Annual Pumpkin Patch outing to Goebberts

Today, we headed up to a huge pumpkin patch themed area called Goebberts. We have gone there every year and it has been fun to notice the developmental differences in Luke each year. For example, the first year, when he was just 6 months old, the day consisted up propping him up against pumpkins and trying to get him to smile. Last year and this year were very different with Luke running full steam from thing to thing and 100 photos of his back as he sprints off again!

He always has fun though. He enjoyed the wooden tractor and trucks, picked out 2 little pumpkins and ate cider donuts with his friend Chase. Elliot rode along in the stroller and although the same age as Luke was on his first visit, he wasn't propped even once against a pumpkin for a photo. Funny how we leave number 2 baby alone to do his own thing.

Busy days...

Its been a long time since I posted on my blog. Sorry. Elliot is now 4 months old and turning into the sweetest smiliest baby. He continues to be a great sleeper and a quiet observer during the day...perfect! I enjoy him so much and love getting to see him develop his personality.

Luke has been keeping us busy with toddler conversations (Luke: "COOKIE!" Us: "No Cookie" then repeat many times) and lots of playtime. He recently discovered the movie "Cars" and is loving it. Unbelieveably, we have started the search for a preschool here in Chicago. It's not as straight forward in the city as one might think! We aren't being pushy, its just quite competitive to get in and so you have to be on top of it.

Recently we took an end of summer trip to Florida. We rented a little house with a pool near Disney world. It was a fantastic week. Seeing Luke enjoy Disney World was great. He went on lots of rides and met his hero Buzz Lightyear. We had so much fun going out all day and then swimming in the pool to cool off before dinner. The sweetest part was that we had told Luke for weeks that we were going to Florida to see Mickey and so when we pulled up to the house we were staying at he declared it was "Mickeys House!" He stills says he stayed at Mickeys house. Ha ha...who would have thought Mickey lived in a small suburban house near Orlando! All in all, it was great to get out of Chicago and end the summer in swim suits and shorts!

Now, autumn/fall is here we are getting into Chicago park District classes and other things. Luke has decided he wants to be Mickey Mouse for Halloween (since going to Disney Worls of course!) Another fun stage is watching Luke start to entertain Elliot. Elliot is in awe of his big brother and seems to feel privileged when he gets a truck thrown at him or a loud roar in his face (see video)

8 weeks and smiles!!

Its been a busy crazy 8 weeks! Elliot has started to reward us with smiles which makes it all worthwhile. He is a great little boy...sleeping 6 to 8 hours stretches at night, eating well and smiling tons. We are so blessed.

Luke has continued to be a gentle big brother. He calls him "E I" (his way of saying Eli) and wants to be with him all the time. There have been jealousy moments...like when Luke poured baby powder in Elliot's face after their bath or when he tried to pull him out of his swing...by his ears!

Overall, its been easier than I thought and definately more fun than I ever imagined. Be encouraged moms-of-two-to-be!

3 weeks and my first Cubs game

We have survived to week 3 as a family of four! It feels like months... My parents just left yesterday. They were such a great help and Luke is still asking for his Nana and Papa.

On a fun note, Barry and I took Elliot to his first Cubs game last night. Elliot is what I call a "portababy". He is easily taken anywhere as he is laid back and sleeps a lot. Luke was not a portababy (or else we were too nervous to take him out). So we are enjoying being able to take Elliot to events like the Cubs. He slept the whole game unless there was a home run....then he would startle and flap his arms...very cute!

One week down....

Elliot is one week old today. Photographer Jessica Fanning came and took pictures of him when he was just 5 days old. She got some amazing shots! Check out her website at www.jessicafanning.com...

Elliot is 2 days old!

I finally have a minute to post some photos. Elliot keeps me busy with feeding every 2 hours and taking an hour each time. Doesn't leave a lot of free time! He had a feeding frenzy last night and fed continuously from 9:00 to 2:30 a.m. Wow! Apparently, this can happen at first. He is really healthy though and the feeding is not hurting, which I think means it is going well. .

Barry and Luke continue to have lots of daddy/son time together. They have been going to the Park and the stores together...a lot. Today we all went to the park together for a while...our first outing as a family. It went well, Elliot slept in a sling and Luke ate dirt and put leaves down drains. Typical boy!

Tomorrow is Elliot's first check-up with the doctor. He is fairly yellow so we shall be tested for jaundice I'm sure. I'll update tomorrow...the adventures of being a family of four!

Elliot James Dupuy

Our tiny boy, Elliot arrived this morning at 7:07 a.m. He is 6 pounds and 1 ounce and just the sweetest thing ever. As we were hoping, I did not need a c-section. I started having contractions about 6:00 p.m. last night and finally went to the hospital about 11:00 p.m. Everything went great and Elliot and I are in a room with a view of Lake Michigan...lovely. He is not the quiet soul that Luke was and lets me know what he wants already. We love him immensely!

Photos to come...