Happy 1/2 Birthday, Eli!

Eli is officially 2 1/2 today! He is such a big boy in so many ways! Here's how we celebrated today:



Here are some recent Eli antics:

1) Eli says "okay" in several different funny tones depending on the question.
2) Eli loves to say "aw man!" when something happens.
3) Eli continues to love to play "get you"....sometimes it's the only way to get his diaper changed: "I'll get you to change your diaper!"
4)Eli somewhere picked up some wicked wrestling moves! He likes to pose eeringly similar to Hulk Hogan....yikes!
5) Again, somewhere picked up how to fly like superman & puts his arms either behind him or in front of him, runs around the house while saying "Superman to the rescue!"...he's never seen Superman nor do we own anything Superman!
6) Eli likes to play "bull" & run through blankets with his fingers as horns.
7) Enjoys being pulled around the house on a blanket like a sled.
8) Has started to REALLY hate leaving any place fun....full on fits, people!!
9) Has NO problem helping himself to food on the counter of fridge. He now knows how to get a clementine, peel it, & eat!!:


10) Continues to be the most curious, fun, loving, & strong willed little man ever....& we love him for it!!!

Last week, our theme for Eli's activities was dinosaurs. I steal a few ideas from this blog. She has a little boy younger than Eli, but also does a weekly schedule with him. Here are some pictures of activities from the week:

Dinosaur animals & books:

We somehow acquired many Barney videos....perfect for the theme:

Drawing dinosaurs we learned about in a book:

Play-doh dinosaur!:

Triceratops daddy made for Eli:

A "Shoeseratops"! This was fun as Eli's foot was traced to make his body. Daddy & Eli also made a "Cerealasaurus" out of cereal!:

Each week is a different letter color page...last week was "b" so I found a dinosaur color page:

This was was supposed to be a pattern page....but Eli chose to just color....that's okay!:

Coloring Barney!:

From my teaching days I have about 50 or so folder games. They are K & 1st grade level, but some are good for Eli. This one was matching upper to lower case letters...on dinosaurs!:

Eli continues to love on baby Anna but sometimes tests boundaries by hitting my belly. So many changes are going for our little guy so his behavior has been a challenge at times! Overall he's doing well, considering, & will make an awesome big brother in just 12 1/2 short weeks!

27 weeks!

Today is 27 weeks for Anna! Here's Eli's post when he was 27 weeks. What's funny, is some of the websites I visit say 3rd trimester starts this week, while others say not until 28 weeks. Babycenter says 1 more week of 2nd trimester & I start to see my midwife at 28 weeks bi weekly, so I guess I'll officially declare 3rd trimester next week :)

Regardless, I continue to feel well! More heartburn, but my back & pelvic pain continue to stay in check, so that is awesome!! I toss & turn at night & pee a lot, but that's expected. Anna loves to make her existence known off & on but particularly in the morning & evening. I'm feeling more tired, but I also am working more, so I'm sure that is a contributing factor.

Next week I do my glucose screening and get my Rhogam shot. Her arrival is quickly approaching!

Fun 27 week fact: She's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing her eyes, and perhaps even sucking her fingers! (babycenter.com)

26 weeks!

26 weeks for Anna today! The wonderous 2nd trimester is treating me well & I know 3rd trimester is right around the corner (2 weeks, in fact)! 3rd trimester will probably hold more aches & pains, less bladder control (TMI, but true), & more Braxton Hicks (although more intense than I feel now, I've been told, this 2nd time around), but also the arrival of our little girl!

Not much else to report other than when looking back at my posts at 26 weeks with Eli, I complained a lot about my back pain & how I couldn't sit for very long. I am happy to report I don't feel ANY back pain & again, am so happy I am under chiropractic care...AWESOME!! I haven't needed to use my snuggie pillow either....although I do have 14 weeks to go :)

Fun 26 week fact: Your miracle’s little eyelids have finally separated (they were fused closed previously) and they’re probably having their first moments of sight as you read this (babygaga.com)

26 weeks

Eli's toddler schedule

Last week I started my new schedule & Eli started HIS!:

MORNING

*Wake up & eat breakfast

*Art

*Pretend Play

*Physical Play

*Field trip w/mommy (Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday)

*Snack (around 10am Monday & Friday)

* Fun with Colors/Shapes (Monday & Friday)

*Independent Play while prep for lunch

AFTERNOON

*Lunch (around 12/12:30pm)

*Read books & prep for nap (diaper change, prep room)

*Nap (around 1/1:30pm)

*Snack (around 3pm)

*Language/Pre-reading & Numbers

*Outside OR Music & Movement

*Free play with toys

*Independent Play while prep for dinner

EVENING

*Dinner (around 5:30/6pm)

*Bath

*Prepare for bed (p.j.’s, brush teeth, clean up, read books in bed)

*Bed (around 8pm)

Since we are starting from scratch, for the most part, each week I will research ideas of activities under each category to organize for us all to easily understand & utilize with Eli. I bought a notebook, dividers & page protectors to organize the notebook so it can be easily used. Here's how it looks:

The idea is that the activities are "presented" to Eli. If he seems completely uninterested, then that activity isn't used. If he is, the activity can take as long as Eli wants. Last week, Eli did really well! Daddy, grandma & I reported that he was interested in most of the activities, & as I hoped, the structure helped his day run more smoothly. There was less t.v. on, less destroying of things (I like to call these times "destructo mode"), & a more engaged little man! At first I was concerned this would all backfire & he would not like ANY of the activities, but with one week down, this has not been the case!

Here's Eli doing "Art" time with Daddy:

Another great thing about all this is that this activity was supposed to use paint to show how red & white make pink & then paint hearts. I forgot that mixing water colors wouldn't work, so daddy improvised & got out a canvas (he had in storage) & they created this wonderful masterpiece instead!:

Here is Eli making puzzles out of construction hearts with daddy:

This activity was also great because it utilized stickers, which Eli really likes. I simply wrote the numbers 1-20 on paper to make a book & Eli & grandma worked on putting the correct number of stickers on each page. Eli was only interested until about number 5. Then later in the week I continued working on it with him:

Not on Eli's schedule, but part of his week nonetheless, Eli got a new-to-him baby doll to help him practice being a big brother. He has enjoyed caring for the baby named "Abby" (the other name we considered for Anna) & rocks (while singing "Rock a bye baby"), feeds, burps & swaddles her. Of course he also swings her around by her arms & legs, but we are working on that :).

Burping:

Practicing bottle feeding for the times he can help if mommy is away at work...we also talked a lot about mommy nursing Anna & how Anna can only drink mama milk after she is born:

Swaddling:

Hope everyone has an awesome Valentine's Day tomorrow!

Mission Organization

We have finished organizing Eli's room, living room, & basement....phew!! All closets & under sinks are reorganized, & a shelf in the garage is starting to accumulate items for a possible garage sale in the spring. Anna's room has been done for awhile (see here) but we were waiting on a few things to finish up Eli's room. We love it, & so does Eli, which is what really matters!!

I bought a kitchen for Eli at a consignment sale & was happy to find one that was less girly than others I've seen. The silver container holds Eli's building bricks & the shelves hold memorabilia:

I was very excited to find an orange bean bag online! You can also see one of the wall hangings that our friend Tori made. Later in the post I have close-ups:

To save money, I simply turned Eli's bookshelf on it's side to put fabric bins in with toys. It's also safer since Eli is such a climber!!:

We hung a hook rack to hang Eli's dress up clothes, bags, & hats. The painting above the rack is the artwork of Eli & his daddy:

Eli's big boy bed! We simply moved the full size bed that was in Anna's room (previously our guest room) to Eli's room & found an awesome sheet/comforter set:

Eli also has a bedside table with a lamp, clock/CD radio & his sound machine...all which he can operate on his own. We also hung a dream catcher in hopes to help Eli's sleep...we'll see! The picture is one of Eli's 1 year pictures:

Here are the close ups of the wall hangings Tori did. All I did was give her the pillow shams from the comforter set & she used her creative talent to create these. We love them & in case you didn't know, she has a website where she sells many of her creations....check out Monkey Stitch! Thanks, Tori!!:

Now for the living room. My hope is that since we live in a raised ranch, that Eli will become more & more accustomed to playing in the living room AND his room. His room is toddler proof with the idea that when I am busy with Anna, I have faith that he will be safe playing in his room or living room alone for periods of time. He has become much better at playing in both rooms already! As for the living room, we moved the furniture set that was in the basement upstairs. We should have done this awhile ago as the fabric is MUCH easier to keep clean. When Anna arrives, we'll probably put her swing in front of the window:

I'm feeling good about things being organized & my nesting instincts are pretty much fulfilled :)

25 week appointment

Today's appointment went great! Anna's heartbeat was 155 & I am measuring exactly 25 weeks. I was given the lab order & yummy glucose screening drink to do before my next appointment at 28 weeks. At that appointment I will also receive my Rhogam shot. THEN I graduate to 2 week visits as I will be in my 3rd trimester! I gained another 6 lbs. from a month ago so the weight keeps piling on with 26 lbs. total so far....oh my.

25 weeks!

25 weeks for Anna today & she has been movin' a lot the last few days! A few days prior, I swore she had turned herself facing backwards as I could feel slight movements towards the bottom/back area...it was funny! I have been so thankful for my chiropractic care this pregnancy. While I still have some aches & pains, & more will come, I know chiropractic care has made all the difference for my comfort. I also hope that adjustments will help Anna not position herself (as Eli did) into the left side of my pelvis resulting in the stiff neck muscles he had (torticollis). Anna will also receive chiropractic care starting as a newborn....I'm officially a believer!! I highly recommend it to any future or current mamas!!

Tomorrow I see my midwife & probably will take my gestational diabetes test. I'm excited to hear her heartbeat again! 3 weeks until I enter 3rd trimester!

Fun fact: This week, Anna starts to pack on the pounds & her skin smooths out to become more of a newborn! She may also start to position herself in a more head down position to prepare for birth.

Fun with Eli

Eli had yet another fun filled week! This week, I start covering my supervisor's position & work 25-30 hours a week until early May. I have arranged my schedule to allow 3 mornings a week for Eli & I to still attend activities. This was important to me as I know he (& me!) really enjoy our playdates, Toddler Town, music class, & other fun activities. Eli will also get some fun daddy & grandma time! To help us all have a smooth day that will have several transitions between caregivers, I put together a flexible schedule that include structured activities, free play time, field trips, & independent play. I'm putting together a binder of activities that are categorized by art, pretend play, fun with colors & shapes, language/pre-reading & numbers, & music & movement. Because Eli will (hopefully) begin attending 2 mornings a week of preschool in the fall, the schedule will help him get accustomed to some structure. Here's what his schedule will look like (times are left off purposefully since it is all determined by how each activity goes!):

MORNING

*Wake up & eat breakfast

*Art

*Pretend Play

*Physical Play

*Field trip w/mommy (Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday)

*Snack (around 10am Monday & Friday)

*Fun with Colors/Shapes (Monday & Friday)

*Independent Play while prep for lunch

AFTERNOON

*Lunch (around 12/12:30pm)

*Read books & prep for nap (diaper change, prep room)

*Nap (around 1/1:30pm)

*Snack (around 3pm)

*Language/Pre-reading & Numbers

*Outside OR Music & Movement

*Free play with toys

*Independent Play while prep for dinner

EVENING

*Dinner (around 5:30/6pm)

*Bath

*Prepare for bed (p.j.’s, brush teeth, clean up, read books in bed)

*Bed (around 8pm)

Enjoy pictures from last week!:

Daddy got out a camera tripod & Eli enjoyed pretending to be a photographer:

Last Tuesday was Groundhog's Day. At our local nature park, they had an activity that consisted of story time, puppet show, craft, & treat. We met up with some buddies & had a great time. What's amazing is that last summer we attended a few activities there & while Eli did okay, he had a hard time focusing on storytime & crafts. At the Groundhog Day activity, he was much more attentive & patient....what a difference 7 or so months makes!!

Cheesin' during story time:

Listening to a story about Groundhogs:

Puppet show!:

Coloring his groundhog:

Eli's buddies, Jack & Colton:

Mmmmm......groundhog cupcake!:

Watching the fish:

And turtle!:

Sitting on the cool tree bench:

Eli just 7 month ago!:

Petting Gregory the Groundhog:

Fun wood blocks:

Eli LOVES Mocha:

Today Aunt Holly & Uncle Chris visited us for a couple of hours. Uncle Chris & Eli built a tower of blocks but then Eli got hurt playing in the block tub....mama had to comfort:

Okay, I'm ready to knock this puppy down!:

Aw yes....that's better:

Tomorrow is 25 weeks for Anna....look for a post!