Still gaining :)

Eli had his two week appointment today and he is now up to 7 lbs 10 oz so he gained 8 oz in 7 days. We're thrilled! Here's hoping that we don't have any eating issues with this little guy :) Thankfully, Alli continues to improve with her eating habits. I think it is now safe to say that we simply have a typical, picky toddler ~ hooray!

Our Cute Kids

Had to share some recent photos of our little cuties . . .

Alli spent the day with Ducky Gramma and Papa and had a fabulous time eating corn on the cob!

Here are some of our handsome little man out at the beach last Friday, as you can see, even his grumpy face is adorable :)

New Antibiotics

Just like with Alli, the antibiotics are not working on the mastitis so I had to go back in to see my OB today. They are trying a stronger oral antibiotic. If this doesn't work, I will be re-admitted to the hospital for IV antibiotics. Please pray that the new pills work, Eli and I do not want to go back to the hospital ~ we're having too much fun at home with Alli and Garrett :) I go back in on Wednesday so we'll keep you posted!

Postpartum fun :)

Doesn't get much cuter than this!!! Both of our munchkins are doing great these days. It is hard to believe that we have been the Fisher Family of Four for over a week ~ time is flying! Luckily, Alli is absolutely enthralled with her baby brother and loves to play with him and give him kisses. She is so gentle and sweet with him. One of her favorite things to do is watch him eat and often asks us to wake him so he can eat. It is really quite cute :)

Here she was trying to make his first tummy time experinece more enjoyable by holding his hand. Seriously, this little girl is such a sweetheart!

Eli is still a pretty relaxed little guy who loves to sleep. I don't remember Alli sleeping this much but Garrett assures me that she did. It's amazing how much you forget! Like his big sister, he has a blocked tear duct causing a goopy right eye but he is still so cute :) It actually looks like he is winking a lot.

Overall, the recovery is going well. I confess that I don't remember much about my recovery with Alli other than I thought it was easy and so far, this recovery has been fairly easy as well. I haven't even needed my narcotics ~ Motrin has been sufficient. Until today that is. I started feeling a bit under the weather last night and by this morning, I was pretty miserable ~ in pain, achy and a fever. Sadly, I instantly knew what was wrong . . . mastitis. I had this when Alli was about 8 weeks old and thought it was likely I would get it with Eli but was shocked to have it happen so soon after his birth. Fortunately, my OB has prescribed antibiotics and I hope to be on the mend soon. I'm nervous because the antibiotics bothered Alli and caused her to boycott nursing but so far Eli seems to be fine and still eating great. Here's praying that this passes quickly and doesn't happen again!

We've been loving our family time with Garrett home and have even spent some time at the beach. I will try to post pictures of our recent adventures when I feel a bit better. Sadly, Garrett must return to work on Monday. It has been so great having him home with us during the day. We are so lucky to have him! He is such a wonderful husband and Daddy ~ we could not ask for better ~ he truly is the BEST!!!

Gaining Weight :)

Thankfully, I am referring to Eli, not me :) While the weight is not melting off me as quickly as I would like, it is at least going down not up! Eli on the other hand is gaining at a fast clip and is now 7 lbs 2 oz ~ he's gained 5 oz in 3 days!!!! Guess all my worrying about him not eating long enough was for nothing :) YEAH!!!

We're Home!

We got home yesterday, late afternoon and it feels great to be home! Life is definitely different as we all adjust to a new "normal" but we're working through all of the adjustments. Alli is still very impressed with her baby brother but not sure about the whole situation so there have been some meltdowns and lots of snuggling ~ we love that part :) Eli is still eating great, for which we are very happy. Right before we were released from the hospital yesterday, they weighed him and he was up to 6 lbs 15 oz (7 lbs 1 oz at birth) so only 2 oz until he is back to his birth weight ~ yeah! He pretty much still just eats and sleeps so we figure he will put on those two ounces soon ;-) I'm feeling okay. Pretty sore but that's to be expected. I am praying that my recovery goes as smoothly as it did with Alli.

Here are a couple of pictures . . .

Snuggling with Ducky Gram and Papa

Snuggling with Aunt Jenee and meeting my cousin Kyle and Uncle Tony (who was too nervous to get close to me!)

All dressed and ready to leave the hospital :)

Alli's checking out Eli, who finally has his eyes open for her :)

Both kiddos in the crib

Thank you all for all of the well wishes!!! We feel so blessed to have you all in our lives and look forward to you meeting Eli in person. We will continue to keep you posted on adventures as the Fisher Family of Four :)

Finally, here are the before and after belly shots. As you can see, the belly doesn't just go flat after the baby is out ~ bummer! Oh well, it was worth every pound and inch to get Eli :)

Right before we left for the hospital at 38 weeks 1 day (7.16.09)

Right after we got home from the hospital 3 days after giving birth (7.19.09)

Eli Day Two :)

Day Two with our handsome little boy was AWESOME!!! Our perfect little princess, Alli, came to visit twice (just like yesterday!) and it was the most amazing experience to see our two children snuggling :) I'm a little sore as the wonderful drugs they put in the spinal wore off this morning but thankfully, aside from the soreness, we are all doing very well. Eli is eating and sleeping like a little champ! Here are some pictures of our happy family from today . . .

Slideshow of Eli

Fisher Family of FOUR!!!

Eli Zachary Fisher

July 16, 2009; 8:26 am

7 lbs, 1 oz & 19 inches

38 Weeks and Going Strong!

I had our 38 week appointment this morning and the Blue Fish is hanging in there but not likely for long. The contractions are causing more progress. We are thrilled that we made it as long as we have and will let you know as soon as he arrives :)

Luckily, I was able to make it out of the appointment in time for swimming lessons this morning where Little Miss Alli learned how to jump into the pool! This girl has no fear and said "No Mommy, I want to do it all by myself!" when I tried to hold her hands. She jumped in numerous times getting her whole head under water and coming up giggling ~ too funny! Maybe she'll take after Mommy and be a little swimmer :)

My little boss is down for a nap now and I'm working hard to get the house in order so I best get back to that!

Blue Fish is hanging in there

. . . but likely not for long! We've been having regular (and painful!) contractions since Wednesday. We spent a couple of hours early Thursday morning at labor and delivery. Sure enough, we're having strong contractions every 5-7 minutes but they are not doing much. I'm making some progress but not enough. Good news is it means the little guy gets to keep cooking a little longer, bad news means mommy is uncomfortable and not getting much sleep ;-) Our OB thinks this guy will be here within the next week if not next couple of days. G & I are a little nervous but Alli is THRILLED!!! She wants to give baby brother kisses and hugs ~ how cute is she?!?!?! We'll keep you posted.

Full Term ~ Woo Hoo!!!!

Today, we are officially full term ~ 37 weeks! The docs never thought we would make it but I thought all along that this little guy would hang in there until the end just to be a little stinker :) We promise to keep you posted.

Alli had a GREAT time at swimming lessons today. She learned how to get in and out of the pool from the edge all by herself!!! She also swam under water! We are so proud of our little pink fish ;-)

Swim Lessons

Well, since we are now full term with the Blue Fish, our doc gave me permission to do just about anything. Alli and I decided to take swimming lessons and as you can see, our 'lil pink fish really is a little fish in water!!! Lessons started yesterday and she is doing so great. She loves the water and the instructors are very impressed by how she shows no fear whatsoever. It took her about two minutes (if even!) to get comfortable doing the crab walk all by herself along the edge of the pool. She was so excited by it that she had to show her Daddy how she does it on the side of her bed :)

Today, Ducky Gramma came to the pool with us to take some pictures of our little fish.

That smile sums up our experience :)

Alli just loves swimming but every now and then, she tells me she needs to "take a little break" ~ too cute! Not only does she love her lessons, she thinks it is great fun to take a shower in the locker room after swimming. The lessons are every day for two weeks so we are hoping the blue fish stays put at least until they are over.

Swimming to get the purple whale. Using both arms and legs!!!

Quite the little fish we have!

Sure looks like someone is having fun!

Swimming to Mommy

Our Fabulous 4th!!!

We had the BEST 4th of July weekend!!! G had off work Friday and the weather was beautiful and in the 80s so we headed out to the beach house on Treasure Island. It could not have been more perfect. Friday was just the three of us out at the beach and we had a grand time playing in the water, boating and relaxing. Alli loved her first boat ride at Treasure Island so we decided to go to Allyn for lunch where our little peanut did a great job eating. After lunch we played on the swingset at the restaurant before heading back to the boat. Alli begged to go for another boat ride when she woke up from her nap so we took her for a tour around Treasure and Stretch Islands ~ she thought it was the best! We didn't go home until after 8 p.m. that night and had wished we brought our stuff with us to stay the night :) No worries as we woke up bright and early on the 4th to head back out there for another fun day, this time with family.

G & N before the fireworks began ~ decided we should get a pic of the two (and a half!) of us :)

We had a wonderful and relaxing 4th with our families and enjoyed participating in the Treasure Island Parade once again. Although most folks left after dinner, we stayed and watched the fireworks with G's parents. Made for a long day as we didn't get home until after midnight but it was well worth it. Fortunately, Alli slept right through all of the noise! It's great out there because many of the neighbors try to "out do" one another with their fireworks displays so we just got to sit back and watch the free shows while we made s'mores ;-) Another perfect day!

Today, we relaxed at home after church. I think the excitement of the previous two days caught up with Alli because she was a bit grumpy much of the day. Hopefully, a good night's sleep is all we need to get our sweet girl back :)

Here are some of the highlights from the weekend . . .

Alli having fun on the beach on Friday

Alli having fun swinging after lunch

Mommy & Alli on the beach on the morning of the 4th

Daddy & Alli enjoying Alli's first real "swim" in the water as the sun went down on the 4th. She loved and kept saying she wanted to "go out to sea" :)

As I'm sure you can tell from the pictures, no baby yet. We'll keep you posted!

Here's a slideshow of our entire weekend if you're interested . . .

Still Pregnant :)

We had our 36 week appointment today and there have been no real changes. The Blue Fish is hanging in there and doing great :) I'm uncomfortable but happy to keep him in as long as possible. Great news is I have been given the okay to go for short walks again if I want. Of course, the OB thinks this is likely to speed things along so I will try to limit it. I just want to be able to participate with G and Alli in the Treasure Island 4th of July parade :) We'll keep you posted!