Eli Thursday

14 weeks

Eli loves to be where the action is, even when it is something as thrilling as doing the laundry, and he is even happier when he is in his bumbo where he can see what's going on. He looks so big sitting up like that! 

Also, this picture shows you how much hair he has, which isn't much more than a little strawberry-blonde peach fuzz. I love my bald little buddy.

Memorial Day

Now that we have Eli, Dallin and I spend our weekends and holidays doing different stuff than usual. In other words, spontaneous road trips and canyoneering adventures don't happen for the time being, at least not for me and Eli. So this Memorial Day, we took a little trip to a nearby creek with Dallin's brother and his wife and son. 

Our little trip reminded me how thankful I am to live in such a beautiful place. 

I love being outside. I'm happiest with dirt under my toes, sky over my head, and trees all around. 

And a pretty little mountain stream makes it even better!

We dipped Eli's toes in, but he wasn't a big fan of the cold creek water. No sir.

But cousin Levi sure didn't share Eli's opinion, as you can see. :)

Although Eli may not have wanted anything to do with the creek, he did enjoy taking a break from his brace, being snuggled by Dallin and me, and chewing on his fists.

Have I mentioned what a cute daddy Dallin is? 

I think Eli likes him too.

It was a really nice, relaxing way to spend the afternoon. I can't wait until Eli and Levi are big enough to play in the creek together. Actually, I can wait. My baby is getting too big already!

Also, I just have to say I'm really thankful to be an American. Even though I may not be particularly happy with everything going on politically, I'm so thankful for the freedoms we have because of the sacrifices others have made to make the life I live possible. I know I take it for granted too often. 

Grandma Carmen

We made a quick stop to see Dallin's grandma Carmen today.

She loved holding Eli (who she called Snicklefritz and Toady... haha!), especially since he's bigger and more squeezable now than when she saw him last. 

It was so cute to see Eli smile and chat with her when she smiled and chatted with him. He's a little sweetheart. 

I'm really glad we get to see her often. She's a spunky lady with a lot of great stories to tell, and she's always so happy to see us. We try to stop by whenever we're in town. Even though Eli probably won't remember her well, if he does at all, I'm glad I'll have some pictures to show him when he is older. 

Eli Thursday

13 weeks

Unless it's been a rough night, Eli usually sleeps in his bouncer or crib in our room, but I often can't resist pulling him into bed when he wakes up to eat around 5:00-6:00am. He's so sweet and snuggly. He falls asleep after eating, and when he starts waking up an hour or two later I say, "Good morning, little Eli!" and he always gives me a big, gummy smile like he is just so happy to see me. I know mornings won't be as peaceful as this forever, but I'm soaking it up while it lasts.

I'm on Etsy!

Well, it took me longer than I expected, but I finally opened up my Etsy shop! I posted this tutorial on a whim one day and it ended up getting more attention via Pinterest than I anticipated, so I decided to try my hand at selling some of them. Feel free to check it out here! I also have a Facebook page you can check out here. I'll be adding more listings when I get a chance (having a baby, especially a sick one, makes things take much longer) so keep an eye out!. If you have any suggestions of ways I could improve my shop or items you might like to see feel free to let me know!

Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy

The weather yesterday was too beautiful to stay inside, so we grabbed some Subway and headed to the park for a little picnic. I brought my camera along to practice on my two favorite subjects.

They are pretty cute, both of them, if I do say so myself.

Eli loves to be outside! If he is fussy, which luckily isn't too often, a quick walk to the mailbox and back will usually cheer him up. 

I'm usually on the other side of the camera, but I'm trying to remember to have someone take pictures of me too, especially with this sweet little man that is growing so fast. 

Dallin can't wait for Eli to be less of a blob and more of a buddy. Often I'll catch him hugging and kissing him and saying, "You're gonna like me someday! We're going to be best friends!" I guess it won't be long before Eli becomes daddy's boy... although I still have the advantage since Eli looooves his food and food = mama. Muahahaha.

Somewhere around the time Eli turned two months old something magical happened and I finally got out of survival mode. As much as I loved his newborn stages, it's nice to feel a little more human and to be sleeping longer than 2 hour stretches (most nights, at least!). It's a lot easier to enjoy all the happy moments (and tolerate the challenging ones) when I'm not in zombie mode, that's for sure. And I'm really thankful that zombie mode hasn't  been finding me as much during the day. Yippee!

Eli Thursday

12 weeks

For some reason, Eli loves it when Dallin holds him like this. LOVES it. This little trick really comes in handy when he is grouchy, and even though he is generally a happy baby he certainly has his moments, especially this week since he (and I) have been a bit sick. 

Feliz Dia de las Madres and all that jazz

So... I started writing a grumpy post about how I felt this Mother's Day, but instead of posting it I think I'll just share the link to this article and focus on happiness instead.

Even though it's easy to feel inadequate and overwhelmed, at least I know I'm doing my best and that no one could love him more than I do. I'm so thankful to be this cute baby's mama, even with the rough days and long nights, and I know he is worth it. I love his little baby body that is gaining new rolls every day, his drooling smiles, and his belly button that reminds me of a cinnamon roll. I love seeing him passed out in a milk coma after I feed him, and hearing his quick little breaths in my ear when I burp him. I love that baby smell, his soft little red hairs, his wide eyes, and how much he reminds me of his daddy.

He is the sweetest little thing and I love him even more than cookies or pizza. That's saying something, folks. ;)

Real Life

Oh, the glamour of motherhood.

I'm typing this while frantically rocking Eli's bouncer with my foot in hopes that he will finally (FINALLY) take a nap longer than five minutes this morning. I don't think he appreciates it very much since he's giving me an exceedingly dirty look. Wait, let me get a picture of it...

Oh yeah. Check out that face. Somebody is just oozing sunshine and butterflies this morning, aren't they?

I know he must be exhausted. The dear child woke up more than a few times last night, probably to make up for sleeping so well this week. And yet he insists on fighting tooth gum and nail to stay awake. Silly, silly boy.

It's mornings like this when I'm torn between two strong emotions. On one hand, I think to myself, "There are so many things I would rather be doing right now than have a grumpy baby kicking me with his brace while he cries in my ear."

Yet, on the other hand, I can't help but know that there is nothing I could do that is more important than to comfort the sweet little babe I've been given. And when I hear his tiny sigh of relief once I successfully help him calm down, I know that this job, difficult as it might be, is more fulfilling and sweet than anything else in the world.

And even though I haven't been able to shower in longer than I'd care to admit, and my half-eaten bowl of cereal I was never able to finish is almost certainly sludge by now, and I'll have to re-wash the load of laundry I realized I never did dry last night (dang it!), and I'm beginning to feel like I haven't slept in years, I'm so thankful to be this tiny little man's mama. He is worth it, 100%, and I love him more than I can explain.

And look! He even slept long enough for me to write this.

If he stays asleep for a few minutes, maybe I'll go do something crazy like, I don't know... take a shower or something. I know, I know. What can I say? I'm a wild child.

Peace out.

Eli Thursday

11 weeks

 Yesterday, Eli got his last (!!!) cast taken off. Yippee! He traded it in for a fancy schmancy new brace which he gets to take off for an hour every day. He kicked those little legs of his the whole hour like there was no tomorrow. I think he likes this change a lot. I sure do!

Plus, as I mentioned on instagram, he looks like an itty bitty snowboarder now and that makes me happy. :)

Blessing Day

Little Eli's baby blessing was yesterday!

We packed our little Spanish branch full of family and friends who came for the occasion.

And little Eli James looked quite dapper in his (nontraditional) blessing outfit. 

The blessing went perfectly. Eli fussed a bit at first but then fell asleep. 

A sweet lady from our ward made him this white blanket that we wrapped him in for the blessing.

If you can't tell, he wasn't too pleased about being woken up for pictures. ;)

I'm so thankful for my little family. Becoming a mom has been quite an adjustment in some ways, but these handsome boys make me oh so happy. I think I'll keep them!

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P.S. If you are unfamiliar with baby blessings, here is a quick explanation that I found here:

"When babies are just a few weeks old, they are usually given a priesthood blessing for the special purpose of conferring a name by which the baby will be known and bestowing promises based on spiritual impressions regarding the baby's future life. A quality of prophecy attends this process. If a baby's father is a worthy holder of the Melchizedek Priesthood, he will usually pronounce the blessing, but it may be given by a grandfather, a family friend, or any other qualified priesthood holder chosen by the baby's parents. Babies are usually blessed in the presence of the congregation at a fast and testimony meeting. However, the blessing may be given at other times and places, such as in a hospital or home, if there is a special need."

Eli Thursday

10 weeks

Because I am a crazy person, I started a painting project this week... with a 2-month-old baby in tow. Thankfully, Eli was pretty patient and happily chatted with me while chilling in his bouncer as I worked.

Still, no matter how patient you are, there comes a time when enough is enough. The poor fellow is starving to death (for the umpteenth time that day) and what do I do? Grab the camera, of course. 

Mother of the year? That would be me. ;)