1, 2, 3, 4, 5...roll 'em!

Well, we've made progress!  The first night that we tried Dr. Jeff's "rules" Elliott actually went 4 hours at night between feedings.  Within a few days he was lasting 4 1/2 hours.  The last two nights he's gone 5 hours!  Yay!  We're almost there!  We had a very busy Labor day weekend with Bar-B-Q's, a pre-football game tailgate party, a picnic, and time by the pool playing cards at Grandma's house.  Elliott really seemed to enjoy the outdoors, especially with a nice breeze.  We've been practicing a lot of tummy time.  Yesterday I put Elliott on his tummy in the cradle and returned a few minutes later to find him on his back!  Since then, he's done it twice more! (I'm going to try and capture it on video and post it on the blog.)  I was a little freaked out at first by it, but we've done some research and discovered that, although it is very rare, babies can roll over as early as 1 month.  It is so amazing to watch him change in little ways every day.  They really do grow up fast don't they?

UPDATE: We got it on video!

Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up to salvation-- if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.  1 Peter 2:2-3

Growing like a weed!

Today we took Elliott to see Dr. Jeff for his one month check up.  He said Elliott is doing great!  We were surprised to find out that he now weighs 8 lb 12 ounces and is 21 inches long!  Dr. Jeff is known for helping parents get their babies to sleep through the night at an early age...this is one reason we decided to see him.  So, today he gave us the low down on his recipe for success in the sleeping department!  David and I were all ears because we are definitely feeling a little sleep deprived these days.  As of tonight, Elliott will no longer be sleeping in our room.  Adios amigo!  To quote Dr. Jeff, "We'll send you a post card."  Also, we will start trying to put him in bed between 7pm and 9:30pm.  This will help him establish a routine that he can maintain throughout childhood.  We certainly don't want a 5 year old who stays up until midnight every night.  Great advice!  Apparently, once a baby is over 8 lb they have the ability to sleep 6-8 hrs at night...Hmmmm...now we know that Elliott has been keeping secrets from us!  We thought it was a very nice visit with the doctor and we feel better after talking with him.  He was very reassuring....now we'll see how fast Elliott can catch on to the new plan!  Other news:  Elliott took a bottle for the first time last night.  This was fun because David got to feed him...they both performed like champions!  Elliott loves to ride in his carseat...he falls asleep every time we're in the car.  He is a great shopper...very important to mom!  He loves taking baths (see photo). We have both of the dogs at home now so it's starting to feel normal around here again...it's loud and there is dog hair everywhere!  Also, we have really enjoyed going on a lot of walks around the neighborhood lately to exercise Dexter's knee.  Elliott went to church for the first time on Sunday.  He was so well behaved...he slept through the whole thing!  Later on we'll have to teach him that it is rude to sleep through the pastor's sermon.  I guess some things can wait!

And then there were three...

Hi everyone!  We thought it would be neat to start a blog for our family now that Elliott is here...I guess that means that we think we're more exciting now.  Actually, we just thought it would be a good way for people to check in and get updates on what's going on in our lives, and it will be a good way for us to start a journal of our own.  As most of you already know, we just welcomed Elliott Keene Welch into the world 22 days ago!  He was born on August 2, 2007 at 7:43pm weighing 6 pounds 3 ounces and 18 1/2 inches long.  The pregnancy and birth were absolutely amazing!  My labor had to be induced 2 weeks early due to some problems with my blood pressure being too high, but everything turned out great.  We had an amazing midwife who gave me the confidence to endure a lengthy delivery!  I don't think David and I could have anticipated how wonderful the moment that Elliott made his grand entrance into the world would be.  We were both crying tears of joy and relief and we could not have imagined him being more beautiful.  I could not believe that we were finally getting to see our child face to face.  The first night in the hospital was so special.  David gave Elliott his first bath and I lay next to him trying to make myself get some sleep when all I wanted to do was stare at him.  Elliott is three weeks old now and we are enjoying him more and more each day.  He has a very sweet disposition.  He only cries when he's hungry, bored, or having his diaper changed.  He is beginning to study our faces more intently.  David and I love interacting with him.  He loves to eat and is growing so fast!  In fact, from one doctor's visit to the next, he had gained 15 oz in 9 days!  We'll have another appointment next week so we'll be sure to let everyone know how it goes!  Dexter is very interested in Elliott, but Elliott isn't really giving Dexter the attention he thinks he deserves.  We keep telling Dexter that they will be playing together soon.  Maverick has been staying at my mom's house for the past 2 months because Dexter had knee surgery.  He has had the opportunity to meet Elliott and he was very sweet with him.  We hope to have Maverick at home with us for good within the next week...making us a complete family at last!