The Lieslands

• Elliot – Elliot is doing well. He has started smiling, which is fun. It is nice to get a little feedback other than crying. He is developing well and has become a little more fussy lately. We know it will pass, we just hope that it passes quickly
• Mari – Mari has been a little crazy lately. We think she is getting a lot cuter as she learns how to express herself more and better, but man is she crazy. She really knows what she wants and she will let you know if she is not getting it.
• Andrew – Andrew has been showing some signs of stress also. He is still very well behaved and we really enjoy his presence, but he has been testing things a little more lately. I notice it most when I am trying to get Mari to sleep. He used to lie in his bed very quietly and usually fall asleep before Mari was asleep, but he has been pushing things a little more lately, rolling around, talking, playing with the curtains.
• Me (Rob) – I am doing well. I am getting settled in to my new job here at Xavier. I have moved from the behind the scenes application support world to the web world, which has been fun. It is nice to do something different and learn some new skills.
• Susan – I think that Susan is doing well. Elliot has been sleeping a little less at night, which means that she is more tired. Now that we are more than six weeks out it seems as though she has recovered well. She says that she thinks it takes nine months for her to recover, but I would say that she is most of the way there. I think that the hardest part right now is the lack of sleep at night and the inability to rest during the day.
• Visitors – We have had some visitors lately, which has made things a little easier. Our to-do list fills up quickly these days, and visitors are a nice break, amongst other things.

Later. . .

Elliot is a little over a month now, and things are chugging along. Elliot just had his one month checkup and he is developing appropriately. It looks like his eye are going to be a dark brown, and the dr thinks that he has my nose. His head is not as large as Andrew & Mari’s were, and we fear that he is going to get my nose and Susan’s head. Poor kid.

We are wrapping up a pretty crazy week. Andrew and Mari were both sick starting last Saturday and lasting until mid-week. We even had to take Mari in to the Dr to make sure that she was not dehydrated, which she wasn’t. they are both feeling better now, though they are still really whiny.

The warm weather has been a nice help to get things back on track. We have been trying to spend some time outside to keep the kids entertained and not needing to be held the whole time.

We have had some showings of the house, but still not much doin’ there.

Later. . .

We are three weeks into it now, and things are going petty well. I am back to work full time, and Susan this is the first week that Susan has been home by herself with all three kids.

The weather has been making things a little easier. Since it has been so warm Susan and the kids have been able to spend a lot of time outside, which makes everyone happier. Last night we even got out for our first family walk of the year, which is nice. It is supposed to be warm again today, but then it will get cold again. I guess it is still winter, so I can’t complain too much.

Elliot is doing well. He is awake a lot and fights sleep like Andrew used to. He has been doing OK at night, usually having one wakeful period.

Catch ya later. . .

• I put some new photos up in the 2007 gallery.
• Andrew took off all of his clothes yesterday — in the back yard — and declared that it was summer. About two minutes later he told me he was cold and he wanted to get his clothes back on.

A lot of people have been asking where got Elliot’s name.

No where. We just like the name. The ‘John’ part comes from one of Susan’s Grandpas, I believe.

Elliot is two weeks old now, which is pretty exciting. He has changed a lot over the past week. He is starting to be awake for long stretches at a time. He usually is up all morning, sleeps all afternoon, is up again in the evening, and then is “asleep for the night” by 11. He appears to be a little like Andrew was when he was little. Elliot likes to be able to see what is going on and seems to get over-stimulated when we are out in large groups.

Andrew and Mari are still showing some signs of stress. They have both been getting up really early and have been fairly needy during the day. I need to get their sleeping straightened out by the time Susan’s parents leave, so they are a less fussy and clingy during the day.

I am back to work now, working a half-day yesterday and a full day today. This week shouldn’t be bad since Susan’s parents are in town, but next week should be interesting.

Later. . .

It’s now March, and Susan and I are both thrilled to have a February baby. If Elliot was as late as Mari was, then Susan would still be pregnant, which would not be much fun at this point.

Elliot is nine days old now, and things are getting a little more settled. The kids are sleeping well, which means that they are in a good mood during the day. There was a stretch where they were not sleeping well and were a little crazy during the day.

Elliot is doing well. He has a little cold, which he is handling well. He is getting used to his bodily functions. In general, he is pretty mellow. He definitely sleeps more than our others did and does not require as much walking around. His presence at family dinners has been a pleasant one, since he has either been sleeping or just chillin’ out.

Other than Elliot, there is not much going on. I am going to be headed back to work next week. There should hopefully be some visitors on the way soon, but the weather is not helping with that.

That’s all for now. We’ll keep you updated.

• Elliot just went through five diapers and a blanket, in one diaper change. He also managed to pee on himself in the process.
• There is a placenta in my freezer. I had kinda forgotten about it.
• Elliot is going to have some more craniosacral therapy in the morning. His head still looks great, but we feel like a little more might help.

We are five days into this little adventure, and things don’t really appear to be settling down. I have a minute to write a little more extensively though, so I will.

The birth went awesome. We had perfect timing with everything, from filling up the tub, to calling our midwife, to Elliot actually coming out. He was born at 5:29, which gave us just enough time to get settled before the sun came up. That day, Tuesday, was crazy. Luckily my mom took care of the kids all day, and my dad brought us some dinner, so things were manageable.

Since then, we have been getting used to doing things on our own, which is going OK. Susan has been on a light bed-rest since the birth to help everything heal right. Tracey (our midwife) recommended this approach over stitches since it was a tiny tear and it will improve our chances of not tearing next time (next time?). Susan is able to get up and move around, but she is supposed to limit her activities. Since I am home, this has been pretty do-able.

Elliot is doing well. He likes to nurse and sleep, but he does not like to poop and pee. He was not very happy when he was born and Tracey pointed out that he had a huge ridge on his head. She said that he probably had a bad head-ache. She recommended Craniosacral Therapy. Our friend, Lauren, came over Tuesday afternoon, moved a few bones in his skull, and he appears to be happier now. Pretty cool, huh? She worked on him for about fifteen minutes and the ridge almost totally disappeared. She tells us that the amount of pressure that she uses is no more than the weight of a nickel.

Andrew and Mari have been adjusting well. They have both been tired and stressed.

I think that is enough for now. I’ll try to keep you updated.

Elliot is doing well. He is really cute and sleeps a lot. He is nursing well.

Susan is recovering well.

Andrew loves his new brother, but I can tell he is a little more stressed than usual.

Mari ended her breastfeeding strike and is back in action. She rebelled for a few days, but once Susan convinced her that it was OK she is back to her old form.

I am well. My back aches from carrying kids, but that is OK.

Make sure to check out the pics of Elliot. More to come when I get the chance.

My favorite moments so far are when Elliot is awake and just looking right at me and when Andrew and Mari interact with him.

I finally put some pictures up. Click here to view them.