Happy Thanksgiving!

What a fun day! We sure missed all of our Alabama family this year- it just wasn't the same, but we were so thankful for all of our friends here in Maryland. Eli took in two feasts today- a gourmet breakfast at the Black's and a late lunch at Lisa's place.
Eli is the life of the party!

How Nice To Be Home...

First trip to the pediatrician
First he held in his pacifier himself, now it's his bottle!

Bath time!

Sleepy daddy...

Story Time!

Christmas in November

Jenny and I were giddy this morning as we rushed around the house making final preparations for Eli to come home. It really felt like Christmas morning. We knew inside that this time we would be taking the little man home.

Carrying Eli through the front door of our house meant so much to us. It represented so many things- God's faithfulness, the prayers and support of so many friends and family, and the beginning of another journey.

Thank you all so much for your help and encouragement. We have received so many thoughtful notes, gifts, phone calls and emails. We are so blessed!

We are also VERY grateful for all of the wonderful staff at the University of Maryland Medical Center NICU who have from the beginning taken Eli under their wing. What a wonderful group of people.

And here is the Scripture that has carried us through it all. This promise has been on Eli's isolette/crib from day one:

"He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty."
Psalm 91:1

Hospital to Home

They didn't have to ask us to smile
Cruising down the hallway...
Checking out of the UMMC hotel...
See that door- we're going through it!
Can we really put him in our car?
Eli may not remember this car ride
Almost there!
Made it!
Right at home in mommy's arms. Mommy then gave Eli a tour of the house. He thinks it will suit him well.

Sooner Than Expected...

It was wonderful to have Grandma & Grandpa Watrous come to visit. Eli is number 10 grandchild for them!

We have exciting news!!! The doctors told us today that Eli will be coming home early next week! We are so excited and so blessed. God has been so good to us!

Many of you have asked if we're registered... yes, at Babies R Us. 

The Update

Sorry for not keeping you up to date! I know, I know, it's been a week. Well it's been quite a week! A couple hours after the surgery last Tuesday, Eli's pain medication wore off and we heard him really wail for the first time. Wow, was that hard to hear. He's only whimpered momentarily while the nurses stuck him for IVs or took blood samples or took tape off his skin, but this was that inconsolable cry of utter misery. A little morphine and tylenol finally got him settled down. Now he's completely off all pain meds. His incision is healing well and today he managed to present his first BM in grand style! Jenny detected an unusual (well, it's unusual for Eli...) odor and found our little man had made his first little present! And to top it off, he gave Jenny enough time to get his diaper off before he gave her a second dose all over his clothes! Sorry if it's a bit graphic, but this is big news for us- it means his intestines are healing and working like they should. 

Today was an especially big day for another reason, too. Eli hasn't eaten anything since last Monday. Up until that point he had continuous feeds going into his tummy via a tube in his nose. That stopped the day before his surgery and he hasn't eaten since. 8 days! (He has been receiving fluids in his IV). The poor little guy was tearing up pacifiers like, like, well, like someone who hasn't eaten in 8 days. Anyway, today Jenny got to give him 5 mil of Pedialyte from a bottle and he tore through it in 2 minutes. And tonight he will begin getting 15 mil of mom's milk from a bottle every 3 hours. 

Mom & Dad Watrous have been here for the last week and what a blessing they have been! They've helped us get the house ready for Eli to come home, which will be in the next couple of weeks.

God is so good. He has carried us by His grace through all of this. He has shown His faithfulness over and over again. He is so good.

Photo shoot

We were so blessed to have our friend Tali come the hospital and take TONS of pictures of our sweet little boy. Tali is so gifted and we love the pics! Here are a few to enjoy. You can see a few more on Tali's blog. If you live in Maryland, have her come and take pics for you!

Snoozin'

It went well!

We are so thankful to God and so proud of our little man. Eli was in surgery for about 2 hours yesterday afternoon. The surgeon said it was a good day and everything went well. Eli got so hungry since he couldn't eat for a day before the surgery, but he only whimpered once in a while. He sucked on his paci for all he was worth, hoping to get something. He'll be able to eat again next week when his intestines heal up. We thank God for your prayers- Jenny and I felt so protected and peaceful through it all, it was surreal. We know that Eli is under the shadow of the Almighty! Please continue to agree with us in prayer that his intestine will mend completely with no leaks and no constrictions. We know that God is faithful!!! 

Jenny stayed last night at the hospital. We really want these next few days to be over- it is exhausting. We want so badly for him to come home and be done with all of this. We love you and are so grateful for your love & encouragement!

W&J

Final surgery...

Please join us in prayer for Eli's final surgery this Tuesday, November 4th. We do not have an exact time yet, but it should be in the afternoon. We believe it is one more giant step to him coming home! Please pray that it will be quick, successful, and that Eli will remain strong (and Mom and Dad, too!).

Gimme a "C"! Gimme a "R"! Gimme an "I"! Gimme a "B"!

What's that spell???

Goodbye isolette...

Hello Crib!!!