July 2006

July 02

semi-productive

So we have been annoyed with our bedroom closet.  Let me explain why.  The rental house we were in before had a walk-in closet big enough (and I am not kidding here) to be another room.  It had a ton of shelves and was big enough to fit not one, but two chest of drawers in.  So when we moved we had all this stuff and no where to really put it (well, neatly anyway...)  So yesterday we were in Lowe's and we were looking at closet organizers.  We found one we liked and brought it home.  Now, mind you, we didn't really measure the closet before we left...we weren't really in Lowe's to buy a closet organizer, but the lights we went to buy were not up to our standards....ANYWAY, we get home and get Elijah down to sleep and realize that our closet is the wrong size, BUT we make it work none the less.  We hang these tracks and then from there these shelving tracks are supposed to hang and then you can cut the shelves to fit where ever you want.  We got the first tracks hung and then called it a night.  Today we two shelve hung.  We put our clothes back in with just these two shelves and everything already fits.  We can't really figure it out.  I mean we did some purging while we were doing all this, but not THAT much.  So anyway, it was a happy surprise.  I think that now we will add some other shelves, but only for storage of linens (we don't have a linen closet either...sigh...)
So that's what we've done this weekend.  For some reason I am beat.  I have been tired all weekend long.  I know I have a kid and everything, but I am sleepier than usual.  It has gotten really hot lately, so that may be a factor.
Oh!!! Our next door neighbors had their baby.  He was a month early, but she was having signs of preecampsia so they induced.   The baby was 7 pounds 3ounces ( a month early!!!) and 19 1/2 inches long.  They came home today.  I went over to look at him as they took him out of the car, he's soooo tiny!  I mean Elijah was little, but he was over a pound heavier than this little guy.  They have to take him into the doc tomorrow because of possible jaundice(though he looks fine to me...but I'm not a doc... and I also compare all jaundice babies to mine and Elijah WAS JAUNDICE!)
Elijah wouldn't for the life of me take a good nap today and was very crabby (though I didn't put on his crabby t-shirt...) I finally gave up.  Jerry took over so I could take a nap but I could hear the little guy being a crank, so I didn't really sleep.  I got up and came into feed him at 7 and he was so sleepy that after nursing for 5-ish minutes he feel asleep and feel off the boob.  Normally he falls asleep and 20 minutes later I'm trying to pry him off without waking him up...poor guy.  Our rule is no naps after 6, but I think we'll just call this bedtime tonight.  I hope this isn't starting a trend.  He usually takes an hour nap in the morning and then at least a 2 hour nap in the afternoon.  I need the down time to rest myself and usually lie down with him or at least use that time to chill for a bit.
Last Thursday after our High Society Ladies gathering, Laura's sister's family stopped by on their way up the outer banks.  Kristen and Robert and their 2 year old Garrett.  Garrett is such a cutie!!!  And sooooo smart!!!  They are really cool parents and so laid back.  Garrett was sleepy, but a real sweet heart.  Kristen held Elijah, who promptly feel asleep!  It was good to see them and chat with them even though it was a very brief visit.
On Friday, I realized I hadn't been out of the house except to do grocery shopping on Tuesday, and I was getting a little stir crazy, so Jerry came and picked me up for a lunch date.  It was so nice to get out of the house.  I just hadn't realized it I guess.  I mean we go on walks in the morning, but just around the neighborhood.  I should try to get out and walk else where, but by the time I got the car loaded it would be way too hot!
My friend Tracey is getting married tomorrow!  I hope that her wedding is everything she has dreamed.  I'm sure it will be.  I really like the guy she is marrying and I am sure they will be very happy!
Okay, I must eat something soon...my blood sugar feels low...sigh....
July 06

Finished books and what not

So my goal is to cut down on the amount of TV I am watching.  I mean there is nothing on anyway.  I must say that I refuse to give up "So You Think You Can Dance."  I love that show!  But that's really it.  We only have 20 channels so there is no temptation to watch other crap on extended cable.
That being said, I just finished re-reading Audrey Niffenegger's The Time Traveler's Wife.  This book ranks as one of my favorites, if not my favorite.  Her writing is almost poetic.  The love story is so happy, sad, hilarious, miserable, so many things that makes up true love.  It's the kind of book that you really don't want to end.  I must say that there were a few chapters I skipped because I knew I would cry my eyes out and there was a strong possibility I wouldn't be able to stop.  I think some people didn't like it because of the improbability of the whole thing and some tried too hard to understand the dates and what not.  It is about a time traveler, but Niffenegger does a great job of providing the reader with dates and the ages of the characters to help keep track of everything.  Even if she hadn't done this, I believe the story would still be an incredible one.
Elijah is eating away.  He has had rice (didn't like this one, we'll try again later), bananas (a favorite), pears, and peaches.  It's interesting, if I mix anything with breast milk, he spits it out.  If I mix it with water he's fine.  (we're making our own baby food by the way....) He drinks about an ounce of water from a sippy cup at our little meal time.  He's about to cut a tooth.  I can feel it when he nurses and I can see it under his gums.  He is a drooling fiend!!!!!  And right now he's being a grouch because he needs a nap....so I'm off to take care of that....
July 09

ahhhh, the weekend

Soooo, I was supposed to go to an interview on Friday for tutoring position.  On Thursday night I freaked out about it and Jerry told me to cancel.  It was very obvious I am not ready to go back to work.  Jerry told me we didn't need the money, he thought I just wanted to get out of the house.  So I called and canceled.  I felt sort of good about this, so I think it was the right thing to do.  So Saturday morning I got up mowed the back lawn.  The weather here was unseasonably cool (only 83!) so it went fast and wasn't too hard.  Then we went into town to the library and to lunch.  Jerry got a bunch of books to read and I got Babyville because Clare said it was funny, so I am excited to read it.  We got Elijah some books too.  I don't know if I have mentioned it, but we are teaching Elijah basic sign language.  Things like: food, more, drink, milk...Studies have shown that babies can communicate in sign before they can talk.  Cora let us borrow a book on it and my parents lent me their workbook from when they took a sign language course and I checked out some books at the library as well.  All very exciting.  It's pretty cool I think.  After the library, we went to Roly Poly for lunch...yummy!  Then home for a nap and then to Rachel and Erin's for a super yummy dinner!  Cora and Bill were there too with their little one.  She is soooo active!  Elijah just sat there and watched her run around, like he was taking mental notes on how to walk and run!  It was really cool! We sacked out pretty much by the time we got home.
Today I plan on getting out into our drainage ditches with the weed wacker and then cooling it...oh yeah and maybe some grocery shopping as my folks are coming this Tuesday and maybe they'd like something to eat?  We have some more cleaning to do, but not too much.  We are selling our brass bed and moving stuff around, so the garage is packed with tuff to get rid of.  I have got to get busy and list this stuff on the yard sale web site.  I hope that it sells.  I haven't had too much luck there...sigh...
Okay, I hear my boy becoming restless...I swear we have more recent pics of him, I just haven't downloaded them from the camera yet....sigh....
July 11

What is this? Am I 5?

So I woke up this morning with the back side of my neck swollen and my ear hurting like all get out (what a weird saying...) I woke up Jerry and told him I was going to the doctor's office.  Sure enough I have an ear infection. What's that about?  I haven't had an ear infection since I was a kid.  Even growing up I never even got swimmers ear and now at 30 I get an ear infection. So now I'm all freaked out because Elijah has been pulling on his ear, which I just thought was teething because he has no fever and isn't "acting" sick...sigh...Stupid ears....  At least the put me on an antibiotic and gave me some ear drops.  I will be the first to say that I hate antibiotics.  I think they are over prescribed but the medical profession...but right now I will gladly take ANYTHING that will stop this pain!!!!  (well, and won't hurt my baby.)  SO that was the excitement for the morning.
Yesterday, my friend Rachel called us and we went and walked the loop at the beach. It was so nice.  Afterwards we found some shade at the park to feed and change the wee ones and then went for pizza!!!!  After pizza we walked around this store called Once Upon a Child.  It's a consignment shop that I find to be over priced, but every once and a while you find a really good deal.  Yesterday was one of those days.  We found a little music thingy that was perfectly in tune for 2.50.  I wouldn't have bought it if I hadn't found cash in my wallet ( I almost never carry cash...)  But Elijah really likes it and since it's in tune it doesn't grate on my nerves when he bangs on it.  It only plays for notes, but it is a perfect scale and when he hits two or more at the same time the notes are harmonic, so it sounds nice.  There was another one there, but the notes weren't in tune or something.  So I really like this one!  After we left there we hung out a Rachel's for the afternoon and then came home.  The rest of the day was pretty uneventful.
This morning, before we went to the doc's I checked my e-mail and three of my items I listed on the yard sale thing had sold!  So that's nice. It'll be nice to have a little play money (or whatever...)  One lady is picking up two items today and then tomorrow we'll get rid of another one.  No one has made an offer on the bed yet, but I hope they do soon.  I really want it out of my house!
Tomorrow we are going to get our pics made.  My parents will be here in this afternoon so they are going with us and then Rachel and Erin are meeting us over at the studio to get some pics as well.  I hope the kids are chill with the whole thing.  Hopefully, we'll get to go out to eat afterward.  That would be nice.
In October Rachel, Erin, Jerry and I are all going to stay at my parents house for a week for vacation.  I think it will be lots of fun!  It's also going to be homecoming at Warren Wilson, so we'll play a little over there.  I want to get a backpack carrier before then so that we can hike in the woods with our little ones.  I think it would be lots of fun!  I hope the leaves will be changing by then.
I guess I better get busy cleaning up before mom and dad get here!  It is HOT HOT HOT here today!!!!!
July 13

SIX MONTHS!!!

I can't believe it!  Our boy is six months today!  Somedays it goes so slow, but for the most part, it is flying by.  Elijah's new thing is scooting on his butt.  It's so funny.  We'll put something out of reach and he'll scoot his little self right over to it.
Yesterday we went to have pics made.  We took my parents and met Rachel and Erin over at the studio.  It was lots of fun.  Jerry's co-worker gave us a gift certificate and this place makes you use the whole thing at once, so we got lots of pics.  Afterwards we went for dinner and ice cream.  The kids did GREAT!  And I was really impressed with the photographer and the pictures turned out really well.  We like this place because you get your pictures within 20 minutes.
My ear infection is still really bothersome.  It hurts!  But I think it is getting better.  I went to my gyno today for a six month post natal/annual.  She's dropping OB to have more time with her kid and husband.  I totally understand, but I'm really bummed.  She is the only all female practice in town.  So she recommended a mid-wife for our next pregnancy...though she did say that she might start doing OB again in a couple of years...we'll see.  Anyway, I'm 3 pounds under my pre-pregnancy weight!  That's exciting!  And I got a clean bill of health...always good to hear.  (Also not pregnant...small blessing!  I mean we'd be okay, but I really am not ready to be pregnant again...didn't really think we were, but you know it's always nice to be sure!)
Okay, the little 6 month old (or big) is really sleepy and fighting the sleep (hence grouchy!) so I'm off to help Jerry! ( a note about the pics... They are all digital images, in the studio they could zoom in and crop and everything.  it was really cool.  the photographer used a handheld SLR digital camera so he could move around us.  Then you get to look at them on the screen and he edited them right there.  We got to bring home a CD with all the pics, but not edited. Really a neat place!)
July 16

stupid ear....

I spent yesterday and most of today in bed.  My ear is killing me!!!!  How do kids deal with this?  Today it's just gross.  All kinds of stuff coming out of it.... I hope that means it's getting better.  I tried to sleep last night.  Jerry took Elijah all night (except to eat of course) but my ear was killing me.  The numbing drops are doing nothing!  I did manage to take a long nap yesterday.  But today I just cuddled with Elijah on the bed and read.  I have q-tips with me all the time to get the grossness before it leaks out (sorry TMI.)
The good news is our riding lawn mower got fixed.  I can't remember if I wrote that or not, but since I mowed our lawn last weekend, it doesn't need mowing yet.  I'm just happy that it'll take less time to mow it now.
I had planned on doing some shopping this weekend (I did get a new pair of sneakers...Reeboks on sale for 27 dollars!!!  They're purple and gray!) but that's been put on hold for a bit.
Tomorrow I'm canceling my dentist appointment because I can barely open my mouth wide enough to get a spoon in with food, much less a drill.  I'll have to reschedule!
Jerry just asked if I wanted to get out of the house and I think that would be fabulous....anything to get my mind of my !@#$%$%^ ear!!!!!!!!
July 18

on the mend

Sunday night was a turning point for the ear crisis.  Something popped and I was able to sleep and what not...i also realized the wonder that is the cotton ball.  I stuffed some of that in my ear to catch the drips and it was much better (and probably more cost effective) than q-tips.  I finished my anti biotic yesterday and have been taking low doses of ibuprofen to help with the swelling.  This morning I realized I didn't have to let my raisin bran sit and become mushy before eating it, so that's a big plus too.  My dentist was very kind and let me reschedule for next Monday.
This morning, after a walk, I filled up Elijah's itty-bitty swimming pool and let him play in the water for a bit.  This was a first and he really wasn't so sure about it, but as the air got hotter, he seemed to enjoy it.  He figured out how to get his hat off and that was probably more fun for him.  I kept misting him with the mister on the hose, but he was not all about that at all!  It felt good to me...IT'S HOT!!!  I talked with my folks this morning and Elijah feel asleep while I was on the phone with them.  True to form though it's only a 30-45 minute morning nap.  That's okay, though.  It makes him happier and he slept well last night.   He's sitting in the pompazan right now blowing raspberries at me, but is getting impatient, so I am off to care for him!

Houston...we have a tooth (kinda)

So Elijah has been rather cranky the past few days.  He's been boycotting naps and only sleeping an hour at a time in his crib (yeah he has ended up in bed with us the past two nights, because I do not do the running to the other end of the house hourly thing...) And today we could actually see the top of a tooth!  Jerry and I both agree that if having to spend a few nights in bed with mom and dad is the worst of the teething, then that's all right with us.
Tomorrow we go for our six month check up.  We have questions to ask the doc and are excited to see who wins the pool on his weight.  I say 24, Jerry says 19.5, my dad said 25, my mom said 30...we'll see.  I hate that he's getting shots, but I'm sure he'll be fine.
Megan comments on the size of the baby pool...it's pretty funny I agree, but for now I think it's the perfect size!  Plus it was one dollar at The Dollar Tree, so ya know, you get what you  pay for and stuff.
Claire recommended the book Babyville on her blog, so I went and borrowed it from the library.  I must say that it was a good light read, but there was a point in there where the character Sam stressed me out a bit.  She went a little haywire and I was going to throw the book, but the problem resolved itself in a way that I found acceptable.  So I was okay with it. It is always interesting to me to read books written by Brits.  They seem to do things SOOO differently and while I understand this was a work of fiction, I have to wonder how much of the baby care in there is non-fiction.  For example, they seemed just fine putting their babies on formula and feeding them at 3 months!  I would have never thought that about the British at all, but maybe I am wrong.  Anyway, a good light read.  Thanks for the referral Claire!
Speaking of things that are different in other countries...  I was reading in Mothering Magazine about the lack of mother's breast feeding upon leaving the hospital in the US.  Many blame the hospitals selling out to formula companies.  And while I agree that it is rather annoying to be sent home with sample formula even though you have marked that you exclusively breast feeding...I simply don't believe that this is the only reason that women don't breast feed.  Anyway, there was a letter to the editor from a Canadian stating that maybe it wasn't the hospitals so much as it was the country.  In Canada all women are given one year PAID maternity leave.  98% of women leave the hospital there breast feeding.  At six months 59% are still breastfeeding exclusively.  The rate in America (though I am not sure of the exact numbers at hand) are much lower.  However, many women here must re-enter the work place sometimes within a month of giving birth.  I mean there are, of course, so many other reasons, but I do believe that it would help if no one had to worry about money and job stability...(the men in Canada are given 6 months paid paternity leave!)
Anyway, there is my rant on breastfeeding for the week...
I hope that everyone is having a fab-o week.  Think of us tomorrow at 9 (EST) as we take the little guy to get his shots!
July 20

I stand corrected

My mom just informed me that she said that Elijah would weigh 25 pounds...who knows what dad said...so you know....pregnancy brain I guess.  Mom also wanted a pic of the tooth....well....that would be rather difficult since it's on the bottom and Elijah likes to keep his tongue over his bottom gum (thank goodness!!!!) It took Jerry all evening to just get a glimpse...but soon enough it will be visible in his smile...Sorry mom...but soon!
Okay, off to bed for me...
July 21

drum roll please

Elijah is a healthy 21.2 pounds, 26 1/2 inches tall (though i think the nurse mis-measured) and has a head circ of 44 cm.  For weight he is in the 95%, height , he's in the 50%, and head circ, he's in the 75%...not that that really means anything.  Our doc said that he looked like a one year old.  The doc was also impressed that Elijah was sitting on his own, could drink out of a sippy cup without much help and was a good eater.  He addressed our concerns of Elijah still eating every three hours at night and the doc mentioned to "cry it out method" and I looked at him and said that I couldn't do it, but we would try some other ways to get him to sleep a little longer (as opposed to comfort nursing.)  It's really not bothersome to me, but I don't want to make weaning in  six months-ish traumatic (Claire any insight here?)  He also addressed our concerns about Elijah seemingly trying to rip his private areas off.  I have been caught between a rock and a hard place with this one.  I want to promote self exploration and feeling free with himself, but I was worried he might hurt himself.  Our doc assured us that he wasn't hurting himself, that he couldn't pull it off, and that this is completely normal.  There were some other issues also addressed and I felt that everything was covered well.  I really like this doctor.  Even though I simply cannot do the "Cry it out" thing, he seemed understanding.  Jerry and I are working on some alternatives for this problem and I am sure we will figure it out.  (Thank goodness for supportive husbands!)
Anyway Elijah is perfectly healthy.  He's growing well (obviously) and though he was getting tired and hungry, did really well with his shots (only two this time!)  He doesn't have to go back until he's a year old!  It seems so long, but today I realized that this time next year, he'll be 1 1/2 years old!!!!!!  I can't believe it...wow!  So far Elijah has had no fever from the shots (we don't dose with Tylenol unless he has a fever.  I feel that sometimes kids may have a reaction to the Tylenol as opposed to the shots. )   He's been a bit grouchy, but he slept for a bit this afternoon on my chest while we watched FRIENDS season 9 (Jerry ordered Season 9 and 10 as a surprise!!!!!!  Now our set is complete!!!!  I LOVE FRIENDS!!!!!!!!!!)   So now I'm doing diaper laundry and Jerry is trying to get a grumpy Elijah to sleep.
That's the update for now!
July 24

tooth fixed -- check

While I really really really dislike the dentist, I must say that this visit was okay....for the dentist.  I had to have a section of tooth number 30 drilled off and the decay removed and then the tooth rebuilt.  Sound difficult huh?  The whole process from numbing gel to leaving the building took about an hour.  Now I have had my share of filling.  I must say that my dentist did not hurt me at all.  I didn't even feel the pinch of the needle.  The most pain I have is my jaw hurting from being pulled and what not...
So my tooth is fixed.  With any luck I won't have to have another one fixed ever...or at least for a really long time.  Though I think this is only my third filling and actually it was on an already filled tooth.(my opinion... they didn't get all the decay last time...but who knows...)  I have had a root canal on a front tooth, but that was from getting hit in the head with a soccer ball in high school and really has nothing to do with dental hygiene or lack thereof.
We went to Rachel and Erin's for a cook out yesterday.  Man they know lots of people...of course, most of the people there were family.  Still....ANYWAY, Bill did the grilling and it was very yummy!  Cora made yummy tater salad and I fried some okra  (very southern style.)  All this was for a friend of Rachel's brother who is visiting from Germany and really wanted to experience the South.  I think he'll get a good taste for sure.  It was really fun.  Elijah boycotted naps again yesterday and I was really worried that he would not be a happy boy last night, but he was great!  This teething thing is really bothering him.  He has a hard time sleeping and poop guy has a horrible drool rash around his mouth.
I must take a moment to thank my mother for ordering us diaper liners!  As a cloth diaper user, they are now my favorite things!  Since Elijah has started solid food, other things have become more solid...EWWWWW!  The diaper liners are great.  I just put them on top of his diaper and when he poops, the liner just gets flushed down the toilet and while the diaper itself is still soiled, it is not as bad as it very well could be.  So if you are a cloth diaper user out there, I strongly recommend these for when the solids start!
Okay, Jerry is trying to put Elijah down and it sounds like he's not going down without a fight...I'm off to help and then to bed (or maybe a few episodes of Friends first...we'll see....I'm pretty beat....)
July 27

napping

Napping
(a poem for Elijah)
we lie tummy to tummy
with your head snuggled between my breasts
you ear pressed close to listen to the secrets my heart
might divulge
your arms and legs fall to the sides like a
…big cat, koala bear, tree frog…
like a little boy
you are so little
your lips start to suckle
and I wonder what you dream
is it milk
a thumb
that you are looking for
i trace the shape of your toes
your fingers
your feet
your nose
your back
you smile that sweet smile that stops my heart
you are such a perfect being
i want to protect you forever
but I know one day you’ll
…fall, get sick, get mad, hate me, leave…
but no matter what
i’ll be there for you
kissing the booboos
hugging you through fevers
trying not to shout back when you are mad
trying not to cry when you yell you hate me
waiting for your return
always supporting you
always loving you
but for now
i am content to lie here with you on my tummy
and
nap…

May 2006

May 05

stupid internet

our internet was down from monday afternoon until thursday afternoon.  it was sooooo frustrating.  it also meant we had to rely on our stupid cell phone which drops calls constantly...don't believe the cingular commercials!  i think we are going to cancel everything having to do with cable at the end of the month.  anyway, not a whole lot happened.  let's see... we got our lawn mower (which i think i wrote about) we still have to get a battery for it, but i think that will happen soon.  we had our friends rachel, erin and their daughter over for dinner.  i can't believe how big she's getting!  i don't know why it surprises me, because elijah shot up so fast, still it's fun to see.  we had our lunch (jerry calls it our high society lunch...what ever!)  that was really fun except that elijah had a massive crying fit right at about time to eat.  i think it was gas, poor guy.  he was so miserable i almost left, but then he fell asleep and was better once he pooped and had a nap.  i really enjoy going to your lunches.  i really feel blessed.
my friend laura comes here tomorrow!!!!!!!  i'm really excited!  she's driving my parents truck down with a bed that will eventually be elijah's, so that's cool too!  we've been friend since 5th grade!!!  that's along time for sure!  unfortunately the weather looks to be rainy and rather chilly for may.  that's too bad.  but it'll be so good to see her and catch up.  then my parents are coming down next friday for mother's day weekend.  very busy, but it'll be fun.
i really need to go to the library and see everyone there.  i think rachel and i may go together next week sometime.  i also need to get out to the montessori school before school ends.  i think about these things, but forget constantly.  so i'll add some pics of the boy.  only another week and then he'll be 4 months!!!!  i can't believe it!  oh yeah, and check out the pics of our garden as well!!!!
May 09

laura's visit

We had a grand time!  Really we didn't do anything but be lazy, play with the baby, and chat.  We watched some movies that Laura hadn't seen.  She was crazy and went into the ocean.  It was only 74 degree air temp and 64 degree water temp.  I was very surprised she stayed int he water so long.  Elijah and I stood on the beach and watched.  When we got home, Laura jumped into a  hot shower.  It was really good to see her!
Rachel, Erin, and Maya Rose came over for dinner last night.  We had pita pizzas...mmmm...  It's always good to see them.  I can't believe how fast Maya is growing.  Rachel is joining our little group (Jerry calls us the high society ladies....HA!) this week.  I'm super psyched about this.
Our friend Bonnie had her baby on Monday.   finally a boy for Elijah to play with.  I can't believe there are soooo many baby girls around.  Maybe our next one will be a girl and everyone else will have boys...we'll see.  I think Jerry may go see Bonnie this evening.  I made some banana bread for him to take.
I tried my hand a lemon squares this past week.  I think they turned out pretty good.  I think I will make some more later today.
My parents are coming on Friday and we are having a picnic on Saturday (weather permitting) to celebrate Mother's Day.  It's weird that we'll be celebrating not just our moms, but me as a mom too.  I sometimes can't believe that this is my job now.  I love every minute of it (even when our dear one doesn't sleep well at night...sigh...yawn.)
I guess that's all...
I'll post pics of Laura's visit..
May 11

sun finally!

we've had some gloomy days recently.  i guess it's good to get some rain, but i really hate days where the sun never shines and it never rains.  today it's sunny (for a little while anyway...)
we went and saw bonnie's baby yesterday.  he is really adorable.  we needed to go to target, but by the time we left the hospital it was too late.
rachel lets me borrow her mothering magazine after she is done with them.   there are some articles i read and take with a grain of salt, but others are really informative and helpful.  there was one talking about leaving the car seat in the car.  it made me feel like i was doing the right thing.  of course, our big fella grew out of his carrier car seat rather quickly, so we have to leave the car seat in the car.  but the article continues on with stats about children having flat heads and what not.  we noticed this with elijah last week and started putting him on his side to sleep.  already there is such a difference.  ANYWAY< the article said that leaving your child in a car seat carrier or in a swing or stroller makes the appearance of flat head more prominent.  we decided before elijah was born to not get a swing.  we do have a bouncer seat that i use while i'm hanging out clothes.  but i feel like i can rock or swing my child and i would rather do that than put him in a swing (my preference only.)  i was also scared that i would end up using the swing as a "babysitter".  so far i have had no problems...well, of course, there are days when elijah just will not tolerate being put down, but i have two carriers and so i just get stuff done while "wearing" him.  lately we have put him in the high chair during dinner.  he's sooooo interested in food and watching us eat.  i think he will definitely be ready by six months.  very fun!  anyway, it's nice to read that we have made good decisions for our baby.  there was also an article about breastfeeding in public.  i really need to become more comfortable with this.  i'm always looking for corners and whatnot.  but i realized yesterday in the hospital waiting room that there's nothing to see.  i'm not exposing myself, elijah's head covers most of me up.  people tend to see you and then quickly turn away, but i feel like that's their problem.  i feel i can defend myself if someone were to say something to me.  and really would they rather listen to a baby cry (he really can be loud!) or mind their own business while a child quietly eats?  it was weird that even some of the nursery nurses turned away quickly...i mean don't they help moms do this everyday?  sometimes i think that the hospital is maybe owned by formula companies.  we  were given a diaper bag with formula coupons (the bag itself was from a formula company) upon leaving the hospital, even though we were very clear that we were only breastfeeding!  it's a little irritating.  i guess it is easier to feed your child a bottle (except that ours won't take one) rather than fight through the sometimes difficult trials of breastfeeding.  and i TOTALLY understand that there are times when it is necessary for the baby to be on a bottle because he/she just isn't learning as quickly about breast feeding.  but i think it is really important to continually encourage mothers to continue trying breastfeeding.  it's sooooo much cheaper.  megan posted an article about breastfeeding that i thought was very interesting (i just tried to find it but the server got stuck....) talking about truth and fiction of claims made about breastfeeding.  anyway, like i say i understand not having the energy or whatever, but it amazes me that it doesn't seem as encouraged by the hospital as i thought it would be.
okay, i've rambled long enough and i need to get ready to go get rachel for our lunch.  i'm about to post some more pics of elijah, don't be amazed at the sitting up pic (well you can...i know i was) because he feel over right after i took the picture, but he is definitely on his way!!!!!
Oh yeah, to answer Claire's question.  at 2 months he was in the 97% for weight and 50% for height.  we go back on tuesday for his 4 month check up.  i'm calling 19 pounds.  jerry says no more that 18 and 3/4....we'll see....
May 15

mtoher's day and what not

my first mother's day... it ws fairly uneventful.  we went to church and that was nice.  jerry brought home KFC...mmmmm....and he says there is a gifty on the way (a device is the only hint i got.)  mom and dad bought jerry a weed wacker for an early father's day gift so we played around with it.  that was about it.
we are canceling our cable this week.  the only show i really cared about was west wing and it's gone now...sigh...i am not really sure we'll get it again next fall either.  we have an antena and we can get most local stations with that, so why bother with the 7 dollars a month.  we've also chandelled netflicks.  we realized that we were just getting movies for the sake of getting them and not really watching anything we wanted.  so we decided that was something else we could live without.  i must say we are doing really well with this not buying stuff.  granted i miss shopping and stuff, but not as much as i thought i would.  i mean we can get movies for free from the library.  we try to have friends over once a week for dinner...really it's very nice.  you don't have to wait for a table, you don't have to worry about the non-smoking section not really being non-smoking, you can choose your own music and you aren't limited to a menu as to what you can eat.
going back to the breast feeding thing...i understand that it makes people uncomfortable, but i have chosen clothes that cover my breast while i'm feeding.  if we are in a very public place i cover elijah's head and myself with a light diaper or blanket.  i really feel like i haven't gotten that many stares, but i also don't feel bad if people walk away.  but i do understand that society has sort of trained us to not look.  i personally am so curious now.  there are so many holds and babies latch in different ways.  at our little lunches this is often a topic of conversation.  i often wonder what it would be like for a woman who doesn't have children to join us one day...i'm sure it would be interesting with talking babies and crying babies and then the mothers all carrying on seven different conversations.  it may tend to give others a headache...but i really love going and hanging out with them.
okay, i have left my son with his grandparents for all of this, though i haven't heard him cry yet.  we are going to go see a relative today...car trip...tomorrow poor baby gets his four month old shots...not looking forward to that at all!
May 16

four month checkup

jerry won...elijah is now 18 pounds 6 ounces, 26 inches long and has a head circ. of 17 inches.  for weight and height he is in the 95% for head circ. he's in the 52%.  he's very healthy and did very well with his shots.  he's a bit cranky and wants to be held, but no fever.  we don't give him tylenol unless he runs a fever or seems to be in pain...but neither are the case.  we have a system down now.  after his first two shots i sit down and prepare to let him comfort nurse.  jerry helps hold him with the other two shots and then picks him up and comforts him and then hands him to me.  elijah cried while he was getting the shots, but that's it.
anyway, just wanted to post the update while i was thinking about it...
May 18

wellll...not so much....

SOOO, our boy didn't do as well as I thought he was going to do after his shots.  At about 3:00 the afternoon he got his shots, he started running a fever.  So we gave him Tylenol and like clock work for the next 24 hours every four hours as the tylenol wore off, he got cranky and cried.  I hate giving him medicine, but it really helped.  On Tuesday night I slept with him in my bed.  He just wanted to be cuddled and he freaked out evey time we put him down in his crib.  I was worried that this might happen last night, but he went down around 8:15 or so and slept until midnight.  He woke up screaming, so we feed him and then Jerry walked with him until he fell back asleep (no clue why I was still awake...) he slept in his crib until 7:00 this morning!!!  Let me tell you!!!!  I feel like a new woman.  Yesterday he took two really good naps and then slept through the whole night!!!!  I couldn't believe it.  He's still not back to himself yet, but the fever seems to be gone.  He's napping now.  We are supposed to go to our group today, I may just go for lunch and then leave, we'll see how he's feeling.  It's been so busy for the past two weeks.  We had Laura here for a few days then my folks came down.  Some friends from WWC are supposed to stop by either tomorrow or Saturday morning and then we are going to a baby shower Saturday afternoon.  At least the baby shower is just next door, so we could leave without too much trouble.
I am really looking forward to seeing my friends from WWC though.  One of them has a baby boy (also named Elijah) and she and her hubby have been in Belgium for a while.  It will be good to see her and meet her baby.  When we were picking baby names we first liked Noah, but then someone we knew named their boy Noah...then we settled on Elijah...it took a long time to agree on a name...so when we found out that Katrina had named their boy Elijah, Jerry and I decided that we weren't changing the name again! Don't really know why I just told that story...anyway...
So I guess that' it...
Oh yeah, the garden... well....things weren't progressing and I was getting bummed so mom and dad went out and re-planted the squash and green beans.  Peas will have to wait until next year.  The also planted more corn and some cantaloupe.  So hopefully it will do better.  Now that we have a weed wacker, we can better manage the grass around the garden.
Also...odd thing...(or maybe not....) we seen to have an ABUNDANCE of black widow spiders around our house.  I found one while I was weed wacking the ditch and then another one under the lip of a planter.  That one could have been dangerous as I grab the lip of the planter to move it... I know that it takes a lot to provoke these spiders, but it still freaks me out!  Of course, I don't like spiders to begin with.  Also these seems rather large...EEEWWWW!!!!!
Okay well, my boy is up and he needs a bath!
May 19

a busy day

we did end up going to lunch group yesterday.  it was very nice.  we decided that after next week (i'm hosting and i wanted to make peanut butter ice cream pie...) we would meet in the mornings around 10 instead of the afternoons at everyone's nap time.  that'll be good for outside temp wise as well...i can't believe it's supposed to get up to 88 degrees this weekend!!!
for mother's day my mom is getting me a stroller that has a canopy on it.  since i can't put the sunscreen on elijah yet we need something to cover him on our walks.  so i picked one out this morning and mom is going to order it for me.  i never in my life thought i would be so excited over a stroller...
ANYWAY, so as i was leaving our little group yesterday katrina and amy called and wanted to come by.  so i came home and tried to tidy up a bit (HA!) and then when they arrived, we had a very nice visit.  the tow elijah's were very happy to meet each other and were very cute!  katrina's elijah is almost a year old!  he's adorable!  it was really good to catch up and stuff as well.  katrina said that she might be down here more often as they know someone with a house fairly close by.  that would be really cool to see her more often.
so our friend bonnie started a blog and has pics of her very cute little BOY!  soooo exciting!
i'm off to check on the little one...his cough got a little worse last night and he isn't sleeping well....i'll post pics later...
May 22

6 years and counting

yesterday was our six year anniversary.  It was a quiet day.  like an idiot I mowed the lawn in the blazing heat of the day.  Needless to say, I did not finish it.  Maybe tomorrow before the temps soar back up to close to 90.  We met Rachel, Erin and Maya Rose for ice cream.  Our little guy is still all stuffed up and my allergies are killing me, but we are pushing through.  I think Elijah is feeling better.  I called the doc on friday at 10 in the morning and they didn't call back until 5:30!  It really annoyed me.  oh well, by then I was convinced that his cough and snuffles were allergies.  He has no fever.  I just wanted to know if I could give him anything to help make his cough more productive.  They said no...sigh... so we are constantly sucking out his nose with the little bulb thing and giving him saline through the nose...poor guy...
I am hosting our lunch group this week and I am going to try my hand at making homemade noodles.  i've done it before and it's really easy, I really don't know why we don't do it all the time.  We don't have a pasta machine so it's a little harder to get the noodles thin enough, but I'm making lasagna so as long as I use enough sauce it shouldn't really matter... we'll see.
Today wasn't nearly as productive as I thought it was going to be.  I did get most of the clothes put away, but I really wanted to vacuum.  elijah is scared of the vacuum, so I usually put him down to nap in a room far away from where I want to work...he just kept waking himself up this afternoon, so I ended up holding him for about 2 hours so he could get some sleep.  At night we have been using one of those Vic's night light vapor things and that helps, but I feel like he needs to try to get the goop out during the day.  oh well, the world will not end if I don't vacuum the house this week.  (Contrary to what my parents might think...hehehe)
Speaking of my folks...they are on a trip for their anniversary.  Dad booked a place and didn't tell mom where it is.  He just told her to pack her hiking boots...he sent me a link, it looks really nice!
okay, that's it for now.  Jerry got me some shower soothers and they are fab-o in helping clear my sinuses!  You just drop one in the shower and the vapor action goes right to work...ahhhhhhhh.....
i'm posting new pics of the boy....he's sooooooo cute!!!!!
May 25

just too cute

i really don't have much to write except that i have the cutest baby ever!!!! (sorry to all the other mom's out there...)anyway, i am posting some pics of him...
i just keep falling in love with him!
yep, i changed my theme yet again...lol...it's a GRAND day!!!!
May 27

yard sales and whatnot....

So our little guy is growing fast!  We were given a bunch of clothes before he was born that went up to size six months-ish.  Yeah, he's outgrown most of those (or will shortly.)  So I was on e-bay yesterday and I cam really close to bidding on a lot of clothes, but decided not to.  I mean you just never know what you are going to get.  So anyway, I was on this web site and saw that there was going to be a 15 family yard sale at a local high school.  I thought surely there would be kids clothes there, so i woke up this morning and got Elijah dressed (we left Jerry in bed....) and went to this yard sale...WHATEVER....I was so annoyed. 15 families must have donated 3 items each.  It sucked! So I was heading back home and there was a church doing a car wash and yard sale and I thought, what have I got to lose?  I mean we're already out, Jerry gave me cash for this exact purpose... So we stopped...boy am I glad we did!  They had a ton of stuff.  I got Elijah 19 clothing items (including the cutest little baseball cap!)a swing that hangs from the porch, a bunch of stacking toys, one of those ball toys that you match the shape to get them in (you remember the red and blue thing from when you were a kid...), and a great big board book about trains.  All for 25 bucks!  I was so excited.  Apparently they have this sale once a year.  So Our trip turned out to be successful!
Our lunch group I hosted this past Thursday went well.  I stayed up and made wheat noodles for the lasagna Wednesday night and Jerry made us garlic bread.  Only five of us were there...good thing too...I'm not sure we would have had enough...it was really good if I do say so myself.  We had a really nice time.  It's really fun to see everyone every week and just chat and hang out.  We are moving our time to the morning next week, which will be fun too.  All kinds of yummy foods to have in the morning time!  Bagels and muffins and doughnuts...mmmmm....
Speaking of muffins, did anyone see the Today show segment about muffins in America?  Apparently they went  around to some of the big chains and ordered fat free, low fat, or sugar free muffins and then had them analyzed.  First off the average serving size (according to the FDA) is 3 ounces.  Most of the muffins were between 8 and 10 ounces!  None of them were fat free and only two of the 10 were considered low fat-ish.  So that's annoying, BUT none of them were sugar free!!!  That's dangerous.  People who are diabetic count on truthful advertising when it comes to sugar free foods!  I thought that was horrible!  All the stores said they would re-test the mixes...but it's not the mixes I fear.  I am sure it's in the preparation...sigh...
I don't think that it would stop me from eating a muffin...but I don't eat muffins daily either...
My child is sooo funny.  We have a bed in the office now.  He's sleeping on it right now (very convenient I must say.)  Anyway, he's talking in his sleep.  It's pretty funny.  I thought he was awake, but he's sound asleep...
It seems like there was something else I wanted to write about, but I can't think of what it was...Oh well, must not have been too important.  It's hot and humid here... hope it's great where you are!
May 30

yawn

it is so hot!   elijah and i sat outside on the porch (in the shade) waiting for someone to come pick up an item they bought off the yard sale web site, and i thought i was going to roast!  i can't believe it's not june (yet) and it's already so hot!
anyway, i must say that my new favorite thing is posting stuff on freecycle and also on this web site.  since for some reason we don't have craigslist, i guess this is the next best thing.  it's not that popular yet, but once it is, i think it'll be great!
the biggest thing is that we are getting stuff out of our house!!!!
i just posted pics of the swing i bought at the yard sale.  jerry picked up the stuff we needed to hang it and i went on and installed it.  elijah seems to love it!  he's awfully cute in it as well...but he's almost always cute....
that's all....