Lets Face It...

some days you just feel like this!!!

Words just don't do it justice. So, as they say, a picture is worth a thousand.

some days I just feel a little like this picture. On days when I don't feel like this picture, looking at this picture makes me laugh. So, today, I am laughing. Who knows if I will be laughing tomorrow, but today I am and for that I am thankful...hehe. :-)

And so the adventure begins...

Well, August was a very eventful month at the Hester house. On Wednesday August 6th our sweet little man got really sick and had to spend the night at the hospital. He was poked and pricked and hooked up to IVs, but in the end all was well and we were all sent home the next day in perfect health. However 6 days later, Eli got sick again and Jordan and I rushed him to the Emergency room at Vanderbilt Children's hospital. He had to go through all the same tests that he endured the Wednesday prior including his second spinal tap in 6 days. It was quite scary and very sad to watch him go through all of this. We found out that his white count was almost twice as high as it was last time he was there, which was really high. But in the end Eli perked up and continued to perplex the doctors as all of his tests came back negative. All the doctors were wonderful and tried their best to answer all of our questions. We spent 3 nights at the hospital and Eli continued to act well despite having an IV in both his foot and hand. He also impressed the nurses with how well he handled having his temperature taken (not under his arm if you know what I mean) every 4 hours. He would hardly even flinch, as if saying, "oh that thing again, no big deal, I mean after 10 or so of those you kinda get used to it mom."

Eventually, because Eli continued to look so good and act like himself, they gave us the "OK" that we could go home. We were so glad that he was well but still a little unsatisfied that we did not really know what caused these 2 episodes, other than a virus or maybe a food allergy of some sort. The next few days at home were filled with a cranky, what in the world is going on, child and two confused and extremely tired parents. It was hard to not sit and try and disect everything that he was doing to give us some clue as to what had happened. That of course drove us crazy. I was able to call my cousin who is a doctor and she shed a lot of light on what could have been going on. So, we are in the midst of exploring his food allergy and trying to get his tummy back on track, which means that I am on a hypoallergenic diet of meat, rice, and green vegetables. Fun Times!! No more Three Musketeers for me. hehe.

It has been quite the introduction to parenthood. I am hoping we have met our hospital visit quota for a while. Thank you to all those who got word and prayed for Eli and our family as we waited for test results. We really appreciate it and are so very blessed by all the love and support. Well, onward in the new adventures that await us as we still begin to wrap our heads around this new world called "being a parent". Much Love to all.

Ryan

...and of course one more look at our little fella.

Road Trip

My grandfather is unable to travel due to some recent health problems. In fact, I had not even seen him for a long time because he was in the hospital when I was pregnant and I was not allowed to visit him. Also, July 17th was my grandmother's 80th birthday so we wanted to be there to celebrate and introduce Eli. They, along with my aunts and cousins on my dad's side of the family, live in Atlanta or nearby. So, on July 18th we packed up the car with ALL of Eli's things, our luggage, my sisters, and my mom, and we headed south. Jordan drove and I sat up front with him, while the aunts and DeDe (my mom) sat in the back and entertained the little one.

They did a great job keeping a fussy car seat rider happy the whole way there.

Feeding him helped...and we didn't have to stop at all.

Jordan and I enjoyed our time in the front talking and listening to music.

When we arrived we were met with some anxious great grandparents, great aunts, and cousins.

Eli and Pa

My Aunt Debbie in the background...so sweet.

Eli and Grammy

It was a wonderful weekend. More pictures to come of aunts and cousins. I just don't have them uploaded yet...whoops. We had a great time and look forward to seeing them all again soon. Now, Eli needs to see my Ohio family and he will have met most of our extended family members. Ohio, Eli is anxious for a meeting....a plan is in the works. Love you all.

A California Visit

2 of our dearest friends, Adam and Mary, who live all the way in California were in town working but were able to come by and meet our little man. It was short but sweet and so wonderful to see them.

Eli loved them I could just tell, mother's intuition, that he would really like it if they would be our neighbors someday. No pressure you guys, I mean no big deal disappointing a one month old. :-) Love you guys... we look forward to another visit.

Eli Meets Jordan's Grandparents

We are very behind on our posts considering this event happened a month ago. However, I am on a mission to get caught up, so here goes...At the end of June, Jordan's grandparents made a visit from South Carolina to Tennessee to meet Eli. We all had a good time visiting and passing Eli around.

The first look

Eli and Nonny

Eli and Memaw

Eli and Papa


The Boys

Eli's Favorite Pics

Thank you Caitlin for the personalized onsie!

Momma did not know that Dad was allowing this to happen, but no worries momma, Toby loves me...so much that he even gave me a kiss, but dad told me not to post that one.

Dad asked me to "Look Terrified" for my 1 month old pic. Pretty good huh?

Hugs to all! Check ya later.

Hello

Hey out there!!! I have been quite the absentee blogger...Jordan has really stepped up to the plate and kept us current for the most part. I thought that I would surface today and tell those who venture by "Hello".

All is well in the Hester house accept that my sweet angel has been quite the fussy fella lately, leaving me to type with one hand while constantly bouncing him with the other. We are in the midst of trying to decode his various vocal cues. Now, it is true that I have been known to purchase a good logic book with all those crazy, brain exercising, problem solving, puzzles just for fun. I find much joy in figuring those things out and doing everything in my power to not peek at the back of the book with all the answers. However, I will say when it comes to Eli's puzzle, I would pay big bucks for a glance at all the right answers. But, I guess, just like those books it would not be near the ride if all the answers were simply given to me before I even had a chance to try and figure them out.

So, in the mean time when "the going gets fussy...the fussy goes dancing". Eli loves him some dance and music, which works out well because his mother does too. He has especially taken heart to one of our friend's songs. So, it has been played probably over 20 times in the last few days. Also, lucky for me, I love the song as well and have been known to play many other songs over and over myself (much to Jordan's dismay). Therefore it is definitely a win win situation because it makes Eli so very happy and keeps his momma's head from spinning around and her spirits up. All this, so very important. :-)

Experiencing joy in the midst of challenging situations...a gift from God. I am thankful.

fyi. you can buy our friend, Andy's cd at your local Barnes and Noble. It is called "Let The Woman" by Andy Davis and Eli's favorite is track number 2. You should check it out. Eli knows good music. :-)

Thanks for stopping by,

Ryan