So Blessed

Dear Elijah,
I'm going to take this moment to write you a letter since you and daddy are asleep right next to me on the couch. I am so tired right now because last night seemed to be an all nighter. Haha... Hence the reason for you and your daddy being asleep on the couch together.
So yesterday you met your cousin Nicholas! He was very excited to see all of us since he has been in New Mexico for a while. We all went out to breakfast at the Pacific Diner, which is where your dad and I like to go when we have slow mornings. Actually when I was pregnant of you, we went quite often. The waitresses know us there now, and finally got to see you for the first time yesterday! To bad your daddy was at work :( While at breakfast, your cousin Nicholas wanted to hold you! It was so sweet. He is only 4 years old, but he did a great job holding you and being super gentle. He was rubbing the back of your head, and staring at you. So cute! Two of my most favorite little guys together! Meanwhile, the waitress came over and was so excited to see you as well. She said you look JUST like your daddy :) You get that a lot. Heehee.
Yesterday around 5pm we decided to take you on your first walk in your stroller. We got you all ready, and walked up to the Starbucks on 25th Street. It was fun! You slept and mommy and daddy got to enjoy some decaf coffee and chat for a while. Then we got hungry, so we went to Pronto's Mexican Food, and ate there. You slept the whole time, and were so content even though we tried to talk to you, you weren't having it. You looked so cozy with all your blankets in your stroller, and just wanted to be left alone. Haha. The people at Starbucks were happy to see you out and about. They knew I was overdue, and wanted you to come the last time I was there.
Shhhhhh, don't tell your daddy, but for our one year Wedding anniversary, I got him something really cool. He's going to love it! Yesterday at Starbucks he was trying to convince me to go to the mall with him so that he could get me a jewel! Hahaha, I was like, NO WAY! He already spends to much on me. Between me and you Elijah, your daddy spoils the heck out of me, so I have to be the one to say no a lot. Hahaha. He was like, "I'm going to get you a jewel, and you can either come with me to help pick it out, or I'm going alone!" So we played a game where we drew pictures that represent different things on a piece of paper. I drew little lines till he told me to stop, and whatever was left after crossing out the other ideas, was the thing we were going to do! Did that make sense? Hahahahaha... Well in any case, your daddy won. It landed on his picture of a jewel. Hahaha... I told him that YOU were our little jewel that we got for our one year anniversary! And what a priceless jewel you are at that!!! :) My sweet, precious baby boy. I love you so much!
You bring mommy so much joy Elijah. Sometimes it's overwhelming. I seriously will sit and look at you and just start to cry here and there. I cry because I'm so in love with you, and that's the only way I can express it at that time I guess. Thankfully I'm usually alone when this happens... :) There are times it happens in front of your daddy, but that's ok, I don't mind if he catches me! ;) On a daily basis we look at each other and ask, "How the heck did we get such a cute, sweet baby like this? How come he is SOOOOOO cute?" Hahaha. We adore you Elijah, and thank God for you every day! Jesus has truly blessed beyond what we could ever imagine! Love you.

Sleeping at Pronto's

Cousins!

The Joys of Motherhood

Dear Elijah,
Oh my goodness Elijah, today was thee funniest day ever with you :) We had to get up and get ready for an appointment we had this morning at 10am. We woke up to you yawning and looking all cute, making sweet noises. Last night I had changed you a few times and fed you a few times, and then you ended up sleeping next to mommy on mommy's side of the bed for the last part of the morning. When we were all awake, I fed you and then your daddy was going to change you while I got ready. Our plans quickly changed. You peed on your daddy and he needed my help. So I walk in and saw that you were laying in a puddle of pee and your daddy was trying to pick you up and then you pooped on him! Hahahahahahahahahahaha. So I went for the wash cloth, and your daddy said, lets just jump in the bath real quick. So I ran the bath water while your daddy cleaned up your potty mess. The fun part is that time was flying and your mommy and daddy still looked like we just woke up with our messy hair, and P.J.'s on. Hahaha... So we bathed you and mommy dressed you while daddy took a shower. I fed you again, pumped so that we could bring a bottle for you in case the meeting went long, and ate some breakfast. Then your daddy watched you while I got the rest of the way ready :) What a morning, but we made it on time! Then after the meeting when we got home, repeat that process above but insert your mommy as the one who got pooped and peed on! So needless to say we did a lot of laundry today! It's like you know when we take off your diaper, that's when you can get us! heehee. Silly boy :) We thought it was hilarious because your little face expressions were so confused as to why we were so frantic looking for the closest towel, wash cloth, or wet wipe to protect ourselves! Hahaha. You have the cutest face in all the world. We just can't be mad at you! I love you baby boy. You are the best!

Meeting the Family and Bath Time

Dear Elijah,
I feel like now that you are here, there is so much to write about, but less time to write it! Haha. You are the sweetest baby in the whole world. I know every excited mommy feels that way about their precious babies :) I never knew I would love being a mom so much! Don't get me wrong, I knew I would love it, but now that I know what it's like, and now that I have you, it's beyond what I could ever have imagined. I sit and stare at you all the time. It's crazy how I could never get enough time with you. Your daddy has to hold me back sometimes from holding you so that you can sleep! Haha... He is always holding you too. He loves to take naps with you, and I think you like it too because you both look so peaceful. I love your cry, I love you smiles, and your funny faces. You make some great faces in your sleep, and when you are first waking up! Priceless!

Well you had your first Easter, and your first bath! It was so much fun to take you to all the family events, and to church. I love when you receive prayers and blessings, and when we went up for communion as a family for the first time, you received a blessing from our pastor. He touched your little head, and spoke out a prayer for you. So sweet :) I am so glad we go to a church that welcomes babies and family's so well. They rejoice right along with all the families who are growing, and it's nice to be a part of a bigger family in Christ. You slept through the whole service! Or maybe you were praying? Heehee...

You got to meet so much family this last weekend :) You met your great grandparents, Karen and Joe, from Bandon Oregon. Also, you met your cousins Missy and little Steven from Lake Oswego Oregon! You also met your great grandpa Holland, a.k.a. "Pop," and cousin Jodi, and some more great, great aunts and got to spend more time with family you have already met.

Your first bath was a success! We figured after all the sponge baths we have given you, it was time to use more water and get you REALLY clean ;) We put our little portable heater in the bathroom to heat it up in there, and that was the best idea. You didn't cry as much this time since you weren't chilled. Daddy got in the tub with you and held you, while mommy washed you and made you all clean! It was so much fun. We love taking care of you little one. You are the best! Also, guess what? You totally slept from midnight to 5am last night! What a guy! You let us get some much needed sleep, and woke up at 5am to eat, be changed, and then slept the rest of the morning till 9am in mommy's arms. We love you Eli. Can't wait for so many more "Firsts".

 

Bringing Home Baby

Dear Elijah,
They kept us 3 in the hospital for 3 days since your blood work was coming back a little strange at first. After taking so many blood tests on you, they finally said everything was great and let us go! They released us on April 17, 2011, which is the one year anniversary of mommy and daddy's wedding! Your daddy got me a sweet card from the hospital gift shop and a little boy holding a balloon that says "happy birthday." It was sweet :) He also got me lots of chocolate! yummy! It cheered me up so much since I was crying for most of the morning since they took you to be circumcised :( then when they brought you back, I cried just seeing you. You weren't even crying, you were just fine. You didn't even cry when they took blood from you because they gave you a little bit of sugar water on your Binky! Haha. My brave little man! We decided to bring you home and celebrate our one year wedding anniversary! It's been an amazing year, and I would not change one thing! I love being married to your daddy, and I've loved being pregnant with you and getting to have you here to join in on the celebrations! We fed you and you slept the night away as mommy and daddy ate dinner together, had sparkling apple cider, and snuggled on the couch to watch a movie. Best night ever! Our first night with you, you woke up almost every hour. Daddy would get up, change you and hand you off to me to eat! After you ate, you fell back asleep, and daddy would put you back to bed. Repeat this about 5 times, and that was our first night with you :) The next night was easier, because we had more of a rhythm down. Daddy up, change, feed, back to bed, and do it again in another 2 hours! This time you gave us more sleep ;) Way to go buddy! Last night was bliss! You only woke up twice! I guess you would eat enough to satisfy you for longer, and you sure do love to sleep. I woke up missing you though, and was just staring at you until I saw you wiggle around, which was the perfect excuse to pick you and and hold you :) We find ourselves laughing in the middle of the night while so sleepy. No one else has that power Elijah. To make mommy and daddy happy when we are both so tired in the middle of the night is one great thing! I LOVE being your mommy and daddy LOVES being your daddy. You are the best baby! So good, and so sweet, and even your cry is adorable! You cry, and it sounds like you are saying "Laaaaaaaaaaaa, Laaaaaaaaaa." We love it.

This morning after I fed you and put you down for a nap, your dad and I were sitting in the living room together talking. We were talking about how we are just waiting for the bomb to drop, and this to get so hard. I guess it's because so many people are always joking around saying that we are going to be so tired, and miserable, and how hard it's going to be. We are very tired, but I wouldn't want to be doing anything else. I enjoy taking care of you, changing your diapers, giving you baths, and dressing you. It's my pleasure baby boy! Your daddy feels the same way. Hopefully we don't get too jaded, but are always able to enjoy the cute faces you make, the sweet noises you create, the intoxicating smell you have, and the joys of being parents. We both know that this may get harder and things are not always going to be a walk in the park, but we'll be positive and enjoy every minute of this time. Everyone had such different experiences, so we will keep praying for God to watch over us and help us through :) I know so many parents, most of whom LOVE their job ;) So that's always nice to be able to look around and see that we are not alone, and that there are so many happy parents out there always willing to lend a helping hand. Then I was saying that I have yet to find being married to him very rough. Haha. I love it actually. He is the best man in the world, and who wouldn't want to be married to that!? So as I was telling your daddy how happy I was with him, and with you, and how he makes being married and being a mom so fun, I did something so silly! Hahahahaha. I went to sit in his lap, but he was holding a cup of hot coffee. I thought he would move it as I crawled onto him. He was moving it, but not fast enough. I bent my knee up and bumped his coffee cup so hard that it spilled all over the both of us. His clean shirt, and my clean pants had to go back into the washer! Hahahahaha... I started cracking up because your daddy gave me "the look"... I love that look! Even though it means... "really?" or "seriously?" I think it's so funny when he does it. Then he started laughing and asked me simply... "why?" HAHAHAHAHAHAHA... I told him it was his fault for not moving his coffee. He saw me coming, he should have lifted it higher! Hahahahaha... Ok, so maybe it was a little bit my fault, but we still stayed and cuddled for a little while before I got up and put our coffee covered clothes in the wash. Coffee is nothing compared to the poop and pee I've had on me the past few days. Yes Elijah, you pooped AND peed all over mommy the first night. ALL OVER ME! My fault for not making your diaper tight enough. Ahhh, you live and you learn. I must end this now, you are wiggling around and might want to play with me for a bit! Yay! Bye!!!

First doctor appointment was a success! You did great!

You are Here!!!

Dearest Elijah,
Now that I have held you and smelled you, and kissed you, I still can’t believe this is real. You are the sweetest baby in all the land! I actually made up a story of how you got to be the sweetest baby in all the land and I tell it to you while holding you. You were looking into my eyes last night as I told you:
“Elijah, did you know you are the sweetest baby in all the land? Well, you are. Do you want to know how you became the sweetest baby in all the land? I’ll tell you. Jesus was mixing your Elijah dust together and decided to add some sugar to your dust. He grabbed a handful of sweet sugar and sprinkled it over your body dust. Then He decided to add diamond dust to your mixture. He grabbed the diamond dust and sprinkled it in. Then he stirred it all together (insert stirring sound) into an Elijah bundle and placed you in mommy’s tummy to bake. And that is how you grew to be the sweetest baby in all the land.”

That’s your story! :) I love you so much little love. I have called you every term of endearment in the books! I’ve also made up a few of my own :) You have won over mommy and daddy’s hearts and filled our lives with overwhelming joy. I mean, I can stair at your foot for an hour, and then move to your nose, and look at that for another hour. I just burst out laughing sometimes while holding you because you are so darn cute it drives me crazy! Well, lets talk about the day you joined our family.

The day mommy went in to the doctor for yet another check up, they hooked me up to the monitor and about a half hour later told me that I was going to be induced! They could see that I was having contractions, plus I was already a little more than 4 centimeters, and they didn't want your heart rate to be stressed out by so many false alarms. I'm glad they made that decision. I felt peace about it, and only wanted what was best for you. So your Nina rushed us home to meet up with your daddy who was also rushing home from work. Yes, we stole your daddy out of work once again! Haha, but this time it was for real! I was so excited, nervous, emotional... Were we really about to meet you? I couldn't get it through my brain! Your daddy and I arrived to the hospital, they prepared our birthing room, and we went right in! Um, little did I know I was in for a whole lot of crazy! I had no idea what to expect since I didn’t want to know much about the birthing part of this experience. I thought the less I knew the less nervous I would make myself. I have never in my life seen a birth, not live or on video. First, I’m glad I did not write this letter too close to your birth date. I waited a while to gain more perspective on the whole experience. If I were to write about your birth right after, it would have read something like this… “Well Elijah, you were well worth it, but you will be an only child, because I am not doing that again!” Hahaha… Of course I do not mean that. I would do it again in a heart beat for you, and if the Lord wants to bless us with another child, I would do it for them too. It’s well worth the end product :) I looked at your daddy right after and told him that was the hardest thing I’ve ever done! It takes everything you have emotionally, mentally and physically! I am so blessed to have your daddy. He was right by my side the entire time, bringing me cranberry juice, water, rubbing my back, holding my hand, scratching my head, telling me how brave I was, and how I was doing such a great job! I was so happy to have him there. I will try not to go into too much detail of my experience, but I would love for you to know what it took for you to safely come into this world. Jesus had EVERYTHING to do with it. I feel like if it weren’t for my being able to pray through the whole thing, I would not have gotten through it. Jesus miraculously gave me the strength I needed. Your daddy and I prayed us through this whole experience. We prayed for you that you would be healthy and strong, and be able to come out with no complications. We prayed that mommy would physically be able to birth you without too many complications.

Going up! Labor and Delivery please!

Right before walking into the birthing room. In the waiting room :)

I started getting contraction when they gave me the inducing drug. Little did I know that when they hooked me up to the I.V., I would not be able to eat anything until a half hour after giving birth to you! I would like to mention that I was functioning off a small bowl of cereal, a couple sips of orange juice and a hand full of pirates booty! That is all I had to eat leading up to this point. It’s because I went from your doctor appointment right to the hospital, right to the birthing room, and there was such little time in between all that, so I forgot to eat anything. I was so hungry for the hours that I was having contractions. I started contractions at about 3pm, and you came along at 2:38am the next morning. Your daddy was so funny. He was trying not to eat in front of me, but he too was really hungry and was afraid that if he didn’t eat, he would pass out during the intense part. So I understood, and let the hospital bring him food and coffee :) Thank goodness your daddy ate, because he played a HUGE part in your birth. After hours of contractions, visits from family members, and one game of cards with your daddy I all of a sudden NEEDED the epidural! The pain was getting so bad that I finally told the nurse, “PLEASE, NOW, must have the pain killer…” Then I grabbed your daddy’s hand so hard, I thought I might break it. I felt so bad. After a bad contraction I would ask him if he was alright. Haha. The nurse was taking her time getting it all set up, and the anesthesiologist was not there yet. I looked at your daddy and was like, “tell them to hurry up!!! I don’t want to feel one more of these!” He just tried to talk me through them, and calm me down. Finally the anesthesiologist walked in. Although I was nervous to receive the shot in the spine, I was in so much pain that I didn’t care as much as I thought I would. They made your daddy leave the room, and I hated that! But thank the Lord the doctor was very nice, soft spoken and talked me through the whole thing. They made me sit up on the side of the bed and put my feet on a booster to hold my legs still. Then they had me lay my face in an upright doughnut shaped thing to hold my head steady and straighten my spine. He then had me arch my spine and gave me a tiny local anesthesia shot to numb the pain of the epidural needle that would go into my spine. I have to say that my expectations were way worse than it actually was. I thought it was going to be a needle the size of a chop stick, and that I would feel everything! My mind made it way worse than it was. Haha. He finally did it, and my legs started to feel tingly and warm. My contractions slowly became less and less painful until I virtually felt no pain. I was a happy camper. I looked at your daddy, and said, “man, I feel good… This is the stuff right here.” Then I told him to try and sleep so that he would have energy for later.  That was a fiasco! Hahaha. He was making me laugh because his chair wouldn’t stay together. Hahahahahaha! He would sit in it and it would slowly roll apart! Then he tried to lay on it and it basically rolled him to the floor! It was hilarious!

When you were ready to come, you came!!! There was barely any warning before I was full on pushing! The nurse told me that my contractions were super close together and that we were going to do a “practice” push to see where you were. Well, my doctor walked in at that moment, and made that “practice” push a real one! We went right into it. Your daddy stood on one side of me, and two nurses stood on the other side. The doctor talked me through the pushing. Each time a contraction would come, my main nurse would say take one deep breath in, let it out, now take a huge breath in, hold it, and PUSH!!! Each push had to last 10 seconds as the nurse slowly counted it out. Then I could release my air. We did 3 pushes per contraction. It was rough. I didn’t exactly know how hard I was pushing since I could not feel my muscles that well. I still felt everything, just not as much with the epidural and stuff. Your daddy was right there helping the nurses hold my legs, telling me to keep going, and that I was doing so good! He kept saying how strong I was, and that I was definitely stronger than him! Hahaha… All I heard for a while was… “breath, come on! Push, push, push, come on Stephanie, you’re doing great, keep going! Come on, one more time… You got it. PUSH!!! You’re doing so good babe! I love you so much… Ok, breath, and PUSH! 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and breath…” The nurse was the slowest counter in the world, I mean it! Hahaha. After a while of this, you started to come, and then BAM! You were right there so fast, like the blink of an eye. Elijah James Holland, born at 2:38am at 7 pounds 9 ounces and 21 inches long! I cannot even begin to describe in words what I felt at that moment. So fast, yet from that point on everything seemed like slow motion. You were crying, flailing around, and they immediately put you on my chest and I held you for the first time while daddy and I kept touching you, rubbing your head, and talking to you. Daddy then got to cut your umbilical cord, and we got to be there with you for a long time. You stopped crying right when they laid you on my chest and you were able to hear my heart beat, but mommy and daddy kept on crying. Haha. That was so cool! I have never been so happy. Crazy how instantly we fell in love. I still can’t believe we did it! I have always been so afraid of giving birth and such a baby when it comes to pain, but once you entered this world, seriously, all the pain went away. Even afterwards when they took you away for a while to clean you up, and the medication started to wear off, all I had to do was think of you, and the pain would go away. It was an awesome experience filled with so many emotions. I was up and down, here and there, but it was all part of bringing you here, which made the time we spent in the hospital all worth it.

Us three the last picture of you in my tummy at home :)

Right before the heavy contraction :)

I was not aware of all the things I would experience when I walked into that hospital, but I lived, and I got through it with God’s help, grace and mercy. I know for a fact, that when you were on your way out, I did not do that on my own. I prayed the entire time, and told Jesus, “ok, Jesus, I can’t do this anymore, but I know that you can, so please give me the strength I need to keep going and see this through. I need your power, and I know I can’t do this without you. So here we go, with your strength Lord,” and out you came!
You have truly been a blessing to our little family. We love you so much, and love taking care of you. We love singing to you, playing with you, talking to you, dressing you, praying with you, and so much more! You have made us into the happiest parents ever! God bless you Elijah, Jesus, your daddy and I love you very much!

Right after you were born!

Just out of the oven!

1 day later, you and daddy

Lets See......

Dear Elijah,
Well we go to the doctor in about a half hour! I wonder what she is going to say now? Hmmm. I can guess it will be something like, "You are ready! I didn't think I was going to see you today! Well, if you don't go into to labor today or tomorrow, I guess we will schedule you to be induced." I think I got that right on. We shall see... I'll update you in the next letter. Hahaha... Once again, All last night I was having contractions that were about 6v minutes apart for four hours. You love to play tricks on mommy and daddy, but we are so relaxed about it now, that when you actually do come, I have a feeling we might have a hard time taking it seriously! Hahaha... Oh gosh! Well this morning your dad and I were hanging out in your room talking about how we were rushing to get it all ready for you! Hahaha, and we thought it was funny since you are taking your sweet time now! Well, at least we have never been more ready. :) Your Nina Melissa has been so awesome during this time. She sees me almost everyday, takes me to Starbucks, goes on walks with me, takes me to my doctor appointments when your dad is working, and has been so helpful! We are very thankful :) Well, I better get going to our appointment. Love you :)

You and mommy 5 days after your due date! :)

All of us!

Morning Sunshine

Dear Elijah,

Good morning! This morning I woke up at 5:30, and was having once again painful contractions that were super far apart. So I did not time them, but I couldn't go back to sleep either. So I went to the living room, grabbed some cereal and a bible, and read Isaiah 55. It's a powerful piece of scripture, and I really enjoyed my time with God this morning. Then I was going to try and take the trash cans out for your dad since I was up anyway, but that was an epic fail. I couldn't get my boots on, the trash was too heavy and your dad woke up and told me not to. Hahaha... So I crawled back into bed with daddy, and he prayed with me! Then I fell asleep on his side of the bed :) I keep on having contractions, but they are like breathing to me at this point. Never really amounting to much. :) Oh well. So last night since mommy sliced open her finger pretty bad, I thought it would be a good idea to have your daddy wash my hair for me. I really needed to, but it's hard using one hand with all this hair. Mommy's hair is pretty long right now. I'll just say, not the best idea I've ever had! He was up for the challenge, and little did I know, I was not! Hahaha... First... He puts shampoo in my hair and all I hear while my head is being pushed around is, "Why won't the soap spread... It's staying in one spot... Gosh you have too much hair! It's like only lathering where I put it." So I told him he had to get more shampoo, and this time put it in different spots and then try to rub it in! He did that, and was trying so hard to lather up my head that he was not paying attention to anything else. Like the fact that I couldn't breath! All I hear was... "Babe, stop pulling your head away"... I came back with, "but I'm drowning!!! and there is soap in my eyes!" At this point we were both cracking up, although it was easier for him to laugh since his face was not being forced under water. My laugh was more of a gurgle.... "Babe! This could have been good practice for you! How are you going to wash Elijah's hair? He won't like this!" He said... "Elijah won't have this much hair!" Hahahaha...  I finally got through it, and my hair is now clean. Good times! He said that he would be better with you, and that he would cover your little eyes and use a cup to rinse your hair. So don't worry, your in good hands. He knew mommy would be fine :) Hahaha. Well we are in our 4th day since your due date. It's the 13th... Hoping you decide to come soon, or they are going to induce you the day before mommy and daddy's 1 year wedding Anniversary! Hahahaha... That would be funny :) What a nice gift! Better than jewelry ;) Heehee... We love you!

us today! 4 days after your due date :)

Sliced Fingers and Lasagna!

Dear Elijah,
Well all the reading I've done on pregnancy and the reading I've done on those mommy's who are overdue has said to keep busy! So I have been. Getting everything ready, hanging with family, taking walks, baking, and cooking. Today I decided that I wanted to cook another lasagna. This time I didn't want to use a recipe. I wanted to do my own thing. So I did! I made a veggie, spinach, ground turkey lasagna! With Whole wheat Pasta! Can I just say... YUM! It came out so good! I am so happy with it, and now it's going to be one of my very own dishes that I make for my family :) and right now, that is you and daddy! I hope you like it. You and your daddy are the reason I am trying to cook more, and get creative! The down side to my cooking adventure today was that I sliced open my finger pretty bad! My finger was flowing blood, and I could not get it to stop bleeding! Your daddy wasn't home, so I was all alone freaking out. I did not want stitches, but it was looking really bad. So I ran it under water to see how deep it was, and it was pretty deep :( It hurt sooooooooooooo bad! So I put antibacterial soap on it and held it together while reaching for the band-aids. I was able to close it up using a very tight band-aid, and it stopped the bleeding! Yay for mommy! Hahaha... I was able to continue with the lasagna, and your daddy surprised me soon after by getting home early from work! All together a great day. I can't wait to make your first baby food! I also can't wait to cook for you. I hope you like my stuff :) Love you! I photo documented my lasagna journey :)

3 Days and Counting...

Dear Elijah,

Here we are 3 days after our due date and feeling good. I don't want to be feeling good though, but I am. Hahaha. I slept well last night because I had no contractions. Just a few sharp pains, and that was it. This morning your daddy and I went for a long walk around the neighborhood, but still no contractions. So I ate some Ben and Jerry's Oatmeal Cookie Ice Cream! That was yummy! Your daddy just had to leave for work, so I'm going to be keeping busy cleaning and trying to stay active. Also, I have some projects I want to finish up :) I might dance around a little too. My own private dance party in the living room. I can do whatever moves I want since no one is here to see me! I love being alone sometimes so that I can let loose, and be weird. Although I do that when your daddy is here too. He has told me before, "Where would I ever find your kind of crazy?" Haha.  I LOVE cleaning too, so when your daddy is gone, it's a perfect time to do that. When he is here, I just want to hang out with him. Well Eli, we will see what you do. You are keeping us all on our toes. See you soon hopefully :)

What do Doctors Know? Hahaha

2 days after your due date :)

Dear Elijah,
Today I saw our doctor, and although I like her very much, she has been wrong on her predictions of when you will be here. So today she was so shocked to see me, and said that she thought I would have had you by now. They hooked your mommy up to a machine to monitor your heart beat, movement, and my contractions. I was having contractions (of course), you were moving like crazy, and your heart beat was strong. After 20 minutes of that, she checked me and said that I am finally at 4 centimeters and changing. She said everything looks ready to roll and she is surprised that I am not in full on labor right now. Especially considering the night we had last night. Then she did an ultrasound to check your fluids and everything looked great. You have plenty of fluid around you and are getting what you need to be a healthy boy. I say your little face, but it was mostly hiding behind your little hand. You always do that by the way. Your hand is always up covering your face, or you are sucking on your fingers whenever we peek at you! Like father like son. Your daddy used to suck on his fingers all the time too, and still does! Hahaha, not really, but he is a nail biter. She sent me off saying that she was not going to tell me this time what she thought because she must sound like a broken record. But then she went ahead and said her opinion anyway which made us all laugh. She said that the next time I feel strong contractions like I did last night, not to wait to long this time because from the looks of it I may go into labor faster once it starts. She said I have to give myself time to have even an option of an epidural if I want one. Then she said, I think he should come today or tomorrow. Then she started laughing and said that she shouldn't have said that because you have been surprising her up to this point. She said you are just having too much fun in there. :) All the nurses and my doctor were so surprised not to see your daddy there today! He had to work, so your Nina Melissa took me. They all say that he is the only daddy they have EVER seen come to all the appointments, and now when they don't see him, they all ask me where he is. Hahaha... Well, we weren't exactly planning on these last two appointments. Haha... Last night I all of a sudden got thee worst pain I have felt yet! It was so painful that I had to quickly lay down on the bed to relieve the pressure I was feeling. But when I shifted to try and compensate for the pain, it shot to my lower back with a vengeance. Your daddy heard me from the living room make the weirdest sound I have ever made... Use your imagination... It was like a groan/scream, and then laughing. I could not help but laugh at myself for the sound that had just come out of me! Your dad was like, "what the heck! Are you ok" as he ran into the room. He started to rub my lower back as I was trying to get into a position that might relieve some of this pain. Then it finally calmed down. This happened again and again, and the contractions were 6 minutes apart! Uggggggggh! Elijah, you are such a trickster! A few were 4 minutes apart, but then it shot up to 9 minutes apart, and then back to 6. I did not get much sleep. But when I did fall asleep, I knew it wasn't time since they were getting further and further apart! How the heck is a woman like me supposed to EVER know when true labor hits!? Hahaha, I mean, those were so painful last night that I cried! And I have a high tolerance for cramping. This was different and effected every part of my lower back, stomach and pelvis area! I just hope it is getting close.  Is there like a button I can push? Hahah. Love you baby boy. I have a picture of you and me today, but it won't upload, so I will post it later for you.

phone photos aren't the best :)

But there we are!

Emotional Roller Coaster

Dear Elijah,

Oh my goodness, I didn't think that going passed your due date would get me so emotional. I was fine when I woke up this morning! I ate some breakfast, snuggled with your daddy, and then all the sudden I burst into tears! It was the craziest thing. Thankfully your daddy had some time before worship practice to be with me and help me through that burst of emotion. I just really want you to be here. And it finally caught up to me today. Plus, I guess me realizing that I am passed the "due date" made me all weird. Hahaha... I'm good, it just put me in a funky mood for the whole morning, and of course all I wanted to do was be alone and clean! So I popped in the DVD we have of you in 3D and cleaned :) It really helped. I didn't want to be around anyone who knew me today because I probably would have torn some innocent persons head off if I had to hear... "awww, still no baby?" Or... "He's still not out?" Hahahahaha... Well, my tummy is sill the size of a basketball, so I'm going to guess no, he is not here yet! You see Eli, mommy would have used sarcasm in a not so nice way. So it was better to stay around people I could warn about my mood. So I prayed, read the bible, and hung with your daddy to calm down and gain my sanity back. Hahahaha. Like before my sister came by today I text her with how I felt and for her to please not do the "poor you" thing or I would cry.  I'm ok now, and no I will not go ballistic on the well meaning person who asks about you now :) God really helped me through my emotional roller coaster ride, and so did my family and your sweet daddy! He took me for a LONG walk, and then we went to my mom's house to hang with my brother and sister :) After a trip to Starbucks of course :) Then to make the day so special and fun, your daddy took me to the mall and bought me a beautiful white gold ring with your birth stone! Your birth stone is a beautiful diamond. Heehee :) He's a sweetie!  I didn't want a big ring. Just something simple and sweet. That was so hard to find! Hahaha... Since your birth stone is a Diamond, people kept showing us huge diamond rings that looked like engagement rings! I finally said to a lady, do you have a simple little band with ONE tiny diamond inlaid in the band. She finally found it! Your daddy and I loved it! Your Nina was there to, and loved it too! We call it my Elijah ring... It's very special to me because it represents you, and how blessed I am to be your mommy! What a great day this ended up being. I am a very blessed woman Eli. Can't wait till you get to meet your wonderful family. They are all anxious to see you, and so are your daddy and I.

My Elijah Ring :)

 

us April 9th, on your due date.

 

Happy Birthday Nina!

Dear Elijah,
Today is not only your DUE DATE, but it's your Nina Melissa's birthday! Although it's early this morning as I'm writing this, I have my doubts you will come today. That would be too perfect, and kind of crazy to be born on your actual due date. Hahaha... Although, I would LOVE it :) You are not an easy one to read Mr. Last night Mommy had contractions for 4 hours again! They were all 5 minutes apart, and they told us not to go in unless they are 3-4 minutes apart. So there we were again last night timing mommy's contraction, and watching T.V. to keep our minds off it, since we've been through this whole song and dance before. Hahaha... I finally just went to bed and slept through most of the night. Got up a couple times from pressure, not pain exactly. But then it would leave and I would be fine :) I made banana bread last night just in case we did have to go to the hospital, for people to eat in the waiting room :) Also, because it's your Nina's B-day and I wanted her to have some sort of treat ;)

Oh my goodness you were moving sooooooooo much last night when I went to bed. You were moving my whole upper body a little bit while your daddy was reading to us. We just started reading the Gospel of Mark, and were continuing to read that. We prayed together for you, and I could have sworn you were doing some sort of aerobic work out! Hahaha... It was cool.  Well, our eyes and thoughts are on you today baby Elijah. We love you and can't wait for your appearance. This is a picture of us last night, waiting out the contractions!

Last day before your due date :)

Another Night for the Records...

Dear Elijah,
Oh what you put your daddy and I though!!! Haha Last night at around 9pm, I started getting contractions. I finally was getting them more regularly so your daddy started timing them just in case. At first they were pretty bad, and averaging about 5 minutes apart. They were so uncomfortable, but not very painful. I've felt worse pain with my monthly cramps. So I wasn't over reacting, we just watched T.V. as I would feel my stomach go from soft to hard all over and feel tightness and un-comfort all at the same time lasting about 30 to 35 seconds. This went on for 3 hours!!! Some were 4 minutes apart, some were 6 minutes apart, and yes we even reached 3 minutes apart for a short time. But I was still not convinced. I read about the stages of labor and I would still be considered early labor at that point since they were so here and there. They said it's best to wait the early labor out at home until you get the longer, more regular contractions. Your daddy was soooooooooooooooo funny. When he thought I was going to be going into labor last night he ran to the kitchen and started eating anything he could get his hands on. I was like... "What are you doing?" and he told me he didn't want to be hungry at the hospital because he wanted to stay with me the whole time, and not have to leave for any reason. Hahahahaha... So he was cramming down fruit, veggies, yogurt, and turkey, while I was laughing thinking how cute he was. We both started to deep clean for some reason too. I started to spray down the bathroom, and when I walked into the kitchen to get the floor cleaner, your daddy was cleaning the kitchen floors and the stove! Hahahaha... Then we went walking up and down our apartment stares together. Then I decided just to go to bed, and if I could sleep through the contractions, then it wasn't going to happen just yet. I wasn't too worried seeing as how I just saw my doctor yesterday, and everything looked good. I guess my body just wants to REALLY prepare me for what's coming. So... Thanks body! I really appreciate that. Besides all that craziness last night, I woke up again in the middle of the night, and couldn't go back to sleep... So of course I used that time to pray. But the funny thing was, at first all I could think about was our wedding day and how much fun that was! Oh, my goodness, we had so much fun, and it was the best day ever. I whispered to your daddy, "Thanks for the best wedding I could have ever imagined," and he just smiled and kept on sleeping,. He probably doesn't even remember me saying that. Hahaha. Once I stopped reminiscing, I started praying for him and you. I prayed that you would be healthy and safe, and I thanked God that you are going to come in His timing, which is so comforting. Then I prayed that your daddy and I would be Godly, good parents who would come together on this journey of parenthood. Also that your daddy would shine at his new job and learn more. Then I ate some cereal and went back to sleep! I woke up this morning to your daddy getting ready for work, and he asked me if I was feeling anymore contractions. :) I actually am just feeling a bit sore and achy this morning, nothing too much. Well, that was our night last night. You tricked us again kind of. Hahaha... Oh well, we love you and are super excited to find out the day you and God have planned for your debut... :)

Us on the couch watching T.V. waiting for contractions to be regular...

Just waiting it out!

Givin In... Hahahaha

Dear Elijah,
Even though I do not believe that any of these crazy inducing things work, I figure I'm 2 days away from our due date, and I want you to be able to come naturally, so I tried the pineapple thing. Hahahahaha... I would rather try something like pineapples rather than the doctors injecting me with an inducing drug! But if it ends up going there, I know God is good, and will prepare our bodies for that. So I guess it can't hurt to eat a WHOLE pineapple. :) We'll see if the rumors are true. I have two more fresh ones waiting to be eaten. My mouth started to burn though, so for right now I'm taking a break. The doctor appointment went great. I am almost at 4 centimeters this time, so a tiny bit further than last time. She said that everything is good and ready and now we are just waiting for the contractions to come. She said once those start, I should roll right into labour. We'll see... ;) After the appointment, my sister (your Nina) and I went to the store and bought 3 pineapples, and she cut one up for me, and yes, I ate the whole thing... It may be a long time before I will ever want a pineapple after today! Love you!

Here it goes!!!

What a nice auntie :)

That's a lot of pineapple.......