Wonderful Holiday and Weekend

Wow! The past week has just flown by! On Tuesday, Eli, Lulu and I packed up and headed to Cypress to stay with Nana and Pop Pop Nuber. I packed as if I were moving in--haha. It was Eli's first overnight trip somewhere and I was so nervous I would forget something. I basically packed everything except for the kitchen sink.

We stopped by to visit Nana at work on the way to the house. Everyone just loved sweet Eli! I felt horrible having to leave Lulu in the car...even if it was only for a few minutes. She watched out the window and it just broke my heart. :(

Lulu was soooo happy when we got to the house because she got to play with my parents dog, Farley. She LOVES Farley! Farley is like a big ol' "Marmaduke" dog. He is just big and loveable. He wasn't sure about Eli. He wanted to be near him but was very nervous and protective of him. Everytime I looked, Farley was close by watching Eli. It was very sweet. =0)

Farley watching Eli...



I think one of the most entertaining moments of the evening would be the sight of my Mom and I attempting to put together Eli's "pack-n-play." After quite a few laughs and a phone call to Charlie, we were able to put it together successfully. :) Eli received his "pack-n-play" from Auntie Alison and Uncle David when he was in the hospital. It is really well made! It even has a diaper changing table that can be attached to the end of it.

Eli stretched out in his "pack-n-play"...



It's quite the setup...



On Wednesday, Eli and I went to go visit Auntie Alexis. Alexis is my best friend and lives near my parents. We met up at the park and walked with Eli a few miles. There is nothing better than girl talk time =0). The weather was just beautiful, so we really enjoyed our time outside. We then went to eat lunch at a place called "Salata." They make all kinds of salads and wraps. It was super yummy! We went at an off hour, so there were only a few people there. Eli slept the entire time (covered up of course) in his carseat.

That evening was "Baking Night with Mom!" Every year my Mom and I stay up the night before Thanksgiving and bake desserts and prepare the stuffing. We have the best time! My favorite part is "testing" the stuffing...haha. This year I made "Best Ever Apple Cake" and my Nana's "Toasted Coconut Cream Pie." My Nana's Coconut Cream Pie is my absolute favorite!!

The finished product...mmmmm....



The next morning Charlie, Eli and I headed over to have an early afternoon Thanksgiving meal and visit with his side of the family. Eli was dressed and ready to celebrate his first Thanksgiving!



I just LOVED his little button down shirt! So handsome!...



We had a wonderful time visiting with everyone! My mother-in-law prepared a lovely meal for us to enjoy.

Dave, Charlie and Bob visiting....



Eli received all kinds of special goodies during his visit! He received some adorable outfits and I cannot wait to take pictures of him in them to share with you all! One gift he received was this beautiful pillow from his Auntie Alison and Uncle David. The pillow is embroidered with his name, birthdate, time of birth, length and weight. It also has a little ship wheel embriodered and matches his nautical themed nursery perfectly!



One thing that made this Thanksgiving EXTRA special was that we had 2 new babies!! Tanner Blake was born in August. He is older than Eli, so it was fun to see how alert and aware he will become in the near future. I really enjoyed watching the boys together and think it's pretty neat they will be able to play together when they are older.

I LOVE Eli's face in this picture...



Tanner and his Mommy, Chelsey...



Auntie Alison and Eli (look at him staring at her! Cute!)...



Tanner and Eli...



Tanner entertaining Dave, Charlie and Grammy...



After our visit with the Brenner's, we headed back to my parents for a Thanksgiving dinner. I ate so much I probably should go on a lettuce diet this week to make up for it. :) It was such a delicious meal and a wonderful time visiting with family.

My brother Chris, Eli and I...



My nephew Brandon playing with Lulu...



We were also celebrating a birthday as well as Thanksgiving that day! My Dad's birthday fell on Thanksgiving this year!!

The following day I was looking forward to just relaxing. No itinerary. Nothing I had to get done. I wanted a day of nothing. I planned a day of lazy in my lounging clothes and enjoyed every minute of it!

Here is Eli in his "lounging clothes"--haha. Nana bought him these adorable NFL jogging pants...



The funny thing is while I had a planned day of laziness, others were up at 4:00am and earlier in hopes to get the deal of a lifetime at the stores and malls. That Friday was "Black Friday." I have friends that LIVE for that day and plan their shopping extravaganza months in advance. Anyone who knows me, knows I LOVE to shop! I am also a coupon shopper and live for a good bargain. However, I had no desire to even attempt the crowds on "Black Friday." My brother had sent me a text on his way home Thanksgiving evening informing me there was a line wrapped around the Best Buy store. On THANKSGIVING EVENING?!? Again, I LOVE a good bargain...but is it really worth standing in a line overnight to save a couple hundred dollars? Maybe it's just me, but I would much rather be home eating pie. :) One thing I do partake in is "Cyber Monday." I do not think it is as fun as actually going to the store, but it is convenient and you still are able to purchase items for a bargain price. Also, I really do not want to bring Eli out in holiday shopping crowds, so online shopping is a great alternative for me. My sister-in-law is the queen of online shopping! She finds the coolest, most unique things online. She sent me a few website links to some of the online shops she visits, so I am excited to check them out. :)

Saturday morning my Mom and I began the day with plans to go to Sam's Club, Hobby Lobby and Bed, Bath and Beyond. It's amazing how quickly the day gets away from you when there is a little one involved. :) By the time I got Eli dressed and fed, the day was half over. We went to Sam's to pick up a few items and decided to save our Hobby Lobby venture for my next visit (only because it is easy to lose hours in that store--haha).

Eli wore his new hoodie from my Mom's friend, Violet, on our shopping adventure. He must like it because look at that big smile!



I was so excited to come home to several letters in the mail! I LOVE receiving mail! It makes me feel so special when someone takes time out of their day to sit down and write. My first letter was written by a student I taught last year, Zoey. She is such a sweet and brilliant girl! It was such a joy to have her in my class. Zoey reminds me of how I was when I was in Second Grade...I just LOVED school! Zoey loves school and was always excited to learn. Everyday she would ask about Lulu. She wrote to tell me about her new puppy and even included a picture. :) She also asked about Eli. She wrote, "I think you had your baby by now. I bet you are a pretty Mommy because you were a pretty teacher." That just made my day.

Here is a picture of Zoey's letter and picture. She also made me a cute turkey! She is very artistic :) ...



The second letter was actually for Eli! His letter came from his Little Gram and Grandpa in Tennessee. This letter was super special! I read it to him and showed him the enclosed picture of his Little Gram and Grandpa. He stared at the picture very hard and smiled. Eli likes when you speak to him and tell him things. I know he is looking forward to meeting his grandparents in Tennessee. We are hoping to make a trip to visit them very soon.

Along with the letter and picture was a stocking made just for Eli! I cannot wait to hang up Eli's first stocking!!

Eli liked the colors of his stocking. In fact, he liked it so much he wanted to eat it--haha...



I can't wait to get this beautiful stocking hung along with the other Christmas decorations! I plan to do that this week and will take lots of pictures once everything is up. :)

Thankful...

As Thanksgiving approaches, I find myself thinking of all the things I have to be thankful for. I am thankful to have such a loving and supportive husband. Charlie leaves for work around 5:00am each and every day (and sometimes Saturdays)and doesn't get home until around 7:00pm. He never complains. He comes home and spends time with his family. He knew I would like to take as long a Maternity Leave as possible and never gave it a second thought. Most mothers never have the opportunity to be home with their baby during the first few months, so I am truly thankful to have been given such a precious gift.

My love and I...



I am thankful to have such a wonderful family and am thankful to be close to them. My family is my world. I love them so much! I live about an hour and a half from my parents, brother, sister-in-law and nephew, so we often go weeks without seeing each other. I do talk to my Mom every single day and my Dad and brother at least a couple times a week, so we are always up to date with each other. I am especially thankful I will be able to see them on Thanksgiving!

My Mom and I...



My brother and soon to be sis-in-law(!)...



My nephew, Brandon, and I...



My Mommy and Daddy...



Charlie and I are very lucky our families do not live too far from each other, so we are able to visit with everyone on holidays. We will be visiting with Charlie's family on Thanksgiving morning. His best friend, Dave, will even be joining us! He has never met Eli, so I am excited for them to meet. Many people do not have family close and are not able to visit with family and friends around the holidays...so we are very thankful and consider ourselves truly blessed to be able to celebrate with our families.

Dave, Matt and Charlie (they have all been friends since elementary school)...



I am thankful for Lulu. She makes me smile every single day :). She is part of my family. She has really done a great job stepping into the "big sister" role to Eli. It sounds funny to say, but she really watches out for him just like an older sibling would. It's very sweet!

Sweet Lulu...



Of course I am thankful for Eli, who amazes me every single day and defines love. I am thankful to have such a happy, healthy baby. Charlie and I are so grateful to be Eli's parents. It is the best job in the entire world.

Precious Eli...



It is so easy to take things for granted and sometimes we need to take the time to stop and think about all the things we do have. We have much to be thankful for.

Wishing you all a very HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

Fun Weekend and Eli's Doctor visit =0)

We had such an enjoyable weekend! The weather has been sunny and in the 70's and we are loving it! I have been taking Eli for 3-4 mile walks 5-6 days a week since it has been so beautiful outside.

Lulu went for her monthly visit at the Puppy Parlor. She gets her hair washed (this time with Cranberry Orange shampoo!), nails cut, teeth brushed, ears cleaned and a facial. Doesn't she look pretty?



Charlie worked Saturday morning. When he got home he told me to go take some "Me Time" and that he would watch Eli. It was so sweet of Charlie to think to do that for me =0). I went and ran a few errands and was gone for a little over an hour. I missed Eli the entire time. Charlie did such a great job and had Eli cleaned up and changed when I arrived home.

We had a nice surprise this weekend....My brother and his fiance, Samantha came over for a visit Saturday evening. My brother bought Eli this really cool tee-shirt (I can't wait until he is big enough to wear it!) and these adorable penguin slippers. The penguin slippers are too big for him right now, but I still HAD to put them on him.



We really enjoyed visiting with Uncle Chris and Auntie Samantha. They just love Eli to pieces.



Eli is going to his very first wedding on New Year's Eve!! He is going to see his Uncle Chris and Auntie Samantha get married. I can't wait to watch them exchange vows!!! I am also excited because Eli is going to have quite the dashing outfit to wear... you will have to stay tuned for pictures =0).

Saturday night Eli "lost" his bellybutton. It kind of freaked me out a little. I put a bandage over it because I was unsure how to care for it and decided to keep it covered until he went for his check up on Monday.

Sunday was a day of football and naps for my man and little man. I thought this picture of them snoozing on the couch was too cute!



Eli had a few naps...look how sweet and peaceful he is. I just love to watch him sleep.





I spent Sunday cleaning out the pantry and guest bedroom closet. It is amazing how much stuff can fit into a closet! It felt so good to get those two tasks done though.

Monday was Eli's 1 month appointment with his pediatrician. He is in wonderful health! Eli weighed 10lbs 3 3/4oz and measured 22 1/4in long!! He is a growing boy!! He also had his 1 month shots. He had the little quivering lip...but barely cried. Mommy, on the other hand, was holding back tears.

When we got home, Eli played in his swing for awhile. He really loves to sit in his swing and listen to the music.



I mentioned in the previous blog how much Eli loves his bathtime. Here he is enjoying his nightly bath.



He LOVES being wrapped up in a towel nice and snug afterwards.



Then he puts on his yellow ducky bathrobe from Auntie Bre while he dries off. Bre is my dear friend from college. She spoils Eli rotten! She lives in Frisco (North of Dallas), so hasn't been able to visit yet...but she cannot wait to meet Eli.

Here Eli is showing Lulu his new bathrobe. =0)



Look at those baby blues. He gets his forehead wrinkles (I like to call them "think wrinkles" -- haha) from his Mommy.



It has been getting chilly at night, so Eli has been getting lots of wear out of his feety pajamas. I think he likes wearing them. He loves to kick his legs around when I put them on him.







Today I had my post pregnancy checkup with my doctor. It hasn't quite been 5 weeks, but I have been itching to get back to Spin class and Pilates at the gym. She gave me the green light, so I am good to go. =0)

Eli is already 4 WEEKS OLD!!

My little precious Eli is already a month old!! Where has the time gone?? Being a mother is life changing....many people told me that while I was pregnant and I thought I understood at the time, but I really had no idea. I am already so protective of Eli and have so much love for him I can't even put into words.

Eli LOVES his "Boppy Pillow." I think he likes being able to sit up and see what's going on around him.





Charlie is such an amazing father! He comes home every night after working a 12+ hour day and plays and talks with Eli. Eli is always awake for about 2 hours when Charlie gets home everyday.

I just LOVE this photo...it makes my heart melt.



Eli has received so many adorable outfits! This is one of my favorites. My childhood friend from New Jersey, Amanda, sent him this little sweater and pants outfit.





This cute little outfit is from my best friend Courtney and her Mom. This is his first baseball cap! I think he likes it because it looks like he is smiling in this picture :). This outfit is still a little big because it is size 3 months. He has already outgrown most of his Newborn clothes and 3 months are a little big, so he is in an in between sizes phase.





I thought every month I would do a couple photos so you can see how much he is growing.

This first one is Eli next to his Mr. Bear. He received Mr. Bear when he was first born. Mr. Bear came from Uncle Chris, Auntie Samantha and Brandon. He was delivered to us in the hospital with cute balloons attached to him :).



This next photo is of Eli in the rocking chair in his room, which was from Nana and Super Pop Pop Nuber. He looks so tiny in it now, but I bet we will see a drastic difference when he is sitting in that same chair a year from now! Eli was telling me he was done playing photo shoot in this picture....haha. Mommy is mean posting pictures of baby boy crying. :)



Of course I needed to post a photo of him with Lulu! So sweet!!



Here are some of the things Eli is doing at a month old:

*He likes to hold my chin while I feed him...it is the sweetest thing in the entire world
*He grabs Charlie's finger and holds it tight when Charlie talks to him
*He LOVES bathtime! He lays in his little tub and stretches out like it's his own personal jacuzzi--haha
*He eats 4 1/2 ounces to 5 ounces every 3 to 4 hours
*He sleeps most of day, but is always up for at least 2 hours when Charlie gets home from work
*He loves music and likes when I sing to him
*He does NOT like his diaper to be changed....so usually I make up a song about changing diapers to sing to him while he is being changed
*He has already outgrown almost all of his Newborn onesies
*He likes to suck on his pointer finger on his left hand and often sticks it in his mouth while he is being fed
*He knows Mommy and Daddy's voices and even though people say Newborn's don't smile-- I think I have seen him smiling when we talk to him :)