Two Month Check Up

The three of us (Elliott, Chuck, and I) went to Elliott's two month check up yesterday. I knew going in that our little, sweet boy would be getting his shots. I have been dreading this appointment from the moment I heard about it. On the one hand, I know the shots will help keep Elliott healthy; on the other hand, I was not looking forward to the pain that goes along with that. I'm pretty sure I felt just as nervous about that appointment as I did the day I went into labor! 

I was so proud of Elliott during his appointment! He is a growing boy (Weighed 11 pounds, 8 1/2 ounces and is 23 1/4 inches long). Yes, he did let out a scream that hurt me to my core when he got each shot, and the look of pain and surprise on his face after each shot almost had me in tears myself. But, he quickly calmed back down. 

He was great the rest of the day. I would have totally understood if he had screamed like a banshee after that experience and was actually trying to prepare myself for that. But, he proved me wrong. The little noises he made were more like little whimpers from being uncomfortable, and he slept most of the afternoon. I took a few pictures of our little guy and tried to spend most of the afternoon snuggling with him and being there to comfort him. I love my Elliott!

Waiting in the doctor's office to go back

One shot in this leg...

Two shots in this leg

Afternoon snuggling with Mommy

Hanging out with Daddy in the evening

Getting ready for breakfast the next morning...
Feeling good and hungry like always :)

These boys...

I love these two boys SO MUCH! Seeing them together makes me so very happy. Chuck is such a good Daddy to little Elliott and is always stepping up to help without complaint (even when Elliott is demonstrating what a good screamer he can be). I have enjoyed watching their relationship grow and was excited to witness Elliott smiling and almost giggling at the faces Chuck was making the other night. These boys of mine already have a special Daddy-Son bond forming. I am thankful I get to be on this life journey with them!
-N

The Many Faces of Elliott

So, this quickly growing boy of ours has so many different facial expressions already! I look forward to the many more that will come. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the ones I've been able to capture with the camera.
-N

This is his "pouty lip" expression. As you can see, he is pretty good at it!

11:15 pm/ 6:15 am

...That's when "Baby Elliott" (as some of the kids we have seen lately call him) ate last night/this morning! This is the longest he has ever slept at night. I thought the clock was playing some kind of joke on me when I looked at it this morning. But, sure enough, a second look revealed that I had, in fact, seen it correctly through my blurry, barely awake vision. Elliott not only slept for a good long while; he was also so sweet this morning. None of that screaming that often goes along with him having to wait for food took place in our household. He just looked at me with those big eyes and that innocent little face and waited patiently for his bottle. 

So, for the record, Baby Elliott is 9 weeks, 5 day old today and is drinking 3.75 ounces of breastmilk per feeding at about every 2 1/2-3 hours. In addition, his Mommy is feeling more like a person this morning and less like a zombie for the first time in a while. This is an occasion worth documenting in the Peek household!
-N

Baby Elliott

Tubby Time

Our little Elliott loves his tubby time! He can be screaming like the world is coming to an end. Put him in his little frog bath tub and find a contented little boy where all is right with the world. Elliott has this certain look he does whenever he is getting a bath that melts this Mommy's heart and helps her forget the previously mentioned screaming fest that took place in the bathroom floor just minutes earlier. During his tubby time, he sits there chilling and enjoying life while he looks at me with those big, expressive eyes. Although he often "thanks" me for giving him a bath by using the bathtub as a big diaper, that's ok. At least there is peace and quiet in the Peek household and a clean, little boy at the end of it all...at least for a little bit...
-N

DURING TUBBY TIME

AFTER TUBBY TIME

It's Jammie Time!

Who doesn't love holding a little baby who is wearing his jammies? If it were socially appropriate I would leave both Elliott and myself in our jammies all day! (We do, on those rare occassions, have family jammie day, and even though I am a gross, sticky, greasey version of myself all day, I sure am comfortable. Also, let's face it: Family Jammie Day equals less laundry, which is always a plus.) When Elliott wears his jammies, he is so soft and cuddly and looks so cute when he kicks his little legs. I just want to scoop him up, kiss those cheeks, and never put him down. 

I will say that the jammies with snaps are an evil joke on new Mommies. If you don't believe me, trying snapping up a gazillion snaps in the dark, in the middle of the night, when you feel so tired that even the floor looks likes a nice place to sleep (well, if you could see it.) Take it from me: stick with the zippers if at all possible!

As I type this, Elliott is in his swing wearing his "Baby Bear" jammies (Yes, we name his jammies. How else can Chuck and I communicate effectively about which jammies our little munchkin will be sporting that night?). He looks so sweet and cuddly. So, for all of you out there who don't have a wee one at your house right now to put jammies on, here are a few pics of Elliott... 
-N

NEWBORN

"Happy Dinosaur" Jammies

ONE MONTH

"Blue Elephant" Jammies

"Happy Lion" Jammies

TWO MONTHS

"Baby Bear" Jammies

"Silly Monkey" Jammies

                 THREE MONTHS ON...

             Meghan's Magic Jammies

Beginnings

Our sweet, little Elliott was born on April 22, 2014, at 10:20 pm. He was 6 pounds 10 ounces and 19 1/2 inches long. Our son arrived on his due date (He wanted to be on time like his Mommy)! Since his birth, we have been stretched as far as we thought we ever could be and then some. For someone who has always liked her sleep, I have not slept through the night since Elliott was born. For someone who likes schedules and knowing exactly what will come next, I now never know what will take place day to day, hour to hour, or even minute to minute. For someone who likes the quiet, I am either hearing crying, sweet little baby noises, baby pooting sounds, music from a playmat or other baby device, or I am humming said music if it is not playing at the moment. For someone who has always been big on being clean and maintained, I never knew I could have so much poop, pee, and spit up on myself and be ok with all of those things (most days). For someone who has never chosen to touch "gross"things, see previous sentence. Being a Mommy has totally changed my way of doing, seeing, and responding to my experiences!

Being a Mommy has proven to be way more difficult that I thought it would be! Before we were expecting, we were told that it would be challenging to be a parent and to "wait until you are ready to have a baby." I always chuckled knowingly to myself at those words of advice because I knew that I would be graced with a little angel of a baby that would coo and giggle from day one, be content to play on his/her own when Mommy needed to do something, smile and laugh contentedly during playtime, and come out knowing how to breastfeed. Pooping and peeing would be minimal (no blowouts would happen for My baby). Feedings would be right on schedule and would easily end with a contented little burp. Crying would not even be an issue except for a reason that I could easily understand and expertly address. Boy, was I in for something totally different! Don't get me wrong: I love our little Elliott! There are good things about being a Mommy (like seeing him smile at something I say, watching him explore the world with those big blue eyes, or rolling on his side for the first time). It is JUST. SO. STINKING. HARD! I've been more exhausted than I've ever been and more emotional than I ever thought possible these past few weeks. I have also been forced to be stronger and less selfish than I realized I could be.

But, things are looking up! We are getting more used to having another little human to take care of...and also more realistic (Remember those blowouts that wouldn't happen to MY baby? Well, they happen...often...and with a vengeance that no diaper can withstand). I hope to use this blog to keep up with our little guy and what he is up to- the good, the great, and the not so great happenings in our day to day lives. I might only get in a quick sentence between changing diapers, feedings, burping, preparing bottles, pumping (maybe more on that later), and trying to maintain some semblance of a clean house where people do eat adult food not prepared in a bottle and sometimes even throw on something other than a t-shirt and running shorts (what?!). There might even be grammar and punctuation errors (something this English minor would have previously cringed over), but that's the way things are in our lives right now. So, here is a peek of the Peeks...
-N