Turtles, cribs, birds, and cars

It has been a full week in the Hamby household. We spent Halloween evening at our house handing out candy. Elliott dressed up as a turtle. The mommy confession is that his costume was actually made for a dog--hopefully he won't be scarred for life. I must say it was pretty darn cute although my son wasn't too big of a fan.

Up until this point, Elliott's beautiful crib has pretty much been vacant at night with Elliott sleeping in our room. Gabe and I decided that Halloween night we would try to put Elliott to sleep inhis crib and it was a success! He slept right through numerous door bell rings and "Trick or treats" downstairs and didn't even make a peep. That night he slept about 5 hours straight then was up and down. We were happy with the first attempt and since then he's slept through the night a couple of times in there!!

Another great discovery this week is, as we call it, "the birds". At the recommendation of my friend Morgin we got Elliott this Fisher Price soother that has little birdies on it. We found it at a consignment sale way before he was born--apparently it is no longer made. It plays music and projects a light show on the ceiling. Elliott LOVES it. Mostly he loves the light projection on the ceiling and the music is just a bonus. We use it at bedtime and one night he even fell asleep on his own watching the birds, therefore I deem it a miracle working toy!

Lastly, we got a new to us car this week. My little Mazda 3 was getting pretty cramped for baby and all of his necessary items. After researching we upgraded to a Mazda 5--definitely a mom car, but heck, I am a mom so I guess I can drive it proudly. The Mazda 5 is kind of like a mini van and kind of like a car. I LOVE the sliding doors and how easy it is to get Elliott in and out. I also love all the cargo space for the afforementioned baby items. It drives like a car and is wonderful!

The coming week will be bittersweet for me. It's my last week at home with Elliott before going back to work full-time. I'm looking forward to seeing my coworkers and my kids at school, but I know it's going to be hard to leave him. I'm going to try and savor each and every moment I have with him this week!

Top 5 things that change when you become a new mom

So when you join the club of motherhood, some things just seem to happen. You swear up and down that you'll never be "that mom" wearing that outfit or driving that car but somehow it's inevitable. The world looks different to you as a mom! These are just some of the things that I think most moms can identify with...

The top 5 things that change when you become a new mom:

1. You take a picture every time your little one breathes. Everything they do is the cutest thing ever! You think to yourself, "This is definitely the cutest baby ever born!" and you're probably right.

2. You begin to judge cars by their functionality and usefulness rather than the image they portray. That Jeep Wrangler with the soft top that seemed like so much fun now just seems dangerous and you now see why so many people opt for the mini van with the sliding door!

3. You consider it a very good day when she can take a shower AND dry your hair. Quite an accomplishment.

4. You and your husband have more conversations about baby poop (or lack thereof) than about the events going on in the world.

5. Your facebook status updates have more to do with how many hours your precious little one slept the night before or what adorable things little precious is doing.

In all seriousness, I'm loving being Elliott's mom and can't believe my time with him full-time at home is almost over!

Mommy's night out....kind of

In the last 2 months I've definitely learned that if you really need to get things done (ie: errands) it's much easier to do them solo. Elliott is not much for shopping unless he's sleeping in the Moby Wrap on my chest and that only lasts for so long. Yesterday I decided that when Gabe got home I was going to make a run to Target for some essentials and down time for myself. I fed Elliott at 6:40 and left the house by 7:15 with instructions to feed him once more before putting him down for the night. Elliott and I had a long talk about how he was going to be good for Daddy--no screaming and easily taking the bottle (these two have been issues in the past when I left). When I left, Gabe and Elliott were on the floor playing and Elliott was happily cooing and smiling.

In mid shopping trip I got a call from Gabe. Never a good sign. I could barely hear him for all the screaming in the background. From what I got, Elliott was hungry (and probably tired) and would not take the bottle. I proposed giving him a bath until I could get home. Baths ALWAYS calm him down. So, I hurried to get the necessities on my list. Of course there were 1200 people in line to checkout and only 3 lanes open.

When I got home I could hear the wails and was feeling like a horrible mom. As the rest of the story unfolded, I couldn't help but laugh. After I had talked to Gabe he put Elliott in the tub. Elliott immediately relaxed. He relaxed so much that he pooped all over the tub after about 5 minutes in. The funny thing is, he has never done that before. So, my precious husband had to take him out and the screaming commenced again. When I got home, Elliott was in his diaper and still not very happy. Gabe says to me, "I don't know how you do this all by yourself every day!"

So, Mom's night out was kind of thwarted by a baby with definite tastes about his milk and how he gets it. Gabe says that in the future maybe mom's night out could wait until the last feeding of the evening!

And we have a smiler...

As we approach the 8 week mark of our time with Elliott, I can't believe all the ways that he's changing. The most exciting development--social smiling. He's been doing this a couple of weeks now and it is by far the cutest thing I've ever seen. Sure, Elliott's been smiling since he was in hospital but it was probably could have been attributed to gas. Now, it's for sure that he's smiling in response to something you've done or something he likes.

I remember our friend Todd telling Gabe and me that when your baby starts smiling you will go to any length of goofiness to get him to smile again. I now understand this and definitely have done quite a few goofy things to get a smile. Elliott enjoys the goofiness and especially likes it when you play with his feet or touch his nose or make crazy sounds (not too loud). Gabe always gets a smile when he swaddles Elliott up for bed at night. Regardless of how you get it, the much coveted toothless grin is so precious!

Top 5 things I've learned about parenting

When I was pregnant I heard all sorts of advice and information about babies and parenting. Most of it I took with a grain of salt because I know that everyone has their own opinion and experience on what parenting is. Here is my top 5 list of what I've learned over the last 5 weeks:

1. Sleep is of utmost importance. This was the one thing that people kept telling us before Elliott arrived. "You'd better get your sleep now, while you can because you won't when he gets here." I'd heard it a million times and though to myself, "It can't be that bad. I know what to expect and I can handle it". Even though you think you're prepared for the lack of sleep, I don't think you can completely fathom how tired you will be in the first couple weeks. Things do get better and as our friend Katelyn wrote in a card, "Sleep will come". I was encouraged by that! Today actually sleep is a great subject with me because Elliott blessed us with 6 hours of sleep--in a row--last night!!

2. Getting out of the house takes much planning and drive to do. Once again, people told me this before, but I thought "how hard can it be??". I was wrong!! To get to church on Sunday at 11 a.m. it took 2 adults several hours of planning and scheduling. Our planning conversations went something like this: "Okay, you go shower while I feed him then we'll trade off. He'll need to eat again right before we leave. You get the diaper bag ready and I'll get the bottle ready. I'll pick out his outfit while you change his diaper." Going anywhere is a production but it's getting easier.

3. Breastfeeding is hard! Elliott literally came out ready to eat so in my mind I thought, oh this is going to be a piece of cake. Not so! We've struggled a lot in the last 5 weeks, mostly with my supply being somewhat low and Elliott being upset that the food was not making it in quicker. Elliott wasn't gaining weight for a little while but now is back on track--he weighs over 9.5 pounds! I still don't know how long I'll be able to breastfeed him. My supply is kind of up and down, but I guess some breastmilk is better than none. I think the thing that surprised me most about my difficult feeding him was how emotional it all made me. I felt to blame when he wasn't gaining weight and almost guilty when I had to give him formula. At the end of the day, he's growing and healthy and that's all I want. Whatever happens, happens.

4. The bathroom exhaust fan is your friend. We have been learning new things about Elliott daily but last week I stumbled onto an amazing discovery. When Elliott is tired and won't go to sleep, I go in the bathroom, turn off the lights and turn on the exhaust fan. He routinely and soundly falls fast asleep. It works every time and I am so thankful for this discovery when nothing else works.

5. There is nothing like seeing your child accomplish a task. I know you're thinking, "what task can a 5 week old accomplish?". He works hard to roll from his stomach to his back. A couple of weeks ago, I laid him on his stomach and watched him start to move his arms and legs to try and figure out how to move himself. He grunted and squirmed on the floor with such determination and I was cheering him on. Finally, after about 5 minutes he did it! I was so proud of him and how he stuck with it. I know that as he gets older there will only be more for me to cheer about. I can't wait to see how he grows but I'm really enjoying who he is today.

Out and about with the baby boy...

Elliott trying to stay warm on a cold Fall morning!

It's been an exciting week with the Hambys. Elliott and I have gotten out and about much more and I'm feeling more confident in taking him out. Elliott went to church for the first time on Sunday. We were so happy to be back at Stonecreek after 6 weeks of missing church. Elliott enjoyed himself in the nursery and was well taken care of. Mommy was only a little anxious during the service. This was the first time we'd left him with a non-family member. I know that he was in great hands! When I went to pick him up, there was a little handout in the diaper bag from the nursery. I thought it was really meaningful and wanted to share a little of what it said:

"Have you ever thought about the fact that God chose you to be the parent of your child? He knew exactly what your child needed in a parent, and He chose you. He knows your strengths, weaknesses, and your amazing capacity to love. And, He gave you this baby. But, He didn't give you this baby and walk away. He is there--every minute of every day--guiding you through this parenting journey. He has a story of love and redemption to tell your child through you. He wants your precious baby to know that their Heavenly Father is there to help them, just like He's there to help you--every step of the way."


The pictures below are from Sunday

Elliott was a little unsure about the whole going to church thing, but he came around!

The times they are a changing...

So, we've almost completed the first month of our journey as parents. Our lives have changed so much in last month. I barely feel like the same person! I think the whole world knows now that Elliott James was born on August 29 at 1:50 p.m. after a fairly short induced labor. Our labor and delivery experience was wonderful and I was able to fulfill my desire to have a natural childbirth. We had a fabulous lady named Renee who was our doula and helped me get through some pretty intense contractions. I'm sure I'll write more about the whole birth experience later.

Elliott is a neat little guy. Sometimes being his mom feels very surreal, as if I am looking in on someone else's life. Sometimes I forget that he's actually mine. He's changing everyday and everyday I am figuring out something new about him. We are settling into the routine and he is sleeping better at night. A couple of nights ago I got 3 1/2 hours of uninterrupted sleep. It was bliss! Our pediatrician thinks that he is going to be a redhead. He's looking more and more that way everyday. Elliott definitely has his father's blue eyes and complexion (or should we say vampire tan). I should probably go ahead and stock up on baby SPF 100 for next summer!

Gabe and I have been overwhelmed by the level of support that our family, friends, and coworkers have shown us over the last month. Gabe had a surprise shower at work when he returned after Elliott's birth. He came back from lunch and his cubicle was full of diapers! My friend and coworker Shannon came and took beautiful pictures of Elliott last week and all of the meals, calls, and moral support have meant so much to us. Having those supports in place has kept us a little bit more sane during the last four weeks. Thanks so much to everyone.

Know that there will be many, many adorable pictures of E coming and funny stories about Gabe and I bumbling our way through parenthood!