A week in Pictures

Eli has been home for a week now, and a lot has changed at our house.....

We've been able to capture cute little faces like these,

Landry has become an AWESOME big sister,

Cory, GiGi, and I have all had both kids on our laps at some point,

and We've been caught asleep with a baby on our chests.

But, then again, some things never change.......

Landry has continued to amuse us with her creative choice of attire!

Who does he look like?

That is one of the first questions people like to ask when you have a new baby.

So I ask you, who do you think Eli looks like?

Here is our best guess....

Eli, a few days old

Landry, a few days old

Eli, sporting shades

Landry, sporting shades

First Sponge Bath

We gave Eli his first sponge bath a couple of days ago. He was not a fan!! I'd put up a video, but all you would hear is screaming the whole time. Oh, but what a cute scream it is! I had forgotten how precious the cry of a newborn is.

While Eli had his bath, Landry's baby dolls got baths too. She is a great big sister!!!!

An Emotional Homecoming

You know from the previous posts, I had Eli on March 5. I was so happy he had finally entered the world, but I was sad because Landry was not able to celebrate with us right away. There is a state law in Georgia right now that prohibits any children, under the age of 19, to be a visitor in the hospital because of the H1N1 virus. I had been a little sad about this the whole time I was pregnant, because I knew how hard it would be on Landry not to see mommy for a couple of days, and then she comes home with a baby. Luckily, Cory snuck away a few times to spend special time with her, and my mom and Cory's parents were here to give her lots of love and attention.

So after staying in the hospital 48 hours after Eli was born, we finally got to come home. Here are some pictures of the special moment.

Eli's Birth

What an amazing day!!! I went to the doctor Thursday Morning. I was 38 weeks pregnant. Since I had Landry at 38 weeks, I was hoping that the doctor would choose to induce me to avoid the same crazy rush to the hospital I had with Landry. After the doctor checked me, he said he was guessing next Wednesday, and he wanted to see me again on Monday. I personally didn't think I would make it through the weekend, but I didn't want to act like a know-it-all to the doctor. That night, I noticed my braxton hicks contractions were getting a little stronger and were coming a bit more consistently. So I decided to get some sleep, just in case. I woke up quite a few times that night, just trying to assess the situation, and at about 4:30 a.m., I decided to wake up to take a shower. I searched the internet, and it told me I should go to the hospital once I had intense contractions, 5 minutes apart, for an hour. But what do they consider intense? These contractions were a "walk in the park" compared to the contractions I had with Landry.

I decided to have my mom time my contractions starting at 6:00 and at 7:30, I thought it might be a good idea to head to the hospital just to get checked out. I feared my water breaking at home again. Turns out, I got to the hospital at just the perfect time. We arrived at 8:30, and I was 4 1/2 cm dilated. They sent me to a room and begin to go through all necessary processes. As the contractions intensified, I was quickly reminded of my last labor and requested my epidural before it got too bad. The epidural was a success after 2 sticks, and it was smooth sailing from there. At about 11:40 my water broke, the nurse checked me and I was at 7 cm. An hour later, I was ready to push.

Woo Hoo! 10 cm

The doctor came in, and by 12:56 we were holding our precious little miracle. God is so GOOD!

Introducing.....

Elijah Matthew Veuleman

8 lb. 4 oz., 19 inches long

Born at 12:56 p.m.

March 5, 2010

We are truly blessed!!!

Too Late?

So I sit here at 6:00 a.m. I am 38 weeks pregnant today, and I have an appointment in just a few short hours to determine if my baby boy is ready to enter the world this week. I have blogged about him several times. And since we found out he was a boy, 18 weeks ago, we have called him "Eli". We said his name would be "Elijah Matthew". Throughout those 18 weeks, Cory has had some second thoughts about that name. He just hasn't felt quite right calling him that. After the superbowl, he tried to convince me of the name "Drew". But that was an emotional thought, I'm sure. However, last night as he got out of the shower, (a place of deep thought) he said, "Let's name him Jackson Elijah instead, and call him Jack." Now, I have always loved the name Jackson and pushed for that name at the beginning of my pregnancy. And when we asked Landry to say "Jack", she said it perfectly, rather than calling her baby brother "eyebrow" (like a I talked about in this blog).

So I ask your opinion? Is it too late? We've prayed for him with the name "Eli". We've told everyone in the world his name is "Eli". We've written about him several times using the name "Eli". And we've told Landry that "Baby Eli" is in mommy's belly about 1000 times.

I need your comments!! And fast!