July already?

I have been so bad about writing updates lately. I'll blame it on summer and the nice weather that we are finally enjoying. I love Minnesota summers!

Our Elijah is just doing so well. People ask us how he is doing all the time and we answer with all honesty, "Perfectly!" As far as heart function and health and recovery go, he really is doing perfectly. He appears to be a healthy baby with beautiful pink lips and lots of energy. The hospital trauma seems to have mostly worn off, and we are enjoying having a somewhat normal life right now.

Elijah's eating and napping issues are improving all the time. He is much more open to trying new foods and textures now. His new favorite is grapes. Wow, he can seriously chow down on the grapes! For a while there, he was pretty selective about what he put in his mouth. I think babies his age have food texture issues that just take time to get past. He is now taking just one nap a day in the afternoon and it lasts anywhere from 2-3 hours! FINALLY!

He is rolling to get toys, tolerating being on his tummy and scooching around (still through tears) to get to things. He is making progress with his gross motor skills much faster than we anticipated. When I think back to how he was pre-repair it makes me sad. The poor guy, he lived the first year of his life feeling totally drained and not wanting to do anything that required an ounce of energy. But, now he feels great, and it definitely shows.

I am really looking forward to spending the 3-day weekend with the chubby-thighed man. Being away from him last weekend was tough, although much-needed and thoroughly enjoyed. Next week Dan and I will be out of town for a few days without him, so I'm going to soak up all the Elijah time that I can. This Sunday we get to meet fellow heart baby, Wilson, and his mom and dad, Amy and Mitch. We are soo excited! They have been a huge support for us and it has been really fun getting to know them. Wilson is going to teach Elijah some sign language because he knows like 50 words!

That's about all that's going on with us. Dan is a crazy, skydiving man these days. Can you believe that he STILL has the rash on his arms that he got in the hospital almost 3 months ago? I often look over at him to see him just looking down at his arm with a disappointed look on his face and shaking his head.