3 weeks old!

Enjoying the last few nice warm days of fall...


Could this baby be any luckier?


BIG BOY...3 weeks old


Eli was 3 weeks old yesterday. It is so hard to believe that he has been here that long, yet it seems like we have known him forever! He is doing well. He still sleeps pretty good at night, although the last few nights, he has wanted to eat every 2-3 hours! I think he is going throug a growth spurt right now because he has been eating like crazy. He is still a very happy and content baby. Besides a case of baby acne, he is perfect! The boys never broke out as bad as he has....hopefully it will clear up soon. Just when I think it is getting better, it comes back! If that is the least of our problems, I would say we are doing pretty well!

Some cute pictures...

Here are some pictures from the last few days...
All is well here...crazy, but good...

Time Flies.....

Seriously, where have the last five years gone? We got Evan's school pictures back yesterday and he looks so darn old!! I can't believe he is in school and growing up so fast. He is learning to read and write....he loves it! I can only imagine that the next 12 years are going to fly by as well! Sometimes it is so hard to "enjoy" the time because we are so tired and busy all of the time....Every so often, it hits Ben and I that our children are growing up right before our eyes and will be out of the house in no time :(

Times like these are good reminders that sometimes we just need to slow down and enjoy life, even when we are exhausted....time flies.

2 weeks old

Eli is two weeks old. He is already 9 lbs 9 oz (75%) and 22 1/4 (95%) inches long. He is a great eater and a great sleeper. He rarely cries, and is content just about anywhere. The boys are doing great with him. They love him to pieces and are very good helpers. Evan misses him so much when he is at school and Isaac loves being home with us. He is a good helper and is very attentive to Eli.

We are still not sure who he looks like for sure. I think he is a combination of both boys.

9 days old

I haven't tried uploading a video, so I thought I would give it a try. Eli was wide awake last night and looking all around.

One Week Old...

So, since the last post when I was desperate for sleep, things have changed a lot. Eli started sleeping great at night. The last three nights, Eli has slept for 3-4 hours at a time. Last night, I fed him at 10:30, he woke up at 2:30 to eat and then again at 5:00...Much more tolerable. I wake up in the morning not feeling so sleep deprived. This works a lot better for us since Ben has to work in the morning. Eli doesn't cry when he wakes up, he just snorts around and wimpers. Really, the only time that he really cries is when he has his clothes off, either for a diaper change or for a bath. The other times, he is very content and satisfied.



Here is a picture of my daytime helper....What a proud big brother!

What I would do for some sleep....

Eli is a great baby. He rarely cries, he is doing great at breastfeeding, he goes for 3-4 hour spurts of sleep a lot of the time, is alert and likes to look around. The only problem with all of this is that the sleep happens during the day, and the alertness and looking around happens between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. He rests all day so he can be up all night. The first two nights at home were great...then all of the sudden the last two nights have been rather trying. Ben has to work in the morning, so I try to keep Eli content during the night...this involves him eating every hour! We are not quite sure how to change his schedule around. It is impossible to wake a sleeping newborn, trust me, we have tried!

Other than the sleep issue, things are going great. We went back to see the labor and delivery nurses on Sunday for Eli's newborn assessment. The nurse said that whatever we are doing, keep it up. He is growing very well. His birthweight was 8 lbs. 9 oz, when we went home on Friday it was 8 lbs. 3 oz. On Sunday, he was already back up to 8 lbs 6 oz. He is just a little jaudiced, but that seems to be doing better also.

On top of trying to adjust to having a newborn in our house, we also got our first experience making a scarecrow. Evan's homework assignment was to make a scarecrow for school. Luckily Grandma Sally was here to help. Not sure if we would have pulled it off! Here are some pictures of the process and the final product.

Final Project!

Hospital birth announcement

Check out Eli's hospital birth announcement:

http://www.waverlyhealthcenter.com/baby/index.asp?baby=394&bid=1

So far, things are going very well. Eli is a great baby. He is such a sweetheart...He is very content and calm. He rarely cries and is a good sleeper. Thank God! We have only been home for two days, so a lot can change, but both nights have gone well. He has been sleeping about 3 hours at a time, eating and going back to sleep. I think I can even function on that schedule!

The older boys are doing pretty well. They definitely have some adjusting to do. We have had some very trying times...they are acting out more than usual. Luckily they love Eli and they are not jealous at all. They are just fighting more with each other and are more whiney than usual. I am sure they notice that they are not getting as much attention as they once had. I am looking forward to things slowing down and feeling like normal again.

Eli John Kalainoff is here!

Born on October 3, 2007 at 6:51 p.m.

8 pounds 9.7 oz

21 1/2 inches long

We are all home now and things are going pretty well. Evan and Isaac are having a hard time adjusting to things. They have been acting out and fighting a lot, but I suppose that is pretty normal for their ages. I think it will help to all be home over the weekend and get adjusted to things. Our first night went pretty well last night. Eli was up about every 2 1/2 to 3 hours to eat and he went back to sleep. He is starting to get some milk, so he is very content and sleepy in between feedings. We ar e amazed once again at how perfect he is to us. It feels like he has been with us all along and he fits so perfectly with our family. We are looking forward to watching him grow.