Our 3 1/2 month old CUTIE!

Sorry Readers! After I last blogged, we had a busy April and somehow May got away from me too!  We had a wedding to attend in April, took Elijah on his first road trip to Midland, then Easter, then we had a sick bug hit our house the week after Easter (thankfully Elijah was okay!)........ then Mother's Day weekend, we decided at the last minute to venture up to DFW where we spent the majority of our visit driving to some of our favorite places (114/121 construction is HORRIBLE!) We really enjoyed going to IKEA and bought some neat things!  Elijah got to meet Great Grandma and Papa Miller for the first time, which was sweet!

Our first Easter as a family!

Then Elijah had a rough week in there somewhere.....seemed like our sweet baby boy all of a sudden turned colicky on us, but strangely (and thankfully!) it only lasted a week! So not sure what that was all about, but this mommy is glad that's in the past! :)

Elijah is now 14 weeks old, weighing in around 13 lbs and measuring 24 inches long. He is on a pretty good schedule. Bedtime routine consists of bath, changing into nighty clothes, combing hair, reading a story, prayer, and feeding. About 9 times out of 10, he goes right to sleep in his crib. A few times he'll fuss a little, but the pacifier helps.  He still wakes about 2 or 3 times during the night to feed. Some nights are better than others. In the past week, though, he's had a few nights where he's gone 4 to 5 hours until his first night time feeding, so now we just have to work on getting him through the second half of the night.

He generally wakes around 7 a.m., so we put on his "daytime clothes" and have some playtime and a feeding.  Then usually sometime between 8 and 9, he's ready for a morning catnap.  He's almost to the point where he can nap for about 2 hours solid. Then he's ready to eat again and have some playtime.  I am now working on his "naptime routine" so in the afternoons (just started today!) I read him a book and feed him before laying him down for his afternoon nap.  He seems to sleep for about 45 min or an hour then needs Mommy's help to fall back asleep to make it a longer nap. Then it's feeding time, play time, and starting to wind down for the evening. Sometimes he'll take a little "catnap" before the evening, and then usually around 7 or 7:30 we'll start his bedtime routine.

When he is well rested, he is very cheerful, smiling and giggling, cooing and "talking" in "Elijah world."  We love hearing all the new sounds he's making. During tummy time, he is able to lift his head high, and he's ALMOST completely figured out his hands. He kind of reaches for some things, but he still hasn't quite fully figured out his coordination, but it won't be much longer! 

On another note, Gavin recently blew fresh insulation in our attic and we can already tell a difference in the temperature of our home. We are now anxious to see the difference in our utility bill!  (Mom, you'll be glad to know that Gavin found hardly ANY insulation over Elijah's room, which would explain why it was so cold in the winter, so he filled it up on that side of the house!)  Gavin is in a new position in the Brownfield ISD administrative offices, which he is getting used to, although one thing we both enjoy is their summer schedule - longer work days Mon thru Thurs and OFF on Fridays! So that's like having 3-day weekends throughout the summer. More family time! Yay!

As for me (Lindy), just when I feel like I'm finally getting back into a routine, it seems like something throws a kink in it (holiday, sick bug, rough week with Elijah, etc.) but nonetheless, I do feel like I am finally getting back into some kind of routine/schedule for myself. I am unable to go up to the gym everyday, but I do seek ways to get some kind of physical activity each day, whether it be housechores, a walk in the neighborhood, the Wii fit, or something.....

So there's your Dickson update for now! I know I keep saying this, but I really do want to try to blog more! Maybe now that we're past the 3 month mark with Elijah and our entire family is getting back onto some kind of routine, I'll be able to "schedule" my blogging regularly! If anyone has anything specific you'd like me to blog about, feel free to email me....

Love and blessings!