8 months

Okay, I am a little late on my 8 month post. I am not sure how much Eli weighs because we haven't been to the doctor this month but when I got on the scales and subtracted my weight it came out as a 21 lb difference. He is very tall too.. I am having to buy 12-18 month sleepers because everything else is high waters on his poor little legs! I think the boy definitly has Allison feet...his feet measured 4 1/2 when we bought his first pair of shoes the other day. I am saddened to think he may out grow all the hand-me-downs from Cousin Carter very soon. 

Eli is still nursing as well as eating baby food and table food. He loves toast and scrambled eggs as well as cherrios and pretty much anything you put in his mouth. This boy can eat! He especially likes to feed himself. He is starting to want to pull away and look around when he nurses but I am still pushing him to continue because I really would like to make it to the year mark when we can graduate to whole milk. He likes the 'Nuby' sippy cup and drinks his juice/water mix readily.

No new words yet but he is doing his hands like a spider going up a web for the 'itsy bitsy spider' and will clap his hands together. He has waved 'bye bye' a few times but doesn't do this consistently or on command yet. I keep thinking I will teach him a few baby signs but forget and do them sporadically so he hasn't picked up any yet. He is so observant and loves to study things.

I think walking will definitly be the next gross motor milestone.. he is getting closer by the day. Eli is still cruising around one handed, squatting and standing back up with one hand, and has stood by himself for a few seconds before falling. He loves to 'walk' around the house holding on to the furniture or by pushing his walker. He is only still when he is asleep... We get through church with the help of cherrios and juice!

We are enjoying watching this baby grow and my heart melts when he smiles up at me. He is already a 'mama's boy'... very clingy to me, cries when I leave him and will say  "ma-ma-ma". So sweet! ( I will try to post a pic soon.. I need to find my camera!)

Eli's first shoes

We went to Stride- Rite and bought Eli's first pair of shoes. We bought him pre-walker shoes where he can still feel the ground but has support for all his one handed cruising. He acted like a mermaid that had sprouted legs and did not want to stand up... hence the picture above.

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Isaac's 5th grade pic



 This is  Isaac's 5th grade picture and I get sentimental every year when I update his school photo frame. We have a frame that goes from kindergarten to senior year of highschool and each year I get weepy when I have to add another picture to the frame. I am thankful for each year I have had with this sweet boy. It is so neat to see how much he has changed. I remember when he was a tiny baby I would wonder what he would look like as a school-age kid and now I wonder what he will look like as an adult!  I just can't believe that in 6 short years he will be driving! Time sure flies and I definitly realize that more now after watching Isaac's babyhood, toddlerhood and early school years fly so quickly.

Eli and the walker

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Like Father Like Son



Eli



Josh

Eli

Eli's Halloween/ Fall pics ( 6 months)

What a sweet pumpkin derriere

                                                     


and a drooly monkey face!



No smiles.... but I wasn't either. The photographer was annoying.



7 months and on the go

This child is going to be walking soon. He crawls lightning fast, pulls up on EVERYTHING and is cruising around the furniture one handed. He has stood by himself a few times for a second or two. He is wearing me OUT! Eli has learned how to use the pincher grasp and is feeding himself puffs and yogurt bites. I am hesitant to try finger foods cause I am petrified he will choke. I don't remember being this nervous with Isaac.. maybe because I hadn't worked with babies with swallowing problems and learned all about dysphagia at that point. I know he is fine but it still sikes me out. Let's see.... what else.. he reached for me and said mama :) Josh was jealous cause he wanted him to say Dada first! He has also been imitating "hey". Eli loves to play. He has a new game called "up.. down". When you hold his fingers and say "up" he pulls up and when you say "down" he plops down on command. My big boy weighs a whopping 19 lbs 9 oz....and my arm, back, shoulders, etc can testify to it!

We had a health scare this month. Last Monday my mom called me at work and said that Eli was throwing up and I needed to come home. So as I was on the way she called again panicking telling me to hurry. He had thrown up around 10 or so times, couldn't hold his head up, his lips turned blue and looked 'lifeless'. Since Mom lives 2 minutes from the hospital we rushed him to the ER. They did a complete workup (CT scan, abdominal x-rays, blood, urine) and all they found was that his white blood count was elevated 3x's normal. After being at the ER 5 hours they finally sent us home without a indefinite diagnosis as to what was going on (the ER doc said it could have been a seizure). We stayed up all night watching him. We followed up with his pediatrician the next day and he was not sure what was wrong either. He ordered more blood and this time his white blood count was back in the normal range. The peditrician said from a description of what happened that it did not sound like a seizure but he couldn't give us an idea other than perhaps food poisoning. I think food poisoning is unlikely too because all he is eating is breastmilk and baby food. So anyway we are so very thankful he is  back to normal and just pray that this was an isolated incident that will never happen again!

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Daddy and Me

Josh is a great daddy. He loves his boys and is very involved. He helps dress, change, bathe, rock, and feed Eli and takes Eli to my mom's through the week when we work. Isaac is taking a sabbatical from sports this fall but when he plays, Josh is there at every practice and game helping out. He tucks Isaac in every night,  and they have bonding time with the X Box more frequently than I like. Love you hun and thanks for being a great dad!

Six months old

Eli is six months old! Wow this half a year has already flown by. He weighs 18. 3 lbs and is 28 1/2 inches long. He is staying on the same growth curve and same percentile: 50th weight, 75th-90th height, and 50% head circumference. This month he had his first ear infection.. sadness. He is holding his own bottle (during the day when mom keeps him), eating stage 2 baby food, up on all fours, sitting without any support, and rocking on all fours. He has started babbling more consonant sounds and likes to pop his lips and babble "ba ba ba".  His bottom two teeth are completely through. He did bite me several times while he was working on getting those little white nubs to appear. I actually had two cuts on each side. Thankfully he has not tried to bite anymore or there was going to be an early weaning. Up until this week he would get on all fours, rock back and forth and then lunge across the floor... but he has finally figured it out and is moving his arms and legs in sync now. Mom has chased him all over the living room the past two days.

Big tub

So the wee one has decided he does not like his infant bath seat because he does not have enough water to splash so big tub here we go!!!

Brothers

Isaac is such a great big brother; he fetches passies, toys and entertains Eli. Eli just lights up and grins so big when Isaac comes near. There are definitely pluses and minuses having the boys so far apart. Pluses: Isaac and Eli require totally different levels and type of attention and  Isaac is a huge help. He is so very independent and rarely needs reminders to get things done (except for brushing his teeth and showering which are not top on his list). He does his chores (most of the time without complaining) and gets his homework done without assistance. Car rides are very enjoyable because we  don't even know he is in the car because he has his nose in a book.  He has been the only child for so long and has had lots of time and attention poured into him. Amazingly he is not the least jealous of Eli. Minuses: Isaac and Eli are 9 1/2 years apart which means when Eli is 9, Isaac will be in college!!!! This also means it will be a long time before Josh and I have an empty nest. Before Eli was born I worried that I couldn't love another child as much as I love Isaac but it is amazing that your heart just makes room.

A time for babies....

There were five of us teachers at school that were all pregnant at the same time. Here are few pics of the babies that were born.. Eli was the only boy of the group.

                                                  Eli and Laina on a play date at the pool

                                                                 Baby Keilyn

Amber, Baby Rachel and I

Baby Jaycie

      

Camping with a babe

We decided to go camping the weekend after school started... which means the weekend after I was totally exhausted from going back to work.  I think I was a little mentally disturbed to agree... I must have forgotten how exhausting camping is not to mention adding a 5 month old to the mix. Usually when we go camping we exhaust every possible spot in the car and Isaac is safely wedged in between miscellaneous camping gear. So this year it was especially hard considering we had a baby, car seat, stroller, pack-n-play, baby food, bibs, clothes, diapers, wipes and all the other stuff babies seem to need. At least I didn't need bottles since those are conveniently attached ;) We went with Josh's brother and his family up to Carolina Hemlocks and had a great time. We tubed down the river (minus Eli and I) and the boys had fun catching critters and riding their bikes around the campground.  I ate lots a few smores and we even went on a hike to a pretty little waterfall. When we got back I called Mom in desperation needing a nap (deflated air mattress and baby = no sleep). Josh and I dropped the boys off and went home and crashed for a couple hours.

Our mammoth tent



Eli chillin in the pack-n-play



Bryce, Isaac and Braedon



Kristin



Josh, Eli and I



Isaac's Baptism

Isaac gave his heart to Jesus and was baptised at Carson's Chapel in the river this summer. He was so excited! We are very proud of him and his decision to follow Christ.

5 months old

Eli is such a big boy. He weighs 17.7lbs and is 27 1/2 inches long. He is now sitting... he has made it over 3 minutes plus without falling over. I went back to work on his 5 month mark... so sad. I miss my baby but know he is in great hands with my mom. Isaac is pumped and excited for fifth grade and ready to go back! Let's hope Eli starts sleeping better. This week he has done much better... sleeping in his crib from 930 until 330 when he eats and them back to sleep until 530 or 600.

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Gelato = YUM!

Splurge...I found this at the grocery store last week......Caribbean coconut gelato

P.S. I hid it from Josh because he devours ice cream... he wasn't very happy when he found out!

Vegas baby!

We went to Vegas... with a baby!

Josh had a work conference so I tagged along and of course Eli had to come since he is not yet weaned. Isaac enjoyed a few days with his cousins and had a blast at Bible school at our church.

Eli did great on the plane ride. We gave him a bit of benedryl per the pediatrician's instructions, I put saline up his nose pre-take off, and attempted to nurse him during take off and landing. I think his wee ears were just fine!

We had an awesome room... thanks to a surprising upgrade. We could basically see all of Vegas from our 33rd floor suite at the Mandalay Bay. The room was 1700 sq feet and had windows all around, 4 flat screens (one built in the mirror in the bathroom), huge bar, dining room table, and steam shower.  Eli and I occupied our time by going to the pools, taking naps, and I read a book while Josh went to his classes. In the evenings we tried out a restaurant featuring a chef off of Top Chef and we went to see The Lion King musical. We were going to see Criss Angel but Eli was not allowed so we went to the Bodies Exhibit at the Luxor instead. Live bodies...eek!

First foods

We tried squash.....

Pre-squash face

First bite.. notice the nose snarl

and the eyebrow scowl

and the food pouring out

                                                     

Eli can rollllllllllllllllllllllllllllll

Okay so he has been trying for a while and has been rolling over onto his side very easily but he is offically rolling all directions now.

I will try to upload a video!

Isaac's 10th Birthday

This year we had Isaac's party at a local water slide/camping park. It was actually a prime party spot; we had a covered picnic spot by the lake and the boys were able to canoe, swim, water slide, and putt putt. Isaac had all his cousins as well as some boys from school..... he still doesn't want to invite girls. We ordered pizzas for everyone and  had two cookie cakes (which he has asked me for all year instead of regular cake). I can't believe my baby is a decade old! He is such a sweet, caring boy and I am truly proud of the young man he is becoming!

He was excited to get more Warrior books from Aunt Day!

Sick Molly girl

When we got back from vacation, I noticed that Molly wasn't acting right. She was very lethargic and then she started vomiting....so we decided to go get her checked out. Sure enough she had an infection and it was affecting her liver. The vet recommended that she be hospitalized for treatment. Two days later and 390 bucks later the mouser was home. Now we get to stuff... I mean nicely place a pill down her throat for 30 days. The first day I ended up calling my sister-in-law to come help after Josh and I had a riff about getting the pill down. Evidently I was not holding her still enough for his specification. He preceded to tell me that she was a house cat not a cougar or mountain lion and I should have no problem holding a 15 lb cat! So we worked it out... he does it all by himself :)

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4 months old

Eli is officially 4 months old. Here are his updated stats: 15 lbs 8 oz and 26 1/4 inches long; he was in the 50th percentile for weight, head circumference, and the 80th percentile for height. Time sure is flying by and Eli is learning new tricks everyday... here are his latest accomplishments: He is making all sorts of sounds (mostly vowels), he is pushing up and extending his arms when he is on his belly, he will sit for a few seconds before toppling over, he is reaching and grabbing toys, grabbing his passy putting it in his mouth and removing it from his mouth, laughing out loud, smiling, and cooing.

 He has a very laid back personality... except for meal time when he gets downright angry when you take his milk! We have started rice cereal mixed with breast milk via spoon. He doesn't like to eat his cereal when he is tired or ready to nurse so I have to catch him in between. I just bought out the store a few jars of baby food to try. I think I will start with veggies... since his pediatrician didn't seem to have a preference. So all in all he is a pretty good baby... oh wait.. I didnt' mention sleeping!

Sleeping.. what is sleep? That thing I have not had in 5 months! Occasionally we will have a good night which consists of sleep from 10 pm to 3:30 am (feed, poop, change), and then sleep until 6 am or 7 am. Other nights I succumb to exhaustion and put him in the bed with me and feel like a sow with my piglet attached! Yeah yeah.. I know this is not a great.. heck, even good arrangement but at least I do nod off. I definitely did NOT put one of Isaac's mattresses off his bunk beds in the nursery... and I most assuredly do NOT end up sleeping in there 4-5 nights a week! :o

Zoo Zoo

Eli loves this crazy thing. He can be screaming but when you make the toy sing he stops and listens. I don't know what it is called but it sings jibberish. I named it Zoo Zoo :)

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My first formula

I have been wanting to try some formula just to see how he would do and of course my little piggy baby sucked down 8 oz! He didnt seem to mind the change... but now I am going to go hang out with my pump.

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Callaway Gardens

This year we went on vacation with my dad, Aunt Jane, and Uncle Richard. My sister, brother-in-law, and nephew were supposed to come but were unable to at the last minute :( This was the first time we have been on vacation with my dad and aunt since 2005 so we were pretty pumped to get to spend the week with them. We decided to go to Callaway Gardens in Georgia... a favorite vacation spot from my childhood. We first went to Callaway in 1990 and then went 3 more years after that. Audra and I loved the day camp and have a lot of fond memories from the trips. We picked Callaway because Isaac is just the age to have a great time,  there are beautiful golf courses for the guys, and of course..the spa! Callaway is located on 14,000 acres with 20+ miles of bike trails throughout the gardens. We brought our bikes and even purchased a bike trailer that we could pull Eli in and tried to ride each day. Eli would close his eyes and lay his head down when we would ride and when we stopped he would open his eyes and look around.  Isaac loved to ride to camp in the morning but since it was about 3 miles each way we alternated taking him and picking him up from camp. Isaac had swimming each day at Robin's beach (the largest man made beach in the US), circus skills, arts/crafts, archery, golf, tennis, geocatching and much more! My dad and Josh played golf and my Aunt Jane treated me to a day at the spa. The 110 minute exfoliation, body, scalp, foot massage was fabulous! Dad and I found a restaurant that had delicious bread pudding so we had to revisit that establishment for a re-run! Eli did great on the trip... it helped that we left at 430 am on the way down there and 10 pm on the way back to maximize his sleeping time. Thanks Aunt Jane and Daddy for the vacation!

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Aunt Jane, Eli, Grandpa and Isaac

Eli with his toes in the sand

Isaac heading out to Ice-berg Island

Josh and I took him and joined the fun one day and afterwards my arms were sore!

My boys!

Hiking Linville Falls

We decided to go hiking up at Linville falls and then drive the parkway to Boone. Eli loves to ride in the Baby Bjorn! We ate at Josh's favorite restaurant (Makados) and then went shopping to the shops on the parkway. Fun day!

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Isaac has gone to camp....

Isaac went to Centri Kids camp with our church and he had a blast! He is so much like me.. ready to go go go. When I was 7, I flew to my Aunt Jane and Uncle Richard's house and stayed a week without even a twinge of homesickness. Isaac is so much fun and outgoing I knew he would love it. The first words out of his mouth were, "Can I go next year?". Our youth pastor posted a few things on facebook during the week and they just happened to be all about Isaac!

"One of our kids just fixed his lunch plate including the following: peaches, pickles, and fries! That covers 3 camp food groups - fruit veggies and starch..."

"‎7:30 am - axe body spray covers ALL odors...including 3rd grade boy sweat"

Isaac- " My arm pit is chaffed....Youth Leader-  "well how come?".....Isaac- "probably from not showering"......."hahaha"

Summer- "Just got a call asking where Isaac's soap and shampoo are....the same place his tooth brush is....which means he hasn't used either since he left for camp Mon!!"

All in all Isaac had a wonderful time.. drawing closer to God and forming new friendships... even if I did need to dip him in Clorox when he got back!

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