Eli Daniel- 2 months old

2 months old! Wasn't I just in the hospital? It sure feels that way. Eli is such a smiley boy! He is still rolling over periodically from his tummy to his back. He loves his sister and watching her play! Selah is quite fond of him as well. Anything she does he has to do as well. Such as dancing and eating her play food. Before her and I left on our mommy-Selah outing this last Monday she gave Eli a kiss goodbye and said "I love you Eli!" Just melts my heart seeing the two of them together.

Eli's smile

My boy is smiling! I just love his gummy smile. He's such a happy boy. That is if mommy doesn't eat or drink dairy products. It's getting easier, though. I have found that I am eating healthier. Except Dan found these delightful chocolate cookies for me. Good thing they are expensive!

We had a wonderful Christmas! I'll post some pictures of our Christmas festivities later. That takes more time as I took way too many pictures again. Can't help it. I want to be able to look back and remember my babies as little ones. I can just look at a photograph and a flood of memories come back to me.

"ABEFG" song

Selah is doing so well sitting on the potty. I am so proud of her for going on it at least a few times a day. Her reward is to put stickers on her sticker chart and m & m's. Her favorite color is pink, and I found pink m & m's in which she was so excited about. Here she is singing her favorite song while on the potty.

PS: There is another new post below this one.

Pony tails and bear hats

Yay for pony tails and hair clips! My darling daughter, who loves to wrestle, play in the mud and is in love with vehicles of all sorts, is allowing me to put her hair up finally. And I think she looks pretty darn cute!

Eli wearing his new hat from daddy. Dan just had to buy it, even though Christmas is around the corner. You can't tell in this picture, but his eyes are very blue.

December happenings

Selah was in her first Christmas program at church. She really didn't know what to do, as the 2 and 3 year olds don't learn the music and choreography like the older kids. But that didn't matter, I was still proud of her. I got a little teary eyed as I watched her up there. My girl is growing up. Speaking of growing up she has shown increasing interest in using the potty. This week she has gone at least once each day on her little Dora potty seat. She doesn't even fear pooping on the potty. I attribute that to Dan teaching her to be proud of poops and toots. It really isn't very lady like when she announces that she tooted or went pooped in public, but if it makes potty training easier I can work on teaching her to be a lady later. This Christmas season is especially fun with her. The look of amazement in her eyes when she sees lights or trees never gets old. We'll be driving down the road and she announces that she sees lights on mommy or daddy's side. She has also been quite helpful in decorating. She loves to make snowflakes and snowmen, and they are spread throughout our house.
Selah continues to be a great big sister. She will come lay her head right next to Eli and talk to him, or sit and "read" to him. Selah has such a sweet disposition and great imagination.
Speaking of Eli, he is now 5 weeks old. My boy is growing like crazy. I sadly had to put all of his newborn clothes away already. But now I get to put some of the other adorable clothes that were given to us on him. Eli is more alert and attempts to "talk". I just love those little coos! He even smiled at his sister. Not a gas smile, but a conscious, you make me happy smile. Those two are going to have a great relationship with one another. Oh and something very strange happened, yet exciting. The other night I had him on his stomach and he rolled over. You might be saying, what?! That's what I thought too! I thought it was a fluke. So, I kept putting him back on his stomach and sure enough he would do it each time, and he has continued to do it since then. He's not supposed to do that yet, I know. I remember having such a hard time with Selah rolling over. Finally at 6 months she rolled over from her stomach to her back. Up until then she would cry in frustration until we rolled her ourselves.
I have had to cut out dairy in my diet. Anyone who knows me knows that I love dairy products. A tall glass of whole milk each meal, ice cream, cheese...yumm!!! My poor boy was experiencing horrible stomach pains and breaking out on his face. I had been told that he might possibly have an intolerance to lactose, which was being passed through the breast milk. By the way, nursing has improved immensely. No more pain! Anyways, after much research I decided to cut out dairy for a while. Sure enough Eli was not crying out in pain and his break outs went away. It is more difficult than I thought. I really never realized how much dairy products I consumed, thus, each meal has become a challenge. I'll do this no dairy thing for a while, and slowly reintroduce it to see if it affects him.
I have five more weeks before I return for my last class. Such a relief and at the same time bitter sweet to be graduating soon. It has been a challenge, yet a welcome one. I wish I could see a video of where I was and who I was when I started at Multnomah, compared to where I am now. I know I have grown and changed. I have gained knowledge that will not only benefit me as I enter into ministry, but also in my relationships and understanding who I am. Many people, mainly my family, struggle with understanding my purpose in graduating from college. Never mind they can't seem to remember the exact degree I have earned or what I want to do with it, but if I am not going to use it to make big bucks what's the point. Here is my response: The knowledge I have gained, the personal growth I have experienced, the relationships formed have more value to me than making money. These things will allow me to be a better mom to my children and raise them according to God's will. I will hopefully become a part of a ministry team that has one common interest, that is sharing the love of Christ and his story with children. Laying the foundation of Biblical truth and building upon their faith in Christ that will impact them for a lifetime.
I mentioned earlier that graduating would be bitter sweet. I am going to miss my peers, professors, and being in a structured environment like Multnomah's. It has also become "me time". Strange as that sounds. Wouldn't I rather go to a spa or get myself a new outfit? No, not really. Education is far more valuable to me.
To end this I asked Dan if he wanted me to report anything about him. His response, "I'm pretty cool and handsome." He's so humble. I'll give my own report in addition. He's working hard and excelling at work, despite his sleep deprivation. As always he continues to understand the changes that have gone on in me since Eli was born. The emotions are finally settling down. He can walk in the door after work and understand the kind of day I had just by the look on my face, and despite his day is ready to help me. The most iresistable quality about him is his relationship with his children. Selah completely adores him and Eli is comforted when in his arms. We still love to be in each others company more than anyone elses. Even after 6 years he is still my dream man.

Happy Thanksgiving!

"Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

2 weeks

Well Eli had his little procedure to clip the frenulum under his tongue. It was not a pleasant experience. We were initially told by two different people at the hospital that it would not hurt him or cause any bleeding. That was wrong. But we were already in the specialists office when the doctor warned us that it would cause our little guy pain. So, I left the room with Selah while this was being done, and Dan stayed with Eli. With the way my hormones are lately I cry at the drop of a hat, so this experience would definitely set me off. After it was done they came to get me so that I could nurse him. While trying to nurse my sweet boy began having trouble breathing. He was making gurgling sounds and really struggling. Air was not passing through his airway completely. They put a suctioning tube up his nose to remove the fluid, and this caused him to cry and clear his lungs even more. Eli is doing well now. He gained 1 lb. in a weeks time!

In happier news, I am so impressed by how well Selah is doing with having a baby brother. She is just so sweet with him! The other night we were getting ready to put her to bed when she walked over to Eli's cradle, gave him a kiss on the head and said good night. All without being prompted. Of course I teared up and scooped her up in my arms (I can finally hold her again!). She is very concerned when he cries or if he doesn't have a hat on. Every night at dinner we hold hands and pray, and she made sure Eli was included in the hand holding. She offers him cups of tea when we have tea parties, which is everyday, several times a day. I just love that girl! I really hope that they have a strong bond to one another as they grow.