The Narcissist

Eli got an update in his room tonight. A ceiling fan!!! He's been griping about it for a while now, so I finally got around to installing it. Today was another lesson in patience. We BEGAN I repeat BEGAN getting ready to leave to go to see Ellaiden, Chris, and Jenny at 11:30 am. We left at 2:15. HOLY CRAP! Where does all that time go? You feed him, but then he needs a diaper change, and then he's fussy...Or his spits up all over his clothes so you have to change him again, but woops...There's another need for a diaper change JUST as you put the fresh one on...So you change him again and by that time he's REALLY pissed so you have to calm him down. And he finally goes to sleep (or at least settles) and so you put him down, but the act of putting him down wakes him up again, but by this time he's hungry!!! My brother Steve (who is a twin himself) is having twins. Good luck, bro. Plan on getting ready to go somewhere 5 hours ahead of time!

At any rate, once we got in the car he fell asleep and stayed that way for 3 hours. We had a GREAT visit, though I missed the annual Eayore's party that Chris and I were planning on attending. Luckily annual means it happens every year.

The good thing is that though he's demanding, there's this switch that gets turned on (or at least it's in me) where I'm frustrated but I don't really mind it. Maybe that will change in the future as the "honeymoon" wears off, but I doubt it. As soon as that diaper gets changed and he's swaddled and calm or he smiles at you (probably due to gas or the passage of poo), it's like the feeling you get when you take your shoes off at the end of the day. Man...It's addictive.

The picture is of Eli checking out his own blog. He likes to do that. The narcissist...

Baby Einstein

So last night the little booger wouldn't sleep. He wasn't fussy...Just awake. The only time he'd close his eyes was when I'd walk around our house jiggling his head. So I walked from 11:30 pm to 1:30. Someday, I'll just use that against him like when he won't help me in the yard or do the dishes or something. I'll probably change the story and make it walking uphill in snow etc etc. And then he'll ask, "what were you doing outside walking in the snow with a 2 week old?" And I'll tell him to just be quiet, and he'll ask "why", and I'll say "because I said so...That's why!". That's what parenting is about...Dangling your authority over your kids as much as possible...Until they get old enough to cause you real physical harm. Right???

Here's a pic of Eli looking bored...

Eli's Big Day

Yesterday (4/25) was an exciting day for us. Eli went to the doctor for his 2 week check-up. He now weighs 10 lbs. 3 oz., still 23 in., and is very healthy. He's in the 97th percentile for his weight and height. So, he got an A+ from the doctor! Last night we took Eli to meet Ellaiden, our friends Chirs and Jenny's daughter, who was born one day after him...future girlfriend! He didn't make a good first impression as he was very fussy. Maybe he was just nervous. She is very cute and so little compared to Eli! Eli looks months older than her already! It was fun to see them together. Also, last night Eli's umbilical cord stump fell off...yay! It had been dangling for a long time. So now he's got a real belly button, and it makes changing diapers much easier. I think he must have been worn out from the day b/c last night he slept four hours straight!

PS...I love this picture of 'my boys'!

2 Weeks Old

Eli is 2 weeks old today! He's already growing up so fast! He gets cuter and cuter each day!

So it didn't really hit the fan..But it came close.

Last night Eli had quite a few episodes with the body excretions. I think we changed his clothes about 7 times. Here's the best one:

So...I spent all day outside working in the yard. By night time, I was pretty cashed out but enjoyed a beer to celebrate a good day of hard work. At about 10:30, Darby fed Eli and went to change him in the other room. I was watching t.v. and fell asleep. As Darby was changing Eli, she grabbed both his legs and lifted them to slide the diaper underneath him. I guess it was just the thing he needed to shake a little loose. He was in perfect position and unleashed his fury on the wall, blinds, and futon. The room looked like a poo-Dresden. Darby yelled for help, but I was fast asleep, proud of my day. Somehow she cleaned him and everything else up and brought him out to check on me. I didn't wake up until she asked if I heard her yell for help. I honestly had NO idea there was anything wrong, but the kicker to this story...Is that I was watching The Blue Collar Comedy Tour (http://bluecollarcomedytour.warnerbros.com/). I mean you can't get much more stereotypical male than drinking a beer, sleeping, ignoring your wife's desperate cry for a poo-partner and watching Larry The Cable Guy wax elegant on the joys of NASCAR and Fishing Lures! GIT 'ER DONE!!! THAT'S RIGHT ....For those of you who don't know me too well I do my fair share, but I dropped the ball on that one. Darby and I thought it was pretty funny, though.

John

PS Though he has on bunny slippers and a bunny suit in the photo, Eli likes to wear his hat low like the true "playah" he is.

Cabin Fever

Not too much went on today. Eli has gotten this whole nursing thing down to a science. Last night he gave Darby a 3 and a 4 hour break! That's lotsa sleep for her! Bub was here, and he seems to make things go smoother, so maybe that's what happened. I got good friends.

Darby is getting some cabin fever, so we're looking forward to visiting Chris, Jenny, and Ellaiden on Tuesday. Ellaiden was born the day after Eli, so we're doing our best to make him look dashing for their first meeting. I'm thinking he'll go with a sleek orange, green and white frog-print onsie....It really brings out his color and shows his personality.

Finally, this whole church thing ain't so bad after all. Last night a girl whom we'd never met before from church named Leslie brought us a GREAT vegetable ragu with polenta. She also included fruit and cheese. It was not only temptilatin' but it was appetitin' too. Then tonight our friends Kim and Sam from church brought us our favorite take-out. I avoided church for a long time, but if I'd have known there was food like this involved, I might have gone back sooner. This food tastes like the empty tomb (that's for my family...Don't worry if you don't get it).

john

PS In the picture: His belly button is black because it takes a few weeks for the extra part of the umbilical cord to dry out and fall off leaving the "button" behind. I didn't know this before we had him. The thing covering his privates is called a peepee-tepee...Self explanatory.

Life as a New Mommy

I have to live in the moment and take one day (or even hour) at a time in order to stay sane. I don't bother with the outside world for now.

I try to enjoy every moment (even all the poopy diapers and spit up on my shirt) with my son b/c this stage won't last very long. I mean, he's already 11 days old, and this week flew by!

I have a good excuse to sleep in, take naps, and not to take a shower or worry about what I look like...no need to impress anyone.

My agenda each day consists of the usual taking care of baby things, but there are other things that have become challenging like brushing my teeth, eating, going to the bathroom, and the big one is taking a shower.

My toes have become very useful for picking up things.
I'm getting good at doing many things one-handed like typing on the computer.

Thank God for motherly (and fatherly) instincts.

Each day seems so long yet they fly by and I wonder what I did all day.

Heart Rates? More like Heart Greats!

So Grandma and Grandpa Perkins as well as uncle Dan (all my side of the family) came over for dinner this evening. Maw brought some good victuals (Lane, you pronounce that "vittles"...Like what your family from Beaumont eats...) as well as some great company. It's fun getting all this attention, even if it's mainly because we have a baby that people like to hold. It's still OUR baby which is really fun. Eli's been doing great with people...Let's hope it keeps up!

One thing I was thinking about today...I have a little story. So our labor (I say that because though Darby was the one doing the bulk of the work, we all put our time in) was pretty long and hard. We wanted to do it naturally, but after 24 hours, we feared Darby might not have enough strength to push him out if we went much longer....So we went with an epidural. We don't really have a problem with using drugs to ease labor, but it just felt right to us to avoid it if we could. Anyway, right after the epidural, Darby fell asleep. I think the relief from the back labor (Eli's head was turned so his shoulders and head dug into Darby's back, slowing labor and causing most of the pain in the back) was too welcome for her to stay awake. However, as the epidural took effect on Darby it also affected Eli. His heart rate dropped from the 150's (normal) to the 90's in a gradual decent. I listened to the beeps slowly drop in frequency and the nurses alarm increase accordingly. In order to raise his heart rate, the nurses thought it necessary to stimulate his head (basically scratch it). Remember he's still in the uterus so it looked awfully violent to me. My thought was that we had killed our kid or at best would require an emergency C-section and Eli would be brain-damaged. I was already imagining pushing Eli to the park when he is 30 so we can sit outside to play checkers and feed the pidgeons. He would wear tan pants with white tennis shoes and say things like, "Dad...All these pidgeons like us. Dad, they really like us!" and I would say, "yes, Eli, they do. Now put the bread down and lets clean your diaper..."

Anyway, his heart rate eventually came back up, but I was a wreck inside. At first I just thought, "how could this happen to me!", but soon after that thought....I got control of myself a little and thought about our good friends Byron and Carla whose son Bo was diagnosed with cancer as a child (Bo's 18 or 19 now). Byron and Carla must have lived with that fear for YEARS! Not just minutes. YEARS! What's more....They have a great attitude about it...Like they REALLY paid attention to the tragedy and soaked it in for all it was worth. They seemed to refuse to believe it was all awful. In fact...To be honest....I think it's one of the things that made us such good friends. I would never want Bo or Eli to experience a tragedy so I could have good friends...But...I think what's most important is that when that tragedy occurs we HAVE to pay attention to it. To be a wee bit cheesy...That's how I think God is good....Not that tragedy doesn't happen, but when it does happen....Some people are able to pay attention to it and those people are brought to the minds of others in a tragedy and THEY pay attention and.....

Eli just pooed...I gotta go pay attention to that tragedy....

jp

Another Day in the Life of a Superstar

I tried to post this last night with a picture and lost it, so...Here's a recap:

So, Wednesday was a day for eating. Darby said Eli ate almost once an hour all morning and afternoon. It's good that he's eating so much, but what goes in must come out. When I got home from work, our friends Brad and Noelle (friends from church) brought us a lasagna. They're expecting their first baby as well. There's lots of babies going around right now...Pretty fun. I guess it's probably always been that way, but you notice it when you're a part of it. Anyway, thanks Brad and Noelle! Much appreciated.

After they left, our friends Josh and Jennifer (also transplants from the holyland...Waco) came by to see Eli. He's great about being sleepy for people. Josh is also tall (I think taller than me) and has a beard, so Eli kept giving him some awkward looks....Like he seemed to know him from somewhere but couldn't place his name.

Darby said last night that she likes how Eli smiles in his sleep. I think he's pretending to sleep, but he can't control his facial muscles well enough to pull it off. He comes by that sort of thing naturally. I used to do that in order to avoid going to church. Later I would stuff pillows in my bed and go hide somewhere so I could (A) make us late enough to miss church and (B) sneak up on my mom and scare her. I don't think I had a real aversion to the church (I remember mostly good things), but I know I always wanted to watch the Von Erichs wrestle the Fabulous Freebirds at 11:00. What's more spiritual than WCCW?

When Eli's REALLY asleep his whole body is limp and his breathing is regular (aside from this weird squeaking-jerk thing he does periodically). That's when I feel like we did our job. His hunger is satiated, he's clean and changed, and he feels safe and warm enough to relax completely. I hope someday he stuffs pillows in his bed and scares the crap out of Darby.

john

PS picture to follow...But I'm at work...Also, we get a visit from my parents today. It's surreal to watch your own parents hold your baby. Makes you think a lot. We're all excited.

Eli The Barrow Boy

So...I'm not sure if I got the idea for Eli's name from this song or not. I can't remember. It wouldn't surprise me if I did. Either way, I really like the Decemberists, and especially their song "Eli The Barrow Boy". It's a perfect lullaby, but it's a bit dark. It's basically a song about a guy who pushes a cart selling odds and ends. He's never made enough money to buy his love a nice robe, and now she's dead. Later he drowns in a river and haunts the town trying to sell his odds and ends to buy the gown. I think it's a great picture of how life can be terribly tragic, but there's always a redeeming factor in it. In this case it's his love for this woman and his willingness to go to any lengths to show her, specifically unrest in his death.

I kinda relate this story to this parenting thing like this: Eli will most likely have to go to counseling because of the way we raise him (pretty much no matter what), but the beautiful part is that we'll mess him up with the best of intentions. Maybe he'll realize that after a few sessions....

Anyway, here's the lyrics to the song and a link to it if you want to hear it. Just don't tell the police.... eli the barrow boy

Eli, the barrow boy
Of the old town
Sells coal and marigolds
And he cries out
All down the day

Below the tamaracks
He is crying:
“Corn cobs and candle wax for the buying”
All down the day

“Would I could afford to buy my love a fine robe
Made of gold and silk Arabian thread
But she is dead and gone and lying in a pine grove
And I must push my barrow all the day
And I must push my barrow all the day

”Eli, the barrow boy
When they found him
Dressed all in corduroy
He had drowned in
The river down the way

They laid his body down in a church yard
But still when the moon is out
With his push cart
He calls down the day

“Would I could afford to buy my love a fine gown
Made of gold and silk Arabian thread
But I am dead and gone and lying in a church ground
And still I push my barrow all the day
Still I push my barrow all the day”

Monday

Yesterday was an eventful day for us. Eli went to the doctor again so they could check his weight. He has gained weight, and now weighs 9 lbs. 2 oz! Yay! No more concerns about him losing weight. He's well and healthy. We are definitely getting the hang of breasfeeding...he now eats like a champ! It was also John's first day back to work since Eli was born, so a little challenge for me and hard for John. We did well, though. In the afternoon, Eli got to meet our friends, Heather and John. He also got to meet our friend Bubba, who surprised us with a knock at the door. He flew in from Seattle!! What a nice surprise! He just couldn't wait any longer to meet Eli! To top things off for the day, we had some electrical work done in the morning, and they didn't hook the air conditioner back up properly, so the air wasn't working for a few hours. Good timing for the record breaking temps of 100! It got pretty warm, and Eli just became very sleepy. They finally fixed it around 7:00, Eli was himself again, and we all felt much better.

The Eli Bunny

Happy Easter to everyone! I think the bunny slippers say it all. It's been a good Easter for us so far...lots of pooping, sleeping, eating, oh and some crying! My cousin Jaime has brought some ham, potato salad, and rolls so we could have Easter dinner. Thanks Jaime!

Darby

The cows have come home

So, we're all much happier now that the milk has arrived. Eli nursed last night from 9:00-10:00 and then slept until 2:00 a.m.! Darby immediately fell asleep after nursing, so I had a GREAT time trying to get Eli to settle. No crying, just wiggly. We walked around, swung, tried the sling, swung some more and finally arrived at the rocking chair. I sang to him for about 30 minutes, introducing him to Gilian Welch, Eliott Smith, and some of my own songs. I think he still prefers Johnny Cash...Anyway, he slept on my chest while I worked on some things until his next feeding. Darby got some MUCH needed rest, I got some good time with Eli, and he had a full belly finally.

Our day was full, but restful! Courtney, Cliff, Vivian, and Emma Grace came to say bye (wish they lived closer!), and Monika (our Doula...a woman who helps with births but doesn't actually deliver the baby) came over to discuss things with Darby. She's been such a BIG help for us!!! She gives Darby a lot of confidence and tends to just help everything calm down. That's about it for the day! Eli has been really comfortable all day long!

john

oh yeah...I forgot to mention my big achievement today....I swaddled Eli like a PRO! I fumbled a little when Monika was watching, but right after she left I wrapped him up like a burrito. My friend Bub used to sleep in a "sleep burrito" that he made...I think his was more like a sleep lasagna compared to Eli's burrito!!!

oh...And thanks for the handmade blanket, Laura H! It's PERFECT!

Eli goes to the Doctor

So, Eli went to the doctor today. She (Dr. Jolet) said we needed to supplement his breast milk diet with some formula until the REAL milk comes in. He weighed in at 8 lbs 12 oz which means he lost 12% of his original weight compared to the average of 10%. Mammy said he must be on the Southbeach Diet. I think he's trimming for Easter pictures. Other than that, things look great! He needs to do some business in his diaper (been a while), but that should get better when the Whole milk comes in. Overall, Dr. Jolet gave him a check plus!

Mammy left today, so our house is a little too quiet. Luckily she gave him a bath and dressed him in a blue bunny suit for the pediatrician. I told Eli I wouldn't let that happen once he knows better, but for now...It's pretty dang cute. Note: I have become the cliche'. I even check out minivans when we pass them. I'm thinking I'll probably buy an old beat up truck to give me a little testosterone boost.

All is right in the world for Eli has pooed. The gates of Troy have been breached and the muconeum cometh! Crazy what gets us excited. Boone even danced in crazy circles while we changed his diaper.

John

First Blog

Eli is home from the hospital. This is day 2 at home...He's 3 days old. Eli spent most of the day posing for pictures between feedings. Brynn (Darby's sister) has taken some of the BEST photos which I'll post as soon as I get them. Brynn and Mammy (Darby's mother) have been INCREDIBLY helpful, so it was hard on all of us when Brynn left today, but it was especially hard for Boone. He sulked all afternoon.
Eli had a visit from Jaime, Michael and Payten (Darby's cousin, her husband, their 18 month old girl) for dinner. He mostly cried and then slept after I sang 'Folsom Prison Blues' to him a little. He was still sleeping when Courtney, Cliff, Emma Grace, Vivian, and Dan (my sister, her husband, their 7 and 5 year old girls, and my brother) showed up for a visit. I LOVE watching people I care about hold Eli. We got a great picture of Vivian holding Eli...
He's sleeping now after another round of 'Folsom Prison Blues' and a little Don Williams' 'I believe in You'. He seems to respond well to older country...Next I'll probably try something a little more recent like The Decemberists or Eliott Smith....Looking forward to another day. Mad props to Mammy and Brynn!

John