shhh! and other exclamations

My friend Chelsea and I were talking about kids sleeping and she told me that technically "sleeping through the night" is something like 5 or 6 hours straight. I don't think that really counts but still I'd happily take 5 hours of sleep. And then...dun dun dun... Eli slept through the night. I'm talking about a whole liva'long night. 9 hours baby! Of course, I was up at the regular times. I woke up automatically, checked on the babe, wandered around the house for a bit, and then went back to bed a couple of times. This morning we got up, had a hot breakfast, and Mason had a bath. All before Eli stirred. This is where my superstitious side kicks in. Maybe if I do exactly what I did yesterday he'll sleep like that again. Maybe it was the lack of bath (I made bread instead). Maybe it was those pajamas. Maybe it was... just a random anomaly.

Awwww! Eli has an increased awareness this week. He goes through periods of time throughout the day where he interacts so much. He will smile and half-laugh and respond to us. His mannerisms remind me of the baby dinosaurs on Land Before Time. We've had fun capturing little videos of his charming interactions and sending them to family.

Ugh! Eli has had some bottles of formula lately to top him off while I recover from being really sick. My body went through the ringer and is not yet back to normal. In the meantime Eli is a hungry growing boy. He really seems to love the ease of bottles and gets a funny pleased-with-himself expression when his tummy is full after so little effort. On the downside, I do not like the smell of formula at all. But I am grateful to have it.

two months

Eli is two months old (9 weeks and a day to be precise). We went to the doctor for a check up. Everything looks normal. He is 10.5 lbs & 23.5 inches long, in other words tall and skinny. As far as percentiles go, I just figure he's 100% perfect.There are a couple outfits that are fitting quite snug since he's so long. It's crazy to think he's already outgrowing clothes.

Swaddled up, all warm and cozy.

He's been cooing a lot lately, although it's more of a "haw-oooo". When Eli sneezes, which is usually twice, he makes a cute little "oh" sound after each one. Mason used to do that too. Maybe all babies do.

Mason said "he looks scared, like this!" and made that face.

Church clothes and the common "pull up" pose.

I love the things babies do with their hands. I like to pretend those gestures are the same as adult motions. A fist on the chin becomes a thoughtful pose. A hand softly placed on mine could be a loving motion of reassurance. When he's all fed and changed he stretches out and pumps a fist up in the air, like a celebratory Yes! This Rocks!

When Eli nurses he often grabs onto my finger and grips it rhythmically for several seconds and then just holds on tight. If he feels like he's not getting enough he'll wriggle his whole body back and forth starting with his shoulders but with that same surprising even tempo.

Eli likes to be held facing down with a hand putting pressure on his stomach. He likes to hang out on the changing table and will chill there contentedly after a diaper change for a while before coming to and calling out for some company.

Birth Story Part 3: Eli's story

(I've decided at long last to put the experience into my own words. Then I realized it might not be appropriate for this blog, which is going to be printed and become Eli's baby book. I'll keep my details on my own record and will post it soon on my site. This is the G rated version)

Early in the morning on December 16th, my older brother Mason woke my mom up. When she went back to bed she didn't feel well. She kept waking up until after 3am when she decided to get up and take a bath. She thought she was having false contractions. By the time she got in the bath she really wasn't feeling well. After she got in she quickly realized that she was in REAL labor and in REAL pain. I was coming quickly. My parents started getting ready to drop off my big brother at Grandma's and go to the hospital. In just a few minutes the car was loaded and it was time to get going. Dad helped Mom stand up and she said "Change in plans. The baby is coming now. Call an ambulance. Go get Mason out of the car. I need some towels." My dad ran fast but by the time he came back in the house, I was here. My mom delivered me all alone. The cord was around my neck and I didn't cry a lot so they were pretty worried. Some police officers came and helped my brother stop crying. Then the medical help arrived. My first car ride was in an ambulance. My doctors and nurses thought it was a pretty good story and teased my mom and dad about having me at home. I was in a big hurry to get here but everything ended up just fine!

ssssstretch

I could write a whole essay about Eli and how endearing his stretches are. I love how he points his toes, arches his back, pulls his shoulders up to his chin and sssssstretches his arms up as far as they go (only to the top of his cute little ears).

But today we're excited about the stretch last night. He finally broke the cycle of getting up every 3 hours. He's like Old Faithful. Seriously, you can tell the time by his behavior. Usually he's wakes up with in 3-5 minutes of the hour to eat. Only once at night does he go four hours. A typical "meal" schedule is 7am, 10am, 1am, 4pm, 7pm, 9pm (because I MAKE him), 1am, 4am REPEAT.
Last night it went: 9pm...wait for it ...wait for it... 3AM!!! He slept from about 1opm on.

This is huge. This is amazing. This is not likely to be the norm so I enjoyed every extra minute of sleep.
Okay, half enjoyed. There's always that little nervous feeling that makes my heart flutter as I wonder why isn't he up and crying?

six weeks

Elijah spent this milestone feeling pretty sick. We were getting concerned that it was RSV but last night was better and so hopefully he's on his way to full health.

Eli Trivia:

His eyes are blue.
His hair is crazy.
He loves riding around in a sling.
He sleeps propped up or else he soaks his clothes with spit up.
His days and nights are still a bit mixed up. He takes wonderful day time naps and can hardly stay asleep at night. But it's getting better.
He likes low soulful songs.
He loves to suck and suck and suck. He'd spend all day with a pacifier in his mouth if we let him. His fist is a good substitute.
We don't call him Elijah. We've saving it for his mischievous days.
He gets stark raving mad when we suction his nose. See picture below.



This can be his official 6 week picture. Ironically it does not look like him much. He was on his stomach on my legs and refused to put his head down and relax. Holding his own head up like this really changes his appearance.

Birth Story Part 2: The 911 Call

This is a long one: We requested the call recording from dispatch and just got it in the mail today. It's about 7 minutes long. Jason dialed on the way outside to get Mason out of the car and bring him back inside. I think readers can tell exactly at what point he walked back into the bedroom where I was. Listening to this the first few times made me cry. Then laugh. Now I think I may *almost* be ready to write my version of the event.

Normal type is the dispatchers dialog and the bold print is Jason's. (I left out a lot of the "okay"s. I went back and counted and between the two of them there were something like 105.)

911 What’s the address of your emergency?(Gives address) Is there an apartment number? No, it’s a house. My wife …ha…is going into labor.  She’s going into labor? Yeah. Okay. Mumble. Oh go ahead? This is in Cedar City correct? Yeah. Okay what’s your phone number real quick? Uh, #### Okay that verifies. Okay let me get some information okay? Okay.  (baby crying sound) Has she already had the baby?! No, no this is our other one. Okay, how old is your wife? Uh, 26. Okay. Is she awake?  Yeah.  Is she breathing? Yeah (Mason crying continues) She said the baby’s crowned. She said the baby’s crowned? Okay How many weeks/months pregnant is she? She’s…Her due date is this week.  It’s this week? Can you see or feel or touch a – He’s here! He’s here! We need someone right away. Okay. Okay you say your wife says she crowning. OHHHHH! He’s here he’s here. He’s- Okay Sir? Sir? Yeah. Yeah. Sir? Is it coming out right now? He’s lying on my floor!  The baby’s on the floor?! Yeah. Okay Okay. Can you… Okay just calm down sir. Ok I’m going to get the ambulance right out there okay? Ok, The door is unlocked.  Just hold it.  What can I, what should I be doing?  (To Ash) What should I be doing? (Ash: I need the bulb suction)  Um where? Mason come here. Mason come in. Can you stay right here bud? (Ash: It’s okay)  

 Sir? Sir? Okay I’m going to tell you what to do. I’ve got the ambulance enroute. I’ve got officers enroute.  This is what I want you to do okay? The baby is out? How is your wife doing? Is she? She’s doing good (laughing). Okay I want you to get a towel.  Okay, we’ve got a towel. Wrap the baby in the towel.  Wrap him in the towel Ash.  This is what I…The baby is out. Your wife and the baby are both laying on the floor right? She’s kneeling beside him sucking his nose with… Is the baby breathing? He’s kinda whimpering, yeah.  Get some dry towels and a blanket to wrap the baby in.  K, Ash. Can you…or should I..We just need to wrap the baby up. Keep him…(Big sigh)… How’s your wife doing? How’s the baby doing? She’s doing good, he’s kind of whimpering. 

You need to get a string or a shoelace to tie around the umbilical cord.  You need to tie a shoelace around his umbilical cord, does it have to be... Just something…K how’s the baby? Is he crying or breathing at all? He’s not…Ash is he… He’s not breathing? He’s not crying. He’s not crying. But he’s breathing? Is he breathing? He’s breathing a little bit, yeah. Just have your wife gently wipe off the baby’s mouth and nose.  Gently wipe his mouth and nose.  Okay? Um, holy cow I don’t know.  Ok sir? Yeah?  Your wife’s kinda got it under control? Yeah, she’s… You just make sure she’s got a clean towel she can wrap the baby in and a clean blanket.  Okay. And then how’s the ...(crying) Is that the baby crying? No that’s … That’s the other baby?  That’s the other one.  Ok. Just have your wife dry the baby off with a clean towel. And you help her, okay? Then you wrap the baby up. Is your wife holding the baby in her arms already? No she’s lying on the ground doing towels.  Okay. Without pulling the cord tight I want you to put the baby in the mother’s arms or on her belly, whatever is comfortable. Make sure the cords not wrapped around the baby’s neck. Is it? ...Yeah it’s not around his neck. Be sure to keep the baby and your wife warm. Get a blanket for both of them. Keep them warm. Now listen carefully. I’m going to tell you what to do next. Okay.  Do you have a string? Do you have any dental floss? A shoestring? I have…What would be best? Whatever you have. Do you have a shoestring? Yeah I’ve got…I can take one out real quick.  Okay, just take one out. Okay do you have one? Okay just relax. Are the baby and the wife doing alright? Hello? (Call is dropped when Jason drops his phone)  

Sorry. My phone… Did you get the shoelace out? I’m trying to get one out. Does it matter if it’s dirty? Nope, just whatever you have.  K, here’s a string. Is there any way you can tie… Dispatcher to officers: She’s full term and the baby’s out. They are breathing. He’s crying a little bit. Okay sir. Without pulling on the cord I want you tie the string or shoelace tightly around the umbilical cord about six inches from the baby, ok. Don’t cut the umbilical cord just tie it. Can you tie it six inches? From the baby and don’t pull on it. How tight? Just tight.  Tie it tight or not tight? Just tie it tight.  Okay. Do you have it done now? Yeah.  Just keep your wife and your baby…just keep the baby on the tummy. Can you put him on your stomach? Keep him warm. I should have some officers there. What’s that? There should be some officers there. Can someone let the officers in the house? Yeah, it’s open. Let me… They have medical training. They’re going to help you until the ambulance gets there. Yeah they’re here. I’m going to let you go then sir. Okay. Congratulations. Bye Bye.  Bye.

baby is sick

Eli is a little sick so I'm a little tired. I'd rather stay up all night holding him than worry that he's having a rough time.
Actually I'd rather stay up all night holding him just for the heck of it.

firsts

It's crazy to think that I'll ever be writing about Eli's first steps or first words. His "firsts" right now are so little but they seem so big.

These are the jammies Eli wore home from the hospital. The size is newborn but they still swamped him at the time. Now they fit! He is five weeks old and there are a couple of the smaller newborn outfits that are getting a bit snug. This is a huge relief to me since I worry about him eating enough and gaining weight. We'll have billions of normal faced expressions so I thought I'd include some funny grimaces.

He's flashing West Side in the last pic

Another first, I took both boys shopping. At a store! Full of germs and people! and by myself! They did just fine. Question...if you put the car seat in the back and the toddler in the front, where in the world do you put the groceries?!

We also went to church last week. I'll admit I was so nervous I was about to throw up the whole morning. I really don't know why. I'm very chill and easy going compared to baby #1. But I was worried about people and sickness and the cold weather and nursing and a bunch of other things that were pretty irrational. My cousin Misty was even there to help. I was sure I'd last 15 minutes before bailing but we made and once again... it was just fine.



Well I'm typing this while *covered* in spit up from shoulder to waist. Eli had his very first mommy-soaking spit up and very first diaper blow out within 3 minutes. He must be feeling better now:)
I think I'll hit the shower.

beautiful baby

Babies are beautiful. Lately it seems that all the little babies I've seen are of the angelic variety. You see their big eyes and round cheeks and can't help but think of butterflies, bubbles, puffy clouds and sugar cookies. They are so smiley and cherubic.

I don't have those kind of babies. I thought it was just Mason but Eli is a second example of the type of babies I have. They are absolutely beautiful, but the adjectives used to describe them come from a different section of the thesaurus. They look like little old men. Wizened, observant, shrewd, contemplative, and judicious. It can be startling to glance at your tiny baby and see that they are staring back at you with such intensity. It's as if he's trying to tell me something extremely important and I need to pay attention.

Eli is so expressive. He has his share of lovely smiles and content expressions. But it's a bit rough on my confidence as a mother that he also has a look of skepticism that frequents his face. I love the silent moments we share as we gaze into each others' eyes. I'm wondering who he'll become and yearning to know everything about him. He looks back and in his eyes I see absolute love and acceptance. He knows everything about me and is willing to teach me what God needs me to learn.

Jason to Mason "Tell your mom she makes pretty babies."

inside out

As uncomfortable as it was, I got used to having that big belly. It's really strange now to have it gone. The area right below my ribs seems the emptiest. It's all caved in and hollow. Eli is such a wiggly kid, was then, is now. Now all the pokes and jabs come from the outside.

There have been a few moments where I have the same baby-kickin-in-my-baby feeling.
The first was on Saturday. We went for a walk. Mason was in the stroller and Eli was in a sling. My friend has my favorite one so I used what I call my Baby Origami Wrap. It looks like this:

Source: wrapyourbaby.com

and you have to have a PHD or three arms to properly wrap/twist/tuck/and tie it up. I don't have either so I did my own little version and hit the road. As I was walking along I naturally dropped my free hand onto the baby's back which was bundled up on my torso. It felt just like being pregnant again (minus the lovely waddle).

Again I had that same strange feeling last night. When Eli fusses at night we found that sometimes all he needs is the weight of a hand on his chest to calm him down and send him back to dreamland. I reached over from my bed into his bassinet and put my hand on our swaddled up bundle of joy boy. He was squirming and suddenly those movements through the blanket felt all too familiar. Like... inside out-ish. 

shoulda named him Harry

Or Hairy rather.
Eli has more hair on his shoulders than most babies have on their heads. When he was first born his eye brows kept going up his forehead into his hair line. Our little monkey indeed.


When his hair is wet it goes into tiny curls.
As it dries, and as admirers stroke his head, it just goes wild- poking up all over.
He'll probably rub most of it off but hopefully we'll get to keep the mullet.
It's already over an inch long and it's thick!
Eli's Tennessee Mudflap would make MacGyver proud.

strength, squints, and smiles

Eli is two and a half weeks old. Here are some of the things I've fallen in love with.

He is so strong for such a scrawny little boy. He tries to hold up his head and check out this crazy world. Sometimes when he's ready to eat he gets so excited that he beats me up pretty good with his upper cuts and jabs. Eli likes to hold on to my finger and his grip is astonishing. Even his doctor remarked at his skinny/strong legs. Changing his diaper or clothes is a bit challenging. It seems concerning to have to hold a baby's legs so tightly, but if we don't get a good grip he's likely to jump away and run for the door naked.

When Eli was born one of the first things I noticed about him was this cute little fold on his nose. As he gets older it's less prominant but still when he squishes up his face to cry it makes a long line across his whole face from eye to eye. Then I say "don't be sad little Squints. You won't always look so silly" and he cries some more.

People say babies this young can't smile, or that those expressions are gas or whatever. I agree that Eli isn't smiling at me just yet, but boy, he's certainly smiling at something. He has smirks, huge gummy grins, and soft pleased expressions. He does them when he's awake, asleep, burping, and bathing. I really enjoy his happy little face. Can't get enough of it.

first real bath

I love bathing babies. I have been so tempted to dunk Eli for days now. His cord is all better now so he can officially graduate from sponge baths to the tub. Of couse Mason wanted in on the action. When Mason was a newborn we found the bath and the noise of running water would calm him when nothing else worked. Our trick to helping the babies feel secure in the water is to swaddle them tightly and put the whole bundle in the water. As they get comfortable and accustomed to the sensation we slowly remove the blanket. If they get cold or insecure, pulling the blanket over their torso does the trick.

like father like son

Birth Story: From across the street

{creative liberties taken}

Linda was awake. Once again she just couldn't sleep. In typical Linda fashion she made the most of her extra night time hours, she was cleaning. Her chore of choice this early Thursday morning was dusting. It took a little longer with all of the Christmas decorations on many surfaces.

She was the first to notice there was something amiss in the normally quiet neighborhood. Right before four she saw lights come on across the street. The young father living there ran out in the rainy weather and started the car. Then he came out carrying his toddler and some bags and returned to the house. Moments later he ran back out and took the crying child back in.

Linda did not have long to analyze what she'd seen, for within minutes the dark street erupted in flashing lights and vehicles. First, policemen. Next, paramedics in a first response vehicle. Then, a couple in a jeep who Linda recognized as relatives. Finally, the wail of sirens was heard and an ambulance arrived.

Her curiosity couldn't be contained. She threw on a jacket and crossed the street. She approached the officers near the porch. Despite her manners and benign questions, she was only told "I'm sorry ma'am. We can't say."

to the world

There is a lot to be said about Eli and his amazing story. But I'm tired. And since a picture is worth a thousand words...

Announcing...

Elijah Parker Starr was born into his astonished mother's hands on December 16th at 4:10am at home. He was shortly introduced to his startled father Jason, big brother Mason, shocked policemen,  skilled paramedics, excited grandparents, and eventually an ambulance crew.

Eli weighs 8 lbs and is 19 inches long. We are overwhelmed at his entrance to this world and feel so blessed to have a happy healthy baby.

dear mary, I'm sorry

Today I was thinking about the reason we have Christmas and all that Christ did for me. I started to think of his mother, Mary, and how difficult it must have been for her to bring him into this world under such humble conditions. I was filled with guilt as I reviewed all of my modern comforts and conveniences. I have my medical professionals, family, and friends on stand by. I pretty much know how and where I will be delivering my child. Goodness, I complain of discomfort! Imagine traveling over 100 miles on foot or on a donkey! So Mary, I'm sorry. And, of course, thank you.

compare and contrast

I know that I shouldn't compare my kids... so I'll compare pregnancies! I've been noticing some little differences. It's almost like this is a whole new boy or something.

With my first I lost a lot of weight before I gained any. 

With the second I only lost a few pounds and feel a lot bigger.

I would get crazy bad leg cramps with Mason at night. 

Occasionally my foot will get a charlie horse, but it's heartburn that bothers me this time around. 

Mason had a sweet spot on my right rib that he would attack with his feet. It was always tender and sore. 

Lucky is a little less intense but always seems to be squirming. He does do barrel rolls when I least expect it.

I used to get dizzy in the shower with the first. 

I am addicted to baths and soaking my joints lately.

My feet would swell a bit at night and it felt really strange to get out of bed in the morning with tight toes. 

I get up every night between 3-4am STARVING. Bread and jam and back to bed.