1 year well visit

Eli had his 1 year well visit on Thursday. He is doing very well and all checked out great! Here are his stats:

Weight: 25 lbs. 7 oz 90-95th %
Height: 31 1/2 in. 90th %
Head: 19 1/2 in. 90-95th %

We talked about turning his car seat around to forward facing and she said that there is no rush to turn him. She said he is safer reverse facing and as long as he is okay with it, to keep him that way. We also discussed his eating and she was happy that he was still nursing so well & eating much better. She said there is no rush to start milk, either, especially because Eric is sensitive to dairy. She said to start with whole milk cottage cheese and other cheeses instead. She said he must be getting plenty of fat through my milk since he is doing great!

According to the doc, he should be doing the following:

1. Feeding self (yep!)
2. Playing pat-a-cake (clapping is a daily practice for Eli!)
3. Immitating speech sounds (he immitates, or tries to, a lot of what we do, it's too cute!)
4. Working for toy (boy does he ever!!)
5. Dada, mama non-specific (sure does!)
6. Combines syllables (in his own baby fashion!)
7. Takes 2 objects (certainly!)
8. Bangs 2 objects (a lot!)
9. Pulls to stand (yes, but not a lot, but doing more & more!)
10. Thumb-finger grasp (definitely!)
11. Stands 2 seconds (hmm.....somtimes)
12. Gets to sitting (most definitely!)

He COULD be:

1. Comes when called (he will crawl to you if you call him but only if he isn't too preoccupied :)
2. Begins using spoon/fork (uses spoon very rarely, no fork yet)
3. 2-5 words (tricky one, he has said things that sound like words, but I wouldn't put in the baby book, such as "ka" for kitty cat)
4. Helps with dressing (he will raise his arms up when you say "arms up" but he really doesn't like to get dressed!)
5. 1 step commands (hmmm....if I say "get the ball" he looks at me and I repeat it a few times & point to it & then he will)
6. Immitates activities (YES-he will do thumbs up, hitting hand to mouth, clapping, milk& food sign, & many more)
7. Drinks from cup (sippy & straw cup great but too messy for open cup, but he can! He likes it when I let him drink out of my water bottle)
8. Plays ball (he hits around the ball with his hands and feet up and down the hallway)
9. Immature jargon (I guess I would consider all his babbling as this....he sounds like he is trying to tell us something!)

Have a great Labor Day weekend....I'll post again on Monday!

On August 25, 2007 8:05 am.....

....our precious son was born!! Eric & I were planning to give him a double kiss at 8:05 am but Eli was nice to his mama & dada and slept in until 8:30am :)

I really feel very happy in celebrating this big milestone. I became a little weepy while putting together the slide show, but all the pictures just make me laugh & smile. The changes in him are truly amazing and I am so happy I could stay home with Eli as long as I did to be the "first hand" witness to all of them! I look forward to this upcoming year and all it holds: first steps, first words (besides mama & dada), first haircut, etc., etc. I also look forward to his continued laughs, smiles & inquisitive & determined personality!

I was very blessed to have such an easy pregnancy with Eli. I only had some aches & pains but no complications or concerns for his or my health. I remember telling Eric I was pregnant and his response was "Are you kidding me??" (in a joyful demeanor, of course) and then hooting & hollering while jumping up & down. I remember telling family at Christmas & friends at our open house. For my side of the family, Eli is the first grandchild, which makes him even more of a gift! As Aunt Holly wrote in his birthday card: he has brought much joy to everyone! I was the usual worrier while pregnant and so relieved to make it through the first trimester & to get the "all clear" at each doctor's appointment. I couldn't wait to start showing and to start buying maternity clothes. I loved the feeling both emotionally & physically of being pregnant and knowing I was carrying our son & providing a safe place for him to develop & grow. In fact, a few weeks before he was born I began to feel some sadness that the pregnancy would soon be over because then, he was OUTSIDE of me & I couldn't guarantee his safety as well on the outside!! Then as his due date came & went, I only then began to say "well, maybe he could come out to say hello!!"

I remember the joy & complete exhaustion I felt when Eli was born. I remember saying to him as he was placed on my chest "We made it!!" because I was SO tired after being in labor all night. Eric was so excited & cried at the sight of him. He kept saying "Cry buddy, cry!!" to get the mucous out. He was all peely with long finger & toe nails because he was overdue which took weeks for him to completely have "normal" skin. We were also too scared to cut his nails for a few days because he seemed so fragile! Introducing him to family at the hospital & then the grandpa's later was very special. Everyone instantly felt such love for our little man!!

Our first week home was such a reality check for us! Of course Eli was awesome, but as parents we were adjusting to the sudden change in our life. No sleep (he has never been a good sleeper), fear of doing something "wrong", trying to figure out what makes Eli "tick", and of course, increased love for each other! Eric was so sweet & bought me a necklace with Eli's birth stone which made me cry & cry (a lot of things make you cry after giving birth!!). Eric's mom gave us a music box/flower pot that was given to her when Eric was born which sits on Eli's bookshelf. Watching Eli fall asleep after breastfeeding & how he was so small & could just cuddle up on our chests. Discovering that Eli loves being outside & sleeping in his car seat.

Oh yes, and probably our biggest struggle besides sleep.....BREASTFEEDING!!! That first week I wanted to quit many times due to exhaustion and the pain I was feeling. I made many phone calls/visits to the see the lactation consultants for help because I was determined to get over the "hump". I owe so much gratitude to Sharon & MaryAnn at Centerpoint for their support otherwise we would have not made it....and still be breastfeeding at a year!! I also must thank the other mommies & babies for their support twice a week. It makes such a difference to have other mommies going through what you are to just be around and talk to each other. LLL was also a great support with the help of Karen & Skyla-THANKS!!!

Well, I'll wrap up this trip down memory lane but end by saying that I feel so blessed to have such a happy boy. He wasn't always so happy and in fact was quite fussy as an infant. But, he also started smiling and laughing at an early age and everyone has always commented on how happy he is!! I hope he keeps this happy outlook on life as he grows & matures. I also hope he keeps his inquisitive nature & his ability to focus and try to figure things out (future engineer, maybe???). Finally, I hope that Eric & I can do all we can to raise a happy, healthy, confident, trusting child. I've tried very hard to do what I can this far......

Enjoy the show!!! HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY ELIJAH LEE!!!!

1st Birthday Party!!

Yesterday was Eli's 1st Birthday party....and what a party it was!!

We had decided on a monkey theme a few months ago due to Eric & I really liking monkeys and trying to encourage Eli to do the same :) After a lot of online searching, I found ideas for food, decorations, & activities. It was SO fun to organize & plan Eli's big day and with Eric's artistic talent & my organizational skills, we were pretty proud of the result! Eric made monkeys out of construction paper and hung them around the living room & kitchen from yarn vines like this:




I decided that because some older kids would be there that I would provide some activities for them (on the table in front of the fire place). I printed off a monkey color sheet and provided monkey bubbles, masks & stickers. Oh, and we also had "Curious George" on DVD.


We ordered balloons and had a couple of displays including this huge "1" balloon:


For the cake, I decided to do cupcakes. I am not a baker but thought cupcakes would be fun & would give Eli his own "cake" for his big day. I found a recipe for monkey cupcakes and had to do it. Holly & my mom helped decorate them and here's how they turned out:


I made trees out of grocery bags & Eric made leaves. Of course monkeys hung from the tree!


I ordered these cute squirt monkey heads and placed them around the house for decor:


And here is our sweet birthday boy sporting his "1st Birthday Boy" shirt:


Here is Eli about to explore his cupcake (after mommy blew out the candle :)

Starting to explore:

Still not exactly sure:


Oh....I guess he decided it's pretty good!!


Yummy!!

All 3 of us....our little family :)


Do we have enough cameras???


Eli did SO well during the party. He didn't get fussy except for when we had to clean him up after the cupcake. He enjoyed opening all of his gifts....and there were a lot!! Here's some pics of the gift opening session:





Below are pictures of some family and friends who attended our beautiful boy's big day. Thank you all SO MUCH for coming. I know Eli enjoyed himself and while he may not remember it, he will look back in pictures and see all of you who came to help him celebrate!

Cousin Mallory & Eli in the not quite put together Radio Flyer wagon


My sisters & I

Sarah & Stephanie

Tori & Jack (& Callie in the background :)

Cheryl & Callie

Tiffany & Lilly

Chantel & Christopher

Kerri, Tatum, Tessa & Rowan

Emily, Josh & Mallory

Ursula & Jodi (& Holly, Chris & April)

Rodrigo, Mi Jean & Gael

Sue & Kalani

Aunt Charlene & Uncle Kenny

The breastfeeding crew


Eli enjoying his dumptruck

It was so amazing to be surrounded by family & friends who have watched Eli grow up and have supported Eric & I through the journey of this first year. We cannot thank all of you enough for your love & support. Eli is truly blessed!!

Tomorrow is Eli's official birthday. I will post a slide show of his first year & do a little reminiscing of the wonderful day. At this time last year I was at the hospital, probably about 5 or 6 centimeters dilated.... with an epidural of course!! He wouldn't be born for another 10 hours, though!!

1 year pictures

Eli's 1 year pictures are ready to view. The session was too funny because we had a terrible time getting him to smile! He just wanted to look at everything in the studio and not smile for the pictures. There are some really great ones, though! He also didn't really know what to think about the cake. In fact, after the pictures, we had to clean him up and he just cried and cried....hopefully he won't do that on Saturday! Enjoy!

First week of work (& other fun adventures)

The first week of work went amazingly well. I never worked more than 7 hours, but Eli did very well for his first time being without me for that long. I was also very relaxed, knowing he was in good hands (thanks Grandmas!!). As I said Monday, Eli continued to drink breastmilk several times throughout the day, eat lunch for them, and even napped twice for Grandma Clarkson. He is yet to nap for Grandma Bidney, but he will. He was in good spirits and just played and played while I was away. In fact, one day I came home and he was bouncing on his zebra and all he did was turn to look at me and then turned around and continued bouncing!! Little stinker! Anyway, he is doing really well and if he can master napping while I am gone and not have to wait for me to get home, it will be great! I say this because most days last week he waited for me to come home to nap and took a late nap, resulting in a late bedtime. So, as expected, the transition is messing with his sleeping a little.

Because I was gone most of each day, I didn't get as many pictures/videos as I usually do, but I got some. Eli continues to crawl, cruise on the couch, and pull up. He also likes to walk with help but hasn't attempted it by himself yet. He continues to be so funny and do this crazy laugh, slap his mouth while saying "ahhhh", clap his hands, and now this:

Eli continues to talk in his own language and say "mama" & "dada" appropriately. I haven't really deciphered any other words yet, but he did sign for milk this week. I try to remember to sign the important words, but sometimes I forget. Therefore I have posted the flash cards around the house to help remind me :)

He also discovers something during his adventures of crawling almost daily. He likes to crawl into the kitchen and pull a chair back and forth on the floor (maybe he likes the noise??), crawl to the bannister off the stairs and pull himself up (although I keep a close eye as he could get caught in it if he slipped!), empty trash cans, pull on shower curtains, explore the fireplace (coffee table is back in front of it now), pull on cords, open cabinets, and pull up vents! Oh, and screw drivers (daddy gave it to him....the head is safely put away :)

Eli continues to eat better and better every day! He loves to feed himself, but still doesn't have it mastered. He also eats when fed and today he decided it would be fun to feed mommy! He really has liked everything I have given him: carrots, green beans, pears, apples, sweet potatoes, potatoes, peas, banana, avocado, whole wheat bagels, rice cakes, Cheerios, & puffs. So, I guess waiting until HE was ready has made all the difference as he really is catching on quick and enjoying variety! Here is video of Eli showing off his eating skills:

Daddy feeding Eli his snack

Eli loves his playtime throughout the day. His favorite toys right now are the house (thanks, Beth....he loves it!!), Bouncing Zebra, and his Intellitable. Pretty much the toys that he can pull up on and do activities that are interactive and make noise :)

Oh, and any and all balls are also something he loves:

Eli telling mommy what books he wants to hear before bedtime :)

Bath time=SPLASH time!!

We will soon be lowering the crib mattress :)

Daddy likes to put his hats on his head and this is his usual response

Followed by this :)

OMG.....our little boy will be turning ONE a week from tomorrow. How can this be!! I have been so lucky to spend his entire first year at home with him and to see him grow and change and turn into the big boy he is now. We look forward to celebrating his day with family and friends on Saturday. I'll be sure to post pictures from the fun day. Oh, and he has his 1 year pictures taken tomorrow. I will also post a link to the proofs when they are up. Have a great week everyone!

First day of work

Mommy & me on her first day of work

Thought I'd post about how the first day went. Today I only worked 9-2pm so it wasn't bad. I'm not sure how he'll do T-F with me working 8:30-4pm, but I'm sure he'll survive. I felt fine about going this morning and nursed Eli before leaving. He had no clue, of course, I would be gone most of the day. He didn't nap for daddy this morning, but he is changing up his napping so this isn't a huge shocker. He drank a couple of ounces of breastmilk for daddy, ate some food for grandma, and drank another few ounces of breastmilk for her. But, no napping until I got home. Not sure how the napping will go from now on but we'll just have to be patient. He was very happy and content with grandma, which is my biggest concern, so that is good. But as soon as he saw me, he started fussing and acting tired and hungry. Little stinker :) Oh, and I pumped in the car because I thought it would be more comfortable. No fun to pump in the car or somewhere you don't feel private. Oh well, what can you do!!