We hated to do it, but...

Eli got a buzz. He just would not sit still long enough for us to get all of the nits out. I don't really like the buzzcut look, but I like bugs even less. So, out came the clippers and bye-bye creepie crawlies. He looks so different, but still adorable!!

On top of battling little bugs, Eli also developed a very bad cold and we think he also has croup. He has that awful barky sounding cough and it gets worse at night. For about 3 nights, he woke every 30 minutes because he was either coughing or so congested he couldn't breathe through his nose. Poor baby! Luckily, he is past the worst of it and on the mend! So, we ventured out to the park today to enjoy the beautiful weather.

A little stowaway

Well...I spoke too soon yesterday!! We took Eli to the International Adoption Clinic yesterday for his big evaluation. We met with the nurse, doctor, nutritionist, physicial therapist, and made a visit to the lab. Overall, Eli is doing GREAT!! Every single person we met said the same thing, "He is so big for his age!" Eli is up to 26lbs and he is 32" tall. He is still in the 75% for height and weight. He has grown an inch since we have been home! Geez!! No wonder he can reach everything on the table and no wonder he has been eating so much! He is on target or beyond on all of his developmental milestones except expressive speech, which is completely expected given he was learning Spanish for the first 13 months of his life! He will catch up very quickly so there is nothing to be concerned about.

So, the only thing that came up at the appointment is Eli has LICE!!!!!!!!!!!! YUCK!!!! The doctor suspects that he probably came home with it from Guatemala. How did we miss this???? Well, there were signs, but none of them were out of the ordinary for him. He has always scratched his head when he is sleepy, ever since he was a teeny tiny pea, so we did not think anything about his headscratching. We also noticed, though, that he had some "dandruff", but we assumed it was from the headscratching and his dry skin. Sigh...poor little guy! I can't imagine where he would have picked it up at home because he has not been around very many kids and we have been spending most of our time at home. So, who knows how long he has been infected. Blech!!! And, given the fact we have all be cosleeping up until very recently, it is no suprise that this momma also has lice. DOUBLE YUCK!!!! So, we spent last night and today treating our heads, cutting out nits, and doing loads of laundry.

And, to top it all off, Eli developed a really awful croupy sounding cough yesterday. So, we enjoyed our short little respite last week! All we can do is just laugh while we are cutting out nits and giving our washing machine a good workout. We really hit the ground running, didn't we?!?!

Daddy on the hunt for nits.

Fav Foto Friday

Just look at that sweet face!!!!
Ahhhh...what a great week. Life has such a new rhythm now and it feels like we are all starting to settle into our own beat. Last week was rough! On top of being sick, I felt like all of the emotions of the past year and half were released and I became this emotional crazy woman. Once we received PGN approval in April, life suddenly shifted into high gear and I feel like I never had the opportunity to fully process everything we had been going through. We waited and waited and waited for that "OUT" call and then...BOOM!!! It was a wonderful, amazing, crazy whirlwind. It is so true that life can change in an instant! In the meantime, all of those emotions of the past year and a half just simmered until last week and then there was another BOOM!!! It was the good, the bad, and the ugly all at the same time. Life has changed significantly in the most incredible way and I just needed to let it all out. Oh, and I did and, wow, did that feel good!! I feel refreshed, reenergized, and completely in love and in awe with this new rhythm of life called parenthood and family.

So what has been going on?

• Well, I think this is the first week since we have been home that we have all been healthy! Knock on wood.
• I swear Eli has developed Inspector Gadget arms. We now must have at least a 12" clearance on all tables, countertops, etc or else it will be in someone's little hands!
• Eli talks almost nonstop. It is so cute and funny! Now, I know many of our friends/family are starting not to believe us because he gets very quiet around new people. But, it's true!! He just babbles constantly. He even has the cutest little whisper. He is experimenting with all kinds of vocal sounds! He says "mama" and is starting to say "papa" and "da."
• His comprehension has also increased significantly over the past couple of weeks, but we still try to use some Spanish words. But, he no longer looks at us like we are talking jibberish to him!!
• No one can make him laugh like his papa and he gets so excited when Jason comes home. It just makes my heart swell.
• And, we are most excited to report that Little Pea has been sleeping in his crib for 2 days(naps and bedtime). Yes, I know, that is not very long, but it is HUGE progress for us!! So we are still happy!

Happy Father's Day!!

Meeting Little Pea for the first time in August 2007 - Eli was 4 months old

2nd Visit Trip Christmas 2007 - Eli was 8.5 months old

3rd Visit Trip March 2008 - Eli was 11.5 months old

Homecoming Trip April/May 2008 - Eli was 13 months old

First Father's Day at home 6/15/08!!! Eli is 14 months old

What a blessed day!!

Tornados, flu, and vegetables...OH MY!!

What another crazy week! We have had 3 tornado warnings (meaning a tornado has been spotted) in the last 10 days. Good grief! Our last tornado warning was in 2001. And, one of the sirens is right beside our house so it is LOUD!! So, we have spent some quality family time hangin' in the basement!

Jason, Eli, and Porterdog playin' it safe in the basement!

Future body builder???

In addition to tornados, I caught some icky, icky flu that lasted for several days. I am just now starting to feel somewhat normal again. Blech!! There's nothing like getting sick to remind us of how different our life is now! Now, let's just hope Jason and little pea are spared the ickiness.

In the meantime, Jason and Eli worked on the vegetable garden this week!!

Helping daddy plant the seeds!

Oh yea...DIRT!!!!
Guess where that clump of dirt in little pea's hand ended up?! Yep, a little appetizer before dinner.

Watching Porterdog. Eli loves to watch Porter run around the yard. He just laughs and laughs!

Playing with sticks. No eating this time!

Fav Foto Friday

Sleep is sweeeeeet

Awwww...snugglin' with Tigger. We are having a MUCH better week! Eli is getting back onto a regular nap/bedtime schedule and he is sleeping wonderfully. The stroller naps have almost been completely phased out and, as a result, he is taking much better naps. Of course, he is still sleeping with us and needs lots of snuggles when falling asleep, but we are slowly helping him snuggle with Tigger so the two of them can snuggle in the pack-n-play! Tigger was a birthday gift from Eli's foster family. Eli may be sleeping better, but he tends to take over the entire bed so we are not necessarily sleeping better. For some reason, he loves to sleep horizontally in the bed so one of us gets kicked all night and the other headbutted! But, at least Eli is waking up smiling and laughing. And that makes these sleep deprived parents very happy!

He's back!!!

What a week!! Eli started off the week with Roseola and some major teething (back molars) and then the grieving started. We initally attributed it to his illness and not feeling well, but I think being sick may have helped bring out his grief. We all want comfort and familiarity when sick and Eli has lost everything that is familiar and comfortable. Everything. I can't imagine how stressful and scary that must be. There were several episodes in which Eli would just start crying/screaming/waling uncontrollably and there was nothing I could do to comfort him. He screamed for me to hold him, but then he would push me away. If I put him down, he would start screaming even more. Oh, it was just heartbreaking and I felt so helpless.

He also had several very restless nights of sleep. It was like he just could not get comfortable and he rolled all over the bed all night. There was one night I basically held onto his arm or foot all night to keep him from rolling off the bed. I tried putting him in the pack-n-play, but he screamed! So, he rolled and I hung on tight! Needless to say, neither one of us got much sleep! For several days, Eli also woke up crying in the mornings and from his naps. He has also been especially clingy with me. I can't even go to the bathroom without him crying or searching me out. If I close the door, he stands outside the door and whines. Right now, he needs a lot of comfort and closeness.

But, we had a big shift Friday night. He went to bed pretty early and started the night sleeping on my lap. He fell asleep very quickly and did not stir at all even when we took him to bed. He was conked out! We had not seen this in several days. We all slept very soundly until the tornado sirens woke us up in the middle of the night! Of all nights, the sirens go off when all three of us are finally getting some sleep. (thank goodness we were safe, though) We all went down to the basement and Eli just played, smiled, and laughed. I couldn't believe it! We were back in bed within an hour and none of us stirred until morning. Eli woke up Saturday morning smiling and laughing and was in such a wonderful mood all day. Oh, were we relieved to see that sweet smile again. He was so cute and funny all day. And, he again woke up this morning smiling and laughing.

I am sure we have not completely seen the end of his grief, but I hope we are past the worst of it. As hard as it is to see him go through this, I am actually very relieved. He needs to grieve. He lost his first family and everything that is safe and familiar. And, it also allows him to become more emotionally attached to us as we get through this together. We see him opening up to us more and more each day. I would be kidding myself if I said this was easy. It's not! It is so hard to watch him cry and scream and to not be able to ease his distress. And, it is so hard doubting and wondering if we are handling it the "right" way. But, when I watched Eli wrap his arms tightly around his daddy's neck last night with a huge smile on his face, I knew we must be doing something right.


Kickin' back as he got a ride around the house in the laundry basket.
He loves to swing! The higher the better!
Awww...his smile is back!! Look at those adorable rosie cheeks! I think he broke into a sweat bouncing on the couch.
"Hello? Who's there?" Eli LOVES to pretend everything is a phone. This happens to be the TV remote.

Two weeks already!

Eli has been home for 2 weeks and it has been such an adventure! On one hand, I can't believe it has only been two weeks because it seems like he has been here much longer. On the other hand, I can't believe it has already been two weeks! I still have moments of shock and disbelief that he is actually home. Moments that take my breath away and random moments of spontaneous tears of gratefulness and relief. It is quite a ride!! A wonderful, amazing, challenging ride.

Eli definitely keeps us on our toes! He is such an active boy. Seriously, he does not stop moving...ever! He has been walking for a little over a month now and he is ready to run. Needless to say, we have already had many tumbles. Most times, Eli is not phased by these falls and we quickly learned to watch his reaction first before we react! Even so, he has already had his share of bumps, scrapes, and bruises in his first 2 weeks home! The worst was when he fell, scraped his chin, and bit his tongue. Good grief! I see many trips to the ER in our future with this boy. Despite the tumbles, he gets right back up and goes at it again.

We were just starting to settle into a good daily nap/bedtime schedule when Eli fell sick and messed everything up! ;) It started with a high temperature for about 3 or 4 days. He did not show any other signs of illness, but we took him to the doctor yesterday to get checked out. The doctor suspected it was a teething issue since his gums were swollen and he did not have any other symptoms of illness. His fever finally went down yesterday, but he woke up this morning with a rash on his neck and all over his chest and stomach! Then the diarrhea started. Oh my. He had a major blowout during breakfast! It was all the way up to his neck, on his stomach, and down his legs. YUCK!!!! And, of course, today was Jason's first day back to work until the end of the school year so it was just me and Eli! I had to strip him down in the tub, getting poo all over me in the process, and spray him down in the shower. GROSS!!! Poor baby! I think he was saving that one up for a couple of days and just waiting to fully initiate his momma! It didn't take long for Dr. Mom to diagnose him with Roseola. He had all of the symptoms at this point. I still called the doctor and she confirmed it was just a virus so we have to ride it out. Thank goodness no more major blowouts, just little ones! So, Eli and I spent the day lounging on the couch. Little pea should be back to himself by the end of the week. Let's hope!! We at least got some updated measurements at the doctor's appointment! Eli is up to 25.9lbs and is 31 inches. That places him in approximately the 75th percentile for weight and length.

Still no progress with the crib, but we aren't pushing it at this point. Eli has never slept alone, other than our time in Antigua (and only part of the night), so it is a huge change for him to be expected to sleep in a big crib, in a room by himself, in a completely new home. He loves to snuggle when he is sleeping and he will reach out in the middle of the night to make sure we are still there. So, it will take time. We moved the pack-n-play in our room and decided to start with that. So far, hit or miss. The longest he has slept in it before waking up crying is 3 hours. It takes time and patience, lots of patience!

Eli's fussy face. We have been seeing a lot of this face lately!

Firsts

Missing the first 13 months of Eli's life was tough. I tried very hard not to focus on all of those "firsts" that we missed, but it was not always easy. We weren't there when Eli was born, when he smiled for the first time, for his first tooth (actually, his first 14 teeth!), his first babble, his first steps, his first birthday, etc. But, we did not miss everything during those months thanks to all of our visits. We feel so blessed and grateful for everything that we DID experience with Eli before he came home. And, now that he IS home (AMAZING!), we realize there are still soooooo many firsts left for us. Here are a few we have already experienced in our first week as a family at home:

First playtime with his cousins!! What kind of fun trouble are these boys going to get into?!?!

The first time meeting his cousin, K. K, Eli is so lucky to have you as his cousin! You are so loving and sweet with him. Isn't she gorgeous? First visit to the park. Eli LOVED the swing! We were pushing him pretty high and he just smiled and laughed!

First toothbrush! Eli started brushing his teeth tonight and he did great! That is, until momma tried to take the toothbrush away and he screamed. I guess he likes to brush his teeth?!?! Actually, we think he is getting one of his back teeth in and the toothbrush probably felt pretty good to chew on.
First day playing in the yard...at home. He loved it.
First full nap in his crib! WOOHOO!!! We're working on it!

I am amazed how how quickly our lives have been transformed. At how quickly the pain and heartache of waiting has melted away. At how well Eli has been adjusting to all of these significant changes in his life. Even so, we are starting to notice the subtle ways in which he has expressed his grief and stress. We are noticing because every day it gets a little better. Every day his hugs get a little tighter, his snuggles a little longer, and he relaxes a little more. Every day he teaches us something new about himself. Every day we learn something new about what it means to be Eli's parents. Every day he makes us laugh, smile, and take a deep breath. Every day we are so grateful and feel so lucky to be his parents.

Best Buddies?

We now have both of our babies at home together! Porter came home on Thursday evening and the first meeting went very well. Eli was initially not sure what to think, but he certainly did not seem scared of our big furry baby. It only took a few minutes before Eli was following Porter around the house. Porter, on the other hand, has been a little jealous that he is no longer the center of attention! He has to be in the center of everything. Even so, he has been very gentle and patient with Eli, just as we expected. I am sure these two will be best buds in no time!

Overall, being home is so wonderful and surreal! We are slowly settling in and adjusting to life as a family. So far, Eli is doing wonderfully. The only minor issue we are having so far is he will not sleep in his crib for longer than an hour. Given all of the changes this little boy has been through, this is of very little concern! The other issue is he is used to taking naps in his stroller so any suggestions are welcome!

Here are some more pics of our first days at home.