Tiny Feet

I felt teeny tiny baby flutters tonight at work for the first time!  Although this is the third time I've had a squirmy baby kicking my belly, I still think it's amazing.  I told Dave tonight that this is the last time I will feel a baby kick in my belly for the first time.  It is a little bittersweet.  I am so ready (well come September I will be ready!) to have all three of my babies in my arms.  It will be so great to have our forever family complete.  We are so blessed to have our beautiful children.  I am getting more excited by the minute to meet our third precious baby and to kiss those teeny tiny feet that are kicking away in my belly tonight. 

Checkup

Eli had his one year well child check today.  He is (finally!) a healthy little boy!  He is in the 16th percentile for his height and only the 6th for his weight (weighing 19 pounds)! 

Sorry buddy, unfortunately I think you inherited my lack of height!

Ears

Somedays I think it would be better if my children were born without ears (obviously I don't really wish this).  Not because they don't listen, but because it seems to be a breeding ground for infection for them.  At our ENT appointment the doctor told us Bree's right ear tube had fallen out.  Of course it is her right ear that only gets infected.  She came down with a cold on Sunday & now has a mild fever and is complaining of an owie ear.  We met some friends at a local play area today and my poor little girl spent much of the time laying on the floor because she didn't feel good.  And so it's off to the doctor we go again tomorrow to get that darn ear checked.  If it doesn't clear up after a round of antibiotics we will have to head back for another tube.  This feels like deja vu- it was exactly one year ago that Breena's ear battles began.  She got her first infection ever when Eli was just a week old.  Fingers crossed that this "owie ear" isn't an infection after all or that it clears up quickly with antibiotics!

Eli Turns One!!!

From the minute you were born you stole our hearts.

It is such a pleasure watching you grow into a spirited & sweet little boy.

I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, as long as I'm living my baby you'll be.

Happy 1st Birthday Precious Boy! 

All My Love,

Mommy



Eli's Birth

One year ago (from yesterday actually) I looked like this. 

I was terribly uncomfortable & large.  I got heartburn simply by looking at any spicy food.  I was excited & nervous.  I was so ready to meet my baby boy.  Eli came less than 48 hours after this photo was taken.  These are my recollections of the day Eli was born.

I woke up around 5:30am on Sunday March 14, 2010. I just wasn’t feeling quite right. I went into the bathroom & saw the first indication that Eli may be making his appearance early. Feeling kind of crampy and overwhelmed I crawled back into beds & started to cry to Dave. He was half asleep & no help consoling my mood swing and so I decided to get up. That morning my niece was to be baptized at church. I felt this strong urgency to clean my house (it was a disaster!). In my head I kept thinking to myself, “if I don’t get it done now I won’t have chance”. So there I was scrubbing my tub, floors & kitchen at 6am. I continued to get increasingly more uncomfortable and tried not to let on that I may be going into labor because I was determined to make it through the baptism. We got to church around 9am and I fidgeted awkwardly in the pew trying to find a comfortable position. I held Breena as we stood up to sing a hymn & started to feel something leaking. Dave must have seen the look on my face because he asked me what was wrong. I told him & he demanded I go to the bathroom. I got into the bathroom, sat down & heard a rush of liquid. Uh. Oh. At this point I was not thinking clearly. From the back of the church I gave Dave the signal that all was fine & waited until an appropriate moment to walk back to my seat. I still thought I could sit through the rest of the service even though my water had broken! By the time I reached Dave I knew there was no way I’d make it through & so we quickly left. That was a wise move- once we had gotten to the car I was completely soaked just like you see in the movies! Dave scrambled to find something I could sit on so I wouldn’t damage the car seats. He found me a sweatshirt & an atlas. And we sped home to pack our bags & clean our house. I called the hospital & explained I was suppose to have a repeat C-section but I didn’t want to come in until I had too. The nurse said it was okay for me to stay home for a little bit. I got some laundry done, vacuumed, finished cleaning the floors & packed Breena’s bag, At this point I was pretty uncomfortable. We dropped Bree & the dog off with my parents & headed to the hospital. Once we were admitted (around 11 or so I think) things moved pretty fast. The doctor came in to meet us & they prepped me for surgery. It seemed like it took forever for the anesthesiologist to administer the spinal block. But finally I was numb & happy I didn’t feel anymore contractions. They brought Dave in to sit next to me. At 1:15 pm Elijah David Luiken was born red faced & screaming! He was 6 pounds 15 ounces and was 19 inches long. Tiny & perfect. Up until Eli was born I had anxiety over how I could possibly love another child as much as I loved Breena. I couldn’t understand how my heart had any more room. The minute Dave placed Eli in my arms for the first time, my anxiety was gone. My heart had simply doubled. I was instantly in love with my little baby boy. I could not wait to introduce him to his big sister & the rest of our family.



Party Time!

Tomorrow is Eli's first birthday party.  I choked back tears as I decorated his cake (okay I admit I MAY be a little bit sensitive right about now).  It feels like this past year slipped through my fingers like water.  He has changed so much this past year and the last month his personality is really beginning to shine.  I am so excited for him to have a special party to celebrate his fantastic first year. 

"Beautiful, Beautiful, Beautiful, Beautiful Boy"

Manners

Breena is so polite. And I don't know where she got it from.   Today I put her hair in a ponytail like I always do.  About an hour later she came up to me and said "Thank you for my pretty pony mommy!".  So sweet!  She even says thank you when I tell her she did a good job going potty all by herself!  She hardly ever touches her food at dinner before we say our table prayer & even scolds me if I sneak a nibble of something first.  She tells the dog 'excuse me' if she bumps into her in the hallway.  She takes turns with her friends at school and even takes on the role as the delegator turning the toy from friend to friend.  She makes me so proud.  I am glad this is second nature for her at such a young age; but I definately cannot take credit for this one!