Since my last post so much has changed especially my little man. He is officially 5 weeks and 3 days old, and growing like a weed. We had his one month checkup Friday and he weighed 9 lbs 11 oz. and 21 1/2 inches long. Every day his face gets fuller and looks more, and more like a real little person. I love him dearly, but it has been the toughest month of my life. But I've also discovered more about myself as a person, and revealed a lot about my marriage.
As many of you know, Nick and I have only been married close to 5 months. So although we are new parents, we are also newlyweds...which is tough. As newlyweds, you expect that puppy love feeling all over again because your relationship has reached a new level. While we have had many of those moments, mix in being a new parent and those moments become fleeting. We have made an effort to set aside time for the two of us to be alone, but most of that time we spend trying to get things done or running errands. I knew beforehand that it would be tough adjusting because our lives have changed drastically but I didn't know it would affect our relationship so. I'm just praying that God continues to bless our marriage with patience and love. I know he wouldn't have brought us this far to let us fall apart.
More about the other things I have learned...sleep deprivation is real. I know I've spent the last 4 years as a college student and have had plenty of all-nighters but nothing compares to all-nighters with a new baby. When we first brought Elijah home, he was an angel. Slept all the time, we had to wake him up to feed and he never really fussed. Well once the jaundice wore off, a whole new baby emerged. He would cry in the middle of the night and nothing seemed to calm him. We guessed he had colic, which is normal but didn't make it any easier on us. Fortunately though, we've established a better routine and have been able to get some more sleep. Not as much as I'm used to, but enough to make me a functioning human being. Now I don't want it to seem like being a new mother has been all negative because it hasn't whatsoever. The little things make it all worth while like watching him smile in his sleep, or when he searches for my face when he hears my voice, when he falls asleep on my chest after feeding and most of all, those precious little feet. I love him unconditionally and he will always be the best thing that ever happened to me.
A few other "Eli"isms...
He loves to poop in a fresh diaper. Never fails. Every time we change him, minutes later he finds the urge to poop again.
He is a little piglet. When the boy is hungry, he's hungry. He eats so fast, that he sometimes forgets to breathe which scares Mom half to death.
Before he latches, he opens his mouth real wide and shakes his head all around almost like a bobble-head, it's priceless.
He's a thinker. He does this little pose where he puts his arm under his chin and it looks like he's deep in thought.
The Thinking Pose.
We just got his newborn photos done this week so more to come soon!
Oh, and hope every one has a wonderful and happy Easter!
