Today, Elwin turns seven months old!

Here are some things he has been up to:

- trying new foods (hesitantly)

- dealing with his first cold

- sitting up all by himself

- rubbing his tongue over his first two bottom teeth

- watching Josiah (always!)

- still crying desperately when Josiah is upset

- rolling all over the place and spinning in circles

- trying to push himself up onto his knees

- loving music

- feeling a bit shy around new people

- really enjoying toys, or anything he can get into his mouth

- getting used to the car, ans more comfortable in his next stage car seat

- laughing loudly on the swings at the park

- crying when getting dressed...laughing when getting undressed

- sucking on his socks and toes

- developing very fast reflexes

- playing in his exersaucer

- sleeping through most nights, but mostly not in his own crib

- sleeping in late if he has his own way

- sometimes feeling overstimulated by too much noise or too many people

- loving hugs and kisses, and giving lots of wet ones of his own

- wearing size 12-18 month clothing and size 4 diapers

- weighing about 24 pounds

- bathing in the big tub instead of the baby one

- not loving the camera

Five Months

Today, Elwin is five months old. We have greatly enjoyed getting to know him and watching him grow. He is calm and sweet. His dimples pop and his eyes sparkle when you take the time to talk to him.

Here are a few recent pictures:

His lopsided grin...

His great interest in everything we do...

His total disdain for getting dressed to go...

His love of sitting in the double stroller with Josiah...

His obsessive thumb sucking...

His painful teething bouts...

His tumbles from his big brother's arms...

His monkey-toed PJ's...

His celery 'snacks'...

His first snow...

His love of stories...

His sheer joy at being naked...

His willingness to play 'Baby Moses' in a drama created by Josiah...
(just one step away from the pond!)

Elwin has filled our home with new joy. Even Josiah calls him 'sweet baby' because there is just no better way to describe him.

At his check-up last week, he weighed 19 lbs. 11 oz., and was 28 1/4 inches long. He is in 9-12 month clothing, and on his last box of size 3 diapers before we get size four. He is growing strong, and learning to do lots of new things.

He can easily grab and hold toys (and hair!). He tries to get his socks and shoes off, and then sucks on them, or on his toes. Elwin also is trying to pull himself up to a sitting position. Although he can roll over, he doesn't seem to enjoy this motion, so it doesn't happen very often! When held, Elwin jumps like crazy.

Elwin is curious about food, and likes to gnaw on raw vegetables to help with his teething pain. He hates taking medicine, and comes up with new strategies all the time for how to spit it out. Oh, and he is blowing raspberries!

His love of music shines through every day. Yesterday, he sang along in church...so cute!

And that is a peek at our boy at five months!

My baby boy turned four months old yesterday. Here are a few things he's been up to lately...

Eating cereal, although he's not quite sure what to think yet!:

Enjoying bath, but getting too big for the baby tub:

Often sleeping through the night (he often only eats once in a twelve or thirteen hour stretch!):

Hanging out with his brother (and 'the dog'):

Sitting in the Bumbo:

Smiling and being cute (and wearing 6-12 month clothes!):

Playing in the exersaucer:

Sucking the thumb of one hand, while covering his eyes with the other to get himself to sleep (this picture is just thumb sucking- I haven't caught the other on camera yet):

Still disliking the car seat, and leaving the house in general:

And 'tummy-time' is not a favourite activity yet:

But he still loves to be held close, hugged, kissed, and tickled:

When I took him to the hospital this week, Elwin weighed 18 pounds and 7 ounces. He is growing very strong, and can hold himself up on his legs now.

He has been drooling like crazy, and I am expecting to see a tooth pop through any day. This extra drool has given him the chance to spit and blow bubbles, which he loves.

Elwin enjoys music and tries to sing. He is usually quite soft-spoken, but once he gets going, it's hard to stop him! I love hearing his baby whispers (really, he does whisper), and I think he loves it when I lean in close to hear all of the important things he has to say.

From day one, he has been a little snuggle-bug. He is now leaning into my face with his mouth wide open when I kiss him, and it looks like he is trying to reciprocate, but isn't quite sure what to do yet!

I LOVE this babe, and his cute dimples!

Elwin is sick. He's been fussing a lot the past couple of days, but yesterday was terrible. He either slept (and not much) or cried, which is very unlike him.

So this morning, when he woke up bawling instead of smiling, I took him to the hospital. We were in a hurry, and he was obviously feeling rotten so I didn't change him. When we got there, the nurse pulled his slipper off because she needed a toe to measure his pulse, and this is what she found:

She didn't even need to take his sleeper off! I was completely embarrassed, because I actually knew about the hole, but I've been finding it difficult to make the time to change Elwin's dresser over, so he has very little to wear right now in his size.

Needless to say, his bigger (non-holey) clothes are now sorted and ready to be washed!

And Elwin has his first ear infection! No wonder he hasn't been himself. Hopefully we can get him to swallow enough of the medication so he'll start to feel better soon. He has this little trick where he actually stores the meds in his cheek, and keeps it there for quite a while, then spits it out when he thinks you are done!

Elwin is 3 months old today!

He is growing stronger every day, although he is not a fan of tummy-time! He does not seem to be in much of a hurry to move yet either!

Last week, Elwin weighed in at 15 pounds/9 ounces, and measured twenty-six inches long. He is in the 97th percentile, the same as Josiah was. The health issue I had been concerned about turned out to be nothing (thankfully!).

His personality is starting to shine through. Elwin has lots of smiles and lots to say, if you take the time to listen. He is often quiet with others, and makes the most noise with us, or when he is all by himself. He loves holding hands, and has starting reaching out to grab things. Elwin doesn't complain much, but when he really isn't happy he lets us know. He has the sweetest cry and pout ever!

Elwin has a few favorite songs, and loves to be bounced while you sing. He has a little Winnie-the-Pooh toy that really gets him talking! He seems to enjoy the water, and kicks his feet when he sees the pool!

Although Elwin has slept through the night a couple of times, he usually gets up once to eat. Lately, he has been taking less in at night, so I am hoping that he is beginning to phase out this feeding! Elwin sucks his thumb, which is the cutest thing ever! He does it very loudly and furiously. He prefers this to a soother.

Namesake

A lot of people have asked me about Elwin's name, so I thought I would share where it comes from.

It's an old name, and means 'noble friend' or 'friend to everyone.'

It was my step-grandfather's name, which is why it is so special to me.

Elwin was the only grandfather I really had. He was only in my life for a little over ten years before he passed away, but during that time he made a huge impact. He was a Christian, and I think one of the first examples I knew of unconditional love. He was a man of faith and integrity. Always smiling, he loved to see anyone who came to visit. His gentle and authentic spirit made it comfortable to be around him. Elwin was a very encouraging and accepting person. He was also a loon with a crazy sense of humour, and he loved to laugh. His eyes sparkled with a glint that always made me wonder what he was up to.

I wish that he could be here today. He would have loved my boys as much as he loved me. I wish he could see baby Elwin, and know the honour of having a namesake. Hopefully they will meet someday.

For a while after we had picked the name, I thought it might be strange, especially when I pictured myself correcting or disciplining baby Elwin. But when he was born, and finally opened his eyes, they sparkled, and I knew that Elwin was the perfect name for this beautiful new soul.

Chris has often joked about needing a paternity test done on our boys...I guess there is no need to wonder about this little one!!

I can't quite capture just how much they resemble each other, but it's pretty cute! Of course, baby looks can change so we'll see in another few months.

Birth

I thought I would share some details about Elwin's birth story for those who haven't already heard enough!

We went into the hospital at 6:00 in the morning on June 28th for a planned C-section. They prepped me and I waited for about an hour. Thankfully, my OBG was scheduled to do the surgery. She had also done my surgery for Josiah, and she was great!

I went into the operating room around 8:05 for the epidural. This was not a fun experience. The anesthesiologist tried multiple times without success before she was able to get it. She was also very unprofessional and condescending to the nurses, so there was a horrible tension in the room.

I was getting very anxious and upset, until I closed my eyes and prayed. I felt peace, and like God was there. I knew that others were praying too. God reminded me that He had made me stronger through all of the difficulties, and that I could get through this. This seemed to shift things for me, and I held onto this even during my recovery.

I remember feeling very nauseous, and I kept asking for Chris because they started the surgery this time without him. He was brought in just before they saw the head. The surgery was awful because I felt everything, but without pain. Then they took the baby out, and I heard him and saw him. He was so amazing! His Apgar score was 9/10, then 10/10 a couple minutes later, so he got to stay with us! This was a huge answer to prayer because Josiah had gone to the NICU when he was born and it was a horrible experience. There was something about having the baby right there that made all of the other not-so-pleasant things seems more tolerable.

This is one of the first pictures taken of him:

Elwin was a little unsettled for the first couple hours, and he kept his face covered with his hands for a long time!

Here is a picture of the first time Elwin and Josiah met:

Overall, I do not think that things could have gone any better. My heart was stable throughout the surgery and has been since. Thanks to all of you who prayed for us through this, and for the support you have shown in so many ways. We have felt very blessed and cared for!