The Owings Family

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Hangin with Dad!

Eli loves hanging out with Dad!

Saturday, April 12, 2008

Eli and Amanda's 1st BIG Adventure!

Yesterday Eli and I actually left the house for the 1st time by ourselves! It was very liberating and an emotional pick-me-up for mommy! First we visited the Dental Office and had lunch with Jay! It was his first full day back to work and we knew it would be a long one so we thought it necessary for a middle of the day visit! I wish I had thought to take pics, but I was just thankful to have gotten the necessities (diapers, wipes, extra clothes, burp cloths, etc) packed. After lunch, we went to visit Carrie at Ella Minnow Pea and to order birth announcements. It was fun to surprise her and was a fabulous visit! Last, but definitely not least, we stopped at Sonic and got mommy a Route 44 Strawberry Limeaide. I was nervous about getting Eli in and out of places, operating the carseat, and how we would time his feeding, so the Limeaide was my reward for a job well done!

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! :)

Sunday, April 6, 2008

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"!

Saturday, April 5, 2008

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