Eliseo!

OK, I decided that I should start a blog for my family and friends to share the pure joy that I get from our son, Eliseo.  I've always been a journal writer, but in the last couple of years, the journal has been collecting dust as  life happens day to day.  I wish I would've kept a journal when I was pregnant so that I had that special time of my life documented, but sadly, I didn't.  So now I'd like to try the blogging thing to remember and share my memories of Eliseo.  I wonder if I'll be able to look back on this blog 20, 30, 40 years from now as I would be able to with a journal...I guess it's a chance I'm willing to take.  Maybe I should print it out?  So much for saving a tree.




So...let me tell you about my pride and joy.  He is the greatest thing I've ever done!  I look into his face and it seems like I've known him forever.  Strange how that happens, isn't it?This week he will be 3 months old, I can't believe it!  Although not every minute of his life has been rosy, the tough times have completely been worth it for the happiness he brings us. 

Born on 5/1/12 at 6:02pm, weighing in at 5 lbs 8 oz and measuring 18.5", Eliseo William made his long awaited appearance.  To me, he was the most beautiful thing I'd ever laid eyes on....I truly believe this (although some may think I am biased).  For those of you who know the struggles we went through to have a baby, you can imagine the feeling of finally holding my baby in my arms.  Sometimes I still have to pinch myself (ouch, just did).


Anyhow, let's start with the fun stuff!  In his short 3 months in this world, he's grown quite a bit!  The last stats were taken on 7/3/12, he was up to 9 lb 3 oz and 21.75"!  He has undoubtedly grown even more since then, but I have nothing official to prove it.  Judging on having to finally move out of newborn clothes and diapers, I'd say he is somewhere around 11 pounds by now.  Angelina Jolie was right on when she made the controvertial statement that newborn babies are pretty much "blobs"...lol.  At first he didn't do much other than eat, poop, sleep and cry.  They say that you can't spoil a newborn, so we held him pretty much all the time, day and night (we have yet to see the lasting effects of that)!  Right off the bat, we were challenged with the fact that he had his days and nights mixed up, which basically just meant that I didn't sleep at night for a month!  I now understand why companies grant new mothers maternity leave...they would be completely unproductive zombies, as I was for the entire month of May.  Oh who am I kidding, well into June too.  As any sleep deprived parent will tell you, sometimes it's just easier to change your sleeping habits instead of trying to adjust a baby to your schedule.  The first night home with him, Glenn had to work so I had him all to myself.  I laid in bed staring at him, I was sure he was going to stop breathing.  Everyone told me:  he MUST sleep on his back, and don't you dare put anything in his cradle!  Well, I flunked Swaddling 101, not to mention Eliseo is the latest Houdini.  Swaddle #1:  winner, Eliseo.  Swaddle #2:  winner, Eliseo....Swaddle 52:  winner, Eliseo.  You get the point.  So here I was, swaddling him every 5 minutes as he mocked me by escaping every single time.  Haha Mom, you thought this was going to be easy?  At 3:45am, I finally broke down, calling Glenn in tears telling him he needed to leave work to come swaddle his baby (his swaddles, while equally ineffective, were much better than mine).  So the first night at home was sleepless.  And so it began.  Night after night, as I walked around my bedroom from 2-6am, gently rocking (aka trying not to shake) my son, I wondered what the hell I had done with my perfect, non-nocternal life! ::Temporary zombie insanity, of course::  I knew these days would end, but I just wanted to know WHEN.  Well, gradually, Eliseo started adjusting, realizing that when it's dark out, humans sleep.  Well, most humans, anyway.  I would Google each problem as they were happening (baby not sleeping:  Google "Baby Not Sleeping"; baby making funny breathing noises:  Google "Baby Making Funny Breathing Noises" etc...).  The pros said to swaddle the baby and provide some white noise....you know how well the swaddle went, and we had that damn white noise machine up so loud, you would swear we were actually living IN the ocean.  But one day, I realizied that he had finally gotten the hang of bedtime.  Side note: in my family we hold vampire hours, so while most babies are fast asleep by 8pm, mine takes after Mom and is awake at least until 11pm or so. I have no idea how to go to bed any sooner than that.  I haven't learned how to put him to sleep yet ( or just don't want to) without being by his side (can't spoil a baby at this age, right???).  I guess that's a fun adventure you'll be reading about in a few months, along with the saga of putting him in his own room, which I am fretting since his room couldn't be further away from ours.  I want to swap our guestroom with our master suite, but Glenn is less willing.  Stay tuned to see who wins that fight.


OK, now since we are all caught up, I'll tell you about Eliseo (for the gringos in the room, it is pronounced EL-EE-SAY-O, I wonder how many times I will have to explain that one!) and his latest accomplishments!  My baby boy has been smiling and cooing at us like we are just lighting up his world!  Getting flashed by one of those big smiles is the most rewarding feeling ever!!!  And then he talks back...I use the term "talks" loosely of course, but I'm sure whatever he is saying is completly genious, we just can't understand his language yet.  He and I talk about our day, and what a good boy he is, and how much he is loved.  It's the cutest freakin thing EVER.  He also LOVES to cuddle, which is a coincidence because I love to cuddle!  He is a morning sleeper and slow to rise (wonder where he gets that from), so after our morning feeding, we end up cat napping with me on my back and him on my chest, so we are facing chest to chest.  I love it..now that I'm not so paranoid that I'll roll over on him and kill him.  It's so nice that I've gotten over THAT fear.  And don't worry, I promise I won't roll over on him.

I am heartbroken to report that today is the last day of my maternity leave, tomorrow begins cold hard reality again, although it will be a little warmer and softer just because he is in it.  The dramatic moment for me tomorrow will be dropping him off at "daycare," which I've convinced myself (to maintain my sanity) is just dropping him off with the babysitter for a few hours.


I promise my blogs from here on out will be shorter, updating as often as anything exciting happens (i.e. the day he cures cancer or becomes president). OK, probably more often than that.  I hope I didn't bore anyone going on and on.  Let the blogging begin.