Eli: 23 Months Old

Dear Eli,

You are only one month shy of being 2 years old.  I can't believe how fast time is flying! Your 23rd month was definitely your most challenging so far.  Between introducing Oliver into our family, your growing need for independence, and your tantrums, it has been a rough month for both me and your dad.  One minute you'll be a total joy and the next, a total nightmare.

Your eating issues continue to be a challenge for us.  We took you to a pediatric gastroenterologist a few weeks ago.  She acknowledged that we've tried every method out there to try to get you to eat and confirmed that we're not freaking out over nothing.  She says that your resistance to food is "highly unusual" and that you have a "broken appetite."  In order to rule out any internal problems causing your issues, she ordered an upper gastrointestinal x-ray series, or a barium swallow.  We took you to Primary Children's where we forced radioactive fluid into you and they watched it travel through your system.  The good news is that everything looked completely normal, but the bad news is that we still don't know what's wrong with you.  The doctor put you on an appetite stimulant a few weeks ago, but unfortunately, it hasn't helped at all.  So we're going to try a different one soon, and hopefully that will get you eating.  *Fingers crossed!*

You are totally and completely obsessed with garbage trucks right now.  All day long, you say "Let's watch garbage trucks" and want me to play this, this, and this for you.  Oh my goodness.  It's an obsession, I tell you.  Every morning when you wake up, you run to the front window looking out onto the street and start jabbering nonstop about garbage trucks.  You say things like, "Let's go outside.  See garbage truck.  Shoes on."  Explaining to you that the garbage truck only comes on Tuesdays is hard because the concept is way over your head.  Every day you get your hopes up that you can see the garbage truck.  But by golly, let me tell you, Tuesdays are the best day of your week.  We wait at the window all morning, and as soon as we hear it coming around the corner, we run outside and watch it.  The garbage man is always really nice, waving and smiling at you, and taking his time emptying the cans so the show can be longer.

When I saw you again after spending two days in the hospital having Oliver, I had this weird feeling like I didn't even know you anymore.  You seemed so much older and smarter than you had just a few days earlier.  Honestly Eli, you're learning so quickly, it scares me.  It that a weird thing to say?  Maybe, but it's true.  You have an amazing memory.  We've had quite a few instances where I've taught you something one time, and a few weeks later, you've remembered what I taught you even though we hadn't gone over it since.  You're constantly surprising me and keeping me on my toes.  You're making great strides in your counting.  The other day, you counted all the way to 9 by yourself (but left out 8).  You're also starting to recognize and name colors.

Your canines finished breaking through this month, and boy, are they sharp!  You look like a little puppy.  I can't imagine how much it must have hurt to have those suckers breaking through.  Now all we're waiting on is your 2 year molars, and your set of baby teeth is complete.

You continue to be a good sleeper, especially at night.  We usually put you down around 7:30 p.m. and you sleep straight through the night until about 7:30 a.m.  You take one nap a day, and this month, it has gotten longer.  You usually sleep between 2 and 3 hours, which is really nice for me, especially since I had Oliver.

Adjusting to your life as a big brother has been just that- an adjustment.  You have a love/hate relationship with Oliver.  Sometimes you want to look and him and give him kisses, but most of the time, you hate his presence in the house.  Most of the time, you don't mind when I'm holding Oliver, but you absolutely hate it when your dad is holding him.  You are extremely possessive of your dad because you two are BFF's and you value your time together more than anything else.  I'm not worried about you though.  Soon, you're not even going to remember your life before Oliver was part of the family and you're going to love to play together.

Eli, I love you so much.  Our life has been C-R-A-Z-Y this month, but it's been a lot of fun.  I love the sweet spirit you bring into our home.

You're amazing,
Mama


23 month stats: 
Weight: 28.8 lbs (63rd percentile) 
Height: 35 1/4 inches (77th percentile) 
Head Circumference: 19 1/2 inches (74th percentile)

First Days With Oliver

Can I share a few of my favorite photos from our first days with Oliver?

This photo was taken just a few hours after Oliver and I met.  I get teary just looking at it.  I love way he is relaxing on my chest, completely content.  There is nothing better in the world than snuggling my newborns.

I also love this one of Oliver and his daddy.  Adam looks like he is just drinking up his newborn scent. I love the tender moments between my boys and their daddy.

I've always found it hilarious how much new babies look like wrinkly old men.  Doesn't he look like a grandpa here?

We had quite a few visitors at the hospital.  They brought all kinds of homemade food, lotion and bath salts for me, balloons, and other gifts.  This gorgeous floral arrangement is from my parents.  They brightened our hospital room and made it so cheery.

This was outside the hospital on our way home.  I look like I have it together here, but really, I was a mess inside.  I was incredibly nervous to take Oliver home, mainly because I was anxious about how Eli was going to react to a new baby in the house.  I had a pit in my stomach for hours before we left the hospital.

Let's just say it didn't go very well when we got home.  Eli threw one of the biggest tantrums of his life when he saw us pull Oliver out of his car seat and take him into the house.  The nervous feeling in my stomach was confirmed when I saw all of this happening, and I didn't know if I should laugh or cry.  So I did a little of both.

The next morning, Eli warmed up to him a little.  He even shared his truck with Oliver, running it across his body.  He got a little upset when Oliver didn't reach for it and play back.  Silly newborns and their lack of motor skills!

Ollie's first bath at home went surprisingly well.  As long as we kept his body covered with warm washcloths, he didn't mind it at all.

This was the first time Eli held his new brother.  He was interested in him for about 1.6 seconds and was then sliding off Adam's lap to cause mischief somewhere.

Oliver gets really fussy in the evenings, and one of the only ways to calm him down is to take him outside.  We have been spending a lot of time in our pajamas in the yard, just hanging out.

We love our Ollie and are so glad he's part of our family!

About Oliver

• He is the loudest, gruntiest baby I have ever known.  The kid pretty much grunts nonstop.
• He has the longest, curliest eyelashes.  They're gorgeous!
• He's kind of skinny, but has really chubby cheeks.  I swear, all of his fat in his whole body is stored in those adorable little cheeks.  They're huge, and I kiss them all day long.
• He has some major tummy troubles.  He seems really uncomfortable after he eats and he spits up a ton. He's a great nurser and would eat for an hour if I let him, but I try to not overfeed him because I think that may be contributing to his tummy problems.
• He sleeps about 22 hours a day.  He is so tired all the time!
• He only has 3 speeds- sleeping, eating, and grunting/rooting.
• He sleeps best in someone's arms.
• We still can't tell if his eyes are going to be brown or blue.  I'm almost positive they're going to be brown, but a lot of people tell me they think they're going to be blue.

Happy Mother's Day!

I love being a mother to these two sweet boys.  They are so much fun!  My life has so much more meaning now that I have these little guys to raise, teach, and love.  Mothering is a lot of hard work, but I honestly wouldn't want to be doing anything else with my life.  The love that I feel for them is indescribable.  I thank my Heavenly Father every day trusting me enough to be their mother.  They are very special little boys, and I can't wait to see what they become!   

I am so lucky to have such an amazing mother and mother-in-law.  They are both so incredible!  They are both such wonderful examples of the kind of mother I want to be.  I love them so much.

Happy Mother's Day!

40 Weeks (But Not Pregnant Anymore!)

He's here, and couldn't be more perfect!

Oliver Samuel Alba

Welcome to Earth, Baby Boy!

May 5, 2012

1:55 a.m.

7 pounds, 7 ounces

20 inches

Name and details to come . . .

39 Weeks Pregnant

I just wanted to give another quick pregnancy update.  At my appointment yesterday morning, I hadn't really made any progress since the week before.  I am still dilated 2-3 cm and 80% effaced.  The baby is sitting at a -1 station, so he has definitely dropped a little, which is encouraging.  Eli stayed all the way up at a -3 station until they broke my water, 30 minutes before he was born.  The good news is that I measured 38 weeks, which means is not even quite a week behind.  Yay!  He is getting bigger and catching up to where he should be.

Time is starting to really drag.  I feel like I'm going to be pregnant forever.  I'm trying to stay positive because no matter what, I will have this baby within 2 weeks.  We are going to set an induction date at my 40 week appointment for the beginning of my 41st week even though I really, really, really don't want to be induced.  I hope my body will know what to do on its own and that things will happen naturally.

My little sister Rachelle had her baby on the 1st, and meeting her little girl made me so excited to meet my baby.  It made it seem so much more real.  Sometimes I feel like it still hasn't sunk in that I have a baby inside of me that could come at any moment.  It is too surreal.

I have felt surprisingly calm the past week or two.  I think it's because everything that really needs to be done is checked off my to-do list.  I feel like I'm as ready as can be.  The big house projects are done, the nursery is decorated, my hospital bag is packed, the house is relatively clean, and the cameras are charged and ready to fire!  I've been taking it easy in the evenings lately, which has been a nice change from working on the house every night.  Adam has been really sweet to me and has been picking up the slack around the house.  He's been cleaning a lot and taking care of Eli from the moment he gets home from work until we put him to bed. I'm so spoiled.

Avery Jade Tilley

Yesterday morning, my little sister Rachelle gave birth to her first baby, a sweet little girl that they named Avery.  She was a tiny little thing; 7 lbs, 3 oz and 19 1/2 inches long.  Adam, Eli, and I drove down to Provo in the afternoon to meet her.  I started bawling as soon as I saw her.  I was so in love!  I couldn't get over her tiny little features and her calm, peaceful demeanor.  She always had a tiny little smile on her face, even when she was sleeping.  It was so fun to watch Rachelle and Brad already acting in their new roles as parents.  They are going to be so awesome and I can't wait to watch them!

Spending time with Avery made me both eager and nervous to meet our little guy.  All of the memories of Eli as a newborn came rushing back to me.  Those first few weeks with him were some of the most joyous of my life, but some of the hardest too.  I think the thing I'm most nervous about this time around is the guilt I know I'm going to feel when I have less time to devote to Eli.  The new baby is going to take up a lot of my time, and I'm going to feel so bad when I can't give Eli the undivided attention he's used to.  The good news is that he will quickly forget his life before the new baby was part of the family and will adjust quickly.

Avery and our baby are only going to be a week or two apart in age, so it's going to be so much fun to watch them grow up together.  I didn't have a cousin that close in age to me, and I always wanted one.  These two are so lucky!  I know they're going to be best friends.

Congratulations, Rachelle & Brad!