On New Year's Eve, Eli turned one week old!
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| 1 week old December 31, 2011 |
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| 1 week old December 31, 2011 |
And some "outtakes" from our 1-week photo shoot!
January 30, 2012
Eli is 1-week old!
And just like that, Eli's first week of life flew by!
On New Year's Eve, Eli turned one week old!
And some "outtakes" from our 1-week photo shoot!
On New Year's Eve, Eli turned one week old!
And some "outtakes" from our 1-week photo shoot!
Our first wedding anniversary!
We got married a year ago on New Year's Eve. One of the very best days of our lives.
If you had asked me on December 31st, 2010 if we would have a baby on December 31st, 2011, I would have whole-heartedly answered "NO!".
But there we were, on New Year's Eve, celebrating our one-year wedding anniversary with a one-week-old little Eli!
Funny how life works.
One year, we're dressed in our best, drinking champagne, surrounded by family and friends and celebrating our love. A year later, we're in our pjs, watching the Times Square celebration, and feeding a newborn. Both nights were absolutely wonderful!!
If you had asked me on December 31st, 2010 if we would have a baby on December 31st, 2011, I would have whole-heartedly answered "NO!".
But there we were, on New Year's Eve, celebrating our one-year wedding anniversary with a one-week-old little Eli!
Funny how life works.
One year, we're dressed in our best, drinking champagne, surrounded by family and friends and celebrating our love. A year later, we're in our pjs, watching the Times Square celebration, and feeding a newborn. Both nights were absolutely wonderful!!
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| December 31st, 2010 |
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| December 31st, 2011 |
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January 29, 2012
"Christmas" with the Wynne Family!
Originally, Ryan's family was supposed to come visit us the day after Christmas so we could spoil our nieces a bit before the baby arrived. With the change in Eli's arrival date, we pushed our Christmas celebration to the weekend and the family came over to celebrate on December 30th. Eli was very excited to meet his Aunt Lori, his cousins Hannah & Sophia and see his Nana & Pop-pop again!
We had a wonderful 2-day visit which included lots of presents for all the kids. THANKS for everything! Eli was very well-behaved and had a great time. Hannah (almost 5-years-old) was a wonderful big cousin. She "held" Eli, helped feed him, got his bottle and picked out a special Christmas gift just for him (he loves his green sing-a-ma-jig!). Even Sophia (just 2-years-old) was such a great helper and was so good around the 6-day-old baby! Eli is so lucky to have such great cousins! And a great Aunt Lori!
Eli was also very happy to be held by Nana and Pop-pop, especially after his Christmas Day incident that kept him in the nursery and he didn't get a chance to see everyone! Eli was very happy to be held and loved all day long.
Though it was a few days late, I think Eli really enjoyed his Christmas celebration with the family!
Here are a few of the hundred or so photos we took during the visit!
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| Eli's Christmas celebration! |
We had a wonderful 2-day visit which included lots of presents for all the kids. THANKS for everything! Eli was very well-behaved and had a great time. Hannah (almost 5-years-old) was a wonderful big cousin. She "held" Eli, helped feed him, got his bottle and picked out a special Christmas gift just for him (he loves his green sing-a-ma-jig!). Even Sophia (just 2-years-old) was such a great helper and was so good around the 6-day-old baby! Eli is so lucky to have such great cousins! And a great Aunt Lori!
Eli was also very happy to be held by Nana and Pop-pop, especially after his Christmas Day incident that kept him in the nursery and he didn't get a chance to see everyone! Eli was very happy to be held and loved all day long.
Though it was a few days late, I think Eli really enjoyed his Christmas celebration with the family!
Here are a few of the hundred or so photos we took during the visit!
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| Hannah holding Eli for the first time! |
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| Nana & Eli! |
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| Eli & Aunt Lori! |
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| The cousins! |
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| Sleeping bags for the girls to sleepover! |
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| So many presents! |
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| Eli loves his sing-a-ma-jig! |
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| Pop-pop & Eli! |
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| Hannah feeding Eli |
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| And Sophia needs a turn! |
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| Eli with the family! |
And a few photos in his adorable first Christmas outfit!
Thanks Grandma & Aunt Kelly for getting it on Christmas Eve before Baby Wynne arrived! |
| Santa's little helper |
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Adorable! |
January 27, 2012
The first visit from the "Aunts"!
I have a lot of absolutely amazing friends. Probably too many to count. Two of my very best friends are Kim and Anna.
I won't go on and on about how great of friends Kim, Anna and I are. I could. We have been friends for a very long time and have been through everything together. We are close. Let me put it this way -- when Kimmy asked to see my c-section scar, I said "I don't think you want to, but OK" (fyi, I did NOT show her and Anna ... that is a very, very low cut). Like I said, we are close.
Despite being close, we aren't actually physically near each other. None of us have actually lived in the same city for the last 8 years or so. Anna lives in Buffalo (where we all grew up); Kim lived in Virginia, then Albany, and now Rochester; and I lived throughout PA and NJ and now near NYC. When they had their babies over the last few years, I didn't get to meet any of them until they were at least a few weeks old!
I figured they wouldn't get to meet Eli for a few months or so. They have their girls and new jobs and lives to deal with. But, with Eli's early arrival, it all magically worked out that they could come to meet Eli when he was just 5 days old! I couldn't believe our luck! And the fact that Aunt Anna and Aunt Kimmy were so nice to make the 6-hour drive one day to see Eli and then make the 6-hour drive back home the very next day.
On Thursday, the Aunts arrived with SO MANY gifts for Eli. THANKS Aunt Anna & Aunt Kimmy! One perk of all of our friends already having kids, is a bunch of awesome things to borrow and lots of valuable advice! Eli was so excited. Of course, I was more excited. It was nice to have my girls with me after such a crazy birth experience! The encouragement and tips and support were invaluable! I am so happy and grateful that they were able to re-arrange their lives and spend a day with us!
Eli can't wait to meet his "cousins" Ally, Emma & Mckenzie soon! And Uncle Billy and Uncle George!
I won't go on and on about how great of friends Kim, Anna and I are. I could. We have been friends for a very long time and have been through everything together. We are close. Let me put it this way -- when Kimmy asked to see my c-section scar, I said "I don't think you want to, but OK" (fyi, I did NOT show her and Anna ... that is a very, very low cut). Like I said, we are close.
Despite being close, we aren't actually physically near each other. None of us have actually lived in the same city for the last 8 years or so. Anna lives in Buffalo (where we all grew up); Kim lived in Virginia, then Albany, and now Rochester; and I lived throughout PA and NJ and now near NYC. When they had their babies over the last few years, I didn't get to meet any of them until they were at least a few weeks old!
I figured they wouldn't get to meet Eli for a few months or so. They have their girls and new jobs and lives to deal with. But, with Eli's early arrival, it all magically worked out that they could come to meet Eli when he was just 5 days old! I couldn't believe our luck! And the fact that Aunt Anna and Aunt Kimmy were so nice to make the 6-hour drive one day to see Eli and then make the 6-hour drive back home the very next day.
On Thursday, the Aunts arrived with SO MANY gifts for Eli. THANKS Aunt Anna & Aunt Kimmy! One perk of all of our friends already having kids, is a bunch of awesome things to borrow and lots of valuable advice! Eli was so excited. Of course, I was more excited. It was nice to have my girls with me after such a crazy birth experience! The encouragement and tips and support were invaluable! I am so happy and grateful that they were able to re-arrange their lives and spend a day with us!
Eli can't wait to meet his "cousins" Ally, Emma & Mckenzie soon! And Uncle Billy and Uncle George!
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| Aunt Kimmy & Eli! |
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| Aunt Anna & Eli! |
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| Eli loves his Aunts already!! (even though he looks a bit terrified!) |
January 26, 2012
The little monster's first vistors!
We were so happy that everyone wanted to come visit Eli! The first week home was a wonderful parade of visitors!
Our first morning was a bit hectic as we settled in to a schedule. Feeding Eli, burping Eli, diapering Eli, dressing Eli, getting Eli to nap. Oh, and getting ourselves up and showered and dressed too!
We managed to all be dressed by 1pm when Bridget and Jonathan showed up. Eli was in one of the few outfits that I could find that actually fit him! His "little monster" outfit from Jenny & Vance! (Thanks Jenny!!)
Bridget and Jonathan also seemed to like our little monster. They have an almost-one-year-old (who they kindly left at the baby-sitter's that day) Madeline who is going to be one of Eli's very best friends someday soon!
Our first morning was a bit hectic as we settled in to a schedule. Feeding Eli, burping Eli, diapering Eli, dressing Eli, getting Eli to nap. Oh, and getting ourselves up and showered and dressed too!
We managed to all be dressed by 1pm when Bridget and Jonathan showed up. Eli was in one of the few outfits that I could find that actually fit him! His "little monster" outfit from Jenny & Vance! (Thanks Jenny!!)
Bridget and Jonathan also seemed to like our little monster. They have an almost-one-year-old (who they kindly left at the baby-sitter's that day) Madeline who is going to be one of Eli's very best friends someday soon!
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| Snuggles for Aunt Bridget! |
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| Hanging with Uncle JC! |
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| Yay! First visitors at home! |
We are very grateful to JC & Bridget! In addition to bringing over lunch and some adorable gifts for Eli that day, they have been a wonderful source of advice and support during the pregnancy and this newborn phase. Lending us books and giving us advice and sharing their own recent experience really helped us out! We can't thank you enough Bridget & JC!
January 24, 2012
Eli's first night home!
Eli & were both very happy to be home! As it was a very stormy night, and we arrived home late in the afternoon, we didn't do too much that first night.
I was still recovering and worried about going up and down the stairs, so Ryan got us all set-up for a night on the couches downstairs. We got lots of blankets, turned on the Christmas lights, and relaxed!
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| The first bottle Daddy ever gave Eli! |
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| Napping on his Boppy! |
January 22, 2012
Some final pregnancy thoughts ...
Before I gush on and on about how Eli is the cutest, smartest, best baby, I thought I should share a few final things about pregnancy that I never got to post!
I really thought I would have at least a week or two between finishing work and having a baby. Instead I had one day. Yes, ONE DAY! It was one glorious day of "break" between being a (more than) full-time college professor and being a full-time mom.
On that ONE DAY break, Ryan and I blew off cleaning and organizing and getting ready for Baby Wynne. Instead, we went to see 2 movies (Mission Impossible and Twilight (both seemed appropriate for a pre-labor date night!)), did some shopping (mainly for Baby Wynne), went out for lunch and dinner and just enjoyed the day! At the time, it seemed frivolous and silly (because we had lots to do around the house), but now I am happy we did it. The next morning, was my 37-week dr appt and the start of Eli's arrival! It's almost like Ryan and I subconsciously knew we should enjoy the last kid-free day of our lives!
Since I thought I would have two weeks or so of freedom, there were a few things I hadn't posted yet that I planned to. So here are my final thoughts on pregnancy (until the next one??):
Guess the sex of Baby Wynne:
I was hoping to have everyone guess the sex of Baby Wynne. All throughout the pregnancy, everyone tried to guess. It drove people crazy that we weren't finding out the sex of Baby Wynne. I was going to go through all the old wives' tales about guessing the sex of the baby. You know, the needle over the belly, the Chinese calendar, peeing on Drano, weird food cravings, heart burn etc, etc.
Long story short -- It's a boy! :)The "tests" were about 50/50 anyway ... though deep down I sort of always thought Baby Wynne was a boy. Ryan thought Baby Wynne was a girl after week 20 and was shocked by a boy!
Guess the birthday:
I also had planned to get a "baby pool" together and have people guess Baby Wynne's birthday. As the due date was January 11th, 2012, I highly doubt any one would have guessed December 24th, 2011!
Many, many, many THANKS!:
We didn't have a baby shower. I know. You think this is crazy. But we were given a lot of baby stuff from our already-parents friends. And Ryan and I got so many things on sale (like ridiculously on sale). And the grandparents have been very generous too. And ... despite not having an official baby shower ... so many of you gave Baby Wynne so much!! Ryan and I were both also surprised by baby showers at work! I meant to write a nice long post thanking everyone. But now I think I will thank you each as Eli uses all the wonderful things you gave him! Keep an eye out for photos of Eli using your gifts soon!
Being "artsy":
Near the end of the pregnancy (about 35 weeks?), Ryan and I got a little "artsy" taking photos. Many of our friends had done professional photo shoots during their pregnancy. I love the amazing photos of the parents and their soon-to-be-babies! But I also thought we should save our professional photo shoot for when the baby was actually here. So, Ryan got a bit creative with our digital camera (which we love) and we walked along the path that is in our backyard and took a few "bump photos" outside of our green nursery! Here are a few of my favorites:
Pregnancy = a pretty good time:
I can honestly say, I enjoyed being pregnant. Sometimes, I even forgot that I was pregnant (even near the end!). I was very, very lucky that everything went so well!
Sure, the first trimester hangover phase wasn't super fun, but it also wasn't that bad. I hear what other ladies have gone through, and I didn't really have any issues. Sure, I also had gestational diabetes (GD), but other than dealing with the excess appointments and the insurance company about it, it also wasn't that bad. I didn't really even change my diet much. I also didn't gain a huge amount of weight (6 lbs total! Woot!) and so I didn't experience those issues associated with weight-gain (achy joints, back aches, water retention, etc). I was tired, but that surely had to do with my more-than-full-time job that I continued with at my highest possible level right up until the end. And my lack of caffeine. I missed beer and ibuprofen, but those were easy sacrifices.
Overall, I felt great and I loved being so close to Baby Wynne. Feeling him and protecting him and loving him. It was definitely a lot easier carrying him and feeding him when he was in my womb than now when he's on his own!
And so, though we have no plans for it, I look forward to the next pregnancy ... and the next joy it will bring!
I really thought I would have at least a week or two between finishing work and having a baby. Instead I had one day. Yes, ONE DAY! It was one glorious day of "break" between being a (more than) full-time college professor and being a full-time mom.
On that ONE DAY break, Ryan and I blew off cleaning and organizing and getting ready for Baby Wynne. Instead, we went to see 2 movies (Mission Impossible and Twilight (both seemed appropriate for a pre-labor date night!)), did some shopping (mainly for Baby Wynne), went out for lunch and dinner and just enjoyed the day! At the time, it seemed frivolous and silly (because we had lots to do around the house), but now I am happy we did it. The next morning, was my 37-week dr appt and the start of Eli's arrival! It's almost like Ryan and I subconsciously knew we should enjoy the last kid-free day of our lives!
Since I thought I would have two weeks or so of freedom, there were a few things I hadn't posted yet that I planned to. So here are my final thoughts on pregnancy (until the next one??):
Guess the sex of Baby Wynne:
I was hoping to have everyone guess the sex of Baby Wynne. All throughout the pregnancy, everyone tried to guess. It drove people crazy that we weren't finding out the sex of Baby Wynne. I was going to go through all the old wives' tales about guessing the sex of the baby. You know, the needle over the belly, the Chinese calendar, peeing on Drano, weird food cravings, heart burn etc, etc.
Long story short -- It's a boy! :)The "tests" were about 50/50 anyway ... though deep down I sort of always thought Baby Wynne was a boy. Ryan thought Baby Wynne was a girl after week 20 and was shocked by a boy!
Guess the birthday:
I also had planned to get a "baby pool" together and have people guess Baby Wynne's birthday. As the due date was January 11th, 2012, I highly doubt any one would have guessed December 24th, 2011!
Many, many, many THANKS!:
We didn't have a baby shower. I know. You think this is crazy. But we were given a lot of baby stuff from our already-parents friends. And Ryan and I got so many things on sale (like ridiculously on sale). And the grandparents have been very generous too. And ... despite not having an official baby shower ... so many of you gave Baby Wynne so much!! Ryan and I were both also surprised by baby showers at work! I meant to write a nice long post thanking everyone. But now I think I will thank you each as Eli uses all the wonderful things you gave him! Keep an eye out for photos of Eli using your gifts soon!
Being "artsy":
Near the end of the pregnancy (about 35 weeks?), Ryan and I got a little "artsy" taking photos. Many of our friends had done professional photo shoots during their pregnancy. I love the amazing photos of the parents and their soon-to-be-babies! But I also thought we should save our professional photo shoot for when the baby was actually here. So, Ryan got a bit creative with our digital camera (which we love) and we walked along the path that is in our backyard and took a few "bump photos" outside of our green nursery! Here are a few of my favorites:
Pregnancy = a pretty good time:
I can honestly say, I enjoyed being pregnant. Sometimes, I even forgot that I was pregnant (even near the end!). I was very, very lucky that everything went so well!
Sure, the first trimester hangover phase wasn't super fun, but it also wasn't that bad. I hear what other ladies have gone through, and I didn't really have any issues. Sure, I also had gestational diabetes (GD), but other than dealing with the excess appointments and the insurance company about it, it also wasn't that bad. I didn't really even change my diet much. I also didn't gain a huge amount of weight (6 lbs total! Woot!) and so I didn't experience those issues associated with weight-gain (achy joints, back aches, water retention, etc). I was tired, but that surely had to do with my more-than-full-time job that I continued with at my highest possible level right up until the end. And my lack of caffeine. I missed beer and ibuprofen, but those were easy sacrifices.
Overall, I felt great and I loved being so close to Baby Wynne. Feeling him and protecting him and loving him. It was definitely a lot easier carrying him and feeding him when he was in my womb than now when he's on his own!
And so, though we have no plans for it, I look forward to the next pregnancy ... and the next joy it will bring!
January 19, 2012
There's no place like home
I was very excited to go home. Now that Eli had arrived, I was ready to start our "new life"!
(And I was ready to sleep in my own bed, shower in my own shower, and eat all the Christmas cookies my family had left for us (no more GD!! Woohoo!))
And so, our birth story ends, as we finally ventured home on Tuesday!
In true, Baby Wynne fashion, the weather was horrific when we left the hospital!
As it was December 27th, you'd think we be dealing with snow ... but it was more like a hurricane! Freezing cold rain, wind, and horrible driving conditions! The 3-minute drive home from the hospital was a lot more nerve-racking than the drive to the hospital!
Because of the bad weather, we didn't get photos of Eli leaving the hospital or arriving at home, but here are our final hospital photos and our first inside the house!
(And I was ready to sleep in my own bed, shower in my own shower, and eat all the Christmas cookies my family had left for us (no more GD!! Woohoo!))
And so, our birth story ends, as we finally ventured home on Tuesday!
In true, Baby Wynne fashion, the weather was horrific when we left the hospital!
As it was December 27th, you'd think we be dealing with snow ... but it was more like a hurricane! Freezing cold rain, wind, and horrible driving conditions! The 3-minute drive home from the hospital was a lot more nerve-racking than the drive to the hospital!
Because of the bad weather, we didn't get photos of Eli leaving the hospital or arriving at home, but here are our final hospital photos and our first inside the house!
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| One last look at the Hudson River (until we got home) with Daddy! |
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| Eli's "going home" outfit! He truly is the best of mom & dad!!!! |
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| First time in the car seat! (And first time playing with the jitterbug from Uncle Steve!) |
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| A very sleep baby arrives home for the first time! |
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| Oh no -- he's crying!!! We're real parents now. Oh. My. God. |
At least we had a nice view of the Hudson!
After Christmas, Eli and I were stuck in the hospital for a few days. With my surgery happening late on a Saturday night, I was "allowed" to stay until Wednesday. And with Eli's Christmas morning choking episode, they wanted to keep an eye on him. He was also "early" and kept getting chilly, and he lost a bit of weight and they feared jaundice. But I was ready to get out as soon as they would let us!
This was my first time as a hospital patient (have I mentioned my hatred of hospitals at all?) and it was definitely an interesting experience. I would hardly consider myself "modest" or "prude" or "shy", but being in the hospital and having a baby brings "confidence" to a whole new level. There were constantly strangers in my room, poking and prodding and checking me! It was like as soon as I checked in, I just had to accept that nothing would be "private" ever again.
Now, I do want to say that everyone at the hospital was great! Our nurses in labor and delivery, the nursery and postpartum were all the sweetest ladies. They were very helpful with everything, both for me and for Eli. And, of course, they all loved Ryan (cougars are his prime demographic!).
But I wanted to get home. And start being a family. And get adjusted to life with a baby!
So, we enjoyed our time at the hospital, but starting Tuesday morning, I was on a crusade to get checked out!
Here are some photos from our time in the hospital!
This was my first time as a hospital patient (have I mentioned my hatred of hospitals at all?) and it was definitely an interesting experience. I would hardly consider myself "modest" or "prude" or "shy", but being in the hospital and having a baby brings "confidence" to a whole new level. There were constantly strangers in my room, poking and prodding and checking me! It was like as soon as I checked in, I just had to accept that nothing would be "private" ever again.
Now, I do want to say that everyone at the hospital was great! Our nurses in labor and delivery, the nursery and postpartum were all the sweetest ladies. They were very helpful with everything, both for me and for Eli. And, of course, they all loved Ryan (cougars are his prime demographic!).
But I wanted to get home. And start being a family. And get adjusted to life with a baby!
So, we enjoyed our time at the hospital, but starting Tuesday morning, I was on a crusade to get checked out!
Here are some photos from our time in the hospital!
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| Mommy & Eli! |
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| One of Eli's few wakeful moments! |
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| Daddy & Eli! |
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Eli Hudson, checking out his view of the Hudson River! |
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