Sleep, Baby, Sleep

So Maddux has slept great for a few nights now. She slept 7 1/2 hours a few nights ago, but it started at 830PM, so I still got up during the night (she will sleep a long time if I don't wake her for a 10 or 11PM feeding, but if I do, she will still usually get up at 3AM). Then last night she slept from 1030PM until 5AM, which was awesome. In addition, she 'let' Lehr calm her a few times the other night, which helped me out tremendously since 8PM-10PM is usually my only 'down time'.

Thank you to everyone who emailed me help/suggestions to get her to sleep while still following Babywise. I do try and 'stack feed' a little before she goes down (she usually eats at 4PM, 6PM and 8PM), and whenever possible I try to have Lehr do the 10 or 11PM feeding with a bottle; we did this with Eli and Lehr is still the one who puts him to bed each night. I'm sure we're not out of the woods yet, so if you have anymore suggestions, keep 'em coming!

Happy Birthday, Eli!!

Eli,
Today is your second birthday and what a day it has been! I had to wake you up because we were going to the park with some friends, but you didn't mind too much. That is not the norm; usually you are very content to sleep until 9AM and you prefer to be the one to wake yourself up (otherwise, you become very cranky). You started the morning off saying 'birt-dee', so I think you knew today was a special day even though we celebrated a few nights ago. We called Daddy to say 'good morning' while you happily ate your Kix, which is a new thing. In the last two months you have become so grown up that you no longer like to eat oatmeal: you prefer 'real' cereal in a bowl with milk and a spoon. During our drive to the park you pointed out and named everything you saw: fire truck, car, bridge, bus, digger-scraper, police car, tree, choo-choo, gas (station). And when we went under the bridge, you said, "UH-DER BRIDD-AH", and threw your hands in the air like I taught you. The smile you get on your face when we share an inside joke warms my heart every time. While at the park you reached for my hand several times while maneuvering the steps. This is unusual also because you are so very independent and usually do not like to accept help unless you are the one initiating the request. When you sat on the train at the park you patted the seat next to you, nodded and said, "Mommy?" I love how much you love me.

And last night when you said your prayers with Daddy before bed, you showed off your latest skill: thanking God for the people in your life. Daddy says the prayer with you, leaving out a few words for you to fill in, and then he says, "Thank you for...." and you insert the first name that pops into your head. Last night you thanked God for Mommy, Cooper, Gappa Jib, Baby, Cooper, Gappa Jib, Cappy, Daddy, and Gappa Jib.

All in all, this last year has been a very big one for you. You started to walk, you started to sign, and then talk, you started to eat with a spoon and fork, you became a big brother, you learned how to hit and catch and kick the ball, you moved to a new house, and now you're about to start 'school' in a few weeks. You continue to amaze Mommy and Daddy with your memory and recall skills, and your vocabulary expands daily now. We love you "so much"!!

August 2005

August 2006
August 2007

Early Birthday Celebration

Let me ask you: when it's the birthday of someone in your household, how many cakes do you typically make? One? That does seem like the logical answer, yet I ended up making three this year and STILL didn't get one quite right! Way back when, I decided to make Eli a train cake, since he's obsessed with choo-choos. After all, I made him a frog cake last year on the first try with no pattern to follow or anything. If I could do that, this cake business can't be all that hard. Then I realized a train might be a little more difficult than the frog, and Eli seemed more interested in baseball anyway. GREAT! A baseball is easy...just a round cake, I thought. That was before I mentioned my idea to a friend of mine and she pulled out a 3-D cake mold so I could make a 'real' baseball for him. No problem; there were instructions inside. So last night I made the same cake mix from last year (low-sugar applesauce cake) and baked the night away. I measured exactly to the cake mold's instructions, but my cake came out not as round as it should have. Fear not! I bought a few boxed cake mixes just in case. After church this morning I got going on the next attempt. This time I tried to learn from what happened the first time around and apply it, so-as-to-not duplicate my smaller, less-round results. Of course, the opposite happened because I used two boxes and the molds overflowed. Not that big of a deal since I could have just cut off the extra cake. That was not the only problem though; the outside of the cake was hard and the inside was raw and liquid-y. Great. Now it is two hours before we're supposed to celebrate and no more than one before Eli will be up from his nap. Luckily I had not thrown out the applesauce cake yet, so I followed Lehr's advice and made two half-balls, in the spirit of the theme for the day: "2". Not quite what I'd hoped for, but a cake is a cake, right?

So, as the title indicates, we celebrated Eli's second birthday early this year. His real birthday is this upcoming Tuesday, but between Lehr working that day and our parenting class that night, it would be a rushed celebration, so we decided to have the 'party' today. Since time and energy are something I'm lacking these days, we did not have a full-out party yet again. Eli's godparents and Cooper and his parents came over, but that was about all I could plan for (since they all know to have low expectations where entertaining is concerned at my house). Eli and Cooper had a great time taking turns (or pushing each other off of) the new 'digger-scrapper' Eli received from David and Carolyn. Eli was not too keen on his cake this year; we're not sure if it was the singing or the candles or what. Despite that, he had a great time staring at the cake on his plate and saying, 'Ball!', but he didn't eat it.

Night-Owl

We follow Babywise. Go ahead and roll your eyes and judge us now. I know many people don't think it is a good idea to 'schedule' a baby, but it worked great for us the first time around, and we've continued the series and are now taking parenting classes for Eli's toddler-stage. Also, in my opinion, it's not so much scheduling as setting your day to a routine, but (as usual) I digress....

Oh wait. My point in mentioning that was if anyone out there also prescribing to the Babywise format with an idea as to what we might be doing wrong, PLEASE send along suggestions you might have.

Eli slept through the night fairly early. We had a few regressions due to his shoes and bar, but for the most part, I got at least 5-6 hours out of him from 5 weeks on. Not so much with Maddux. She has given me 4, 5, 6 and even 7 1/2 hour stretches so far, but for some reason about a week ago she has reverted to only 3 1/2 hours in between feedings at night. I've gone back through all my books, I've reviewed what I'm doing with her regarding feeding/eating during the day and nothing is standing out to me. Last night was especially bad for Lehr. I asked him to get up with her if (when) she woke up around 2 or 3 and give her a bottle. We let her cry a bit first, but it soon became obvious she was hungry and would not be ignored. So he gave her a bottle and then re-swaddled her and tried to soothe her to a sleepy state. I stayed in our bedroom for a full hour listening to her scream at him before I came in to help. Of course I picked her up and she settled right down. I rocked her for maybe three minutes before placing her in her crib, at which time she drifted right off. This frustrates Lehr, of course, but it REALLY frustrates me that she won't allow him to be a calming source. This means it is all on me for a while. I think Eli was this way in the very beginning too, but it's been so long that I've forgotten. So for now, I'll be burning the midnight oil...

Videos

So I set up the camera yesterday after Eli's nap and 'led' him into a conversation that I knew would lead to the 'ahh!' word he uses. He is trying to tell me that he and Cooper ate pretzels while they hung out at Cooper's house. Mom is a little slow with these new words......



And here is a short clip of Maddux as she just starts to smile more and more:

A Few (More) of My Favorite Things

Where to begin. Eli is still struggling with the new balance of the house since Maddux's arrival, but he really is doing much better than I ever expected. And even though he has at least one time out each day, and even though he tests my will and patience, I do love the age he is at right now. Every day he has several new words that he just picks up from hearing someone talk! So here is the list today:

- Since Eli decided he wanted to jump in the pool, he loves to squat and pretend to jump at home (as he tells you, "iJump!"). So I decided to capitalize on this and try to get a hug out of the deal (since Eli doesn't really hug normally). When he jumps into the pool he has to say, "Mommy/Daddy. Please. Jump" and then Lehr or I say, "Go!" When we're at home now I tell Eli it's time to 'practice' jumping and he says the appropriate words. Then when I say, "Go!", he runs towards me and hugs me. LOVE IT!

- Eli has a new word for 'yes': "Ah!" I am going to try and capture it on video because (to me) it is the funniest thing. Since he has so many new words each day, it is hard to keep up, especially since not all of them resemble their origin. If Eli is trying to tell you something and you guess and guess, he keeps repeating the word. When you finally get it right, he cries, "Ah!!" Example: yesterday we went to Cooper's house and the boys played in the inflatable pool. Eli splashed the heck out of everyone and everything in sight. On the way home he kept saying 'pash' and I didn't understand until he made the motion with his hands. When I guessed correctly: "AHH!"

- Eli's favorite new thing to do these days is drink ice water (eye-shh dah-der). He'll ask for it when he wakes up in the morning, when we go outside, when we have lunch..all the time. Our rule in the house is that he has to sit down to have water, so half of the time he says, "eye-shh dah-der" and then sits on the rug in the kitchen while he waits for someone to fetch him a cup. As of late, after I give Eli his cup of eye-shh dah-der, he pats the floor next to him, nods and says "Mommy?" It's his sweet way of asking me to pull up the floor and have a drink with him. These moments are great because Eli and I do not have nearly as much one-on-one these days, so I comply almost every time.

- Maddux gets the hiccups almost every time she eats. It doesn't matter how much I burp her; about 30 minutes later she will get body-shaking hiccups. Eli recognizes this now and tells us, "baby. hic. cups.", as if it's three separate words.

- This is probably my most favorite thing this week. Eli has signed "thank you" unsolicited at least half a dozen times recently. This is one phrase we are still struggling to get him to say, but since it's the only thing that he still signs without a verbal, we're not too worried. I prompt him to say "thank you, Mommy" or "thank you, Daddy" a whole bunch throughout our day, so he is used to going through the motions. Last week he shocked me by signing it as I handed him a cup of water...totally before I had a chance to remind him. Melt. Melt.

- In the last few weeks Lehr and I have gotten back on track with our couch times. Eli has done really well with them too, playing independently and only coming over to try and 'entice' us a few times. I've been setting a timer for these times (and blanket time) for over a month now so Eli gets used to a timer dictating his time, rather than a seemingly arbitrary cutoff decided by Mom and Dad. Watching him jump up with wide-eyes when that timer goes off is hilarious - he totally knows what it means and he gets a HUGE smile on his face as he runs to us to give us high-fives and kisses (our 'reward' to him for playing during couch time).

- Last but not least, Eli is indeed a ladies man. Last night at our parenting class, another mom came over to me and informed me that her daughter (younger than Eli, by the way) is a bit obsessed with 'talking' about Eli. She says 'Eli, Eli church' at home all the time, apparently. Then as we were leaving, another little girl about his age walked by with her dad as I was standing with Eli and Maddux. The little girl pointed and started chanting, "Eli! There Eli" over and over. Not sure what he is doing to attract all this female attention, but obviously he's making quite an impression.

Lawn Boy

After work last night, Lehr took Eli outside to rake some of the piles of pine needles in our front yard. Eli was overjoyed at the prospect of helping Daddy, especially when it involves using tools or yard 'equipment'. Lehr swears that Eli was actually more help than not, which is great considering we have several piles around the yard. Hopefully he'll be so enthusiastic when he's 10! I snapped a few pictures, but they were from inside, as I was feeding Maddux, so excuse the poor quality.

Obsession

To say Eli 'likes' Grandpa Jim would be like saying Paris Hilton 'likes' attention. The boy is flat-out obsessed. From the moment my dad walked into our house last month, Eli has not let a day go by without uttering the words, "Gappa Jib" at least a dozen times. While Gappa Jib was here, he gave Eli a real golf ball. Not such a great toy at the time because any ball Eli gets his hands on these days becomes a projectile. So we limited it to outside use and tried our hardest to teach Eli how to drop golf balls instead of throwing them. (We are still working on that with some success.) Somehow in the last few weeks the real golf ball got 'lost'. Then last night while Lehr was getting Eli ready for bed, it appeared in the toy box in Eli's bedroom. The way Lehr tells it, Eli immediately started the Gappa Jib chant; apparently he resembled the "Mine. Mine. Mine" bird scene in Nemo. After five minutes of Gappa Jib talk (which turned into "Gappa Jib-ah" towards the end), Lehr grabbed the camera and captured this.

Family Weekend

After Eli's nap last night we all went to the pool. Eli had a blast, as usual, jumping into the water. Even though the picture makes it look like Eli just jumps into my arms, he really jumps into the water, goes under, and then Lehr or I fish him out. (See the video here.) He also asks now to go 'uh-der' the lane lines and 'tut' (touch) the bottom of the pool. It's crazy because I never see him hold his breath, yet he rarely comes up coughing. Lehr and I were very encouraged about what the future might hold for Eli where swimming is concerned; we saw our neighbor who is one year and one day older than Eli, swimming like a fish at the pool. She still had a flotation device on her back, but it barely supported her at all as she was able to jump in and touch the bottom, swim for toys on the pool floor, and jump off the diving board, all with it attached to her.

Maddux is doing well; I think she's going through another growth spurt because she's upped her feeding time in the last day. I know those of you with slow eaters will hate me for this admission, but her 'long' feeding time right now is twenty minutes. Yup.....from five, or maybe ten, to twenty. That's as long as they've been yet. She is still a pretty good sleeper, giving me a few six hour stretches at night and one seven hour slumber. As long as she's swaddled and sleeping in the boppy, she's good! Note: we started putting her in the boppy to sleep the first week because she was (is!!) such a wiggler that she could roll over. Now that fear has passed, but she seems to like the way it 'hugs' her while she's snoozing.

Family Hike

Lehr and I planned to get up and hike Kennesaw Mountain this morning after Maddux woke up for her first feeding so we could avoid some of the crazy Atlanta heat. I did not plan on her waking up twice during the night last night when I made those plans, however. (To be fair, it was my fault. I fed her at 8PM and put her to bed and then fell asleep myself around 10, so she didn't get her 10-11PM feeding. That's no doubt why she woke up at 130AM and then at 430AM - note the bags under my eyes. She held up her end of the deal: sleeping 6 1/2 hours straight.)

So 7AM comes and I get up to feed Maddux while Lehr goes to wake up Eli. Most of you know by now that Eli is NOT an early riser, and if you try to 'force' the issue, he is crazy grumpy. Lehr did a great job though because Eli didn't whine or complain at all until about 30 minutes after he woke up (normally he wakes up fussing if we get him up early). We made it to the mountain just after 8AM and started our hike. We decided to take a much shorter route though once Lehr realized how heavy Eli is now-a-days. Carrying 30 pounds plus the weight of the backpack carrier on your back can take its toll, especially when you are climbing straight up. We still got three miles and change in, and Eli was able to get out at one point and play with some sticks. That was short-lived due to the incredibly slow pace of a two-year-old. In addition, Eli felt no fear in letting Mom and Dad walk way ahead of him, even out of sight at times. He had no problem wandering off into the woods at any given moment.

New Words

Eli has a few new words this week. "Zoo", in honor of his trip to the zoo last week. The way I discovered he knew this word was rather interesting. Eli was looking at the random pictures on our screen saver today and one popped up of him kissing the giraffe statue at the zoo. I never showed these pictures to Eli before today, so it shocked me that he remembered that 5-second moment from the zoo.

Another two words are "under" and "umbrella". When Eli says 'umbrella', it's usually more like 'u-ball-ah'. He points it out to me in books every day. "Under" is more interesting because I really think Eli knows the concept of it. He first started saying it last weekend when we were jumping at the pool. We have one lane for laps and it is roped off. He loves to go 'under' the rope (underwater). I thought he just knew that swimming in that way was 'uh-dur'. However, during our visit with Cooper this week Eli tried to throw the ping pong ball across their ping pong table and he kept saying 'uh-dur'. I really didn't know what he meant until he walked to the net and pushed it up so that his ball would roll (or bounce) 'uh-dur' the net. He also says 'uh-dur' now when we drive under a 'bri-dah' (bridge).

Finally we have 'tor-kee' and 'gobble', in honor of the Adam Sandler Thanksgiving Song. For whatever reason I sang it to Eli on Monday while I made his turkey sandwich for lunch and the kid loves it. Now he constantly prompts me to sing by saying 'torkee' or 'gobble' as he smiles.

There are other words he picks up on a daily basis, but they usually don't last since they aren't ones we use often. We went swimming with Tyler and Noah today, so "tsee-tah" was a new word, in honor of Tyler's cheetah toy. "Hop-hop" is Eli's way of saying 'bunny', since that's what the bunny does, I guess. And finally, "dohr-tee" is how Eli says 'dirty', but he says it to refer to garbage trucks, excavators, and any other construction vehicles he sees (since they tend to be covered in Georgia clay).

Good As Gold

So I don't have much online time these days, which means I'm behind in news and current events most of the time. However today was one day where I had a few minutes to 'surf' and I actually got to read some articles on CNN.com. This one caught my eye for obvious reasons. When Eli was still nursing I blogged about this topic also. In preparation for posting this time, I re-read my previous blog and I still stand by every word I wrote. It is my opinion that breastfeeding is best, but that does not mean I think those who don't are bad mothers. How and what a mother feeds her infant is her choice entirely; I just hope all mothers thoroughly explore all options.

That being said, nursing Maddux has been more difficult than it was with Eli. The first month with him was no walk in the park, but I had time and energy to devote to getting it right. This time around time is short as is my patience. Unfortunately for me, Maddux latches, but is easily distracted like her brother was, and I've got to participate 100% in keeping her involved in the feeding. Add to that the extra pain I experienced all the time until about two weeks ago, and the mini-bout of mastitis I went through around week three, and I will be the first to admit that there were more than a few times that I wanted to throw in the towel this time. The article on CNN hit a lot of great points for me. I think the advice about getting a support group is right-on. I am usually very NOT into that type of thing either, but after I had Eli I found a Mom & Me meeting for nursing moms and it helped SO much because at the very least, I realized everyone else had the same struggles as me. That in itself helped me to push through the discomfort and doubt. Once again I urge anyone who is on the fence about breastfeeding to at least give it a month before you call it quits.

Missing: Life

Seriously. Where did it go? I finally felt like I was getting back on track with friends, family, and Lehr. Eli was behaving really well and we were in a great routine each week. I was able to return to my 5 & 10Ks and my gym and yoga schedule. Heck, we even took a trip out west to bike and hike because we were able to leave Eli all day long with no worries about feeding!

As Eli would say: ALL GONE. Our nights are no longer our own. We used to put Eli down around 8PM and have the whole evening in front of us. Same in the morning; I'd get up whenever and have time to be with just me before he woke up around 9. And when I brought Eli to MMO, I'd have time for the gym, haircuts, house cleaning, etc. Oh, and dinners? If it takes longer than 3 1/2 minutes to prepare, it pretty much doesn't happen, since that is during Maddux's 'witching hour(s)'. Add to that one very unhappy toddler, and if we are all wearing clean clothes it is a successful day.

I know. I know. I know. In a few months or a few years this will all be a distant memory and the kids will play nicely together, yada yada yada. That will be great. Until then, I apologize if I make NO sense while we're having a conversation (as my brain has way too many things preoccupying it to put together a sentence), I apologize if your phone calls or emails go unanswered, and I apologize if I show up at your house in a spit-up stained shirt with unwashed hair and hand you one or both kids before running very quickly in the opposite direction.

One Month Appointment

Maddux had her one-month well-visit with the pediatrician today. Not that I was concerned about her weight, but she comes in at the 75th percentile for all measurements. She weighs 9lb. 8oz. (WOW!) and measures 21 1/2" long. That is 'taller' than Eli was at her age. She did not receive any shots today, so the visit was calm and quick. On another pleasant note, a few nights ago Maddux slept for 7 straight hours. How happy was Mom!! Of course I woke up about 6 hours into it and couldn't fall back asleep, as my body was not used to going that long uninterrupted. Not that I expect this will happen regularly for a few more weeks, but it was a nice surprise! She is lifting her head so much more these days also. When I put her down for 'tummy time' she lifts and lifts for about two minutes before she screams in protest to being prone. Speaking of the scream, Eli does NOT like it when she fusses. Maddux has been very unhappy a few times in the car and Eli gets a very upset scowl on his face and looks out the window, ignoring us until she stops.

Don't Hate The Playa; Hate The Game

Several prefaces attached to this post... First off, I'm in a rambling mood, so this could get lengthy. Secondly, I apologize if my topic or my point of view offends anyone or makes them feel bad in any way, but I am not apologizing for how I feel, nor the fact that I'm posting my feelings about this topic. That said, here we go....

I feel great. Seriously. Even though it's 3:15pm and both kids are up (when they both should be napping at least another 45 minutes), I am very very very happy. Life is good. Part of that feeling great has to do with my returning to 'normal' again. I feel strong, capable and back to my old self again. I have felt that way almost from the moment I had Maddux. I will not apologize for that. Nor will I apologize for fitting into my pre-pregnancy clothes less than a week after giving birth both times. As Dana Carvey playing Bush Senior would say, "Not gonna do it." I am a very active person. I love to exercise because of how it makes me feel. I love knowing my body is strong. I love that my feet can carry me 30-miles for breast cancer research. I love that my legs can peddle up the mountains of Tahoe to give me an amazing view. I love that my arms can lift Eli up and down several times a day. My desire to work out and bike and hike has so much more to do with how it makes me feel than how it makes me look. I assure you it is not a vanity thing with me, nor am I obsessed with wearing a size two or looking like the celebs. My obsession is the runner's high I get from pushing myself, blah blah blah.... (I told you I was going to ramble.)

My point (and I do have one) in going on about the above is because I have recently felt 'under attack' for feeling so good. It's as though I should still be in bed complaining about being tired or sore. In the last two weeks, since having Maddux, I've had a few nay-sayers giving me the evil eye and/or speaking negatively of me because I might not look like what they'd expect me to look like so soon after having a baby. (Note: I am not speaking of the well-wishers who joked with me last week at church; I know their hearts were right. This negativity has been more from mere acquaintances and strangers.) I will never understand why some people feel the need to tear others down, publicly or in their minds, just to make themselves feel better. I know that when I am in a bad place emotionally, I tend to think more negatively of others, so maybe it's as simple as that. Knock others down to elevate yourself. Regardless, I feel good and I'm not going to apologize for it. I've worked hard to be in the shape I'm in, so I get frustrated when people talk ill of me, as if I've not earned it. (Wow...lots of "I"s in that paragraph. Maybe it's me who has the iSpeak and not Eli.)

Enough of that. I did not post this to brag in any way...quite the opposite. It seems though the 'haters' I've encountered should consider the 'game' in their life; what is causing their negative attitudes over someone else's joy? (BTW - I've re-written this post several times already because each time I re-read it, I worry it comes off as braggadocious. That's my own insecurity, I know.) I just had to get off my chest how I feel about the negative feedback that comes from what should be something to be celebrated. I just had a baby and I feel great about it. Period.

Missed Moments

I have always felt that I truly enjoyed every moment of Eli's baby-hood. Since I was fortunate enough to be able to stay at home with him from the moment he was born, we spent a lot of one-on-one time, especially in the beginning. There aren't any milestone moments that I can think of that I missed, and I 'oohed' and 'aahed' over every coo and smile he had.

It's different this time around, of course. I am already seeing Maddux grow up and move out of stages and phases before I'm even able to recognize and dote over them. When there is already another child in the house, especially a toddler, it is quite difficult to spend any time with a baby unless s/he is being fed. And even then, the focus is on containing/entertaining the older one, not enjoying the moment of bonding. This really makes me sad. I know Maddux will not be lacking in the attention department because any attention she does not get from me she will surely get from Eli, but I am already mourning the missed moments. I remember nursing Eli and singing to him or talking to him for an hour or so as he ate and burped. I remember then putting him in the blue chair or on his stomach and staring at him while we 'talked' for 30 minutes or so before he went down for his nap. I remember occasionally rocking him to sleep in the early days. Unfortunately with Maddux all I remember is feeding her while I prepare Eli's breakfast and lunch. I remember putting Maddux on the boppy as soon as she finishes eating because I needed to play with Eli as I'd just spent 20 minutes 'focused' on his sister. I remember Maddux crying in her crib for ten minutes before I was even able to think about going to soothe her. I remember praying she'd sleep longer so I could have a few minutes to myself (rather than praying for her to wake up so I can spend time with her).

I am in awe of parents with more than one child, including those I know who have four (I can think of three families in this situation). Maybe it gets easier after two because the kids can entertain one another while the parent tends to the baby, but it still has to be hard. More than ever I'm realizing that there will never be another 'first' baby. Not that any children after that are not as fun or interesting, but you can never go back to that first experience....back when you didn't know any better. Back when you could stare at little toes for hours. Back when you could spend all afternoon just watching the baby nap.

I have no real way to end this post, other than to say to those of you who have yet to have your first child, cherish every moment, because you won't be able to, at least not in the same way, with your second. A prime example? I don't have any good pictures of Maddux that I haven't already posted to put with this entry....

Just One Of The Guys

The four of us spent a relaxing weekend getting back to normal; nothing too exciting to report. We did finish Lehr's vacation off tonight with a dinner 'party'. Cooper and his parents came over to enjoy the pool and some pizza. Unfortunately when we arrived at the pool, we found it was closed to due 'hygiene' issues, so we ended up just hanging out at the house. Of course Eli was disappointed he didn't get to show off his jumping skillz, but playing ball and choo-choos with Cooper is high on his list of fun activities, so it was a pretty good trade. The boys played well together and Eli sent Cooper off with a hat to match his: Mater Mechanic. Maddux slept most of the dinner party, of course.

Big Girls Don't Cry

Well, mine does. She is no longer a scrawny baby girl, that is for sure! Maddux has grown so much in the last two weeks; she is no longer frail (hip hip hooray!) But when she is hungry, she'll let you know without fail. That girl can scream!

Eli loves to hold her and will ask to do so by sitting down next to her when she's on a blanket on the ground. As he reaches for Maddux he asks us, "Hold?" Of course he loses interest after a minute or so, but it's the thought that counts, right? Today for the first time he tried to pick her up without asking. We were doing couch time (and thus trying to 'ignore' the kids) and Eli sat down next to Maddux and reached over to her midsection as he's seen us do. We had to break our rule of not intervening with Eli during couch time to remind him not to pick her up, but again, it's the thought that counts.

Just Another Day At The Pool

Yesterday Eli decided he was tired of falling or leaning into Daddy's arms at the pool; it was time he became a big boy and jumped in himself. Now there is no stopping him! As you'll see from the video, Eli has no fear where this is concerned. Today we spent most of the afternoon teaching him to 'ask' Daddy before he jumps in, and we're making progress, but no backs can be turned from now on around water. Maddux missed the moments surrounding her brother's breakthrough; she slept the entire time we were at the pool.

Sometimes His Mother Wanted to Sell Him To The Zoo

Given his behavior in light of the company we've had in our house for the last four weeks, this is how I'm feeling about Eli some days. But I'll address that in another blog....

After threatening it for about six months, I finally took Eli to the Atlanta Zoo today. Since Lehr took the week off and Mom-Mom is here, we figured it would be the best time to go. The weather was pretty muggy though, so after two hours Eli could barely see straight (even though as I type this he is still in his crib talking to Elmo and laughing.....he's been in there 'napping' like this for an hour now). He did enjoy the flamingos and kangaroos, but most of the other animals were napping or 'resting' when we visited their exhibit, so Eli was not too impressed. (Who could blame them in this heat!?!) He liked the statues of animals almost more than the real thing! The picture above shows one of his many attempts to kiss the giraffe. Zoo Atlanta has a really neat kids' section, complete with a carousel and playground, so we'll be sure to hit that first next time. (Eli was way too tired to even get out of his stroller when we passed by this section today.) Maddux rode in the bjorn and napped most of the morning. She was obviously not too impressed.