with boxes and boxes of twinkies for little eli. so far no battles have been started though that changed this week. grandpa cole and grandma ruthie were visiting this week and grandpa cole had a 'special' surprise for eli. low and behold, a twinkie! well folks, victory was mine in this first battle in what i'm sure will be a long twinkie war! it was classic, eli was eating lunch and grandpa brought out the big guns, a gas station twinkie. he gave half of it to eli who proceeded to put it in his mouth, grimace, spit it out and hand it back to grandpa! Victory my friends, victory! many more attempts were made with the same results, no twinkie for this boy. he was content with his unsweetened, plain yogurt with blueberries.

now we all know that this was just the beginning, i foresee many more battles where i'm sure grandpa will win. but oh well, that's what grandparents are for, right?

a recap of 2 months...

2011-02-03T17:09:00.000-08:00

oh my how time flies. the holidays blew in and out of our household this year with a furry and i think we're still getting caught up. here's a recap of what has been going on in the anderson house lately:

- joel and i had our first night away from eli and it went wonderfully. thanks to sara and mike, we were able to have 24 kid free hours. we forgot what it was like to not have to cart a kid around and we could just...go. it was great but we (read: i) were ready to come back and snuggle up with our little guy.

- eli is officially walking! finally, at 15 months he decided that he could do this thing called walking. since then he hasn't stopped for a moment. for a long time he was walking but always had to hold onto something, a wall, a table, our weighted walker. but one day he just decided to let go and let loose.

- our previous "safe" zones are no longer safe now that he's walking. so our level of mess has moved up some so it's almost at eye level. makes you pick up a little bit more often!

- eli's new favorite past time is books, books, books. i don't think you guys understand. he will sit still for at least 10 minutes for us to read books to him. and this happens about 4 times a day! needless to say my vocal cords are getting a work out. he also has started wanting to read specific books and isn't too happy when you suggest something else (because you've read Curious George 4 times already today).

- joel has finally been assigned his own crew at e80 plus, thank god! it means way less travel for us and more consistency for joel at work. both really good things.

- i (shannon) have started my own business. this month i'm launching a home based breastfeeding counseling business. the basic idea is that i will travel to women's homes and help them with any breastfeeding issues they may have and support them. you can check out my website for more details at www.madisonbfsupport.com. most of my work will most likely come from personal referrals so pass the word folks. much appreciated!

- i (shannon) had my first long weekend away from both eli joel. my friends from college and i all met in NYC for a long weekend of wine, amazing food, shopping, amazing desserts, shopping, sangria and connecting. we've decided that every year we're gonna take a trip the 4 of us to connect and recharge with each other. and we've decided that the year we turn 30 we're going somewhere warm!

- there are a variety of places that we are now known at: crema cafe, woodmans, the children's museum, goodman community center, nursery at church and hobby lobby. i guess it pays off to frequent places so often they know you and say "how's it going this week?". i really enjoy that consistency and feeling that we're part of this community on the eastside.

- playgroup is expanding and we've needed to move to the basement for more room! it's so great to see the kids finally playing with and off of each other.

- lastly, eli LOVES to sweep (or play with the broom, however you'd like to see it). and joel and i had a breakthrough....the shortened swiffer! joel noticed that you can take sections out of the swiffer and now we have a perfect "eli height" swiffer. and he is swiffering all around the upstairs! i've attached a cloth diaper to it and my floors (at least the back hallway) are looking pretty nice. i figure we need to cash in on this enjoyment of cleaning while we can!

we'll have more on snowpacolypse 2011 (or snowmeggedon as i call it) later. it deserves it's own post with some supporting videos.

date night

2010-11-28T19:13:00.000-08:00

no, we haven't fallen off the face of the earth. i promise. we've just been busy trying to keep up with all of eli's movements (he's trying to turn doorknobs but isn't quite tall enough).

so earlier this fall joel and i decided that we needed to be more intentional with going on dates. so we've made the commitment to having a date night every other wednesday night. we've got a standard high schooler we use for childcare (though we may be looking to set up an exchange with a certain new aunt and uncle in our family).

so far, we've had some pretty fun dates. mostly it's low-key, no pressure dates. just a simple dinner and, now that we're parents, errands sans child sometimes. some fun date nights have included:

-a trip to stoughton's movie theater where you can get pizza and watch a movie in comfy seats. totally awesome experience, we recommend it!

-checking out smokey jon's bbq on the northside and finding out there isn't much to do on the northside at night.

-dinner at brocach's irish pub and strolling down state street with a cup 'o' joe and dessert.

-a date night in complete with dinner on our nice dishes, a fire and smores with reeses.

we've found that carving out this time for just us has been so good. it's great to reconnect and enjoy each other outside of the house. this week will be a very special date night as it falls on our three year anniversary and we can't wait to celebrate!

First steps...

2010-10-21T11:21:00.000-07:00

this weekend we were playing at the library and eli took his first assisted steps. i'm not sure if he really knew what was going on but he's getting better and better at it each day. last week he started pulling himself up on furniture and has quickly mastered that task. i captured some of his antics on video, so enjoy!

time flies....

2010-10-16T13:25:00.000-07:00

opps.... it's been a month and no posts. i think september got away on us a little bit! mostly because we were gearing up for eli's first birthday! it's crazy to think that a year has gone by so quickly. joel remarked that we now have something to mark time against again. back in college it was semesters now it's first smiles, first crawling, first steps (last week!), first words and so much more. we decided to have our wedding photographer take some pictures for us and i feel that was a great way to mark eli's first year. i'm hoping we'll do this with all of our kids at their first birthdays. i'll be writing a post later about eli's party and dedication so for now, enjoy our modeling poses.

labor day

2010-09-09T07:09:00.000-07:00

in addition to picking apples and making applesauce (post on that to come soon) we enjoyed having monday off this week. the morning was spent on working on some projects while eli napped and in the afternoon we decided to bike over to the madison children's museum. as a child, i have very fond memories of playing at the minneapolis children's museum. i remember my favorites being a mock grocery store where you could play clerk and a mock tv studio. the madison children's museum just reopened a few weeks ago and it is quite spectacular. one great thing is that they have an area that is only for kids 5 and under. there are tons of wooden and fabric toys to play with, walking aids, percussion instruments and, the total hit, a water room. seriously, that room was the busiest room in the place! they do have smocks that the kids can wear but we're not sure what the point is, they get soaked anyways. we decided that next time around we'll just let eli get wet and bring a change of clothes. we actually brought our camera along for once hence the pictures. all in all we had a great day.

apple picking

2010-09-08T08:44:00.000-07:00

we were some lucky folks this weekend. we had the pleasure of going apple picking at door creek orchard with mary, jon and their little one.

here's to many more years to come!

finally crawling!

2010-09-01T09:33:00.001-07:00

so eli is finally army crawling. we have such a chill baby, definitely an observer. he just likes to check things out but doesn't necessarily need to move around the room. we have discovered that he does tend to be more motivated to crawl towards objects he finds interesting. then he takes off! he's mostly interested in blocks, the dishwasher and cheerios that i don't quite get with the broom.

here's a little demo of his crawling skills.

it's just better...

2010-08-30T17:30:00.000-07:00

on saturday we were generously offered APT tickets for that night. did i mention they were free?

oh, and did i also mention that i LOVE APT. i mean seriously.

one hitch, we have a kid. and that means needing a babysitter.

arranging a sitter is hard on last minutes notice. we couldn't find one.

so we had to pass up that great offer. all of this occurred while eli was taking a nap so my grumpiness and resentment had a little time to stew. being a parent is hard in many ways. one thing is you can't drop everything that you're doing on a moments notice to fly off to a play in the woods. you can go to a play in the woods, you just need a little more time.

back to the afternoon. after his nap, eli was playing in the living room while i was figuring out what to make for dinner. i looked up and he was spinning around in a circle, stopping and clapping his hands. once he noticed i saw his little moves he broke into the biggest smile followed by the biggest giggle. it was possible the cutest thing i've ever seen. totally better than any play in the woods. i immediately put down my magazine and covered our little guy in kisses which led into more giggling and clapping.

sitting there i realized that this is better. better than our life pre-child, better than being single, better than being super rich, better than flying off to do something on a whim; it's just better.

cloth diaper 101: the extras

2010-08-14T20:03:00.000-07:00

so there are some extra items that we use in our diapering "system" that we've found helpful.

a wet bag: this is a reusable zippered bag that we use to store eli's dirty diapers when were out and about. i used to use a plastic bag but felt guilty/bad about throwing the bag away. we bought a wet bag from bummis and you can find it at any store that sells cloth diapers.

odor remover spray: bumgenius has a spray that naturally removes odors. we use this spray on his diaper covers between changes while they dry. it really helps to keep the urine smell at bay and stretches out how long we can use the diaper covers. we also will spray a little in the diaper pail to keep the smell at bay. also found at any cloth diaper store.

disposable liners: now that eli has solid poop, we use a disposable diaper liner that bummis has created (it's called the biosoft liners). this goes between eli's bum and the diaper, then we are able to throw it in the toilet and flush them away. no spraying or scraping needed. found at cloth diaper stores.

deodorizing disks: there are some deodorizing disks that are made by, well i'm not sure who. all i know is that they are natural and smell like citrus. we usually use one every two weeks and that really helps with any smells. this can also be used with diaper pails with disposable diapers.

baking soda: i sprinkle a tablespoon of baking soda every few diapers.

vaseline: we use it on his legs to help with the chafing.

i'm sure there are other extras but i don't remember them all right now. if and when i do i will post them later.

cloth diaper 101: laundering

2010-08-09T07:16:00.000-07:00

two questions i get regarding washing are: how long does it take you? and how do you wash them? it's a myth when people say "you'll spend all your time washing diapers!" despite what people may think, washing your own diapers does not take a ton of time. i would say that actual "hands on" handling time is about 15 minutes. the rest of the time the washer and dryer are doing their thing.

the process: we do not pre-soak or pre-rinse our diapers. we just toss them in our diaper pail and then toss them in the washer. some people recommend a "two step" wash system and we found that it really didn't make any difference. so we go the easy route and use the "whites cycle". we have a front load washer so i set it on the "whites" cycle, put in a teaspoon of detergent (more on detergent later), put some white vinegar in the softener dispenser (or a downy ball if you have a top loader) and start the machine. pretty easy. then we just toss them in the dryer or on the line to dry, that's it. you should have a hot wash and a cold rinse.

stripping the diapers: periodically you will want to strip your diapers (this gets rid of any detergent build up). we just run a normal cycle with no detergent and a vinegar in the softener drawer (hot wash, cold rinse). we do this once a month. if you notice your kid is getting diaper rash easily or any yeast symptoms you should strip your diapers.

detergent: there are many cloth diaper detergents out there but we don't use them. basically all you need is a detergent with no additives (the free and clear variety). we use seventh generations free and clear detergent and that works great. here is a secret about detergent and cloth diapers: you don't need a lot. you see the more detergent you use means that it will build up in the diaper causing it to lose absorbency and smell more.

laundering "don'ts": don't use bleach! it breaks down the fibers and will decrease the absorbency. if you want your whites to be whiter, just place them in the sun (even in the house in front of a window) and the sun will bleach them. this goes for all your clothes by the way, neat little trick! don't use essential oils in the wash because they can build up in the diaper.

laundering really is simple and again i'm saving the money of having someone else wash them for me. thank you cheapness. one caveat: if both joel and i were working/out of the house full time i would use the diaper service in town, just for ease. though my wallet probably would be protesting (smile).

cloth diaper 101: the basics

2010-08-09T06:49:00.000-07:00

we've had a few people lately ask me about how we diaper little eli. i thought i would write up a few post mostly to consolidate the info in my brain and to make sure that i don't forget anything. the world of cloth diapering can be a confusing place and sometimes it's hard to wade through all of the information and jargon. there are many options out there including: prefolds (of various fibers), pocket diapers, all in ones, disposables in a cloth diaper cover etc.

diaper: we decided to go with the basic diaper and we use cotton prefolds with a diaper cover. this means that the diaper is basically a large rectangle with a reinforced middle. we then fold the diaper (in a variety of ways)and place a diaper cover over it. for overnights, we have some hemp doublers that we layer in his diaper. these increase the absorbency which means we don't have to change his diaper until the morning and his bed/clothes mostly stay dry. (hemp absorbs 7 times more than cotton, crazy!) we have 36 diapers which means we wash diapers twice a week, not much time at all. how many diapers should you buy? it depends how often you want to wash, the less you have the more you wash. though the more you have the stinkier they will be when you wash them so for us 36 seems like the best compromise.

covers: the second part of our system is a diaper cover. covers are reusable and we only toss them in the pail if they are soiled or smell too much like urine. we have 9 covers and that is plenty for 4 days of diapering. we just rotate and let them air dry between changes. we have tried a few brands/styles and we both agree that the bummis super whisper wrap is the best. (though i want to try wool covers but haven't coughed up the $30 ,gulp, for a cover.) we also have some flip diaper covers. we like that they are adjustable and grow with the baby but we tend to get a few more leaks with these covers (they are also cheaper than the bummis, a plus).

the last basic we have is something called a snappy. this device allows us to fasten eli's diaper so there are no pins!

All of these things you can purchase online and find great deals. craigslist is also a great resource or if you have friends you can borrow their diapers. that's what is so great about cloth diapers, the initial investment can be hard to swallow. BUT you get to use them for a ton of kids and save the cost of buying diapers. let's be honest, i love the environment but my wallet was more of an incentive when it came to diapers. i just didn't feel like spending $100 a month on disposables, what can i say i'm cheap (ya'll knew that already)!

world breastfeeding week 2010

2010-08-06T08:47:00.001-07:00

All experts (WHO, UNICEF, AAP, AAFP, ACNM, MANA, AAPH, Surgeon General, the first lady etc) agree that the "breast is best" for both baby and mother. so this week is world breastfeeding week (i must admit, the website isn't the best); a week dedicated to breastfeeding education, protection and promotion. as most, if not all, of you know that breastfeeding is near and dear to my heart. so as a way to help promote breastfeeding i decided to post UNICEF's Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding. if you are a mother, pregnant, nursing, know someone who's pregnant/nursing, are a partner of a pregnant/nursing mother or friend make sure to pass these along. ask your regional hospitals to pursue the baby friendly hospital initiative (currently in madison, only meriter has this designation. ask st mary's to jump on it already!) so without further ado....

Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding
Every facility providing maternity services and care for newborn infants should:

1. Have a written breastfeeding policy that is routinely communicated to all health care staff.
2. Train all health care staff in skills necessary to implement this policy.
3. Inform all pregnant women about the benefits and management of breastfeeding.
4. Help mothers initiate breastfeeding within half an hour of birth.
5. Show mothers how to breastfeed, and how to maintain lactation even if they should be separated from their infants.
6. Give newborn infants no food or drink other than breast milk, unless medically indicated.
7. Practise rooming-in - that is, allow mothers and infants to remain together - 24 hours a day.
8. Encourage breastfeeding on demand.
9. Give no artificial teats or pacifiers (also called dummies or soothers) to breastfeeding infants.
10. Foster the establishment of breastfeeding support groups and refer mothers to them on discharge from the hospital or clinic.

trouble, trouble, trouble...

2010-08-04T09:31:00.000-07:00

well, eli has learned if he can scoot over to the coffee table he can open the fun drawers. fun for him and fun for us, i suppose!

one the move, well sort of....

2010-07-29T11:14:00.001-07:00

eli is slowly but surely moving into becoming a fully mobile creature. freaky. up until now, he has been content with just sitting in one spot but that is slowly changing. he has learned that he has the ability to scoot his little but around in a circle in order to get things in his immediate reach. he also is learning that if he leans forward just enough he can transition onto his belly. (we've had some bumps and bruises but he's getting better and not landing on his face.)and that's the point where it gets a little confusing for him. he so desperately wants objects in front of him that are just out of his reach and when he tries to get to them he only goes scooting backward. it's quite entertaining for us but frustrating for him. also he's scooted himself under beds, chairs, cribs and coffee tables; that is entertaining as well.

part of me is sad that he is moving into mobility, it means he gains more independence and needs us just a little bit less. but i'm excited that he gets to explore another part of his world that he hasn't contacted yet. watching your kid discover new skills, areas of his world, textures etc is a fun experience.

9 thanks for 9 months...

2010-07-12T06:28:00.000-07:00

i can't believe that eli is nine months old already. it's crazy to think that he has been out of my belly for the same amount of time he was in my belly. in honor of eli's 9 month birthday i thought i'd write a list of nine things i'm thankful for in these past 9 months.

9. for eli's laugh and smile (who can resist a baby's laugh).

8. joel finding a job so i can stay home with eli.

7. being able to stay at my job and still engage that part of my brain and still work with my patients.

6. our burley. family bike rides are some of the most fun we have on the weekends.

5. that eli is healthy, happy and ohhhh so fun.

4. that we have a home, food in our bellies, health insurance, clothes, a garden, cars that haven't broken in a while...

3. for new friends that have babies.

2. that eli loves to explore and is interested in how things work.

1. our marriage. i'm not sure how we'd do it if we didn't have each other. having a kid really can strengthen your marriage if you're willing to work on staying connected and working through the good and the bad. (sleepless nights and all).

trains

2010-07-02T17:35:00.000-07:00

a couple months ago i started my new job at a railroad bridge construction and design company. the first couple months have provided quite the variety. i spent time in north dakota taking measurements on timber bridges, moved sandbags in western south dakota, spent a week on a historic bridge over the st. croix in north wisconsin busting rivets, another week in lanark illinois (booming metropolis) busting concrete, and this past week i've been cruisin down the rail in northern illinois inspecting culverts. i'm always a little nervous of what i'm going to see when i climb down and look inside the culverts out in the middle of nowhere. along with all that, i've spent time in the office working on some design tasks and gone on a shopping spree for supplies (gps, camera, waders, life jackets, the basics) with a company credit card. freight railroad is a whole different world most people never see. like any new job i've had to learn lots of new phrases and words specific to the railroad. for example; EIC - the person in charge of making sure no trains hit you while you're working the rail road or FRN-(pronounced furn) frickin railroad nut. the variety has been the good part of the job and the travel has been the hard part. i miss being at home with shannon and eli at night when i'm gone and hotels and restaurants get old fast. i do like the fact that when i travel it forces me to be more intentional about my time with shannon and eli on the weekends. good and bad, after over a year without a job it's nice to be working again. i still haven't been issued a conductor hat. hopefully someday.

Rub-a-dub-dub, the boy in the tub...

2010-07-01T19:18:00.000-07:00

recently, eli has graduated to using the big boy tub and he just love, love, loves it. i think it has to do with being able to splash around and he seems to be fascinated with the drain pull; interesting. i guess videos are better than words so i let this one do some talking.

First Words?

2010-06-29T19:13:00.001-07:00

so we've officially entered into the world of talking for better or worse. a few weeks ago, eli started saying "da da" and at first i wasn't sure if i had heard him correctly. but sure enough, after the 100th time it seems as though he's discovered his first "words". one thing we've realized is that he doesn't really say "da da" in reference to anything but sometimes we pretend he's calling joel "dada". we were lucky enough to catch his talking on video, so enjoy!

Road Trip!

2010-06-25T08:44:00.000-07:00

we've been busy these past few weeks. joel has been traveling quite a bit for his job lately which means eli and i are holding down the fort. so far it hasn't been too terrible, though i am learning that i need a break from eli at times. so for me, working has been really good. it has provided me some time away from the house and away from eli and i find that i am much happier to see him when i get home. one fun thing about joel's travels is that we have joined him on the road. last week joel was in hudson, wi so eli and i drove up to stay with him. it was quite the road trip for the two of us! on our way through we stopped in eau claire and visited grandma anderson and grandma ruthie drove from duluth to visit. it was wonderful to see both the grandmas dote on eli and give him some well deserved attention (as if he gets none of that at home!). it was also very nice to have a break in driving as i can only listen to so many episodes of this american life.

since we were so close to the cities, we spent thursday at aunt jess and uncle ryan's house and eli tested out their nursery for their little one. eli demonstrated his approval by taking a 2 1/2 nap in their crib! hopefully their little one is okay with sharing his/her bed! it was wonderful to talk with them, eat with them and gush over jess's beautiful belly. i'm so excited that some of our closest friends are having a baby. i just wish we lived closer so our kids could play together more often.

on our way home on friday, eli and i drove through la crosse and had coffee (well soda) with gillian, my best friend from high school. it was so great to sit down and talk with a good friend. every time we get together to time goes by too quickly. hours fly by like minutes and i long for more conversation but realize we have to part at some time. another perk was that the drive was absolutely beautiful, i love that part of wisconsin.

i'm sure you're wondering where joel is in all of this goodness. well, he had to work 12+ hour (more like 13+) days so we only saw him late in the evening and early in the morning. all in all, even though we didn't see him all that much it was good to be with him. we are hoping the travel dies down a bit after july if not, we'll make sure to keep you posted on any other adventures.

Our Daily Bread...

2010-06-04T08:47:00.000-07:00

I have always wanted to bake weekly bread. Though, with working and now being a parent I didn't really have any time (or energy) for the endeavor. Now that I am at home more I decided, this week, to give it a good ol' college try. I used a basic whole wheat bread recipe from The Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book. I like this book because it really explains how to bake with whole grains and has simple recipes. Well, I think it turned out all right! The loaves rose and proofed just like described in the book and after baked they don't taste like bricks. Next week I think I will try my hand at making whole wheat oatmeal bread. We'll see how that turns out. I tried to take some pictures of the process but I only managed to take pictures of the very beginning, I think I got too distracted later on to take pictures. (Sorry, no pictures of the final product!)

Photo Shoot with Aunt Momo...

2010-06-04T08:35:00.000-07:00

Aunt Momo came and visited a few weeks ago and while I was either showering or taking a little break she and Eli had themselves a little photo shoot. Well, the pictures are so cute I just had to post them, so enjoy!

Is my baby high or something?

Leaving San Francisco

2010-05-18T18:22:00.001-07:00

So Joel and I don't have the best track record when it comes to leaving our vacation destinations. For our honeymoon there was the riot at the airport and we were snuck on the plane and coming back from India our flight was cancelled without our knowledge and we had to navigate our way through the people at Air India. (Not to mention, they never posted our new flight on the billboard so the guards wouldn't let us go check in until 45 minutes before our international flight!) So we were a little nervous what may happen this time around, even more nervous because we have a kid now!

A little background information. To get to the airport for our 11 am flight, we had to take a 30 minute train ride (which left at 9:16 am) and then a tram to get to the domestic terminal. We would be driving from Point Reyes (90 minute drive) back to the city to drop off the car at Enterprise. I know, you may be asking yourself "Why didn't they just drive to the airport?" Well my friends, that is freaking expensive so we thought we'd try and save ourselves the $150. When we were reserving the car, we didn't notice that Enterprise didn't open up until 9 am and that they didn't have a drop off option from our rental location. Joel and I decided that we would still drive in to the city early with the hopes that someone may be at Enterprise early. I think it may be one of the only times in our marriage when Joel was more insistent about being someplace early! So we got there plenty early and waited in the car. Thankfully, someone showed up at 8:50; she was unable to give us a receipt (we didn't care at that point) but she was able to check us in and we were able to get ourselves going! So Eli went in the Ergo, I hoisted on my "mom bag" as Joel calls it, Joel threw on his 50 lb backpack and we started dragging our roller duffel to the train station. Yes, you read that right, dragged. You see, in our haste of getting going we lost a wheel. We couldn't carry the bag by the handle as we'd done before because the handle had ripped off earlier in our trip. I think we must have been quite a sight and quite noisy as we dragged ourselves and our duffel around town! Nonetheless, we made it to the train station with 5 minutes to spare, Eli fell asleep on the train and I got searched at security but we made our flights with an extra seat to boot!

So it wasn't as exciting as our other trips home, but there was this added stress of having a kid to deal with at the same time. Thankfully, our kid is totally awesome and such a trooper. We love him.

San Francisco Vacation

2010-05-18T18:05:00.000-07:00

Well we are just about settled back in to our new life after our vacation to San Francisco and there is nothing like traveling that makes you love home even more. Our trip started early (4:30 am!) and Eli traveled like a champ. No fussing, crying or other mayhem; he just napped and played with the airline magazine. (Thank goodness for those, who needs toys?)

We had a great time in San Fran, we stayed in a small apartment in the Hayes Valley (smack dab in the middle of the city). It was a great location, right on a bus line and within walking distance of many sweet shops and coffee houses. When we arrived at the apartment we were slightly dismayed that there was no door on the bedroom. One of the reasons we got an apartment was so that Eli could go to bed and we could hang out at night. Thankfully, we are resourceful and noticed that Eli's sleeping pad fit into the closet in the bedroom (well almost, it was slightly too long!) so with that and a fan; Joel and I were able to still enjoy ourselves after Eli went to bed. Our first day, we just walked around and explored the neighborhood. We got to see the Full House House, which was about 6 blocks from our apartment! We turned in pretty early that night seeing as we had been up since the wee hours of the morning.

The next day we explored the Farmer's Market and purchased our lunch there, it was totally amazing. We walk to Chinatown (and accidently found ourselves in the naughty district of town), had our lunch and enjoyed seeing all that Chinatown had to offer. We then met up with our friend Jill and her boyfriend Preston. They took us up to Twin Peaks to get an amazing view of the city and then they treated us to an amazing Indian Dinner. It was very excellent. Our third day was spent hanging out in Golden Gate Park, the sunset district and eating the best felafel I've ever had (besides my own of course!)

We then left San Francisco Proper and went up to the Point Reyes National Seashore, it was so nice to get out of the city and see the ocean. We spent a whole day meandering up Highway 1 and in the John Muir Redwoods. On Friday we spent the morning at a lighthouse and they went on a 5 mile hike in the afternoon. The day was capped off by some really great tacos, a bottle of Sonoma Valley Pinot Noir and a soak in the hot tub at our bed and breakfast.

I'll write a separate post about our travels from San Fran, it's not that long of a story but does deserve its own space.

Feeding Time (There's a Video...)

2010-04-17T12:33:00.000-07:00

My mom came to visit last weekend and she got a great video of Eli eating solid foods. Eli has taken well to eating some solid foods during the day and he pretty much will gobble up most foods. We are following some of the advice in Super Baby Food which is a great book. It has a nice balance of advice on both feeding babies organically and also how to save money. No little baby food jars here, I'll whip up a batch of veggies and then freeze them in ice cube trays. When we want to feed Eli, we'll just thaw 2 cubes and get the meal going. It's been really easy and nice to just use the food we have in the house. Some of the foods that Eli has tried are sweet potatoes, carrots, spinach, yogurt, squash, peas and spelt/oat cereal. So far he's been liked most everything and we haven't had too many issues just a few moments of food being spit into our face. He's starting to understand that it's fun for him to spit his food out all over the kitchen!

He also is getting really good at sitting in his highchair. We opted for a chair version that comes right up the the table so he can join the action. Initially we had to tie him into the chair with a receiving blanket because Eli's little spine couldn't quite handle it. But starting this week he can sit up very well in his chair. Though, that means that he can lean forward and get things off the table, we learned that the hard way with a bowl full of food! So far, it's been great to have Eli at the table in all the action. It's been fun to give him some "work" to do and I love watching how he concentrates on something that intrigues him.

It's crazy how much and how fast he is growing up! I just can't believe that he's been in our lives for 6 months. The time as flown by and we don't really remember what our lives were like prior to Eli (that's some good amnesia!)

Changing roles again...

2010-04-17T11:53:00.000-07:00

Hi all, sorry about such a delay in our posting lately! March was a busy month for us and we had a little lag in posting. Some good news has come into the Anderson household recently in the form of a real-life engineering job for Joel! He will be working for E 80 Plus engineers. Joel will be working as a design engineer and project manager for some of their projects. They design and repair railroad bridges (I think). The job is located in DeForest which is about 20 minutes from our house. Joel had applied for the job back in January, was told it was on hold but then was asked to interview for the position in March. He's excited to start working again and to start something new. The job does entail some travel (25-35%) during the week so that means that I will be solo-parenting at times. (I'll take any invites or outings during those times!:)

So that means that I quit my job, well somewhat. I am planning to stay on at Access for about a day a week and will be helping ACHC move towards becoming one of the first baby-friendly clinics in the country. It's a very exciting venture that focuses on the promotion of breast feeding and increasing that rate in our country. I will also be completing certification as a lactation consultant and will be applying for an internship in community-based lactation support. And of course, in addition to all this goodness I'll be taking care of our little squirt! I am excited to be with Eli at home and for all the creative projects I'll get to start (and complete, don't worry honey)! I've started a small list of projects that I have been dying to do but haven't had the time with working and being a mom. I'm also excited to go back to the weekly play group I attended during my maternity leave and I'm excited to start this journey in the summertime. Lucky me!

It's funny that all of this happened right now. Joel and I were getting settled into our life and roles for the time being and now it's going to change all over again! We're excited for the prospects that this change brings and were excited to take this bend on our family adventure.

My last full-time day at ACHC is April 23rd, I will then have my lactation consultant certification class for the last week in April and then we're taking a vacation to San Francisco. Joel's future employer is being very generous and giving us that time prior to his start date of May 10th. Thanks for joining us on this ride.... we'll make sure to update more often. I promise!

Dipping His Toes in the Sea of Solid Food

2010-03-13T08:33:00.000-08:00

Pictures of the Month

2010-03-13T08:27:00.000-08:00

Spring Is Coming

2010-03-13T07:20:00.000-08:00

In honor of the snow melting and the crocuses popping up in our front yard here are a few things I'm looking forward to in Eli's first spring/summer. :: Taking him for his first bike ride. I've heard if you do it right you can secure car seats in a pull behind trailer and I'm looking forward to letting him feel the wind in his hair (however thin it may be). This weekend we'll introduce him to bikes at Madison's annual Bike-O-Rama. :: I've already started, but running with him in the stroller will be great. It's a great way to put him to sleep and lets me run in the middle of the day when it's light out. :: Taking Eli out and about without a coat or hat. No hat and coat will make putting him in the car seat much easier. :: Letting Eli lay around the house in his diaper. I'm convinced he likes life in his underwear better than with clothes. Also, if he never wears clothes it's less laundry! :: Planting a garden with him. He can sit and watch us plant, weed, and harvest. Maybe we'll even grind up some of the veggies for him. :: Making our first family visit up to Duluth and of course a ride on the back of Grandpa Cole's lawn tractor. :: Taking him to an event at the farm we buy vegetables from. He could pick corn at the corn boil, basil at pesto fest, peas at the pea pick, or maybe a pumpkin at the pumpkin pick. :: We're ready summer.

New footage: http://www.youtube.com/user/graceshannon1

Practical Creations

2010-03-02T14:12:00.000-08:00

Since having Eli I've had more of an excuse to pursue one of my new favorite hobbies; making useful items out stuff (left over junk) lying around the house. I think I enjoy the challenge of taking what I have and figuring out how to turn it into something useful. The cheap skate inside me also takes joy in it. I also like the fact that you can make things custom to fit your needs. Here are a few of the 'creations' that have come about since Eli's arrival into the world.

When Eli was first born we had to move our bed closer to the door to fit a co-sleeper on Shannon's side of the bed, which meant my old night stand had to go. Nothing a couple 2x4's and plywood can't fix. cost - $0.

You might have guessed cloth diapers tend to get a little 'discolored' over time and sunlight's the best way we've found to bleach them. It's amazing how white they get from a little time in the sun. I figured neither of us was going to walk out in the frigid cold to hang diapers on the clothes line. With the help of a couple hooks, wooden dowels, and the edges of the sheets we bought at Goodwill to put on our bed for the birth we made contraption to hang them in front of our big pictured window. The neighbors may wonder what we have hanging in our front window. cost - -$3

As Eli grew longer our changing supplies was getting a little crammed on the end of his changing table so with the help of shelf board I bought I was able to add a little extension to his changing table, giving him a little room to grow. cost - $5 - note: the dresser in the picture we bought used, repainted and added some trim around the edges to hold the changing pad.

The latest installation was a shelf to add a little organization to Eli's closet. Used a couple 2x4's I had left from another project, some left over plywood, and a couple shelves we found at Habitat Restore. Then covered it all with some paint. It's not pretty, but it will do the job and it's in the closet so who's going to see it? cost-$6

One note of honesty. Many of these projects happened because I was sitting at home during the week or weekend with nothing to do and they provided good, cheap entertainment to keep my hands busy. I also have to thank my wonderful wife for allowing me to put my not so elegant 'practical installations' around the house.

Rollover! Rollover!

2010-02-21T07:52:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the delay everyone! We're now just getting around to posting this video of Eli rolling over. It's been crazy to think about how quickly he is getting older. I think with every milestone he meets, I miss him as a newborn and as a little guy. (Then I go to sleep and actually sleep for 5 hours straight and I am glad he's 4 1/2 months old!)

Eli has also been workin' those vocal cords as you can see in this video. Thankfully, Tanya (our speech therapist friend) is very pleased with his progression and encourages all sorts of noises! Eli also had his first laugh the other day. We were in Minneapolis visiting our Minnesota clan and Eli thought my pig snort was too funny! He let out a few big giggles and now can't stop! We find ourselves acting silly and making lots of random noises in order to get him to laugh. It's been quite entertaining for all of us. I love that Eli has started to laugh because, as you all know, I love to laugh. I always share the fact that every laugh burns 35 calories so I try and do it often.

Well, that's all for now. Eli is sleeping so I want to take advantage of some good knitting time so I can work on my knitting olympics project.

Support the Right to Breastfeed!

2010-02-12T11:25:00.000-08:00

WARNING: The soapbox has come out of the closet for this blog post!

I want to take a little bit of your time today to raise awareness of a Wisconsin Assembly Bill that will be voted on February 16th. At this time, there are no protections in our state laws that protect a mother’s right to breast feed her children in public. Currently, we can be harassed, intimidated and interfered without any repercussions. Wisconsin is poised to become on of the first states to have a bill that would help protect my right to breastfeed in public. As most of you know, I breastfeed Eli and during this time I am bound to have to feed him in public.

So I am asking any and all of my Wisconsin readers to contact their senators and representatives to lodge their support of this bill. It is important that our officials are encouraged to vote YES with NO amendments to the Assembly Bill 57. Again the vote is taking place on February 16th, 2010.

Here is a summary of what the bill entails and will ensure:

A mother may breast-feed her child in any public or private location where the mother and child are otherwise authorized to be.

In such a location, no person may prohibit a mother from breast-feeding her child, request or direct a mother to move to a different location to breast-feed her child, request or direct a mother to cover her child or breast while breast-feeding, or otherwise restrict a mother from breast-feeding.

If you would like to find out who your representative or senator is, please use this link. You can easily email your representative/senator! Thanks for the support; the soapbox is back in the closet for now!

Breaking News....

2010-02-09T15:47:00.000-08:00

For Immediate Release:

2.9.10 1745

Eli James Anderson just rolled over for the very first time in his life! The event occurred while playing with his mama after work today and the Anderson household is in a tizzy. While enjoying the super fun play mat his parents recently bought, Eli decided "enough is enough" with tummy time. So he took matters into his own hands and in one swift movement rolled from stomach to back. At first, he reports he didn't know what to make of this new movement but then stated

"Mama was so excited and yelling for papa to come in the living room, I decided this must be something good."

He was then able to repeat this feat for his papa, which was received with even more excitement. Stay tuned for further updates....

Pee Pee Waits For No One

2010-02-03T06:45:00.001-08:00

I made a new parent mistake this morning. When I put Eli in his bouncy seat I noticed a small wet spot the size of a quarter on the back of his pajama's.

My thought: No big deal, I'll just finish what I'm doing and change him in a little bit. It's not like he hasn't touched his own excrement before.

Reality: In less than 10 minutes the urine crawled up his back all the way to his neck creating a wet spot the size of a large pancake. I guess cotton wicks moisture pretty well.

Oops....I guess I'll change him a little sooner next time.

Let's try this again...

2010-01-31T08:20:00.000-08:00

So for some reason, blogger is being stupid when it comes to playing our videos. So to remedy that ailment, I've created a you tube account to post our videos. So check out this video, this video and this video.

A little Reward....

2010-01-23T08:24:00.000-08:00

Well you all have been so good lately reading all of our posts so it's about time you were rewarded with a little multi-media prize. While I've been at work, Joel has periodically been taking videos of Eli and his day. They are quite entertaining as I get to see the quirky things my boys are getting into these winter days. Hopefully it keeps up as Eli gets older and starts getting into even more mischief! Well, enough words for now, enjoy!(Note: Eli received a fancy new snowsuit for Christmas so please pardon is slightly too small snowsuit here. When we carry him in the Ergo, the new suit is a little too big!)

Off to Work I Go....

2010-01-20T15:52:00.000-08:00

Well I just finished my first two weeks back at work and it has been easier and harder than I imagined. My first day back was on January 4th, so on a cold morning, I bundled up and took off for the bus ride to work. It was hard because I was trying not to cry (which was very hard) in front of a bus load of high school students. As I walked into work reality finally kicked in that I really was going to have to leave Eli at home. I think until that point I was in some sort of denial and thought, deep down, that Joel would have a job by January.

The work came back to me faster than I imagined (this is the easier part), I still sometimes feel like I have two left feet but slowly it’s getting easier. It has been good to see some of my regular patients, many of whom have been excited to see me and have loved to see pictures of Eli. I also haven’t lost too many of my nursing skills, I successfully started an IV the other day! It has also been neat to see how the clinic has changed and grown since I’ve been gone. I was recounting to Joel that there are many new faces who have no idea who I am which is weird seeing as I’ve been there for three years.

One new aspect and chore of my day now is pumping. Joel and I intend to breastfeed exclusively so that means that 4 times a day I pump. My lunch hour is now sacrificed to sitting in a chilly exam room attempting to eat my lunch while hooked up to a pump. It’s really not that bad, it’s kind of fun to see how much I can pump each day and if I can top myself. The record currently is 13 ounces in one day! Though, I miss not breastfeeding Eli. I miss that bond, how he looks at me and smiles and how we have that time for just the two of us.

One other adjustment is how little awake time I get to spend with Eli. I get home around 6 pm and he is usually ready to nurse to bed between 6:30 and 7 and asleep by 8. It’s hard only getting those few hours with Eli awake. It makes me even more excited for my days off and for the weekends. I miss my boy. He seems to grow in just the 8 hours I’m away at work. One friend pointed out that I really only get about 8 days a month away from work to spend with Joel and Eli. That makes me want to make the most out of those days as our family grows and stretches.

Lastly (at least for now, this is long), Joel is the best husband and father I know! He takes such good care of Eli; it’s amazing! It’s great to see how he knows Eli’s habits, intricacies, expressions and needs. It’s great to not feel the sole burden of working, taking care of Eli, cooking meals, cleaning the house, doing the diapers, etc. Joel moves towards responsibility and is taking care of our family in the most amazing ways.

Frowny Thursday

2010-01-14T06:42:00.000-08:00

In honor of Eli being crabby and teething here's a video of his cute frowny face. Hopefully he doesn't carry it with him to his toddler years because it may be used to manipulate his parents into feeling bad for him.

Eli and Papa Smurf

2010-01-08T12:01:00.000-08:00

Warning: Since I have no new pictures to share this post will be written word only. If you trudge through our words just to see cute pictures you should probably scroll down to older posts to get your fix.

My first week home alone with Eli started off with an unsuspected trip to the mechanic on Monday morning to get a hose in the fuel line of our car replaced. From there I strapped Eli on my chest and headed home. The rest of the day was pretty uneventful; cleaning and grocery shopping. This week I've discovered the ability to hear Eli doesn't depend on whether you're mom or dad, but on whose responsibility it is to get up and feed him. I took over one feeding at night and spent much of Tuesday night awake expecting to hear Eli and wanting to get up before he woke Shannon. This made for a poor night of sleep which was followed up in morning by a flurry of house cleaning, feeding and prepping dinner so I could meet a friend for coffee in the afternoon and then pick up Shannon. Sometimes when I have a goal to accomplish something in a set time frame I can run myself ragged doing it. By the end of the night I was a wee bit crabby and worn out (just ask Shannon). Two highlights from Wednesday were successfully feeding Eli outside of the house and having him audibly fill his pants in three different "movements" while the whole coffee shop listened. It made me laugh and wonder if people thought it was me. To feed Eli at the coffee shop I brought along a rather large bottle warmer we have and just plugged it in to the wall. Besides having to lug it around it worked quite well. On Thursday I brought him to my new student orientation at MATC for the Revit class I'm taking and had my ID picture take with him still on my chest. They were able to crop it so you couldn't see him. The highlight of the week was one night talking to Shannon as we went to bed about some of the funny things Eli does and the faces he makes. It's fun to be able to talk about and take joy together in all his little intricacies now that I am more heavily involved in taking care of him.

New Hair...

2010-01-03T17:19:00.001-08:00

Well yesterday I cut off my hair, I cut off a little over 8 inches and it's been donated to the wig program with Pantene Pro-V. Here are some pictures of the new 'do. They had to take it up to the hairline so it's very short and a little cold!

All Smiles....

2010-01-01T10:38:00.001-08:00

One very fun development in our lives is that Eli is now smiling purposefully! (And starting to stick out the bottom lip of his!) Joel was lucky enough to capture some of those smiling moments, hope you enjoy!

Holidays In, Holidays Out

2009-12-31T14:52:00.000-08:00

Well the Holidays have come and gone for our new little family and they were quite enjoyable. Sorry for the lag in posts lately but with traveling and having guests we just haven't had any time to post! Our holidays started out with a trip up to Eau Claire to see Grandpa and Grandma Anderson and Eli was a traveling champ! Eli went on his first sleigh ride with the Anderson clan and was treated to lots of hugs and smiles from the Anderson clan. Eli proved again that he is a car champ as we decided to drive back on December 23rd during a nasty snow/rain/ice storm. It took us about 4 hours to get home and he slept most the way and when he did wake up he just hung out quietly in the carseat. The roads were pretty terrible and we were glad to not have to stop to nurse.

We spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day as a family and it was great. We were able to go to Blackhawk for church on Christmas Eve and were able to celebrate Christ's birth with Aunt Mary and Uncle Jon, which is always a good time. Then we came home and Eli went to bed, so Joel and I enjoyed some great steaks, wine and cookies in front of the fire. On Christmas morning, Eli has begun the age old tradition of waking up early to open christmas stockings. Joel and I are realizing that our days of sleeping in have passed, not to be found again until Eli is a lot older! Eli did have one small gift under the tree from mom and dad but he didn't seem to be all that interested in presents (see photo)! I wonder what it would be like if we did not give gifts around Christmas? Maybe he would realize earlier the true meaning of this season. At church, we participate in a new tradition called Advent Conspiracy in which we reclaim how we do Christmas. The idea is to Spend Less, Give More, Love All in order to Worship Christ Fully this season. So instead of spending oodles of money on gifts, we spend a little less each year and give to clean water projects and other assorted projects around the world. I would love for Eli to grow up with this definition of Christmas and not one of a season packed with business and presents. I want to take time with my family and not worry about the "perfect" meal or the "perfect" present. I want to try and mimic Eli's lack of interest in presents and hopefully an interest in serving and loving others fully.

(Can't quite open presents yet!)

After our family celebration, Grandma and Grandpa Grace came to visit Eli and a good time was had by all! We celebrated with the traditional Grace family breakfast (sticky buns, sausage, fruit, coffee, eggs), a trip to the yarn store and Eli got to experience a few of my Dad's famous stories about Eli. Apparently, Eli just finished running Grandma's Marathon, the Ironman, traveling to Antartica, discovering the solution to global warming and how to save the polar bears. Who knew! My parents babysat so Joel and I could go on a coffee date which was absolutely lovely! We went to Barriques and then I spent my Christmas money on a little treat at Orange Tree Imports. The weekend was capped off by my beef stew, some rousing games of rummikub (best game ever!) and some nummy cinnamon-craisen bread (recipe thanks to Aunt Joanna). All in all, it was a very excellent visit and Eli was nice enough not to cry too much at night for grandma and grandpa.

We've just finished up the holiday season with our very own New Years Celebration, which Eli wanted to celebrate 5 times last night (equals not a lot of sleep for Joel and I)! We went out to dinner with some friends but then had to call it an early night because Eli goes to bed around 8 pm. So Joel and I stayed up almost to midnight watching a movie and enjoying some adult beverages. Now we're into 2010 and who knows what this year will bring! What we do know, is that it brings new adventures and exciting milestones. This will be the year that Eli says his first word, rolls over, crawls and then begins to walk and who knows what else! We wish all of you a happy new year and a happy start to 2010!

Football as a Babysitter

2009-12-22T08:01:00.000-08:00

On Sunday we found out Eli is a big fan of Sunday Night Football. Not sure he should be that drawn to the TV this soon in life. The ol' Electric Baby Sitter.

Now this is his reaction to Brett Favre throwing a touchdown for the Vikings.

Birth Pictures

2009-12-10T13:06:00.000-08:00

So I got up the nerve last night to look at the whole roll of pictures that were taken during my labor. My friend Kim was on picture duty during our birth and she did a beautiful job! It was interesting to see the process unfolding in pictures because some of the more painful memories of my labor are starting to fade (thank goodness). So I hope you'll indulge me as I share some of the photos with you, don't worry I edited out the ones that only Joel and I get to see!
Pardon the bored look on Joel's face, there wasn't many active things for him to do in labor except for support me. That support was HUGE for me, I didn't even want Joel to leave to go to the bathroom.Eli's heartbeat is being checked by Britt in the picture. They check the heartbeat about every 5-10 minutes in active labor. I was beginning to feel the urge to push and was trying to get the strength to do it.In order to push more effectively, they had me get out of the tub and onto the toilet (hey, it's a natural place to push!)For the actual birth, I was on my hands and knees. We were all lined up in our bathroom ready to bring Eli into the world.After Eli came out, I quickly wanted to get into bed. I was cold (because of all the hormones) and just wanted to lay down. It was great to be able to rest immediately in our bed and to be with the people I love. I don't regret or wish that I had given birth anywhere else than besides my own home. I realize this in not a choice that all people agree with or feel that they could make but I just know it's was right for us. (Though I did have a few moments where I was like "Where's my epidural?")

Christmas Time...

2009-12-10T12:28:00.000-08:00

It's beginning to feel like Christmas time now that we have copious amounts of snow on the ground! Nothing like 18 inches of snow to get you in a festive mood. Last weekend we went with Jon and Mary to cut down our Christmas tree and Eli tagged along for the ride. I was quite excited to take him to get a tree even if he won't remember it later on in life. We went to a tree farm that is owned by one of my coworkers. We went there last year and had a blast, we had the top pick of any tree and were able to enjoy some hot cider with "papa and mama juice" in it (bourbon,mmmmm). So we decided to visit the same farm again and found our tree pretty quickly.

I'm not sure Eli cared, seeing as he was sleeping in the carrier the whole time! But we did make sure to snap some pictures, enjoy!

And, if you've been paying attention to the news or live in the midwest; you'll know that we just had our first big snowstorm of the year. In Madison, we got around 18 inches of snow and it is bitterly cold right now! It's weird how your perspective changes when you have a child. Yesterday morning, all I wanted to do was show Eli the snow and play with him in the it. Too bad he's only 2 months old and doesn't really understand what's going on around him. Next year I'll be even more excited to go sledding and build snowpeople with him because he'll actually remember it! I felt like a little kid again yesterday. Joel had a snow day because the buses weren't running, we had a snowball fight with 3 of the neighborhood kids, Joel helped people dig out and we went snowshoeing last night at the Edna Taylor Conservancy by our house. We even have a snowman in the yard thanks to our neighbors! There is nothing better than the first snow storm of the year, I hope I remember that in March when I'm fed up with the weather!
We even got enough snow that I had to snowshoe a path to the compost bin and we've lost a few of our lilac bushes. Oh how exciting it is that Eli was born in the midwest!

The Windy City

2009-12-04T20:30:00.000-08:00

Our two-year anniversary celebration. We left the apartment at 9:30am, Eli in tow, and used buses and trains to visit the Shedd Aquarium, Spice House in Old Town, Dunkin Donuts to feed Eli, Millennium Park, the Art Museum and a Wildfire restaurant on north of downtown. All in one day without the aid of a GPS or iPhone. Not bad for having an infant along. We’ve found kids make it a little more difficult to travel but not impossible. You just have to be flexible.

Wednesday night we went to our good friend Jordan’s apartment on the north side of Chicago. We ate dinner, caught up, had our first taste of our home brew (quite nice), and Jordan got to hold Eli. It was great to catch up as it had been a year since we’ve seen Jordan. A lot happens in a year. Thursday Jordan left to go to back to Iowa to be with his wife and generously let use their apartment Thursday night.

At the Aquarium we were led by “spirit guides” (aka women in funny looking costumes interpretive dancing) through their special presentation of “FantaSea”. Penguins walked around in the crowd, beluga whales did tricks, and dolphins did their usual flips. They even had a lady in a canoe come from behind the crowd and lower into the pool from the roof. It was quite the show.

In the evening we spent a couple hours walking through the new modern art wing of the Chicago Art Museum. I cannot say I appreciate modern art. One room had a huge cluster of fluorescent lights hanging from the ceiling and sheet rock on the ground with a random pattern of holes smashed in it. Another was white canvas on the wall. Really? By far the strangest and most disturbing was the “crazy clown room”. Six screens were set up, one on each sidewall and four on the front wall with a 30-minute loop of a clown doing different creepy things. One screen had the clown tugging on some broom or stick hang off the ceiling, another had the clown sitting on the ground with his legs out front hitting his toes together, and to top it off one had a clown sitting on a toilet in a bathroom stall stuffing toilet paper in between the pages of a magazine. To top off the creepiness a the sound of the clown crying, grunting and screeching was coming from the speakers. By far best part of the night was watching people looking at the “art” confused, shocked, or laughing and then turn to see Eli and have look at him with smiles and admiration. Both the working man (aka security guards) and art connoisseurs look at Eli with awe. The Creator made Eli much more beautiful and intricate than anything man put on those walls (or floor in some cases).

The Soothing Nose

2009-12-02T20:35:00.000-08:00

This is not recommended by the CDC. Do not try at home.

A New Hobby...

2009-11-23T12:53:00.001-08:00

Well what is the one hobby that a father and mother should pick up after having a child? The answer: Homebrewing. Joel had saved up some money before Eli was born and is starting to experiment with brewing our own beer. He made a batch of beer about 2 weeks ago so we took advantage of having an extra set of hands this weekend and bottled the beer. It now has to condition for 10-14 days and then we'll see how it tastes! According to Joel, it tasted like flat beer this weekend so that's a good sign!

Relax! Have a homebrew!

Aunt Momo's Visit

2009-11-23T12:04:00.000-08:00

Well we had a great visit with my sister this weekend, it was the first time that Moriah had seen Eli! It was so great to have her here and sadly, we probably were not the most fun. It's crazy how a baby changes how you spend your weekends. I am still getting used to being somewhat occupied for a good chunk of the day feeding Eli. He tends to feed for about an hour from start to finish so that limits how much I can do during the day with visitors. (I feel somewhat bad that they have to sit around.) We can go out and do things as I am getting more used to breastfeeding out in public, so that helps. I am thankful that Madison is a pretty good community when it comes to public nursing. There is a great initiative in town (and across the US) called Nursing Is Normal which is helping to remove any negative stigma about breastfeeding in public. I'm thankful that there are an army of mamas that have gone before me and paved the way to make nursing normal.

Speaking of the little munchkin, we had a doctor's appointment last week and we are now into double digits. He clocked in at a whopping 10 pounds, 21 inches long and a head circumference of 37 cm. He is starting to move out of looking like a newborn and starting to look like a baby. He also is sleeping more at night (yes!) and consistently will sleep for a 5 hour stretch. I feel like a new woman! He also is starting to smile which is so rewarding and makes me so happy. Here is the proof of how much he's growing!

On another note, my maternity leave is over halfway over and it's starting to hit me that in 5 weeks I'll have to leave Eli for a whole day, four days a week. I have to be honest, I don't want to go back to work (sorry any Access folks reading this!). Our intention was that when we had kids I would stay home and Joel would work, but that's not how it's going to work out right now. I have been battling with different emotions about going back to work. Most of me is sad/mad (not at Joel) that Joel hasn't found a job yet, frustrated that I only get 12 weeks when most of the developed world (example Canada) gets 9 months to a year off if a mother wishes, nervous about how Eli will do without me and many other emotions that I'll spare you. I keep on praying that God will give me peace about our situation right now and that I won't be angry at Him for allowing this to happen. But it's hard not to feel like He's not answering our prayers. Then I'm reminded of how He has provided/answered prayers for us during these past 10 months and I am humbled. He has provided most, if not all, of our baby stuff through friends/family generosity, He's given Joel a temporary job at EPIC so we have income during my leave, he's kept our car/house from needing any major repairs, He provided us with the ability and timing to refinance our house (saving us tons of money) and so much more. Those are the examples I cling too when I feel the most frustrated with God and I am reminded that He LOVES us and cares for us and has a plan for us even if I don't see it or like it right now. I cling to those reminders and in doing so, I trust Him.

One Month Reflections

2009-11-13T13:19:00.000-08:00

Eli turned one month old this past Sunday and it's crazy to think that a month has already passed. I'm not sure where that time has gone and I'm not sure if I really want it to slow down at this point. Joel and I have realized that we aren't really "newborn people"; we're more like "6 month old people". Things are a lot better than they were in the beginning around week two. We are now better at recognizing his patterns, cries, noises, grunts etc and knowing what we should do for him. We also are getting better at being able to soothe him; though we still have times when he's crying and we can't do anything for him! (Those are frustrating times.) Overall, I'm not sure if we have a "colicky" baby or just a fussy baby. From what I've been told, if you have to ask that question you don't have a colicky baby!

Eli is starting to have some greater periods of alertness where he is not crying and that has been so rewarding. We were at a play group the other day at Happy Bambino and he spent almost an hour just looking around the room. He was quiet, inquisitive and then calmly fell asleep in my arms. I sometimes wonder what he is thinking when he sees new sights or hears new sounds. Today, I was even able to put him down for a morning nap while he was "drowsy but awake" (that's what the books call it) and he didn't cry as he fell asleep. It may have been a fluke, but it was nice to get dressed without a crying babe.

And so this leads into the question we get about Eli's sleeping habits and patterns. It's interesting that people in our culture relate how "good" a baby is by how they go to sleep and sleep for their parents. Part of me feels that it's okay to have a baby that takes more soothing to get to sleep and that doesn't mean they are a "difficult/bad" baby or that the parents aren't doing a good job. (Granted it may be nicer for the parents if a baby doesn't require tons of soothing, but is that really the point? Babies depend on parents, that's the design.) Anyways, at this point in his life he developmentally doesn't have the circadian rhythms or the resources to fall asleep completely unassisted. Who cares if I want to rock my baby to sleep, I'm not harming him in any way. (Can you tell I'm a little annoyed by what some of the "sleep experts" say out there). Alright, I'll get back on track here...back to sleep. Eli is starting to have a longer stretch of sleep for the first part of the night which is really nice for me. Generally he nurses between 9-10 and then sleeps until about 2-3 am which gives me almost 4 hours of sleep. We are starting to approach the mark of sleeping through the night. Sadly, the definition of "sleeping through the night" is sleeping a 6 hour stretch at a time (who decided that?). But that could be from 8 pm until 2 am; there's a lot of night left after 2 am! Overall, I think I either am getting more sleep or my body has adjusted to the lack of sleep at this point!

We are also fully in the world of cloth diapering as we have made the final transition to 24 hour cloth diapers. Initially we were using disposables at night but I splurged and got us some more diapers so we could use cloth at night and not have to wash diapers everyday. That's right folks, we are also washing are own diapers even though there is an awesome diaper service in town. Actually, washing are own diapers is not that bad at all, we tend to wash every 2-3 days and have experienced the wonderful bleaching power of our very own sun! Last weekend I dried the diapers partially in the sun and they literally were as white as the day we got them from the store. I was amazed and will not poo-poo bleaching whites in the sun any more! It's great not to be using a harsh bleach to get the diapers white as snow.

So I bet you would like to know what I like about cloth diapers. Well, first of all, they don't really smell (at least yet, we are only dealing with breastmilk poo, not solids yet). I have found I hate the way the disposables smell. I'm not sure what it is in the diapers but it turns his mild urine in to a foul smelling mess. Second of all, I am glad that we're not clogging up a landfill with diapers that take 500 years to degrade. I understand that some would argue that we are wasting more energy with washing them but I just don't buy it. Third of all, I love cloth diapers because my babe hasn't had any diaper rash since we switched to all cloth, all the time. It's nice to know that when I wipe his heiny that I'm not causing him pain. Well I could go on but am realizing that this post is getting quite long!

Thanks for reading, there are many more reflections I have and will try and find some time to post later this weekend.

Handing in My Man Card

2009-11-08T08:09:00.000-08:00

Due to recent circumstances I may have to turn in my "Man Card". I admit I have been wearing our Moby wrap (see pictures from an earlier post) to carry Eli on a regular basis for the past month. It's black, but is by no means manly. Sometimes I feel like less of a man wearing it and get comments like, "Ohhhh, you have him in your little papoose ". Really a papoose, I don't remember seeing any pictures of Native American men with papoose's, but they didn't have to navigate Woodman's with a three week old. I've found my feelings of lost manhood are counteracted by what I am able to accomplish with a child on me. I think to myself as I walk through the grocery story looking at other shoppers, "are you grocery shopping with a child attached to you". I can bend down to the bottom shelf to get a box of Life, I can leave my cart behind since Eli's with me, I can glaze windows, and best of all I'm not lugging around a big clunky car seat. They're heavy and awkward. I've also found with Eli in the wrap it surprises people. The public can see a car seat coming a mile away and assumes there's a baby in it. With him on me and a sweatshirt on they don't notice until I walk by and then when they see his head sticking out little girls nudge their moms and say things like "mommy look" and point at me while I'm five feet away as though I have a goiter sticking out of my neck. I have been sold on using the wrap, manly or not it quiets Eli down and allows me to carry on with normal activities outside of holding him. On the man front, yesterday I found out we have a pair of Carhart overalls for Eli when he's a little older. I think this may make up for my use of the wrap, and it will protect his legs from chain-saws.

side note: If you google Papoose most of the hits are a gansta rapper, nice.

Like Father, Like Son...

2009-11-02T09:19:00.000-08:00

Well, so far I have managed to keep my hands clean while changing Eli's diapers (see previous post). No major poop blowouts on my hand! Eli and I are getting used to each other a little bit more each day and are starting to fall into some routines. It's funny to see ourselves in him and I am sure that we will only see more of our selves each and every day. One thing that I've found about Eli is that he likes to nap on his stomach (don't worry, he's checked on often and he doesn't sleep on his stomach at night) just like his papa. Joel has a tendency to sleep on his stomach for a good portion of the night and will be on his stomach if he has trouble falling asleep. It's no wonder that Eli seems to like this sleep position as well and I just get the biggest kick out of it! Also, when Joel is sleeping really soundly, his mouth tends to hang open a little bit and Eli is taking after his father in this respect. It so cute to see Eli in a deep sleep and recognize Joel in him. So I couldn't resist taking some pictures one afternoon while Eli was napping; my little man.

Momentary wakening

Just Like Joel

Another thing that we get a kick out of is when Eli is finished eating because it's like he is a drunk on all that good breastmilk. He usually pops off and immediately his arms flop to the side, head rolls back and he makes a nice sigh (usually with a little milk dribble as well). The calmness that comes after his feeding is wonderful, he is satisfied and looks around briefly to take in his small world. When it gets time to switch sides he tends to stretch sleepily and settle in for what is to be the end of a really good meal. As much work as breastfeeding takes, I wouldn't give it up for the world. The opportunity to settle in with Eli and bond with him is great, sometimes it's even great at 3 am! (Though not always as I'm pretty tired!), We've tried to capture his delight on camera and this is the best we could do at the time.

Late Night Surprise...

2009-10-27T11:36:00.001-07:00

This is going to be a short post as I am trying to eat lunch and then head for a nap while Eli is sleeping but I just HAD to post this story. So last night was a little rough in the Anderson household, Eli was bound and determined to not sleep on his own after the hour of 3 am. Oh he would sleep, as long as he was laying on top of either myself or Joel, needless to say that doesn't really allow me some good quality sleep (basically I got about 3 hours or so, interrupted. Sweet.) But there always is some sort of silver lining and I am starting to learn that you can find humor in all situations, even in the middle of the night.

So last night, I was changing Eli (which he hates most the time which leads to screaming at 2:30 am) and he was starting to settle down and look like he was going to sneeze. You know the face, eyes crinkled up and brow furrowed. Well normally I don't pay too much attention to sneezes so didn't think anything of it as he got ready to let it loose. Along came the sneeze and the next thing I know my hand is covered. It was warm, wet and yellow. Yes folks, it was poop. Fortunately most of the poop was caught on my hand though some did make it across the room and hit the doors on the closet and landed on his diaper pail.

For an instant I had no idea what to do, then I threw a diaper on him right quick in case we had any other explosions. Needless to say, the only thing I could do was laugh. I mean, what else are you supposed to do at 2:30 in the morning with a hand covered in poop. After laughing, the clean up began and now I am even more cautious when I see a sneeze coming.

Baby in the Sun

2009-10-24T16:11:00.000-07:00

What you're really hoping for.......

Daddy Observations

2009-10-24T14:58:00.000-07:00

Since Eli arrived I've noticed a few things.

"The Look" - no matter what I'm doing or where I go people look at me differently. Let me rephrase, they look in my general direction while completely focused on Eli. They often let out little "ahh's" or just get a little smile as tilt their head to the side. Sometimes the thought runs through my mind they should come over at 4 in the morning when he's crying and you have to get up in an couple hours and see if they're still smiling then. People also open doors for you, randomly come and talk to you, ask what his name is, whether he's a boy or girl, etc. The power of a newborn.

"Responsibility" - i've been amazed at how much of an urge I feel to get things done as soon as I wake up or get home from work. I wouldn't say I was messy before Eli came but I tended to put things off or leave them until "tomorrow". Now I have a sense of responsibility that I need to pitch in so mom and baby are taken care of. I empty trash more, clean up messes, wash diapers, empty the dishwasher, etc. Thankfully because of my upbringing this, not fear, is my response to having a little one.

"When Newborn cease being cute" - it's really difficult to like Eli when he's awake and fussing or just making lots of noise at night. Half the time he's fine sleeping on his own the other half he wants to be held and lets it be known. Then he wakes up every couple of hours (note: I can't complain much since I don't actually spend 45min-60min feeding him) to feed. It's at these times I don't thing he's all that cute. A full uninterrupted night of sleep would be amazing (sigh).

"Fire Hydrant" - little boys do pee everywhere. As soon as the diaper comes off the flood gates are thrown open. At one point his "equipment" was point at his head and he watered his stomach, chest and even got the back of his head. People that buy cloth covers for their changing pad either likes doing laundry or hasn't had a boy.

"The Rudder" - like the small rudder that steers a larger boat Eli directs much of our lives at this point (ref. James). We can still leave the house, visit with friends, go for dinner or coffee but have to take his feeding and fussing into account, which isn't an exact science at this point. There's also so much equipment to bring along: carseat, diaper bag, blankets, a wrap, stroller, etc. It's amazing how much Eli, an 8lb person, affects what we do.

"Man Time" - I like helping Eli participate in man activities. I let him hold my machete, watch me cut down a tree, come to the hardware store, and I even successfully glazed a window while wearing him. It's great to have a buddy to do manly stuff with.

A Few Weeks in....

2009-10-21T15:26:00.000-07:00

Well, we are approaching the two week mark into our new life as a family of three. We are starting to get pretty good at certain things and some things are not feeling as foreign. For example, changing diapers is getting a little better for us though I still haven't quite figured out how to not get peed on during a diaper change. We also are getting better at wrapping Eli's bum in a cloth diaper, we're hoping as we get better we'll have fewer and fewer leaks. There was one day where he went through two outfits in like 2 hours because we didn't wrap the diapers quite right. Needless to say, getting wet with urine makes you a little more vigilant when applying the next diaper!

Eli is growing fast it seems, he definitely is heavier than last week (we'll have our check up this week and we'll see how much he gained!) and he is starting to fill out some of the sleepers we have for him. He still isn't quite big enough for most of the bottoms we have for him but we try and make it work. It's crazy to look at him and see him grow seemingly before your eyes. It makes me want to cherish all the little moments now as he moves up in size and age.

One thing that I've appreciated during these two weeks is Joel. I'm not sure what I would do without him! He has fed me, held me when I'm crying for no reason (or when Eli is screaming and nothing seems to console him), he's made sure I take a nap each day, gave me time to myself at my favorite salon and so much more. This huge change has definitely brought us together more than I could have imagined and I'm not sure how people do it alone. So without boring you, I'll just say I have an awesome husband.

Well he's done feeding now (that's right I'm posting while breastfeeding, what else am I supposed to do!) and we're gonna go for a family walk and enjoy the last evening light.

A Photo Update...

2009-10-15T09:54:00.000-07:00

Well people have been asking and looking for some pictures of Eli and we are finally starting to come out of our first week haze. I must say, when people told me about the "baby moon" I didn't believe them as to how much I would love it! It feels like we are in our own little world, safe and warm. We have been venturing in the the outdoors a little more each day, starting with a walk to the park (around the block), our backyard to watch Joel chop down a tree, to Best Buy and yesterday to a coffee shop. Joel is off for his first half day of work and we'll see how I do almost on my own (my mom is still here). Well, enjoy the pictures... we'll try and keep more posted.

Eli being weighed by Britt

Eli's newborn assessment

Eli's first Moby Wrap ride

Eli's swaddle (the only way he sleeps on his own)

Eli's first car ride (which almost induced an anxiety attack for Shannon, crazy drivers...)

Game Changer

2009-10-11T15:00:00.000-07:00

I've always said I was born ready. I guess my son was too. Eli James was born October 8 at 5am, nearly a week before his due date. Shannon's water broke as I was cleaning out our tub drain with the drain trap completely off, and she was making some spicy soup she would regret later. From the start we've found babies don't really always come at the most opportune time. I figured I should probably get the drain back together so I put it back on and ran to the grocery store for some draino and a few last minute birth items.

A long story short, Shannon started labor in our bedroom, moved to a birth pool and then finally to the bathroom to birth the baby. I'm still in awe of the fact that: one a woman's body can grow and birth a child and two that she did it all without any pain medication or intervention. During labor I was calm for the most part until the very end when she really started pushing and released some "primal" screams. At that point I a bit overcome by the pain she had gone through and was currently going through. Then Eli was born and almost instantly was placed in Shannon's arms. There was a huge change in her demeanor from 10 minutes before he was born to right afterwards. Near the end of pushing she didn't respond to questions and had the droopy eyes and cognition of a cross between a three year old and a college student at the end of a long night of drinking. As soon as Eli came out her eyes were wide open and her whole demeanor had changed as she received the "love hormones" that come along with birth.

Since the birth it's been one new thing after another. First night with a baby in the bed. First bath, poopy diaper, pee all over my hand, trip outside, putting clothes on, typing emails one handed while holding a baby, and much more. Being at home to figure out all these new things has been wonderful. It's nice to be in a place where you and the baby are comfortable to learn together. A few weeks ago I had some worries and fears about having the baby at home, but now that he's come I think it's the best thing we could have done. It makes the transition for us and him some much easier.

Ever since a sermon a few months ago titled "Game Changer" I've been ponder how a baby was going to change our lives and what that means. The lack of freedom and sleep. The new found joy in small things (first poop, cry, step, word, etc.). Not going to movies. Having a third person to consider when we make decisions. A lot changes, so I'm told. Now that Eli has arrived I'm excited and ready for the game to change.

The Beginning of the End (Which is Truly the Beginning)...

2009-09-30T17:21:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our new family's Blog! Joel and I are still waiting for the arrival of our little bundle of joy and have 2 weeks left until my due date (15 October 2009). Though from what I hear, kids don't always follow the schedule or path you have laid out for them so we are trying to remember to be flexible. We're so glad that you are here and interested in our new family. We will try and post consistently to keep everyone posted about how we grow and change!

Thank you for the love and support you've given us so far!