Potty training in full force

So Alli was so excited by the big deal we made out of her going potty last night that she spent the entire day in her big girl panties (even when we went to visit friends and went grocery shopping!) and using the potty. We had only one accident all day and that was my fault, not hers because I forgot to have her sit on the potty before we went to get ready for her nap. She did so great and even went poop in the potty!!! Hooray!

Pee Pee in the Potty!!!

The title of the post says it all . . . our big girl went pee pee in the potty tonight!!!!!!!!!! She is totally ready for potty training but has been incredibly stubborn. Well, tonight she was in her big girl panties for our walk / bike ride around the neighborhood and she stayed completely dry. Right before her bath, we put her on the potty and she instantly went! We made a very big deal, which she thought was great and she got three M-n-Ms ~ she could not stop smiling and informed us that she was going to do it again in the morning ~ hooray!!! She was so excited that she had to call her grandparents to tell them the good news ;-) We're really hoping that this is just the beginning!

We had a great weekend enjoying the warm (okay, HOT!!!) sunny weather. Alli ran through the sprinkler and Eli did his best to stay cool by hanging out in diapers ;-)

After church today, we took the kids over to Garrett's grandparents' house. Here is my favorite shot of Eli with Great Pop (as Alli calls him). It was really cute, Pop wanted Alli to come over to him for snuggles and she decides to say "how about baby brother sit there" (meaning Pop's lap). Guess she has decided Eli is pretty good to have around! She is still pretty impressed with her baby brother but told me this weekend that she has "a tough time sharing Mommy." I was so proud of her for expressing her feelings with words!

In other news, I am feeling sooooooooo much better! The second set of antibiotics did the trick ~ woo hoo!

Feeling SOOOOOOOOO Rested :)

Eli decided to give us a FIVE hour stretch last night from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m. and I'm feeling so rested this morning ~ amazing how such a small amount can feel so good ;-) We think it's because we finally decided to put him in his crib rather than the pack-n-play next to our bed (he is NOT a fan of the pnp!) Woo hoo! Now we realize that if he is anything like his big sister, this may not happen often but we'll sure enjoy when it does!

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 . . .