Eli's Journey

Since Elijah’s birth, I’ve learned that mostly people mean well. They likely do not know what to say to me and sometimes they say things that hurt me deeply. First, let me clarify that I am over it. Really. Please don't sensor your words in my presence or avoid talking to me for fear of ending up on my blog. But, this evening, I have this desire to share with you those stingers that will not leave my memory. Perhaps knowing I’ve charted them will send them from my brain making room for far more important information. Stinger 1 The day we were taking Elijah home from the hospital the very first time, the discharge nurse was required to walk us clear to our car and watch us strap our newborn in the back seat. It felt as though we had to pass the test (which we did, by the way). I remember so clearly as she and I stood waiting for David to fetch the car she said, “Well, with most babies you have to worry about their arms and legs getting in the way, at least you don’t have that.” I ho...

David found Elijah in middle of the night snuggled in on his side sleeping away (don't misinterpret that to mean Eli is sleeping well, because he ain't). David thought it so cute, he had to take a pic and I agreed so I had to share. You see, Elijah has a flat spot on the side/back of his head due to his preferred sleeping position (and that pesky prematurely fused suture, but for now, we'll just talk about the sleeping position). It doesn't matter what we do, Eli will sleep on that one spot on his head. He is a determined little guy! So, when David discovered that Elijah had rolled to his side on his own, he thought it worth a photo. Yes, that is a personal DVD player that apparently Elijah is snuggling with. He loves watching movies. My guess is that when Eli did wake from this slumber, he realized Clifford was out of reach and he began to holler, "Who took Clifford and left me this DVD player?" David and I both missed the outcry, but I betcha that sums it ...

Elijah officially made it to 13 pounds...13.18 pounds to be exact. Elijah is enjoying eating peach puffs (a baby food item). He reaches out for them and works diligently to get them in his mouth one at a time. So cute. We’re still working on finding other things he will eat by mouth. He is still sitting up for about 2 minutes at a time. He actually finds much fun in the falling over so getting him to sit up for longer periods of time is proving challenging. Elijah finally enjoys bath time! For his entire life, he has screamed through bath time, but the new nurse has implemented a new method and he’s starting to love it. Thank you for your continued prayers for our sweet baby boy! Much love, Melissa

I am proud to announce that Mr. Elijah Ramirez successfully sat on his own for 90 seconds. I know, I know, 90 seconds doesn’t seem like very long, but for Elijah it is a huge accomplishment showing his bright future. Elijah has many obstacles to overcome in a successful sitting experience as his legs are so short he has to really concentrate on balancing. I am SO proud...if that wasn’t obvious. We are working diligently on getting him to eat by mouth. He still struggles with this, but we’ve come a long way because he doesn’t gag anymore, he just spits it out of his mouth in disinterest. We’re trying to introduce new textures and tastes to find the combination that will tempt his taste buds. He is exactly 12.93 pounds and if you were to ask my dear husband he’d probably go ahead and round that up to 13. Elijah had originally reached the 13 pound mark right before his skull surgery in January. We are just thrilled to be back! We are still on track for Elijah’s next surgery to be in Shrev...