Ely is almost 6 months old!

The time is really flying by! Each day he does something new or babbles a new letter. His personality continues to shine through as the days progress. He has a nice mix of the 2 of us. Ely is a very calm, happy baby (like Anthony)...until he wants something! Then, he will let you know VERY quickly (like me). :)

At this point he is:
-rolling over (front to back only)
-eating SOME baby food
-laughs/smiles constantly
-grabs onto things and exchanges things from one hand to another
-will take "steps" if being balanced
-sits up about 80%-90% of the time on his own

We recently flew to Georgia to visit my family. Although he had a bad cold the entire time, he was a trooper. He kept on smilin' when he met a new person.

His 6-month appointment is very soon. At that point I will update the blog with stats. Until then, enjoy these photos.

4+ Months Old

I must apologize for the lack of updates. Needless to say, I'd find myself wanting to spend more time with Ely than on the computer.

Ely is growing like crazy. His 4 month appointment (just last friday) proved it! He is 17lbs. 3 oz (88%). 27 inches long (95%). and his noggin is in the 95th percentile! he is doing really well, all around. he began daycare 2 weeks ago. we had a rough first week, but things seem to be improving. he smiles and laughs SO MUCH. we think he's cracking jokes in his own way. he's a very happy, mellow child. he likes to play, but when he wants something, he'll let you know very quickly.

currently, we're extremely busy working on wedding plans. it's hard to get an event planned while watching a little one grow :) but, it will be great. we're looking forward to having an event that brings all our friends and family together to celebrate our new family.

enjoy the newest pictures. i will try to be more diligent getting photos posted.

He's 12 weeks old!

The boy is just growing like a weed. It's crazy how much he changes day-to-day. I'm bias, but he is pretty darn cute. Just last weekend, he rolled over for the first time. Unfortunately, I wasn't witness to the blessed event, but my dad and Cheryl were present. I did, however, see him roll over later that day. Of course, he hit his head on the side of the crib and began to cry. But, at least I got to see him show off his newest stunt!

We're looking forward to our first christmas with Ely. Santa has been told that he is a REALLY good boy...so, gifts are plentiful from the parents and grandparents!

Ely and Brady (other little boy in picture) are REALLY enjoying their mom's dressing them, as you can tell in the pictures :)

I hope everyone has a great holiday. And look for more pictures to be posted after the new year!

2.5 Month Update

We went to Ely's 2-Month appointment on December 1. He weighed 13 lbs 3.5 oz...which put him into the 90th percentile. He was 23.75 inches long...75th percentile. He took all four shots like a champ. Well, he cried...but he was in good spirits soon afterward. He has recovered from all his Hawaii illnesses. So, we're all healthy and happy.

When we got home from Hawaii, we got snow within several days in Seattle. So, within 3 days, Ely felt the warm ocean and the cold snow. As you will see in the pictures, I think he prefers the warmer weather :)

Now, we're just getting read for the holidays. Since it's Ely's first Christmas, we had to get the fattest tree around! And, Anthony has decorated the outside of the house for everyone to enjoy. We're so excited to begin new family traditions and re-live old traditions with Ely this year. Here are some pictures of us getting into the "Christmas Spirit." Including a picture of our visit to Santa.

2-Month Update

Elyboy is now 2 months old. Time has flown by...he has grown so much. He now weighs 12lbs 12oz. Unfortantely, we only know that because he had to visit the ER on Thanksgiving Day. I won't go into detail, but he is doing much better now.

We've really been enjoying the latest milestones of Ely's life. Not only is he smiling at us, he recently started "talking" to us. We have video of him mimicking Anthony's tones while he was singing. It is the cutest thing ever! You really have to see it to appreciate it.

We recently visited Anthony's family in Oahu. Ely touched the ocean for the first time (just his toes). Then, two days after we got back to Seattle it SNOWED! He's seen a lot in a matter of days :)

We're very much looking forward to having our first christmas with Ely. I'm sure santa will be overly generous to the cutest boy on earth :)

1 MONTH OLD!

Today Ely is 1 MONTH OLD! The days have flown by. I'm amazed at how much he has grown. As of today, he weighs 9lbs. 4oz. He just seems so big compared to the day he was born.

He is a very "solid" baby. He is very sturdy and strong. He holds his neck up a lot on his own. He likes to use his legs to stand up and pushes us away when we love him too hard. :) The other night, we were giving him tummy time and he rolled over 3 times! He has yet to do that again, so it might have been a random strong moment.

We think he is attempting to smile. He has given us some faces that seem to be moments away from a grin/smile. I'm really looking forward to seeing that!

Mom and dad are doing really good. He sleeps for about 5+ hours during the night. Then, after that feeding goes right back to sleep (he likes his sleep)! He has his fussy moments, but we get through those times and move onto the happier moments fairly quickly.

He's an amazing addition to our family. Not only have Anthony and I felt the amazing transition individually, but our relationship has flourished since he joined our team. It's truly an amazing feeling to be a part of this family.

Ely has arrived!

As some of you may or may not know, Eleazar (Ely) Gipson Malaki came into
this world on Wednesday, September 27, 2006 at 3:37pm. He is a beautiful,
healthy, baby boy that weighs 7 lbs 15.6 oz and is 20 inches long.

Here is the long version...I began having contractions Monday afternoon (September 25th). The contractions became very obvious and intense around 8PM. By 2AM, they were only 2-5 minutes apart. We contacted my doctor and headed to the hospital. Once there, we found out I was not quite 1cm. What the heck? This much pain and nothing to show for it? They suggested a morphine shot to help me get rest. I reluctantly agreed to the shot (and was later very greatful). We were home by 530am and slept like babies (only to realize that would be the last night we'd sleep as a family of 2).

We arose and walked the neighborhood, hoping to "get things moving." We went to my doctor at 330pm and found out I was 3-4cm and 75% effaced. WOW! What a change within 12 hours. We were sent home to labor as long as possible at home. I didn't start feeling strong contractions again until 7pm. At that point, they were strong but only 10-15 minutes apart. The contractions were finally 5 minutes apart around 230am. We arrived at the hospital at 4am. At that point, I was STILL 3-4cm, but 100% effaced. The contractions were tolerable, but not fun. They were concerned about Ely's heart rate, so they kept us monitored very closely.

Finally, at 6am, they checked us into the birthing suite. Anthony's parents arrived at that time (who knew the ferries were running that early!). Slowly, some of my friends began to roll in. Soon enough, we had a packed house. Around 11am we kicked everyone out so that I could get the epidural...I threw in the towel at 6cm and back labor had set in.

From there, I progressed slowly (fairly typical once you have an epidural). But, around 1pm I was at 8cm. At 3pm my nurse checked and I was "complete" (10cm). She had me begin pushing to "get ready" for the doctor. At 315pm she said, "Dr. Faulkner needs to get here or I will be delivering the baby myself!" WHAT THE HECK?? I thought this was going to be hours...NOPE. He was ready and was blazing through.

At 337pm Eleazar Gipson Malaki came into the is world screaming. (That boy has some lungs.) He cried for a few minutes, but them was calm as he lay on my chest. Anthony and I just stared at him in awe. It was the most amazing feeling running through my body. We cried. We laughed. We cried some more. All good tears.

He is an amazing being. I honestly think he is at his cutest when he is screaming his head off. Anthony has come up with fun songs such as "Tsunami Siren on Palatine Ave" and "The Ely Boy." These songs SOMETIMES helps to calm him. If not, a good cuddling usually does the trick. (We're definitely working off the theory that you cannot spoil a baby in the first month. Let's only hope that's true :)

Don't get me wrong, this has been the most difficult and amazing couple weeks in our lives. We had a rough time of the breast feeding and weight gain. But, I think we're on to the next set of worries. As we'll be for the rest of our lives.

We're excited about all the good and bad that is yet to come. I cannot wait to share every bit of it with each of you.

I've attached some photos and you can see his hospital pictures at:

(Look at baby’s born on September 27, and click on Eleazar M)