Johnny On The Spot

By far, Eli's most favorite activity is helping Daddy. It really doesn't matter if it's taking out the trash or fixing a squeaky door or changing a light bulb. If the task involves tools....well there are no words to describe Eli's excitement. After breakfast this morning the three of us ventured upstairs to try and work on a few 'small' repairs needed in the baby's room and in Eli's bathroom. (Note: in this house there are no small repairs; even the easiest task proves to be more time-consuming and/or difficult than it should be.) When it came time to 'pix' the light bulb above Eli's bathtub, Eli was more than happy to stand just outside the tub and hold Daddy's tools for him. Then when Lehr called out "screwdriver" or "pliers", Eli was quick to hand the corresponding tool to him. He was so captivated by this task; it's amazing how much he loves just being in Lehr's presence.

After Eli's nap, Cooper and his parents came over for an outdoor dinner. The boys painted the deck with water while the burgers cooked and then had a blast running around the deck after the meal. They chased each other, but when they happened to catch up with one another, they weren't quite sure what to do - it was quite amusing to watch. After baths, both boys got dressed for bed and posed for a few pictures. Check out the cheese-factor on Eli's face!

PPIIISH!!!!

Let me start out by apologizing for the lack of pictures recently. Eli and I have been pretty busy getting things ready for the baby, so the camera is often way out of reach when photo ops pop up.

I took Eli to the aquarium today. I have an annual pass and usually go once/month, but I think it was late March the last time we went. Between that and not knowing when I'll be able to take him again, I decided today would be a good day to visit. Eli was very excited all morning as we talked about the 'pish'. Once we got there I decided to not bring the stroller inside since they ask you to park them outside the exhibits anyway. This meant that I had to carry Eli or hold his hand for the entire walk to and from the parking garage, which is a bit of a hike for a mommy who is about to pop! Unlike any other visits, Eli was very interested in standing close to the glass and looking at all the fish this time. His attention span was still short, but he showed a lot of interest. His favorite exhibit by far was the African Penguins. They look much ducks when they are 'floating' on top of the water, and the tank they were in allowed Eli to see them swimming below the surface too. There was quite a flock of them at the viewing area Eli and I observed from, so we hung out for about ten minutes (a loooong time in Eli's world). I hung back a bit to let other kids have front row access, but Eli went right up to the glass. Of course he thought he was controlling their motions because every time he went up and touched the glass and they moved (they were in constant motion), he would laugh and run back to me, all smiles.

And the big news for me was that I got about 75% obedience when it came to holding Mommy's hand. Usually we sit at about 10%, so this was HUGE. He only started to throw a fit once and (another first) all it took was one quick, hard sitting down on a bench with a stern face-to-face from Mommy to get him back in line. Afterwards we sat outside and ate some Kix before the drive home. The new World of Coke is open now, so there is a nice grassy knoll in between the two buildings. The ride home proved to be entertaining as well; it took a little longer to get on the highway today due to traffic, which meant lots of horn-honking by other drivers. Eli met almost every one of them with an "Oh Dear". Of course this cracked me up...

As far as other words Eli threw out this week, we have 'pire' (fire), 'hel-copt' (helicopter), 'kihh' (kick, as in swimming), 'pit' (pitch), 'DBD' (DVD...though I'm not sure how he picked that up since we haven't had DVD's displayed in our house since we moved), and 'E-I' (Eli). The last one is hard to elicit, but he can say his own name (sorta) sometimes.

Pooooool

The last few times I've taken Eli to the pool, he has only given a lukewarm response. Most of his time has been spent OUT of the pool, snacking and walking around the edge. Today we met a bunch of friends at another pool and he had a much better time. The whole drive over (about 30 minutes) he repeated "poool. pooool. pooool", and when we got there he walked right in. It was only the 'big' pool (no baby pool), but he did really well wearing water-wings and hanging out around the steps. He even 'jumped in' (Eli doesn't really jump yet - especially not into water.) to two other moms, which was awesome. Of course, his favorite pool activity included throwing and catching (as much as he can catch) a few balls with other kids, moms, whoever. No pictures as I left the camera at home today.

On another front, the whole ride home I had consistent and mildly painful contractions. Luckily they subsided when I returned home.

38-week Midwife Appointment

No news is good news, I guess. The midwife did not check me, so I'm assuming I'm dilated to somewhere between 1-3cm. I had several 'episodes' of mildly painful back pain this week that could not be remedied with ice or massage. Although it was bearable, it was a bit reminiscent of the early stages of back labor I had with Eli, so I'm thinking it was the baby moving down.Lehr surprised me by showing up at the appointment which was much appreciated due to the amount of time we had to wait in one of the smaller waiting rooms (which was, of course, full of expecting women without toddlers). He entertained Eli by walking him around the halls and looking at pictures of other babies posted near the lab.

A few friends from church took me to a 'ladies night out' dinner at my favorite restaurant tonight and supplied great 'me-time' and a few gifts also. Thanks again, Megan and Shannon!!!

Oh Dear

I forgot to mention the most memorable part of our night Friday. I recently started using the phrase "Oh dear" in the car when someone cuts me off or when a near collision happens on the road (and since we're in Atlanta, these things happen a lot). Eli has recently started repeating it after me, which I find quite amusing. Friday night Lehr was driving, but we came up to a few cars stopping suddenly and he had to apply the breaks enough to cause me to grab the door to brace myself. Nothing major, but enough that it caught Eli's attention. Even though neither Lehr or I uttered a word, from the backseat we heard, "Oh Dear!" We burst out laughing. Not only does he know how to say it, but he obviously knows when to say it.

On another note, "Oh Dear" sums up my day so far. Eli behaved average at the midwife's office today, but from the time we got back home until he went down for a nap, he was a mess. The teething pains are back, as evident by some bleeding of his gums. Lehr and I agree that this does not give him a free pass to act 'like a jerk', but it does make it harder to discipline him when he's in so much pain. He is now peacefully sleeping and I can only hope it will help his pain (and his 'tude).

Basketball Diaries

Tonight David and Carolyn threw Lehr and I a mini-shower ("mini" at our request - they really wanted to do something bigger). We met for dinner and had a great night which included a few gifts for Eli too. The main one was a toddler's basketball and basketball hoop. Can't get much better than that these days, as far as Eli's concerned. All through dinner he kept pointing to the box and saying, "Huupp??" He was VERY excited to finish the meal and go home to try out the new toy. Dave, Carolyn and Terri (Carolyn's mom) got us a few bags of goodies for the baby, including several gift cards for local restaurants which will come in handy BIG TIME once the baby arrives. The amount of people and noise around us seemed to send Eli into a bit of a 'surly' state though; unfortunately there weren't a whole lot of smiles for Terri, even though he just saw her a month or so ago. He was well-behaved though; when we left David carried Eli out of the restaurant and a table stopped him to comment on how well-behaved his son was. There he goes taking credit for our kid again.....

Thanks again for the great night, "D" and "CC"!!!

This Is Why I'm Hot

The three of us went to our biweekly community group dinner tonight. Eli was quite excited to get there and play with the 'older' boys (3 and 5), in addition to a little girl his age. He was also quite taken, as usual, with the 'be-be' who spent some time in an excersaucer/jumper. He did not seem so taken when Daddy took a turn holding the baby, however. He didn't throw a fit, but he kept his distance until Lehr was not longer in possession. Interesting.....

At one point during the night, Eli sought out Laura on the couch. (Quick background: Laura baby-sits for Eli from time to time and she owns a Razr phone which plays music.) He approached her and signed and said "hot?" several times. Apparently he remembered that several weeks back when she came over to watch him, she had a phone that played a song containing the word "hot" ("This is why I'm hot....this is why you're not.") - there is that crazy memory again.

During the course of the night Eli was also introduced to the Tomahawk Chop; Laura and her parents are big Braves fans, so they thought it a must to teach him how to be a fan. (Lehr and I can always claim he's 'chopping' for the Noles, instead of the Braves, right?) Even though we were out quite late, Eli stayed happy and was easily entertained: Life is good.

Thanks For The Memories

It's days like today that make me very thankful for this blog. I'm glad I have written proof of the good days with Eli because days like today make me think it's all bad all the time.

I know anyone with a toddler probably feels the same. The ups are cool, but the downs are WAY down. Eli had several time outs this morning, including one in his crib which is a big last resort for us (this happens only when he is totally out of control, physically and emotionally), and then he proceeded to have another few tantrums while a carpet guy was here giving me a quote. Let me tell you there is nothing better than trying to have a productive conversation, including remembering questions you need to ask, while you're holding a screaming, kicking, biting toddler. YIKES! Can someone please tell me where the fat aggression comes from in a two-year old!?!? And when (and where) did he learn to bite? Seriously if I let him go, Eli would run around the house during his rage and knock down every chair, table, whatever that got in his way. Oh, and he'd also hit every wall, window, or slam every cabinet door. This is usually over me saying 'no' to something serious-as-a-heart-attack like mommy picking him up while she's doing the dishes or going out to the back porch to play when we just came inside (on Eli's request). So I guess I should really see his side of it, right? (Yes, I'm attempting to be sarcastic.)

The good parts of today included hitting the soccer ball outside with Eli's little baseball bat...he had a blast doing that for about ten minutes (why do the tantrums/bad moods last 30+ minutes, but the good times only last ten?). Then we had a blanket time break-through - ten full minutes without one cry. HIP HIP HOORAY! We used to have such success with blanket time and/or couch time, but since we've moved, Eli seems to have lost all concept of his part of the bargain during those times. Last night Lehr and I tried a 'new' way with couch time (Eli had 'room-time' instead of blanket time while we talked) and we got ten successful minutes. Then this morning I did blanket time with Eli and got ten successful minutes again. Could we maybe be back on our way to compliance where that is concerned?

Moments Like These...

Today has been a good day so far. These are the days I live for. In addition to some good, 'fun' behavior, Eli also made a few learning connections that I got to watch which amazes me every time I see one. Oh how I love this age (some days)...let me count the ways:

- We have only had two time outs today. And they both remedied the problem. Life is good.

- Eli reached up for my hand while we walked through the church on our way to his MMO classroom this morning. He's done that a handful of times, but ONLY when I've asked or reached for it. We were walking side by side today and all of the sudden I just felt a little hand inside mine. Melt melt....

- Even though he was a bit hesitant when he first got to his classroom today, Eli did not cry when I left him at MMO.

- When I woke Eli up this morning he asked me to read him a book, which he often does these days. Instead of saying, "boooh", he said "boooooh-K". Very cool to see a consonant added. Then later in the car he did the same thing with the word "bat". We always talk about baseballs and basketballs these days, since those are his favorite words right now. So he said "De-bohl HUUUP!" (baseball hoop) to which I replied that there is no baseball hoop, but there is a baseball bat. His previous word for bat was 'baahh'. Today he said (and repeated and repeated and repeated) "ba-TT". He then smiled and seemed very proud of himself.

- Eli loves to try and wink, but it always ends up looking like his crazy chicken face. I love it all the same.

- As we drove home from MMO, we stopped at the same stoplight (located next to a gas station) that we stop at almost every time we come home. Eli is always fascinated and we always talk about the gas and the pump. Today he kept pointing over and saying something unintelligible. Then he said, "Daddy". I suddenly remembered that Lehr told me he vacuumed out my car the other night, and Eli was in fact pointing to a coin car-vacuum station. So I asked Eli, "Did Daddy take you to vacuum out the car?" He smiled and nodded as he repeated, "Daddy". Then he lifted his foot and said "P-Fee" (which is how Eli says 'feet'). And he kept repeating that while touching his shoes. Knowing Lehr like I do, I asked Eli, "Did Daddy vacuum your feet?" He smiled and repeated "P-fee". (Of course I called Lehr when Eli went down for his nap to verify the story. He laughed and confirmed the events.)

On a not-so-great, dummy Mommy note, I sent Eli to MMO this morning with a peanut butter sandwich. Hello....not so smart considering the amount of kids out there these days with nut allergies. We were out of turkey and cheese this morning, so I grabbed the only other thing I could think of. When I picked Eli up, his favorite worker asked me if it was PB on his sandwich. As soon as she asked, I realized what I'd done. I apologized over and over because I felt like such an idiot. She told me not to worry about it, but Eli didn't get to eat it today because there was another child in the class this morning with a very severe nut allergy. I'm sure it won't be the last time Eli 'suffers' because of Mommy's (lack of) intelligence.

Road Trip

Eli and I took a mini (1 hour) road trip this morning to see a friend who recently moved. Before her move, we used to get together with Gracie at least twice a month, but unfortunately now the distance is a bit far to travel that often. Gracie definitely remembered Eli, but even though we talked about our upcoming trip and looked at pictures, I don't think Eli remembered Gracie when he first saw her. Not that it mattered, once he saw her toy collection. He was quick to push around her baby-doll stroller, and slide on her indoor plastic slide. He even let her go down the slide before him once when they both got on the ladder at the same time. His generosity continued when it came time for snacks and then for lunch. Eli was not so polite when the two were in the pool, however. Eli quickly emptied the pool of all smaller toys by throwing them out...not just out of the pool, but over the side of the deck. A few time outs were had, but, as usual, Eli was determined to continue this less-than-desirable behavior. On a very positive note, despite the long drive, Eli did fairly well in the car both to and from Gracie's house. I think it helped that we brought Elmo along...

37week Midwife Appointment

Today was my first of the weekly appointments with my midwife. Eli and I flew solo for this one, but considering that we were there for a full 90-minutes, Eli did really well behavior-wise. I had my Group B Strep test, blood drawn, and the midwife checked me. I'm dilated 1cm already (which is less than I was dilated at this time with Eli), but we all know that doesn't necessarily mean anything. The bad news is the midwife said the baby's head is still a little high and it feels like s/he may be turned posterior, just like Eli was. Great. More back labor. SOOOO excited about that!

On a related note. This week Eli realized the utility of my ever-growing stomach. While we were sitting in the rocking chair in his room reading a book, he searched for a place to put his 'Mater phone while we read. After looking around for a minute, he reached over and gently set the phone on top of my stomach and then sat back and waited for me to start reading. As if it was the most normal thing in the world to use Mommy's belly as a shelf....

Happy Fathers Day!!

To the best Daddy ever!!

Say Cheeee!

Eli loves cameras and calls them "chee" (because people tell you to say 'cheese' when they are holding them, I guess). In our unpacking we recently found our old Minolta, the one that died about a week after Eli was born. Since it in no way works, and it will cost as much as a new camera to fix it, Lehr decided to let Eli use it as a 'practice' camera. He's allowed to use it when he's with us and we try to stress to him that it's real and he needs to be gentle with it. So far so good. He loves to hold it up to his mouth and say "CHHEEEEE!!!"

Hoop Dreams

So I posted a few weeks back about Eli's MMO progrm taking them to the gym to play with bouncy balls. Unfortunately that day, I picked him up before he got to enjoy the indoor fun. Today he had 20 minutes of joy before I got there. I stopped at the water fountain in a hall well before his classroom and heard commotion in the gym. As I peeked in I saw Eli's favorite teacher, so I knew his class was in there. I walked in and they told me he'd nap good today because they went out to the playground and then they came in the gym, so Eli had a lot of activity. When I entered, Eli was running with the other kids on the carpeted basketball court (full size), chasing balls, throwing balls, and laughing. He was having a blast! Add that to the newest word Eli picked up this week: "hup!" (hoop). His favorite thing to say is "dee-boool" (baseball) and "badak-bahl" (basketball), followed by "HUUUP!!" When Eli saw me he came over to say hi, but then ran back to the footballs, basketballs, and bouncy balls scattered around the gym. I almost thought he'd cry when we left!

Overdue

Eli finished his gym class at The Little Gym over a month ago, but with the move and all, I just now got around to editing the clips I caught on tape the last day.

A Family Affair

Eli's uncle (Uncle J) came to visit tonight. You'd think Eli remembered him from Christmas and had been anticipating his visit all month given the way he acted. From the minute Justin walked in the door Eli wanted to be held by him, or at the very least, to be acknowledged by him. Constantly. He started off by saying (repeatedly), "Hi! Hi!" And it just went on and on from there. On top of the excitement of having family in the house, we spent some time in the front living room, which is normally an off-limits room for Eli. Wow - it was as though he'd had a Red Bull with dinner!! This kid went crazy, running around and laughing. All in all, he was in a great mood, but very very VERY hyper. The two had a great evening together before Eli finally 'let' Justin leave so he could go to bed around 8:45. I think he'll sleep well tonight.

Tie-Er

Eli is in that wonderful stage of speech where many words sound alike, but not many sound like the actual word they represent. For example, Eli's word for "playground" is "kiii". I *think* he means to say "kids", because he often sees kids playing at the playground, but no one knows for sure. Eli's newest words this week are:
- Ah-cah-do (avocado)
- Aaa-cot (apricot)
- Tie-Er (tired)
- Bedek bahl (basketball)
- Teeh (tennis)
- Hep! (help)

That's right. Eli now has three words that are identical: tie-er, tie-er, and tie-er. One represents his buddy, Tyler. One represents the tires on a car, and the last represents the word, 'tired'. I yawned last week in the car, as I often do these days, and then I looked at Eli and said, "Mommy is tired." Sure enough, a few days later I yawned again and Eli said, "tie-er" and grinned as he pointed to me. Connection made.

Stealing Kisses

I love Eli's dry kisses. He is pretty good about doling them out, but you usually have to ask first. The other day before Eli's nap he gave an unprompted one to Mommy. I have a youtube clip of Elmo and Andrea Bocelli preparing for bed saved in my favorites and once or twice a week I'll let Eli watch it before nap time. At one point, Bocelli tells Elmo (in song) that it's time for a kiss and then off to sleep. I never really noticed this lyric before, but as Eli sat on my lap, watching the clip, he leaned into me and pursed his lips, saying 'mmm' which means he's about to plant one. I had been creating 'to do' lists in my head, so I wasn't really paying attention to the screen, but as soon as Eli did that I snapped back to reality and saw Elmo doing the same to Bocelli. Monkey see, monkey do!

Ladies Man

Thanks for the shirt, D!!!

Quack-a-doodle-do

That is a nickname I've been using for Eli for quite some time now. Usually not to his face, but to Lehr when I am referring to his son. There are several reasons I've come to rely on this nickname, but the main one is the simple fact that Eli is a quack. Pure and simple. His silly chicken eyes should be a good enough example, but if not, here are a few others:

- Eli will pour water over his face (maybe it's an attempt to pour it over his hair/head, but he ALWAYS misses), and then try to run from it, laughing and wiping his face the whole time.

- Eli loves to identify people, objects, and body parts. He does this quite often in the car, if he's in a good mood. Usually it starts with him saying 'no', which is Eli's slang for 'nose'. Once he indicates he wants to play that game, I'll ask him where is ears are, his knees, his eyes, etc. Usually after three or four body parts, Eli will return to his 'no' on his own, and instead of pointing to it, he'll put a finger up it. Wait. It gets better. He will continue to say 'no' while he then takes the pointer finger from his other hand and places it up his other nostril. Quack-a-doodle-do.

- Eli will attempt to do a somersault on his own now. But instead of rolling forward, he'll put his head towards the ground and then fall to the side, kinda sorta, but not really rolling sideways. Much like his chicken eyes, what happens in his mind differs from the reality.

- When I put Eli down for a nap, and sometimes when Lehr puts him down at night, Eli will play in his crib for a loooong time. Pretty normal, I know. But I still use an audio monitor and so I am privy to the one-way conversations he has with himself while he's playing. "Uh Oh!!", "Hepp!!" (Help), and "Mamamamama" (but not like he's calling me - just like he's saying it) can be heard in varying tones and volumes.

I'm all out for now, but I assure you I could go on for pages about this. On a 'non' quack-a-doodle-do note, Eli is still a fan of rubbing lotion on me each day. He also loves to make sure my hair is brushed each morning. The other day he asked Lehr to help him get into the big chair with Elmo (melmo) and Howie (Hah-ee) the other day. Then Eli proceeded to read "Goodnight Moon" to them. Hopefully he'll be as concerned about the daily upkeep of his brother or sister.

Strange Bird

Every week, as we drive to Mothers' Morning Out, Eli and I pass through the intersection the "Big Chicken" calls home. (If you're not familiar with Atlanta/Marietta history, the Big Chicken is a large structure atop a KFC at the intersection of Roswell and Cobb Parkway. You might often be given directions that include this landmark if you are traveling through Marietta, Georgia.) Eli loves the bird, and he especially likes it when we get stopped at the red light because then he is able to admire it for some time. It is because of the Big Chicken that Eli first learned, and repeated, what a chicken says (cluck, cluck). This last week he learned a new trick...or at least he thinks he did. The chicken's eyes continuously rotate in circles. As we stopped at the red light last Friday, we had a great view of the revolving eyes, and I asked Eli if he could see the eyes. Of course, he forcefully poked his own closed eye. (Hey, at least he's learned - finally - to close his eye before he pokes it. Why he can't just point to it, I don't know.) Then I told him to look at what the chicken's eyes were doing. "Isn't that silly?" I asked him? To this, Eli responded by squinting his eyes very tightly and grinning. Now every time you ask him what the chicken's eyes do, he makes this same expression. (I can only assume he thinks by doing that he is replicating the circular motion of the chicken's eyes.)

Side note: As I type, Lehr is putting Eli to bed and the giggles coming from the other room are absolute music to my ears.

35week Midwife Appointment

As usual, nothing new to report. The baby's heartbeat still sounds great, and it does what it is supposed to when the midwife poked and prodded my belly (went up). The head is still down, which is great news to me because I'd been afraid this week s/he had turned around, given all the strong "kicks" I'd felt below the belt. Turns out this kid was just punching away.Lehr drove over to relieve me of Eli duty during my visit which made it so much easier. The only downside was they didn't make it back to the exam room, so Eli missed out on hearing the baby's heartbeat today. Fear not, Big Brother, we've got four more potential chances! That's right. I made all of my remaining appointments today and since I'm starting to go every week after my next appointment, this baby's days are numbered.

Donation Corner: Support Our Troops

This month I am really excited about the charity I'm highlighting in the 'Donation Corner'. (Not that I'm not usually excited, but this one was a very recent find and very worthy.) Regardless of your opinions on the current war, I'm sure most of you agree that our troops need and deserve our support in any way possible. AnySoldier.com is a website designed to connect those who want to donate/support with soldiers currently serving. The website allows you to select a solider and then view his/her list of requests, which you can send. Most items are food (unfortunately homemade goodies are not allowed), phone cards, movies, or books. Also, there is a section related to sending letters to soldiers. Most of these men and women feel very disconnected from home, and a friendly letter is the most requested item. (Also listed on this site are links to similar programs for Marines, Airmen, Sailors and Coast Guards.)

If you feel this might take more time and effort than you currently have, but you'd still like to contribute, check out TreatAnySoldier.com where you can select a soldier and then have a premade package sent, without you having to even leave your house. These packages are categorized by goodies, hygiene, entertainment, etc.

There are over 3,000 soldiers currently signed up with this program. They are far from home and facing things every day that most of us cannot imagine, in addition to being separated from their families. Please help them know they have not been forgotten!

Fair Share

Eli and Cooper hung out by the pool this evening and I could not be happier about the way things went. Although Eli does not always share as well as I wish he would, he definitely shows a willingness at least half the time. Today he went above and beyond my expectations. We went to the kiddie pool and showed the boys all of the cheap plastic toys I'd picked up at Target recently. Since Eli's favorite water toy seems to be the watering can, I picked up another one, so he could share while still enjoying one for himself. As soon as Cooper got in the water (Eli was already in the pool with both cans), Eli walked over to him and handed him one of his prized watering cans (the newer one, in fact) without any prompting. Amazing.....I've not seen him share so willingly (when there was nothing for him to gain in return) before. A while later, we had the boys at a table eating their dinners. Eli was very forward about sharing his sandwich with Cooper more than a few times. There is hope yet!

All Grows Up

I know I've posted about this (Eli appearing to be grown up) before, but I just spent ten minutes going through old posts and I can't find the one I want(ed) to reference, so no linky today.

As I said earlier today, Eli went to MMO this morning quite happily. When I returned after lunch to pick him up, I encountered his 'class' in the hallway walking towards the gym with the main caregiver carrying a large mesh bag full of bouncy balls. The kids were all walking in a zig-zaggy line following her. Of course, as soon as Eli saw me (He was first in line; not a big shocker considering there was bouncy-ball-fun to be had.) he started to chant 'mamamamama' and tried to come towards me. I collected him from the teacher and we left, but the image of him walking down the hall, semi-organized like that really struck a chord with me. How grown up is Eli now? To think, last year at this time he wasn't even crawling yet, and now here he is following another adult towards a gym where he was to run and play with other kids.

TGIF

As I type, Eli is at Mothers Morning Out. It's been over a week since he's attended due to his pink eye, but considering he's been cleared up for a few days now, I figured it would be safe to take him today. What a great surprise: when I dropped him off he didn't even attempt to cry or cling to me. His favorite caregiver wasn't there, but he still did really well. As I walked toward the door I heard a cry and looked back to reassure him, but it was another child; Eli was happily playing with a toy. I really think he missed going this week.

Yesterday we had another great day at the pool. Two of Eli's friends came over to join us and the three of them spent two hours splashing around in the water.

Even more exciting, it's been over a week since Eli has given me ANY issues with changing his diaper. It's like I have a new child! That's not to say he's given up on tantrums or resisting mom's authority; two days ago we had a 45-minute standoff because he would not come downstairs unless I carried him. Of course, he gets his stubborn streak from me so I wasn't about to back down. Besides the whole 'giving in' issue, I'm having a hard time making it up and down the stairs on my own these days...30 extra pounds on top of my 20 extra is not something I'd like to make a habit of. Especially considering that Eli has been maneuvering the stairs on his own for several months now.

Lehr surprised me by setting up the nursery the other night. Crib, glider chair and dresser are all accounted for. So this week Eli and I have spent some time in there, talking about the baby and setting up toys. Eli has done really well with it so far, but I'm glad we're introducing him to this new stuff before the baby gets here, so he can get used to it. He points to the crib and says 'nigh nigh' and asks to get in. Since we don't have a mattress in there yet, I couldn't let him in, even if I wanted to. But he's taken that 'no' very well. He's enjoyed playing with all the baby toys we've pulled out and he just had to try on some of the baby socks this week.