February 1

Today was the first day with Eli that almost felt normal. Chris took the big kids to church (still in my Camry, because we didn't have time to switch car seats into the new van) while Eli and I stayed home. While the girls napped after lunch, Chris installed Caleb and Daisy's seats in the back of the van. They were SO excited.

SO EXCITED!

Daisy was especially pumped because we chose to finally switch her car seat to forward-facing. Our family doctor recommends waiting until 4 years old to do this, but Daisy turns four in May and I decided we were close enough.

After the seats were in, Chris took the big kids to the grocery store while Lily, Eli, and I napped. Or rather, the kids napped and I was a milk machine. But whatever - my milk has come in and I'm finally less worried about how much Eli is consuming. I will feed that kid all day if he wants me to. After napping/nursing, I wrapped my little man onto my chest to get a few things done.

Isn't he sweet, all snuggled up in there?

Today was Super Bowl Sunday, and I confess: I am pretty uninterested in the Super Bowl, and I positively hate Super Bowl parties. For the past few years, our tradition has been to stay at home, eat snacky foods in front of the TV (two huge treats for our kids!) and put the kids to bed after the halftime show. It works, and so we did it again this year.

We did have a guest this year, though: my sister, Jenny, came over to meet Eli and stayed for the "party".

Here's how we roll:

Jenny was holding Eli when he began fussing. Luckily, Daisy is already an expert at making Eli happy. First, she shushed him.

Then, she lovingly caressed his face. Surprisingly, it worked!

Lily wanted in on that action, so she shushed Eli, too.

The girls examined their brother as he cried. Don't worry - he doesn't always look like a hairy tomato. He was just really upset in that moment.

This is how Eli "watched" the Super Bowl.

Something about this arrangement was really tempting for all of the children. Over the course of the evening, each of them came over to check in on their brother.

"Bay. Babe. Bay-be!"

Lily tries to say "Eli", but the best she can do right now is "Bay-be eye". It's pretty cute.

Caleb and Daisy were most interested when Eli was awake and alert for about 15 minutes. They were fascinated. 

I'm not sure if it's the age, or her temperament, but this girl loves her baby brother.

I know. Sweetest thing ever, right?

Caleb likes to sometimes call Eli by his full name, which I find quite endearing.

And then Daisy decided to read a book to her brother. How sweet is that? I'm hopeful that this is not just a honeymoon phase, but that all three big kids will continue to dote on their brother like they do now. It warms this mama's heart!