little pea

2009-10-09T16:47:00.000-07:00

Jacob Wallace Stephens

2009-09-05T12:55:00.001-07:00

2008-04-15T07:53:00.000-07:00

Our once baby son has become a full blown toddler. Here's some shots of him celebrating his first birthday.

Video Returns!

2008-01-25T17:29:00.000-08:00

a long awaited video update...

We Wish You a Merry Christmas!

2007-12-20T06:40:00.000-08:00

You will notice in the pictures below elijah's first thanksgiving dinner, he ate all of that, seriously. Really he just ate his peas and a little taste of yams. And yes Elijah is crawling and for probably about a month insists on standing almost all of the time. He has attempted climbing a few times, successfully once on top of a little lego table that my parents have at their place.
The picture of the three of us was going to be part of a Christmas card that none of you will be getting after all. So just pretend this is your card! There may be a new years card coming but no promises.

2007-10-29T17:45:00.000-07:00

Lijah update:
29 inches, about 20-23 pounds.
He sits like a pro, and gets up on all fours in the blink of an eye. He has been on all fours for like three weeks now, so really any day he will be crawling. Part of me is so excited for him to start crawling, but the other part of me knows that as soon as he does I will want him to sit still.
He loves towers, chewing on anything and everything, swinging, reading books, dancing, funny noises, bath time and chasing people. He loves to eat; bananas, peas, and green beans have been on the menu this week. I think I'll whip up some pears and apples soon and maybe some more squash or sweet potatoes again for next week. For those mommas out there who make their own babyfood i've read in two different places to stay away from making carrots, beets, (and a few other odd veggies like turnips or something...) because they can contain a high level of nitrates which can cause anemia in infants, baby food that is pre-made is fine as they test for nitrate levels. just thought I'd give you the heads up.
Well, I hope you all are enjoying some apples and warm toasty drinks as fall has officially arrived. Enjoy this super cute video.

Elijah's New Hobbies

2007-10-10T07:21:00.001-07:00

Attention Everyone, E's Got Something To Say

2007-10-03T20:43:00.000-07:00

first meal of "solids"

2007-09-17T06:04:00.000-07:00

This was about a week ago and he is now eating like a champ three times a day after he nurses. In about a week we will start him on some good ol' veggies.

yummies in the tummy and a whole new perspective

2007-09-09T06:03:00.000-07:00

That's right, we've just started Elijah on solids! Rice cereal mixed with formula. He just spits it all out the past two days, but that's what everyone says will happen, so I guess he is doing great!
The other big news is that he is starting to sit on his own and he loves it. When I say sit on his own I mean like when we set him down with his hands propping himself up he can now stay like that for around five minutes. A few times he ventured to lift his hands up and of course plopped over within seconds, but I thought it was quite impressive that he did it at all.

Will post pictures of these great big events soon.

chompers

2007-08-29T05:28:00.000-07:00

I never thought I would be so excited about a tooth, but it made my day yesterday. Yes that is right, a tooth! On Elijah's bottom gum line there is the tippy top of a baby tooth poking through. He was a little off all day yesterday, waking up early from naps and wanting to eat more frequently but then not nursing that well...by the afternoon I was thinking he might be coming down with something when I looked in his little mouth and saw it -- his first tooth! hip hip hooray! more pics to come soon.

Here are a few shots of elijah with aunt jess and grandma, elijah misses you guys already.

fun times

2007-08-14T12:23:00.000-07:00

teeth tug-a-war
fun with Nana
the boys
Thanks for knitting me a sweater grandma! It fits now!

see how much I've grown!

2007-08-14T11:45:00.000-07:00

The low down on lil'lijah

2007-08-02T11:00:00.000-07:00

weight: 15.5-16ish pounds (next dr. appointment is in two weeks)
length: 27ish inches
He is rolling on his side all the time, he has yet to figure out how to get his arm out of the way to roll all the way over.
He is grabbing everything within reach and chewing on it. I think teeth maybe coming soon.
He smiles at everyone, but especially mommy and daddy. Giggles are slowly working their way out of his little belly as well. He will stare at the TV if we let him, but as soon as we notice we usually turn it off. He doesn't nurse as well when there is a lot of commotion around. He is a social butterfly and likes to be a part of the action. He is easy going and quite happy just like his dad.

A day in the life of Elijah:
Momma walks into his nursery with a cup of coffee in hand to see elijah happy and playing in his crib at 7am. Elijah nurses while momma flips between the Today show and Mike and Mike in the morning. Then Elijah plays with daddy for a while before it is nap time at 8:45ish, when daddy rocks and sings to him. He then wakes again at 10ish ready to eat again. This time he gets to play with momma as daddy is off working or studying for class, sometimes we go run errands during this time. He plays until 11:30ish and then at the first sign of tiredness momma rocks him while reading him a story then lays him down to sleep. He wakes at 1ish for lunch. It is play time yet again, sometimes he plays on the floor in momma's office while she does a little bit of work. At 2:30ish he is ready for yet another nap and sleeps until 4ish. Yay for Oprah and Ellen. Momma and 'lijah play more and sometimes he likes to take a short nap for his fourth nap of the day, but other times he hangs out in the baby bjorn carrier and helps momma cook dinner. He eats again at 7ish, then gets a bath, plays for a little while then goes down for his nighttime sleep at 8:30ish, I wake him one more time to feed him at 10ish and then put him right back to sleep. However, we are close to eliminating that feeding so that means he would sleep from 8:30-7. Dang babies sleep lots. That is a whooping total of 6 feedings 3.5 naps, and about 9 hours of playtime/waketime per day.

Video Update

2007-07-28T11:01:00.001-07:00

A friendly reminder that pausing the movie and allowing it to completely load produces the best results.

D.C. and little E

2007-07-25T18:32:00.000-07:00

pictures from our trip to washington

take me out to the ball game

2007-07-17T10:31:00.000-07:00

Elijah went to his first baseball game. Unfortunately, the Louisville Bats lost in extra innings to the Scranton Yankees but he still had fun. A reporter from the Louisville newspaper interviewed us and took several pictures for a story that is supposed to run tomorrow. The bottom picture is of a car parked directly across the street from ours that fell victim to a foul ball.

Every Grandparent's Worst Nightmare...

2007-07-09T06:42:00.000-07:00

It is with heavy hearts that we announce some troubling news. At the age of three months and one day, our once pleasant and cheerful son has decided to join a gang. Judging from the blue bandana and gang sign he's 'throwin' its apparent that he's gotten in with the Poopy Pants Cappas, one the baddest street gangs in all of Wilmore. Its a truly sad day for all.

lil' E goes hiking

2007-07-09T06:39:00.000-07:00

splish splash at nana and grandpa stephens pool

2007-07-03T07:51:00.000-07:00

first time in pool, overall not much of a reaction from little e, but mom and dad and nana had a great time!
floating with dad
sunbathing little cutie, don't worry he had 45 baby sun block on.
look at me holding up my head!

splish splash at the lake

2007-07-03T07:25:00.001-07:00

getting ready for my first boat ride at grandma and grandpa green's cottage.

first boat ride, elijah fell asleep after two seconds.

big smiles up at the cottage

the boys out for a swim in the deep water.

floating in crooked lake. coolest life vest ever, he could literally sleep in the water and he would be fine. there is a handle on the head rest so that we can just pull him out of the water.

Scientific Breakthrough

2007-06-12T11:13:00.000-07:00

Researchers recently discovered a possible cause of ADHD in young boys. More news at 11:00.

More Pictures

2007-06-06T11:16:00.000-07:00

We're so proud

2007-06-06T11:11:00.000-07:00

Our man has almost joined the fraternal order of thumb suckers (FOTS). We couldn't be more proud.

Smiles for Everyone

2007-05-28T18:27:00.000-07:00

Little E' Sleeps on His Own!

2007-05-26T08:07:00.000-07:00

Inspired from the book babywise, we have started Elijah on a flexible routine of eat, activity, sleep, in that order over and over throughout the day. We have allowed him to teach himself the art of falling asleep on his very own, instead of me or Paul carrying him around for at least a half hour, if not much longer. It is fantastic! Just over the course of the past two days he now falls asleep within about ten minutes of being put down in his crib. Occasionally he wakes up, but he will fall back asleep within a few minutes. Oh my goodness, I cannot express how wonderful it is. I feel so energized. It makes feeding time and playtime much more enjoyable when I get a little break during his nap time. Speaking of feeding time, for those of you who knew that we were struggling with breast-feeding, I would like to inform you that Elijah and I have perfected it!

Fun facts about Elijah:
-on may 19th he weighed in at 10 lbs 11 oz and measured 24 inches
-he has been smiling more and more
-he follows objects with his eyes
-he makes lots of noises
-he does leg presses with daddy
-he has lots of conversations with momma

more pictures to come...

cutie

2007-05-13T15:00:00.000-07:00

photos of our five week old

2007-05-13T14:54:00.000-07:00

Pictures of Elijah

2007-05-05T10:49:00.000-07:00

Video 2.0

2007-04-25T21:13:00.000-07:00

For best results: push play on the center of the video and then immediately pause and let load. Once the red bar has reached the end of the meter push play again.

uh oh...dad's got a camera

2007-04-20T04:40:00.001-07:00

more lil' 'lijah pictures

2007-04-14T14:24:00.000-07:00

Our baby boy

2007-04-08T17:45:00.000-07:00

9 lbs. 6 oz. | 22.5 inches | Our big baby!
labor was not too bad starting about midnight (very mild) to 4:27 in the evening today on Easter.

"I'm ready for my close up"

2007-04-08T17:32:00.000-07:00

Lexington, the pea has landed

2007-04-08T17:07:00.000-07:00

still not yet

2007-04-05T18:08:00.000-07:00

Still no little guy! I've been having many more braxton hicks contractions (contractions that are painless and don't really do much) so I guess that is considered "pre-labor". Last night they were getting to be less than 5 minutes apart for about an hour but then they subsided. We are thankful for all your prayers. I've been enjoying spending some quality time reading the Bible and praying this week and that has helped me be patient in this time; enjoying it for what it is. I'm also so happy to say that I'm still sleeping pretty well at night! I know that is a luxury not many pregnant women enjoy in the last month.

We'll keep you posted! AHHHH!!! IT'S BABY TIME!!!

Not yet.

2007-04-02T09:45:00.000-07:00

No baby yet. It is due day, and believe me, Paul and I are anxiously awaiting our little guy.

super daddy

2007-03-26T06:32:00.000-07:00

It was Paul's goal to run 13.1 miles (the amount of a mini-marathon) before our little guy came and last weekend he did it! In this pic he is running toward the finish line.
You will notice the very official toliet paper finish line that Tim and Jean are holding. We attempted to make it like a real mini-marathon with Gatorade, cookies, a medal, banana, and lots of cheering.

one week til due date!

2007-03-25T09:38:00.000-07:00

more belly! I actually have not gained any weight the last three weeks, and I have heard that is not uncommon. It is getting rather warm down here in good ol' Kentucky, and being that I was preggo through the winter months I only have a few tank tops and really just the one skirt, so although I'm still comfortable being pregnant I'm ready to be able to wear different clothes!

Last week we built the changing table and got the bins for it, so I was finally able to organize the nursery exactly how I wanted it. We both love the room and are thankful that he can have a nursery to himself instead of it being half my office and half nursery.

Here is the changing table we built. I LOVE IT (paul does too). Not only was it a price saver it can also be used as a great toy storage self after it's role as a changing table is over.

Paul wanted to play some music for little elijah this morning the featured selection was baby mozart.

We can hardly believe that sometime in the next day or week or two weeks we will be able to hold our little guy. It is difficult express the emotions at this point, thankful, excited, anxious, curious, thrilled, cautious, concerned, and all kinds of others as well! Paul and I have been having loads of fun together recently as we are living up our last few times as just the two of us. We appreciate all your prayers and support in this time of great transition. And we LOVE all the little posts we get to read from you!

Less than 5 weeks! (hopefully)

2007-02-28T12:28:00.000-08:00

I'm still feeling great. I'm hoping to not gain too much more weight so I'm doing my "Fit Mama" workout DVD (super fun salsa dancing and yoga) along with prenatal water aerobics. I highly recommend both of those activites for any pregnant women out there. I've gained almost 30 pounds! They say to aim for 25-35. I remember back in October I was carrying a pumpkin up the stairs for an activity Paul was putting on as I was huffing and puffing I thought, "Oh my goodness, soon enough I'm going to be carrying this much extra weight around with me everywhere I go!" I think I've surpassed the weight of that pumpkin at this point. On a different note, I'm thankful that it's been warm enough out for me to wear a skirt around because I've been getting rather tired of my maternity pants!

Here is a picture of our crib, generously handed down from our cousins shannon and jason (thanks again guys!) It is obviously not made up yet, and has a bunch of other baby stuff in it, but you get the idea.

Here is the other side of the wall with our shelves up from ikea. Changing table will probably go to the right of the shelves. The stuff is kind of placed haphazardly on them right now, but anyhow...

Our little guy is just a tad over 5 pounds now and about 18 inches long (or at least that is what the website tells me!).

6 weeks and counting!

2007-02-19T13:45:00.000-08:00

I'm starting to feel quite big and a little awkward but I guess that is a fairly normal feeling at this point in pregnancy. Our little guy is not feeling so little in me anymore, his movements are much more apparent and strong. I'm pretty sure that he is head down at this point. His little bottom is usually on my left side with his knees and feet on my right side. My right ribs even get a little sore every now and then!
Overall, even after the sickly first trimester I would have to say that I have enjoyed being pregnant. It is a beautiful experience; our bodies are simply phenomenal.
In other news we have decided to use cloth diapers. I was not interested at first, but after doing some research and talking with some moms that do it I am convinced. Did you know that 1955, before disposable diapers, only 7% of babies were reported having diaper rash, then in 1991 well after disposable diapers dominated the market, the number jumped to 78%. Also, one baby that goes through diapers over time uses 6,000-9,000 diapers which creates about one ton of waste. (facts from www.realdiaperassociation.or/diaperfacts.php) We are planning on spending about $300 total for all the cloth diapers we will need until he is potty trained. $300 would have carried us through about 5-7 months of disposable diapers! And the cloth diapers will be used for our next kid(s) as well. Of course there are a few other minor costs to consider with cloth diapers and it will be a little less convenient, but because of the health benefits, environment concerns and the cost effectiveness we decided it is well worth it.
Fun facts about Rex:
He is about 4.75 pounds and almost 18 inches
His fat layers are filling out, his central nervous system is still maturing and his lungs are well developed
side note: there is a full moon on my due date! April 2.

showered with love

2007-02-15T10:15:00.000-08:00

My sister flew in from Colorado to be with us and shower us with love. Baby Rex kicked and squirmed and even hiccuped for Aunt Jess this weekend.

The three of us spent some time building this magnificent work of art for shower decor--the diaper cake!

Rex's first hockey game, Michigan vs. Michigan State. This game was the first game that Sue (my mom) ever recalls in her entire marriage to Wally (my extremely type A personality dad) that they stayed until the very end of an event. You see Wally always, save this weekend, leaves big events early to beat the rush of traffic. It was quite a phenomenon for them to hear that last buzzer go off. End score of the game was 3-3 so there was 5 minutes of overtime.

Momma and Daddy to be at the shower before all the guests arrived.

Momma and Daddy with Nana (Susan Stephens)! She came all the way up four hours and back in one day to be at the shower.

We had so much fun this weekend and feel so incredibly blessed by the family and friends that we have surrounding us in life and in this transition into parenthood. For the first time reality of the magnificent yet daunting change that lies just a few weeks ahead hit me hard when I was saying goodbye to my sister and dad. The next time I see them we will have little Rex. Up until this point it has been no big change, just bearing with pregnancy (which besides the first trimester has been great). And now the reality of an actual baby that is part Paul and part me coming into the world is starting to sink in. It is weird having all this stuff for him, but not even knowing him yet.

32 Weeks! Only 8 left!

2007-02-05T07:06:00.000-08:00

Here is a belly shot of me and Rex (his name will most likely be Elijah Green Stephens). On Saturday morning he had the hiccups! It was kind of fun. At this point Rex probably weighs about 4 pounds now and is about 17 inches long. Paul and I bought him his first two packs of diapers last week when we were grocery shopping because we had coupons. It is one thing to talk about our little guy, but to actually buy him diapers is a whole other step that is quite surreal.

30.5 weeks along

2007-01-26T09:28:00.000-08:00

We just came home from our now biweekly doctors appointment where Dr. Looff said that I am the model pregnant patient. This is great news because it is known in my family that I am the one who gets the odd and rare, sometimes comical sicknesses. I don't really want to get into the details of my medical history, so I'll just leave it at that...
Paul and I are both getting really excited to meet our little guy. Our friends Tim and Jean pointed out to us that the coffee creamer they just bought expires after Rex will be born! It is all becoming more and more of a reality. People ask me if I'm nervous, and I don't think I am. At times I wonder how it will work out, but I'm realizing that just like everything else we'll take one day at a time, and adjust what we need to when we need to. God has never given me more than I can handle so far.
Rex is estimated to be about 3 pounds and 15 inches. I read somewhere that he can even start to get a sense of flavors from some of the food that I'm eating. I don't know how reliable that is, but it kind of makes sense. So I'm trying to eat my vegetables so that someday it might make it that much easier for him to eat his vegetables.

BELLY BELLY BELLY!

2007-01-17T15:08:00.000-08:00

Alast!, more belly pics! Three cheers! For those of you interested (because I know people are interested...I would be), I have gained 21 pounds so far. I'm supposed to gain between 25 and 35 pounds, so I'm right on track with 10.5 more weeks to go, gaining about a pound a week from here on out.

Here is Paul rocking in our brand new glider that just came in the mail today (thanks mom and dad green!!! we LOVE it!). You may notice that Paul is rocking a 20 lb. bag of dead sea salt patting it and pretending it is our little Rex. He is going to be the best dad ever; Rex is a lucky little guy. If you are wondering why we have a 20 lb. bag of dead sea salt I am making a little pomegranate salt scrub to give as a thank yous to those that support us in this time.

Momma is quite the seamstress, check out the curtains! And here is the home for the glider.

I cut out the letters from a really thick cardboard type card-stock and painted them with some paint that we found in the oops! section at Lowes. I love it. It turned out exactly like we wanted it to.

Oh the places you will go!

2007-01-11T12:06:00.000-08:00

Here is the Nursery! Paul and I spent the few days that we were here over Christmas break painting. It was actually part of our New Year's celebration—to finish the paint job and to unveil the white line by taking the tape off of the wall that we used to create the line. I think the nursery is becoming our favorite room in the apartment now. Also, as the title of this blog suggests, we are using "oh the places you will go!" as a loose theme for the room. Quite loose actually, we are just going to have it written on the wall and that is about as far as we want to take it.
I am 28 weeks along now, which is third trimester, our little guy is almost here. He is about 14.8 inches long, a little over 2 pounds, and he can now open his eyes. Check back soon for a pic of the belly!

24.5 weeks

2006-12-15T12:52:00.000-08:00

I apologize for taking so long to post a picture on here—I'm sure you notice MUCH growth between this picture and the last picture—because there has been much growth! Rex is an active little guy, I absolutely love feeling his movements. He is about 13 inches now and about 1.5 pounds.

20 weeks

2006-11-14T08:27:00.000-08:00

In some sense I can hardly believe that it is the half way point to actually holding our little guy, but at the same time it feels so far away. I've worn my first pair of maternity pants this past week! I kind of feel like a little kid because the pants don't button or zip you just pull them up, like the pull-ups commercial "I'm a big kid now!".
Fun Facts about Rex:
-he is 10 inches head to toes
-he weighs about 10.5 ounces
-he can hear now and is already beginning to get used to my voice, we are trying to involve Paul in that too, so he reads to Rex before we go to bed.

IT'S A BOY!!

2006-11-09T10:53:00.000-08:00

I think everyone has heard a few stories of a doctor saying it is a boy or girl and then when the baby is born it turns out to be the opposite, because of this I was planning on asking the doctor how sure he really was that it was a boy or girl. However at our appointment yesterday, there was no need to ask, plan as day, we are having a boy. We are both thrilled! All of the guys in the dorm are thrilled too. Today Paul is sporting his baby blue colored tie, and I am wearing a baby blue colored t-shirt in honor of our little guy. Also, Dr. Looff said that he is the cutest baby he has ever seen, he has all his parts, and he is right on target size wise. He did adjust our due date to april 2, 2007 instead of the 4th.
The above tummy shots are from 11.06.06 and 11.07.06.

little kicks!

2006-11-06T16:12:00.000-08:00

I have felt the baby move this past week numerous times!

Also, we have our ultrasound on Wednesday and we are planning on finding out the sex of our little one. We both think it is a boy...so we'll see how good our instincts are. Tomorrow marks the beginning of week 19. Rex weighs about 8.5 ounces, is about 6 inches long (about size of a small zucchini), and this is a crucial time for sensory development.

seventeen weeks

2006-10-24T16:32:00.000-07:00

The first picture is from our trip to Europe this summer, I put it on here as a prepreggo reference point. We are in Florence, Italy and the couple we are with is our good friends Tim and Jean Thompson. Anyhow, the next picture is me at 11.5 weeks, and following that is a picture from today at 17 weeks preggo. I'm still feeling great, with occasional sickness.

Paul and I made our first trip to Babies 'R' Us, which was quite exciting. We didn't purchase anything, or register, we simply wanted to look at all of the options and do a little research. Paul and I walked in having no idea how to get a car seat out of the base, and after helplessly working on one for five minutes on our own we were then approached by stephanie (a very kind worker at the lexington store) who taught us a bunch of fun facts, needless to say we are now almost pros at taking car seats in and out of the base, locking them in to strollers (a.k.a. travel systems), folding the strollers down, and tightening and loosening the straps of the car seat. We had quite a fun time. Paul was even getting to the point of timing himself to see how quickly he could do it all, I was quite impressed.

fun facts about rex:
he is now about 5 inches and 5 ounces (about the size of large onion)
I should be able to feel him move anytime in the next couple of weeks
he is growing his toenails
his skeleton is hardening into bone
his sense of hearing is developing

the joys of the second trimester

2006-10-02T14:43:00.000-07:00

The past five days I have not been sick and the past three days I have felt fantastic! Oh, it is great to feel normal again! Tuesday the third (tomorrow) we enter into the second trimester, which many call the honeymoon trimester, because most women feel wonderful. As far as Rex's development, he is now about 3.5 inches long (about the size of a lemon) and an ounce and a half. His vocal cords are developed, he can cry silently, and he also is able to make many different facial expressions, even able to suck his thumb.
On the more serious side of things, every now and then I am overwhelmed with joy mixed with fear about our baby's life: if we will raise this baby in a way that is pleasing to the Lord, if this baby will grasp the Lord's love for him, what kind of heartache lies ahead for this little one...and the only thing that subsides the thoughts and fears is that the Lord loves this baby more than I ever will, and ultimately this is God's baby not mine or Paul's, it is his gift to us to love and raise, but overall He is the father and the one who will take care of this baby in every area of his life.

the happy dad

2006-09-22T08:59:00.000-07:00

Here I am, the happy dad holding up the first picture. If you have not yet seen the ultrasound picture scroll on down to our previous post. Have you ever seen such a handsome guy, or beautiful gal in all your life? According to Ben, Rex is holding up sign language for "I've got to best uncle ever", but Kelly thinks his thumb is tucked inwards and to the left, thus he is actually signing, "Please dad, can I have the Bugaboo stroller." Things in baby land are good. Kelly had pancakes smothered in peanut butter, syrup, and powdered sugar this morning. She was convinced she had arrived in the culinary promise land and I was convinced that all those stereotypes about odd cravings are indeed true.

first ultrasound

2006-09-13T13:23:00.000-07:00

It's officially official. I've had the symptoms and the prego test was positive, but now we have actually seen the little guy. The heart beats and he even moved! By the way, we refer to the baby as a "he" for now or by "Rex", and don't worry that name will not stick, I can guarantee that much. We have a VHS recording of the ultrasound and will see what we can do to post it on here. We are 11 weeks along (14 is the first trimester) with a due date of april 4, 2007. Also a fun fact, I realized that my vitamins were making me sick, so my doctor had me switch to good ol' Flintstone vitamins because they are more tolerable and still have good stuff in them. THAT'S OUR BABY IN THE PICTURE!! It is still so weird to wrap my mind around that Paul and I are going to be parents. Oh my gosh, what have we gotten ourselves into! I'm glad that God knows what he is up to and that his ways are perfect.