Two Months!

Can it be?  2 months already?!

This second month has been so much fun.  We are getting glimpses of what's to come! 

Eli is an easy-going dude.  This is the Eli we enjoy most often: alert, calm, bright-eyed.

 

He is enjoying more and more awake time (usually during daylight hours - which is nice) and is beginning to really interact with us.  He's finding he can ask for things by giving a little shout to let us know he needs something (he still doesn't cry much).  Usually he just wants to eat or be put to bed but these last few weeks he will sometimes just want to chat and will babble back and forth with us for several minutes, often exchanging smiles too!

But, he does know how to cry...

...it just doesn't tend to last very long.

Nora is really ready to play with him... 

   

we try, but he's not quite ready to keep up with big sis just yet.

So she settles for holding him on the sofa.  

And if we happen to have the camera out, she practices all her faces for us... move over Zoolander.

Today when I told Nora that it was time to take Eli's 2-month pictures on his quilt, she informed me that she needed her picture taken on her quilt too.   

I couldn't agree more.

 

Precious moments

2 weeks

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Valentine fun

We had a lot of fun with Valentine's Day this year.  Nora is finally old enough to anticipate and appreciate holidays and we're having fun making memories with her!

Last Friday a friend of ours threw a lovely little Mother/Daughter Valentine's Tea.  The little girls made post boxes by decorating empty tissue boxes with heart stickers, paper doilies, ribbon, paper, etc. and then 'posted' Valentines that they had brought with them to each other.  Genius idea!  Most of the little girls were just old enough to find the whole thing very exciting.  This is the Valentine that we brought to give to the other little girls.    (Sorry the light stinks - it's much cuter in person!  And no, Nora does not have red hair.)

I couldn't help but throw a little something together for the Mums too after I saw these hand-sewn Valentine tea bags on a blog I often visit.  I decided to design my own and sewed them up the night before the tea.

We had a lovely lunch there and a great time with friends!  

On Sunday we made cookies with Grandma Edsall.  I tend to be a cookie decorating perfectionist - but I curbed my compulsion to 'help' Nora and instead let her go with pretty much all the frosting and sprinkles her little heart desired.  She had a great time and made special, personalized cookies for Grandma, Daddy and me. Talk about sugar overload!  

You may also note that she did her own hair that day... with 4 randomly scattered hair clips.  What can I say?  She's a trendsetter!  

Valentine's Day itself started sadly.  In the morning we said goodbye to Grandma who had to catch her flight back home.  Nora is missing all her cuddles and undivided attention and is anxious for her to come back.  

But the day improved.  Grandma left us stocked with delicious chocolates, I managed to turn out a decent dinner (which we ate by candlelight - Nora's request), Ben brought home flowers for his sweethearts (Tulips - my absolute favorite!  Red for me, yellow for Nora.), and we all exchanged Valentines.  It was all pretty much lost on Eli who slept through it all.  Oh well.  Maybe next year...

One Month!

Hi all.

It has been a busy month here in the Edsall household as we have slowly adjusted to the presence (and needs) of our little boy. Eli, however, has been oblivious to all the effort we have put in. It's like he doesn't even care. Kids. They just take and take.

Really, though, it has been pretty easy as far as transitions go and Eli is thus far a good eater and a "good" sleeper. He was born at 8lbs 12oz and as of 1 month he is 10lbs 10oz. Yeah, our boy can eat.

It's hard to believe that Eli is a whole month old!  Here he is on a quilt that Deanna made for him (perhaps another post on that later...)  The plan is to take a photo on this blanket as each month passes in order to visually record his growth.  

1 Month Old

This morning at breakfast when Deanna told Nora that Eli was one month old she asked, "What does a one month old baby do?"  She is ready for him to do more than sleep, eat and poop and eagerly peers at him in his Moses Basket in hopes of seeing some new behavior.  We keep telling her that it will be awhile but then today, during his one-month photo shoot, Eli rolled over! (Photo evidence to follow.)  He was at least as surprised as Deanna. It's amazing what can happen when your head weighs more than your body.

enjoying a little tummy time and working on those neck muscles...

'hey, i wonder what my right arm tastes like...'

'whuh-oh!  there goes my head again... darn thing is so heavy!'

'um, mom, a little help here??'

'no seriously!!  MOM!  i have no idea what's happening!'

'whoa.  that was intense.'

Nora and her brother

Nora loved her brother long before he ever exited the womb. She waited for him with mounting excitement as the time grew nearer. Nora informed us that while mommy had a boy in her tummy, she had a little girl in hers (who was born about 2 weeks before Eli arrived - no hospital necessary.)  She has been putting her dolls and stuffed toys down for naps, shushing us as they sleep, and changing their diapers (or nappies, as she calls them) for months.

When Eli finally arrived and she met him in the hospital room, she ran/hopped around in excited circles for several minutes. (Sadly, we have no video of that.) She wants to be there for his every diaper change and feeding. She always wants to hold him. We've been trying to teach her to look for clues (like rooting, a full diaper, yawning, etc.) to figure out what he needs.  Her favorite solution is the pacifier and any time she wants to give it to him she says, "I think he's just cluesing." We also regularly hear, "Daddy [or Mommy], will you put little brother down so I can stroke his soft hair?" It's pretty cute. I'm sure when he figures out what's going on he'll like it too.

Eli and his new bed-mates, courtesy of his sister.

Nora and her babies.  Quiet please, they're sleeping.

A happy girl and her brother

 

Having such a good big sister can be exhausting.

Finally, a little video where Nora can tell you about her brother in her own words. You're welcome.

Eli at one week

It's hard to believe that it's been a week…and also hard to believe that it's been only a week. Time with newborns is a bit funny that way, simultaneously moving quickly and slowly. Nevertheless, a week it has been and we are growing more attached to little Elias James every day. We love him, his sister adores him (see forthcoming post), and our friends and family are suitably enamored. And why not? I mean, look at him.

Ready or not... he is HERE!!!

We're so pleased to introduce the newest addition to our little family, Elias James, who we'll call Eli.  
Born Sunday, January 8, 2012.


We arrived at the hospital just before 10:00am and he arrived at 1:55pm - all 8 pounds, 12 ounces of him.  (For a little perspective, Nora was 6lbs, 13 oz.)  At the moment, he has gorgeous blond hair, blue eyes, and amazing sideburns.  We are all recovering well and sleeping as much as possible.

More details and updates to follow in the coming days...

Thanks for all your prayers and support!

Love,

      Deanna, Ben, Nora and Eli