Elliot's first trip to the beach.

We had a fabulous Memorial Day today at the beach. I thought of my husband often, after all, this is a holiday dedicated to those who fight for our country, especially those who lost their lives, and my husband came about as close as you can come to dying while in Iraq. Without him, this little boy would not be possible. I thank God for what my husband does for our family and country every day. I am married to a wonderful man!
Elliot LOVED the beach. He was hot, sticky, and sweaty... but happy as can be! He couldn't stop looking around at all of the people walking by and was completely in awe of the "big kids" playing in the water {just wait a couple more years, buddy}. To my shock and surprise... he didn't even mind the FRIGID water! At first, I only dipped his toes in, but he liked it so much that he tried to launch himself head first into the water, so I walked out a step or two and let him stand in the gentle waves. He thought it was the best thing ever.
Dare I say it? I may have a beach baby on my hands. I'm not surprised. I was a water baby from the start!
Okay, I promised you pictures, and I took MANY. But here are some of my favorites:


Sleepy boy cuddling with mama.


My little cuddle man. :)


A few minutes later: zonked out. He took an hour nap amidst all the kids screaming, adults yelling and laughing, and seagulls calling. Amazing!


When he woke up, he was all smiles.


Of course, he also wanted to chew on his hands...


Yes, Elliot rocked his Fuzzibunz on the beach today. Why in the world would I cover up something so cute with swim trunks?! Besides, I doubt they even make them in his size. He still wears 0-3 bottoms.

Okay, I'm off to work on a blog design now! Lots of people took advantage of my memorial day sale, so I have lots of designing to do!! Elliot is in bed, so this is the time to do it!
Oh, and if you have a minute, could you vote for us, please? I appreciate every vote! If you comment that you voted, I'll vote back! :D

Excitement.

It's already 72 degrees out- and it's not even 9:00 yet! That is nothing short of a miracle around here!
We're taking Elliot to the beach today. For the first time ever! I wish I could tell you how excited I am- but there are no words to express it! Let's just say I really, really, really can't wait!
I'm sure there will be a massive photo dump later tonight. Because, after all, what could be cuter than a baby on the beach?!

the teething machine

Elliot is teething LIKE CRAZY!!. EVERYTHING goes into his mouth, and he is so drooly that he has to wear a bib 24/7... or else he soaks through his shirt in twenty minutes. The bib serves a dual function because he has been spitting up an awful lot lately, too. Luckily, he has a bunch of super adorable bibs from Chloe's Closet. If you haven't had the luxury of trying one out yet... I urge you... DO IT! They're soft, incredibly absorbent, and they come in tons of different prints. What's not to love?
He already has two teeth, his two front incisors on the bottom. In fact, he's had them for about a week now. Yes, I realize that I didn't post about this yet. Truth is, I was kind of sad. I miss his gummy smile, and getting teeth is not a big milestone to me. Now, if he had rolled over or sat up unassisted, THAT would be something to celebrate! But TEETH?! I would've been perfectly happy if he wouldn't have gotten his first pearly white until he was 12+ months old.
I can't complain, though. He's a trooper! Despite all the teething, he hardly fusses at all. He was happy as can be the day the first tooth broke through! That amber teething necklace must be working.


See? See! Not one, but TWO teeth... they came in only about 12 hours apart.


Elliot and his favorite teether/friend, Sophie. :)

My baby boy hit his head {but is okay, thankfully!!}

Today, the one thing I never thought would happen "to me" happened-
My baby fell on his head. Sort of. Let me explain:
I was doing laundry with Elliot on my hip, as usual. Everything was going fine- he actually kind of likes doing laundry with me- when I clumsily dropped the Tide lid {typical}. I let go with one hand while still holding his butt and lower back with the other, which I have done a zillion times now that he is strong enough to hold himself up. This time, however, it backfired. Right when I went to squat down and retrieve the lid, Elliot decided that it was a great time to do a 180 and look the other way. Well, in about five seconds flat, he lost his balance, did a massive back bend, hit his head on the hard kitchen floor, and he was back up on my chest in my arms before either of us quite knew what happened.
Next thing I knew, he was crying, I was crying, and then... five minutes later... he was sound asleep. That's what scared me the most- I thought maybe he had a concussion or brain damage or something and was scared he wouldn't wake up. I called his doctor, who said he was "probably" going to be okay but that I should take him to the ER "just in case" {cue the hysteria}, so off to the emergency room we went, with me crying my eyes out the whole way. No kidding. I was a mess.
The ER doctors were fabulous. They kept telling me that this kind of thing happens all the time, that babies who get dropped down whole flights of stairs go on to be valedictorians and doctors and lawyers. "These things happen," they said. I thought, BUT NOT TO ME! All I kept thinking was, I can't believe I let this happen. I felt like a horrible mother. I mean, people don't use that saying, "were you dropped on your head when you were a baby?" for nothing, right?!
Luckily, Elliot is fine. He passed all the tests with flying colors, and other than the GIANT lump on his head, you'd never know what happened. His head is still really tender and he doesn't want to lay flat but... all things considered, he is alive and whole and healthy, praise God! I tell you what, somebody must be looking out for us up there.
Tonight, as I rocked my tired, runny-nosed, whimpering baby boy to sleep, I said a silent prayer and thanked God, again, for this miracle baby. It is absolutely amazing what I would {and wouldn't} do for this child. A mother's love is unbelievable.
So yes, my son was dropped on his head as an infant. And he survived. And, as hard as it is to admit, it doesn't make me a horrible mother. But let me tell you- I'll be sure to use both hands from now on!!
All right, I'm off to bed. It has been an emotional day!
PS: I debated whether I should even write about this today. Honestly, I would have preferred to just pretend this never happened. I realized, however, that these are the types of things that should be talked about. Other first time moms need to hear stories like this. Life, and motherhood especially, is messy. Things are going to happen, and you will do "those things" that you SWORE you'd never do. But hearing that you're not the only one makes it a whole lot easier to swallow.

Memorial Day SALE! {on my blog designs}

Does your blog need a makeover?
Well, you're in luck!
I'm offering complete blog designs 50% off {$15 each}. The catch? This deal is only good on orders placed on/before May 31st.
Head on over to J. Ashley Designs for more information. :)

the army's new plans for our family

My husband called me today with some exciting news- he finally got his projection, has a levy brief first thing tomorrow morning, and should have his orders within a week. For those of you unfamilar with the army lingo, this basically means that we're finding out exactly what his new job {MOS} in Texas will be, and exactly where {what unit} he'll be heading.
Of course, none of this is set in stone until he actually has his orders in hand... but here's what he will be doing, most likely.
He is still going to be a UAV {unmanned air vehicle} pilot, but instead of flying the Shadow spy planes that he flies now, he will be flying Warrior Alpha planes, which are equipped with hellfire missiles! Although I'm a pacifist, my husband is definitely NOT. {You know what they say about how opposites attract...} Truthfully, he really misses the danger and adrenaline rush of his infantry days. This new job will give him a taste of that excitment again- but since he is not actually INSIDE the plane, the chances of him being shot again are slim to none {THANK GOD!}.
In addition, it looks like he is going to join a batallion, which I won't name here, that mostly does top secret search and destroy missions. This group... we'll call it "Task Force O" usually deploys every six months for six months at a time. To some of you, that may sound awful, but quite honestly, a six month deployment is much easier to handle than twelve months {or longer}. Aaron spent fifteen months in Iraq and is now in Korea for twelve months. Honestly, I cannot imagine him being gone for so long again. So, yes, he will deploying a lot more often. But he'll also be gone for a much shorter period of time.
Honestly, I couldn't be happier for him- this is right up his alley and we both think he will like his job a lot more now. In fact, he has been thinking seriously about getting out of the army once this contract is finished, but if he really enjoys this new job, then he will probably make this a career, which I am all for- especially in this uncertain economy!
{49 Days!}

50 Days...

I just realized that my husband will be home in 50 Days!
This has been such a bittersweet year. When all is said and done, it will have been the longest and hardest 365 days of my life- but over the past year were some of the happiest days I'll ever know. The only thing that could have made those moments sweeter would have been having my husband by my side to watch our son grow and change. He has missed SO much- Elliot's first smile, laugh, tooth... and many, many more things. When he left, Elliot was a sickly, helpless newborn who demanded to be held 24/7, had a constantly upset tummy, and cried... A LOT. Now, he is a smiley, giggly, playful, active, happy little boy who hardly cries at all. He has also DOUBLED in weight since Aaron held him last.
Oh, my husband is in for quite the surprise!

Summer Bucket List

Yup, I'm jumping on the bucket list bandwagon. So, let's see... here are a few things I'd like to accomplish this summer, in no particular order.


<a href="http://www.andherecomesthesun.com" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="Here Comes The Sun" src="http://i811.photobucket.com/albums/zz40/jess_gougeon/bucketlist.png" /></a>

♥ take Elliot to the beach for the first time
♥ buy a jogging stroller
♥ start running again
♥ learn more about my camera
♥ pull an all-nighter with my husband
♥ make my own baby food
♥ spend a whole day "unplugged" -no TV, computer, phone, iPad, iPod, etc.
♥ lose 5 pounds
♥ start a 365 project {I actually want to start this the day my husband comes home}
♥ go to church EVERY SINGLE Sunday
♥ introduce my son to delicious summer fruits and berries!
♥ have a professional photo shoot as a family
♥ do a blog-mom meet up!
♥ eat only non-processed foods for a month
♥ make homemade smoothies
♥ tie-dye onesies
♥ go a whole month two weeks without buying a cloth diaper
♥ start doing flash cards with Elliot
♥ try new recipes every week
♥ go to the zoo
♥ frequent the farmer's market
♥ make time to read on a regular basis
♥ blog every day

What's on YOUR summer bucket list? Feel free to grab the graphic above and post your own list!

Rockabye Baby Giveaway WINNER! :)

Congratulations, Mrs. M of Our Life as a Family of 5, you won!
Please email me so you can receive your free Rockabye Baby album. :)

Spring has finally sprung!

It is currently 74 degrees outside, and I am stretched out on the sofa with the windows wide open and a cold glass of water in my hand. I am happy to announce that Spring has finally sprung in northern Michigan! The apple and cherry trees in the orchard are covered in blossoms, flowers are popping up all over the place, the sun in shining... what could be better? Elliot and I spent most of the day outside today. I couldn't be happier. Life is good, folks. Life is good.

Some pictures I took out and about in our yard today:

Apple blossoms.

Fabulous Friday

It's Fabulous Friday again! Here's what Elliot thinks is pretty fabulous lately.

His plastic keys. Out of all of his toys, this $1 toy is his favorite!






His new playgym.





And OF COURSE, tubbie time!!








It was rainy and gross out yesterday, so he spent all day in his jammies!

I picture you in the sun.

Have you ever heard the song "In the Sun" by Joeseph Arthur? If not, you're missing out. It's a good one. It's playing right now and seems to fit these pictures.
I'm still playing catch-up from when my internet was down. Here are some pictures of Elliot taken outside when it was EIGHTY degrees last week. Um, I'd like that weather back now, please!


His first time in the grass = GIGANTIC smile :)


This is probably one of my favorite pictures ever of Elliot. I fully intend to print and frame it. How did I manage to make such a handsome little man?


Elliot and I :) He LOOOOVES "flying" like that. It always, always, always makes him smile and/or laugh.


One reason why I love my Canon Rebel XS: look at that bokeh! :D Such a silly face.


Getting some lovin' from Gammy. :)

Things I love

I love that:
- My son grabs my face and tries to put his fingers in my mouth when I hover over him.
- He gives kisses on command
- He buries his face into my chest when he's sleepy
- He roars like a dinousaur before shoving things {anything, really} into his mouth. Then he grins when we laugh at him. I'm pretty sure he knows how hilarious he is.
- He holds onto my arm now when I carry him around
- He screeches to his little heart's content while playing in his walker
- He will concentrate really hard on moving the little beads on his walker, and the minute he pushes all four to the other side, he looks right up at me and waits for me to push them back
- He cuddles his little lovey blankie when he's sleeping
- He laughs every.single.time you lift him up over your head
- He stops fussing the minute he sees a bottle being made
- After waking up, he just lays in his crib for a few minutes talking, and always greets me with a big smile when I go to get him
He is just so much fun!
♥

Does your blog need a makeover?

I'm now doing custom blog layouts :)

Elliot: 5 months!

Elliot is 5 months old today!
I'll skip the part where I talk about how fast time is passing- but seriously, it's ridiculous! I absolutely can't get enough of this little boy lately, which is good, because he is REALLY keeping me busy lately! Elliot is a little wild man. I'm not exaggerating. He spends about 90% of his time screeching like a wild man and demanding attention.

{There should be a picture here... but I accidentally left my camera in my mother in law's car yesterday. I'll be getting it back later and I'll take and add his 5 month diaper picture}

This Month:
♥ Elliot weighs 14 lbs 5 oz- between the 5th and 10th percentile
♥ He is slowly starting to transition out of some of his 0-3 month clothes and into 3-6.
♥ He is eating 4 ounces every 2-3 hours during the day {same as last month} and 4 ounces every 3 hours at night {getting a little better!}
♥ He usually wakes up 3-5 times a night
♥ He sleeps in his crib and/or pack & play for all naps and all night until he wakes up around 6am, when I take him to bed with me for his last "sleep" of the night. This has worked out well because I get my cuddle fix in :) I'm still really missing cosleeping, though.
♥ He is FINALLY healthy!!!
♥ He is still teething really badly- but his new amber teething necklace really seems to help. We can see and feel several tooth buds in there and I'm afraid that he'll be losing that adorable gummy smile soon.
♥ We switched to the "big bottles" {8 oz} because the 4 oz ones always seemed to leak when all the way full.
♥ He has really mastered grabbing toys and bringing them to his mouth. He also really likes to shake rattles or jingly toys
♥ He has a newfound love for his little blue blanky- I forgot what those things are called, but we received FOUR of them at my baby shower so I finally gave one to him. It's satin and fleece with a little teddy bear head at the top. HE LOVES IT!
♥ He is now almost completely bald, and all of the new hair that is growing in is really light.
♥ He's still working on rolling over and sitting up- he hasn't done either yet.
♥ He actually LOVES diaper changes now, because he knows that he gets to be "nakie" for awhile. :)
♥ He is really, really, REALLY interested in food and always gets excited whenever someone is eating. He will also try to grab your food/plate/spoon if you're not careful. I can't wait to start solids next month!
♥ We are no longer using the swing, but he still loves his bouncy seat and his walker
♥ He gets startled really easily these days and will jump at loud noises- but he never cries and gets over it really quickly
♥ He has forgotten all about his "inside voice" and likes to squeal and screech. I often call him my "little screech owl"
♥ He still LOVES LOVES LOVES to stand up, and really likes pulling himself up by holding onto our fingers. He's got some strong little legs!!
♥ He very rarely cries- mostly he just demands things by yelling.
♥ He is obsessed with my iPad and touches the screen constantly if I'm trying to use it while holding him.

{See Elliot at 4 months, 3 months, & 2 months}

Rockabye Baby review & giveaway

"Golden slumbers await your little pride and joy at the end of lullaby road. The Beatles are the most famous songwriters of the twentieth century. Their songs are known by people of all ages here, there, and everywhere. The dreamy quality of their later work provides the blueprint for these beautiful lullaby interpretations. It will glide your little one out across the universe, through an octopus’s garden, and lay them down in a slumberland of strawberry fields."
{see complete album info here.}

When Stacie from Rockabye Baby contacted me about doing a blog review, I couldn't be more thrilled. Elliot falls asleep to music every night, and since he still sleeps in my room, that means I do, too. I was getting awfully tired of the common, overdone nursery rhyme lullabies.
Rockabye Baby does musical lullaby renditions of popular rock groups. If you didn't already guess by my blog title, I'm a huge Beatles fan- so of course, as soon as I saw that they had a Beatles edition, I had to try it out! It was EXACTLY what we needed- a fun, fresh alternative to traditional lullabies. Several of my favorite Beatles songs, including "Hey Jude" and our blog's namesake- "Here Comes the Sun" were included and I found myself humming along to most of the songs. Elliot seems to really love it! I've put it on for a few nights in a row now and several naps- and he's asleep in no time. Sometimes, when he wakes up, he just lays peacefully in his crib enjoying the soothing music.
Of course, if you're not a Beatles fan, there are plenty of other options... Bob Marley, ACDC, U2, Aerosmith, and Coldplay, just to name a few.

Giveaway:
To enter:
♥ head on over to the Rockabye Baby website, pick out your favorite album, and leave a comment with your choice and email.
♥ winner will be chosen at 8pm EST on 5/21

Extra Entries:
♥ follow me on Twitter
♥ like Rockabye Baby's facebook page
♥ vote for my blog
♥ follow Rockabye Baby on Twitter
♥ follow my blog

Good luck! :)

New things

A lot of things have happened and changed over the past week or so.
Since he's FINALLY healthy again, Elliot went back to the doctor today and got his 4-month shots {a month late}. He SCREAMED through the shots- way worse than last time. I don't know how those nurses can do it. I cry every time! He weighs 14 lbs 5 oz now- that means he gained about a pound and a half in less than four weeks! The doctor said he was doing really well. I was worried that he wasn't sitting up or rolling over yet- he said that most babies aren't sitting up yet at 5 months, but to keep an eye on the rolling. I'm doing everything right with tons of tummy time- so I'm sure he'll do it eventually. I'm anxious to see how he does when he gets evaluated next month.
Elliot has completely forgotten how to use his "inside voice" and now happily screeches through life {for hours on end}, I can occasionally coax a giggle out of him, he's working on rolling over and is SO CLOSE to doing it, and he can touch his toes now {which is ridiculously cute}. It has FINALLY started to warm up in northern Michigan, which means we've been spending a lot of time outdoors- and yes, pictures to come! Plenty!!
There's also been a big, big change in our CLOTH DIAPER stash. Since this post is already long enough, I'll spare you the details for now and do a post about our stash this weekend.


Elliot rocking his amber teething necklace {this thing is a godsend} and a zabi baby unbleached prefold during tummy time :)


Grabbin those toes!





I'm really behind on my posts because of my internet problems, which are finally solved- so we have several great reviews/giveaways coming up! The first one is tomorrow!! :D
Please VOTE for us- more votes = more visitors, which equals more giveaways/reviews! And of course, more gastroschisis awareness as well.

Wee Wednesdays and... we're alive!

First of all, Elliot and I are ALIVE! ALTHOUGH we are in the middle of a seemingly never ending thunderstorm, don't worry, our house didn't flood or anything. Truth is, for some reason I haven't been able to connect to my mom's internet- not on my iPad OR my macbook. So I've been living without for a week. I know, crazy, right?! The worst part is, I have about a million adorable pictures to post. Oh well, those will have to wait. For now, I decided to link up for Wee Bit of Me Wednesday! :) Don't worry, though- I'm determined to find a way to get those pictures up!


{one} what profession have you always admired?
NICU nurses. They are trusted with caring for seriously ill babies when their parents cannot, and they see some incredibly sad things. That's a lot of weight on one person's shoulders. Not to mention the fact that they are surrounded with crying babies {and parents} 24/7 and still manage to keep their sanity.

{two} what would the title of your memoir/biography be if it was written today?
Something crazy, somehow combining moving all over the country, eating disorders, babies, birth defects, running, and the life of an army wife into a few short words. I've had a pretty crazy life so far.

{three} how far do you commute to work?
Well, since I'm currently a stay at home mom, and my "job" currently would be my son, so I have to wake up every morning around 6am and walk about three steps to Elliot's crib. I know, it's rough.

{four} are your earlobes attached or detached?
Detached.

{five} do you eat the unpopped kernels of popcorn at the bottom of the bag?
Ew, no way.

{six} what is the strangest gift you’ve ever received?
Hmmm. Well, I was once given a pack of boys' boxers... but I think my grandma just got confused and labelled it wrong :) Honestly, I haven't really ever gotten any strange gifts! My family and friends have great taste, what can I say?

{seven} what is one tv show that you wish hadn’t been cancelled?
I'm about to go REALLY old-school. Boy Meets World. Who cares if Corey and Topanga would be in their 30's now? I bet it would still be an awesome show.

{eight} what is something that you are saving money for right now?
A new car, since Aaron's mustang decided to pick a fight with a giant yellow pole and the pole won. Besides, mustangs aren't very "family friendly" anyways...

{nine} what hobby would you like to take up?
This is going to sound totally dorky, but I don't care. Quilting! My stepmother-in-law makes the most gorgeous quilts. I think it would be an awesome hobby. They make great gifts and I'd never have to buy a comforter set {or blanket} again.

{ten} how many times a year do you get really dressed up?
Um... maybe once or twice, if I'm lucky. Which stinks because I REALLY love red lipstick and high heels.

Movin, movin, movin...

Only a few hours after I finished my mini-rant on my last post, my husband called me with some EXCELLENT news. Branch must have gotten tired of Aaron calling every day for the past month, so they finally got their act together! Guess where we're headed next?
Fort Hood {Killeen, Texas}
Back to the warmth and sunshine! This was my first choice, so... needless to say, I am VERY excited.
Just for fun, here are all the states I've lived in {I added TX}.

Lately.

I took some of the advice you lovely ladies gave me. After slathering up Elliot's head with olive oil and combing out the chunks and loose hair {yuck!} Elliot's cradle cap is now about 95% better. Hooray! He might not have much hair left... but hey, at least his scalp looks nice again. You know... since you can see it so well these days :).

Remember how just a few days ago, I was worried that Elliot wasn't grabbing or picking up things yet?


Yeah. Well, obviously that's not a problem anymore.


He can pick up big things...


... and little things. He loves pushing these beads to the other side {where he can't reach} and waiting for me to push them back.


Elliot hanging out in his walker, which he LOVES!


He can't touch the floor yet, but he doesn't seem to mind.


He also likes to lay on my lap while I'm reading. Now, how much do you actually think I'm able to read when I look down and see this adorable little face looking up at me?! Not much. That's for sure.

And just a mini rant: My husband comes home in 70 days, and we STILL haven't heard where we're moving next. We really want to live on base this time, and I want to get things set up with the movers. But, you know, we can't really put our names on the housing list OR have our stuff sent anywhere, until we know where the heck we're moving.
Technically, you are supposed to get a reassignment projection 90 days before you leave. That was 20 days ago. Just sayin.


We'd love a few more votes! I'm also loving all of the comments on my blog lately. I promise I read every single one. I really wish Blogger had a way to reply to individual comments. ANNNDDD, we have some PRETTY awesome giveaways coming up soon! I'm excited. So you should be :)