Playing Catch Up

With Christmas almost here, we have been very busy. Mainly, Eli has been keeping me busy, not so much the Christmas shopping and decorating. Eli has been growing and changing SO much. At 4 months Eli needed his first hair cut, and at 5 months we experienced his first cold. It is amazing how little the cold effected Eli, but how it just wiped me out. Maybe that is because the cold made it difficult for Eli to sleep making it near impossible for me to get any sleep :)

Since getting over his cold, Eli has begun eating solid foods. His Doctor recommended we start with Avocado and Egg Yolks. The egg yolks were not a hit at all. The avocado, on the other hand, he has loved eating. We even tried some sweet potatoes and carrots. He is a really good eater and so far not picky AT ALL! Now we are looking forward to his first Christmas and spending time with family. We already had Christmas with Great Grandpa and Grandma McDaniel and have many more to go. We can't wait. 

Here are some pictures, I have been TERRIBLE about posting. 

Sleep? What's that?

Many mothers can relate, sleep  is not something that you get much of when you have children. I can remember people telling me when I was pregnant, "You had better enjoy all of the sleep because soon you won't be getting any."

Its funny to me, when I talk to my friends who don't have kids, they always ask, "How are things going?" I tell them, "Really well, Eli slept for 4 hours at a time last night." They laugh and then ask, "Is that a lot?" I just smile and say, "It sure is better than waking up every 2 hours." I am getting used to the schedule that Eli has me on lately. The problem comes when he switches things up...

Elias normally goes to sleep anywhere from 8-10pm and will wake up every 4 hours until 8:30am! That's right he usually sleeps in, it is SO nice. But the other night, he decided to wake up for his 4am feeding and and it became a 4am wake up call. The only thing that put him to sleep was the swing. So, two hours after Ty had left for work, he FINALLY went back to sleep. It really makes me appreciate the mornings that he sleeps in, because I rarely have to say, "Sleep? What's that?"

Rolling with the Changes

Over the last year, we have had some significant changes in our family. We have lost a great man, who we were finally able to bury this weekend, but where we lost my grandpa we gained Judah and Elias. Of course there were the weddings, two in less than seven months. My parents are officially empty nesters and grandparents. Who would have thought that a year would bring so much change?

People always say, "Children grow up so fast. Enjoy every minute." I never really believed them. I can remember my mom saying, "It seems like yesterday you were a baby. What happened?" Now, I can see why they say that. Just two months ago Eli weighed 5lbs 11oz. At his last check up he was 11lbs 7oz and had grown two and a half inches. His feet have started to hang off my lap when I hold him. He is so interactive and alert. He is soaking up every little thing including food. He now smiles and laughs and plays with us while we hold him. Although I miss the days when it was easy to get him to nap, I am enjoying every moment I have with him awake. Today, he rolled over for the first time. I couldn't believe it! He is growing up so fast I feel like if I blink I will miss it.

On The Move

Ever since Elias was born, we have been on the go. Only 9 days after Elias was born, my sister and her husband had their beautiful baby boy Judah Harrison Cohoon. We were so thrilled that we had to drive all the way to Milwaukee. Eli is a trooper in the car. He didn't fuss once and loved meeting his new cousin. We call them cousin twins because they are so close in age. We have been home on the weekends trying to introduce Elias to everyone. He met his new friend Malachi and Great Grandparents. Cousins took turns holding him and friends from church were excited to see him. This weekend, we are just going to be staying in River Falls.

cousin twins

Elias and mom are ready to relax, so this week, we are just staying around the house. We are slowly getting into a routine, but when all he wants to do is sleep all day, it is hard to see when one nap ends and the next begins. We are just trying to get caught up doing all of the things I meant to do before Elias came.

The Best Day of our Lives

On Saturday, Ty and I headed for what we thought was a nice relaxing trip to visit my grandparents in Waseca, MN. The morning started out with what I thought were just some braxton hicks contractions. We drove the two hours thinking, "We are 36 weeks pregnant there is no way that the baby is coming today." While we were eating dinner and chatting with my family, I started to notice that the contractions were getting stronger and closer together. On the way home, we started timing the contractions. When we got to the car in Hudson, we thought we would just stop over to the hospital and ask a few questions. We were admitted and after two hours they decided to keep us.

Daddy holding Elias

Proud Papa and Nana Mac holding their first grandson

Grandma Leslie holding Elias at the hospital

I couldn't believe it! I kept telling Ty, I am not ready. It can't be happening now, because I am not ready. They broke my water and about three hours later at 4:48am. He weighed 6lbs 8oz and was 19.25in long. I guess even when you aren't ready the baby comes and some how you get ready. We couldn't be happier. Welcome to the world Elias Tyler Perrenoud, Mommy and Daddy are so happy you are here!

UPDATE

It has been forever since I last posted. So much has changed since I started student teaching in January.  Where do I even begin!?

In May we graduated from UW-River Falls. We both walked, but I still had to finish student teaching. Ty was bored for about 3 weeks so while he was bored he started moving us. That's right, all by himself. That was only possible since we moved across the hall to a two bedroom making more room for baby Perrenoud. Which brings me to our next piece of news. Ty was offered a job at Xcel Energy in Minneapolis so we are staying in River Falls.

Now, I am home and finally able to begin "nesting" and preparing the apartment for the baby to come in July. We are SO excited for the baby to finally be there. Last night Ty was actually asking him to come out so that "Mommy could feel more like herself." The news this trimester has been back pain and swollen feet! I am not up for walking like I used to be, but I keep telling myself its all going to be worth it when I look into the eyes of my baby boy. Only 5 weeks left!

Mommy and Daddy put together the changing table last night now its time for the crib

Auntie Taylor and Uncle Jason got this for baby. Can you tell we like Sock Monkey?

Week 1:Student Teaching

What a week. It all began with a snow storm and a 2.5 hour commute that should have taken only 40 minutes. Not the best way to begin the new semester, but it was unavoidable. I am slowly adjusting to the early 5am wake up and the 40 minute drive, but so far I have enjoyed my placement. The teacher that I work with is all ready for me to take over her classes whenever I want. I have learned how cute and yet how incredible naughty students can be, but I am quickly learning the importance of classroom management. Today I worked with one of the most difficult classes I have ever seen. Students that were sitting on tables and making rude and loud comments throughout the class. I have also had many adorable moments with my new students as well. They are always asking the silliest questions like, "what color is your bed?" or "what color is your window? Some students are taking to me quickly and sitting right at my feet at circle time. I have learned a lot already in this first week, and I can't wait to learn more. I know that the learning curve is high with student teaching and I can't wait to figure out what it will be like to teach in the classroom full-time. The school I am in has 1000 students and I will see 500+ students every 6 school days. That is a lot of names to remember and I only have 9 weeks to learn them. I now have a new found respect for teachers who actually know their students' names. 

Tyler has been in classes and adjusting his schedule so that he can commute 3 days a week to Chippewa for his internship which they have extended again until he graduates. For the first month he will be commuting 3 days a week and then he will being working from home most of the week and commuting on Wednesdays. Needless to say, it will be a busy first month of the semester with a ton of driving, so we decided that we will be staying in River Falls most weekends until the end of February. If you are driving by, stop in and see us or if you are bored on the weekends we love company. We just keep telling ourselves, push through this and we will be home in Chippewa Falls again soon.

A Great Man Lost

Today, I had to experience the loss of a grandparent. My Grandpa died today at 86 years old. I have so many fond memories of him. From camping in the RV to fishing on the Lake. He was always such a good sport playing restaurant and pretending to be interested in dress up and our games with the barbies in the barbie house Grandma built. He was a veteran from WWII who I was incredibly proud to have known. Although this time has been rough for all of us, we have some comfort in knowing that he has gone to heaven where there is no more pain or suffering and we will see him again someday. He was fighting a battle with dementia and was slowly forgetting who we were, but even at the end he still smiled and said in his signature raspy voice, "Hey peanut." He didn't know our names, but he knew that we were someone special to him. This man has given me so much happiness in my childhood and into my adulthood with his quirky saying and funny anecdotes. He will greatly missed. Grandpa, you are loved and you will be missed. Thank you for fishing and fun, for wisdom and history. I am only sad that he will not be meeting my little one too. This child's grandparents have some big shoes to fill. Love you, Grandpa. Can't wait to see you again someday!