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I’m so tired of worrying. Most days I wake up and feel just like any other parent – with all of the normal worries that parenting entails. It feels like Elijah’s first three weeks were just a horrible nightmare and we woke up to a warm and cozy home with a beautiful baby boy. It feels like God took the eraser on the dry erase board and wiped it all away. That’s how I feel most of the time.
And then sometimes I’m reminded that we’re not in the clear yet and I keep worrying. I’ll get a pang in my side and remember that I’m still recovering from my surgery. Elijah will do something that I think might not be “normal” and I start my cycle of worry again. I just don’t want to worry anymore.
As you know, we went to the doctor this morning. Elijah is doing well and he now weighs…drum roll please…15 lbs. 13 oz. Andy had weighed Elijah this week on our scale and we were way off – we were telling people at church that he weighs 17 lbs. Whoops! He’s still growing at a great rate and is really healthy. He’s in the 90-95 weight percentile for his age.
So, why then am I worrying? - Elijah’s head circumference isn’t growing; in fact it seemed to have shrunk since our last visit. Typically heads don’t shrink and we can’t remember if they measured his head differently at our last visit –which might make the number a bit inaccurate. Nevertheless, his head doesn’t seem to be increasing in size like it should be. This means that his brain might not be growing as it should and that means all sorts of things in terms of his development. His head size is in the 5-10 percentile, which kind of freaks me out.
I remind myself that Elijah is doing really well and is meeting all of his developmental milestones, which is the important thing. I can’t help, though, to picture my son walking around with a large body and a small head and what a horrible image that is. Right now, I have to remember once again to watch my son and not look at numbers. So far, the numbers haven’t done me any good. The numbers said he wouldn’t be doing any of the things he’s doing now. He doesn’t look unusual to me at all. He looks like a perfectly healthy 11 week old and I remind myself that God is looking out for us.
I would love to be able to make Elijah grow on my own, but I simply can’t. That’s what’s so hard – we want to fix things, but we simply can’t. It’s another reminder to put things into God’s hands and go from there. We must focus on the positive and ask God for help. Please pray for Elijah’s brain to grow and develop. We’ll stop worrying about it and watch our little boy grow and amaze us.
I had a coupon, so Andy, Elijah and I went to Babies R Us tonight. It’s always fun to go on an outing all together. Granted, shopping isn’t Andy’s favorite pastime, but he still enjoys being with us.
Andy and I haven’t been in Maple Grove since Elijah came into this world. It brought back memories of our carefree pre-baby days when we used to live in our apartment. We can hardly even remember what our lives were like before we had Elijah and don’t really want to. This world is a much brighter place with Elijah in it.
We might’ve stopped at Cold Stone on the way home. It was probably really yummy, but I’m not going to admit anything. J
Well, we’d better get into bed. Elijah has a doctor appointment tomorrow morning. I’m curious to see how much he’ll weigh this time. I’ll tell you in my next update. Goodnight!
Our little family had a really great day yesterday. Elijah and I were showered with love because “auntie” Heidi threw us a Welcome Baby Tea. Elijah got lots of cuddling and I got to have a lot of great adult conversation with the ladies from church (most of my conversations these days consist of goo-goo ga-gaJ). We had a great time and were so exhausted we went to bed before I got a chance to write an update. Thanks ladies! It was a lovely afternoon.
Today we talked to a lady who has dealt with a lot of children who have had rough starts. She looked at Elijah’s MRI and was amazed at how well Elijah is doing. In 26 years she’s never seen a child who had as rough a start as Elijah do this well. (Most children aren’t able to suck and swallow – to give you an idea). Once again, I am reminded of what God can do and again, we feel so blessed. I like to forget how bad it was, but when I hear things like that, I remember once again what a miracle Elijah is. I like to share because there is no explanation for Elijah’s recovery other than God’s intervention.
According to science, there was a good possibility Elijah would be a vegetable. That’s why “Dr. Gloom” was so, well, gloomy. He had reason to believe our child wouldn’t do so well, because almost all children don’t do well at all. For me to expect a full recovery is nothing short of a miracle. I remember telling nurses in the hospital that I believed Elijah would be completely fine. They would listen to me and be silent. I think they would’ve liked to say, “Yeah, he’ll be fine!” but they had seen too many kids to give me that reassurance. Thankfully, God has so gracefully listened and held our hands through all of this. We couldn’t have done it without Him and I hope I never forget to thank God for giving Elijah to us – not once, but twice!
Do you ever feel incredibly blessed? I do and I’m having one of those moments where I can’t believe how great my life is.
If I could, would I go back and change what happened in Elijah’s birth? Of course I would. Would I change how it has affected me, how I’ve grown, how much more I appreciate life, family and friends? Never in a million years. And that is how God is so great. He always pulls through on His promises and He works things out for good. (There I go again on my favorite scripture – Rom. 8:28)
I know I’ve learned a lot through this whole experience and we’ve had so many people tell us that Elijah’s story has affected them too. What a blessing that is! Have you learned something through reading about Elijah’s amazing recovery? We’d love to hear it!
Uncle Andy visited tonight. It was nice. We’re tired. Goodnight. :)
Where do all the days go? Every week there is inevitably a day when I think that it’s a day earlier than it really is. So then I ask myself, “It’s not really Thursday is it?” I’m sure I’m not the only one who has experienced this. What did I do with all of that time I had BE (Before Elijah)?
Andy and I went for a walk tonight. Elijah was sleeping in his stroller and it was a beautiful night for a stroll. Andy and I were able to chat about things unrelated to parenthood and that was a nice treat. I couldn’t have asked for a better evening as a family.
For those of you who have photo withdrawal, I’ve uploaded more pictures onto Photobucket and a few videos too. Enjoy! :)
Sometimes I find myself wanting to fast-forward into the future and see what lies ahead. If only I could glimpse and make sure that Elijah is all right, that he is completely healed. Then I realize that I’m wishing his life away and I need to make sure to enjoy him while he’s this young. From what I hear, they grow up fast and I shouldn’t be wishing it to be any faster than it already is.
Not too long from now I’m sure Elijah won’t want to cuddle with me so much. I can hear him now. “Mooomm, don’t. I’m too big for kisses.” “Moomm, I’ve heard the story a million times. I know that I’m a miracle. Can I go outside and play now?” It puts a smile on my face to think that I may annoy him someday and I’m sure I will at some point. That thought makes me happy because it’s just so…normal.
I try to remind myself that I need to have the faith that God has finished the job. Do I have any reason not to believe so? Everything that I asked to be prayed for has happened. In the early days it was a gag reflex and crying. Now it’s a good result on the EEG, with so many answered prayers in-between. If Elijah’s life doesn’t strengthen your faith, I don’t know what would.
Great news! The EEG came back normal. What does that mean exactly? I don’t really know, just as I didn’t know what an abnormal EEG meant. Normal and abnormal are such abstract words. Who is really “normal”? Certainly not me. J
What I do know is that the EEG is a snapshot in time. This means that during the hour the test occurred, Elijah didn’t have any seizures and apparently everything looked normal. From what I’ve read, a normal EEG doesn’t necessarily mean there are no problems. It is obviously better than an abnormal EEG and I take it to be a really good sign. Finally the tests are starting to correlate with the little boy we see in front of us.
As a result of the good EEG, we are now weaning Elijah off of the Phenobarbital. He will still be on it for the next month, but in gradually smaller doses. This makes us really happy. God has been really good to us and we feel so blessed. Elijah is truly a miracle.
No news yet regarding the EEG. Apparently the neurologist has not yet reviewed the test, even though Andy has now called the clinic twice. We’re running low on Elijah’s medicine and it seems silly to buy more just to wean him off of it. I’m a bit annoyed. Tomorrow it’ll already be a week since he had the test done. We think it’s important to get him off of the Phenobarb as soon as possible and it feels like we’re just wasting time. Oh well, there’s nothing we can do and hopefully we’ll get the results tomorrow.
I took Elijah on a walk today. It was the first walk with just the two of us and he fussed the whole time. I ended up carrying him most of the way and pushing the stroller at the same time. It’s amazing what you can carry all at once when you have a baby…well, at least try to carry.
Anyway, hope you’re all doing well on this Monday. Hopefully I’ll have good news about the EEG tomorrow.
What would you do without faith?
It’s a question I ask myself a lot because I honestly don’t know what we would have done without our faith. We might have curled up into a little ball and never emerged. We would’ve believed the doctors when they told us Elijah might not breathe, that he might have cerebral palsy, that there would definitely be something wrong with him. I know that nothing is certain and that Elijah may still have some difficulties in his life. Honestly, we won’t really know until he grows up what the repercussions of his birth are. But with every day that passes, he proves the doctors wrong. To me, every day he proves that there is absolutely nothing wrong with him.
Elijah is certainly a faith builder all on his own. How many two and half month old kids have accomplished what he has? I feel so inspired by him to make something of myself, to live each day to the fullest, to be the best mother I can be. (Believe me, sometimes I already forget how blessed I really am and I have to remind myself).
The comforting thing has always been that eventually Elijah would be okay; if not in this life, then in the next one. God can make anyone whole and while that is of course what we would all want, sometimes God has a plan that we don’t completely understand. Our lives are just a blink in time to Him after all and sometimes it’s impossible for us to step back and look at the big picture. We can try to understand it, but at times it’s so hard to wrap our minds around the enormity of it all…that for God there is no beginning or end. He is and always has been. But even despite our insignificance in relation to the universe, God cares about each and every one of us and what a blessing that is!
Elijah has been fussy tonight. I just fed him and we’re going to bed. We love this guy! Goodnight. :)
Today Elijah and I had visitors. My good friends Beth and Jill came by for a visit. Elijah and I enjoyed the company. Uncle Andy came by later for dinner and we all had pizza together. It was really fun to have friends and family to laugh with. I feel so blessed to have so many great people in my life. That includes all of you who read this journal…I feel so blessed that people are still interested in this amazing little man’s life. He inspires me every day and I hope he does the same for all of you.
Well, it was a bit of a fluke…the bath that is. Tonight Elijah enjoyed his bath, but was upset afterwards and started crying at the top of his lungs. (Apparently he didn’t think we got him dressed fast enough). It’s so hard to hear him cry and we do whatever we can to make him stop. It is also such a beautiful sound since we had to wait two weeks to hear it and since he really doesn’t do it that often.
I’ve worried before that he is too happy of a baby. A crazy thing to worry about, I know! J With what Elijah has been through, I find all sorts of things to worry about. But, the thing is, I don’t think I need to worry about him being a content baby. I definitely see a personality in him and he has a sense of humor shining through in his eyes. He can definitely get mad; I’ve seen it! He yells so loud that his face gets all red and he starts to cough a little because he’s crying so loud. That’s what he was doing tonight after his bath.
We took the sling out of his tub because he is simply getting too big for it and Elijah wasn’t too sure about this new experience. Now, instead of floating contently in the water in his little hammock, he had to get used to the new feeling of balancing himself in the water. He put his hands up in the air and wanted to hold our hands to steady him. (Who knew you could talk so much about taking a bath?! Parents and their obsession with their children, I tell ya!) Goodnight everyone and thanks again for your continued thoughts and prayers. It means more to me than I can express.
(Hey Beth and Jill, you guys made it into the journal! No video for you…but here’s a shout out to Jen! :))
There’s nothing quite like being a mom. And people were right - we didn’t really understand this whole parenthood thing until it happened. How you’d do anything for him, love him, and sacrifice parts of yourself just to make him happy. You can’t really understand that until it happens.
Each day I fall a little more in love with this little man. It really is hard not to. He’s starting to look and coo at me, which is so special. He’s rambunctious most of the time, but once in awhile he’ll be falling asleep and he’ll just snuggle into me and make these sweet little noises. It’s so wonderful and I am in awe of this little creation from God. And so thankful that He let me borrow Elijah – because he really belongs to God after all. When you look at it that way – that Elijah is on loan from God – it’s so humbling because I know that God would do a better job. Then I remember that the whole point of this life is to be learning and growing and that goes for both Elijah and I. I think I’m learning and growing just as much as Elijah (although it’s hopefully not as obvious because I haven’t almost doubled my weight!:))
Anyway, we’re all doing great and hope this finds you all well.
Every day Elijah is becoming less of a tiny newborn and more of a big boy. He is holding his head up for long periods of time and for the last couple of days he’s been supporting his weight when I hold him on his legs. He continues to get stronger and continues to amaze me.
Last night was a new development because he didn’t enjoy his bath. The moment I started to lay him in the water, he grabbed onto the hair on the top of my head and held on for dear life. I was afraid I had made the water too warm, (I’ve been known to do so) but after checking it a few more times, determined the temp was fine. He cried through the whole thing and so his bath was extremely quick. Once he was dressed back in his PJs he was fine. He just didn’t want to take a bath last night; his cry sounded afraid and that he didn’t like it. Each day his personality blossoms and he tells us his likes and dislikes more and more. I hope he will still like his baths and last night was just a fluke!
Another thing he did last night was he grabbed my ear and took my earring out. Little stinker. J I guess no more little earrings for me since I don’t want to risk him swallowing one of them.
We’ve recently received the medical records for Elijah and me pertaining to his birth (upon our request). Reading them, I am again amazed at this little man and the miracle he is. It’s hard to read them and relive it all over again and it makes me so sad that my poor little guy had to go through so much. It also makes me so glad to have him in our lives. He is such an inspiration. He’s been through a whole lot and even with all that, he’s a happy little guy. He’s got a great little personality and I can’t wait to continue getting to know him ever better.
(By the way, the neurologist won't review his EEG until Monday, so we don't know until then. Annoying, but that's the way it goes)
Elijah looked like a character from a science fiction novel this morning. Several electrodes were placed on his head while I held him. Then he looked like he was wearing a turban. His head was wrapped up so he wouldn’t tear the electrodes off. Needless to say, Elijah looked quite silly for his EEG and he behaved very well. He slept through most of the test, but he was awake some so the test would have good awake/sleep cycles.
We won’t know the results until the neurologist reviews the test, but the technician said she didn’t see anything strange. That’s good enough for me right now and hopefully the doctor will say the same thing. If he determines that Elijah still isn’t having seizures, we can start weaning him off of Phenobarbital. We’ll let you know when we find out.
This afternoon/evening we got to meet Andy’s nice co-worker Ann and her cute little girl Aubrey. Elijah and Aubrey are kindred spirits since they’ve both spent time in the NICU (Aubrey surprised her mommy and daddy by arriving four and a half weeks early). I can tell that Elijah and Aubrey are going to be great friends!
Well, that’s all I have to report for today. Hope you are all enjoying the fall weather and having a great week! Elijah is going to go take a bath and go to bed. Sweet dreams everyone!
Elijah saw his pediatrician this morning and we have nothing but good news to report. His muscle tone is improving and the doctor seemed very pleased by this. He thought it was normal now, but still a teeny bit slack on his belly. It has improved, which is what really matters. The pediatrician was extremely positive. He mentioned that Elijah is not out of the woods yet, but he is growing and developing like he should be at this point which of course is a good sign. I think he even said “congratulations guys” when we left today and he seemed so happy to see that he is growing and that he is hitting the second month milestones.
Speaking of growing, Elijah is huge. Andy and I guessed what his weight was before they called us in and we were way off. Andy guessed 13 lbs 1 oz and I guessed 13 lbs 3 oz. What’s your guess? J He’s 14 lbs 6 oz! He’s in the 95th percentile for his age. No wonder our backs hurt sometimes! His head is growing too, which is also a really good thing. His sutures are starting to fill in and in my opinion, he gets cuter every day.
The Early Intervention ladies were here this afternoon and that also went really well. It was fun to watch them perform the test to see if he is doing certain things. It starts out easy and then keeps getting harder until he can’t do the things because he is too young. Elijah did well and they seemed pleased. He got tired near the middle of the test, so he stopped performing. We’ll get a report next week about how he did. They warned me that the test may say he is not able to do things that he really is able to do since the test is just a snapshot in time. Since he got sleepy near the end, it’ll show that he was unable to do those things. The ladies said that they could come every week, but didn’t see a need to do so at this point. He’s still so young and isn’t showing any signs that he needs the extra help. They said we were doing a good job and to keep interacting and stimulating him as much as possible. They’ll visit once a month and then perform another test when he is six months old.
Tomorrow morning Elijah will be having an EEG (a test that measures his brain activity by electrodes attached to his head). We want to start weaning him off of Phenobarbital and the neurologist wanted to make sure that Elijah isn’t having any seizures before they take him off of the drug. We of course do not want him to have any more seizures, but Phenobarb is pretty harsh and we don’t want him to be on it any longer if possible.
His last EEG was when he was seven days old. He was not having any seizures at the time, but it was abnormal (whatever that means!) Tonight we could use prayers that the EEG shows us some good news…that he is still not having any seizures and that his brain is processing information normally. Well, this little man is squirming around on my chest as I write this and I need to try to get him to go to sleep. Okay, now he’s getting mad, so goodnight!
As I said last night, Elijah had a big day yesterday with a lot of firsts. Have I kept you in suspense enough? :)
First, we went to church in the morning. Following the example of Christ when He took up small children in His arms and blessed them (Matt. 19:13-15), Elijah was blessed. A special prayer was said for him as we prayed for his protection, physically and spiritually, throughout his life. Both sets of his grandparents were there to witness the event and pray for him with the congregation. It was really special.
After church, Elijah got to go out to eat with both sets of grandparents, his aunt Darlene and uncle Dan, his “other grandparents” Tom and Marlene (they’ve been like a second set of parents to me since I’ve been friends with their daughter, “auntie” Heidi, since we were in our mother’s wombs :)), and of course his parents. Elijah let his mommy eat and when he saw that we were all finished, he decided he wanted to eat too. He’s so well behaved. :)
Then, after lunch was another first for Elijah…his first wedding! Elijah got to meet daddy’s cool friends at Bobbi and Nick’s wedding. He was kind of fussing through the ceremony, so both Andy and I had to miss parts of the wedding so that he wouldn’t disrupt the service. Then he got to go to the reception where he was held by Karen, Joel, and the lucky guy even got held by the bride. I was afraid that he would spit-up on Bobbi’s gorgeous dress, but he thankfully didn’t. Eventually Elijah decided that the dance was too noisy and he wanted to go home. The three of us had a really great time and it was nice to see everyone again. Thanks for a great time and congrats Bobbi and Nick!
On the way home from the dance, we discovered that there was a famous Wagner bonfire taking place and that we were missing it. Elijah’s aunts and uncles and his grandparents on both sides of the family were partying without us! So we headed over to grandpa and grandma Wagner’s house for another first for Elijah…his first bonfire! We wrapped him all up in his car seat and he seemed to really enjoy himself by the fire. He also seemed to enjoy all of the people around him staring at him. He got to meet his great-uncle David and his great-aunt Wendy (Lausted). He wasn’t by the fire for long before he decided he was hungry, so he had to go inside to eat before his “greats” got to hold him. Elijah will just have to anxiously wait until the next time.
***
We’re home now. Elijah got to spend time with his family today, which was nice. He hung out with his aunties Jamie and Casey and he got to see his “auntie” Shae and “uncle” Ross for the first time since the hospital and they both got to hold him. He loved it. When we got home tonight, Elijah got a visit from his great-uncle Dave and great-aunt Holly (Wagner). He sure has met a lot of people this weekend. I hope he’s taking notes because I’m going to be quizzing him later! J
Well, we’re exhausted and I’m sure Elijah is too. He had a busy weekend and tomorrow will be busy too. He has a doctor’s appointment in the morning and Early Intervention is coming in the afternoon. Hopefully I’ll have some good news to report tomorrow night.
Elijah had a big day with lots of firsts. It’s late and we just got Elijah to sleep, so that’s what we’ll be doing now too. An update will have to wait until tomorrow (today- since it’s after midnight). zzzzzzzzzzzz
Elijah, Andy, and I made another trip tonight. Over the river and through the woods to the grandparent’s house we went. We’re at my parent’s house tonight and will be seeing both sets of grandparents this weekend. Elijah will be getting lots of hugs and kisses! (We’re so blessed!) Well, I suppose I should be getting to bed soon. Elijah has been doing fantastically well sleeping through the night most of the time. We feel so blessed, but I wonder if this will change when he is taken off of Phenobarbital. Anyway, we’re enjoying it while it lasts and trying to get our rest.
It’s been a lazy day at home for Elijah and me. We really do have a lot of fun together. It’s great to watch him grow every day and it’s amazing how much he has grown already. I don’t notice as much since I see him every day, but when I look at pictures I realize how big he has gotten since he’s been home. It really is amazing and I can’t wait to watch him grow even more.
Andy, Elijah and I went to Target tonight. It’s fun to go out together, even if it is just a few minutes. Elijah gets a lot of positive attention as everyone says how cute he is. One woman said Elijah looked just like Andy. That was nice since a lot of people have said he looks like me. It’s so wonderful that we can go out and forget anything ever happened to Elijah. The same woman commented that he must’ve been a big baby. I told her that he was 9 lbs. 3 oz. and she said, “Ouch!” I just nodded and smiled and thought to myself, “Lady, you have no idea!” My point is that it’s so great that we can go places and not have anyone know that Elijah spent almost half of his life so far in the hospital. The horrible memory of a hospital is really starting to fade and I’m so grateful.
Not too long ago I saw a pregnant woman and I mentioned it to Andy with a smile in my voice, “Hey, that lady’s preggers!” Andy said, “So, you’re not mad at pregnant women anymore?” There was a time when it was really painful for me to see pregnant women or people pushing strollers. The pregnant women because I wanted to go back in time and start all over again and the strollers because it seemed I would never get to push Elijah in one. Not that I was ever mad at anyone, it’s just that it was painful and I guess my point is that the pain is subsiding and turning into joy. It was a lot of pain, so you can imagine how much joy that is. Life is good!
Andy is getting Elijah in his pajamas, so I’ll have to be quick. Hopefully we can get Elijah to sleep fairly soon and get a good night’s rest.
We had a really nice day with family today. Elijah’s great-grandma Joyce, his grandpa John, and his grandma Teri were here visiting for the day. The day was relaxing and Elijah enjoyed himself because he was kissed and loved and snuggled all day long. He’s a lucky boy all right! It really was a lovely day.
Well, that’s all the time I have for an update tonight.
(Elijah says: “Huff, huff, grunt grunt, waah!” Translation - “Dear grandma Kathy, I hope you had a great birthday!!” Love, Elijah)
This morning we had the Early Intervention people visit. Three people were here: a facilitator, a teacher, and an occupational therapist. They were all very nice and the visit went well. Elijah of course is a wonderful little boy and they all kept saying how cute he is. They all seemed pleased at how well Elijah is doing and I hope that they’re excited to work with him. Today was just the initial meeting and we mostly just talked. They got to see Elijah awake a little bit (he’s usually sleeping at the time they visited). He looked at them when they talked, so they got to see how well he is doing.
We have another appointment for this Monday. They will be performing a test called the Bayley Scales of Infant Development. It’s a standardized test that looks at cognition, language, and fine motor skills. It will be a starting point to help track Elijah’s development. I think it’ll help to make sure he is meeting the milestones a boy his age is supposed to be meeting.
The ladies wanted a brief history of Elijah’s birth and when we told them they were really sympathetic and I think surprised by the boy that was in front of them. The facilitator had mentioned that when the Public Health Nurse called, she was really excited about Elijah, so I’m sure they already knew that Elijah was doing well. It was nice to hear again, though, that the nurse was excited by him. I could tell she was impressed by Elijah when she was here, but it’s nice to hear that she was sharing her excitement with the facilitator.
The services provided by Early Intervention are “free” (provided by the state) if you qualify. To qualify, a child should be showing some kind of developmental delay. The qualification in Minnesota has changed recently to include children who have had a risky start in life. The good news is that right now Elijah is developing like he should and wouldn’t have qualified in the past. He is doing so well and God is so good to us!
It’s hard to get anything done. It’s nice to have Andy around all day on the weekend, but even with him around it’s hard to accomplish anything. There is so much to do around the house and it feels like we’ve only made a dent in it. Oh well, things just have to wait, don’t they? J There’s a little boy to be taken care of and he trumps everything else. And it’s a joy to take care of him, even if it means our house looks a little messy.
My sweet husband is doing the grocery shopping for me this evening so that we’ll have food this week. I honestly don’t know what I would do without him. Elijah is taking a nap and I need to get some things done. I’ve managed to do most of the laundry and the dishes today. Andy mowed the lawn and changed the oil in our car. The two of us make a pretty good tag team with Elijah. I’ve got to go get some things done, so I’d better stop writing and get going. Hope you are all doing well and thanks again for everything!
Should I start up the nightly ritual of journals again? I might try, but Elijah keeps us quite busy. It’s a good thing. J I so enjoy writing about him and I’m glad that you all enjoy reading about him.
Andy is holding Elijah right now. They’re so cute together. Elijah has been fussing a lot tonight and it’s one of those times when you ask yourself, “What’s bothering him?” He’s falling asleep now and he must’ve just been tired. Well, that’s all I have to write for now…two updates in one day! (I spoke too soon…he’s awake againJ…got to go!)
***New photos on our photobucket site. You can also find a link to our photobucket site by clicking on "links" above***
We made it home safely and we had a wonderful time in the Dells. It was great to be together as a family for a whole week. We learned a lot about trials during the Feast and it really hit home. I don’t think I really understood trials before. I tried to understand, but you can’t really get it if you’ve never had something like this happen to you. We were so happy to be able to go to the Dells since just a few short weeks ago, we weren’t sure if we were going to be able to make it. I actually started to cry tears of joy during one of the hymns at church because I was so happy to be there and so happy for God’s blessings.
I have to admit, though, it is nice to be home again and start to relax. We got home late last night and it was great to sleep in our own bed. Elijah even seems to be relaxing more. He was awake for most of his car ride home yesterday, which really surprised me. He didn’t even fuss very much; he was just excited and looking around. I have noticed that when he is experiencing something new or a new place he doesn’t want to sleep. He seems to be soaking everything in and it’s so fun to watch. Part of our trip home was in the dark and I thought for sure he would be snoozing the whole time, but not Elijah! He had too many things to be looking at to waste time sleeping. He seemed to enjoy all of the lights that the cars and street lamps made. I realized that he had never ridden in a car at night and so it was a new experience for him and he didn’t want to miss it.
The great news is that since he was awake for so much yesterday, he slept through the night last night. He went for seven hours without eating and gave his mom and dad a chance to get some sleep. He’s taking a nap right now and so I have a chance to write this journal. Life sure is great with our little boy. He is an incredible blessing and we are so happy to have him with us.
We are having a lot of fun in the Dells. Elijah is just thriving. He loves being out and about and seems to be learning more and more each day. (I’m afraid that he’ll be bored at home when he’s just with mommy!) He has gotten pretty good at holding up his head while being held on our shoulder (or on his tummy) and he likes to look around.
Life is good. Elijah is a pretty happy baby. He is such a joy and everyone loves him. He really is a miracle and God sure has blessed us. I’m sure I have more things to report, but my brain seems a little fuzzy. I am still pretty tired, but my joy meter is full and I’m running on that. Elijah is fussing, so I’d better take care of him. :) What a privilege.
(Oh, and Pa Wagner…I’m uploading some photos after I post this. It’ll take a bit since this internet connection is slooow, but that should help with your photo withdrawal problem:))
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