"Little" Eli

Our little Eli is growing so fast. I can't believe he is five months old already. He is still having a little bit of fussiness and stomach issues, but we have taken him to the doctor and hopefully it will get better soon. 

Eli gets his fall pictures taken Saturday. I am so excited. I love seeing how cute he is in his pictures and how much he changes. He is starting to look more grown and not like a little newborn anymore. 

I love him so much. I also love Chris more than ever. He has helped me so much over the past 5 months. I don't know what I would do without him. God has definitely blessed me with a beautiful son and an amazing husband!

D Day

Tomorrow is the dreaded day I have to start leaving Eli at day care. Last night I hardly slept at all because I kept thinking of having to take him. I have cried off and on all week. I hate having to drive to Dayton every day and now it is going to be worse because I have to leave Eli in Wilmington. Luckily my parents live in town and can go to the day care if they need to.

I have spent a lot of time inside by myself with Eli this summer. I have been kind of lonely, but I will cherish this summer because it is the summer I had Eli and got to spend time with him. He is the love of my life and I can't wait to spend summers playing, reading, going to the zoo, etc. Being in education has its perks. 

My baby's smile makes my day

We dedicated Eli and he was so cute... He always is, but he looked like a little man that day.

Growing so fast!

Eli is 8 weeks now and he is growing so fast! A few weeks ago he had his newborn pictures taken and of course I cried when I saw the photographer start taking his pictures. I just thought of how fast time is going and how one day he will be grown. I have come to the realization that even though I am tired and I get frustrated when he has a fussy day or not much sleep during the night, that he won't be like this for long and he will be gone. It makes me think of that song by Darius Rucker.

Eli is being dedicated at church on July 26. I made a slideshow for his dedication and as I made the slideshow from his birth until now, I bawled my eyes out. I am so blessed that he is my son and that I have Chris to help me raise him. I can't imagine doing it alone and having to teach my son how to be a man. I am lucky he has a good role model to teach him that along with other male role models in his life.

I am cherishing my last few weeks with Eli before I go back to work and he goes to day care. I am praying everything will go well  for him at day care and I will be able to cope without him. Here are some of Eli's newborn pictures. They turned out amazing!!

 

Eli's Birth

Eli is nearly 2 weeks old now. I can't believe how much he changes from day to day. Years from now Eli will read all these posts and I want him to know about details from his parents' love story to his birth. So here is how Eli was born.

Saturday, May 16, Chris and I spent the day at the mall and just doing our usual Saturday running around. When we got home and got ready for bed later that night, it was hard for me to even lie down. I thought I was just having a little pain and suggested taking a ride to see if that would help. We got back home and I thought, "let's go to the hospital. I will at least get pain meds until I am induced on Monday." 

We went to the hospital and the nurse checked me and I was a cm... Just like I had been for 3 weeks. She told me in order for me to get pain meds, I would need to dilate more. I had to walk around for an hour straight. It was painful. I had to stop every few minutes (I was having contractions) and when I was checked an hour later, I was at 3 cm. The nurse said she was going to check me in an hour. By this time it was nearly 1am. At about 2, I had dilated to 4 cm. I was kept overnight.

The next morning when I woke up, I was asked if I wanted an epidural. I knew then that he was coming soon. For the rest of the day I laid around and waited. Chris didn't sleep the night before and had less sleep than me, but he refused to sleep. Later in the morning/afternoon, my epidural started to wear off and they gave me more. It was so much though that I couldn't feel my legs. Chris and the nurse had to lift me to move me. It was not fun. The nurse finally came and told me that I was going to have to have some meds to have  the epidural wear off some so I could feel to push. Dr. Patel had come in earlier and broke my water, so I was just waiting for them to tell me to push.

 At about 2:15 the nurse came in and told Chris and I that we were going to start doing some pushing before Dr. Patel came in. We started some pushing for about an hour. It wasn't anything hardcore, but Chris and the nurse held my feet while I did some pushing exercises. Dr. Patel came in and from there it was go time.

I was doing 4 sets of 10 seconds for pushing and it doesn't seem like a lot until you have to hold your chin down and not take a breath for 10 seconds. Those 10 second seem like 1,000 when you are in pain. After pushing for what seemed like an eternity, Chris, the nurse and Dr. Patel had all started saying " He's crowning! Push!" I was worn out and slowing down until that point and as soon as I heard crowning, I went for it. They told me I could push when I

wanted since he was crowning and I think they thought I would take my time since I was so tired, but I went into beast mode and started pushing before the nurse could even start counting. The three of them got wide eyed because of my second wind, but I wanted him out! I pushed and Dr. Patel said he was a third of the way out, which made me go harder. The he was halfway out and I pushed harder and finally at 4:33pm, Elijah Alan Branson came into the world. Chris said throughout the whole pregnancy he wouldn't cry when Eli was born, but guess who cried more than me? I think I was too exhausted to cry, but trust me, I have made up for it when I look at him every day.

Our families all waited and when he was born, Chris went and told everyone and they all came to see him. We had to stay a couple more days so they could monitor us and he could be circumcised. We had so many visitors bringing gifts and food. Eli's first week was so busy we weren't home one whole day because of traveling to see everyone. Everyone loves him...the nurses were all Googly eyed over him too. They all wanted to watch him and kept going on about his blonde hair. I know that he has definitely won Chris and my heart. 

Daddy loves his boy

Chris going to tell everyone Eli is here!

My boys!!

The most perfect baby. 

Nervous, but Excited!

Chris and I decided to have my induction for May 18. I will go in on Monday afternoon  at 4 and start the process. Eli will probably be here on May 19. I have had a lot of people tell me to go naturally. I would like to, I just scheduled an induction because I wanted to choose the doctor I had.  I like both of my doctors, I just chose Dr. Kaplan because she has seen me more and we graduated from high school together. If I go before the 18th, I am completely fine with it. 

There have been times where I felt this pregnancy would ever end, but now that I am a week away, I am excited, but so nervous. The labor has always been a fear of mine ever since I was a teen. I guess that is a good thing when you are a teen.  Now that I am so close to labor, I am as equally scared about being a good parent. I am so lucky to have Chris by my side to help me (and be equally as scared). I don't know what I would do without him. Eli is going to have a great daddy. Eli is also going to have amazing grandparents and family who will love him. 

One day when Eli (and his future sibling- if that happens) is older,  I plan on giving him the link to this blog so he can read about how his parents fell in love and how he came to be. I am excited to continue to write about my little family and all the adventures we will have.

First came love 

Then came marriage

Then came....

Getting Close!

The last few (or maybe couple) of weeks are coming to an end before Eli gets here. Chris and I are so excited, but nervous. I had my shower last weekend and about 70 friends and family showed up. I am so grateful for the support. Eli is definitely going to be one blessed little boy. 

Chris and I also got our pictures taken. They turned out well and we are going to get some printed for family. 

I have been having swollen feet and it has been pretty uncomfortable to lie down to sleep at night, but other than that and my morning sickness during the first trimester, my pregnancy hasn't been too bad. I am lucky I haven't had any problems. Girls, if you are thinking about getting pregnant, take care of yourself before and during pregnancy. I even lost about 10 pounds before I got pregnant. Extra weight is not fun on top of being pregnant. 

Excited and Nervous

It is now April and that means next month Eli will be here. I am really nervous, but ready for him to be here. I know Chris is ready too.

 A couple of weeks ago we went to Ultrasona again to see Eli again. Every time I see him, I want to cry. I still lift my shirt while I am watching TV and just watch him kick and move. It will never stop amazing me. Chris bought the ultrasound  for me for my birthday. He also bought me a prenatal massage. I think I have the best husband ever! 

I pray every day that Chris and I are good parents. I want Eli to have a childhood like I did. I am grateful for strict, but loving parents. Their prayers (along with others) have kept me out of trouble and I have made good decisions( some bad too) in my life. Eli is going to be one blessed and spoiled( but not a brat) boy. I can't wait to see the kind of man he grows up to be. 

I love his face!

Look at that smile!

Changes

Chris got an office job at work. He started his new position yesterday. He is still unsure about if he will like it, but he is going to give it a try. The good thing is, if he doesn't like it, he can go back to his old job.

A few weeks ago Chris showed me a large lump under his armpit. Me being the learner that I am, had to look up what it could be via Google. He kept telling me to stop because he is the same way and had already looked it up. There were articles about cysts and cancer. Me being   a worrier as well, immediately thought cancer. Chris is NOT a worrier, so he was just going to wait it out. NO. I made him schedule an appointment. Turns out it was a cyst. Thank God!

The pregnancy is going well. I am starting to really show now after nearly six months of being asked if I really am pregnant. I have a little over two months until Eli is born and so much is going to be happening. We have my birthday (31) and birthing class this week, my shower, maternity pictures, finishing the nursery,etc in the next few weeks. So much to do and it will be here before we know it! We are so excited to meet Eli. Chris is just as excited as me 😀

Third Trimester

I am going in to my third trimester this week and while I am excited, I am nervous as well. I pray that Chris and I will do a good job as parents. This journey has been great, exhausting and emotional. Every time I go to an appointment and see Eli or hear his heartbeat, I am reminded of God's love and promises for me. Just a few years ago, I was lonely and started to wonder if God had a plan for me. A few years later he showed me that if you wait on Him, He will deliver. I have an amazing husband, a great home, wonderful family and friends, a job, and am expecting the most beautiful baby. God is awesome.

Eli is going to have a wonderful life with parents and family who love him and will have so many great experiences. I hope that most of all he loves God and treats people as God wants him to. 

My baby boy at 26 weeks !!

Update

Baby Eli is continuing to grow and measure right on target with his due date. He is starting to kick like crazy. I think he will be a soccer player like his daddy. We are so excited to meet him and it is hard for us to stay patient, but we are preparing for his arrival. 

Marriage is great. I know we will have our hard times and it won't always be easy, but so far it has been amazing. I am so lucky to have a husband that makes sure I am happy and comfortable during my pregnancy. He does so much for me and I am so lucky to have him by my side during pregnancy and as Eli's father. He will be a great father.

Dolly is still our little fur baby. I love her! She knows to be gentle around me and it is so sweet. She will lay her little head on my shoulder and cuddle with me in the evenings. She is the perfect family dog. She is definitely the best Christmas gift ever. 

Life is great and I am so blessed to have my husband and family in my life. Eli is going to be one blessed (and spoiled) little boy.