Here we are, 5 weeks into being a family of four. I wish I could say that we are just sailing into this new phase. I think it’s more like manuevering a dinghy through a tropical storm. It could be worse – it could be a hurricane! Seriously, things are going as well as can be expected on limited sleep. Eli is a normal baby ( I hate to say "good baby," since I cringe when people ask me if he’s a good baby. What are you supposed to say? "No, he’s a terrible baby. If he doesn’t shape up soon we’re sending him back."). He has his fussy times, but they are pretty short-lived. I remember when Elena was his age, we attempted a trip to Gulf Shores with my parents and my sister’s family. Fussy would have been a gentle word to describe Elena at this point. Everyone still cringes when they think about that "vacation." So when Eli gets going I just remind myself how bad it really can be.
He rewarded us with his first smile yesterday. Well, at least he rewarded Elena and me. He’s yet to flash his gums for Mike, but we’re sure it’s coming.
Elena has been an amazing big sister so far. What really floors me is her incredible patience with him. I remember being really worried at one point in my pregnancy. We had some younger kids over and Elena was trying to watch a movie. The little ones were yelling and fussing, and Elena was throwing a huge fit about not being able to hear her show. I thought we would be in for it when a screaming baby arrived. Not so. At some point during our commute to and from school, Eli is sure to start howling. She’ll sing for him, or she’ll use her best mommy voice and say things like, "It’s okay, buddy. Don’t cry, buddy." At home it’s the same thing. She could teach Mike and I a thing or two about patience. Here’s one of my favorite pictures of her doing her big sister thing. I believe she’s reading him a selection from Amelia Bedelia. He can hardly wait to hear what happens next.
Today Eli and I went to Elena’s school for their Peace Pole Ceremony. They have the wooden poles around the property. On each side of the pole "May Peace Prevail On Earth" is written in various languages. You gotta love a school that has the kids memorize "All You Need Is Love" by the Beatles for the ceremony. On the way back to their rooms they were all singing "All we are saying is give peace a chance." So up my alley.
I’ll leave you my new favorite picture of Eli:
Besides the totally rad hair and the oh-so-preppy shirt (thanks Lisa A!), you gotta love the gang sign he’s flashing to his peeps. We’re pretty sure it’s some kind of Colts-related gang – perhaps he’s trying to tell us they’re going to win 2 Super Bowls?
Angie
