Freeze Time

I sure wish I could create a machine that would make time slow down. Eli will be 6 months old on Sunday and I'm a bit emotional about it...I'm gonna be a blubbering basket-case when he turns 1!!! I sure love the stage he is right now....he laughs at everything I say, he babbles and talks to his animal friends all the time, he beams with delight when it's bath time, he loves to cuddle, still not a big napper, likes to roll over A LOT, his  jumper is his new best friend, and he has a new love - solid foods! So far we've tried rice cereal, carrots, and squash. Up next - green beans then bananas. I've been making his food which I really enjoy! He's growing so fast but I'm trying to savor every minute!!

Last year at this time I was just getting over my morning sickness and finally starting to eat food...crazy how that seems so long ago and so brief when in those weeks I felt like they lasted forever! Easy to say. Is that it was totally worth it!! Sure am grateful God chose to give us a beautiful, healthy baby boy! Can't imagine my life without him! Of course there are things I miss from time to time, mainly sleep and weekly date nights, but I wouldn't trade this stage of life for the world! Yes the house is messy with paci's in every corner blankets and bibs on the couch but i like it this way! Nothing better than being a mommy to my precious Eli!

1 Samuel 1:27

Top 5....

Top 5 things this week (and its only Wednesday - might have to change it to top 10 by Saturday but gotta blog when I have the time)....

1. Despite having shingles and not feeling too great I LOVED going on a quick date with my hubby to one of our favorite restaurants - LongHorn!
Its pretty special to us since thats where we had our first date.  It was kinda nice to be able to put on make up and do my hair instead of the normal tshirt with spit-up on it :) We grabbed dinner then went to Best Buy - one of Steveo's favorites.  It was a quick date but a much needed and fun one! Love spending time with him!

2. Little man is starting to sit up by himself - just another sign he is growing up WAY too fast!! I have to say he looks so cute playing with his toys from the sitting position now! What a big boy he is!

3. Its premier week on TV which means all the shows that Steve and I have seen advertised for weeks are finally coming on!  We only have one channel so we've seen the same commercials over and over and over! Let's just say we're glad its premier week! (and I love DWTS!!)

4. Feeding Eli cereal has become one of my new favorite times of the day - besides bath time of course!  He is so stinkin' cute and LOVES eating!  I will post a video and picture soon!  Its way too cute not to share with the world! Yeah, yeah I'm biased but seriously he's cute!

5. My mom came to visit this week (since they now live in Mississippi).  Its been so nice to have some company and Eli loves his "Nae-Nae".  She also has taken care of laundry and dishes while I have shingles - I sure love when the laundry fairy visits - she's awesome!!

Flying By...

I have never in my life experienced moments flying by so fast as these last few months and weeks have gone.  I seriously still can't believe its September, and just when I wrap my head around that, I'll turn around and it'll be October and my sweet baby boy will be a 1/2 a year old.  Please, please someone tell me how to slow down the clock!
Everyday I am incredibly grateful that God decided to bless us with a sweet baby - sometimes I'm still in shock that is real.  I couldn't love him any more!  He is such a blessing to me and his daddy.  Some people might think our life is boring, the same routine day after day with the biggest excitement being our family trips to walmart or our  family dinners at the table when we ALL (even Eli) are on the same dinner schedule.  But its what we've both always wanted and what we all love!! There really is nothing better than being a family!  I am so blessed!
Here's a quick peek into our daily routine although not everyday is this perfectly planned and of course with a baby not everything goes according to schedule (which drives this mommy crazy but I'm adjusting).  Especially this week - I have shingles so my mom is here helping us out a day or two but MOST Mondays go as follows:
7:20 (on the dot) - I wake up to the sounds of a little boy talking to himself in his crib and occasionally in our bed if he wakes up a few minutes before and mommy just needs 5 more minutes!
After a little talking and lots of smiles we changed a super wet diaper (since Eli sleeps through the night) and off to breakfast - a little milk followed by cereal (which he just started and LOVES) Eli likes to swing while Mommy eats her breakfast.  Then we play a little on our mat and a few diaper changes here and there.
Before we know it, its morning nap time which usually involves a little cuddling and some napping from mommy every now and then when there's not as much cleaning to be done (which is never but sometimes it can be procrastinated).
By 11:30 Eli is ready for a nice lunch. Soon after Eli eats Daddy comes home for lunch -  we are so blessed that Steve can come have lunch with us and play with Eli for a few minutes!  Its the highlight of our day!
1:15 - afternoon nap! Nap is followed by a snack and lots of play time as we await daddy coming home from work.
Eli takes a quick cat nap while mommy fixes dinner then we all eat - I love having Eli in his high chair with us as we eat dinner - so much fun!
The evening consist of Mommy and Daddy discussing the day as little man plays but of course most nights we are all on the floor playing together.  Its not much of an evening before its bath time - we might as well all get in our swimsuits cause little man LOVES to kick and I usually end up SOAKED from head to toe!  PJ's on, goodnight kisses, and a bedtime snack, a few cuddles (ok a lot of cuddles) then its off to bed and Mommy and Daddy debrief and prep for the next day.
Our life is pretty schedule of course there are PLENTY of days things dont' go according to this plan but our life is still WONDERFUL!  I am SO blessed and LOVE LOVE LOVE being a mommy!! Nothing is the world is better other than being a wifey to a wonderful hubby! :)
But somehow our days seem to go faster and faster!  I can't believe how big Eli is getting...
-He's eating cereal now
-He's sleeping though the night (has been since 3 1/2 months)
-He's rolling over
-He's laughing
-He's talking (baby version of course)
-He's almost sitting up
-He's grabbing toys
I mean the list goes on and on - seems like just yesterday all he was doing was sleeping and pooping haha now our days are full of smiles and laughter and I love it - just wish things would slow down a little!

Much needed update....

Well I am WAY behind on blogging (due to my crazy Samford email having issues, not to mention having a baby :). But I want to catch up so I can look back and remember all these sweet details...let's start with May and I'll try to make it quick...
May...
May consisted of very little sleep for me and my awesome hubby who helped me at night with little man. So with the lack of sleep May is a bit of a blur. But I got to celebrate my first mothers day. Last year I remember worrying about never being able to have kids after receiving my ovary condition so this year was extra special. Steve made me breakfast in bed and him (and Eli) bought me lots of cards (my fav) and a new camera. :) my dad bought me beautiful pink flowers for my first mommy day! Plus my grandparents came in town so it made for a very special weekend!!
Towards the end of May, my sister-in-law came in town for a few days. She cleaned our kitchen, organized our pantry and took the late night shift with Eli. Plus it was nice to have some adult conversation while Steve was at work!
Eli developed a LOVE for bath time but not so much with tummy time. He started sleeping in his crib and did great....still waking up about 3 times but normally sleeps til 9ish so its almost like I got to sleep in haha!
June...
June was eventful. Eli slept through the night right before his 2 month shots but it only got our hopes up...didn't happen again for a while.  But he was SO brave for his shots...I think it was harder on mommy and daddy! He didn't get any fever and wasn't cranky either! Such a good baby! We also had VBS which was a lot of fun. My mom came in town and kept Eli for 2 nights but the other 3 I loaded him in my bjourn and off we went. Steve also took the youth to World Changers in Alabama and we went to stay at my parents where both me and Eli got spoiled!! :)  But it was really nice when our family was back together again!
Eli started really smiling and even gave NaeNae a laugh.  He started to do a little better with tummy time and stretched his eating to every 3 hours and only 2-3 times at night. He also rolled over for the 1st time...what a strong boy!!! He's so smart too and has started grabbing at his toys.
July...
We went on our first family vacation to the beach. It was a ton of fun! Eli met more of my family and even slept through the night one night while we were there. Sadly he got his first cold which was no fun but he was a trooper!
He's become a pro at tummy time and has rolled over a few times. He still grabs on to all his toys and loves to talk to then (especially Freddie the frog on his swing) He is not a drooling champ and tries to put everything in his mouth. He started taking a paci (just at nap and night) and started sleeping through the night on a consistent basis :)
NaeNae and Papa kept him for mommy and daddy to go on our anniversary date which was really nice! We went to LongHorn which was where we had our very first date! :)
August...
Time is flying by! We just had Eli's 4 month check up. He weights 16 pounds, 7 ounces (more than double his birth weight)  He's learned how to roll from his back to his belly now so we really have to keep our eyes on him!  He LOVES to talk and play with daddy.  He enjoys snuggling with  mommy but I'm pretty sure he's a complete daddy's boy! 
I'm still loving every minute of being a mommy...it's better than anything I dreamed and Eli is the sweetest baby in the world. He greets me each morning with a huge smile and loves to snuggle.
He's still sleeping through the night about 10 hours....he wakes up some but mommy just gives him his paci and he normally falls back asleep. Of course mr paci sometimes falls out which results in mommy scanning the crib in the dark for a clean paci. I put about 3 in there now so we always have one ready! Hes still not a great napper but im just glad he sleeps at night....what a blessing!!!
I am thankful everyday for this blessing God has given us! He is such a gift and joy to our lives. I couldn't have dreamed of a cuter or happier baby!!
No one can fathom the love of a mommy until you become one....it's incredible! Thank you Lord for choosing me to be Eli's mommy and letting me stay at home (for now) to teach him and love him! Help me to show him Jesus everyday!

Introducing Eli David Short

I can't believe that our little bundle of joy has arrived!! He is absolutely PERFECT!  We are almost at the 1 month mark so its about time I record his birth story before the lack of sleep catches up to me and I forget :)

Let's start with Wednesday, April 12th....my mom drove up to help me do a deep clean of the house before our induction that was schedule for the 20th.  But after she left I began feeling terrible.  I got a terrible belly ache and my sinuses when crazy!  I ended up missing church and was in bed all day Thursday thinking I had strep throat.  I had to go to the lab to get some test run but praise the Lord I didn't have strep.  Steve took off Friday to nurse me back to help.  We ended up renting some movies and enjoying the day in our PJ's...looking back it was a blessing that we got to spend this last day with just the two of us.  By Friday evening I started feeling better and even cooked some mexican for dinner.  We then climbed into bed and watched one more movie.  We went to bed about midnight with me feeling fine.  Around 3am I made one of my nightly visits to the restroom...still feeling just fine.  Around 3:50am I woke up again and heard our neighbors outside and seconds later my water broke!  I quickly woke Steve up and told him I "thought" my water was breaking...he asked if I was sure but hey I'd never been in labor before so no I wasn't sure but pretty sure haha!! We both jumped up and got things together. I was SO SO excited!! Its an unreal feeling to know you're about to meet your baby!  Despite being 2 weeks before our due date we pretty much had everything packed.  I had a list on my phone of the last minute things we needed to add.  Steve got a quick shower, I called my parents, and we were off to the hospital.

We got to the hospital about 4:15 and they checked to make sure my water had broken...we called Steve's parents and mine and they both quickly got on the road.  Up until this point I didn't think I was having contractions but shortly after they hooked me up to the monitor my contractions were 4-5 minutes apart, I was dilated 2cm and 80% effaced.  My goal was to go without an epidural so I was anxiously awaiting the next several hours and what they would bring..

My parents arrived around 6am and it was a blessing to have them there! What a huge support!  I was bracing myself for the long hall as my contraction were getting harder and closer together...the whole "breathe through it" wasn't working too well :)  Around 9am I was 6 centimeters and decided I wanted the epidural to make it through the last few hours of labor and pushing.  The epidural was a nice relief despite having it not take full effect on my left side.  The next few minutes seemed to fly by and before I knew it I was 9 1/2 centimeters and they were calling the doctor and getting me prepped to push.  By 11am it was time for the work to begin...bringing our little boy into the world.  When I began pushing, Eli's heart-rate started going down.  The nurse immediately called the doctor and Steve and I prayed....the next push his heart-rate stayed strong and we were good to go!  My contractions started to slow down while I was pushing but praise the Lord after about 20 minutes our little man arrived!  11:29am!

The whole process was amazing!! I prayed and prayed for a speedy and healthy vaginal delivery and God answered our prayers...4am-11:29am seemed too good to be true but it was the Lord's strength and blessing that helped everything go so quickly and smoothly!! I could not have asked for a better or easier labor (not that it was easy but it could have been much harder, complicated, and longer).  I was VERY blessed!!

After they cleaned little man up, I got to hold him in my arms! Not a better feeling in the whole wide world!! :) Wish I could relieve it everyday!  Eli's eyes were wide open when they were cleaning him up...he's already so smart and curious about the world around him.

You came home on Monday, April 16th and Granny and Grandpa helped us get everything settled.  Our first week home was tiring but wonderful!! It is so nice to be out of the hospital...it definitely feels a little more real being able to have your in our home.  You are such a sweet baby! You are sleeping A LOT and you hardly ever cry.  We are very lucky!!  After Granny and Grandpa left on Monday night, NaeNae came and stayed Tuesday and Wednesday night and she was a HUGE help!! We really love having you home...its surreal! At our 4 day weight check you had gained an 1 1/2 ounces so you are eating good.  Mommy is really thankful since I am nursing.  What a relief!

 Our 2nd week at home has been just as good!  We are getting a little sleep deprived since you eat every 2 hours but you are still such a sweet and calm baby.  Daddy loves coming home from work and holding you.  I think you really like it too!! You've started to cry a little more when you have a dirty diaper or when you're hungry.  You like to hear daddy sing and you really like cuddling.  Your umbilical cord fell off this week and mommy freaked out but you were ok with it.  It sure has made things a lot easier not having to worry about that! 

You made your first trip to NaeNae and Papa Bear's this week to meet Uncle Adam and Aunt Amy.  It was mommy and daddy's first little road trip with you and you did amazing!  You didn't even make a peep. You love your carseat - Praise the Lord! At your 2 week appointment you weighed 8.09 and were 20 1/4 inches long. 

You are SO healthy and really growing!  The Lord is watching over you and helping you grow big and strong!

Week 3!  We are starting to get into a little bit of a routine...still working on that!  You now go about 2 1/2 hours to eat and sometimes even 3 hours.  You get a little fussy when you're tired but you are still a doll.  I can't believe how fast you are growing.  NaeNae still comes to help us on Mondays and you love when she visits.  You enjoy talking to her and looking around the house.  We started tummy time this week and I think you like it!  You also LOVE bath time now and its SO cute. Its mommy's favorite time of the day!

One last post...

Ok this is it...my last post before our little blessing arrives in T-minus 9 days! Thats right people....after a great check-up Monday, I randomly asked the doctor how late she'd let me go before she induced me. Well, to my surprise she said I can be induced in my 39th week - HALLELUJAH!! Eli was measuring on the large end of things (my precious little football player) and since I've already dilated 2cm she said she'd induced me on the 20th IF I haven't had him by then. I'm praying he comes before but will be so happy to have him whenever he arrives!
Since he's measuring big I've been trying to watch what I eat - pretty sure he's sucking every ounce of nutrition from me since I've only gained a pound in the last 2 weeks but hey I'm ok with that. I might have treated myself to some ice cream yesterday though after hearing such good news...shhh don't tell! :) Last night my mom had a dream Eli weighed 15 pounds - hey thats more than half of what I've gained so that would be impressive HAHA! I don't think he'll be THAT big...my guess is 8'1 and Steve's guess is 7'11. We will see who's closest - loser has to change the first diaper! :)
Night before last we went on one of our many walks and even a jog at one point, pretty proud of myself even if it was less than 30 feet haha! You try jogging with a 29 pound basketball in your belly :) It was so nice to recap on what a blessing this pregnancy has been. I was SO sick my first trimester and it seemed to last forever! I was worried and nervous about every ache and pain but SO thankful when we reached the 15 week mark and our chances of a miscarriage went down. I told Steve one of my goals during these first few weeks after the baby comes is not to complain about being tired or sleepless nights or aches and pains because there are hundreds of woman out there who can't have babies and would give anything for those sleepless nights. So here's to holding myself accountable on that end of things!
My 2nd trimester was awesome! It was during Thanksgiving and Christmas so I ate whatever I wanted - it rocked! :) What better time to be eating for 2! I felt pretty good most days with just a little dizziness and a few aches here and there. My 3rd trimester has been pretty good too. I went for a few weeks with bad back pain from my sciatic nerve but thankfully at week 35 it got SO much better and I began nesting. These last 2 weeks have been WONDERFUL! Of course I feel big but I'm still able to move around, get up and down, and even tie my shoes (well Steve helps sometimes :) I can still sleep pretty good, just about 5 bathroom breaks during the night but then I'm right back to sleep. Apparently my body didn't get the memo that you aren't suppose to sleep good during the 3rd trimester so I'm stocking up :)So now we are in the home stretch - 9 days to go if not less! Praise the Lord! We can not wait to meet our precious baby! I am beyond excited!! The nesting has been fun but I'm probably not quite as put together as some people, I am soaking up the quiet of sitting outside by myself or laying in bed when I wake up in the morning. I think the nesting has hit my mom more than me haha! She has really helped me with Eli's nursery. Both my parents came up last weekend and helped us put the finishing touches on it...

With that, here is my final farewell - not too sure how good at blogging I will be once E-man arrives but I'm hoping to use to it capture the wonderful adventure that awaits us! :)

One precious little face...

Here you are my precious little boy at 32 1/2 weeks. Some sweet friends from our church gave us a gift certificate to have a 3D ultrasound and we got to see your adorable little face! You have quite the chunky cheeks...mommy can't wait to kiss them! :)
At my 33 week check up we found out that you already weigh over 5 pounds...you are a growing boy! I think you're going to be a football player! We will have another ultrasound at 35 weeks to see if you are still growing by leaps and bounds or if you just hit a growth spurt last week. Mommy is trying to lay off the sweets till then - easier said then done when daddy eats ice cream every night. I still have about 8-9 pounds left in my weight gaining allowance so I'm holding out to those last few days when I'm sure we'll both pack on the pounds!
Mommy and Daddy have never been more ready to meet you after seeing your little face, your fingers and toes on the ultrasound. The whole ultrasound you slept with your hands and feet by your face - it was so cute! You even tried to put your thumb in your mouth. And you when you move your head certain ways you have the cutest double chin I have EVER seen!! You are such a precious gift from God. We can't wait to hold you in our arms!!!! We hope to meet you SOON!!! :)