One Month Already!

This past month has surely been the fastest thirty days of my life! This time of year tends to be a blur for everyone with the hustle and bustle between Thanksgiving and Christmas, but I feel like I blinked, and Eli is already a month old! The last four weeks have brought some sad times with the passing of my grandfather. Add to that our washing machine and garbage disposal breaking, plus dealing with ongoing paperwork for insurance and HR and those pesky hospital bills. Despite these things, the past month has been full of so much joy as we praise God for our healthy and happy baby boy. We are so thankful for Eli, and we are all finding our groove with this newest member of our family. We are learning that Eli likes to be held when he is sleepy and will make quite a fuss if you put him down. He loves looking at ceiling fans and rolling his tongue around in his mouth. He is a pretty good sleeper and likes to be cozy in his crib at nighttime with a tight swaddle. He will usually go 4-5 hour stretches at night with a full tummy and clean diaper. We have moved up to Size 1 diapers, but he is still in newborn clothes, occasionally 0-3 months. It has been sweet to watch the transformation of Emmy's relationship with Eli. It seems that she has accepted him as a permanent member of our family, and each day she finds new ways to interact with him. Admittedly, he is not that exciting yet, but Emmy likes laughing at his funny faces, 'reading' to him, and piling her stuffed animals around him. To document each monthly milestone with Eli, it is fun to be recycling the same onesies that Emmy wore (and her cousins Zander and Maddox, too!) There are a lot of similarities between Emmy and Eli, and posed together at the 1-month mark, it may be hard to tell them apart. One difference though is the dimple in Eli's chin. Emmy doesn't have this clef in her chin, but this Bakewell trait has been passed on to Eli from me and his Grandpa Buzz. Eli was quite a ham for his photo-shoot. My favorite is this first photo with his chest puffed out - he looks so proud to be 1 month old!

 

Not counting the smirks and grins that he makes in his sleep, we caught our first glimpse of a smile from Eli. Grammy was holding him and talking to Aunt Megan on the phone, and he just lit right up. We hope to see more of these sweet grins in the month ahead!

 Today is significant for one other reason. In addition to Eli being 1 month old, it is our 9th wedding anniversary! We are having dinner delivered tonight by some dear friends, so we are delaying our celebration until later next week. I am looking forward to a nice dinner out with my hubby. I love him even more now than on the day that I said "I do!" I would write more sappy, romantic things, but I hear a baby starting to stir. Things looks a lot different than they did nine years ago, but I wouldn't trade it for the world. This is exactly how I hoped life would look like for this young bride and groom!

 

Lots of Firsts

This week has included a lot of 'firsts' for our Eli! Just as I remember with Emmy, it is exciting to experience things for the first time with a newborn. Even small everyday things take on a new meaning as we do it with Eli. On Tuesday, we made our first visit to Falcon Country to see Daddy at work. I planned our visit for an evening that Boomer had late events at his school, knowing he wouldn't otherwise get to see Eli until the next morning. Eli and I came at the end of the school day, and he was quite a hit with all of Boomer's coworkers. The staff at Forbush has become like an extended family to us over the years, and I always enjoy seeing their friendly faces when we make the trip to East Bend. Eli slept through most of our visit, but he woke up at the end when I snapped these photos. He is not old enough to sit up in Daddy's chair like his big sister; we will be sure to visit again over the summer for those annual pictures in Daddy's office. 

Another BIG 'first' was Emmy holding her brother. On Wednesday evening when we were over at my parents' house for dinner, Emmy asked to hold Eli without any prompting! She hopped up on the couch and even put out her arms like she has seen her cousins do when they have held baby Eli. It lasted only a moment before she proclaimed "I'm done" but luckily I had my phone handy to snap a quick picture. I brought out the rainforest playmat this week for Eli, and Emmy loves using it with her stuffed animals and babies. Look carefully in the second rainforest photo - there is a real baby in there somewhere!

Still more firsts! Later on Wednesday evening, we gave Eli his very first bottle. Pediatricians and lactation consultants generally recommend introducing a bottle for the first time between 4 and 6 weeks. We are a little ahead of that timeline, but as I wrote about in my last post, I started pumping (once a day, in the morning), and so the natural next step was to try the bottle. Another recommendation is for someone other than the mother to give the bottle. After a brief lull in between the fall and winter sports seasons, Boomer is back to evening events 2-3 times per week, so catching him on a night that he is home is not always easy. So even though Eli is only 3 weeks old, I decided to give it a shot - and the first introduction was a big success. Eli took right to the bottle and drank 2 ounces in less than 5 minutes. With nursing and the extra milk from the bottle, he slept for 6 straight hours that night - whooo hooo! 

Eli also had his first "submerged" bath. We used the bath seat so that he was raised above the water. Just like with the sponge baths, he wasn't a big fan so we tried to be speedy and get him back in his clothes. 

Rounding out our week of firsts, I survived my first evening at home with both kids. Over the last three weeks, on evenings that Boomer has had to stay late at work, my mom has come over to help with the bedtime routine, but on Tuesday (and again on Thursday), I did it all by myself. A few things that helped make it a success: 1) We went out to dinner! This is a no-brainer. Since Eli is still immobile, he stayed in his car seat throughout dinner. After dinner was over, there was nothing to clean up and no dishes to wash! Mommy could move right on to the next part of the evening. 2) It was not a bath night. Since the evenings tend to be a time that Eli wants to cluster feed, it would be difficult to fit in a bath with nursing. Eli tends to nurse from about 7PM - 9PM, on and off for that entire time. For now, I declare all the nights that Boomer is home as bath night, and the nights that he is not, we will skip it. and 3) Thank goodness for flash cards! Emmy did a great job occupying herself while I fed Eli just before bedtime. She even stacked all her flash cards by color - what a smart girl! Shortly after this photo, the next 10 minutes were a bit of chaos, as I attempted to still read with Emmy while Eli was crying. Emmy was so understanding and didn't push it when I said it was time for bed. As soon as I got Emmy tucked in around 7:30PM, I "plugged" Eli back in again. He was in bed a little after 9PM - and Mommy breathed a sigh of relief!

I think that sums up the 'firsts' from this week. We had an at-home nurse visit on Thursday, and it was so helpful to have another weight check. Eli's weight came in at 7 pounds, 13 ounces. He was weighed completely naked, without a diaper, so comparing to his weight of 7 pounds, 10.5 ounces the Monday before, I'm estimating that he has gained about 4 ounces in 10 days. This is on the lower end of the recommended amount of daily weight gain, but it is weight gain nonetheless. We are not doing any sort of extra supplementation, but I am hopeful that now with the extra bottle each evening, his weight will take off. 

We had a pretty 'sweet' weekend as we continued our annual tradition of cookie-making at Grammy and Grandpa's. The cousins each took turns cutting out cookies, adding sprinkles, and of course sampling the final product. In the afternoon while all the kiddos napped, the adults watched National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (and napped a little, too!) It was such a fun day and really helped get us all in the Christmas spirit. 

On Sunday, Boomer and Emmy made some more sweet treats that he will share with the staff at his school. Emmy was such a good helper lining up the pretzels and opening up the Kisses. We ended our weekend with our now nightly ride around our neighborhood to look at the Christmas lights. After Emmy is in her pajamas, we'll load into the car and make the loop, stopping to watch the "lights that sing" as Emmy calls them. There is one house in our neighborhood with an elaborate display of lights that are synchronized to music on a radio station. We will be sad in January when there are no more Christmas lights, but for now, it is a fun family event each evening. My Christmas cards are in the mail; there are presents under the tree; the Kennedys are ready for Christmas break!

Highs and Lows

We've had some highs and lows over the last few days. On Friday, December 6th, my grandfather passed away. We celebrated his 90th birthday back in July, and we are so thankful for the long life that he had. During the last two years, he was in a special memory care facility for residents with dementia and Alzheimer's, and over the last month, his dementia rapidly worsened. He was mostly in a sleeping state for the last few days of his life. Our family visited several times in these last days, and I was even able to introduce Eli; I'd like to think that Grandpa enjoyed meeting his great-grandson. It was Grandpa's wishes to be cremated with no formal funeral or service, so we were able to have a private family viewing on Saturday with Dad, Mom, Grandma, Megan, and Eli. We read a few scriptures and shared some of our favorite memories of Grandpa: going camping in the motor-home, his pride in his cars, the way he liked to tinker with things that were broken, how he didn't throw anything away, and how he loved his granddaughters. It will take some time to process and grieve this loss. We love you, Gpa - see you soon!

Eli's birth has been a good distraction for everyone. We are thankful for this new life amidst a time of mourning. Although Eli still mostly eats and sleeps, he is starting to learn new things. He has recently discovered his tongue and likes to stick it out and roll it around in his mouth. We also attempted tummy time for the first time. Like his big sister, he has a strong neck and will often push up off of your chest if you are holding him against you. He met several more friends this week: Emily, Carrie, Katie, and Coley. He continues to like to be held, and he has certainly been spoiled with lots of extra snuggles. He is probably most spoiled by Aunt Megan!

With Eli being three weeks old today, I dusted off my breast pump to start the process of introducing a bottle. Several of my friends have had babies that refused the bottle, and I want to be sure that Eli is flexible with either option. Returning to work is lingering in the back of mind, so it is important that we have an established routine of Eli taking bottles by then. So here we are again, washing bottles and pump parts for the foreseeable future - you can see my excitement!  

During Grandpa's service on Saturday, Emmy and Boomer had a fun outing to the Yadkinville Christmas parade. It was a pretty chilly morning, but Emmy stayed warm with her toboggan (from Grammy and Grandpa all the way from Ireland!) and some hot chocolate. She wasn't a fan of the Grinch or the costumed reindeer, but she loved seeing the fire trucks and picking up all of the candy. She got quite a haul from all the Forbush students in the parade and nearby in the crowd. 

 We were suppose to have professional photos on Sunday - a Kennedy first! Aside from our wedding and the hospital shots of Emmy, Boomer and I have never taken any professional photos. I was actually quite surprised that he agreed! I even went shopping for coordinating outfits. Unfortunately the plans fell through, but since all four Kennedys were bathed and dressed, we opted to still take a few photos with our iPhones. My Dad took several on his phone, and then Boomer snapped this candid one of Emmy and Eli. Perhaps we're not a professional-photo-type-of family, but I guess you don't need a fancy camera to capture sweet moments like this one! 

Updated 12/26/2019: My dad had a few more photos on his phone. Emmy and Eli were quite cooperative considering it was during nap time when we attempted these pictures!

Thanksgiving 2019

We stayed home in Kernersville this year for Thanksgiving. This is the first time in ten years that we have not made the trip to Woodstock, and we were sad that we did not get to see all of our Kennedy extended family for the holiday. However, the time at home was wonderful. It served almost as a paternity leave for Boomer, and our little family of 4 is starting to find its groove. We laughed about all the trash and dirty dishes we made over the five days - I guess that's a natural result of actually being at home! 

We started out our Thanksgiving with Eli's first bath. He was less than thrilled! Since his umbilical cord has not yet fallen off, he can't be submerged in a real bath, so we sponged him down with soap and water. Emmy supervised and got a kick out of Eli's cries and squawks. She thinks it is quite funny when he is crying! After the bath, Emmy touched Eli with just the tip of her index finger, and later than evening, she even kissed Eli on the top of his head. Emmy continues to be standoffish, but little by little, she seems to be warming up to her brother. 

After Eli's bath, we settled in to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Since we are usually traveling on this day, it was fun to introduce Emmy to this tradition. She loved waving at the people on the floats, and she especially loved the Paw Patrol balloon. She quickly lost interest in between the commercials and commentary (I didn't realize the parade was 3 HOURS long!), so she kept herself occupied with her other hobbies of coloring and reading. She's so advanced - she's now reading Mommy's chapter books! :)

That evening we had a meal at my parents' house with Great Grandma Nancy. The Houstons were in Charlotte, so it was a smaller gathering, but Emmy quite enjoyed being the only walking/talking grandchild. She said the blessing before our meal, and it was the sweetest thing to hear her little voice singing the "God, Our Father" prayer of thanksgiving. My mom made all the traditional Thanksgiving sides (sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes, corn, rolls) with a cranberry chicken that was delicious. We only took one photo from the evening of Emmy in her festive Thanksgiving attire. She has continued to request wearing her "turkey dress" even after the holiday. 

After another day at home on Friday, we went over to the Houston's house for dinner that evening. The Williamses were there, too, so although the menu was pizza, fruit, buffalo chicken dip, and Oreo dessert, it was almost like a Friendsgiving with the three couples and our six kids. Uncle Zack got in some cuddles with his nephew, and Boomer fit right in with the kids as they [attempted to] play Mario Kart. 

On Saturday, we had our Bakewell Thanksgiving meal at the Houston's. They are always so generous to host each year. Zack once again made the turkey with deep fried turkey legs. Mom made her sweet potato casserole, which was a big hit with Emmy. We were all stuffed! We had planned to watch National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, but after a slight mix-up with reading the TV guide (oops, Meg!), we watched football instead. Like on Thursday evening, we didn't take many photos, just this one picture of the four generations: Grandpa, me, Great Grandma Nancy, and Eli. 

To round out the Thanksgiving festivities, Bret and Cathy visited on Sunday. They had missed their little boy and were anxious to see him again. Paw Paw brought Eli a special gift...a Tennessee Vols hat! It has been a running joke between the grandfathers since Paw Paw is a Vols fan and Grandpa Buzz is a Gator fan. 

Although we have mostly rested and ate over the last few days, the Thanksgiving Break has included a few chores as well. Megan passed along several bins of clothing from her two boys, and I tackled the task of going through all the clothes and putting newborn and 0-3 month clothes in Eli's drawers. We have traded out pink for blue! I am still holding on to Emmy's things for now, but our closet space is quickly filling up. It is a great problem to have; to be gifted a full year's worth of baby clothes is such a blessing. Between all the diapers we received at showers and all the clothes from my sister, Eli shouldn't need a thing for quite a while!

We also had Eli's two-week appointment. No shots yet, just the weight check and a general look-over. I was so happy to see that Eli's weight was up to 7 pounds 10.5 ounces, 3.5 ounces above his birth weight. I had wanted to see even higher, but the doctor reassured me that it was in the healthy range of 0.5 - 1 ounce of weight gain a day. Eli's weight puts him currently in the 23rd percentile, but his length of 21.25 inches has him in the 83rd percentile. His head circumference is 36.1 cm, 60th percentile. We won't go back to see Dr. Albright again until mid-January, but I have scheduled an at-home visit next week for another weight check. Overall, Eli's weight is much better than Emmy's weight at this same time, so we will keep doing what we are doing! One thing that we have already learned about Eli: he does not like to be unclothed or to have his diaper changed!

Now that we are into December, we are in the full Christmas spirit. We are listening to Christmas music, detouring to look at Christmas lights, watching Hallmark Christmas movies, and wearing Christmas jammies. 

It really is the most wonderful time of year! We have even visited Santa already! Emmy was still shy, but luckily there weren't any tears this year. Daddy was able to coax a few smiles out of her, but she still was not interested in sitting on his lap. Maybe next year!