Mirror, Mirror...

Since Eli is still a little short of the 20-lb requirement to ride front-facing in the car, his seat still faces backwards where we can see him through his own rear-view mirror. The last few weeks have been an exploration phase for Eli regarding mirrors, particularly the one in the car. He's always been able to see other people in the mirror, as they approach the car, or as they look at him while driving, but now he sees his own face. Eli really enjoys staring at his own face and he often leans forward to touch his reflection when I first put him in his car seat. Today we were in the car during lunchtime, so Lehr was in the backseat (carefully!) feeding Eli while I was driving. That was pure entertainment for Eli as he had never before watched food go in to his mouth, nor had he seen his own face as he chewed, swallowed, etc. Even after the meal was finished Eli continued to open and shut his mouth, all the while looking at his image in the mirror.

Needle in a Haystack

When Eli went to the pediatrician for his one-year appointment this week, they ordered a routine blood test to check his iron, etc. However, they do not perform those tests in the office, so I had to take him to a lab offsite. Today was the big day and Eli passed with flying colors. I brought him back into the little room and the nurse told me to sit in the chair with him on my lap. From there she tied the rubber around his arm and told me to hold him tight as he would most likely start to squirm and buck. Around that time another nurse came in to help hold his arm. The needle went in and Eli didn't even flinch. Then the blood started to be drawn and again, not a tear or yell or anything. He just kept staring at the nurses as if to say, "Is that all you've got?!?!" Neither of them could believe it. They said they'd never seen a baby act so nonchalant during a blood draw. (One that yielded four tubes of blood, I might add. The needle was in for a good two minutes.) To top it off, on the way home Eli pulled the gauze out from underneath the band-aid and then pulled the band-aid off. It was as if he didn't want anyone to think he was a sissy in need of protection on his boo-boo. (He did have a tattoo, after all!) What a trip!

Today was also Eli's first music class. Though he has enough musical instruments in the house to last him several years, I knew he'd enjoy the socialization and singing from someone other than his off-key mother. Indeed. He really seemed to like clapping his hands and watching everyone else do the same.

Mr. Clean

We all know how much Eli likes to clean, but now he's taken it to a new level. For a few months now Eli has been more interested in, and at the same time scared of, the dust buster and vacuum. The noise they make seems to be hitting him wrong, so he often protests when I turn them on (much like a dog hearing a high pitched noise). He isn't afraid of the cleaning machines though; he actually likes to get as close to them as possible so he can hit them softly and protest to their face(s). But I digress....

Eli's newest trick is attempting to clean the floor with the dust buster. I usually leave it on the floor in our bathroom since I use it so often, and that suits Eli just fine. He loves to grab onto the handle and push it around the floor as he's seen me do so many times. The problem with that is sometimes dirt and dust fall out (due to Eli's rough handling) making more of a mess. But I'm not one to put a damper on the boy's enthusiasm for cleaning, so I welcome his attempts.

After his bath last night Eli decided the floor needed to be cleaned too:

Chatterbox

As I mentioned a few days ago, Eli has been saying "Mama" (rather "Mamamamama", discriminatly, for a few weeks now. Just the other day he started saying it as soon as I walked in the door from an errand, just to melt my heart I'm sure.

Now Eli is adding more babble to his vernacular. Although it is more pronounced and articulate, these new words are not recognizable to us. I take that back: Eli is saying "whoa whoa whoa" a lot now. I'm not sure if he picked it up from us, or if it's just babble. I do say "whoa" from time to time, but not nearly at the speed or rate which it comes otu of Eli's mouth. It is very common for him to sit and play with a toy while saying "whoawhoawhoawhoa.." non-stop.

Eli's other new speech is indescribable; I really need to get a good video of it. It is very silly, and it includes a lot of consonants and syllables. The best I can duplicate is "doe-beeoye-beeoe-lible-doe-doe" (which really does it no justice). Even Lehr, who doesn't use the word "cute" thinks this babbling is rather adorable.

Fork It Over!

I've been working with Eli's fork and spoon skills for a few weeks, but tonight he thoroughly impressed me. The spoon has gone nowhere fast, but Eli has taken to using the fork pretty well. (He even showed off for Grandma Cathie last week.) Tonight I filled a whole bowl full of carrots, peas and turkey sausage and let him go to town with the fork. I have to load it up for him, but he does really well at putting it directly into his mouth and pulling the food off. I think the biggest 'wow' tonight was the fact that Eli never reached his hands to the fork end or the bowl to pick up the food with his fingers; he only wanted to eat it off the end of the fork. Also, once he'd emptied the fork, he would either look at me and raise his fork or try to refill it himself by pushing it around the bowl, as he had seen me do. Talk about a sponge!

Check him out!

$#*%

Seriously...that's all I can say.

I'm going to warn everyone first: this post is not for the faint of heart. What happened to me today shouldn't happen to any mom anywhere, anytime. The only good spin I can put on the situation is the knowledge that I truly earned my mom status today. Everything started fine; Eli and I went to his 1-year doctor appointment this morning. (BTW - Eli weighs 19lb. 2oz. and is 30 1/4" long. Also the doctor says he's "smart". Should you agree, continue reading and you might change your mind.)

When we returned home, Eli and I played and then I put him down for a nap. He played in his crib for about 15 minutes and then cried a little, but nothing out of the ordinary. I always leave Eli's door cracked a little so I can check on him once he's quiet, to make sure he's asleep. Never have I been more glad to have such a routine. I peeked in Eli's room and noticed him lying on his blanket, apparently sleeping. The room was dim, so nothign appeared out of the ordinary except for a strange smell. I peeked my head in further to see if the smell was indeed coming from the room. Just as I realized it was I caught sight of the crime scene. (I did take one picture after Eli and his blanket had been removed, but Lehr has forbidden me from posting it.) Excrement was everywhere, including coating my son from waist up.

After about a minute of shock, I kicked into mommy-mode and grabbed Eli and his blanket out of the bed. I threw him in the bathtub and started the water. After I had the pieces (are you grossed out yet?) cleaned off of him, I emptied the water and rinsed out the tub and then filled it again so he could bathe. Luckily his nursery is right across the hall from the bathroom, so I left him in a little bit of water so I could start in on the nursery. (Note: I never leave Eli in the bath alone, and I assure you I ran back and forth every few seconds if/when I couldn't see his little head poking up over the bath's edge.) The amount of detail cleaning I had to do was unbelievable. Every slat, every underneath of the top rail, every nook and cranny. The sheet didn't make it; it went directly into the trash. Eli's beloved blanket (which he's screaming for in his crib right now) is still in the wash; it's touch and go. Two hundred diaper wipes, 1/2 roll of paper towels and countless sprays of Clorox Hard-Surfaces Bleach later, his nursery is clean, but I am officially wiped out.

Ring My Bell...

Eli is obsessed with the phone. You've all seen the video of him being 'coaxed' to crawl for the first time as I used the phone as bait. So I don't let him use our real phones as toys, but we have an old one that I've taken out of storage for him. Also, one of Eli's friends has a small toy phone. As much as Eli likes the toy phones, he pushes the buttons and looks at them, but never brings them to his ear. However, any other toy that at all resembles a phone goes to his ear. Wooden blocks, spoons, toy cars...you get the picture. Most days I turn around in the car to see him holding a toy truck to his ear as he says 'Ha?'

All Grows Up

It appears that as soon as Eli turned one, he decided to 'grow up' a bit. Most importantly, he has done much better with his sippy cup of milk in the last few days. One night he actually chugged 4oz without spilling a drop (this is big for my messy drinker). We're not quite where we need to be with his sippy use/milk intake, but we're a lot better off. Secondly, he's been signing milk a lot more also. Every once in a while he'll get confused and sign milk when there is only water available (or maybe he's saying he'd rather have milk?), but he's still signing. Waving has been taken to a whole new level also; last night he was even waving "hi" to waiters at the restaurant. Lastly, he's said "mama" more this last week, and most of the time it's while looking at me, or at least when I'm in the vicinity. I'll take it!!

Big Week

Eli has had a very busy week with his birthday and Grandma Cathie in town. (She came to celebrate his big milestone; she wouldn't miss it for the world!) During her visit Eli had sushi (nothing raw), had a birthday party, went to the park, went swimming, and played with his toys non-stop.

Check out the hat Grandma Cathie bought him! (It matches his Rock Star shirt.)

Movin On Up

So yesterday was Eli's first smash-your-face-in-cake annual celebration. He really enjoyed himself (photos) through the presents, balloons and cake. I made a frog cake (organic, low-sugar, yada yada OF COURSE) for him and he really seemed to like it. Lehr had fun eating with him since Eli was so generous with his offerings of frosting covered hands. A few times yesterday I looked at him and marveled how grown-up he was.

However my first glimpse of that was on Sunday. I decided to move Eli to the toddler room in the church nursery; he is too mobile for the infant room, and most of the babies, er kids, he's been with since birth have already made the move. I dropped him off and walked down the hall a little to peak into the room (there is a window in the hallway), and what I saw took my breath away. The worker that received Eli at the door carried him to the center of the room where 4 or 5 babies, er kids, were sitting. She sat him down and he played with his tag, but turned his attention to what the other kids were looking at (maybe story time?).

It was amazingly similar to a kindergarten class, which made my heart skip a beat...

Imagine how fast it would have gone had I blinked!

Eli the Frog and his Cake

Eli's birthday was a hit! He loved the cake, the presents, the balloons and the attention (duh!). Check out Eli's dissection of his cake:

Eli the Frog is 1!!

Exactly one year ago you were placed in my arms. I can still feel the how slippery your skin was and how your sweet little cry filled the air and you refused to open your eyes because the room was so bright compared to your previous home.

Happy Birthday Eli!

From this:

To this:

What a little man you've become!!!

Year-End-Review

Mr. Edmund Lehr Eliason V (Eli):

I'd like to start off by informing you that you have far exceeded my expectations. Your supervisor (aka Dad) agrees that while we anticipated your arrival to change our home office, we have been taken aback by the magnitude of your presence. Even though productivity as a whole has suffered, the moral of your supporting staff has increased immensely. I'd be amiss if I didn't mention how your sunny disposition and positive attitude has made working with you such a pleasure. Your determination to constantly increase your skill set and your go-get-em attitude are, to say the least, admirable.

In the past year you have overcome some initial setbacks, and you have caught up to the majority of your peers in said areas. This is nothing less than completely inspiring, and not a day goes by that your supervisor and I don't appreciate all the hard work and sacrifices you've made to achieve that goal.

We've noticed the last few weeks have been exciting for you as you 'climb' your way to the top. Having witnessed your overtime in that area, I believe you are in line for a promotion. I'm proud to inform you that from this day forward you will be deemed "toddler", instead of your current title of "baby".

We look forward to another year of your achievements, as you make the home office one we all enjoy each day. In closing, We, at Eliason, Inc., thank you for every day you've spent with us, and we hope you feel the same.

Regards,
Mom

Eli's Second Ink

Some of you might remember when Eli got his first tattoos, almost a year ago. This weekend I gave Eli some colored ink, as part of a picture project for a fellow blogger, Daring Young Mom. I think the pictures speak for themselves:

My New Favorite

I've got a few today.

#1 - Eli's New Sleeping Position
I love love love how he curls up on top of the blanket. He looks so peaceful!

#2 - Eli's New Vocal Skillz
Even though I'm not technically counting it as a real word yet, Eli has been saying "mamamamamama" a lot recently. Usually it's when he's either climbing up the stairs or when he's in his high chair and wants more food/drink/whatever. Totally cute. Seriously.

#3 - Eli's Giraffe Stance
Now that Eli is more active in pulling up and crawling on all fours, he's experimenting with different positions and modes of transportations. Most recently he's learned how to get up on all fours and then push off of his feet while lifting his knees so that he is on his hands and feet (legs straight). He doesn't walk/crawl once he's there, nor does he pull up and stand, so I'm really not sure what the purpose of the Giraffe is. It's cute and quirky though, so it's worthy of being one of my "new favorite things" Eli does.

Step Off!

Cooper came over to play on Tuesday. The two boys alternated between not noticing the other was there and jockeying for toy-possession and attention. Here is some footage of the two "playing".

**Note: No babies were hurt during the taping of this footage.**

Sleep

Eli's favorite sleeping position is currently on his stomach, on top of his blanket. First he bundles up the blanket though, so it's almost as if he's sleeping on a body pillow. Since his room is so dark and the (still) camera and flash are so noticeable, I've only been able to capture video of this sight. (My first youtube project - hope it works!)

New Video

I've been rather lax with posting video in the last few weeks. (Sorry - Eli is almost too active to catch on video.) To make up for that I have three posted today.

Eli dancing to his caterpillar again
Eli playing in the kitchen
Eli telling off the camera

Fun in the Sun

We had a pool party/picnic with some friends tonight. Here are a few pictures of Eli and his friend Tyler after their swim. Check out the hats!!

Another Drummer...

I've mentioned Eli's obsession with our pots and pans before, but this love affair has taken on a whole new level. Eli now prefers to open the cabinet, crawl inside and/or stand and lean inside, and pull out two or three at a time so he can bang them together. Sometimes it's just the lids (cymbals?), sometimes it's the whole pot or pan. Either way, our house is very noisy these days. I had to laugh at him today as he got himself stuck in the cabinet. (Believe it or not, I put down the camera to help him out instead of snapping away for the sake of my readership's enjoyment.) He leaned in (as seen right) and then moved his arms to the lower level. From there he tried to crawl deeper into the cabinet and then got his head stuck under the shelf.

My Own Little Ed Grimley

Lehr and I have gotten into the habit of spiking Eli's hair after his nightly bath. In the last few weeks it's gotten a little longer, so the mohawks have had more staying power. Last night I started with the regular mohawk and then it moved to an Ed Grimley-esque front spike. (Unfortunately the batteries died on my camera before I could snap a photo of that.) The great thing about the EG-spike is it usually holds until the morning.... Man is he going to hate his parents when he gets older!

Got Milk?

So here I am, not giving Eli any credit for signing "food" for so long. On top of that, anytime someone asks me how he is doing, I tend to tell them how slow he is (as in, he's not the sharpest tool). Low and behold, it appears Eli is determined to prove me wrong. As I sat him in his highchair this afternoon and handed him a cup of milk, he started to sign milk like it was going out of style. Although I was pleasantly surprised at first, I thought he might just be experimenting with hand manipulation again. So I tested him a few times and he passed! For the next 15 minutes we alternated one bite of food with Eli signing "milk" and me shoving the milk at him to reinforce his efforts.

Update

I know, I know. I've been slacking on updating everyone. Eli has been so fussy and time-consuming (imagine that: a child who is time-consuming??). Between the stubborn tooth he's been trying to break for going on three weeks now and his newfound mobility, this kid is an emotional wreck! Needless to say, I've been otherwise occupied and without much time to take pictures or blog.

In the last week I've come to realize Eli has been signing "food" or "eat" to me for some time. I just chalked it up to him putting his fingers in his mouth, since he tends to do that so often. However, I started to notice that when I first put him in his high chair he puts one finger at his lips (sometimes right inside his mouth) and then pulls it away, all the while looking at me for recognition. Obviously this kid is going to have to work hard for Mom's praise since she doesn't seem to notice when he is achieving a new milestone...

Eli is pulling up on anything and everything possible. This morning he decided to help me with the laundry by pulling up on the dryer and opening and closing the door. In our closet we have stackable drawers with metal mesh pull-out drawers. Eli's latest feat in there has been to sit and attempt to pull up on the second drawer. This always results in him holding on for dear life as the drawer pulls out and lands on top of him. Luckily the floor is padded by carpet and the drawer doesn't even weigh 5 pounds.

Eli is still scaling the inside stairs any chance he gets. I really need to turn the video camera on one of these times because the noises he makes while climbing are hilarious. It's as if he's cheering himself on.

Just call him "Spidey"

Our yard is a mess; I seriously have to weed the non-grass areas more often than Lehr has to mow the lawn because the weeds grow so fast. Today I had some other work to do while Eli was napping, so he had to be outside with me when I was weeding. I tried to get him to sit in the Bumbo (since I use it next to never, he hasn't - read: hadn't - figured out how to get out of it yet), but that didn't work. After about five minutes he leaned over the side and climbed out. No problem; I figured he'd just crawl around on the deck while I finished up the front flower beds. He'd be a little dirty, but oh well. Of course that was not good enough for him...he proceeded to crawl/climb down the front steps onto the sidewalk. This is a boy who only in the last week learned how to crawl up the stairs. He made his body flat and maneuvered down the wooden steps like Spiderman - agility like nobody's business. I should have known he would do this: Eli loves to crawl over my legs, back, arms, or toys, books, laundry whenever possible. He'll actually go out of his way to climb over something rather than staying the course and avoiding the obstacles. Too bad Double Dare is off the air.....

Drumroll please.....

After Eli's drinking buddy, Cooper, left tonight, the three of us sat around and talked. Right before I wisked Eli off to bed, he pointed at Lehr and said "Ah-Dah". Close enough for me! For quite a while Eli has been saying "hi", "dadadadadada", "bababababa", etc., but very indiscriminately, so I haven't counted anything as a real word yet. Even though "Ah-Dah" is not technically "da-da", he pointed, so I'm willing to bend the rules a little.

Chug Chug Chug!

Three Things

1) Now that Eli is standing in his crib all the time, he has found a new teething toy: the crib rail. It seems that while he's standing and talking (and singing, and dancing, and playing) before and after naps, he also sharpens his teeth on the wood. I guess paint chips taste good!



2) Eli is finally (after a month!!) starting to crawl more on his hands and knees (instead of his belly, imitating a lizard or army-crawl). In the last two or three days, Eli starts most of his crawling 'up', but always reverts back to the stomach slither, most likely since it's faster.



3) Eli and I went to a big consignment sale today to look for some gently used toys and/or clothes. We were lucky to find several new board books and a nifty pair of sneakers. I could go broke buying shoes for Eli now that his feet are free!

Up, Up, and Away!

Eli has found a new passion: the stairs. Anytime he thinks about it, he heads towards them when he's downstairs. He loves to climb them. I had the grand idea to show him how to climb them last week and now he constantly wants Lehr or I to watch him climb. (Though, if we don't move fast enough, he'll start without us, which could prove to be quite dangerous.) Last night, for the first time, he climbed all the way to the top, including the turnaround halfway up, by himself. Lehr monitored the process, but he never once lent a helping hand. My boy is growing up!

Pictures

I haven't posted much lately; Eli's been all out of sorts with teething. The one causing him an unusual amount of discomfort right now is on top and you can see it clearly (white and shiny), but it hasn't broken the skin yet. So while he wails, here are some pictures to keep the site 'current'. (Please excuse the diaper and lack of pants in the following pictures. Eli had just woken up and I was keeping the bar on to get his full twelve hours in, since he went to bed late last night. I assure you this is not a normal outfit for him.)

Here is one that speaks for itself. You have been warned (both that I'm blogging everything and that Eli's a "true play-ah, with his hands in the air"):

This is Eli's politician point:

My New Favorite Thing....

Yet Another installment...

Now that Eli is sans-shoes while he naps, it has become even easier for him to pull up to a standing position in his crib. Often when I put him down for a nap, he plays for 30 minutes or more, since he has so many more options right now. Although he doesn't know how to pull himself into a sitting position (from lying down), he can sit down by pulling up on the rail, and then letting go and landing, diaper side down. So my new favorite thing is how I find him in his crib after his naps: sitting or standing, with a huge smile on his face, no doubt due to a newfound sense of pride over his accomplishments.

Maybe, Just Maybe....

I really hope I'm not jinxing myself here, but I'm pretty sure Eli finally signed to me this morning. As always, for at least five months now, I signed to him during his breakfast: "more", "eat", "drink", "please". But he always seems very unwilling to do the signs for himself. This was true this morning also, though I did try to entice him with puffs. Fast forward a few hours: we're sitting in the living room and I pull out the puffs for a small snack. I thought I noticed his hands go together ("more") out of the corner of my eye, but I didn't want to say anything, in case I was wrong. Luckily I had a friend and her daughter at the house, and she brought it up first. So, hopefully the fact that a witness noticed it before I said anything means it was real!

Just a Boy and his Guitar....errr.. Apple

So we hope Eli will be musically inclined. His obvious dancing skills show he has rhythm. "But can he play?", you ask? And how...

The other night during a visit from his Fairy Godmother, Eli showed off his apple-playing skills to the max. He held the toy apple like a guitar and 'strummed' the buttons. I kid you not. I have no clue where he picked up guitar playing, since we do not own a guitar, nor has Eli been exposed to enough TV so that he might have seen a music video or other such guitar-playing-demonstration. The only guitar action he's seen was at Jazz Fest, but that was over two months ago, and I really don't think Eli is has that much memory capacity yet.

A Day at the Park

Eli and Cooper met up at the park this morning for a few hours. (Photos) This particular park is great because the ground is rubber turf (probably recycled tires), there are four or five sections of playground equipment (each one suitable for a different age group), there is a big sandbox with toys, and there is a man-made river for the kids to play in!

The boys had a good time in the sand (Eli had to eat some of course), but Eli liked the river better. I sat him down on a rock, but he quickly pushed himself over into a crawl position so he could move through the water. Luckily it was the perfect depth for him so he could easily keep his head above water. Truth be told, his crawl is looking more and more like a lizard's movements; Eli moves his right knee/leg simultaneously with his left arm now, and vice versa. Quite a far cry from his original, very inefficient army crawl.

From there, we moved the boys to the smallest set of playground equipment. Cooper had a blast crawling through the blue tube, while Eli stayed towards the back and played with Cooper's toes.

Able to Scale Tall Buildings...

Eli has not shown any desire to pull himself up yet. If we place him (standing) next to the couch or a chair he'll hold on, but that's the extent of it. So I was quite surprised to go in one morning last week to find him standing up in his crib, holding on to the rail. Then again yesterday morning. This time I got smart and realized that when he's left in there to play a little after he wakes up, he gets brave. So when I heard him wake up from his nap yesterday afternoon, I opened the door slightly and stuck the video camera in there. Just like a monkey, he performed on demand. Since I had a clock on the camera, I can tell you he pulled himself (bar and all) up in 49 seconds flat. Not bad for only his third time!

Oh Happy Day!!!

Eli had a routine check-up with Dr. Morrissy (the pediatric orthopedic) this morning. Unfortunately for us (fortunately for him), Dr. M is retiring in a few months, so this was our last visit with him. Luckily, there are two other Ponseti-trained doctors at Children's Orthopedics of Atlanta (the only other two in the state, actually), so we will see one of them in the coming years. Eli's feet look "wonderful", according to Dr. M. He sees no sign of relapse, even when he tried to manipulate the feel to go back to the position they originated. We told him we'd been taking the bar off for all of Eli's awake time (about 10 hours/day). He said we can even extend that so Eli just wears the bar at night. Great news, indeed. Although we are not out of the woods yet (some babies/kids relapse once they start to walk and/or reduce the amount of bar time), this was a very encouraging visit. Once Eli starts to walk unassisted, we will go back in so the doctor can watch how his feet move when he walks. After that it will be 6-months/1-year between visits.

I snapped a few pictures of Eli eating his toes on the way home. He's started to do this more and more while in his car seat. Then, when I put him down for a nap (without the bar for the first time), Eli flung his legs all around, surprised by the freedom and lack of weight attached to them. I think he approves of Dr. M's new bar schedule.

And Meanest Mother of the Year Award Goes to.....

Yup. Me again. The last time I was mean, it wasn't so bad. In fact, none of the times so far have been because they involve me molding Eli's behavior, or challenging him, or something else he'll 'thank me for later'. (Or so I tell him.)

This time I was a bad mom and there is nothing redeeming about it. First: it was not on purpose - I promise! B: Eli didn't cry for more than 30 seconds. And lastly: I feel really bad about it.

I made Eli's breakfast before I went up to nurse him this morning. We were going to be rushing to make a yoga class (by 'we' I mean 'me', of course), and I knew we'd be short on breakfast time. I warmed a bowl of hot water to put his breakfast bowl in, as I do every other morning. However, I normally let the beans or veggies or whatever warm up for only a few minutes. This time they were warming for over 15, but I just assumed the water would cool quickly and it would all even out in the end. Wrong-o! Eli and I came downstairs, I hurried him into his chair while I grabbed the food and quickly tested it (felt fine to me). I gave him the first bite and he grabbed at his mouth quickly and tried to get his fingers inside, all the while starting to cry. I immediately knew what the problem was so I tried the broccoli myself and sure enough, it was a little warm for his sensitive mouth. Poor guy! I pulled him out of his seat and comforted him, but he was done fussing before I even unbuckled the last strap.

I thought about it during yoga, but let myself off the hook a little because he'd recovered so quickly. Fast forward to lunchtime a few hours later. When Eli opened his mouth wide for his first bite of (non-so-hot) sweet potatoes I could see the side of his tongue and it was red. Yup. I burned my kid's mouth. Way to be....can't even go a full year without harming him in some physically obvious way.

Now that you are all picking up the phone to call Family Protective Services on me, while simultaneously text messaging your spouse to remind them to never let me baby-sit, I'll leave you with this happy picture, if nothing else, as proof that I didn't scar him permanently.

ele5.com Gets Recognized Again

A new 'mom' website recently added ele5 to their blogroll. They even did a mini interview. The website is 5 minutes for mom and it links to many other mom-blogs (as well as other types of family blogs). Enjoy!

Weekend Update

Another busy weekend for Eli. Friday night we went to our bi-weekly church group. Eli attempted to show off his army crawl to the other attendees, but it was far overshadowed by the two girls who are now walking. (Step it up, Little Man!!) Saturday Eli had a visit from his Florida grandparents; at least they were impressed with his military skills. Today we spent most of the day at the church since there was a picnic after the service. Eli couldn't even make it the ten minute car ride home after that. It was obviously a culmination of an action-packed few days. After he awoke from his nap, Lehr and I shuffled furniture around upstairs. (We have a carpet cleaner coming tomorrow.) This seemed to confuse Eli as now the open areas are much more open. He must have thought we were clearing the way for him to have more space to crawl...

No new teeth, as I know I've been hinting to for weeks, but he is still so swollen in the mouth, and so so fussy. His need to have Mom increases with his discomfort. Eli will be completely content, but if I walk in the room, or if he sees me out of the corner of his eye, he crawls over to me, complaining the whole way, and grabs my ankle or shoe and tries to make eye contact. This is most likely an attempt to guilt me into picking him up, since the eyes mixed with the vocal pleas makes for quite a pathetic scene.

My Son, the Politician

So even though he's not showing any signs (ha ha) of comprehending the traditional sign language we've tried to teach, Eli is learning how to use his body and hands to communicate. So far he can ask for music, or indicate he hears music (through a sway of the head), he can wave (when he wants to), and he can now point. (This is in addition to the few signs - eat, milk - he performs.) However, his point is not the typical one-finger-extended gesture most kids use. Right now it is an extended arm with a fist that strongly resembles the politician fist you often see during debates. I'm quite confident Eli knows what he is doing because his 'regular' fist, used for expressing anger and containing something in his palm, is the norm. This "point" is much different. (This picture is of the said fist, even though it looks similar to his food-offering fist, but I assure you there is no food in this one.)

Ain't Nuthin' Gonna Break My Stride...

They weren't kidding when they said things would change quickly once Eli started to move. He is still primarily an army-crawler, but he does take a few 'steps' using a traditional crawl each day. He is up on his knees rocking back and forth all the time, but until Tuesday, no movement forward. I often find him in his crib after a nap up on all fours, rocking. The exception would be this morning. I went in there because he was fussing (out of the ordinary for Eli), and I found him pulled up on the crib rail. He's done this before, but only when we placed him there, since he's not shown any major desire to pull up yet. Yet there he was today, up all by himself. He wasn't standing; he was on his knees. I think he was fussing because he got 'stuck' and didn't know how to get himself down.

On another note, we've started our attempts to mold Eli's behavior (read: discipline) more now that he's mobile and more likely to get into trouble. So far, "no" without any physical intervention doesn't seem to work. Eli has tantrums, but (hopefully due to my lack of response) so far they only consist of 5-15 seconds of a scream, balled up fists, and an angry face. He then returns to his normal self and continues on as if nothing happened. Even though he is developing a what-I-want-when-I-want-it attitude, he's still trying to offer his food and drink to Lehr and I, so if nothing else, he's generous!

New Favorite

My new favorite thing about Eli is his love for story/cuddle time. Ironically, since Eli has become more mobile, he's actually more willing to sit and let me read him a story. (Go figure!) He will crawl over to me and paw at my leg until I pull him into my lap (he's not mastered doing that by himself yet). Then I'll pull out a stack of books and go to town. I usually keep one or two small hand toys nearby so he can have something to keep him occupied, you know, when the story gets to a slow part. I just did this before Lehr gave him his bottle tonight: three big stories before he started to squirm. I love it!

Doors, Glorious Doors

Eli's most recent obsession is opening and closing doors. Not doors on cabinets, only regular doors. So far no fingers have been pinched, but many a door has been slammed. Here is some video of Eli playing in the laundry room today.

How Much is That Doggie in the Window?

If I didn't know better, I'd think we have a dog in the house. Eli's newest word is "Rrrrrrrrah!" Not sure what sound he is trying to duplicate, or what he thinks he is saying, but he says it all the time. In fact, for the last three or four days, after I put him in his crib for a nap or bedtime, he can be heard for at least five minutes 'barking'. It's quite humorous because it appears he's attempting to roll his R's, as if he were any other ethnicity but purebred whitey.

I've come to realize that Eli is signing to us also. He's not using his hands though. I mentioned before that he's been dancing, but it's become less of a response to music, and more of a request (or sign) for music. Often times when Eli's eating breakfast, he'll start to sway his head until I start to sing "Eat. Eat. Eat. Eeples and Baneenees.", at which time he breaks into a huge smile. The same goes if you start singing a song and then stop. He might prompt you to continue singing by swaying his head. His wave has become more frequent also, though you can still never count on it.

Road Trip

Today Eli and I battled the crazy traffic on I-20 to visit some friends (Tom & Megan) who moved to Alabama yesterday. Lehr went over yesterday to physically help, while Eli and I went over today mostly to visit with Linda & Darol. (They technically belong to Tom, but Eli has adopted them as grandparents because they did, after all, buy him his first cowboy hat.) The trip was pretty uneventful until we hit a standstill on the way home for about an hour. Considering how long he'd been in the car, Eli fared pretty well, but it wasn't easy. Many a cheesy song was sung.