A Day in the Life of Eli

I've enjoyed looking back at my posts from 2017 when Emmy was the same age that Eli is now. When she was about 2 months old, I wrote a post in early January of that year called "A Day in the Life of Emmy" as a way of documenting the days of my maternity leave. It is funny how my two maternity leaves have paralleled each other. While there are a lot of similarities, there are several differences this time around, as I juggle an older sibling along with a newborn. It is impossible to write "A Day in the Life of Eli" without also mentioning big sis Emmy. But in fairness to the second child, I want to be able to remember this precious season of life, so here is a snapshot of what the days look like for Eli and me.  

Eli and I have been waking up between 4AM and 5AM, and after nursing and pumping, I then get Emmy ready and out the door with Daddy. With Emmy back in the routine of daycare, it means early wake-ups for everyone. It's hard not to miss the more leisurely mornings of Christmas break! She and Boomer leave the house around 6:30AM. Although Boomer could handle getting Emmy ready on his own, I am glad to see Emmy before she heads off to school and also ease the burden from him as he is getting himself ready too. Most mornings after they leave, I am able to go back to sleep for an extra hour or until Eli wakes up around 8AM. 

After nursing him for about 30 minutes, Eli stays awake for a couple of hours, and we enjoy some Mommy-son time. He is the most pleasant in the morning, and I generally try to snap cute photos to send to Daddy and other family members.  

If we have any plans for the day, mid-morning is usually our time to venture out of the house. Eli will fuss initially when I put him in the car seat, but it is often here that he takes his morning nap.  

Sometimes Eli will nap right through our morning fun, usually sleeping from around 10AM to 11:30AM. One morning activity this week was big sister's very first dentist appointment. We went to a dentist here in Kernersville that was recommended by my sister. This first visit was simply an examination and fluoride; we will return in July for a more-thorough cleaning and possibly X-rays. Emmy was very cooperative during the visit, opening her mouth when she was suppose to and laying very still in the chair. I am happy to report that she is cavity-free! Although she was very cooperative during her exam, she wasn't so cooperative for photos afterwards. We had a hard time coaxing a smile out of her to show off those pearly whites. If you ask her, her favorite parts of going to the dentist were the kitchen set in the waiting room and the bouncy ball that she got afterwards. Doesn't she look cute in the pigtails that Grammy did in her hair? :)  Grammy tagged along to stay with Eli in the lobby while I went back with Emmy. Grammy is always such a big help! After a successful dentist visit, Emmy was all smiles later at Chick Fil A when she got some ice cream as a treat. 

 Oh, back to Eli! Our morning activity today was going to Baby Cafe, a support group for breastfeeding moms. Lactation consultants are at the meetings, and they answer questions as well as weigh the babies. When we arrived, Eli had not eaten since his 8:30AM feeding and was quite hungry. He weighed in at 8 pounds 15 ounces. After nursing, he weighed 9 pounds 1.6 ounces! I was very happy to see 9 pounds. I plan to go back a few more times before I return to work. The advice and reassurance was very helpful! For our other morning activities, we've enjoyed meeting up with my mom friends for walks at the mall, for coffee, and playdates. Sometimes the morning activity is a bath...

...or swinging and hanging out at Grammy and Grandpa's house. 

After being awake for a couple of hours midday, Eli will fall asleep again in the midafternoon. If I am visiting at Grammy and Grandpa's house, I will get a nap during this time, too! Otherwise, if I am at home, I will catch up with chores like laundry, emails, bills, blogging, etc. I am trying to motivate myself to workout with a DVD during this time, but it's only happened once so far. Working out has fallen way down on the list lately. My sister and I have already registered for our 2020 half-marathon, so I hope to get back into running soon!

All too soon, naptime is over, Eli is ready to eat again, and then it is time to pick up Emmy from school. Grammy and Grandpa have helped with pick-up several times over the last few weeks. (Thank you!) If I am picking up Emmy, Eli and I load up in the car around 4:00PM to head to the daycare. Once I have both kids secured in the backseat, we head home for dinner and the rest of the nightly activities. 

While I am making dinner or cleaning up afterwards, it is not uncommon for Eli to be buried underneath toys as Emmy empties the toybox to "share" with him. 

 The evening hours from 5PM to 9PM are still a little tricky. Eli becomes quite fussy if he is not being held. We are all happy when Daddy gets home around 5PM. The extra set of hands is so helpful! I have attempted to wear Eli while making/eating/cleaning up dinner, and it was somewhat successful. 

Sometimes Eli will catch a little cat-nap between 6PM and 7PM. Inevitably Boomer or I will have to put him down, and the crying will resume, so we trade off holding and bouncing him, while also getting Emmy ready for bed. After reading 3 books ("because I'm THREE!") Emmy's bedtime is between 7:30PM and 8PM. Immediately after leaving her room, I head across the hall to nurse Eli in my rocking chair. Then around 8:30PM, I pass him off to Boomer for Eli's one bottle of the day. We are giving him around 3 ounces of pumped milk to fill up his belly before bedtime. Last night when Boomer stayed late at school for sports, I had to do the nightly bottle for the first time. A little nervous that Eli would get confused and later refuse the breast, I put on one of Boomer's hoodies to hopefully trick him. Luckily Eli was still great at nursing again today, whew! 

Boomer was back home tonight, and I was glad he could resume his bottle duties. After the bottle, Boomer swaddles Eli and puts him into his crib for the night around 10PM. I'm always somewhat glad to see this sight at the end of the day! 

I am trying to cherish each day of this special time with Eli. I know that very soon, my maternity leave will be over and I will be returning to work. I am so thankful for this time to focus on being a mom and to learn about my little man.