Priceless

Shhhhhhhhhhhhh....

Elaina's First Bath*

Eli and I gave Elaina her first bath!  Accomplishing a feat her brother never was able to do, she pooped in the tub...EEEWWWWWW!  Thank goodness Eli was there to point it out!


It brought back so many memories of giving Eli a bath when he was a baby.  Of course,  I was much less frightened this time and it went much more quickly.

Her umbilical cord fell off so fast!  It was gone the Sunday after she was born.

My little helper did exactly what I told him.  He stayed back and watched when I needed him to and also helped with the soap (and was on poop patrol)!

Snug and cozy, all wrapped up in her pretty pink towel.  Thanks, Baba!

* Her actual first bath was in the hospital.  With Eli, they took him to the nursery, but for Elaina they did it in our room!  

First Days at Home

Eli loves his little sister!  He can't get enough (unless she is crying...then he has had enough).

She is my girl!  So hungry she is holding her own bottle already!

Get me something pink!

Of course, I was not satisfied to have Elaina in any of the gender neutral clothes we had from when Eli was born.  We had a fashion show every day!

Eli (via Auntie Heather) got her this onesie.

I was so sure we were having a girl that I ordered a bunch of clothes online!  She looks so skinny in this picture...not the case in real life.

Swaddlemania!

Wearing her British flag in honor of the Olympics.  Thanks, Bridget!

Rocking it!

One of my faves.

The romper that I HAD to get her - it is the outfit that prompted the preemptive shopping spree.

I hope they stay this close and happy forever!  I hope Eli always looks out for his little sister and that Elaina always looks up to her big brother.  I hope they always have each other for support and unconditional acceptance.  I hope they are there for each other through the tough times and celebrate each other's accomplishments.  Most of all, I hope they are each the best gift I ever gave them.  I love you!

Bringing Home Baby!

We came home from the hospital on a Thursday afternoon.  Mama had a few moments to herself and got to take a shower before Daddy went to get Eli from school...let the fun begin!

Mama and Daddy had to enlist one of the nurses to help us with the carseat.  We couldn't get the straps to tighten enough and were about to hit a Babies R Us and get a new one.  It was just a setting on the straps.  Whew!  It's like we never had a baby before.

Someone is a little big for their coming home outfit.  The hat kept popping off and the legs were a little short...

One of the first orders of business when we get home - find the head cushion for the carseat!

 

Big Brother Has A Little...

SISTER!!! 

It's a girl!  Elaina Mae Scott was born on July 17, 2012 at 1:15 PM.  In case you didn't do the math, our little princess was born 8 days past her due date.  Apparently, I am so good at bed rest (15 weeks!), I overcook my babies even when I start pre-term labor at 26 weeks!  Mama was scheduled to be induced at 8:30 AM, but contractions started at about 3:50 AM and we were at the hospital by 6:30.  I got my epidural right away, was 4 cm dilated when I got there, and was 8 cm dilated by 10:30 AM.  I sent Daddy down to the cafeteria around noon because he had not eaten all day.  The doctor came in while he was gone and I was 10 cm!  I started pushing at 12:48 PM and less than a half an hour later, we had our little girl!  I say little...she was 9 pounds.  Thank goodness for epidurals!

Baba and Zada came to visit that night and fell in love with their first granddaughter.

Eli is madly in love with his little sister!  He was so excited to meet her.  Auntie Heather had to take him shopping because he wanted to get a present for his new sister.  Daddy brought Eli in and we had our first few moments together as a family.  He walked in and said, "Awww, she is so cute!"

Auntie Heather, Grampy, Jacob, and Jillian came next to meet their new niece/granddaughter/cousin.  Everyone was so excited!

It is going to be an adventure as a family of four, but I can't imagine doing it with anyone else!

Our Pool

Ok, so it is a wading pool, but it is still fun!  Eli had a blast playing in his pool (thanks, Auntie Heather!).  I have no idea how he stayed in so long as it was too cold for me to even put my feet in - and I was super pregnant and it was a really hot day out!

Reggie kept trying to drink out of the pool.  Finally, Eli just filled up one of his buckets and held it out for Reggie to drink - it was adorable.  I know there is a picture of that sweet moment somewhere, but I can't find it!

I sat in the shade and supervised (sweat).  This baby is due in 9 days!  Come on, baby!

Daddy's Work Party

Daddy's company threw a family outing day at a really cool place that had pools of all different depths and sports.  Of course, Mommy couldn't go, but Daddy and Eli went and had a blast.

Eli loved the sprinkler park...

...and the pools!

Apparently, his bathing suit is HUGE on him.  I got his size - why can't stores have consistent sizing???

Eli also got a rug burn at the party that ended up getting infected, involving 3 trips to the doctor, needing antibiotic shots at two of them because Eli would not take his oral antibiotic.  Mama had a mild panic attack when Dr. Nishiyama mentioned that Eli had a MRSA infection.  Apparently, community acquired MRSA is treatable...it is hospital acquired MRSA that is dangerous.  I think I almost went into labor in the exam room!

How NOT to Hide

I feel like we are going backwards with our hide and seek skills.  On bath nights, after Eli gets undressed, we yell "NAKED BABY!" and then he runs and hides.  We have played this game since he was little.  He used to hide under the dining room table, which at least was a decent hiding spot, although it is not effective to use the same hiding spot each time we play.  However, it at least offers more shelter than his most recent spot:

I feel I have failed as a parent.

Big Boy Bed!

Eli spent his first night in his new room, in his big boy bed, and with no binkies last night!  He was so excited, I think a little too excited to sleep.  He was up until about 10:30, calling for Mommy and Daddy and saying he was afraid of the dark.  That started a few days ago, though, in his old room.  He finally fell asleep and slept through the night!  He never even asked for a binkie!

The alarm on one of his clocks (don't ask why there are multiple...my mom likes to buy him things) went off twice around midnight.  I snuck in to shut it off (and finally unplug it...GRRRR!) and he never even moved.

We are  so proud of our little guy...well, I guess I should say our BIG boy!  We are so spoiled.  If his little brother or sister is half as good as him (and he or she better be after this pregnancy!), then we will be truly blessed.

Baseball Practice with Daddy

We are starting to play baseball now, in the hopes Eli forgets about hockey!

Daddy showed Eli the perfect stance:

It took a while, but Eli got a few hits.  Of course, it didn't help that Reggie kept walking in between Daddy and Eli or just laying down practically on top of him!  Plus, Eli kept stopping the game so he could close up his house and castle against a canine breaking and entering.  Poor Reggie never gets a break!

Mommy got to chill out in a lounge chair and take pictures.  Only a few weeks left, hopefully, then I can play again!

Zoorassic Park

Eli and Daddy headed to the Franklin Park Zoo today for Zoorassic Park, a new exhibit of dinosaurs!

Eli was excited about the dinosaurs (I heard a few scared him a bit) and that Daddy let him go on a few rides!  Looks like he met Bob the Builder and Scoop!

Then, they got to visit the rest of the zoo...among the highlights I heard about when they got home were the T-Rexes (Eli says my stomach is so big he thinks there are 20 T-Rexes in it), the giraffes, the zebras, the gorillas, and the lion!

Of course the giraffes were out - Mama has been to the Franklin Park Zoo with Eli a bunch of times and the giraffes have never been out.  Daddy took a picture for me, though...

I am glad he had a great time with Daddy!

Happy Easter 2012!

Well,  Eli got to have a blast this Easter...but without Mama!  As of this past Thursday, I am on bed rest for the rest of this pregnancy - which isn't supposed to end until July 9!  Oh boy, that's a lot of bed rest!

He woke up and walked right past his basket without even noticing it!

Of course, there was no candy in it.  Mama is a party pooper and just puts organic cheerios in his eggs.  I know - what a terrible Easter surprise!

Even through the disappointment of an Easter morning tainted with a lack of sugar, Eli seemed to enjoy his books and other little treats!

Then, it was off to NH for an Easter Egg Hunt with Daddy, Auntie Heather, Uncle Joe, Jacob, and Jillian!

Looks like my boys survived without me.  I was sad to not be able to go to anything, but know it is for the best!  I know Eli will be fine without me, but I miss being with him for the fun stuff!  

Then, the boys were off to Auntie Heather's for dinner and Easter baskets from Grampy.  Daddy brought Mama back a plate so she could have some yummy food, too!  Eli had a great Easter!

Construction Worker Eli

Daddy had to work on site one weekend, so Mama and Eli packed up and went to visit.  As soon as Eli heard where we were going, he insisted on getting his construction vest and helmet.  He even wore his snow boots instead of sneakers.  Perhaps he is a future OSHA Safety Officer!

He and Daddy got to look at the diggers and cranes on the site in Norwood.

It was a cloudy day, with rain threatening us the whole time.  Eli was really disappointed that the crane had shut down for the day before we got there, but we took a picture in front of it anyway.

Then we had to say goodbye to Daddy so he could get back to work.

Mama and Eli headed home.  Eli refused to take off the helmet and vest - even when we went to the zoo after leaving the site!  We got some weird looks, but most people got a kick out of him.  He did fall on the trails near the wolves and I was pretty grateful he was wearing the helmet as it saved him from hitting his face on a rock.  He is my child for sure!

Cuddly Bear

Eli got to take Cuddly Bear home from school this week!  Every child in his class gets to keep Cuddly Bear for a week and take him everywhere with them, documenting the adventures they get to go on together.  We took Cuddly Bear with us everywhere!

He came with us for the ride to school.

He came to visit Mama at work, even making a new friend with Ashley's bear.

He came shoe shopping with Mama and Eli - he helped us pick out Spider Man sneakers!

He hit up Starbucks with us for an afternoon snack.

He came with us to the zoo.

And finally, he came with us to the playground.

I don't know about Cuddly Bear and Eli, but Mama is exhausted from making sure Cuddly Bear had a good time with us (and making sure he had a good journal entry for when we brought him back to school)!