Ambidextrous?

I just can't figure out whether Eli will be a righty or south-paw. For a long time it seemed he used his left a little more with only rare uses of the right. However, recently he's been using his right hand exclusively for eating. He'll still use the left more when he plays, but when it comes to shoveling food into his mouth, his right hand is the favorite. (Lehr is still holding out for him to use his left, at least for pitching. Though, our retirement funds wouldn't mind if he was a switch hitter!)

No teeth, but less fussing, so hopefully Eli will have a few days of relief from the pain. His crawling is very intense; when he sets his sights on something he wants, he's there in a matter of seconds. The funny thing is, he'll whine a little as he uses the old 'wounded soldier' crawl, but then he'll see the phone on the floor across the room and he'll zoom into his Superman pace without a moment's notice.

Three Random Things

1) WOW! It's been a rough few days with Eli. If his swollen gums are any indication, he's got about four teeth ready to pop: two on bottom and two on top. The kid is miserable. Just plain miserable. If something is entertaining enough to distract him from the pain, he's ok momentarily, but for the most part, he's letting us know (as loud and often as he can, I might add) that he is not a happy camper. Luckily, he's still sleeping very well at night, so there is the silver lining...

2) So much for baby steps. Eli has been army crawling for a total of eight days and he's already perfected the motion. It started as a very inefficient wounded soldier movement, and then progressed to the two-hands-extended-at-once-and-pull movement. Last night as I was preparing his bath, he scooted across the floor faster than I could run after than him, using lizard-like stealth and speed. It appears he finally figured out the correct way to do it, alternating hands and pushing off of his knees. He's still dragging his belly on the ground, but he pushed up onto all fours several times this weekend in preparation for movement, so we're getting closer.

3) Eli's latest trick is feeding other people when he eats. About a week or so ago I noticed him lifting up a cheerio or a gummed-to-death piece of banana to Lehr or I when we sat down next to him as he ate. Now he does it all the time. It's quite cute actually, as long as you don't actually eat the damp, mutilated food he offers. I did manage to eat a cheerio from him yesterday, but it went directly from his tray to my mouth: Eli did not 'chew' it for me first. This is not something I tried to teach him; I imagine he's just mimicking how I feed him when we're out and about (one piece at a time).

My Buddy

The day started off rough, but drastically improved. After Eli woke up this morning, the three of us drove north for a bike ride, but not before some bumps and bruises. Since Eli is more mobile now, we are (obviously failing at) making an attempt to use foresight to prevent accidents. Lehr's bike was in the middle of the garage without the front tire (balancing ever so slightly) and Eli decided he wanted to explore. Since it would take little more than a strong breeze to knock it over, Eli's muscle-touch did the trick. Lehr and I were both packing the car up and heard him cry only to turn around and see the poor guy trapped under the back wheel. He stopped crying before I'd even scrubbed the grease off his head, and he has only a small bruise. Don't worry: karma paid us back. After my ride Lehr pulled one of the bikes up (without the tire) just as I was bending down and I took a 'fork' straight in the forehead.

After our lovely biking adventures, Cooper and his parents came over for the afternoon. Both boys are mobile now, though Cooper is much quicker. You'd think this would mean more interaction between the two, but not so much, at least today. They did pet each other's heads once or twice, and Cooper did push Eli down once, but that was probably to get him back for the last visit. We managed to get some pictures of the two outside. A few of them are of Eli and Cooper on the same swing. They are so much bigger than the first time we did that! I think this was the last hurrah for the shared swing.

Rub Dub, Just Relaxing in the Tub

Oh me oh my. I daresay this clip tops all others as far as smile-predictability goes. I challenge you to watch it and not laugh at my litte frog as he wiggles in the bath and plays hide-n-seek with the camera.

A few nights ago, as usual, Lehr gave Eli his nightly bath. Recently he (Eli, that is) has started fighting us when we rinse his hair because it means he has to lie on his back for a moment. He never used to have a problem with it, but as we've learned, Eli constantly changes in order to keep us on his toes. In an attempt to cure him of this dislike, Lehr drained the bathwater enough so he (again, Eli) could lie on his back without drowning or getting too much water in his ears. It seemed to work; Eli stopped freaking out and even decided to play with his basketball bath-toy and roll over onto his stomach. This is when it got fun. Eli proceeded to dance and thrash all about having an absolute blast in the 2-inch deep water. Once again, Daddy's playtime is so much more intense than Mommy's!

My Son, the Swiffer

So now that Eli is in motion, he has become our new dust mop. The first time I noticed him cleaning the floor for us I was reminded of the SNL commercial for "Swiffer Sleepers", where parents put fleece pj's on their toddlers and pushed them around the floor, picking up lint and dust with their fleece. Since Eli drags his belly across the hardwood floor as he scoots around, he mimics this ad-parody and ends up looking like he's spent the better part of a month under the couch. Clothing covered with dust bunnies and hair: you'd think we never clean by the looks of him!

Video Clip

By popular demand, here is a short clip of our version of Peek-a-Boo.

God Bless America

We started our Fourth of July the way we usually do: waking up early and going downtown to run the Peachtree Road Race. This year Lehr decided report for Eli duty instead of running, so I ran with David (the Godfathah). Carolyn (the Fairy Godmother) drove us down to the race start and then went back to pick up Eli and Lehr. The three of them camped out to watch the race while David and I braved the heat and humidity that is always present on race day. What a weird bird my son is though: I saw them on the sidelines towards the end of the race, so I stopped to say 'hi'. Eli acted as though he couldn't care less, and I continued on my way after about a minute. I am told he burst into tears as I ran away. WEIRDO!!

It was a great race and Eli loved being a spectator. It's hard not to, with all of the crazy costumes and get-ups you see. This year's highlights: superheros (the Hulk, Batman, Spiderman, etc.), "Men in Black", male hula dancers, and Elvis. (Pictures here) After the race we came back home for breakfast, at which time Eli entertained everyone by dancing. He's becoming quite the rocker, swaying back and forth whenever he hears music. Also, he is doing his army crawl all over the downstairs, as I type.

We were hoping to view some fireworks downtown, but unfortunately we got rained out. Of course that didn't happen until we were already down there, at Centennial Park. Luckily as soon as the raindrops started falling we were able to take cover under an awning. It is a good thing too because it came down in buckets for at least 20 minutes!
HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!!!

On The Move

Two Things:
1) Eli can officially army-crawl. It's not like he wasn't able before as much as he wasn't willing. Regardless, I had him army-crawling all over this afternoon, and he even showed off his new skills to dad.

2) I'm a mean mommy. In order to elicit this movement, I had to move the cordless phone (one of his favorite 'toys') just out of his reach each time he moved forward. Considering how tired and frustrated he was, all the while teething, this was cruel. There was lots of crying, some screaming, and a few tears. In the end, Mommy won, so it's not all bad right?

The first few times Eli reached the phone, he furiously started dialing, perhaps 911 to report his mother. After the phone novelty wore off (I had to let him reach it a few times in order to keep his attention), Eli discovered the door and how his movement affected it. He opened and shut the door several times this afternoon. This was a great game because it required him to constantly army-crawl. (BTW - Eli's army-crawl appears to be imitating a wounded soldier. He keeps his left elbow under him to push, while barely reaching forward with his right arm. You can see some of this here.)

The Cheese Stands Alone...

He stands! He stands!

OK, so Lehr had to place him that way, but he still stood and held it for about five minutes! (video) And he had his shoes/bar on at the time, so lots of balance was required. Eli even bounced up and down a few times out of excitement that he was, in fact, standing without Mom or Dad holding him. It ended with a great crash when he let go and tumbled backwards, barely missing his Fisher Price aquarium and only slightly bouncing his head off of the crib bumper. He didn't miss a beat though; he landed on his back and then rolled over to his stomach and pushed his head and shoulders up so quick that if you blinked, you just might have missed it.

Eli has really taken to dancing when he hears certain music. His version is oh-so-white (if I may be politically incorrect for a moment), as he simply sways his head from side to side, just slightly off the beat. (You can view some of this as he plays with his caterpillar.)

This morning Eli and Lehr got some quality rough-housing in. And as common when the two play, Eli squeals with laughter and screams the whole time. One of the funniest things I have seen in a long time was a good old fashion game of "Scare the diaper off of Eli". Some of you may know it as "Peek-A-Boo", but as I've mentioned before, that's not how it usually works in our house. Especially when Lehr is the one saying "Boo". This time, Eli was on our bed with me and Lehr would creep around the bed, popping up at random times and random places shouting "BOO!". Eli would hold his arms out mid-air and slowly move his head from one side of the bed to the other in an effort to predict where the next scare would come from. To his credit, sometimes he was right on the money. (Daddy's kinda loud when he's creeping.) Regardless of his successful tracking, he would scream and giggle when Lehr popped up, all the while shaking uncontrollably. It was way too entertaining for me to leave the scene and get the camera.

Motorboat, Motorboat, Step on the Gas!

Most of you are very aware of Eli's favorite pastime: blowing 'raspberries'. This week it's been taken to a whole new level. Not only is the blowing more intense, louder, and wetter, but Eli now puts on a whole production when he indulges in mouth play. These sessions last (no joke) for five full minutes each time: each blow starts with Eli's eyes getting really big and him taking a HUGE breath in before blowing out at maximum capacity, as if he were taking an oxygen output test for an asthma doctor. Luckily, Lehr caught a few seconds of Eli performing the other day. (Note: This was after Eli had already been 'blowing' for a few minutes, so he was running out of steam.)

Pots & Pans

Eli found the pots and pans last night. He is getting more and more bored with his exersaucer, mainly because he thinks he is mobile. (Yet he doesn't crawl or walk...hmmm...) That tends to be a problem when I'm trying to cook dinner. Sometimes I'll just put him in his booster seat/highchair, but unless I give him a constant stream of Cheerios, he's not happy. He can't spoon feed himself, so giving him dinner and saying 'eat' doesn't work either. Finger foods of the fruit or veggie variety are not options at the moment because he is in the let's-look-over-the-side-of-my-chair-and-watch-how-the-food-falls-to-the-ground phase. If I'm feeding him and can monitor this process, it's not too bad, but if I am 'ignoring' him, as I'd have to do in order to fix dinner, my floor would be a mess and Eli would have an empty tray in a matter of minutes.

This brings me to last night. I have him on the kitchen floor...toys all around...Eli's bored with everything . ("That toy is soo yesterday, Mom!") Trying to be creative, I start looking in a few drawers and cabinets for a new, fun toy. Then I remember reading about how much fun it is to make noise at that age. AHA! Pots and pans. I pulled two out of the cabinet and let him go wild. He loved it (for about 15 minutes). Next time I'll be sure to pull out the video camera.

A Man And His Blanket

I've posted before about Eli's new obsession with his blanket. He can sleep without it, but it makes life a whole lot easier when he is holding it. I've been pretty strict on not letting it leave his bedroom (actually, not even his crib), with the rare exception being when we go to our community group since it extends well past his bedtime. (But that's only twice a month, so I think it qualifies as an exception.) I first noticed how much he cherished the blanket one day when I put Eli down for a nap and as soon as he had his hands on it, his thumb went into his mouth and he got instantly 'in the zone' and happy. Call him Pavlov's dog; this week I've noticed that when it's nap time, all I have to do is grab the blanket (if he's on the floor in his room) and the thumb goes to the mouth. Yesterday I was folding towels on the floor with Eli and I played Peek-A-Boo with him. The first time I pulled the towel off his face, he had his thumb in his mouth. I guess it was unfair of me, since it was so close to nap time, to tease him that way.

QT with Daddy

Eli loves his Dad. Pure and simple. I know sometimes he won't let Daddy feed him his bottle, or put him to bed. But those moments are becoming far less and they are being replaced by squeals of laughter and larger-than-life grins whenever the two are together. Last week I was uploading some video and Lehr's voice (rather, duck-impression) came over the speakers. Eli's eyes got wide and he looked towards the door in anticipation. (Poor kid: it was 9AM. He had a long time to wait by that door.)

Lehr took Eli out to the park for some baseball practice when he got home today. I love that he looks forward to spending as much time as he can with his son every night. As much as I want to spend time with both them when Lehr gets home, I have to remind myself that they need 'alone' time together. The moments they share without Mommy are ones I know Eli will cherish forever.

Round and Round

I took Eli to the park last week for his first Merry-Go-Round ride. He loved it, but of course I didn't have the camera. Since I'm obsessed with documenting every moment of his life, Eli and I went back this morning with the sole purpose of getting some pictures. Once again he giggled with glee as I spun him around. He held on very good at the beginning, even grabbing the bar when I said "Hold on". As most kids do, by the end of the trip, Eli stopped listening to me and let go of the bar. Luckily no spills today, which is a good thing since the recent rain caused big muddy puddles all around the Merry-Go-Round.

You Put Your Right Foot In..

During one of Eli's independent play times today, he managed to get himself into quite a pickle. He somehow fit his right foot through the circle opening in his new box-toy. This opening is just big enough to fit his foot, if he points his toe. Of course, once it was in, he couldn't figure out how to get it back out. Instead of helping him immediately, like a good mom, I grabbed the camera and took pictures and he fussed and cried for my help.

OK, I've never done this before (well, once when I blogged about adoption, I guess), but I'm going to give two shout-outs today. I found a few cool (mom) blogs this week. One is Queen Mum, featuring a great post today. Another is Faithfully Mommy, which featured a 'tug-at-your-heartstrings' story today related to adoption and foster care.

Boogie Fever

Just before I put Eli to bed tonight, he and I danced the day away. With the help of his (annoyingly loud) caterpillar, he boogied his cares away. (Video) Also, his caterpillar moves if on a hard surface, by way of wheels located underneath its head. Eli loves to flip it over and stick his fingers in the way of the wheels, causing a 'click click' noise. (Also seen on the video.)

As of right now, we're probably two minutes from Eli finally crawling. He is up on all fours all the time now, even when his bar is on. It seems he's finally figured out how to move his knees underneath him for support. He doesn't stay up long, but he is rocking back and forth a bit, so it won't be long now!

Happy Trails...

We got a short reprieve from the exhausting heat this morning, so Lehr and I decided to dust off the mountain bikes again. We packed up Betty and left as soon as Eli woke up. Since we have to take turns biking while the other person is on Eli-duty, Lehr thought it would be wise to bring Eli's back-pack carrier along for the trip. While I rode the trail, Eli and Lehr explored the beginner trail and some of the parking lot. Then when we switched, Eli and I went into the woods to see the creek. Eli cooed the entire time we were inside the leafy surroundings...he LOVES riding in the carrier, and he has a rather odd fascination with leaves and flowers. He was in hog-heaven by the creek; nothing but green to the right, the left, and up above. We look forward to the day when all three of us can ride the trails...

I think that's QUACK-TASTIC!

Eli got up on all fours a few times today, totally unprompted, and in his bar. Sometimes I think he works harder when it's on; it is almost as if he relaxes too much when I take his shoes off. He is scooting and pushing back like crazy, but still no form of a crawl. And he's not pulling up at all, but if I stand him up next to something, he'll balance fine until he forgets to hold on. He seems to have a short memory when it comes to that; he is constantly testing Lehr and I in trust exercises.

Sliced turkey continues to be a favorite of Eli's; it's almost replaced his Cheerio obsession. Also, dinnertime has become easier, preparation-wise, because Eli almost always eats what we eat now. He loves sweet potatoes and zucchini roasted in the oven!

Late Night Swim

It has been crazy hot here for the last week or so. A few times I've actually wondered if I had lost my mind and moved back to the heat I despised in Florida! The main problem with the heat/humidity is that Eli LOVES to be outside, but it's just miserable out there right now. I've been trying to go for early morning walks with him on shady trails, but even by 9am it's sticky out to the point of his discomfort. To get around this problem tonight, Lehr took Eli over to the pool as soon as he got home from work. The sun was not so hot and they had the pool all to themselves: perfect! Eli loves when Lehr makes waves with his hands...he couldn't stop laughing. And he is (finally?) 'jumping' into the pool now. Ever since Eli's swim lessons back in March we've been showing him how to lean forward and fall into our arms. Tonight was the first time he did it..again and again and again and again....
(BTW - Happy 10-months, Eli!!!)

Popsicle Toes

So my new favorite thing about Eli this week is his feet, specifically his toes. I know this is a favorite thing I've mentioned before, but considering we couldn't see feet and toes to dote on for about six months, I think I'm entitled. We've been leaving Eli's bar and shoes off almost the entire day (when he's awake) since he's been showing signs that he wants to be more mobile. This means more access to his feet. When he's in the car seat without the shoes, he grabs his feet and lifts them up (happy baby pose for the yogis), giggling uncontrollably. Then he alternates, grabbing one foot and then the other, trying to bring his toes to his mouth. The rest of the time he just marvels at the fact that the feet and toes are attached to him. I'll catch him every once in a while, in a sitting position, just staring at them while casually brushing the toes with his fingers. I love it!

This morning Eli had his 9-month doctor's appointment (even though he'll be 10-months tomorrow). He's measuring perfect, per the doctor, and he only cried for a few seconds when he received his shots. Also, Eli's 4th tooth broke through on Father's Day, so he now has a set of four: two on top and two on bottom.

Liquid Gold

What a liar I've become. After my last off-topic blog I promised to not ramble on about anything other than Eli again (or at least not for a long time). Yet here I am, barely ten-days later... (Before I begin writing, simultaneously offending you due to my inability to speak my mind while still remaining sensitive, take a look at the facts for yourself.)

I have been following the Breast Feeding Awareness campaign fairly closely for the last week or so as it's been debated in the news. I think the campaign, and the television ads, are a great for one main reason: they will spark conversation, and hopefully awareness, about the issue. I know some people feel they are a little harsh, but it is my opinion the advocates are trying to make mothers-to-be mindful of the gravity of their decision to breastfeed or not. I understand that some women who can't (for medical reasons) breastfeed might feel bad when viewing one of these ads, but which is worse: hurt feelings, or an infant never given the chance to have the 'best' immune system s/he could have because his/her mom was never made aware that formula and breast milk aren't the same? Also, if said mom truly wanted to breastfeed before she found she was unable, she would know how beneficial it is for infants, so how could she disagree with the purpose of the ads?

I could go around and around about this all day long. In the end, it is a mother's choice to breastfeed or not. Period. Having said that, I do not understand how these ads can anger a woman who decided not to breastfeed for her own reasons (non-medical). If she feels strongly enough about choosing formula instead, I would hope she did some research about it before feeding it (exclusively for a while) to her brand new baby. If not, the ads are aimed at her....knowledge is power. The mothers that did their research and still decided not to breastfeed shouldn't be offended by the ads; if they believe(d) that strongly in their decision, they should stick by it and know it was the right one for them. Mothers who feel the ads are making them feel guilty for formula feeding might be missing the point of the campaign (to educate).

I'm not insinuating that riding a mechanical bull while pregnant is the same as not breastfeeding for six months. If you see one PSA, or read one article, and make a decision based solely on the information obtained there, you're not doing your homework. I think this campaign and the television ads will (hopefully) prompt moms-to-be to ask their doctors more questions, or to read up more about the benefits of breastfeeding, so they can make an informed decision. (I will add that I've yet to meet a mother who breastfed and regretted it. Most moms I have met tell me that they are/were so happy to provide for their child that way, and many wished they'd nursed longer than three or six or nine months.) Obviously, I feel strongly about awareness of this issue, since I know firsthand what a rewarding experience it can be, both emotionally and medically....sorry to ramble!

*For the record, I'm a 'normal' mom; I'm not going to breastfeed Eli until he steps into his kindergarten class, nor do I sanitize all of his toys. Eli is 10-months old and I can count on one hand the times he's had a fever, or illness of any kind. And of those three times, only one lasted longer than 4 hours. No antibiotics, no ear infections, no RSV, no croup, no flu.... This is not to say that all kids who are breastfed will be illness free, nor that those who drink formula will be in the doctor's office every week. Statistics show that breastfed babies get sick less; their odds are just better.

BFF or Frenemies?

Cooper came over to play this afternoon. Lehr and I decided to take the boys to the park to play with bubbles so we could get some good pictures and video. This worked for about three minutes and then Eli decided to be a big 'ol bully. First he decided to take Cooper's favorite toy from him, causing him some distress. Then, once everyone was calm again, Eli went in for the kill: 'petting' Cooper's face as if he were an animal. You can see from the pictures the malice in Eli's eyes (well, maybe not malice, but definitely not kindness). Since it was obvious Eli was determined to terrorize his guest, we moved the boys over to the swings where Cooper enjoyed a nice 20-minute ride on the swings while Eli had to just sit and watch. As if Eli needed another reason to pick on Cooper....

One Bite For You, One Bite For Me...

Eli had a traditional breakfast of scrambled egg yolks and wheat toast this morning. He didn't seem too interested in eating for some reason, so in his food-play he decided to lift his toast towards Lehr's face. Lehr took a small bite and a new game evolved. Eli would take a small bite and then lift the food so Lehr could eat. It was so neat to watch father and son interacting this way; Eli was so into their game. I apologize for not taking any pictures; I worried I might have missed the moment if I left to find the camera.

DDDOOOIIINNNNGGG!

That's the sound I heard all afternoon.
DOING! DOING!
Eli discovered the door stop springs today. Yup, Mommy's getting ready for the day and Eli's making music.
DOING! DOING! DOING!
Not too bad, I think. It will keep him entertained for a bit.
DOING........
I look around the corner to see why he stopped and he's got the rubber stopper in his mouth. Great. Eli picks this moment to become 'smart' enough to pull it off of the spring. I tell him "no" and put it back on. Anyone with kids knows that lasted all of about two seconds. After three attempts to 'teach' him that I mean "no", I remove the rubber and let him play with the door stop sans protection.
DOING! DOING!

Eli also discovered two new toys in his room today. One is a sign language ABC puzzle I bought before he was born. (He thinks it tastes great.)
DOING!
The other is a new box of shapes which plays music. He couldn't decide which he liked better, so he alternated between the two, rolling back and forth each time he thought "No, that one is cooler".
DOING!
Make that three new toys....

That Smell

So I took Eli to a story time at the local library today. Before we went into the story circle, we checked out a few books. In the last few weeks Eli has become much more attentive when I read to him, which means I can now get 75% of the way through a book without him pulling at the pages and yelling over my voice. He still reaches for the book, but if I put him in my lap and hold the book out of his reach, he calms down after a page or two. And because of that, we're going through his library quite often, so I figured we could use a new book or two to 'spice things up'. We checked out three books to read over the next few weeks before story time started. It turned out to be quite a process: I had to run to my car once to get my ID since my library card had expired and I left everything except the card in the car. Then, once I returned the librarian told me I had an $.80 fine (again, purse is in the car), to which I told her to just put the books back because I didn't feel like going back out to the car. She was nice enough to waive it until next time.

Once that was all squared away, we entered the story time room at which time Eli promptly filled his pants. No noise associated, just a smell. And what a smell it was. Since I'm a lazy mother, I'd left his diaper bag in the car. Not that it would have mattered because the bathrooms were all the way upstairs, and the story time room was too small to change him without putting on a show for the other moms and babies. So what did we do? Sat through the 30-minute story time exchanging looks with the other mothers as if to say, "Do you smell that? No, it's not us, is it you?" What a wonderful thing to teach my child.....

Outside of the mini-drama associated with Eli's pants, the story time was very enjoyable. It consisted of once short story (babies 8-12 months have very short attention spans) and several sing-along, clap-along songs. I highly recommend it as a fun, free activity for any SAHMs out there looking for something new.

Mamas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys...

That's right. That's my boy in a cowboy hat and no shirt. As his Uncle Tom said, "He sure looks like a Georgia boy now!" (Thanks for the hat, Aunt Linda & Uncle Darol!) Of course, Eli was more interested in playing with the hat, so it was impossible to get a picture without Eli's hands on the hat, in the process of pulling the hat off.

We've been leaving Eli's bar off during the day more and more and this kid is getting pretty good at moving around. No real crawling yet, but plenty of rolling from one side of the room to the other, and he's still doing the backwards crawl. Several times this week he's gotten his legs stuck under a bed or couch because he backed up into it. The funniest moment this week: Eli rolled over to the end of the guest bed and started playing with the cast-iron foot of the bed. Since playing = rolling around, his head ended up under the 'foot' and he got stuck. I know it's wrong, but I laughed as he cried for help...

Long List....

I often post my "new favorite thing" about Eli. This installation will be no different. My new favorite thing about Eli this week is how he plays with his feet. I have a mirror above his car seat so I can see him in the rear-view mirror (since he's still facing backwards in the car). For the past few weeks we've been decreasing his shoe/bar time more and more, and sometimes he ends up in the car without his shoes. It's on those occasions when I look up to see him playing with his feet. Anyone with a baby, or anyone who has been around a baby is probably thinking, "Big deal; all babies play with their feet." Not babies stuck in casts or shoes attached to each other! He loves reaching for one foot and then the other, sometimes making a move to put one in his mouth. Eli doesn't engage in the foot-play too much at the house; when he's shoeless there he's much too busy trying to crawl or move (at this point he's only managed to do the backwards crawl/push). This activity is exclusively saved for the car seat.

On another note, Eli's third tooth popped out this afternoon. It wasn't there when he woke up, but as we were playing an hour ago, I could feel it on the top of his mouth. Now his smile will really start to change!

Sip Sip Horray!!

Hopefully I'm not jinxing myself by saying this: Eli has finally mastered the sippy cup! It has been a L O N G journey of me presenting it to him at every meal and trying to get him to drink from it (a little over two months now!). He would pick it up and play with it, chew on the handles, throw it to the floor...anything but drink from it. Some days he would take a sip as I held it to his mouth, and others he would refuse and push it away. For a while he would only drink if I replaced the 'sipper' with a bottle nipple, then he would only refuse when the nipple was there. Back and forth. Back and forth. Finally about two weeks ago he started drinking from it (actually 'chugging' at times) very regularly. Then about a week ago he started picking it up and putting the 'sipper' in his mouth and sucking. However, he didn't understand that he had to lean his head back and tip the cup to get liquid. So we have been working on that. Fast forward to this afternoon: I'm fixing Eli's avocado and pasta lunch and I turn around to see Eli pick up the cup, tip back his head and drink. All on his own! TA DA! (Just to show off, he repeated this trick for his dad at dinner.)

Garden Variety

Cooper's mom and I took the boys to the Botanical Gardens today. They have a monthly storytime we wanted to check out, plus the scenery isn't too shabby! Although the pictures show them looking incredibly bored, I think they will really enjoy the storytime in about a year. (There is a mini-amphitheater set up in the Children's Garden, which is a really cool playground-ish setting for kids.) I thought Eli would enjoy the surroundings more, considering how silly he gets whenever he sees flowers up close. He did enjoy 'petting' the flowers any time I moved his stroller close enough.

Eli is threatening to become more mobile; he's been showing more signs of crawling when we take off his bar each day. His newest trick is to get up halfway on his knees and push backwards, eventually running into a wall and getting frustrated, but cool nonetheless.

I'm going to have to start turning over the spoon to Eli soon, also. For over a month now he's been 'helping' me feed him from time to time, but in the last few weeks he's been reaching more often and giggling uncontrollably as he helps me put the spoon (full of food) into his mouth. I might as well invest in a steam cleaner for the walls and floor now....

More Unrelated Ramblings By Eli's Mom

I'm not a big crier...I didn't even cry when Eli was born (and Lehr won't let me forget it). However, Eli's birth ensured that I now get choked up watching Maternity Ward or any other birth show. (And, for the record, I didn't cry at Eli's birth because I was so exhausted...but now I get teary-eyed just watching him nap.)

Also, I've said many times that Eli's page is about Eli and Eli only. I do not want to blog about my political or religious views, nor do I want it to be endless ramblings about just anything. I really want(ed) it to be ramblings only about Eli, and yet here I am, for the second time in as many weeks. So I promise to continue my attempt, and make this my last 'non-Eli' post for a really long time. (Cross my heart.)

THAT BEING SAID...
In the past week I've read about, seen, or heard about so many stories of adoption and foster care. It has really had an impact on me, so I thought I would share a few of the stories I've come across.

I saw a show the other day about a couple who was adopting. They had a 3yo son and wanted more kids but couldn't have them. So they adopted a little girl from Korea. She was probably 6 months by the time they got her, but you got to follow them to the airport where they picked her up. I got so emotional watching it....I could only imagine how they must have been shaking as they walked into the airport knowing they were about to meet their new daughter. (I tried to liken it to going to the hospital to deliver Eli, but I had so many other things (PAIN) to distract me, so I don't think it was the same.) This family was so excited to meet their newest member; there were tears of joy on the parents' cheeks before they were even able to hold their daughter. Video from weeks after her arrival portrayed a very happy, normal family. It did not appear that this little girl was in any way different, and thus not an equal member of the family. It was wonderful to see how her arrival was just taken in stride, and how welcomed this little girl was by the entire extended family.

The next day, I found a blog about a family who recently adopted a Russian boy. He is so cute and the family's (including two biological kids) dedication to him is amazing. They talk about how he is growing attached to them and how his life has changed since leaving the orphanage...unbelievable. They were lucky to get him at a fairly early age (approx. 18 months?); hopefully he will not remember too much of the loneliness he felt before he met his current family. Also in the adoption ring is a couple at our church. They adopted a beautiful little girl from Russia about a year ago. She was older (maybe 2?), so she probably remembers the orphanage more than this little boy. Regardless, both children appear to be as happy and healthy as can be.

The point of me rambling on is to talk-out my feelings on adopting. I love, love, love that I look at Eli and see so much of his father in his face. I like knowing that people look at him and see me at times also. But when I see a a child 'born' to parents under less conventional means yet still basking in unconditional love, it makes me realize that blood does not a family make. These kids are so special because they were hand-picked by their parents. How lucky they are.....

(If you are interested in learning more about adoption in Russia, here is a link.)

All Grows Up

It happened. Right before my eyes. The first of many times when I will look at Eli and realize how 'grows up' he is.

This weekend Lehr installed Eli's new carseat. I keep calling it a BarcaLounger because when Eli sits in it, he seems to totally relax and become like a couch potato. The first time I put him in it I realized how mature he looked: pretty scary!

Then today, after his morning nap, Eli waved for the first time wtihout being totally prompted by me or Lehr. For the past few weeks I've been showing him how to wave all the time: when we see someone new, when someone leaves the room, before he goes down for his nap (we wave 'good-bye' to some things in his room), after he gets up from a nap... For a few days now he's been kind of shaking his arm after I shake it for him several times, but today he shook it completely on his own. I walked into his room (with the camera, thank goodness) and started talking to him and he waved! (Video) Before I know it, he'll be walking and talking...

Mummified

This morning I had a few things to get done around the house before Eli went down for his nap, so I left him to play on the floor in our bedroom. As usual, I gave him three or four toys and came back to check on him every few minutes (relax: at any given time he was less than 12 feet from me). In one of the shorter spans of time, he managed to roll over to my bedside table, take my kickboxing wrap off of the shelf, unwrap it, and mummify himself. Once I discovered him I saw how he was wrapping himself up: he would roll around while he held the majority of it in his hands (smart kid).

After we finished upstairs I took Eli down to eat. He provided me with the perfect opportunity to snap a few pictures of him fussing for no real reason. (Lehr has been bugging me for months to catch these moments on film.) These pictures are for all of the people who see Eli and believe it's not possible that he might fuss or cry unnecessarily. This photo was taken mere seconds after I placed (gasp) a piece of avocado (a food he loves) on his tray.

Sushi and Kimonos

Tonight we went to our favorite local sushi restaurant for dinner. It's a small little neighborhood joint, but we think it's the best sushi in town. Plus the waitresses know Eli (they frequently pick him up and walk around the small restaurant holding him), and they usually smack Lehr on the forehead and say "Look like Daddy!" when they compare father and son. The last time we were there, Eli was too young for solids, so this was his first 'real' sushi dinner. The only thing we ordered that doubled as a meal for him was the tofu, but he loved it. I knew he would, as he's had this at home already. However, this was the first time he ate it off a chopstick. I couldn't decide which he enjoyed more: the taste of the tofu or the feeling of the chopsticks in his mouth. Either way it was a picture perfect moment, but without the camera.... I promise to bring it next time.

Pool Shark

Eli and Cooper had a playdate in the pool today. It was a beautiful day and the pool area was empty so it was a perfect opportunity for the two boys to get their 'swim' on. They have matching sunglasses (Baby Banz) and matching floaties, so they were quite the pair to see.

Lucky for me, Eli has not been impressed enough (or intimidated enough) by Cooper's army crawl to follow suit. I think it's the coolest thing; today Cooper crawled right over to Eli and got in his face. There was nothing Eli could do about it....we see who's boss here!

Eli's fever has fluctuated a bunch over the last few days. He's still a little tired and cranky at times, but no other side effects.

Hot Stuff

Eli has been running a fever for the last 24-hours. It came on rather suddenly, especially considering there isn't a cough, or runny nose. When I put him down for his morning nap yesterday he was fine, but when I woke him up, his head and body were burning up....to the temperature of 102.5 actually. He doesn't seem too affected by it, luckily. Eli still wakes up happy and all-smiles, but he has been more tired and cranky than usual. The doctor says not to worry yet - he doesn't have any other symptoms, so it's probably just a virus running it's course. The fever didn't' stop him from enjoying his new bath letters last night. Check him out!

Blatant Discrimination, Indeed....

I don't normally use this blog for anything more than an update on Eli, or a shameless ramble about how much I love my family. However, I couldn't let this topic pass by without a comment.

Anne Maddox brought an article to my attention after I posted Once Upon a Random Thought. If you don't feel like reading the article, here's the summary: babies are being aborted (later in pregnancy) due to small abnormalities including webbed digits and clubfeet.

How horrible to think that innocent babies are being denied life based on small, correctable 'imperfections'. I'm not trying to start a debate on abortion; the devastation here has more to do with the thought process behind why to abort. The birth defects listed in this article are not life-threatening or even immobilizing, in my opinion. More importantly, most, if not all, are correctable. I certainly hope that the "parents" referenced in this article made this decision based on the lack of information they had about correction or therapy regarding their baby's abnormality. At least if ignorance prompted their choice, there is hope that we can prevent this tragedy in the future through education by the media and doctors. However, if they made their decision because they couldn't handle the idea of a less-than-perfect child, God help any future children they might have. I pray that those children never stutter, or lag behind in gym class, or develop a lisp...

Once Upon a Random Thought

When we first found out about Eli's feet, we were caught completely off-guard. Even though I was born with a clubfoot, my parents were told it was not genetic, so the thought never entered my mind that the condition would be passed on to my child(ren). Thank God for the internet: we were able to find enough information about clubfoot treatment in the months before Eli was born to put our minds at ease about his chances at being 'normal'. The only thing that continued to bother me was how he might be viewed by outsiders: kids, parents, teachers, strangers... Thankfully, I've been asked a million questions about his condition, his casts, and his brace in the last nine months, but to-date, I've never been met with any obvious displays of horror or gawking. Maybe I'm just not looking, or maybe society is becoming more accepting of exceptions to the norm. Either way, I never look at Eli and see a handicapped, compromised, or special-needs child, even though I'm sure some doctors or teachers might place him in that category. (Unfortunately, this acceptance we've been met with is not always the case. I've connected with several moms who have been met with horrified stares and 'accusations' about their children's feet.)

So far the correction of Eli's feet has gone better than we could have imagined, and we have every right to think he will be just fine. However, you never know how this condition might affect him when he gets older. We don't know if he'll be able to have a career in track and field, or ice skating, or (take a deep breath, Lehr) dance. There are still plenty of unknowns, just as there are in every child's future. Regardless of all that, looking back, I don't think twice about how things have turned out. Though I would never wish anything but a carefree life for Eli, I don't think I would change his feet even if I could. (Hopefully, any resistance or struggle he meets as a result will make him stronger and more determined.) I associate Eli's bar (and casts) with him as my son; it's hard to imagine him without the foot-gear. In fact, when we were in Florida last week, he spent a lot of time out of the bar and it took a lot of getting used to on my part...I'm not accustomed to seeing his bare feet so much.

I am so lucky to share this blessing of a child with someone who feels the same way. Not only has Lehr been so supportive and strong through the entirety of Eli's 'foot-story', but it seems he and I are constantly on the same page. When planning our trip to Florida, we decided to try and get some sunset pictures on the beach with Eli, all dolled-up and in crisp white linen. The day before we were set to take the pictures, I started running through my check-list for necessities for the photo shoot. Camera, check. Tripod, check. Eli's white linen suit, check. Eli's shoes..... Faced with the question to take the pictures with or without the bar and shoes, I decided for myself that I really wanted the brace in the picture. Again, it's who Eli is, and I have a weird sense of pride about it. However, I figured it was only right to ask Lehr for his opinion also. He looked at me incredulously when I asked if the pictures should be with or without the bar and said "With the bar, of course." Few moments have I loved him more.....

Exercise Fool

Eli has discovered my big red exercise ball. While in our bedroom yesterday, he seemed to be totally transfixed by it, so I thought I'd give him a spin.

He. Loved. It.

Eli giggled when I let him sit on top and bounce. He thought it was funny when I let him stand on the ground and lean against it for support. And he became hysterical when I put him on top of the ball on his stomach. We then continued the fun by rolling it back and forth to each other (one of Eli's favorite games). Of course, when we demonstrated for Lehr later that night, the game was taken a bit further and Eli enjoyed getting 'hit' with the ball (video). Some things never change....

He's On A Roll....

Eli just went down for a nap, but not before covering every inch of his nursery floor. He rolled from one end to the other and then back again. We were just hanging out in there, playing on the floor when he started. At one point he rolled into me and couldn't flip all the way over, because I was in his way apparently. He started to fuss at me as if to say, 'Get outta my way, lady!'; the attitude is always present.

Eli is still 'challenged' in the crawling department; he'll do a full push-up with his arms (ala Up Dog), but he refused to get up on his knees. Still no complaints for me. That means I have at least one more weekend before I have to baby-proof the house.

The Simple Life

Before I begin my unnecessarily long ramble, let me warn you that weekly update blogs are not my forte. My normal daily blog tends to miss the mark on wit as it is, but these longer ones are definitely less organized and harder to follow....good luck!

Lehr, Eli & I spent the last week living as beach bums in Watercolor, in Santa Rosa Beach Florida. (Seaside, which was the set for The Truman Show, is a neighboring community.) Watercolor is such a neat place to visit; it's quite a step out of the hustle-and-bustle of Atlanta life. One of my favorite aspects of Watercolor/Seaside is the amount of bike traffic. Most people make their way around town by foot or bike. Unfortunately there are still vehicles (due to new construction, mostly), but the general feel is reminiscent of a more simple time. I found myself going for several bike rides a day, often while Eli napped. I felt like a kid again; guiltlessly coasting down hills and then peddling like hell on the inclines (only one gear!!). Also, there is no need to lock up the bikes when you park them to eat dinner or go to the beach; it's a pretty crime-free area. (That being said, Lehr's bike was 'borrowed' twice, but we believe it was more a case of mistaken bike-identity than intent to steal.) We were able to enjoy the beach and pool every day since we had unbelievable weather the entire time. Unlike Central Florida (where Lehr and I went to high school) or Tallahassee (where we attended FSU), there was no humidity or intense heat from the sun. Instead we had cloudless skies coupled with a constant breeze: breathtaking.

Eli hasn't been in the pool since his swimming lessons, but he didn't miss a beat. He loved getting in the pool and swimming, or floating around in his yellow floatie. (The best $2.99 spent to-date.) It probably didn't hurt that the pool felt more like a hot tub. As for the beach, Eli loved the sand. He loved to dig his fingers in it and he loved to eat it. We figured the desire to consume would fade quickly, given the face he made after every bite, but it didn't: he continued to eat until the last day. The ocean scared him a bit in the beginning; the water was much rougher than we anticipated due to unseasonably strong winds. However, by day three we was laughing and smiling everytime the waves crashed. And his favorite water activity was 'kicking' the waves as they crash. Of course this was aided by Lehr or myself holding him under his arms and swinging his whole body into the waves.

Back to the bikes: I loved riding around on the rickety old, one-speed bikes (that's right: pedal back to break!). The coolest thing about them was the little kid-caboose you could rent. We attached it to the back of Lehr's bike and zoomed around the whole area on the first day. Eli seemed skeptical in the beginning, but he never fussed. Most of the time he was cooing or yelling at the birds or other bikers. Speaking of which...

Fathers: lock up your daughters now. Eli is a shameless flirt who will stop at absolutely nothing to gain the attention of women young and old. I am not exaggerating when I say that each and every woman who came within 20 feet of Eli got sucked in by his smile. Regardless of what he was doing, he would stop as soon as he saw a new female and flirt by smiling or talking until their eyes met. At which point, it was all over. The women would play peek-a-boo with him, or rush over to talk to him, or smile and flirt back....it was ridiculous! We were unable to go anywhere without getting bombarded by cooing females. The day before we left, one of Eli's victims commented on this behavior. She said he locked in on her as soon as she stepped foot in the pool. Dads, don't say I didn't warn you...

For months now Lehr has been threatening/warning Eli that he was going to bury him in the sand. A man of his word, he did just that. Twice. Lucky for him, Eli didn't' seem to mind at all. In fact, we think he enjoyed it because the sand cocoon made it impossible for him to tip over, regardless of how much he would reach for toys, water, etc. We nicknamed his sand seat his beach-bo (after his bumbo seat at home).

We had an amazing time. Lehr and I have been looking forward to this first family-only trip for several months. It is our opinion that this is the best type of trip to take with kids: one that offers good, cheap fun. Our week of clean living proved to be much more rewarding than any trip to Disney or Discovery Cove, or any other over-priced family vacation. No need for loud music or bright shiny lights, nor long lines and expensive gift shops. Quality together-time is the best: Ahh, the simple life.

The Mother of all Mother's Days

Alright, I know it was only my first one, but it was great. I didn't expect much, only because Lehr and I normally don't do much to celebrate holidays outside of Christmas and birthdays. He broke that rule and set the bar way too high for Mom's Days to come.

I woke up to find a card and one of my favorite pictures of Eli and I (right) framed, along with the indication that I am to enjoy a spa treatment or two while we are on vacation next week. Had the day ended there, I would have been over-the-moon happy, but Lehr had more up his sleeve. As soon as we got home from church, he pushed me out the door to go hiking. I protested at first, saying I wanted to spend the day as a family, but he reminded me that Eli always crashes for a few hours after church anyway. So off I went. (My favorite hiking spot is about 15 minutes north, so I got to drive Betty at high speeds with the windows down and the stereo blasting; Life Is Good.) As soon as I returned from my 90-minute heaven-on-earth hike, Lehr whisked the three of us off to The Flying Biscuit (one of my favorite restaurants) for a late lunch, followed by a walk around Piedmont Park. To add to that, the weather was phenomenal all day. It was pretty much the best day I've had in a long time, which is saying a lot considering that since Eli was born, I've had a lot of really good days.

I know he will moan and groan because he always does when I get all sappy in Eli's blogs, but I have a pretty great husband. You rock my world, Lehr....Eli and I are very lucky to have you.

New Video Clips

I don't have any thing new to report today; Eli is still (making a mess with) eating finger foods, teething, and testing my limits in general.

The clips I added (link to Eli's video located to the right) today include:

• Eli playing with his xylophone; no doubt he'll be this generation's Bach.
• Eli playing with his changing pad (his favorite "toy" for as long as I can remember).
• Eli playing in his crib, including doing 'tricks' once Mommy is present (much like a dog).

Enjoy!

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish

I took Eli to the Georgia Aquarium again the other day. (This was his fourth visit.) I've found that when I go during the week, first thing in the morning, we miss all of the crowds, so we can get through there in about 90-minutes. Although Eli enjoys it now, I am looking forward to when he's able to talk a little so we can 'discuss' the aquatic life on display.

Eli's menu has taken a new turn: finger foods are here. In the last week he's had tofu (big mess), pancakes (bigger mess), toast (not too messy), sliced fruit (too slippery for his fingers), grilled cheese (mess), and a few small pieces of chicken (no mess since they were fed to Eli from his father's fork). He seems to really enjoy feeding himself, but I need to have a better system for cleaning up. Or better yet, containing the mess. It's bad enough that he squishes all of these already messy foods as he's eating, but then he's drinking water or juice at the same time, so everything becomes a messy, liquid paste. On a related note, I think he's finally coming to terms with the sippy cup. After two months of trying to get him interested, he used it a few times on his own today. Not such a dim bulb after all.....

De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da...

Eli has been talking for months, but up until now, he was the only one who could made any sense of what was coming out of his mouth. For the past week I've been working on "Daddy" or "Dada" with him, and he has come around. (Disclaimer: He has NO clue what he is saying; in fact, he seems to only say "dadadada" to his toys or to his crib, and not to Daddy himself.) Sometimes the dadadadada turns into blablablabla, but it's still cute.

Eli kinda sorta fed himself with a spoon today. When he's teething (which is almost all of the time and will continue to be almost all of the time until he has all of his teeth, I imagine), he seems to be more fussy about eating. Today when he started in, I filled the spoon and then had him hold it with me as we put it into his mouth. He loved this game and never tried to take it totally away from me. (I'm aware this will not last, but for today's battle of wills: Mom - 1, Eli - 0.)

Angels Among Us

I know he fusses unnecessarily sometimes. I know he has been clingy to the point of annoying this week. I know when he was younger and woke up during the night, I would curse on my way to feed him at 3AM. I know some days I get frustrated when he refuses to nap (and then stays in a permanent bad mood all day because he's overtired). I know he is already testing my limits with his stubborn streak. I know that for the next three years (at least) I will be picking up Cheerios and sippy cups off the floor during and after every meal.

More importantly...

I also know that I will never forget how I felt when the midwife placed him in my arms for the first time. I also know that even though I would curse on my way to his nursery at 3AM, I would also smile and cherish the special time I got to spend with him while the rest of the world slept. I also know that hearing him talk and laugh is music to my ears. I also know that when he is asleep I miss him. I also know that every week I have a 'new favorite thing' that involves him. I also know that he makes me smile every day.

As I type, Eli is asleep in the other room. After a long afternoon of playing with Cooper and then (patiently) watching everyone eat for an hour or so, Eli remained quiet on the drive home and went into his crib for a nap without so much as a peep. It's moments like these when I know that God has truly blessed Lehr and I with our very own angel.

If You Give a Pig a Pancake

(I guess I'm moving to book titles now?)

So I gave Eli his first pancake this morning (multigrain, of course, with no syrup or butter). Had I thought it through a little more, I would have covered the floor with trash bags and put an empty bucket of water on the back porch to dip him into once he was finished. Alas, hindsight is 20/20...

Within 30 seconds of placing the pancake on his tray, Eli had it crumbled and all over his shirt, face, and the floor. At that point I realized I needed to capture this moment on video, so here is a clip. (You'll hear Eli's "fake cough" as he's eating. It has returned; he does it anytime he's excited.) Long story short, after just ten minutes with the new food, there were crumbles of pancake in his hair, on the floor, on the table, in his diaper, under his legs, inside his shirt, and any other obscure place you can imagine that I have failed to mention. Luckily our back porch is just feet from his high chair, so I was able to take him outside and shake all of the crumbs off of him that didn't already fall onto the floor.

The Last Outing for Eli the Frog

I asked Lehr to bathe Eli tonight and instead he came downstairs carrying the happiest frog I've ever seen. We keep Eli's frog Halloween costume hanging on his coat rack (because it's so cute), so when Lehr went to undress Eli for his bath it caught his eye and, I guess, he just couldn't help himself. Since it was a nice night, we took the soon-to-be-too-big-for-his-costume frog outside for a few pictures. Today, six months after Halloween, Eli seemed happy to be in his costume; he didn't fuss once. Too bad, considering it's no doubt the last time he'll get a chance to wear it.

Daddy Wins

As I drove up to the house tonight (around 830PM - after Eli's bedtime), I saw Lehr in the window signing to me: "Daddy. Win."

You see, once upon a time, when Eli was a wee lad of three months, we had a great nighttime routine which included Dad giving Eli his last feeding (via bottle obviously) and then putting him down for the night. For whatever reason, that stopped around the holidays and we never went back to it. Fast forward to a month ago when we pick up Eli after having been out to dinner until 10PM to find he refused to go to sleep for Cooper's parents. I finally figured out that without exception, I have fed Eli and put him to bed every night since Christmas, inadvertently creating an unhealthy need. (That's right; no matter how many books I've read, I will still get it wrong many times.)

About two weeks ago we started to work on 'breaking' that nighttime mommy-dependence, first by having Lehr feed Eli a bottle before bed (instead of me nursing him), and then by having both of us put him to bed (to re-introduce Daddy to the equation, and then hopefully remove me). Last night was the first attempt to remove me completely (as I was not even in the house), and with a weak attempt at a fight (20 minutes), Eli gave in and Lehr won the battle (this time anyway).

On a separate note, I was out of the house because I went for my first training walk for the Atlanta 2-Day Walk for Breast Cancer. Thank you to everyone who has already donated in my name; if you haven't yet and want to, I will keep the link up on this page until the money is due (late summer).

Hit Me With Your Best Shot...

I'm sorry - I have a problem - I can't stop with the song titles...

Eli has a new favorite game: rolling the stuffed soccer ball back and forth with Dad. Lehr started this with him last week and Eli really has the hang of it now (video). I decided to play for a little while this afternoon, but after about five minutes, Eli decided he'd rather throw his weight to the side and lie down. This was fine: he was still in a position to push the ball back to me. He wasn't paying attention to me when I rolled it though (read: he was ignoring me), so it hit his arm. Eli exploded into giggles and a new, more aggressive, game was born. The object of this one was to 'hit' Eli with the ball to make him laugh. It started with rolling the ball into his arm or legs and it soon escalated into bouncing or dropping the ball on his legs or torso. This new game made Eli laugh uncontrollably for quite a while. He's already living up to his father's motto: "Pain Don't Hurt!"

On the Cheerio front, Eli has become a master. When I take him out of his booster seat now there are few, if any, leftover Cheerios in his chair. He appears to have figured out the hand-to-mouth motion.