Dr Appt

Hi you little creep!
Yes, that is right. Your mom called you a creep and, in the past, has called you a turd and a big fat pig. Go ahead and call your therapist as soon as you know how to speak and dial a phone :) Let's get the important stuff out of the way. You have a clean bill of health for 3 more weeks. You are just 1 ounce shy of 3 pounds, you are still sewn in there nice and tight and your size is good. Your measurements looked good and your heart was beating like crazy. So, at the most important level - you get an A+.

Now, let's talk about the trivial stuff. This was supposed to be *thee* important appointment for your photography. You are at the stage where you are formed enough to make you look like a cute little baby but not so squished in there that we can't distinguish you. The suspense built, the screen came on, the 3D wand was pulled out... This, my love, is what you did to us....

Yes, that is right, you told us to get that camera off your face. I had to look accusingly at your father and say "See, he is your stinking kid." Then, I had to laugh because it was so darn funny.

Next, she tried moving you around a bit so you would move your arm. She was trying to shake you with the wand. She was being so nice and polite with gentle little shakes and I was thinking to myself that she needed to be less gentle with you and beat you into moving your arm :)




Then, at the last minute, you gave us one really good sneak peek at you. Oh, no, obviously, you couldn't show us your entire face because then you wouldn't be a Brigham. However, we got this good one and I believe, a bit of smirk in there. Kind of like "I got you two again. NaNaNaNaNaNahhh,.."


It is 5 hours after these photos were taken and I am seriously in awe at them. I rotate between cracking up because you are so shy or evil (can't decide which one yet), being angry at your dad for passing on this genetic trait to you and just being so overcome with happiness. My goodness - you are a little tyke growing in there. You have 10 fingers and everything - which you so proudly had to show us. You are still growing healthy and have plenty of amniotic juice and no signs of coming any time soon. I just can't stop looking at them. You are our son and we are going to be parents. Still blows my mind but yet there you are in 3d splendor and, as I type, you are kicking the crap out of me. Too much to take in!!

Other small details - Bonehead doesn't think you are going to come early or when your stitch is out. He thinks you are going to go full term. There is no scientific reasoning behind his answer but that is his gut. If that is true, I don't think you will get to meet your Auntie Val or Unc until the end of January. (That is if your mom's guilt trip on your Unc worked and I convinced him to come see you on 1/29 during the Eli Meet and Greet) But, that means that Gramma Debi D doesn't miss out on you since she will be in Florida that week. No date is going to please everyone but you coming out healthy and full term will please everyone!

Your mom tried oh so hard to get out of work - just a few hours a day. When else I am going to have the opportunity to be such a slacker? Nope, no go. Your mean spirited doctor said that if I wanted to get a doctor to lie for me, I should call my diabetic doctor that I cheated on him with. :) I am not kidding about that but he was joking and back to himself today. Maybe next time, huh?

So, that is all your scoop for today you little creep. I have emailed or texted everyone your photos so they can see how big you are and how well you are doing. I will update your blog this weekend for some Thanksgiving decorations. Your dad is going to paint your room and I hope to keep unshoveling the living room. Nothing too exciting but Bonehead did say to stay away from the Halloween candy and that it wasn't FDA approved to supplement with Insulin to offset it :)

Numbers

Good morning Elijah!
I thought I would talk to you in terms of math today. No better time to get you started on being a genius than now. Start counting your fingers and toes in there - should equal out to 20 :) Your mom and dad both profess to being pretty good at math but something about the hormone juice you kick out has turned my math-brain to mush. I hope it turns back to normal when you are here :) So, just some random numbers for you....
1) Number of nights in a row we have not gotten to sleep until 3 am: 6
2) Number of hours your dad worked on your room yesterday: 1
3) Number of times your dad complained that it was a day of rest and he should not have to work on your room: 3
4) Number of days per week your dad thinks are days of rest or "Sabbath": 7 - or any that end in Y. In other math terms, 100%.
5) Number of pregnancy related side affects that your mom discovered yesterday and made her want to cry: 1 - too personal to detail...
6) Number of pounds your mom has packed on with you so far: 27 as of this morning
7) Number of days until your shower: 16
8) Number of days until your due date: 80
9) Number of shower gifts you have received already: 5 - Aunt Lee's blankie and a box with 4 goodies in it yesterday from your dad's cousin Jane
10) Number of days your dad and I have gone without eating in a restaurant: 11 - it has to be a record!
11) Number of buckets your mom shoveled out of the living room last night: 4
12) Number of thank you notes your mom made last night: 32
13) Number of shower favors your mom cut out last night: 50
14) Number of hours until we see you again: 27
15) Number of times your mom has hoped, prayed and spoken out loud that she wants Dr. Bonehead to reduce my hours at work: Too many to count
16) Number of days before your Auntie Kim comes to visit for an "Eli Meet and Greet": 92 (1/29)
17) Number of days before your Auntie Val comes to visit for an "Eli Meet and Greet": Well, this is a bit trickier... She will meet and greet my belly and love you up in 16 days. Then, she will be back in 55 days for Christmas and would love to meet you then. Or, 92 days until the official Auntie Meet & Greet
18) Number of heart-wrenching emails your mom received from your Uncle yesterday: 1 - details are personal between me and my brother but I want to tell you that he is already deciding on how he can be a great uncle and love you up. Might just take him a bit to figure out the best way to navigate!
19) Number of bottles of water I drink per day: 3-4. You are sucking the hydration out of me you little leech :)
20) Number of times per day I use your name in vain to get my way with your dad: At least 3. Elijah is hungry, Eli is thirsty, E can't handle all that cleaning. haha

Finally...
21) Number of times I say your name, type your name, think about you, smile about you when you move, tell you how much I love you already or how many prayers go up for you daily: Countless!

God Parents

Good morning sunshine!
For the 5th night in a row, we did not get to sleep until 3 am. Darn it - I wish your mom's brain would shut down and we could get to bed at 10. I think it is going to come to a head and we are going to crash for like the whole weekend :) I am so excited - only 2 days until we get to see you again. I can't wait to go to the doctor. I read that dr. appointments often go to every 2 weeks now in the third trimester and then shortly after to weekly. I don't think I will argue with him on that one. I am anxious to see you. Your dad and I had a funny conversation 2 nights ago. It finally hit him that you are coming in a few short weeks. Not only are we on the single digit count down, we are on the 2.5 week countdown until your room has to be ready. To say it took him by surprise would be an understatement :)

So, a couple of weeks ago (probably about 1 am when I do my best thinking), I realized your dad and I hadn't talked about your baptism. I had always assumed that we would baptize you Catholic and raise you in the Catholic church but your dad and I hadn't confirmed that. I knew that your arrival would indicate our cut off from slacking and require us to go to church more frequently. We can't expect you to be faithful and learn about religion unless we are. So, I smacked myself upside the head and said "Oh no, something new for Mark and I to disagree on."

As with all of your major life decisions, I emailed your dad at work. haha. He agreed that he wanted to baptize you Catholic and we bantered back and forth on who your Godparents should be. I had definite requirements for this role model in your life. I wanted it to be someone who is related to us and I wanted it to be someone who was spiritual. Not necessarily Catholic but someone with a strong faith - remember those posts about religion? I want you to believe in God but may not really a Catholic God. We do have spiritual friends and we did toss them around but I was really stuck on it being relation rather than friends. My Godmother was my mom's best friend at the time and I don't think I have seen her in over 7 years - and, that was a freak run in at the mall. With family, you are stuck with them no matter what. I have seen my Godfather - it is your uncle Jeff. But, to keep it real with you, your Unc is not the most religious man. If he is, he keeps it all in heart and mind so he has never passed that on to me unless it was through osmosis in a thump to the head.

Surprisingly, this was an easy decision when I told your dad my choices. He agreed to them. I offered him the choice to choose someone on his side of the family but he did not have anyone that he wanted to use so they are both on my side of the family. We haven't talked to your prospective Godfather yet - I will leave that to your dad to do in a few weeks. However, I would like to introduce you to your Godmother. *drum roll please* Your Grampa Larry's sister, your Aunt Becky, has agreed to be your Godmother. Not only is this an excellent way for us to honor your Grampa Larry and his family, your Aunt Becky is one of the most spiritual people I know. I have no doubt that she will take this role very seriously and do her best to make sure that we are raising you with a strong sense of faith and spirituality. Outside of faith, your Aunt Becky is kind and has a strong sense of family - both of which are important to your dad and me. Yes, it does mean that you are stuck with your goofy Uncle Steve being around but once you get used to him, it is easy to ignore him :) Even though he won't officially be your Godfather, I know he will support your Aunt Becky in her role and also be a spiritual role model. Despite his crude, rude and funny behavior (it took your dad a lot of years to come to love that about him!), he is also a very spiritual man.

So, I hope we did you proud in our decision making, Little Elijah. I will post back to you in a few weeks when we have the official acceptance from your Godfather. Since he doesn't know we are asking him, it sure doesn't seem fair to introduce you to him now - maybe he secretly worships the devil and will turn the role down :)

On a related note, have I ever told you what your name means or how it came to me? Remember how I told you that I had a few experiences in my life where I felt like I heard the voice of God? I feel like Elijah was that way too. I was sitting there and out of the blue, this voice appeared in my head and told me Elijah. Some could argue that it was the *other* voices in my head but I choose to believe that it was divine. When I looked up what it means, I was even more convinced. Elijah officially means "My God is the Lord." I hope you will find that to be true, my little bambino and I hope Aunt Becky will help shine the light on that for you.

Quick note for you

Hi little Elijah!
Not much to share with you but just a couple quick little things!

We did a ton of cooking and cleaning this weekend. Good job for us! We tried 4 new recipes on Saturday. So far, 3 out of 4 are keepers. We haven't tried the 4th one yet.

Your Gramma Debbie bought us some goodies today. It is kind of scary because she keeps telling us about all this stuff she is stockpiling. Heck, we may just need to move your nursery over to her house where all the goods are :)

Finally, I got an email from your Auntie Val today & it just made me smile. I have to share it with you & we will hope that she doesn't see that I am sharing her secrets with you :)

"I am just working away. But Eli just popped into my head. I can't tell you how excited I am that we are going to have this little guy. He brings a smile to my face everytime I think of you and Eli. Mark, too. At least a couple more months. Yahoo!!!!
PS I am the only one who voted for the date that has the one vote. I can't remember the exact dates but I know it was when I was there in town for xmas that I voted you would have him... He is very excited to meet his Auntie Val and that is why faith will have him coming during that week.
Love ya
Aunt Val"

Holy SCHMOLY - 28 weeks

Hey there little Elijah -
We were on our own this weekend. Your dad & cousin Andrew were in KC at Worlds of Fun & the Chiefs game. It is nice to have the house to myself but it is hard because (if possible) it makes me more lazy. I cleaned the bathroom and we had to take a several hour rest. Apparently, you didn't like me leaning over in the position I was in and it caused us some havoc. You were so low and making such weird sensations that I almost started to panic. But, even before that, you were a WILD MAN Saturday. You were so active I could hardly believe it. It wasn't due to sugar or to music - you were just boogeying in there. Maybe you were celebrating our biggest milestone to date -
28 weeks my little man....
28 weeks...
The week where Bonehead said anxiety can lesson. The week where you have an 80% survival rate and a drop to 35% medical complication rate. The week where your dad and I can finally breathe a sigh of relief. Like I tell you every week, I don't want you to come yet. You would have to spend too much time in the NICU but this truly is the week where we have been counting down to. I read somewhere on the internet that for each day you stay in their cooking, it reduces your NICU time by 3 days. I am sure that is not scientific but I want you to cook in there long enough that you have NO NICU time. I want you to come home and torture me with no sleep immediately. I will have to get you a new photo because your mom's tummy sure is sticking out now.

I am still getting headaches but I have been checking my blood pressure and it is well within the normal range. I have also tried to see if it is during a time where I would be having a natural "sugar spike" and it isn't happening then either. I guess it just must be another awesome side affect of pregnancy - like all those aches in my hips I was telling you about the other day. But, I think that God has some sort of spell that comes over mom's when they see their new babies that blacks out all of the morning sickness, nausea, vomiting, aches, pains, weight gain and labor. Otherwise, I don't think anyone would ever have more than one baby - EVER :)

We are definitely in the single digit week count down now. I know that you could come at 40 or even 40+ weeks but hearing that we are in single digits makes me happy so we are just going to continue to say that. :) Your baby shower is in 3 weeks - can you believe that? Then, we have Thanksgiving and Christmas then a little bouncing Elijah. I think time is going to fly by so quick that I won't believe it!

Other than that, not much to report. Your dad & I did really good - we didn't eat out once last week. That has to be a record for us. We have plenty of food left over for this week too. I have a few new recipes to try but I am not sure that I will get to them this weekend. Might have to be Monday night again. It requires a trip to the store and a clean kitchen :)

Overwhelmed

Hi little bambino,
Most days, when I write to you, I try to keep it upbeat and fun for you. I want you to think that I am a hip, cool mom :) However, you will learn the truth when you get here - there are days where I will be the coolest mom ever, days I will be the funsucker and days I will be the crabbiest mom ever. So, in an effort to keep it real for you, I am going to tell you that I am feeling a bit overwhelmed lately by all sorts of things. I am not down or depressed and I am still so excited to meet you but it just seems like there is a lot going on and is making me feel a bit buried. Here are some of the things I am finding overwhelming....

1) Finances - we are getting hit with a lot of annual, medical and unexpected expenses right now. I am sure it is to prepare us for when you come. Not only will you suck the energy and sleep away from me, you will suck my money away too. :) (That sounds kind of negative, huh? You are worth it to us but, in keeping it real, you are going to suck the resources out of our house.)

2) My body - I expected it to grow big and be uncomfortable but I think I was unprepared for the hip pain, back pain and side pain. I only expect it to get worse as you get bigger. The big pregnancy belly is all OK with me because that just makes me think of you each time I see it.

3) Work - interestingly enough, work is not overwhelming me, it is UNDERWHELMING. It is kind of slow right now and if I were busier, my mind would be off of all of this other stuff.

4) Hollie - our little fat cat is just miserable. She has some sort of allergies and it is a very hard decision to make on how to proceed. Right now, she is responding to steroid shots but those can't last forever. The testing is very expensive and there is no guarantee that it will show us how to fix her. It is a hard decision to make between what is best for her, what is best for us financially and what is the best thing to do. No worries for you Eli - you will have insurance. We won't have to sell blood to get you medical care. Well, the government is trying to change it so I guess I better not make too many promises.

5) Feeling you - this is a good overwhelming. It is still so overwhelming to me when I feel you move. Most awesome thing ever.

6) My hair - yeah, I know, this isn't as important as world peace but I just can't get it to do what I want. Maybe it is hormones or the weather or what but I am straggly.

7) Labor - I am a tad overwhelmed when I think of how this whole labor thing is going to go down. How painful it will be, how long it will take, etc. I am a tad scared.

8) Being a parent - I can't wait to have you here and love you up. But, you will have to cut me some slack because we have never really thought this whole parenting thing out. It was a far away concept that we discuss - like winning the lottery. With our history, our focus has always been on the pregnancy journey and not the parenting journey because we have never made it that far. Now, you are more real than ever and in a few short hours, you will be at the 28 week mark where most babies survive. You know what that means? We are going to have to raise you, feed you, love you, discipline you, educate you and guide you down life's path. Where is the training dvd or audio book for that? I know we will make mistakes but it is overwhelming to think that we are responsible for someone other than ourselves and our animals. That is somewhat (read: incredibly) overwhelming to me.

9) Lack of control - this is a big daddy overwhelming issue to me. See, your mom has control issues. I wouldn't necessarily go as far as to say I am a control freak but maybe I am. I learned that this is the root of my problems emotionally - I try to control my emotions instead of just being with them. But, you know what Eli? I can't control anything right now. You are in complete control and that kills me. I can't control when you come, I can't (to many degrees) control if you are healthy, I can't control how I want labor to go and post-labor, I can't control anything about this pregnancy and it is so difficult to leave it up to you & God. If you would like my input, here is how it would go down. From now until 12/26, we would have no issues. You would continue to grow, my sugars would be good (completely in my control), my belly would look like a pregnant belly rather than a fat belly and all is well. On 12/27, we would go in to have my stitch out and within 2 hours of easy labor, you would be born perfectly healthy with no c-section. You would be given to me immediately and you would learn how to breastfeed within minutes. Your dad and I would cry as we hold you & love you up. We would be with you the whole time. After some time with just the 3 of us, we would have your family come visit you and love you up. You would sleep well, feed well and we would bring you home to perfect bliss on Wednesday or Thursday where the good feedings and sleeping would continue. In addition, we would master the cloth diapering thing immediately and all live happily ever after. I am realistic enough to know that probably only 1% of that will come true but didn't figure it would hurt to get a good word in with you early. If you would be so kind as to let me choose the 1%, I would choose it for you to be born perfectly healthy. Anything else, we can overcome!

Your Aunts & Uncle

Baby E,
You were up all night and all morning moving around. I think all that activity wore you out then you were ready to party while your mom was trying to sleep :) Today is your Aunt Val's birthday so it is time to finish up our Lang family introductions. Our final stop on the Lang side is your Aunt Valerie, Aunt Kim and Uncle Jeff. Yes, I know your Aunt Sheila got her own post but she bribed me with ice cream dessert and she was dying to see her post. :)

One thing makes me sad about you coming so late in my life - you don't get to experience life with your Aunts and Uncle like I did. When I was little, Aunt Valerie lived across the street and Aunt Kim lived in Omaha. Uncle Jeff could be found in Omaha with the exception of a couple of Missouri or Vegas trips. Now, Aunt Val is in Denver (although she is planning on coming back to Omaha), Aunt Kim is in Houston and Uncle Jeff is kind of like "Where is the world is Waldo?" - we never know where is he. :)

I can only hope that your Aunt Laura and your Uncles Tyler & Zach are as good to you as my Aunts and Uncle are to me. I honestly feel like I would be lost without my Aunts and Uncle. They have always took me under their wing and made me a part of their families. They took me on trips with them, they taught me things, they let me lean on them when I need to and they are just a constant source of support when I need them. You know how I have told you like 15 times that I was scared of Gramma Lang? How I was scared to disappoint her? Well, even if she went soft on me, I knew my Aunts and Uncle would be next in line to whip me into shape and they scared me too.

Your Uncle Jeff is my only Uncle and he is the only one left in my life that is one of those go-to guys. Him and Larry were always the people I could call to know the answer to anything or know who to contact if we needed something. We always say they were the guys who knew people who knew people :) Now that Larry is gone, Uncle Jeff is the only guy I know that knows people who knows people. haha. I can't see your Uncle beating your dad up if he was mean to me but he would probably be the first person I would go to and cry on his shoulder. I can only hope that maybe he would do something manipulative behind the scenes to get your dad's knees broken. haha - just kidding you Eli. Your dad is too scared of Gramma Debi D to be mean to me but that just illustrates how much confidence I have in your Uncle. Sometimes, I don't know what he is thinking and I don't think I have ever heard him say "I love you", but, I know for certain, that no matter what, he would do anything for me and I bet that will carry over to you. Your Uncle is great with kiddos - especially when he can give them back to their parents after awhile. But, I am going to warn you again - be good or you will get a thump to the head. Unc is infamous for his thumps to the head. While he is a bit older and his body has had more wear and tear on it, I really doubt that his hands have gone soft. Seriously kid - those thumps hurt and I am trying to save you. If you don't believe me, you can ask any of your cousins.

I asked your dad what I inherited from your Uncle Jeff and he said I am kind and generous like your Uncle. Hmmm...that one took me off guard but your Uncle is always kind to me. I asked why your dad said he was generous and he said "He would do anything for you - that is being generous." I hope that you can inherit his skills - he is a jack of all trades. His metabolism would be a great thing for you to get too so you don't end up a big fat pig :)

I think your Aunt Val is more excited about you than I am - if that is possible. She is only using me and your dad as our connections to you. Once I pop you out, I will be forgotten as a niece and she will focus all of her energy on you :) She told me recently that I have had 34 years of being spoiled so it is time for me to get pushed to the side and let you get spoiled. She is right - I was spoiled rotten. Whether it was her taking me on vacations or buying me things or just spending time with me. Your aunt helped me with school when I needed a co-signer on a loan - I appreciated her trust in me and the help I so desperately needed. She was a role model for me - I watched her work her way through her degree, go on to get her masters and I watched her be successful in her careers. I also think that she would do anything for me and I know for certain that she will for you too. Watch out when she is back in Omaha to spoil you rotten :)

I inherited a lot of traits that your Aunt Val has. I am outspoken like she is (sometimes that doesn't benefit either of us - haha). I am ambitious and might even go as far as to say as aggressive as she is. I asked your dad what characteristics he thinks I inherited from her. He said I am smart like her, outgoing like her, funny like her, I like to spend money like her and "you will love Elijah like she loves her boys." Crack me up but I think that is a huge compliment to your Aunt Val - she does love her boys to pieces. I hope that you can take after us and speak your mind and pursue what you want in your life. Maybe as we are softening in our old age, we can teach you to do it with a little more tact than I often show.

Then, there is your Aunt Kimberly. She was the closest thing that I had to a big sister growing up. She is 15 years older than me but she has always been more like a buddy to me than an aunt. I wouldn't want to disappoint her any more than I would Uncle Jeff or Aunt Val but her reaction would be different. Where Unc would thump me upside the head and Aunt Val would lecture me, Aunt Kim would take that quiet approach of disappointment and (whether or intentionally or not) make me feel guilty. Aunt Kim would take me shopping, introduced me to music, take me to movies and we would always pig out together. I don't know that the shopping and eating were healthy but I have very fond memories of hanging out with her in both Omaha and Houston. Aunt Kim is one of those people that you just like to be around. I always enjoy my time with her and hope that we will get you down to see her often. We always laugh alot. We always laugh about how crazy our family is. Maybe the family is the sane and your Aunt Kim and I are the crazy ones. I haven't seen Aunt Kim with a lot of babies but I have no doubt that she will be loving you up. She told me recently that she will be coming up to see you - I can't wait for her visit and to see her love you up.

Your dad always says that I have your Aunt's body shape. I always laughed at that because it was always covered in fat :) Once I started losing weight, he always said that I was like your Aunt Kim. Aunt Kim would probably make a joke about that and feel sorry for me since she thinks she is all hips. I know for a fact I inherited her sweet tooth. I wish I would have inherited her laid back personality - she is really easy going where I am strung pretty tight. Your dad says I am stubborn like her but I don't think I ever would have called her stubborn. I would still say that comes from your Gramma Lang. I also inherited her love for animals - she is a foster mom to shelties. I hope that you are laid back like her, caring like her, have a good heart like her and avoid our sweet tooth like the plague!!

I think you are coming along late enough in life that you won't have to be scared of your Aunts & Uncle - you will benefit from just being loved to pieces by them. I will get to be the funsucker and be the one making sure you are good. We will also have to leave it up to Aunt Laura and Uncle Tyler/Zach to scare you into being good because my Aunts and Uncle will be too busy spoiling you and thinking your antics are funny :)

Whew - tired

Hi Little Eli,
Holy moly, are you as tired as your mom and dad are? I bet you slept right through it and now you will be up kicking me all night :) I think I am either getting my 2nd trimester burst of energy a little late or my nesting instincts a little early because I am miss Susie Homemaker. When I told that to your dad, he said "Does this mean that you will want to start cleaning?" Nope, I highly doubt that but good try on his part!

Yesterday, your dad and I went grocery shopping and I made a list of ingredients for lots of recipes. Tonight, we cooked them all up. We have enough food for weeks. See, we have to get prepared with some new recipes for when you are here. We will probably be too tired to cook, too broke to eat out and too lazy to bundle you up to take you out to dinner. Let's see what we made tonight -
Runza Casserole - 5 dinners worth
Pampered Chef Taco bake - 3 dinners worth
Chil - lots o' dinners worth
Quiche - lots o' breakfasts worth
Ham and cheese macaroni
Ham & Peaches packets - new recipe I found from Reynolds - 2 dinners worth
Chicken parm packet - 2 dinners worth
Chicken and potatoes packet
Chicken and pasta packet

Everything is all prepped up and just ready to be thrown in the oven. We left out 1 dinners worth of everything to eat over the next week/week and a half and the rest all went in the freezer. It was exhausting but I feel good knowing we truly don't need to eat out for a long time. All of those packet recipes are untested but if they are good, they were so easy and you will think I am a gourmet chef. I really do like to cook but I hate to clean up afterwards.

Our sugars were perfect today- gold star day. I switched out my oatmeal for quiche and ate good all day. Woohoo for us :) only 70 more gold star days required.

I forgot to tell you a few days ago that October is 1/2 over. I know, that is kind of a "duh" comment. But, when we first found out we were pregnant, we were terrified of the month of October. Not only was it the critical month for your development, it was the month that we had all the babies - 10/7 and 10/17. I tried to convince Dr. Bonehead to put me in a coma for the whole month so we could "skip" it. He didn't go for that. So, we woke up on 10/1 and tried to ignore the fact that it was October. Now, we are on the 19th and you are still cooking and you are a stage where you have a pretty darn good shot of making it.

I will leave you today with a little sweet story. Every day, your dad comes home from work and one of the first things out of his mouth is "How was Eli today?" or "How was baby boy today?" I imagine that this will continue when you are actually here too and I can tell him either you were a good baby or a rotten baby :)

3rd trimester!!

Hi little Elijah!
Great day today - we are 27 weeks! 1 more week and you are going to make Dr. Bonehead one happy camper - he said that 28 weeks is when his anxiety goes down. You are almost there little bambino :) According to our pregnancy program, your rate of survival is now 85% and your risk of serious complications dropped to 40%. It also says the average weight is 2 lb 3 oz. However, you were 2 lb 1 oz a week and a half ago. Even though we are progressing along just great, still can't know for certain we are 100% smooth sailing. According to Katie Volenec, white baby boy preemies are big wussies and don't do as well as girls. So, we want you to keep cooking for as long as you can. I also put a new poll on your blog so we can see when people think you are going to arrive. I put my vote out there - I did January 1 - January 9.

We are officially in our 3rd trimester now. We are 2/3 of the way done! Obviously, we have never made it this far before so it is quite exciting for your dad and me. Now, your mom has to do her part and keep the sugars down so you stay in the clear when you are born. I was trying to get them down but my cut off was always the 3rd trimester. I am going to try a new breakfast recipe tomorrow because I have a lot of problems with my beloved oatmeal in the mornings.

Were you proud of your mom yesterday? I said I wanted to work on the kitchen and I did! The dishes were done and I cooked pork chops for dinner. That is all I accomplished that was on my long list but it was something, right? I hope to accomplish a lot more tomorrow. I don't think completed scrapbook pages are going to get your room ready or get the living room unshoveled!

Well kiddo, that is about it. Big news today & lots of happiness all around. Well, except from 12-3 when the Chiefs play and your dad is probably shedding a tear or two :) The only upside is that he is doing well in fantasy football with your Cvilikas cousins so it helps to cushion the blows of the Chief and Husker losses every week. :)

Random topics

Hi baby boy!
Lots of random little things to tell you. From what your mom can tell, you are still doing good. Moving all over, pressing me all over and still listening to me when I say "Good morning baby Elijah. Give me a good morning kick." Granted, the timing of that hello depends on how we we slept. Today, we slept 11 whole hours and the day is pretty much shot.

I think I forgot to tell you about your first baby blanket. Last weekend, I went to a birthday party with your Great Gramma Lang. Aunt Lee & Uncle Herman were up here from Oklahoma. She gave me a big hug, her face lit up then her hands went all over my belly saying "Hi baby!" When I left, they gave you a present - your first little baby blanket. It is pastel and soft and will keep you warm!

Imagine my surprise when I get the mail today and you received your FIRST PIECE OF MAIL. Yep, you guessed it - there was another present in there and the envelope was addressed to ELIJAH LANG BRIGHAM. What? You aren't even here yet and you are getting mail? Huh? Your Gramma Debi D sent you a 3 piece outfit. I was going to rant and rave how abandoned I feel with you getting all of the gifts and me getting shut out in the dark (who is doing the hard work here, huh? Not you - you just float around and poke me), but, I remembered that Gramma Debi D sent me a present a few weeks ago so we are even :) Like Aunt Val told me a couple of weeks ago, I guess I have to suck it up because my years of getting attention and gifts are over. Now, it is all about you. I guess a 34 year streak of being spoiled isn't too bad.

Your dad and I had a big chat last night about insurance. It is that time of year where we have to sign up for work and this year, we have to some big decisions to make for you. I know we don't control when you arrive but we have our final answer on our preference. :) We are hoping you are a 2010 baby. Yeah, I know, I have said since May that I want you in 2009 for the tax write off. However, 2010 would be better for our insurance deductibles and we wouldn't have to pay them twice - one for 2009 and one for 2010. So, we won't ask Dr. Bonehead to bring you in December. We will just have you whenever you decide you are ready to come out - as long as it isn't for another 9 weeks or so. (WOW - Eli, did you see that? We are in the single digit countdown of when you can come. Holy mackerel - we better get your room ready!!)

We don't have any plans for this weekend so I am hoping to accomplish stuff around the house. Yeah, I know, I say that all the time and we do nothing. But, I have cooked for your dad this past week - I made him chili, a Runza Casserole, a yummy cake, oatmeal pumpkin cookies and, last night, I made him Turkey & Mashed potatoes (ok, they were premade mashed potatoes and he microwaved them himself but I did cook the turkey). We only ate out once this week and that was because we were taking Sandy out for her 40th birthday! That is a record for us.

That is about it for today pipsqueak. Speaking of records, I will talk to you tomorrow about a HUGE record for us - we start our 3rd trimester tomorrow!

Like a duck...

Good evening little Elijah!
Not much to report these last couple days - same old scoop. I thought I would share a couple quick photos with you. See this animal?

When you get older, we will teach you that it is a duck. It goes quack, quack. It waddles when it walks. Check out this next photo.

This is your mom when she was thin. Sexy mama, huh?
I bet you are wondering what the correlation between the two is. I will tell you. Your mom is starting to waddle like a duck when she walks.

Contradictions

Hi Kid,
Have you noticed that your mom contradicts herself a lot? Can't make up her mind? I was sitting here and feeling you go crazy all over my tummy and I was thinking "I am going to miss that feeling *SO* much when Eli gets here. I wish he would stay in longer." So, let's think of all the different things I have communicated to you -
1) Don't you dare come out before you are full term.
2) I hope you come so you are a Christmas baby
3) Don't you come early so you have to be in the NICU
4) Gosh, a 2009 tax write off would be nice. Come on out in December, kid.
5) Stay in there cooking as long as you can so I can keep feeling you.

What's a baby boy to do? I guess we both will have to leave it up to God to decide. For now, I will enjoy all these little movements and trying to figure out what the heck they are. I will also enjoy the many times a day I smile and say "Hi Elijah." Then, in a few months, I will enjoy your actual face and smiles and fingers and toes as I kiss them all up everyday!

Hormonal!

Hi Eli!
I don't think that I have experienced the full swing of pregnancy hormones but I think they are coming right now! You must be kicking out some strong juice because they are in full force. I am constantly irritated. I am beyond rationally irritated. Here are some things that are so bugging me I can hardly stand it:
1) Work - we are slow. I hate being slow.
2) Work - idiots. I hate having to answer the same question over and over. I just plain don't like dealing with people lately - even the ones I like.
3) The sound of licking. I know that sounds kind of kinky but it isn't. As I sit here typing this, the cats are laying in bed and licking themselves. The sound is like nails on a chalkboard to me these last few weeks. I want to kick them out of the bedroom and shut the door. This also applies to the dogs - they will curl up for bedtime and start licking. OY. Luke has also decided to begin sucking out Padi's brain through his ear every night. I don't know what is so tasty but the noise makes me want to scream and some nights, I do.
4) The dogs curling up against me then licking or scratching. I admit that I love the little heat balls sucking up to my back or between my knees. However, when they do that and start moving, it throws me into a rage. Last night, I moved Padi about 4 times and he kept coming back in the same spot and started licking again. OY! I almost picked him up and threw him off the bed. Obviously, that is hormones and not my normal disposition!
5) Hoobie's constant crying - maybe she is trying to prepare me for you? But, it also makes me want to scream.
6) My laziness - do you know that your dad has still not been able to start working on your room because my part of the work isn't done? I bet it would only take me one evening to do it and I still haven't done it. I am so annoyed at myself.

OK, that is enough complaining for today. If you could knock down the hormone juice just a bit, I might return to my "normal" self :)

Oh, interesting conversation with your dad last night. He will deny it but... I was talking about labor and how it was with Little M then how it was with Jacob, and finally with Xander. I was trying to decide if "size matters". For example, they were just little 6 oz babies so is labor (the actual contractions) easier than your labor of 8 lbs? We are guessing that it would be the same because the contractions themselves are the same. However, yours would be more painful as you get ready to actually be born. I told your dad that maybe I should try it without the epidural since I survived the first 3. He put his foot down. Absolutely, no way. He said I will be drugged up whether I like it or not. Apparently, he is worried that if I am not drugged up, I will kill him during labor. (OK, I made up the part about killing him but he is worried about bodily harm and vicious verbal abuse). So, he said it is all about him and his labor experience and that we will be getting the epidural. :)

Grampa Lang

Hi Baby Elijah,
Today, I am going to tell you about your Grampa Lang. In theory, your Grampa Keith should be called Grampa Lang but I can't bring myself to do that. Grampa Lang is reserved for your Great Grampa Lang. You know your mom has kind of weird views on life after death but I really hope that you have met your Grampa Lang in your journey to make your way to us. You have a lot of Grampas up there in heaven - Grampa Lang, Grampa Faiman, Grampa Bill, Grampa Bob, Grampa Larry, Grampa Bill and even Grampa Blankman - I can only pray that they helped us with the miracle that is you.

I have this weird thing going on in my head that your Gramma and Grampa Lang are 55. I guess they haven't aged in my head for over 25 years. I know it is illogical since your Grampa Keith is almost 55 himself but in my eyes and in my heart, they haven't aged. That is why it took me so off guard when Grampa Lang was diagnosed with cancer. How can my Grampa get sick? In my head, they were in the prime of their lives. I will never forget when I learned he was sick and that it was not able to be cured. It knocked me on my butt. I know that there will be people in our family that would disagree with this but I really respected the way he made his decision to handle his illness. I didn't respect that he hid it from us in the beginning but I did respect that he made a decision to refuse treatment and stuck with it even in the face of grief from others. I truly believe that the year he had after he was diagnosed was of better quality than they would have been if he had been going through chemo or radiation.

I would probably say that Grampa was the funsucker when I was little. I knew that he always loved us and he genuinely liked having his grandkids around. However, he liked it quiet and he liked kids to be seen and not heard. One example is that I remember getting in trouble with your cousin Brandi for giggling too loud. But, as we got older and learned to respect his boundaries, then he became someone you could sit down with at the kitchen table and have conversations with. He was still strict with us but as we got older, our relationships changed with him. I have told you a few times about your Gramma Lang and I will still vote that she scares me more than Grampa did but I never wanted to cross your Grampa either. He would give you that ominous look over the top of his glasses and that look was enough to stop you in your tracks.

Your Grampa was funny. He would always flirt with your Gramma and he would pretend to be so offended when she rolled her eyes. He would always talk about them growing old together and holding hands on the front porch - I don't know that any of us saw them holding hands but to hear it from him, you would think they were on the porch nightly rocking, holding hands and gazing at the stars. He liked the simple things - good TV, good food, mowing his grass, managing the pickles at the bar, playing the stock market and a cold beer. You always knew what he was up to because you just had to look at the kitchen table and see his mini yellow sticky notes with all of his tasks or notes on them. Every Christmas morning, he would cook us all breakfast and order us out of the kitchen when our shift was over. He always said he bought our Christmas presents and then asked to see what we got from him.

Grampa was always fair. I don't think he ever showed favoritism to any of his kids or his grandkids. If one of us got something, each of us got something. He was also fair when I needed advice. If I called him, I knew he would give me a straight answer rather than an answer that might benefit someone else. He tried to teach all of us financial responsibility. I sure wish I would have listened more!

As your Grampa was battling his cancer, I really admired his attitude. I had a few talks with him and I hope that I could handle a terminal illness with that grace. I never once heard him feel sorry for himself or say "why me?" In each conversation that I had with him, he was just worried about Gramma and how she would manage all their affairs without him. He wasn't worried about his mortality - I asked him if he was scared and he said "No, I have had a good long life." Gramma is still finding little notes he left her about how to do something or where to find something. He is also still picking on her every once and awhile by hiding her money or ticking her off by putting leaves on the glassed in porch.

I think that I have inherited your grampa's strictness. We will see how that plays out when you are here but that is my vote now :) Physically, I got your grampa's butt chin and, unfortunately, his diabetes. I was doing my hair recently and I looked at my ears and I think I inherited his big old ears. haha. He was stubborn too and I got that too. I wish I would have inherited his ability to say "I love you." I wish I would have inherited his financial responsibility. I hope that I am fair like he was. I hope that I inherited his love for knowledge - I always thought it was great that he was in his late 60s but taking computer classes so he could manage his stocks online. I hope that you inherit his butt chin (I know it sounds silly but it truly is one Lang characteristic that I hope you get), his financial responsibility and his ability to laugh at himself. I hope you avoid our stubbornness, fine hair, big ears and diabetes.

I miss him sitting at the kitchen table or in his recliner and hearing him say "Hi Babe" when I walked in the door. I miss him laughing and winking at me. I miss him telling everyone that Gramma is always picking on him. I miss that sense of innocence that I had that Gramma and Grampa were young and would be around forever. I am sad that you won't have the chance to meet him and adore those things about him. I am sad that I won't be able to see his face light up when he would hold you. I still dream about him frequently and, even in my dreams, I cry knowing he is gone. But, your cousin Brandi will tell us that he told her on Saturday that he is still with us. We will just have to have hope that he is going to be watching out for you now and when you get here. I have read a lot of stories about younger kids seeing deceased family members and talking to them. My hope for you is that you will be able to see all these grampas and learn from them even though the rest of us have a heavy heart that they aren't here anymore.

Your Dad

Hi Baby Boy,
We had our first snow today. I love the snow. The first one is magical - we haven't seen it in months. You look outside and everything is covered in white. I am biased because I work from home so I am always warm and toasty. I also don't shovel or drive in it much. But, it reminds me of hot cocoa, days off school, Christmas at Gramma Lang's, warm sweaters and a break from the heat. Then, in about 2 months, I will be ready for spring. Actually, this year, in 2 months or so, I will be ready for you to be here :) Your dad hates winter. He hates the cold. He hates shoveling. He hates driving in it. He hates it all!

Tomorrow, you turn 26 weeks - woohoo! From our program, your statistics look even better now. Your chances of survival went up to 80% and risk of serious medical conditions went down to 45%. We want 100%/0% but we take each week as a victory! I think you had the hiccups this morning - for a few minutes, I got rhythmic little blips in my tummy :)

I have to tell you the truth - your dad is whining because he never gets a call out on your blog. I mention him (good and bad) and I have told you how much he loves you and how great a dad he will be to you but he has whined twice now that he did my birthday post and I haven't done a 100%-dedicated-to-him post. I told him that was because I was only using him to create you and then for child support and alimony afterwards :) Even the book club girls were making "awe" noises because they have read on the blog that he helps cook and clean and take care of us. So, now I have to make some stuff up and get it out here so he can feel good about himself. haha - just kidding E - I won't lie to you about your dad.

Your dad is ornery. He is quiet but deadly. You may think he is just sitting there zoning off into space and when you least expect it, he will throw out a zinger and take you by surprise. Or, he is just absorbing everything and he will comment on each detail later. He is funny. He is silly. He acts like he is 10. He is sarcastic and he has a dry sense of humor. But, he also has crude sense of humor when it comes to the stupid TV shows and movies he likes.

Your dad has a big heart - he genuinely does care about most people and tries to do right by them. He is the only one in the whole state who can stand the pain of taking your Great Gramma Faiman anywhere. He will do anything for any of his friends or any of his family. As laid back as your dad is and as big as his heart is, if you cross the line with him, you are done dealing. I promise it takes a lot to cross a line with him but he does have that Brigham stubbornness and once you are done dealing, you are officially done dealing. He also has a big heart for our animals - even if they are being turds!

Your dad is loyal. He is loyal to Wells Fargo. He is loyal to his friends. He is loyal to his family. For some reason, he is loyal to the stinking Chiefs and Royals. He will be loyal to you. He is loyal to me.

Your dad is a good husband and I hope he teaches you to be the same. He is caring, he takes responsibility for 50% of the house. He balances me out in almost all situations - when I am mad, he calms me down. When I am taking something too personally, he tells me to chill out. When I am being extreme, he helps me to be fair. When I am sad, he tries to make me happy. There are 2 things he doesn't balance me out on - we both hate to clean and, unless it is a huge extravagance, we don't balance each other out financially.

I am very lucky to have married your dad. We will joke around with each other - when I pick on him, he will say "You are the one who married me." We can laugh and be silly. We can be sad together. Unfortunately, we have had a lot of practice in grieving together. But, you know what E? I learned that we really had what it takes when we came out of all of our trials and turmoil stronger as a couple. Infertility could destroy marriages but I believe that it made ours stronger.

You know what else, Eli? The guy knows how to show emotion. That is something foreign to your mom. When your dad cried in front of me the first time, I was like "Who the heck is this guy and what is he doing?" However, it is because I wasn't raised around men that cried. Your Grampa Keith cries at funerals and, now that he is getting old, he will tear up at different things. Your Grampa Larry only cried once that I ever saw and not even at funerals. I never saw your Great Grampa Lang cry and I think I saw Great Grampa Frankie cry when his son died. So, this display of emotion was so foreign to me. But, I hope that you feel confident enough in yourself to be able to cry and be emotional and know that it doesn't make you any less of a burly man :)

I think you will be in good hands with your dad. He may not teach you all the mechanical things that Grampa Larry would have taught you or all of the construction things Uncle Jeff can teach you. But, he can teach you a lot about being the best man you can be. He will love you unconditionally. He will do his best to raise you to be the best person you can. He will laugh with you. He will play with you. He will take you to sporting events and watch you play sports (if that is your thing). He will encourage you. He will discipline you. When you are older, he will be your friend.

Just to show you how silly your dad is, here is a photo you will enjoy!

Jeremy & Kylieshark

Hi Elijah,
We are on the downhill stretch of introducing you to your family. Your dad is still writing about your Aunt Laura & Uncle Mark. I figured I would take today to tell you about your cousin Jeremy since we celebrated his wedding recently.

I don't recall Jeremy ever going through a punk phase or rotten phase when he was growing up - maybe as he hit his 20s? haha. I remember him being a sweet kiddo. As he got older, he got busier in his life - sports, sports and more sports. Jeremy always had something going on and still does - bowling, flag football, dodgeball, softball. You name it and Jeremy is probably on a league somewhere! Jeremy is a smarty pants - I would be happy if you inherited his brains and his athletic ability. He was always a good student and worked his way through college by working on campus. Now, he is working full time at First National (yes, Eli, he is a traitor with the competition) and trying to work his way up the corporate ladder. I don't know that you will get a ton of time with your cousin Jeremy - we don't get to see him a ton. With his sports and the time he spends with his friends, I don't know that we will get to squeeze you in there too often. Maybe when he is bamboozled into watching your new baby Lang cousin, we will drop you off over there to bond with him.

Jeremy continually surprises me - whether it is because he settled in Omaha (I never expected him to stay here!) or because he was so emotional at his wedding or because I catch him in a rotten mood :) I hope that you can stand at the alter and experience as much love as him and your cousin Cory did on their wedding days. They were both utterly entranced with their brides and I hope that you feel that way too.

Then, we inherited Kylie shark. She is a shark at the poker table and she is a goofball. She has a big heart and she has already volunteered to babysit you all the time :) I hope that her spirit (especially when she has a few cocktails) can rub off on you. Even though I anticipate me and your cousin Lauren to be the funsuckers with our kiddos, I am guessing that Kylie shark will be the fun parent and Jeremy will be the funsucker :) You will probably always be telling me how you want to hang out with her because she is more fun than your funsucker mom.

Dr Appt

Hi there little Elijah Lang Brigham,
Our doctors appointment was a bust today buddy. We got the crappy room at the office so we could barely see you on the ultrasound and there was definitely not a 3d option in the crappy room. You lucked out though buddy because your arms and legs were up above your head and would have blocked any shot that we might have had in a good room. So, instead of grounding you from 1 year to 2 years old, we can blame the crappy room at the doctors office :)

Your rate of growth has slowed down and that made the doctors happy. You are no longer in the big fat pig range of the growth chart - I think you are in the normal range. Dr. Bonehead said he will remove your stitch at 37 weeks - around 12/27. Looking less and less likely to be a Christmas baby or 2009 baby. Oh well, you come out when you are healthy and ready. As of this appointment, your head was in the position for you to be born and your little bum was at the top of my tummy. I feel you everywhere though so I think you stretch out all over at any given time but when the ultrasound wand comes up, you get those legs and arms up over your face just like your dad would if he were that flexible.

I had your dad feel you today. I made him push down on my tummy and you kicked him. You were telling him to quit picking on you and give you some room. I think he kind of liked it :)

As you may have noticed, your middle name is now settled. You are officially Elijah Lang Brigham. Elijah just because. Lang for your mom's heritage and Brigham for your dad's heritage. We also settled the debate of who can be at the hospital when you are being born. If you recall, your mom says NO ONE except your dad. Your dad wanted to tell people so he had company. I finally won that one too - we aren't going to tell anyone until you are born and we have some time with you. Then, we can open the floodgates and your family can come love you up. These wins for your mom didn't come cheap. I had to give up my stake in how long your dad takes off work.

I talked to Mary, your babysitter today & you have a spot at her daycare center. I have to call her back next month and firm it up but at least you have a place to go while your mom and dad are bringing home the bacon to give you shelter :)

I will leave you with a picture from our ultrasound. You have to be really careful in looking at it because it is definitely hard to make out your features. I had to turn my head to the left. Then, I had to look at the arrow that was pointing to your nostril. You definitely have your mom's nose. Then, I had to look at the other arrow and see your lips. Definitely your dad's lips!


3 weeks until we see you again kiddo and we can't wait.

Jacob and Xander

Hi there little E,
Your mom is not a huge one to remember anniversaries of when people passed away or go to the cemetery - I feel like I can talk to them from the privacy of my own head. However, today marks the 1 year anniversary from when your little brothers were born. Man, that was the longest day ever! I am not going to go into details about it - you can read that in your brothers' book. However, I wanted to mention it here to you because I think you are a big part of the reason that this isn't bothering me today.

I can honestly say that the boys have crossed my mind today but not in a sad or emotional way. But, I don't know if that is because time has passed and I have healed or if it is just because you are here to distract me. You have been pretty darn active and it isn't because of sugar - I have been good all day. I think you are just moving around and making a fuss to remind me that even though we had our losses last year, we have to keep the faith that you are our future this year.

While I firmly believe that everything happens for a reason, your dad and I were a little wistful today when we discussed it. If something so simple like a stitch could have kept your brothers in there cooking, it is a shame we lost them. I used to blame my weight or the diabetes but I was the thinnest I had ever been last year and was in diabetic remission. So, it just wasn't meant to work out with my cervix or I just couldn't carry twins. I guess the most important thing is that we have a solution for you and you are 25 1/2 weeks now! You can keep on causing a fuss to distract me though :)

On a side note, I had a completely vivid dream about your Gramma Debi D's sister last night. When the dream ended, I asked her to look after my son for the next 10 weeks or so and she said OK. While it was an interesting dream in itself, I was so darn excited that I called you my son for like 3 dreams in a row. I must have finally accepted your family jewels and there are no more baby girl dreams!

Can't wait to see you tomorrow kiddo. Please get all your orneriness out today & give us a good photo tomorrow.

So tired...

Hi Elijah!
Gosh darn it your mom is always tired. I am exhausted then I try to go to sleep and lay there for hours. Then, I am exhausted during the day. Then, in the evening. It doesn't matter if I take naps or sleep at appropriate times - just always tired. Are you just plain sucking the energy out of me? :) I have even tried an ambien and it didn't help. I don't know what to do except suck it up and realize that this is probably what life is going to be like when you get here. I kept waiting for that second trimester burst of energy and as I count down the final 4 days of second trimester, it still hasn't arrived. Maybe we will be a rare pair that has a burst of energy in the 3rd trimester? I am doubting it but I can always hold out hope - just like I hold out hope you will be the best darn sleeper on the planet :)

About 39 hours until we see you again. Can't wait! We go to the dr. on Thursday and I so hope you will cooperate for another 4d photo. You know - not put your legs and arm over your head? Put your body in a position where they will even take the 4d. Come on, make your mom proud.

Preparing for your photo shoot

Hi Baby E,
Baby Levi had his photo taken last week and at a nationally recognized local studio. Your dad and I came home to check it out to see if we *had* to take you. Well, sorry Little E, as much as we love you, we can't dish out that much cabbage for your infant photos. So, we are going to try to do it at home. Apparently, we have to do it within the first 2 weeks of birth, crank the heat up to like 100 degrees, feed you, strip you, cover the lovesac, contort your body into unimaginable positions, and snap away. But, the most important part of the photo shoot (besides you, of course), is the little hat on your head. I found these two on Etsy and want you to wear something similar so we are going to look for a pattern for Gramma Debbie to make them for you. Otherwise, I will order them for Etsy. I have no idea what you look like but I can't imagine that these won't be the cutest photos ever. If all else fails, we will bring Uncle Zach or Sherry Shark over to take them for us.

25 weeks!!

Hi Baby Elijah!
Another week in the history books. You are 25 weeks today. This marked a good change in your percentages according to my pregnancy program. Last week, you had a 60% chance of survival but even when you survived, you had a 75% chance of having serious medical conditions. Now, you have a 70% chance of survival and when you survived, you dropped to a 55% chance of having serious medical conditions. Again, we don't want you to come for at least another 10 weeks but it is so exciting to see that first number go up and the second number go down. The program says you are 13.6 inches and 1 lb 10 oz. Yeah, I don't think you are 26 oz. You were 18 oz a couple of weeks ago.

Your dad took my picture yesterday for my scrapbook. I wasn't too happy with how it turned out. I think I may need to change the lighting in the bathroom because my hair and face do not look that straggly when I leave the house. I think I look more pregnant than these pictures show but it could be denial!!

We also registered for you at Babies R Us yesterday. Of course, your mom had to ham it up with the scanner and your dad could barely stand to have a stinking photo taken.

Finally, last night, we saw a lot of your family & the Lucas' up at the Sundowner. I think it was the first time your Grampa Keith has acknowledged that you are coming. He knew and he asks how I am doing but I think our past history makes him too nervous to think about you too much. But, I was whining about how hot it was and how he needed to drop the temperature for his grandson. He said "My grandson who's name I can't even pronounce." Then, Cory called him Grampa Keith and he said "Hmmm...Grampa Keith? It is about time, I am not getting any younger." Yeah, he is kind of gruff and mumbles but he will be so excited to meet you!

Your dad is out of town today - he is in KC watching the Chiefs get stomped on (like normal). So, no funny business is allowed today. If you decided to make your way into the world today, your dad would never forgive himself!

Your Grandparents

Hi Baby E,
I know I told you that I would let you meet your grandparents and figure them out yourself. But, I noticed a pattern in all of my posts about your family - I have certain things I want you to inherit from each one. So, I figured I would give you a sneak peek and tell you a few things that we hope you inherit from your grandparents and maybe even a few things that we hope you don't :)

Gramma Ruth -
We hope you inherit her:
1) Love for reading.
2) Love for political and current affairs conversations. Your dad would love that! Well, I guess he would only love it if you were a registered republican :)
3) Independence
4) Thick hair like your dads
5) Patience

We hope that you DON'T inherit her:
1) Gene for cancer - your gramma is a proud breast cancer survivor.
2) Sassy mouth that always picks on your poor old mom :) You can be sassy like her - just not directed at your mom!

Grampa Bob -
We hope you inherit his:
1) Love for his family
2) Desire to keep in touch with his family
3) Happiness at the simple things in life
4) Boyish innocence - I swear that he liked ripping open his Christmas presents more than your cousin Andrew!

We hope you DON'T inherit his:
1) Heart condition
2) Stubbornness (but, I think you are hosed there)
3) His aptitude for screaming across the house to get attention :) Your dad called this his "Bellowing voice."
4) smoking addiction

Grampa Keith -
We hope you inherit his:
1) Blue eyes like Gramma Lang
2) Happiness at the simple things in life
3) Ability to not take things personally and just let them roll of his back
4) In most ways, your Grampa Keith is pretty laid back and easy going. We hope you are too.
5) His ability to make a living for himself and not work for any bosses!

We hope you DON'T inherit his:
1) Knack for mumbling
2) Belly
3) Health problems
4) Hair
5) Temper

Gramma Debbie -
We hope you inherit her:
1) Laugh. Your Gramma Debbie has a laugh that can fill a room. Thinking of you laughing that heartily makes us smile.
2) Love for music.
3) Love for animals.
4) Love of fishing even though your parents will never take you. You will have to rely on Gramma Debbie or Uncle Mark.

We hope you DON'T inherit her:
1) Sweet tooth
2) Boobs - they skipped your mom but we are hoping they skip you too because that would be inappropriate.
3) Health problems
4) insecurities. With Gramma Debbie being adopted, she sometimes deals with her birth. I hope that you know from conception until you are 100 that you are loved each minute of each day and wanted more than anything in the world.

Grampa Larry -
This one is going to be more difficult since we don't have any genetic connection to Grampa Larry but I am sure he is up there looking out for you.
I hope you inherit his:
1) Kindness - he was always helping others
2) Frugality - isn't that a polite way of saying we hope you are cheap and tight with your money? :)
3) Love for his family
4) His snort when he would laugh really hard
5) His skills - not only did he know cars, he knew how to fix things. Even if it was just fixed with a piece of duct tape.
6) His love of the outdoors

We hope you DON'T inherit his:
1) Love of beer
2) Talk like a trucker mouth (But, if you do, that is going to be your mom and dad's fault for teaching it to you)
3) Love of hunting - we are not really for killing things in the wild.
4) His temper

I know you are short on Grampas and you have a lot of Grammas but there is an adopted Gramma you are also receiving by coming into this family - Debi D. Yeah, she isn't genetically related to you but she is going to love you up, spoil you rotten and be the best adopted Gramma you will ever have. So, if you are spending time with her (she offered to babysit only after you are a bit bigger), you will need to inherit her:

1) Sense of humor - it is wicked!
2) Big heart - she just hides it most of the time. Actually, true fact - she tried to save your mom's life once. I was literally drowning at Peony Park and she saw it and started racing across the beach to save me - clothes on and all.
3) Ability to tell it like it is - she has more tact that your mom but she won't pull any punches with you if you need to hear the truth
4) Independence

We hope you DON'T inherit her:
1) Stubbornness - again, you are hosed on this one
2) Desire to move to Florida - you do know that you are stuck in the same city where your parents are for the rest of your life (except a brief 4 year stint in college), right? Otherwise, we will just follow you around.

Can you tell that your dear old mom is already trying to make you the best person ever? You are surrounded by people who love you so much and have so many good qualities that if you could emulate a few of them from each of them, you will be a super star!