Eliot is up to 8lb, 15oz today... he'll be 9lb before you can say "he's a growing baby boy!"

.: posted by Josh 7:21 PM

Today Eliot is one month old! We got him a pacifier to celebrate, because sucking is his favorite way to pass the time. (Jessa and I have wrinkled pinky fingers to prove it!) Here's Eliot with his "nuk":

This afternoon we went for a walk to enjoy the sunny, warm weather. Jessa carried Eliot in her "Snugli," a marsupial-style pouch made of courderoy. We got some fresh squeezed juice and went to Fat Kitty Falafel for lunch. After lunch we walked along Whatcom Creek and saw a little snake. I watched it slither away, while Jessa waited at a safe distance. Here's Jessa and Eliot sitting on a bench in front of the falafel stand:

.: posted by Josh 5:32 PM

Here's a picture of Eliot that Jessa took today:

.: posted by Josh 10:46 PM

Eliot is up to 8lb, 10oz today!

.: posted by Josh 11:48 PM

Jessa and Eliot at home on Easter:

.: posted by Josh 4:04 PM

Today we went to the DeWalt's for an easter dinner. Eliot's Grandma and Grandpa Miller were there, along with Aunt Anna, Uncle Micah and Aunt McKenzie, and Eliot's cousins: Makealah, Noah, Ramah and Drew. (The DeWalts are McKenzie's family.) Eliot was a little too small for the easter egg hunt, but I'm sure he'll give the other kids a run for their eggs next year. Here's a picture of Ramah and Aunt McKenzie with Eliot:

.: posted by Josh 8:49 PM

Eliot is becoming a regular around downtown Bellingham... Jessa and I are building up our biceps, too. ;-)

.: posted by Josh 8:29 PM

Jesse Nussbaum and Charles Banas came to visit from Idaho yesterday. They're staying through Friday. Also, Grandpa and Grandma Parrish came by to spend time with Eliot before they left today. Grandma Miller came by for a visit, followed by Mary and Justin (our neighbors) and Weston McCarron dropped off a borrowed item right before Chris, the repair guy, came to fix the toilet. What a popular little boy! Eliot seems to be getting a little fussier. I think he's learning about his vocal chords now. I knew the day would come, but I still don't like to hear him cry. Here's a picture Jessa took this evening:

.: posted by Josh 10:53 PM

Eliot is up to 7lb, 10oz today!

.: posted by Josh 11:28 PM

We went to Mount Vernon today to visit the Tulip Festival. We drove around Skagit County and looked at all the fields of tulips in bloom. The tulips covered acres of farmland with vibrant red, yellow, pink and white. We stopped in LaConner for dinner at the brewery, and later we had fresh Krispy Kreme donuts, hot off the line, for dessert. Here's Eliot and Grandpa Parrish in a tulip garden:

.: posted by Josh 11:39 PM

Today is Eliot's due date... who goes by schedules, though? (Not Eliot!) We had a combined baby shower/dedication for Eliot. Jessa called it a "shower of blessings." Grandma Miller and Aunt McKenzie did a wonderful job putting it together. Grandma Miller, Mom and Eliot:

Aunt McKenzie's son Drew meets Eliot:

.: posted by Josh 10:56 PM

Today Grandma and Grandpa Parrish arrived! They're visiting Eliot for a week, and they'll be staying at the North Garden Inn while they're here. The weather was amazing today... I think Spring is elbowing it's way past Winter and calling the shots for a while. We walked down to the Mount Bakery (the strawberry tarts were delectible), and followed it with a trolly ride to Boulevard Park, where we enjoyed a sunny afternoon by the bay. Later I made dinner for us all. Here's a photo of Grandma with Eliot:

.: posted by Josh 11:49 PM

Today we drove down Chuckanut Drive to Larabee State Park. Eliot had been fussy most of the day, but once we were on the road he went right to sleep. It was a nice drive, and we got out and walked around the park to enjoy the beautiful weather. When we got back to Bellingham we visited Stuart's Coffee House for some coffee and lemon poundcake. Tonight we're going to Diane's house for our small group meeting. What a day!

.: posted by Josh 7:39 PM

Last night Eliot found his thumb. He sucked it for quite some time, and seemed very happy with his little discovery... so I took a picture:

.: posted by Josh 3:35 PM

Here's a movie I made of Eliot:

.: posted by Josh 2:51 PM

Today Eliot is up to 6lb, 12oz:

.: posted by Josh 1:29 PM

Sunday was a nice day. We took it easy at home most of the day, and in the afternoon we made a little trip down to Stuart's coffeehouse. It was Eliot's first time there. We sat by the window and watched passers-by. Eliot slept, as he often does. The only time Eliot consistantly doesn't sleep is while I change his diaper! It's fun to see him squirm around, bright eyed and awake, while he's on the changing table. Today I took a bunch of pictures while he was up there. Here's my favorite:

.: posted by Josh 2:05 AM

Grandpa Miller came by for a visit today:

.: posted by Josh 5:04 PM

Eliot and I went for a little walk today. His hoodie was big enough to double as a bodysuit! We went down to the Co-op to get mom some arnica to help with postpartum recovery. My down feather vest doubled as a carrier, which kept him quite warm. He slept the whole time, while mom tried to do the same back at home. Jessa said Eliot smelled like outside when he got back. Here's a picture of us:

.: posted by Josh 12:55 PM

Today we had a visit with Catriona, our midwife, for Eliot's second PKU. She drew some blood from a heel prick. It is sent away to the lab to see if he's healthy... if not, the test can identify a few preventable problems. His first PKU came back OK, so we're not too concerned about the outcome. Eliot is up to 6lb 8oz today. That means he has gained 6oz since Tuesday. At that rate he'll weigh over 500lb by the time he's eleven!

.: posted by Josh 5:32 PM

This evening we gave Eliot his first bath since coming home from the hospital. He sure woke up! He was squirming and grabbing our fingers and looking all around... I think he liked it for the most part. Here's a picture of clean little Eliot:

.: posted by Josh 8:07 PM

He doesn't cry much yet, but he sure can hiccup!

.: posted by Josh 3:07 PM

Today Eliot had his first visit to the doctor. Her name is Dr. Whitney Knickrhem, and she's very nice. She is a family doctor, and she specializes in pediatrics and women's health. Her office is in the same building as our midwives, which is a nice location. He slept for the first part, but when we took off his blanket for his examination he started to squirm. He doesn't cry much yet. Dr. Knickrehm said he's doing well. He weighed 6lb, 2oz - up 5oz since he was born. He's still 19 1/2 inches long. He's also nicely pink. And cute.

.: posted by Josh 5:49 PM

It's been one week since Eliot entered the world. He was mostly born at home, with just Jessa and I. Her contractions started Monday afternoon, and we stayed up all night with them. We called the midwives at a little after 5am, and when she checked to see how far dialated Jessa was we were relieved to hear that all that work was for 7cm... almost there. Around 8:30am eliot started to arrive. He stuck out his foot!! A surprise breach baby! Our midwife called us a "ride." The ambulance wasted no time in getting to our apartment. However, Eliot was anxious to meet his parents. The doctor said that he could see Eliot's "parts" when Jessa arrived at the hospital... he was almost out. Then he pushed eliot back in while Jessa screamed in pain. He came by c-section. Due to the urgency of the situation, the doctor felt that c-section would be safer. Eliot Ansel Parrish was born at 8:57am, March 25, 2003. He was 5lb, 13oz and 19 1/2 inches long.

.: posted by Josh 11:39 AM