Pray Always, Work Hard, Trust God

First I would like to start by saying "Thank You" to my friend Heather who introduced me to Dr. Karp, author of Best Baby on the Block. Dr. Karp teaches the 5 S's. Swaddle, Swing, Shush, Suckle, & Side. The best technique for us is the Shush! This stuff really works. If your baby is upset and crying (and you've done everything like feed, change, burp, etc.) bust out the 5 S's and wa-la...you have the best baby on the block. So thank you Heather.

Baby "A" (that's what Robby calls him) loves to be swaddled!

GROWING LIKE WEEDS:
Anthony Ellis is growing so so so fast...we can't keep up with him. His newborn sleepers are getting too tight, we've already had to adjust the straps in his carseat, and most of his beanies won't stay on his head. He is growing like the weeds (or grass) in our front yard! Seriously...check out this picture of our grass growing into our flower beds. Robby won't do anything to the yard in the winter. This is actually a picture of our flower bed but you can't see the stone that lines it because the grass is crazy. Everyone else around here is mowing and still taking care of their lawn, but not us!!! It will be a sad day over spring break when we get out their and beautify our yard...Good Luck Rob!!!

A couple of weeks ago my Mimi and Aunt Diana (from Atlanta) and some other cousins came by and brought me lunch. They stayed awhile and chatted. It is nice to have that adult interaction now and then. My parents are coming this Sunday...and I can't wait! My dad hasn't seen Anthony since the hospital. They are staying all week, so that will be nice.

Mimi (great grandma) and Anthony

HOLY MAN:
Anthony has been to church 4 times now. He is so good when we go. Of course I feed him before we leave so he will sleep the whole time. I do fear during the service that he will have one of his "explosive" poops. They are so loud and he grunts as he's doing it. They really are scary...Robby and I jump every time..and then laugh :) They are pretty funny. Here are some pictures of us leaving for church.

This was last Sunday (well Saturday..we go to church on Saturday nights. 1-18-09

This was two Sunday's ago 1-11-09

Doesn't Dad look excited about having his picture taken? Man...I really need some curtains on those windows!

Ok, I tried to take some pictures of Anthony (like I was a professional photographer or something) so I could get my birth announcements ordered and sent out. Here is how they turned out. EMILY...I need your help!!!

Anthony is 6 weeks old TODAY! Below is a picture of his 1 month old picture. I forgot to put a sign next to him that said 1 month (EMILY's great idea that she did with Bella every month). Oh well, this is his one month old picture.

Be good for Mama!

This is how he really felt about it!!!

This has been a really busy week. Robby was home Monday for MLK day, so we packed up and went shopping to Academy, James Avery, Dillards, and a couple other places. We also went to eat at BJ's on Bay Area (pretty good). I took a bottle and fed Anthony at the table. He was so good all day. And I packed a nipple this time! [Last Sat. night we went to eat at Mario's and I packed a bottle but forgot to pack a nipple...needless to say, we were getting our food to go and speeding home with a screaming baby on board]. I will never forget nipples again. Wish I could have just breastfed him there at the table, but that is another story! Tuesday we stayed home and watch the Obamaration all day. Wednesday I had my 6 week follow up with Dr. Nesbit. Robby's Mimi went with me to help since it was my first time out with Anthony without Robby (Robby is SuperDAD). She was very helpful. Took a nipple with me...so it was a good day:) We discussed getting pregnant again (whole other story...won't get into that now). No, I am not pregnant again...yet. Got to take a picture of Anthony with Dr. Nesbit (since we didn't get to at the hospital).

Dr. Nesbit and Anthony

Today I have an appointment with a lactation consultant. Anthony and I have been a little confussed lately with the breastfeeding, so we are going for help. I have been pumping and bottle feeding him, which works well, but really want to get this breastfeeding down. So we will be doing that today.

Here are some more pictures of his bath time. These are last night. He LOVES taking a bath! Beware...nude pics!

Our sweet little boy!

Well, this is a much needed update on Anthony. I know everyone's been waiting patiently for me to blog! Sorry it's taken soooo long to do so. This being-a-mom thing is a lot of work! There have been many sleepless night around this house...but lots of help, which I'm very thankful for!

As most of you know, Anthony was born on December 11th (a scheduled c-section). He was born at 7:19 am, and was 6 lbs - 2 oz and 18 in long. Yes, he was a little thing, but was also 3 1/2 weeks early too. His actually due date was just this Monday, the 5th of January...and I bet he's just about 8 lbs now. Dad, Robby, was of course in the room during the procedure and enjoyed watching the docs cut and push and pull on me (he loves all that bloody stuff). He was amazed by all the layers they went through and how they just yanked them back to get to the next layer. At one point I asked Robby if they had started yet and his response was "Oh yeah, you are already cut wide open". Then I quickly told him to shut up and not talk like that again, as I started breathing very fast to keep myself from fainting. Getting the epidural and getting the baby out was the fast part. Putting me back together is what took so long. As they finished sewing me back up, Robby went with Anthony to the transitional nursery to watch him and to see if he needed to be admitted to the NICU. They kept him in there all day (until about 5 pm) to give him a chance to correct some breathing patterns on his own, but then decided to go ahead and send him on to the NICU. Of course when they came and told me, I cried...even though I knew that was probably going to happen before he was born. I was still in the prep room until late that night because there were so many mom's in the hospital that they didn't have any rooms available. Finally one came open and they moved me to a regular room. As they took me on the gurney to my room, they stopped off at the NICU and strolled me in to see Anthony. He was so precious! Just this sweet little boy lying there with oxygen over his face and breathing so fast. His little immature lungs had just not developed all the way yet.

So to make a very very long story (11 days worth) shorter:

Anthony stayed in the NICU for 11 days. He had to overcome many obstacles including: keeping his temp on his own, deep breathing instead of shallow breaths, to come off the oxygen, food intake up and keeping it down. He was on a feeding tube at first, but came off that pretty quick. Robby and I went to see him everyday after I was discharged from the hospital. That was the hardest thing to do - leave the hospital without my baby. I cried a lot those 11 days. We would wake up every morning at 3 am to get dressed and go see him in the NICU and to be there for the 5 am feeding. Then my mom and I would go see him again around noon, then Robby and I again around 5 pm. I felt like the hospital was my second home :(

Ok, I have to say this...even though Rob always tells me there are some things you just don't say!!! Every morning that we went to the NICU at 4 am, you had to go through the ER because the front doors don't open til 6 am. This still haunts me to this day!!! Every morning as Robby and I walked through the ER, someone...and I mean someone would say to me, "Oh, it's about that time, isn't it?" or "Are you ready to have that baby?" or as I would leave, "oh, was it a false alarm?" I would be so self-conscious, it would take me 10 minutes in the morning to find something in my closet that would make me look a little less pregnant. Not only the workers in the ER said something, but a few friends (that didn't know I had had the baby actually said something as well, like "Not yet?!" Man, I couldn't believe I looked so pregnant after I had the baby. My tummy was actually round and hard. It looked like I was 5 months. But it's gone now! Now it's just flabby.

Ok, this is the good part! On December 23rd, two days before Christmas, we got to bring Anthony home from the NICU. It was the best Christmas present Robby and I could have ever asked for! We were so blessed to have him with us and our family during those special days. Anthony went to Christmas Mass on Christmas Eve (his very first church service) and again to Mass that very next Saturday. Everyone at church just thought he was so cute. We took lots of pictures over Christmas (which you will get to enjoy below).

I have had lots of help from my mom and mother-n-law, Cindy. Cindy, stayed for 3 nights and got up with me for each feeding and changed his diaper and rocked him back to sleep so I could get as much sleep as possible...which was awesome! Thanks Cindy. And then my mother came for a week (just left yesterday) and cooked dinner for us every night and cleaned my house...thanks mom! Yes, Anthony has his days and nights mixed up (I'll accept any advice you have to fix it). We are working on that right now. I can't wait til he sleeps 8 hours! When does that happen??????????????? Anthony loves to be held (oops) that could be a bad habit I think...but it's hard to put him down. And he sleeps so good in my arms. He'll probably sleep with us til he's 18! And he loves his baths. The warm water actually calms him. I haven't gotten a chance to give him a bath yet..Rob loves to do it. I won't even go there with the diaper changing experiences...just put it this way, I hold the record of using 5 clean diapers in one changing! Go Me!!! Rob's just at 4! Oh, and when you see me, I might MOO at you...so watch out. I am a cow now and milk my breast all day long. You should see me hooked up to the boob machine, it's pretty funny looking, but I promise I won't post a picture of it!

Well, it has officially taken me about 4 hours to type this blog and I haven't even uploaded the pictures yet (which will take another 4 hours I'm sure). I don't get to sit at the computer for long periods of time anymore because I'm feeding or changing a diaper or letting the dogs in and out. Which, by the way, Holly is Mommy #2. Brady is interested in Anthony but just looks at him and walks away. Holly will actually block me and Robby from coming to get Anthony (like it's her baby)! She just can't get enough of him. She gives him several kisses a day and sleeps by his side all day. Anthony and Holly will be the bestest friends ever! Ok, now I want to cry because of "Marley and Me". If you haven't seen the movie you must go see it this weekend, well that's if you are a dog person! First movie Robby's ever cried in...my gosh, he'd kill me if he knew I told y'all that! Don't say anything. He doesn't read my blogs...I don't think! Everyone told Robby and me that Holly and Brady would be put on the back burner and left outside after the baby comes...but they really are part of our family and NOTHING has changed, especially after watching "Marley and Me". The one and only thing that bothers me about the dogs is their hair. I have pulled several dog hairs out of Anthony's mouth during a feeding...soon he'll cough up a hair ball!
Ok, enough for now. Enjoy the pictures!