1st week home top ten list:

Here are just a few things that I have learned during my first week as a mommy:

1. Meals prepared by friends and family is an incredible gift during the first week home!!
2. A supportive partner is the key to success! For someone who has never changed a diaper in his life, Jay is now a pro and my personal hero!
3. A 30 minute feeding at night will take at least an hour.
4. Little boys (and maybe little girls?) will pee out the back of their diaper EVERY time for at least the first week. This requires a diaper change, as well as a wardrobe change. Eli has worn every sleeper he owns every night so far!
5. Not every cry needs to be soothed.
6. The hiccups are very traumatic for a newborn! Eli gets them at least twice daily and I have no idea how to help him. It's very sad!
7. Breastfeeding is not only physically exhausting, but also mentally and emotionally exhausting! I do however thank God every day that Eli has done wonderfully at nursing and that I don't have to wash bottles every day.
8. You will do laundry for baby on a daily basis! Don't even kid yourself into thinking you might not!
9. Having someone (in my case my mom) to help you around the house your first week is a gift from God! I would have never gotten around to laundry, planting flowers, dishes, or dinner without her! Thank you!
10. The first week home is not only a crucial transition time for the entire family, but mom is still recovering from a very traumatic experience (BIRTH). You will have to recover physically, and this will require a lot of rest which isn't easy with a newborn. Take it day by day and don't be afraid to ask for help! :)

Eli meets his cousins!

Cousin Josiah and Eli

Uncle Mike and Josiah

Gram (maybe?), Josiah, Granddaddy, and Eli

Eli and Cousin Cole

Don't mess with Eli's Wubba!

Eli and "Wubba"!

Eli's First Friend!

Okay... so I know that everyone has a labor day story, so I'll just tell you the part about Eli and his new best friend Noah! As most of you know, I have been dilated 5 - 7cm for 2 weeks now, so Dr. McCollum scheduled to induce us on Wednesday, April 2nd. Tuesday night Jay and I were both very anxious and excited about the induction, so we repacked our bags, got the dogs off to Uncle Thomas's, and made a final trip to Sonic for ice cream. About 10pm we got a text from our good friends the Daugherty's (Mitchell and Susan) saying that they were in triage at Parkwest and Susan was in labor!!! We have been kidding about getting a 2 for 1 deal and how much fun it would be to deliver at Parkwest together! Well, Wednesday morning when we arrived at Parkwest, we found out that Susan was still in labor, so the race was on! They started my Pitocin drip and broke my water around 7am. At 11:00am, Jay and Dad discover that the monitors were not only showing my contractions, but those of all the patients in active labor. So here we go monitoring my contractions (1-2 min apart) and Susan's contractions (3min apart). The progression of both labors was so similar that it was as if the boys were communicating! Baby Noah was born at 12:52 and Baby Eli at 2:04!!! We had the nursing and anesthesia staff running crazy to attend to both of us during the end! Needless to say both families were exhausted after delivery, but we did get to visit each other a few times before we left Parkwest and the pics are precious! This was such a unique experience and a blessing! Noah and Eli will forever share the same birthday and Noah will always be Eli's first friend!!

Mitchell, Susan, and Noah Daugherty

Jay, Amanda, and Eli Owings

Noah and Eli

Noah and Eli

New Dads!

New Moms!

Eli's Here!

Eli Quinn Owings

Born: 4/02/08

6lb 15oz

20 inches long

Will post many.... many more photo's and blog entries soon! Here's just a few quickies!

Eli's a coming!!! Wednesday!!!

Hey everybody! Went to see Dr. McCollum today... I'm now 6cm dilated! Dr. McCollum said he doesn't know what is keeping Eli in there! :) I have always said that God will only give us what we can handle.... and maybe 4cm more is all I can handle! :) We have scheduled an induction for Wednesday morning and it should go pretty fast since I'm over halfway there. I will be sure to let everyone know how it goes! I will of course be posting pics once we are home, so check often! Thank you all for your care and prayer! :)

Still Waiting!

Well, we're still waiting! Last Tuesday Dr. McCollum told us that I was dilated to 5cm and would not last till the end of the week. Obviously, he was wrong! :) I did not even know this was possible, but I got excited when I realized that I could get my epidural as soon as I get to the hospital! So Jay and I went into preparation and nesting mode immediately and have been waiting on Eli all week. When Eli hadn't come by Wednesday, we went on a long walk (waddle) at the Kingston riverfront track, Thursday we went golfing and I drove the cart, Friday we went shopping in Knoxville and to a movie, Saturday we went to play with Baby Cole (I was hoping the maternal hormones would kick in), and today we went to West Towne Mall and walked from one end to the other!!! Still no baby! Tomorrow I go back to see Dr. McCollum and who knows how dilated I might be! :)