Baby's First Word...And First Stomach Virus

Yes, you read the title right- Eli has said his first word (I think)! He usually just babbles with "aaaahhhh, "oooooohhhhh," and "ooooo" sounds, but these past couple of weeks he's been adding some "m" sounds and "b" sounds to his repertoire. And using that wonderful "m" sound, he has managed to produce the word "mama!" At first I thought it was just a coincidence, but this weekend it has become increasingly clear that he is using it for me! They're few and far between, but whenever I hear his sweet little voice say, "mama," my heart melts!

Which is good lately, because I need a little heart-melting to calm my nerves, which have been worn to shreds by Eli's incessant fussiness and crying. He caught the tummy virus which has been working its way around our family and friends, and since Thursday he has been a mess. The vomitting finally stopped, but the 'other stuff' keeps on coming! :) The worst part of it has been Eli's bad mood. He has been fussing nearly non-stop for days now and screaming if he is not in my arms. For Eli, who usually loves his Daddy, Eric won't even suffice. Last night it all culminated in our little son, normally a stellar sleeper, screaming his heart out for three straight hours, refusing to eat, refusing to sleep, refusing to be comforted. Finally, after midnight, he finally got so worn out that he basically just passed out and slept pretty well until morning. Thank goodness for that, because I was about ready to poke my eyes out with the bulb syringe if he didn't stop crying.

Today he is in a much better mood, thankfully. He's still fussier than usual, but I think he's finally on the mend. I am praying so much that he sleeps well tonight. Eric and I are both exhausted, and I'm sure Eli could use a good night's sleep as well!

I'm so thankful for all the prayers of friends and family throughout this- Eli is so little and fragile that a stomach virus like this one could have easily landed him in the hospital. We got very close to taking him several times, but we managed to avoid it thanks to your prayers, I believe! Please continue to pray that he weathers the storm and that his parents don't lose their minds in the process! :)

This coming weekend my mom is keeping Eli so that Eric and I can have a break. We have a fancy hotel room reserved, nice dinner plans, and tickets for the Stars game on Saturday. When we planned this all out I had no idea just how much we would need a break this weekend! I cannot wait!

Because of his sickness, we had to cancel our GI appointment today. I am bummed that the virus hit when it did, because it invariably caused Eli to lose weight and definitely set us back for a little while. I am just praying that the doctor can understand this and will give us more time to work with him before placing a feeding tube. We are definitely seeing progress with his eating (pre stomach virus, of course), and we really believe that we can work our way through this without a feeding tube. Please pray with us that the doctor listens to how we feel and gives us more time to work with Eli before deeming that a feeding tube is necessary! (We go to see her on Friday.)

On a random note, every single time I go to get Eli out of his crib, his right sock is off. Never his left. Always only his right. Strange, no?