Meeting Uncle Dew

This past week, my family came out to celebrate Christmas with us in California! It was SUCH a great week and we are so thankful that they would be willing to come out to be with us!

One of the things that was super fun was Elliott getting to meet his other Uncle Daniel for the first time ... we also coined the nickname Uncle Dew as short for Uncle D.Lew. So fun!

Here are a couple of photos of their first meeting:



Uncle Dew and Miss Tami with Caroline and Elliott:

First Santa

Meeting Santa with cousin Caroline at Fashion Island!

Jonathan and Ryanne

Last week, Jonathan and Ryanne stopped by to bring us dinner! Taco salad ~ what a treat!

Jonathan hanging out with E:


And here's where they came to visit us at the hospital! Thanks, sweet friends!

Sleepy Baby

Lots of this going on at our house! We'll take it when we can get it!

E with his animals

i love watching the wheels turn in his head

Untitled from adam r on Vimeo.

3 week check-up

Today we got a great report at Elliott's 3-week check-up! We really like our pediatrician so far and he has been really helpful to listen to all of our questions, make us think that we know what we are doing (ha!), and encourage us along the way!



Elliott's new stats are:
22 inches long (90th percentile! Who would have thought!?!)
9 lb 8 ounces (Almost a 2 lb difference in 2 weeks ... 70th percentile)
15 inches head circumference (50th percentile)

We're so thankful that our growing boy is doing so well!

Party Hair + Overalls

Uncle Dan and Miss Lindsey

Yesterday we had lunch with Uncle Dan and Miss Lindsey! It was so fun and we are so thankful that they are a part of Elliott's life!

All you need is blinds

E's favorite past time ... obviously he will go to extreme lengths for a good view!

The Stocking Incident

So when we came home from the hospital, we had a fun surprise waiting for us above our fireplace ... Elliott had his own stocking! GrandSal and Aunt Anne (who is starting her own monogramming business ... let me know if you want her contact info!) teamed up to make it and we love it!


As I sat on the couch holding my little baby and looking at it, I had the brilliant idea to try to take a picture of little E in it ... they looked like a perfect fit.

Well, 2 weeks later we finally got around to it. And things didn't work out quite the same as they were in my head ...

Problem 1 ... Babies get bigger, stockings don't. We definitely should have gone for the idea when we first had it.

Attempt A: Baby awkwardly stuffed in a too small stocking that actually looks like a strapless Christmas mermaid dress on a boy:


Hmmmm .... this isn't going quite as planned:


Maybe the baby just needs some clothes.

Attempt B: Baby awkwardly stuffed in a too small stocking that actually looks like a strapless Christmas mermaid dress on a boy with a too big Christmas shirt stuffed in underneath:


No?

Ok, Attempt C: Baby awkwardly stuffed in a too small stocking that actually looks like a strapless Christmas mermaid dress on a boy with a too big Christmas shirt stuffed in underneath and an oversized reindeer hat.


And this photo shoot is officially out of control ... it just escalated so quickly from a cute idea to full-blown ridiculousness. I'm now THAT MOM that does weird stuff to her kid for photos. I feel like I should turn in my resignation as a "professional" after this fiasco.

Oh, well. Merry Christmas from Elliott!

Starting the Paci

So we started the paci tonight ... I've surprised myself a couple of times with what "type" of mom I've been in a couple of decisions. I have no problem calling myself out as someone not afraid to take short-cuts. Well, let's just call them tools, not short-cuts. So I've been surprised at some of the decisions that have been tough for me. E.g. I actually considered not getting the epidural (which, let's be honest ... what was the point!?!) and I also have been considering not using a paci at all.

We've really been fine without it and there's a big part of me that just feels like we are just creating a crutch for him. Would he ever want it if he never had it in the first place? Am I creating a bigger problem for myself of having to put it back in every time it falls out in the middle of the night? I'm definitely surprised at how much thought I've put into this.

Anyway, after a few days of debating, we decided to give it a try tonight. I guess I expected it to be an instant hit but he's having a really hard time keeping it in for more than 20 seconds or so at a time. Is this normal? Is there a learning curve with these things?

I seriously don't know if this is a fluke or intentional but after a while, this happened (without our help), which totally solved the problem. My child is either super lucky or a genius:


He's been just holding his fist there which has held it successfully in place. We'll see how it goes the next few days ... not sure if we are doing the right thing!?!

Drew and Jenny

Drew and Jenny were so sweet to bring us dinner this week and hang out with little E for a while! Thanks guys ~ we are so grateful! What a treat for us!

Photo of the Day

Little Fireman

Morning Nap

Love the uncontrollable arms ...

First time in my crib

Tummy Time for my boys

Mimi's visit!

We were so excited that Mimi was able to take a few days off work to come play with us! Elliott was so excited to bond with her, plus she was SUCH a huge help with laundry, dishes, dirty diapers, and letting us get some extra sleep!

Thanks for visiting us, Mimi! We love you!

More Smiles

Don't miss the dimples (and double chin!)!

Cool Hair

Birthday Cake!

GrandSal was super sweet to make Elliott his first birthday cake! I have so many great memories of the amazing cakes that mom made for me over the years for birthdays, holidays, college treats, etc. ... it's so special that she made his first cake! One day he'll appreciate Sallie's infamous chocolate cake the way everyone else already does ...

The "before" photo didn't turn out so well and obviously we couldn't wait to dig in ... Welcome Sweet Liott!

We're all smiles

Untitled from adam r on Vimeo.

1 Week Photo

Elliott wanted to copy his friend Vale and take photos beside the same stuffed animal every month so everyone can see how he's growing! Hope E's favorite stuffed animal Chomps is big enough to last all year!

We couldn't decide what hairstyle to go with for the 1 week pic, so we're bringing you both.

Party Hair:


Business Hair:


Everyone warns us that these days of them being so little go quickly so we are trying to cherish every moment. I can already tell that his cheeks and hands are filling out ... trying to be excited about this and not sad that he's already growing! We love our little boy!

Curls!

After Elliott's first bath with GrandSal, we discovered that he has precious curls!! Mimi says this is a lot what Adam's hair looked like as a baby! Fun!

First Bath at home

E's first bath at home with mom and GrandSal:




Live action:

Untitled from adam r on Vimeo.

First Captured Smile

Around day 4 or 5, Elliott started smiling in his sleep. It's just precious, and Adam captured one of his precious smiles! This is one of our favorite photos so far!

First Thanksgiving

We initially thought we would have to stay in the hospital until Thanksgiving day, but luckily we talked our way to an early check-out on Wednesday afternoon in order to be home for Turkey Day!

Thanksgiving has always been one of our favorite holidays together as a couple as we've stayed home together and made our own new family traditions.

I gotta say this year ranks pretty high in our list of favorites! We didn't have a bite of turkey ... mostly resting and loving on our 3-day-old boy ... but we did have some amazing leftover favorites that GrandSal made for dinner the night before including sweet potatoes, spinach casserole, and pumpkin pie!

So much to be thankful for!