Livin' with the Lees: Time Flies!

Wow! A whole month has gone by already. Oh little man, you have made our family complete and I couldn't imagine life without you. Here is a breakdown all about you...

Nicknames: Eli....this was a debate for over a week! Elijah Hayes Lee...do we call you Eli or Hayes??? Eli won out but if you ask Reese what your name is she will oh so sweetly say "EI" as in Old McDonald had a farm E I E I O!

Likes: Mommy, Daddy, Ashton, Reese, Mo, Mimi, Moly, Grandpa, Jac, Capt Mark (for now...we will see if Reese influences him), Cash, Walker...doesn't seem too picky right now, but mommy does win, as she provides all the meals for now....likes baths, laying on your changing table and looking out the window

Dislikes: Being left alone while awake and really prefers to be held...a little snuggle bug for now, being in your car seat for too long

Milestones: Back to birth weight...just like your brother and sister you took a little while to get back, but after one weigh in on a Monday with hopes you would gain an ounce a day, when you were weighed in 3 days later you had gained 6 oz which exceded everyone's expectations and the doctor was so pleased she said she would just see us at your two month check up; manage to go through 2-4 outfits a day on average...you pee/poop on everything!

Feeding: Eli you eat like a champ now that you figured it out. I am not going to lie, the first week was rough (probably why you didn't gain a whole lot of weight) and you seriously made Mommy bleed, ouch! oh but the pain was worth it as you learned what to do and I learned how to help you. Now during the day you eat every two to three hours and then at night you tend to go a bit longer...I am pumping while feeding and then topping you off. You are totally breastfed at this point and if I was going to guess I would think you take about 3 oz at each feeding...if we go over that you tend to spit it all up. Oh and you are a burper! Ashton and Reese never did this but we have to take frequent breaks to let you get it all out....you are all boy already!

Sleeping: During the day you do take a few cat naps but I can count on a good hour to hour and a half solid sleep in the morning and another really good one and a half to two hour nap in the afternoons. You tend to go out cold around 6 pm but I have started to get you up around 7:15 or so to start your evening routine. You normally go to sleep around 8:30 and will sleep until roughly 12:30 or so...you have had a four and five hour night stretch a few times, but not consistently yet. You then tend to go back down until 3am or so and then are back up around 6am. Feedings at night tend to take 45 min or so to get you changed, fed and back to sleep so I am hopeful we will be able to cut that time down some and extend our sleep. I am not going to complain though, I can count on one hand how many "bad/rough" nights we have had.

Behavior: You have started to smile! The first real smile came last Friday, July 27 and each day I get a few more. Oh I love this. You are a serious little fellow and there are so many times I look at your face and your facial expressions, like when you furrow your brow that I feel like I am staring at Ashton all over again.

Clothes/Diapers: Newborn on both. I think we will be here for a little while. I will put some 0-3 month clothes on you but for the most part they kinda swallow you.

Favorite Moments: Your Birthday! Meeting your Brother and Sister and watching them interact with you. Ashton told me the other day, "Mommy I will watch Eli, you go get your milk ready." He is quite the helper on all fronts.

"Firsts": Road trip to the lake (you were a rockstar in the car) and loved sitting outside on the deck in the heat, went bowling (that will be another post), meeting your cousins...Cash and Walker and this little guy will give us a run for our money I have no doubt

Looking Forward To: More smiles as you get bigger and the cooing. You will coo a little now, normally right before you start to cry, but I love those little noises.

Oh Eli, this first month has been wonderful. Your Daddy and I are so happy that God picked us to be your parents. We LOVE you so much!!

Photo Shoot time...

You LOVE the carpet