Eli's First Haircut

A few days ago Eli had his very first haircut! The top is still very short, but the back had gotten pretty long. There were pieces sticking out all over his ears and it was getting pretty grungy looking when he got hot and sweaty.

Wesley took the clippers to his hair with a no. 4 guard. We ran the clippers in the room for awhile first so that Eli would adjust to the sound. I held him in my lap and distracted him while Wesley made a few swipes to the back. Eli did a great job and his hair is looking so much better!

BEFORE

AFTER

Eight Months Old

Eli, I cannot believe you are eight months old - 2/3 of the way to a year. You're crawling, pulling up, opening drawers, and all over the place these days! In some ways it seems like just yesterday that we could leave you all swaddled up on the couch while we went to the bathroom or something, but it also seems like you've been apart of our family forever!

In our BFG one night someone was telling a story of someone else that they knew that found diamonds and feathers all over their house. There's more to the story and I can't remember all of the details (which is going to make this a terrible story...Aunt Katie would say, "and then I found $10" to make it better), but the gist of it was actual tiny diamonds and feathers that a couple was mysteriously finding all over the house. We sat around with our friends that night talking about the "diamonds and feathers" that God has blessed us with in our lives. Eli, you are certainly our "diamonds and feathers". You were an unexpected addition to our family, but I wouldn't dream of having it any other way. God continues to bless us with "diamonds and feathers" since then. I knew I would have to go back to work from the get-go, and we love where you are, but I was so afraid of missing you growing up. I know it's not possible to witness every single thing, every single time, but I couldn't stand the thought of someone else witnessing all of your firsts. Even though it's small and trivial in the grand scheme of things, we have not missed anything. We've seen you smile, laugh, roll over, sit up, sit yourself up, crawl, and pull yourself up. God is so good! We are so thankful that you are a happy and healthy boy and we look forward to every day with you.

Firsts: overnight hospital stay (other than your birth of course), trip to the beach/Atlantic Ocean, sleeping in your room at night, Easter, haircut, tax day

News headlines: UConn won the NCAA college basketball tournament, Carl Schwartzel won the Masters golf tournament, Sadly, we don't know much else that's been going on in the world. This month has really gone by quickly and we've been busy!

Milestones: you are crawling, you now have SIX teeth, pulling up to your knees

Measurements: Size 3 diapers, mostly 9 mth clothing but still some 6 and 6-9 mth clothing, 20-ish lbs

Like Mommy: eyes, sleep, you like books, and you're looking more like a Petty to me

Like Daddy: daily outside time is a must, you're always in a good mood like Dad

Favorite Toys: Out of ALL the toys (and it's a lot) that you have, your most favorite things to play with are straws and spoons! You also like books, stuffed animals that are close to your size and have faces, and your keys.

Sounds: You talk quite often. You make the /b/ sound and the /u/ (short u) sounds mostly, but you also say "mmm" after you eat something that you really enjoy!

Challenges: Cutting so many teeth at one time is certainly a challenge for your nose and bottom! You're also working on pulling up. You're pretty good at getting up to your knees. We're hitting that phase of separation anxiety, especially after spending a whole week with Mommy and Daddy at the beach. Even if I leave the room at home you fuss a little.

Our Days: You're up around 6 each morning. You eat once before daycare. You have two 6-7 oz bottles plus rice and a fruit or veggie at school and then eat another time or two before bed. You are eating more and more table food, usually small bits of whatever we're eating for dinner. You have some type of fruit and more cereal before bed, and then most nights you get a bath too. Bedtime is between 8:30-9:30, depending on what our schedule has been like. You are now officially sleeping in your crib in your room!

Funny/Favorite Moments:

Mom's favorite-getting to see you learn to sit yourself up and crawl for the first time

Dad's favorite-seeing you on the beach with the birds

Nicknames: Squirms/Squirmy is here to stay, but also Little Man, Buddy, Dude

Upcoming Events: Uncle Z and Uncle Clark's graduations and summer vacation/the three of us being home all day together

Easter Weekend

Woo hoo for the weekend! Eli's weekend kicked off a little early. His daycare was closed on Friday (which I did not know until late Thursday afternoon, although I should have known: church daycare, Good Friday, etc.). After some quick phone calls, Nana saved the day and came up to keep Eli on Friday so no one had to take a day off of work. I'm sure those two had lots of fun together, they always do! : )

(Isn't he the studliest stud muffin ever?!)

Friday night, Uncle Z and Puddin joined in on the fun while Wesley and I headed to the Secret Church simulcast that was going on at our church. It was SO, SO good! The more I know about God the more I realize I don't know, and yet the more I realize how good and how holy he is! My head is swimming from all that I learned. I'll have to share more later when I've had time to digest it all. If you ever get the chance to go to Secret Church, live or via simulcast, I highly recommend it. We only made it to midnight. It went until 1 am (eastern time). Wesley has been very busy with soccer lately, and had gotten in from his game around 2 am the night before and we knew little man would be up by 6am, so we left early to get a few hours of sleep in. I plan on watching the video and completing my workbook once the video/pdf outline get posted to the website.

Nana, Puddin, and Uncle Z stayed and played all day Saturday.

Wesley and my dad even got our new front door put in. We LOVE it, thanks Puddin!

While it's a little odd not getting up and going to church on Easter Sunday (but that's 'religion' and it makes no difference whether we worship together on Saturday night or Sunday morning), it gave us the chance to do some things as a family. We got up and cooked breakfast together, read about the crucifixion and resurrection from the Bible, and prayed together.

Eli also checked out what the Easter bunny had left behind.

I even made a bunny cake like my mom used to do (prior to dislocated/breaking her finger in the stand mixer a few years ago). My cake teacher would not have been impressed with this cake. I broke the cardinal rule and tried to ice my cake only an hour after pulling it out from the oven (I should have waited at least a day). And then I did a very poor job icing it...I took a nap only halfway through and then tried to go back and finish it. But, oh well, you do what you have to, and I simply ran out of time before Easter. It may not be my best work, but it tastes delicious, and cakes are made to be eaten, not admired for their craftsmanship (at least that's the case in this house).

(Little man sure tried his best to get his hands in that cake!)

While we've had tons of fun and made some great family memories this Easter, we're most thankful that we serve a living, perfect God, who became sin, that we might become his righteousness.

For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.

1 Peter 1:18-19

Welcome baby Abigail!

Our sweet friends, David and Mallory, had their daughter, Abigail a week ago today. On Monday Wesley and I went to the hospital to meet Abigail (and check on David & Mallory), and Wednesday night we took them dinner and finally got to introduce Eli to his future wife, Abigail.

He's probably thinking, 'Ohhh, so THIS is the Abigail I've heard about for months now!"

It's amazing how quickly I've forgotten what little babies are like. You could certainly feel the differencewhen you held little 8lb Abigail and when you held 20lb Eli! : )

Daytona Day 3: When in Rome

Eli has developed a bit of a cough and the wind was pretty strong today due to afternoon showers rolling in, so we decided to take a rest day from the beach. This morning we went to the Daytona International Speedway and took the Speedway Tour. We’re not racing fans, but when in Rome I suppose. I never realized how big the track actually is. It sits on 450 acres. The tour was really neat. I never realized how STEEP those turns actually are. Our tour guide told us that you have to be going no slower than 95 mph, or gravity will pull you right back down. We saw where Dale Earnhardt died in 2001, crossed the start/finish line, drove through pit row, and had our picture made in the winner’s circle.

After our morning out we went back to the room, ate, and napped. Then Captain Eli took us on another adventure.

Don’t ask me why, but I’ve always wanted to visit a lighthouse. I’ve talked about it on every trip Wesley and I have taken throughout our marriage. I finally got my chance! We went to Ponce Inlet to see the Ponce De Leon lighthouse, which happens to be Florida’s tallest lighthouse.

We climbed the 200+ steps to the top.

The views from the top were incredible. I won’t go so far to say that I’m afraid of heights, but I prefer to keep my feet on the ground, so I tried not to look down. It was very windy at the top too!

We spent the rest of evening back at our resort playing putt-putt, eating dinner, and watching my show (Biggest Loser). We’re looking forward to being back on the beach tomorrow!

Daytona Days 1 & 2: Beach Bumming It

Sunday and Monday we woke up and hit the beaches early. It was sunny and hot (close to 90). We rented chairs and an umbrella for the week. It was not the most frugal or economical of investments, but it sure beat multiple trips from the room to the beach; going to the beach sure is different with a baby in tow! We stayed on the beach until close to noon, and then headed in to feed Eli and let him get a nap. We hit the beach again around three and stayed out until five, when they start to pack up the chairs and umbrellas for the night.

Eli LOVED the beach! He was very curious about sand, and kept trying to eat it. He enjoyed sitting on a towel, underneath the umbrella and making eyes at all of the teenage girls on the beach. His “Big Flirt in Training” t-shirt would have been appropriate. Eli was exhausted by the end of the day. His eyes were so heavy and tired, despite his naps. There was just so much to look at on the beach: people laying out, swimming, running, and biking, helicopters and planes, boats, sand, the waves, and oh my, the birds. Eli was enamored with all of the seagulls and pigeons strutting around!

If you’re a male family member (or any male for that matter) you may want to skip this next paragraph) … We had planned to hit the pool for awhile at that time, BUT as we were cleaning up, I bent down to pick up Eli and POP! Yes, my swimsuit top broke! Thank you Jesus I had just put on my swimsuit cover up. After getting back to the room I discovered that the clip had snapped in two places. Let’s just say finding swimsuits for this trip was definitely interesting. While I’ve lost all my baby weight, my old tops no longer fit, thanks to breastfeeding. I could feel myself getting full all afternoon, and I guess it was just more than my top could handle! An emergency swimsuit shopping trip was made.

We made use of the pools too. Eli was a little unsure about the whole "float" experience at first, but he quickly learned to love it!

So I've had a few pity party moments here lately. I try not to be a negative ninny, but sometimes it just comes out.

First off, I've had three very close friends, all teachers, who have quit their jobs to be stay at home moms. I wish it were me.

A friend from work's sister had a sweet little baby boy. My friend goes to her sister's house nearly every afternoon to hold her nephew. My sister has only seen her nephew twice in the seven months since he's born. I really miss my sister (and brother).

I was talking to another friend and she had to go because she was about to go run by her parents' house. I wish I could just go run by my parents' house anytime I felt like it.

But, I'm trying to be positive. I'm thankful to not only have a job, but a job that I love. I'm thankful for my sweet, healthy baby boy. I'm thankful for the smile on his face every afternoon when I walk in the room to pick him up.

I'm thankful that we're only two days away from Spring Break, and then just five weeks away from summer vacation. I'm thankful that my husband and I work together (we can ride to work together!) and have schedules that allow our entire family to be together all summer. We can take vacations galore (and are), and after May 20, don't have anywhere we have to be for at least TEN weeks!

I'm also thankful for phone calls, texting, and Skype. I'm just really missing my family.