family pics

Thank You Babywise!

Baby is peacefully sleeping...ahhh so nice!
I was catching up with my cousin the other day who gave birth to her little girl Ella Kate just a week & a half after Eli was born. We were chatting about babywise (because we both are doing it) & can I just brag for a few moments on how great I think it is. If you don't know what I am talking about then let me fill you in.
On Becoming Babywise is a book I would recommend to any mom who desires a good nights sleep & a routine that you basically get to make yourself! Before Eli was born, I read the first half of the book and thought to myself "oh I got this"...ha what did I know! I began implementing the eat, play, sleep routine & Eli picked that up really quick. I thought this was a piece of cake & it was for the first couple of weeks. I started to wonder if our baby would ever cry :) then all the sudden he began crying more & sleeping a little less. I think I paniced & picked him up almost everytime he would cry. Mistake # 1: it's ok for babies to cry if they are not in pain or danger. so I found myself not able to get anything done because I was constantly running back & forth putting his paci in & comforting him. He would never get a solid sleep & would be grumpy. Mistake# 2: I would also be pretty incosistent about feeding him (meaning I wouldn't feed him at the same time each day).. One day it would be every 2 hours & the next 2.5 and then a mix. He wasn't really on any kind of routine & I felt trapped in the house which isn't good for anyone. So after a couple of weeks of this happening over & over, I thought hmmm...maybe I should read the rest of that book. So I picked it up and began reading. Wow! I was making a bunch of mistakes! (but it's ok. It can be fixed). That day I began putting into practice what the author of the book had said to do & I kid you not Eli picked up on thise things almost immediately. I have to say I was quiet impressed. He was sleeping about 6 hours during the night at 4 to 5 weeks & then about 8 to 9 hours at 7 weeks. He's 10 weeks today & sleeping like a champ. He is a baby & still cries...they are suppose to, but he seems so much more alert & happy during his play time. I will say though we haven't quiet mastered the 1.5 to 2 hour naps after each playtime, but we are working on it. Eli eats every 3 hours beginning at 7:00 am. He plays for about an hour & then sleeps about 1.5 hours. Now that he is in a routine, we are both so much more satisfied :) have you or are you using babywise? Did it work for you?... I'm curious to know!
Mae

just a thought...

you know i was thinking the other day about the cost difference between nursing a baby & formula. ok you might be thinking breast milk is free as i did once, but wait just a minute. Between eating a little more while nursing (doesn't cost that much i know), the lanolin, the nursing pads (i use lily pads btw which are WONDERFUL but cost about $23.00ish), buying a pump (thankfully someone gave me one as a baby gift), the mommy milk storage bags (someone also gave me 300 of them so i haven't had to buy any yet) and all the time you put into feeding & pumping, i just wonder what the cost difference really is. I love nursing don't get me wrong! there is this bond between you and your baby that is indescribable, and i wouldn't change a minute of it, BUT i can't help but think would formula be easier? i plan on nursing as long as possible (my goal is a year so that he can go straight to whole milk). just curious about your thoughts...if you have any.

mae

motherhood & beyond...

I think i am slowly, let me say that again SLOWLY learning this mom thing & somewhat getting it together as of late. I have done a lot of babysitting over the years and thought i knew what i was doing. ha ha. what did i know. i knew how to take care of a baby for a limited time and then i would give him or her back to the parents. it's totally different when it is your own. i have finally figured out how to store up milk to free up some of my time (aka...i can get out of the house and don't have to basically set my watch to get home in an hour or so). i know i still have so much to learn, but i do feel like i am getting it together better.

Have i told you I LOVE being a mommy! It is a WONDERFUL thing to just hold, kiss, & squeeze your baby. God is so good and i feel undeserving of this precious little boy.

My gorgeous sister became a Mrs. this weekend. OH and can i just say the wedding & reception was absolutely BEAUTIFUL! Her reception was at the neatest art gallery. (i am secretly jealous i didn't have ours there :)). Now Bradford & Leslie are enjoying themselves in Bermuda for a week.

Daniel, Eli, & I will be heading to Chicago in two weeks. we will be seeing our possible condo, visiting friends we have up there, & just hanging out in one of the coolest cities!

We can't believe our move from the South to the North is in a little over 2 months! Yikes i have a lot of packing. We are REALLY looking forward to what the Lord has in store :)

Eli was 7 weeks yesterday! He has become so much fun (not that he wasn't before but you know what i mean..i hope) He is smiling so much and cooing...oh cooing i LOVE it! i seriously could stare at him all day. i think i am a little obsessed!

And last i wanted to say that i will be working harder at keeping this thing updated. Life has been a bit crazy, but i want to keep all you folks informed as we begin this new chapter in our lives.

mae

wedding

My sister is getting MARRIED next Saturday & I couldn't be any happier!! More pictures to come but here is the most recent one of my mom, sister, and myself at her shower last weekend. (geez...my mom & sister look so much a like and it really shows in this picture. no one knows who i look like.)

mae

what's new?

life has been really busy lately (well with a newborn and all) so the lack of my posts. i hope to get better at this as we continue to adjust to this new life with our precious Eli.

Speaking of Eli...this past wednesday he was officially 1 month old! Where has the time gone? What a joyous month it has been. I honestly can't remember what life was like without him. He is growing like a weed (to quote my brother). i also can't believe how much he has changed since the first days here. He has begun to focus on us more, and this past friday while daniel and i were playing with him...he SMILED. Like a REAL smile. not just a "i have gas" smile. Daniel would make a funny face or noise and he would smile over and over. What a fun moment for both daniel & myself.

We go back to the doctor in a little over a week for his 6 week check-up to see just how much he has grown. We took a picture of him at 1 month, but haven't loaded the pictures on the computer yet. will do that soon because i know all my 5 readers are eager to see him :)

I never knew it would be so hard to even get a shower in each day. Some days (ok brace yourself) I go without a shower...i know that is gross but hey it is reality. Eli had a growth spurt around 3ish weeks, so he was wanting to eat even more than normal! i just couldn't find time to do anything, but i think we are out of that for now.

I am back to my normal exercise routine which feels great i might add! I am about 6 lbs away from my pre-pregnancy weight. I am back in my clothes, but everything is different!! I'm hoping with hard work, my body will return to what it was before...we shall see!

Daniel is working so hard to provide for our little family and for that i am grateful! not only that but he is also trying to freshin up on his Greek. He is constantly flipping through those cards memorizing words.

God continues to provide for us in ways we couldn't even imagine. Daniel & I have been praying for where we would live once we move to chicago. a few weeks back i was searching for places to live and came across a place that was very appealing. It's a 2 bedroom, 2 bath condo at a great price. Well we have talked to the owner's, and it is ours if we want it! WOW...such a relief.

God has also brought to us 3 more monthly supporters. This journey of getting to France has been HARD...really HARD, but God continues to show us His faithfulness. Thank you to all those who have been praying for us! We look forward to serving the Lord one day in France.

Well if you are still reading this, i need to apologize for the randomness. i will post new pictures once we load them but for now i will leave you with some that are from my iphone. they aren't the best quality but they will do for now :)

peace

mae

3 weeks!!

A little late on the post, but the pics were taken at 3 weeks. Eli would not cooperate and look at daddy taking the picture. he just stared at me and tried to give me a kiss in the second pic :)


Today marked a great day for me...i'm back running! Whoohoo!!! It felt so great. Daniel, Eli, and I took a jog around our neighborhood once daniel got off work. Eli (as always is in the BOB) slept like a pro! I almost forgot how much i love running, and especially with daniel.

Look how cute my little man is...(ok i am bias)

mae

2 weeks & Doc Appointment

Our baby was 2 weeks on Sunday...sniff sniff. He is growing up so fast (ok i know some of you think i am crazy but it is just going by so fast!) What a fun little boy we have. He has become so much more alert. I love it when he smiles...although we all know why he is (passing a little gas). Here is his 2 week pic...

We went to the doctor today and our big man is up to 9lbs! I couldn't believe it and neither could the doctor. He asked me if i was using formula, and i replied no...just nursing. The look on Dr. W's face was priceless. He is a growing boy :) Below is a picture of my two boys dozing!

Now i'm off to write those last couple of thank you notes from gifts we got after Eli came & then start on his birth announcements!!

peace

mae

baby body

it's so crazy how different your body is once you have a baby. i am back in my pre-pregnancy clothes but they just don't fit the same. my weight has shifted. that flat tummy that use to be there looks...well...different. I know I know...it's only been 2 weeks (tomorrow) since i had my baby. I guess i just hoped that my body would bounce back immediately (haha that's funny right??).

I gained a total of 26 lbs with Eli. I have lost 16 lbs already with about 10 to go. Nursing is definitely helping and i know it will just take time. I think it is hard for me right now, because honestly i feel great and am ready to run, but doctors orders say i can't run till about 4 weeks. He said at 2 weeks i can start power walking...you know i will! Daniel & I are going to be training for either at 10k or a half...we haven't decided just yet. We would LOVE to run the Chicago marathon but i think we will go for a half first!

So i am going to have to be patient and wait...i know i can get back in shape but it just might take a little more time than i hoped. My sister's wedding is 5 weeks from today! I have lots of MOTIVATION!!! :)

mae

chaaa-ching!!!

yesterday on facebook i posted that basically i needed help on ways to save $$. i got an overwhelming response from so many people (some came out of the woodwork it seems to give their advice) and i must say that many suggestions have already been VERY beneficial!! here's how...

i have just gotten into the coupon thing not really knowing what in the world i am doing. today daniel & i both were just beside ourselves after our visit to target. i have always LOVED target, but thought most of their stuff besides clothing is over priced until now. i didn't know that if you really do your homework you can get some pretty amazing deals...and even get things free!!


we bought all this for $30.62 & got a $10.00 gift card!! I had $11.00 in cash & then put $19.62 on the debit card. Total savings was $41.62, but we should have saved another $1.98 but the coupon messed up (yeah this upset me but i got over it!) How did we do it you ask? well with a little help from this site. She did way better than us (she had some coupons we didn't but i am still learning!) we got the loaves of bread for FREE! they were 0.99 & we had a $1.00 off coupon...now that's a deal!

on a completely different note, eli is still getting many visitors. Last night Tim, Stephanie & Amanda came to see him. For some crazy reason i didn't take any pics :( so sad but Steph has some! This past Monday we got a visit from Ryan, Sam & Noah. I did get a few snaps in...

The picture below of the mommies & their son's cracks me up because Noah looks so mad at Eli...haha
Best Friends...maybe their son's will be too. who knows

And lastly, our big man is getting cuter and more fun every day! He's working on holding his head up and showing off his bod! :)

mae