Weekly Recap

Eli had his last swim class this week. It was pretty sad too, considering he'd just started to really get the hang of his frog/inchworm imitation. Our neighborhood pool should be opening soon, so I'll be sure to bring him over there at least once a week so he can perfect his stroke.

Something I forgot to mention earlier: Eli is sitting up all the time now. Since March began, he has been sitting up about half the time, but in the last two weeks it is with almost 100% success. I still place pillows around him if he's on a hard surface (ALERT: OVER-PROTECTIVE MOM), but most of the time he doesn't need them. Video to follow soon...

Also, Eli has been eating via a mesh-feeder for about a month now, but very recently, he's become addicted. He can't seem to get enough of it, and continues to 'eat', even when the food is gone. (Note: the handle also makes a great teething-toy.) Finger foods still escape his less-than-stellar grasp, so this is the only way he can feed himself. Last night he devoured a huge piece of pear through the mesh in a matter of minutes. Once again, video to follow...

Another new discovery for Eli this week was the sun-roof on his BOB. While we were walking on Monday, I noticed a little set of eyes peeking up at me. Eli suddenly realized there was a window on top of his sun-shade, and he could see Mom through it. This seemed to puzzle Eli as I think he viewed stroller-time as his alone-time up until this point. He must have had a sore neck for the rest of the day considering how much he strained to look through the sun-roof during the walk.

News on Eli's feet also: less bar time has arrived. All of the recommendations and guidelines (and our doctor) indicate 6-months is a good time to start decreasing shoe/bar time, provided his treatment is going well (which it is). However, since I'm me (see above note about being over-protective), and since Lehr and I want to be sure there are no incidences of relapse, we've been extra conservative regarding the amount of time he spends in the bar. This week I started letting him 'out' a little more. Yesterday he wore his first pair of non-corrective shoes (a pair of reef sandals, just like his mom), and he seemed to enjoy it a lot! This morning I took him to the grocery store (without shoes) and he rode in the cart like a 'normal' baby for the first time, something he also seemed to enjoy.

Also, we purchased a back-pack carrier for Eli this week. Now we have something better to hike with (the Baby Bjorn is getting to be too heavy), and something to accommodate him for Jazz Fest. (Eli will be making the trip to New Orleans with us this year.) So far he loves being in it, even if it's just sitting on the floor.

One last thing, our not-so-gifted son has not yet figured out how to roll from his stomach to his back, regardless of how many times we've taught him. Not such a big deal, but since he's so eager to show off what skills he does have, he often times finds himself stuck on his stomach because he's rolled from his back to his front and then realized he had 'done it again' and can't get back. This isn't too frustrating during his wake time, but now he's started to do it in his crib when he's supposed to be napping (and last night when he was supposed to be asleep for the night). Since he's not able to get himself out of that situation, and since he prefers to sleep on his back or side, he will send out a distress signal (read: whine and fuss) until I go into his nursery and roll him back over. The kicker: he then gets mad because I leave the room and he thinks it's 'play time'. So much to learn, so little time......

At Last: A Tooth!!

WE HAVE A TOOTH!! After months of on-and-off teething, and a week of more intense drooling and runny nose, Eli's first tooth has finally broken through. It is his bottom middle right (as you look at him), and although it's been visible under the gum for about a week, it didn't break through until sometime between bedtime last night and 8AM this morning.

Eli the Frog

As most of you have noticed, the pictures on the site have been nonexistent or old for a while now. I apologize about that, but I'm having technical difficulties with the host, and since I am the IT department (to quote Billy Madison), "you're all in Big, Big trouble'.... I will remedy as soon as possible.

Eli only has one more week of swim lessons, but I will have to continue to bring him to the pool considering how much he's enjoying his swim time. This last week he really got into it; he's got an inch-worm motion now that is hilarious to watch. (Picture those wind up plastic frogs you put in the bath: arm and legs meet near the belly button, while the butt goes in the air, and then all limbs shoot out and his body goes flat. It creates more of a splash than anything, but he was 'zooming' all around the pool at the Y yesterday showing off his skills.

Whole Lotta New

This past week Eli spent a lot of time in new surroundings. He went to church for a pot-luck where he met a lot of new people, he went to lunch with me and a few friends, and he went to a few new playgrounds. I'm noticing more and more how observant Eli is, especially in these new surroundings. When he sees a new person or place (or at least one he hasn't seen in the last week), he becomes rather quiet and his eyes get really big, as if he's taking it all in. After about an hour he usually returns to his normal loud, talkative self.

Also, Eli has started to stay awake for much longer chunks of time. For a long time now, you could set your watch by him: exactly 90-minutes after he woke up he would rub his eyes and 'ask' to go down for a nap. Now it is closer to 2-3 hours. Also, his naps used to last for 1 1/2 - 2 1/2 hours, and now they are 1 1/2 at best. The odd thing is, both of these changes happened simultaneously... I would have thought longer naps would have come with longer wake-periods...

My new favorite thing that Eli does is sudden napping. A few times in the last week he has fallen asleep mid-song. Usually when we're driving, Eli entertains himself in the back seat by singing or talking non-stop. Today was no different: he was very vocal (doing his scales) and then he stopped abruptly, so I looked back to see what had caught his attention and his eyes were shut.

Company

Another few swimming lessons, another trip to the Aquarium, another few trips to the swings, and another visit from Grandma Cathie. Eli had a busy weekend with Grandma and his cousin, Treis. There is definitely a connection between the two boys: Eli can watch Treis dance and be silly, or even just read, for hours.

ele5.com Gets Recognized

BIG news for ele5.com!!! Since we started this website I've received several emails from people who stumbled across it and were happy to read about and see the positive change in Eli's feet. However, in the last few months I have been contacted twice requesting permission to add ele5.com as a link on other webpages. Both webpages featuring ele5.com are clubfeet-oriented, and we are very appreciative of their recognition! The first is a webpage for bar 'accessories' (to prevent damage and injury): Clubfoot Designs. The second is a page dedicated to helping parents of children with clubfeet: Ponseti links. (These links take you directly to the page containing a link to ele5.com.) Also, a member of our church emailed me this week to inform me that she forwarded our link to a friend whose baby was born with clubfeet. We cannot tell you how happy it makes us to know that this website, and Eli's clubfoot journey, has helped other parents as they cope with clubfeet. When we first started researching the Ponseti method, and clubfeet in general, I was amazed and comforted by the amount of success stories I found online. We are so happy to now be a part of that group!

Eli started his swim lessons this week; he and Cooper are swimming at the YMCA twice a week for the entire month. All in all, Eli seems fine with the water. Lehr and I didn't anticipate any fears considering how much Eli loves the "big" bathtub. Yesterday he went under the water for the first time, which he seemed to have mixed feelings about. Pictures to follow.....

Grandpa Jim flew through Atlanta to visit Eli on Monday night. They spent a few hours together 'catching up'. My dad tells me Eli uttered his first words: "I love you, Grandpa Jim". The imagination is a powerful thing....

Bob the Builder

We had BEAUTIFUL weather in Atlanta this weekend, so we spent most of our time outside with Eli, enjoying it. Yesterday we took him on his first mountain bike trip. He didn't get to experience the biking aspect of it, however, since he spent his time at the trail-head with whichever parent wasn't riding. As we were getting our bikes ready, we set a blanket down on the grass (which was actually just dirt with a few blades of grass trying to peak through) so Eli could entertain himself. He did just that, and ended up with dirty shoes (from kicking off the blanket) and dirt and dried leaves in his hands. I don't think he ingested anything, but it was the first time Eli played in the dirt. After church this morning, we met Cooper (who turned six-months today) and his parents at the park. We pushed the boys on the swings for the first time and they both seemed to really enjoy themselves.

Eli is accepting new foods much better these days. He's no longer refusing the carrots and bananas, and he has since tried nectarines and oatmeal, both of which he appears to really enjoy. His latest trick is staying awake almost all day. Friday he napped a total of 1 1/2 hours all day (normally he averages 5 1/2). He remained happy all day until about 5PM. This was odd for him considering he's usually a mess without adequate sleep. He went down for his naps at all of the normal times, but after about 15-20 minutes each time, he'd wake up and play in his crib. I let him play in there for a full hour one time, in the hopes he'd go back to sleep. No such luck... Then Friday night Eli decided to play all night. He went down at 8:30, but at 2:00AM we heard him in his room kicking the crib. No cries or fusses; just kicking noises (loud ones that prevented us from sleeping). This noise returned at 4:00AM, and again at 6:00AM. Lehr has nicknamed Eli, "Bob the Builder", because when he kicks his FisherPrice Aquarium with his bar on, it sounds like he's hammering and building something. Last night and tonight we wrapped Eli's bar with an old kickboxing hand-wrap in the hopes that it will protect his crib and aquarium from damage.

Adventures in Eating

Eli has become quite the picky eater. In the last week we've tried a few new foods (carrots and bananas), and Eli rejected them both! He'll make faces after each taste for about three or four bites, and after that he'll refuse to open his mouth. The rejection of food continues even if I switch to rice cereal or something else he likes. (I guess he's not willing to chance me doing the old bait and switch on him.) So I've resorted to sneaking these less desirable foods in with foods he does like. The most popular combo so far is carrots mixed into avocado (since he likes the green stuff). Tomorrow I'll attempt the same with the banana. I tried to mix the shunned foods with cereal, but that doesn't help since the cereal has no taste (which means all Eli can taste is the 'bad' food).

Eli spent some time with an older woman this week: Lindsey, who is almost three months older. For once, Eli actually interacted with another baby! They grabbed each other's hands a few times, and they took turns petting each other's hair. Then last night Eli hung out with Cooper while Lehr and I went out to dinner. We saw a little bit of video and it appears the boys had a great time. At one point Cooper was even sucking on Eli's thumb!

Happy 1/2 Birthday!

Happy 6-month Birthday, Eli!! Time sure flies....

We went to Eli's pediatrician yesterday; Eli received more shots and doled out more tears. Eli had been a little congested over the weekend, and Sunday night his usual 'fake' cough seemed to have a different sound. The doctor confirmed that Eli is experiencing his first cold. This kid just can't cut a break between the teething, the shots, and now the sickness. He's a little fussier than normal, but it doesn't seem too bad so he should be back on his feet in a few days. The doctor gave him an otherwise clean bill of health and warned that over the next 2-3 months Eli will most likely be experiencing some separation anxiety anytime we put him down or leave his sight. He's already started to voice his displeasure when certain toys are taken away from him. This kid's got attitude!

Roll Over, Roll Over...

It's been a long week. Eli had three days of pretty bad teething, including one mostly sleepless night and a mild fever. The poor little guy wasn't himself all day Wednesday; even a bath didn't make him smile. For now it's over, but considering his top two teeth are visible through the gums, but not yet 'out', I'm sure the worst is yet to come.

Eli is still rolling over all the time. Lehr has yet to see it though; just this morning he was playing with Eli (on his back) and he walked away for a minute only to come back (literally 30 seconds later) and find him on his stomach.

We're still experimenting with new solids... Eli's foods now includes sweet potatoes, rice cereal, avocado, pears, and butternut squash, though the squash and potatoes gave him a slight rash. And the pears are not a favorite at all; Eli takes about three bites before refusing to open his mouth any more.

Tomorrow is Eli's six-month check-up with the pediatrician; WOW!

A New Way To Make A Mess.

Eli is still blowing raspberries whenever he can; he will try to make eye contact with me and then attempt (which ends up just being sort of an airy whistle) in hopes that I'll make the noise back at him. The smile he rewards me with is priceless... However, I could do without the raspberry attempts while Eli is eating. I've been covered in rice cereal too many times now.

BTW - For those who didn't know, I've created a video page. This link will take you to Dropshots which is a webpage that streams my video. The page will hold ten video clips for me, so I'll be taking old ones off whenever I add new ones. Feel free to check the link out periodically as I'll try to add a new clip each week.

Go West, Young Man

What a week! Eli had a lot of firsts this week: first plane ride, first snow, first full day without Mom or Dad....

We took a trip out to Lake Tahoe last week to introduce Eli to the snow and to get some winter sports in for ourselves. Eli's first plane trip went wonderfully. We arrived at the Atlanta airport 1 1/2 hours early in the hopes that we could secure the seat between us for Eli and his car seat. We were successful and Eli slept most of the flight (in his seat). Even when he was awake, he was quiet and happy (the flight attendant even commented on that when we left the plane, and the couple in front of us said they didn't even realize there was a baby behind them until we landed and they saw him). The plane ride home was very crowded, so we had to hold Eli the whole time (no extra seat), but he was still generally happy and quiet.

The first day in Tahoe was pretty laid back; Lehr and I stayed around the house to try to get Eli acclimated to the new surroundings before leaving him to ski or snowshoe. He did great; he had Grandma Cathie wrapped around his finger! The next day, Lehr and I went skiing for the whole day. That was the first time I was away from Eli for so long, and the first time he was away from both parents for ten hours. He did great though; Grandma Cathie kept him busy! I have to admit, the first day without him was pretty tough. It didn't hit me until around noon, but when it did, it was like a ton of bricks. It was as though a part of me was missing....I know it's cheesy, but it's true. I did better the second day, but I still missed him like crazy. I was almost glad there wasn't any fresh powder on the slopes beckoning us; we only skied two days (Heavenly and Northstar) which meant that I only had to be away from Eli for the whole day twice. While we were in Tahoe the weather was warm and sunny, so we were able to travel a little up the mountain (where the old snow was more built up) to take Eli snowshoeing one day. He seemed to enjoy it!

Eli's new favorite thing to do is attempt to blow raspberries. He's pretty good at it, but only by chance. One out of every five attempts is successful, and for some reason he thinks he has to have his thumb in his mouth to execute the sound. We arrived home last night and despite his thorough enjoyment of the vacation, he seems very excited to be home. I think he missed his bouncy seat, his exersaucer, his 'big' bathtub, and his crib. If he's a creature of habit, it's my fault for sure.

So Much To Do, So Little Time

I'm convinced Eli will learn to roll from his back to his stomach before the other way around (which is normally the 'easier' way for babies to roll). He is really good at flipping his legs and arms out once he rolls to his stomach (if he falls forward from sitting, or if we prompt him to roll). Eli is showing signs of wanting to crawl and scoot also. He does this inch worm move where (when he's on his stomach) he sticks his butt up in the air and then flattens out again, in an attempt to move closer to a toy or object he wants to touch. Little does he know, he barely moves when he does this. However, he is good at turning his body around when he's lying on his back....he is still always in a different spot in his crib when I get him up in the morning.

**Two hours after I posted this blog, Eli rolled from his back to his stomach without any prompting. Had I ignored him a little more, I might have missed it myself.**

Speaking of his crib....Eli has discovered that he can interact with his Fisher Price aquarium. This week he started playing with the crab-roller (think a small version of the big wheel on Price is Right), and he started turning the lights and music on and off by hitting the seashell button.

As you know, we've stopped the sweet potatoes, but this week we did start with rice cereal. Eli seems to love the act of eating. He doesn't seem to enjoy the rice cereal as much as the sweet potatoes, but he still loves to open his mouth wide when we get anywhere near his mouth with the spoon. It's hilarious to see him get all excited, arms outstretched and mouth open wide, only to get a less-than-excited look as soon as he tastes the weird, white paste. He's even started to open his mouth wide when he seems me eating with a fork or spoon; he obviously thinks it is time for him to eat too.

Food Strike

Today was Eli's check-up with the pediatric orthopedist. Eli's feet are looking great, and there is no sign of relapse. Now if he could just learn how to roll over and start crawling, we could decrease the amount of time he's in the bar! Seriously, the doc said we can be the judge of how much to take the bar off once he begins to crawl, but I know Lehr and I are going to remain on the cautious side of things to make sure we prevent a relapse.

No new news in Eli's life right now... He's still off of solids due to the rash (I tried again this week, but the rash came right back), he still doesn't roll over (he does really well when Lehr or I prompt him, but he seems to not be motivated to roll at all on his own yet), and he's still enjoying his exersaucer nightly.

Re-Cap

Eli is taking a break from 'solid' foods for now...he seems to love them, but he's had a small rash the last two days right after he's eaten (a possible indication of an allergy). So for now, we're back on the liquid diet for now.

Today I registered Eli for swimming lessons. He and Cooper will be starting to mimic frogs and fish in March, when they are both 6-months old. Time sure flies! This last weekend Cooper came over for a visit and it was the first time we were able to get the boys to both smile for pictures. Eli actually grabbed onto Coopers hand a few times.

Eli is still loving every minute he gets to spend in his exersaucer; every night we put him in it without his shoes for abut 30 minutes. We try to 'ignore' him because we've noticed how much more animated and active he becomes when he thinks no one is watching. It's quite fun to watch him do laps around the toy and squeal in delight.

I Think I Like Green Eggs & Ham

Today was a BIG first for Eli. He tried solid (and I use that term loosely, as the consistency was that of soup) foods for the first time! We decided to start Eli out on sweet potatoes; I'm attempting to make all of his baby food and that was one of the recommended starting points. He ate a full cube and probably would have liked more, but I wanted to make sure he would still eat the liquid portion of his meal. In the last few weeks, Eli has started opening his mouth really wide when it's time to eat, so we were curious to see if he'd react to the potatoes the same way: he did! Eli made it quite easy for Lehr and I to feed him because he kept most of the food (at least half anyway) in his mouth each time and he opened up every time he saw a spoonful coming his way.

Also, right now Eli is going through a phase where he has a little 'mommy preference'. Although it is frustrating that most of the time I am the only one who can calm him, it melts my heart. It really amazes me that he 'needs' me.....

On a side note, I came across a video explaining the correction process we are following for Eli's feet. The full video is about 15minutes, but the last part (about parents) isn't as informative. (If you decide to watch, just focus on the first half; it explains the casting, tenotomy, and brace.)

Jump Around!

Eli had a very busy day yesterday; lots of errands and new surroundings! I am 90% done transforming the house back to it's normal decor (read: I'm finally getting around to putting the Christmas decorations away), and this seems to puzzle Eli, as he'd become quite fond of the big dead tree in our living room.

Yesterday we bought and assembled an exersaucer for Eli. It is a bit challenging with his bar, as I have to unscrew the bar to place him in the seat and then re-attach once he's seated. On top of that, it is difficult for Eli to balance on the bar once he's in the seat due to the slickness of the pad on which he is supposed to jump. For a while I'll put a towel underneath him, for traction, but I don't imagine it'll take him too long to figure it out. Also, while we were assembling the new toy, Eli decided to flip himself over on the couch (from a sitting position), almost throwing himself off the couch and onto the floor. This means no more unsupervised sitting anywhere there is not 3-square feet of level land. He's been wiggling around in his crib too. For the last two weeks or so, whenever I go in to wake him in the morning, he is usually in there talking to himself and he's turned sideways (90-degrees from where we put him the night before. Yesterday morning he changed his position completely: when he went to sleep, his head was at the South end of his crib, but when Lehr woke him up in the morning, his head was due North! Houdini strikes again!

Today was a day of firsts: Eli went to the church nursery during the service this morning. I stayed in with him to help with the transition, but he didn't seem to need it; he enjoyed sitting in the middle of the room and watching all of the other babies, as if it were entertaining to him.

He's BAAACCKK!

Eli's back, baby! No more crazy screaming or major meltdowns: I guess the holiday stress is over for him! I wish I could figure out how to help him deal with extra people around the house. He gets plenty of exposure to 'outsiders' on a daily basis; we're always going to someone's house or lunch with friends.... He does fine with that, but once they invade his domain, all hell breaks loose!

He's had a pretty laid back week so far..walks, errands, playing around the house, nothing too exciting. He's still sucking away at the thumb, but no developments with rolling. He is getting REALLY close, but no spontaneous flips yet.

Happy Holidays!

What a week! We started off the holidays with Mom-Mom driving into town for Christmas; we went to Christmas Eve service at the church and had a wonderful day at the house. Then Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Justin, and Treis (cousin) drove in the day after Christmas for a few days. We had a Christmas celebration on Tuesday complete with a hike down by the Sope Creek paper mill ruins. The highlight of the week was probably the new Georgia Aquarium. (Grandpa gave everyone a ticket in their stocking.) Eli loved seeing all of the fish and sea animals; he had a hard time closing his eyes for a nap! We finished up the week with a visit from Cooper.

Eli is still not rolling over unassisted, but he's close. However the big news in Eli's life is his thumb: he finally discovered it! He's been eating/chewing on toys, blankets, cloths, fingers,(everything BUT his thumb) for a few weeks now. (We're pretty certain he's been teething.) Now that he's found it, he takes quite care to place it and ONLY it (no other fingers) in his mouth.

Tongue Twisters

Eli's newest form of self-amusement is his tongue. He's found that when he makes different noises, it moves. On top of that, if he puts his fingers in his mouth while he's making those noises, he can feel his tongue move. When he thinks I'm not watching he gets really into it, adding several pitches and squeaks.

Other than that, we're just preparing for the onslaught of company due to arrive starting tomorrow. I'm expecting Eli's routine to take a hit; added people in the house always throw him off. I don't mind so much, but it always takes a good three days after people leave to get him back in his groove.