Canada Trip!

It has been SO long since I've posted on this blog...I think about a year and a half. Ha. I'm going to try and be better since I now actually have things to talk about. Life with Eli is pretty great.  I was so nervous and scared about becoming a mother.  As Wes wrote in an earlier blog, I had to deliver via c-section because Eli was breech.  The c-section was scheduled for 2 or 3 weeks before it happened and that just made me more anxious knowing exactly when he was going to come.  Easter, the day before I had him, I was SO nervous and felt sick thinking about the surgery, post-surgery, and some aspects of being a new mom.  Everything went so smoothly and was really great.  Eli has been such a good, sweet baby since he was born.  He was(and still it) SO patient, happy, pacified and sweet.  The hardest adjustment of becoming a mother was the lack of sleep and being home so much.  Being home all the time still gets to me and I try to get out and do something everyday.  As far as sleep goes, Eli has slept through the night for the past 3 months.  A few nights ago he slept 15 hours! Anyways, he is the best little guy and I love spending my time with him. I am extremely grateful for him and for all the blessings in my life.

The end of September, my parents flew me home for a couple weeks. It was a wonderful trip! I had such a great time spending time with my mom and dad, Kate, Dan, Scarlett, and other family.  I also loved being home with the dogs and cats :) They loved Eli and he actually seemed somewhat interested in them, too. It was SO nice always having my mom there to talk to and just being able to relax and visit.  I was so so thankful I was able to be home for a couple weeks.  

This is all of the Thomas family that was there for Caitlin and Jordan's wedding.  It was so fun to be there for the wedding and see how happy Caitlin and Jordan are together.

Eli LOVED my mom. He hasn't been like that with anyone.  He was always staring at her and smiling.  He would cry when I would try to clean his nose or do certain things and when my mom did, he just smiled the whole time.  Ha. I really wish we lived closer so he could see his Grandma more often.  Hopefully in a few years we will live close!

Mom, Kate, Scarlett, Eli and I went to the zoo one day.  It was pretty cold outside and we were there for about an hour and a half.  Eli loved laying in the stroller looking around and finally fell asleep about 5 minutes before we left.

Thankfully, he fell asleep again in the car a few minutes later.  It was cute seeing him and Scarlett both sleeping.  

She kept trying to hold Eli's hand and would grab it anytime he lifted it up.  She kept waiting with her hand open for him to move it so she could get it.  It was cute and so funny. 

Barks and Linky would come over and kiss Eli when they came in from outside.  Surprisingly, he would just smile and laugh.  It made me proud :)

Eli doing what he loves best these days.  He is constantly putting his fingers in his mouth and sucking/chewing on them.  He hardly even takes his soother anymore because he prefers his fingers.

I love him! He is the sweetest little baby.

I think this picture is so funny.  We went out to eat at the Silver Inn(the BEST Chinese Food) and my dad was holding Eli.  With his outfit and pose he looks like he's just another guy sitting around the table in on the conversation. Haha.  He looks like a total man except for the soother. 

He got tired after a little bit of bouncing on my dad's knee and fell asleep in grandma's arms. 

Getting ready for his bath.  He loves his baths!

Aunt Suzanne and Auntie Lin came out for dinner and a visit.  It was so nice to see them and Eli loved rocking with Aunt Suzanne.

Eli was so excited to see Wes when he picked us up at the airport.  He loves Wes SO much and is always staring at him and watching him.  Wes is a very involved dad and has been very helpful since day 1.  It's so   nice.

Haircut

When Eli was about 2 1/2 months old, we figured it was time for a haircut.  His hair was pretty long.  I still loved it but Wes had been wanting to cut it for a while.  It looked cute until someone touched it and then it would get greasy really fast.  Since he was born people have very frequently commented on how much hair he has and often touch it. SO about 1/2 hour after going out, his hair would look pretty greasy. 

One night it was looking pretty rough and I just decided to cut it.  Wes held him while I started trimming and he was soo good. He fell asleep after about 5 or 10 minutes.

Anyways, here are some BEFORE pictures:

DURING:

I felt pretty sick after we gave him a bath and I saw how short it was.  I think I might have cried.  I really regretted cutting it at all and thought it was way too short.  He went from having soft, fine baby hair to adult hair. After 2 or 3 days I loved how it looked and thought it was really cute.

  AFTER:

Eli's Birth Story...

...6 months late. So this was me at about 39 weeks.  I think this was 2 days before I had him.  I thought I would have at least an 8 lb baby. Haha.  I had a really good pregnancy and felt pretty great throughout.  I had really really bad heartburn the last 2 months but that was it.

My mom flew down 2 days before Eli was born to be with me and help.  It was SO SO nice having her there with me and so special.  I will always be so thankful that she was there.  It was so comforting and meant so much that she flew down.

I was really exited to meet the baby, hold him and see what he looked like.  I was so nervous though.  I have never really been a "baby person" and was so worried I wouldn't know what to do with my own.  I was also nervous for the c-section.  Thankfully, all of my worry was for nothing and everything went great.  My doctor was wonderful and I'll really miss him during my next pregnancy.  

The c-section was scheduled for April 25th at 7:30 am.  We had to be at the hospital at 5:00, so it was a very early morning.  We woke up at 3:00 so we could shower, get ready, pack our bags, and leave no later than 4:30.  We checked in just before 5:00, took care of the paperwork, payment etc.  Once we had checked in, they directed us to a room where I changed into the gown, got my IV and was monitored while we waited about 2 hours until I could go in for the c-section.  The first nurse we had was brutal.  She was the worst part of the whole experience.  She was so rude and didn't seem to be very happy being a nurse.  Anyways, sparing a lot of unnecessary detail, got my IV's and waited while almost 3 bags of saline emptied to prep me for surgery.  Waiting was fine but pretty uncomfortable because of how cold I was and my arm with the IV felt frozen as all of the saline was going in.  

Finally, the new, nice nurse walked me back to the O.R. where they were going to perform the c-section.  I got my epidural. The anesthetic before the epidural is what stung. I didn't even feel the actual epidural going in, just felt my feet getting warm and working it's way up.  After the epidural, they brought Wes in and had him sit beside me.  Within about 10 minutes probably, they started the surgery.  I was scared I would all of the sudden feel them cutting but I didn't feel anything :) ha. Anyways, I was pretty loopy and out of it unfortunately but I felt a few tugs and then he was out! He was born at 7:46 am.  They held him up over the curtain for me to see him before taking him to clean and warm him up and run the standard tests.  I noticed the black hair of course and was surprised by how tiny he looked! He was 6 lb 7 oz and 19 inches long.  

After closing up the incision, I was wheeled back into my room where I finally got to hold him.  Like I said before, unfortunately I was extremely out of it and couldn't stay awake.  I do remember how special it was holding him for the first time and feeling so happy.  

The next few days at the hospital were good.  The staff was wonderful and so so helpful and kind.  I felt really good after the c-setion and was walking that same day.  The next night was pretty bad.  I had major gas pains(which I had never heard of) from the surgery and that was probably the most pain I've been in ever.  Worse than dislocating my knee, c-diff, or appendicitis. Anyways, it was bad and there was nothing they could do for it.  It lasted about 12 hours and was the most intense the last 2 hours and then stopped.  After that, I felt good again. It was a huge adjustment with feeding Eli every 2-3 hours and pretty exhausting.  Especially with trying to heal from a major surgery and not being able to move much...or every movement I did make just killllled my incision. 

ANYways, it really did go well and I felt great considering. 

We had to stay in the hospital for 3 nights and came home one the fourth day.  It was exciting but almost a little sad leaving the nurses because of how great they were.

His head was pretty misshapen because of being pushed up so tight under my ribs. It quickly rounded out.

I can't imagine him being that tiny! He was so little. He was 5 lb 13 oz when we left the hospital.

Going home from the hospital.  Even newborn size was huge on him :)

Holding him just after getting home from the hospital.  

Just a few pictures taken over the next few weeks:

When Wes's mom was visiting she took us to get portraits done of Eli when he was 5 weeks old.  He was laying with his head resting on the pillow looking away from the camera so the photographer went over to move his head and he lifted it up instead.  She tried to get him to lay it down but he held it up strong like this for a minute or 2.  She was so surprised his neck was that strong.

Hahaha. This one makes me laugh. He just looks so rigid.  I think his neck was so strong because he was head up in the womb.

He is the BEST little guy and we are SO happy to be his parents. 

Why do bad things happen to good people?

I recently finished Angels and Demons by Dan Brown and watched the movie. Since this is the only novel I have read since I graduated high school in 2005, and the only novel I have ever completed for my own enjoyment, it was a feat.

While reading, I appreciated an exchange between the Pope's chamberlain and a Swiss Guard. This interested me firstly because Dan Brown, a man on his own search for faith, wrote the exchange. Secondly, I liked the metaphor the camerlengo used to answer the question.

   "Father," Chartrand said, "may I ask you a strange question?"
   The camerlengo smiled. "Only if I may give you a strange answer."
   Chartrand laughed. "I have asked every priest I know, and I still don't understand."
   "What troubles you?" The camerlengo led the way in short, quick strides, his frock kicking out in front of him as he walked. His black, crepe-sole shoes seemed befitting, modern but humble, and showing signed of wear.
   Chartrand took a deep breath. "I don't understand this omnipotent-benevolent thing."
   The camerlengo smiled. "You've seen reading Scripture."
   "I try."
   "You are confused because the Bible describes God as an omnipotent and benevolent deity."
   "Exactly."
   "Omnipotent-benevolent simply means that God is all-powerful and well-meaning."
   "I understand the concept. It's just... there seems to be a contradiction."
   "Yes. The contradiction is pain. Man's starvation, war, sickness..."
   "Exactly!" Chartrand knew the camerlengo would understand. "Terrible things happen in this world. Human tragedy seems like proof that God could not possibly be both all-powerful and well-meaning. If He loves us and has the power to change our situation, He would prevent our pain, wouldn't He?"
   "Would He?"
   Chartrand felt uneasy. Had he overstepped his bounds? Was this one of those religious questions you just ask? "Well... if God loves us, and He can protect us, He would have to. It seems He is either omnipotent and uncaring, or benevolent and powerless to help."
   "Do you have children, Lieutenant?"
   Chartrand flushed. "No, signore."
   "Imagine you had an eight-year-old son... would you love him?"
   "Of course."
   "Would you do everything in your power to prevent pain in his life?"
   "Of course."
   "Would you let him skateboard?"
   Chartrand did a double take. The camerlengo always seemed oddly "in touch" for a clergyman. "Yeah, I guess," Chartrand said. "Sure, I'd let him skateboard, but I'd tell him to be careful."
   "So as this child's father, you would give him some basic, good advice and then let him go off and make his own mistakes?"
   "I wouldn't run behind him and mollycoddle him if that's what you mean."
   "But what if he fell and skinned his knee?"
   "He would learn to be more careful."
   The camerlengo smiled. "So although you have the power to interfere and prevent your child's pain, you would choose to show your love by letting him learn his own lessons?"
   "Of course. Pain is part of growing up. It's how we learn."
   The camerlengo nodded. "Exactly."

(Dan Brown, Angels and Demons, p. 360-362)

My Review
(Note: no spoilers!)

I read the book because I really liked the movie and because Callie told me I should. The movie was very suspenseful, but, surprisingly, so was the book.

Oh, before I forget, the movie is different from the book! Ron Howard (the movie's director) and his screenwriters changed a number of things from the book. The general story is the same, though. So, even if you've read the book, see the movie. Likewise, if you've seen the movie, you would probably be interested to read the book.

The book is generally quite interesting and suspenseful, enough that it moves quickly. However, there were a number of times when I got a bit bored with some of the superfluous detail. For example, in the book, Robert Langdon, the main character, takes a liking to Vittoria Vetra, a physicist, which I feel doesn't really add to the story. If anything, the Langdon in the book just seems scummy to me because of that.

For the most part, I like the movie better. I like the characters in the movie a bit more than in the book. I suppose a lot of that stems from the fact that in movies you can see the characters' facial expressions and hear their inflection. I like the way the Church handles and addresses the situation to the outside world in the movie as opposed to the book's version. Although, there are a number of times in the movie when some of the book's detail would have been most appreciated. Langdon had to work a lot harder in the book to find all the clues and answer all the questions. There were times, in the movie, when it seemed like everything came extremely easy to him. Additionally, there was some character development from the book that I liked, but didn't really make sense for the movie.

So, overall, read the book. Watch the movie. You won't be sorry you did. I don't think.