Celebrating Mommies and Daddies

Hello friends and family!

I know it's been a while, but I haven't forgotten about you!! Eli is growing so fast and doing new things everyday. I wish I could post a new entry for each new thing, but life does get in the way. It's a crazy life, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. The love and adoration that Shawn and I have for Eli simply can't be put into words. We are truly blessed.

Eli is now crawling, exploring, eating, and talking. He started crawling just a few weeks ago and has taken off! When I put him on the floor to crawl, I actually have to set up stations of approved items for him to get into. I know he's going to want to explore something new, so I figure planning for that will help keep surprises as a minimum. It was a slow start for eating solids, but he's my little eater now. He loves yogurt, anything with banana, and Sandies cookies (thanks, Daddy!). His "talking" is mostly "dada", "yaya" and "haha" and lots of happy squeals. Still waiting for his first word. I tried to get him to say "dada" on Father's Day, but he must be holding out!

Celebrating Mother's Day and Father's Day this year as first time parents was so special. Eli worked so hard to make us each one-of-a-kind gifts :) For Mother's Day, he (and Shawn) painted a beautiful plate which is now displayed proudly in the kitchen. For Father's Day, Eli starred in a "Just Like Daddy" photo shoot and made a video especially for his daddy.

Loving solids!

Meeting his cousin, Priscilla

Banana time with Pops!

Keeping daddy company in the hot tub

Mother's Day

Mother's Day gift from Eli and Shawn

Hope these pictures and video made you smile! We are now getting ready for a very exciting event... Eli's first trip to Puerto Rico!! I hope he's ready for lots of new foods, Spanish cartoons and plenty of hugs and kisses from family. I promise to post pictures (I know there will be hundreds!) when we return. 

Thank you for all of your love! Shawn, Eli and I are so lucky to have you in our lives.  

Growing Like a Weed!!

Oh my goodness... Eli is now 7 and a half weeks old!! The time is flying and he is growing like a weed! This past week he went through a growth spurt. He was eating every 2 hours when his typical daytime schedule is every 3. He also slept a lot. Rather than being alert and ready to play after his feedings, he was ready to go right back to sleep. He still isn't back on his typical routine, but we are getting there. I can already see that his legs are more filled out and he's getting heavier in my arms. It's bittersweet :(

We've done some new things this week. Eli and I went for our first walk in the park with our Jeep stroller. We have friends close by, Kelly (our amazing photographer) and Javier (her adorable 6 month old), who joined us. This was my first time getting out and exercising and it felt amazing. The cool fall air, the sunshine, the feeling of muscles burning, Eli sleeping away in the stroller and a good friend to exchange all kinds of new mommy wisdom. Kelly and I plan to meet up regularly to walk the boys around the park. I am so happy to have a walking buddy. Maybe some other new moms can join us down the line... Rhonda and Alicia!! ;)

Saturday morning, Shawn watched Eli and I got a much needed mommy's morning out. Thank you, sweetie!! It was splendid. Starbucks, shopping and a mani/pedi. I learned that it is just as easy to get carried away shopping for little boy clothes as it is for little girls. I'll have to have a fashion show with Eli and post all of the pictures. He is going to be very fashionable this holiday season!

This week is going to be lots of fun! Today we are meeting my family for an early Thanksgiving meal. We are making it easy on ourselves and going out to eat :) This will be Eli's first time in a restaurant - wish us luck! On Wednesday, we are going back to Kentucky to have Thanksgiving with Shawn's family. Eli will be meeting his Aunt Jourdan for the first time, YAY!!

So many "firsts" and I know they will keep coming. What a journey it has been so far and it is only beginning. We are so blessed.

Here's an updated video with more pics added! I love making these videos and hope to have a little collection to give Eli when he's older. http://animoto.com/play/wW11id8a9I1cLailSA5Cgw

Eli: The First 6 Weeks

Where do I even begin?! It's been a while since my last post but I believe you all understand why ;) Having Eli home has been the most amazing time in our lives, but it has left us with little time (or energy!) for anything else. These days we are finding our groove and getting into a routine.

Sleep. The big question we keep getting is how much sleep we are getting. The longest Eli has slept at night is 5 hours; that has happened twice. Most nights we get two 4 hours stretches of sleep. Fortunately for us, Eli is great about going to sleep at night. He wakes, feeds and goes back to sleep without a fuss. Our struggle comes more with putting him down for daytime naps. He does not like sleeping during the day and usually cries himself to sleep. Although he has been getting better, at least during the last week.

Eating. I am breastfeeding which has been very rewarding and challenging. I love our feeding sessions, even the middle of the night ones because its our little bonding time. We introduced Eli to the bottle (expressed breast milk) at 4 weeks. He doesn't love the bottle but he is doing well drinking milk from it. I haven't been away from Eli for more than an hour and a half yet, but that's bound to change soon and we want him to be ready.

Playing. My favorite time of the day is Eli's playtime. Right now, we are alternating between 3 activities: his owl mobile, his floormat w/ tummy time and his rocker. From last week to this week, playtime has transformed. He is smiling in response to things, kicking his legs and reaching out at objects. Each day, brings something new that he is doing.  I just can't wait to see what he does next :)

Here's a little video with highlights from Eli's first 6 weeks. It's amazing how in such a short time it feels like he is the puzzle piece that was always missing... Love him to pieces!!

Wow... I can't believe the countdown to our due date is in the single digits! Although the odds of Baby Sheehan actually being born on September 23rd are only 5%, being so close to that magical date brings a sense of excitement and calm that is difficult to describe.

How can being close to our due date make me calm??? It's funny... Now that we are so close, it has made me stop and appreciate our life as it is right now. For example, Shawn and I went out to dinner the other night and sat out on the restaurant patio to enjoy the cooler weather. It was so peaceful that I just had to soak up the moment knowing "peace" may be hard to find soon.

While I am enjoying these last moments before Felix makes his grand entrance, there are times when I grow impatient. I know of 8 mommies delivering in September and so far 6 have already gone into labor. I told Shawn we are saving the best for last :) I'm also enjoying the last few moments where I have Felix all to myself.

Shawn, Coco and I had a little photo shoot recently to capture our excitement for the arrival of baby Sheehan. Here's a little video of those pictures that I hope you enjoy.

http://animoto.com/play/FVo0zndUKzU2hVKwy8gYjw

Hopefully, the next post I write will be as a new mommy! I can't believe we are actually going to welcome our first child into the world so soon. Wish us luck!

Ready, Set... Go!

We are just about 5 weeks from our due date!! I cannot believe it... Life as we know it will never be the same. But in an amazingly good way :) I've had some anxiety about how ready we are to bring home baby, but after 2 wonderful and generous baby showers I think we are finally ready to welcome little Felix home!

We are all set to hit the road with our Chicco stroller for everyday use and our Jeep stroller for walks and jogs. Between morning jogs in the park and evening walks with daddy, that pre-baby body will be mine by Christmas!

Bring on the dirty diapers! We got so many supplies from friends and family that I doubt we will need to buy much in the first few weeks. And I hope baby Sheehan never has to go through all of the diaper cream we got! We are trying out gDiapers which are a combo of cloth and disposable. They have a cloth outer diaper and a disposable insert that is flushable and biodegradable. I'll keep you posted on how they go. We also got lots of disposable diapers, so either way we are set. :)

We can't wait for bath time! In addition to all of the basics like a tub, soaps and towels we got so many cute bath time accessories we didn't even know about! One of my favorites came from a coworker of Shawn's. It's called Bath Luve and its an adorable towel that you dip in warm water and place on the baby to keep its body warm while you bathe. I can almost smell that baby smell now...

Mommy and Daddy diaper bags! We've already started stocking our bags with some essentials. Shawn got his diaper bag "The Diaper Dude" as a Father's Day gift. I highly recommend it for dads-to-be and can't wait to see him in full dad mode with it. Here's some Sheehan trivia for you... Shawn's diaper bag has our wedding colors gray and orange. How romantic?! ;)

Thanks to an incredibly thoughtful baby shower thrown by close friends, Jessica and Belinda, we are all set for story time. Instead of giving cards, guests for the baby shower were asked to bring their favorite children's book and write a message inside. Having these books and heartfelt messages means so much. I can't wait until Felix is old enough to understand all of the love in those messages. He or she is going to feel so loved and special. I also look forward to seeing what stories Felix enjoys most and wants to read over and over. There are so many great stories to choose from - I look forward to reading them all!

Thank you to all of the friends, family and coworkers that have helped us get ready to become parents! And for anyone who gave us a stuffed animal, you have definitely gotten Coco's attention... she thinks they are for her! haha

The Big Gender Question...

As of Friday, we are only 10 weeks from Felix's due date! As we get closer to meeting our little miracle, we can't help but bring up the question, "Are you thinking Boy or Girl?!" Shawn and I have gone back and forth through the entire pregnancy and have finally concluded that we have absolutely no clue! Felix has done an outstanding job of keeping us all guessing.

We have gone through all of the old wives tales used for guessing the gender. Here are a few of our results. You will quickly see why we are so in the dark.
-No morning sickness = BOY
-Carrying high = GIRL
-Skin looking better than ever = BOY
-Irish ring test (ring moved side to side) = GIRL
-Craving salty foods, meats and cheeses = BOY
-Chinese gender chart = GIRL
-Belly looks like a basketball = BOY
-Pillow faces south = GIRL

So we are back to the starting point, with no clue about the sex. While there have been moments that we just wish we knew, I'm glad to be in the dark. I can't wait for the moment we meet our child for the first time. I'm also excited for the moment Shawn walks out into the waiting room and announces the news to friends and family. :)

Feel free to take your best guess and place your bets!

The Lucky Number is 29

Hello again!

It's amazing how the time is flying and how quickly things continue to change. As of today, we are 29 weeks pregnant. Only 11 weeks to go!! Thursday is also my 29th birthday! We already have a great evening planned to celebrate. Dinner at one of my favorite Italian restaurants and an outdoor concert with friends on Friday. Please pray for an end to the heat wave!

Shawn and I went to the doctor today who said that everything looks great, normal and healthy.  He may have recommended I dial back on the sweets to keep my weight gain in check. Hey, I've been eating grandma's cooking for the last two weeks! What do you expect?! ;-)


I have been so blessed that since May all four of my grandparents have visited from Puerto Rico. Spending time with them makes me very thankful for my Puerto Rican roots and my loving family. It also inspires me to make sure I teach our child as much as possible about the Puerto Rican culture. The pictures are from our mini family reunion this past weekend. I can't wait for the first time we take our baby to Puerto Rico to meet the whole family!


As you can see from the pictures, mommy and baby are growing with each day. It literally feels like each day brings new feelings, new symptoms and a wider stomach. Not every moment is pleasant, but I'm trying to take it in stride and keep a good sense of humor. Sometimes you just have to laugh at the craziness that is pregnancy! Shawn has been great too - bringing me water so I don't have to get up from the couch, rubbing my swollen feet, and making sure I avoid any chores that involve heavy lifting or being outside in the heat. I'll admit, I'm a tad concerned of what the next 11 weeks have in store for me... Luckily, we know the end is quickly approaching!!


Time to start the weekend with husband :)
Stefanie