Introducing… Elliot and Winston!

Born April 2012 and May 2015

Try fly?

Elliot’s verb of choice is “Try.” So when he wants you to make him a tent he says, “Try tent!” Other uses include “Try slide” and “Try climb.” Yesterday during his nap he found another application.

http://youtu.be/KOGn3hoc3es

Logan took Elliot to the library this week. Elliot saw this fish on the wall and kept saying, “Oh no, fish!”
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We have been trying to encourage him to use a comfort object to help with sleep. He has started getting somewhat attached to this monkey.
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We went to the zoo this weekend. Here is Elliot and Logan trying echoes!
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Also, here is Elliot on St. Patrick’s Day, Shamrockin’ in the free world!
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Come on Ride the Train, and Ride it! Choo Choo!

If you feel like Grumpin’… It’s up to you!

Elliot has really been into trains lately. He loves watching Thomas on Netflix and playing with his take and play toy engines that he and his daddy have been collecting. This weekend, we took him to the Track in Pigeon Forge to let him ride the train.

http://youtu.be/B0pPJgyXQ0s

http://youtu.be/jdZn6b38WUY

He really likes watching these videos of himself on the train!

Slappy took a ride on a train with Elliot as well.
http://youtu.be/OH0BlB7MKBs

Today, Logan got Elliot a big table for his trains. Here is his reaction!

http://youtu.be/5Zbii-D7VKY

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Thank goodness for smartphones!

We would miss recording so much cuteness if we did not have Logan’s camera phone!
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Superbaby!

Elliot got a new shirt today, and now he is a superperson.

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BONUS VIDEO!

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Box Fort!

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Also, happy belated new year! This year we resolve to have even more fun and sleep!
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The Amazing Gingy!

I just have to show this off because it is amazing and so cute! The AAP advises against putting bumper pads in the crib, so look what Gingy did with ours! It’s a toy basket!

Gingy and Grandpa are here this weekend. Gingy is giving Elliot a bottle, which he did not want at first and eventually had a whole mouthful of milk without swallowing. Now he is a little hungrier and a little more cooperative. Elliot liked the Preakness earlier today and “I’ll Have Another” won again!

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Old enough to drink milk

Elliot is 3 weeks old today! Some observations:

1. Guess who is not allowed to carry Elliot anymore… Me. That’s right. Elliot is 10.8 lbs. according to the Wii Fit Baby Stats. Part of my discharge instructions included not lifting anything heavier than 10 lbs, which of course when the nurse told me that I looked at her like she had 3 heads ’cause there was no way I was going to follow that one. He ain’t heavy, he’s my baby.
2. It has been about 2 months, but I can finally get my wedding band on my finger. There is still an issue with getting it off, but I’ll take whatever victory I can get!
3. Elliot still gets the hiccoughs, especially after a good burp. It’s cute. He goes “Hup!” He used to get them while he was inside of me, which was how I knew he was head down. Either that or he had a twitchy foot.

Yesterday, we took Elliot to his Great Granny Dyer’s 86th birthday party at Great Aunt Cathy’s house. He was well behaved (i.e. sleeping) for most of the party and, despite my fears, did not get ripped in half by his well meaning but enthusiastic relatives. We put him in his froggy sweater from Gam Gam with the top unbuttoned since it was too tight for his neck. At least we got a picture.

Four generations of Dyers!

Then we took a quick drive to Target to try to get this Table Lamp but they were out. I still haven’t really been able to get Elliot to take a pacifier, so when he started crying on the drive there was little that I could do…

Cousin Bart came over for dinner and we had a pleasant time hanging out on our deck. We also got to talk to Uncle Art on the phone, who had a successful day of apartment hunting. Then, Elliot and I turned in early at about 9PM. Then we got up at 11 for food and diaper change. Then we got up at 2AM for a marathon 6 boob binge with just as many diaper changes. In fact, he was so awake at 3AM, daddy and I ended up watching the first half of Office Space while we distracted Elliot to give me some time to build my milk stores back up.

This morning Elliot soiled his nursery door. It was impressive! He was wide awake afterwards, so we did tummy time and played with his Gund My First Doctor Kit Playset.

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Now, Back to Adventure!

Kate has gotten more and more restless over the last week, which came to a head Saturday night after two or three days without leaving the house. Once she learned that Motherhood Maternity was having a Nursing Event, our Sunday plans were made. We slept soundly until almost 2 A.M., and then until 5-ish, and then until just after 8:00!

After a quick breakfast and showering, we dressed Elliot, fed him, changed his diaper, dressed him again, changed his diaper again and then again, fed him again, and then headed out the door to visit Gam Gam and Slappy.

As Kate mentioned, we had delicious grilled Chilean sea bass and some cake. Elliot ate a few more times and then got himself into a deep sleep for well over ninety minutes. We intended to leave to visit Great-Granny Dillard and shop for blouses (separate stops) as soon as he woke up. After an hour of sleep we gave up and headed out the door.

Since it was still early afternoon, the second visit of the day was calm and enjoyable for all parties.

On a cuter note, I have a new favorite thing that Elliot does. He has figured out that burping makes him feel better. When I have him in burp position, now, he immediately starts making a grunting “ungh” that really sounds as if he is trying to burp.

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2 Week Notice

Yay! I’m 2 weeks post-op! I can finally take of these surgical bandages and start showing off my badass scar!

I know, I know… Elliot is 2 weeks old today! I can hardly believe it. My baby is growing up soooo fast! There is this syndrome that moms get after their first baby, which gets worse with time. I like to refer to it as “Mommy Brain Damage.” It is the reason that kids have siblings and why moms will say crazy stuff like “Breast feeding is natural and easy!” and “They practically raise themselves!” Anyways, I am starting to notice the early signs of affliction with MBD. In spite of the tons of dirty diapers, 3 hour evening feeding sessions, and post-op discomfort, I start to tear up at the thought of Elliot getting older and find myself planning the timing of my next pregnancy. Going back to work is going to be so hard… There is no cure for MBD but symptoms can be treated with a splash of cold water in the face.

2 Week Birthday Lunch at Gam Gam’s

Aunt Jeanine and Uncle Mark stopped by last night with enough Cracker Barrel to feed 10 people and our new neighbors were having a party and brought us some BBQ and a cute outfit for Elliot. We are very lucky to have so much wonderful support from friends and family.

Elliot took a bath with Logan last night which actually went pretty well. Now that his umbilical cord has fallen off, Elliot can take a real bath instead of a sponge bath. We put him in the water and he made an upset face at first but then decided it wasn’t so bad. He did kick off from Logan at on point but fortunately I had my hands under him so he just floated on my hands for a bit. Everything was nice until he had to be taken out of the tub, which was like being born all over again! He howled pretty much until he was dry and breastfeeding. Logan suggested that next time we put Elliot’s towel in the dryer beforehand, which seems like a pretty good idea to me…

I clipped Elliot’s fingernails afterward, and I gotta say after years of clipping hedgehog fingernails, baby fingernails were nothing!

More fun facts about Elliot: He seems to be quite happy to be out of my uterus. I am told that when he was first extracted and put in the baby warmer, he stretched out his arms and legs as far as he could, which was disappointing to Logan since he was looking forward to sproinging some baby legs. He also does not like to be swaddled, so take that The Happiest Baby on the Block.

One time Logan attempted a swaddle and Elliot managed to get his feet free but not his hands. The way he was kicking and crying he looked like a mental patient in a straight jacket! We had a quick laugh and promptly unbound him.

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“I remember when I lost my mind.”

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Wussing out or wising up?

We had a couple of events planned for today and tomorrow: today my sister-in-law is receiving the department award for interior design and tomorrow my parents’ best friends’ daughter is getting married. I had every intention of going to these celebrations. I got my hair cut and bought a dress that hides my weird postpartum figure and I can breastfeed in (a costuming challenge for sure!) The only caveat was the drive. Both ceremonies were over 2 hours away, which is over four hours of drive time, which is (unless we got lucky and he slept) approximately 3 feedings and 5 diaper changes, which expands the drive time to more like 6-7 hours. And after the night before last, we know nothing is a guarantee with him. Plus, I would probably get there and spend the entire ceremony sitting outside and breast feeding. Oh well, BIG CONGRATULATIONS TO LINZY AND THE THOMPSONS!

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In other news, Logan had a successful court day (yay!) and I got my first morning of taking care of Elliot myself. I felt weird about leaving him sleeping in the bassinet while I showered and in the swing while I ate breakfast, but I suppose it was necessary. I played with him extra hard afterwards. I also got an app to track nursing and diapers, which I probably should have been doing from the beginning. Also, so far Baby Gas-X has been an amazing product!

Teresa came to visit Elliot and brought him some very cute clothes! She also took all those newborn diapers that we couldn’t use for one of her family members. Uncle Tom and Gabi also stopped by to see the baby and get their canoe. Now we are working on laundry between feedings.

Also, fun fact about Elliot: he hates dress-like pajamas. Every time we put him in them I end up having to hike them up to his diaper so he can move his legs freely. Aversion to cross dressing? I wonder how he will feel about kilts someday…

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