Out of Whack

Eli is getting his molars, which is making him crabby. He tosses and turns all night in his sleep and chews on everything possible. He is a bear right now, and tonight is my turn to sleep with him. Monday night he slept with both of us and kept us up most of the night. Last night, Huts took him. Tonight it's my turn. Oh, how we will all be glad when this is over.

One Step Forward, One Burnt Foot

Wednesday night was not a good night for Eli. After cooking dinner he was playing on the island counter top and stepped on a still warm burner! He screamed in pain and was inconsolable for the next hour or so. He got Tylenol and we tried aloe vera. He wouldn't hold still long enough for us to cool his foot off with water or ice. He screamed during his bath because it made his foot hurt. Luckily he calmed down and fell asleep at 6:30. At 7 I tried to put him down, but he woke up again. So we went back downstairs until 7:30 when he was out.

At 10 he awoke crying, he got more medicine and tried sleeping with his Mama in our bed. That didn't work, so he slept with me in the bed in his room. He made it from 11 to 4 am without much stirring. Then at 4 he started thrashing around, so he got more medicine and slept until 5:15 which is close to the time for us to get up. He played the day away without a problem with his foot. It is a bit blistered now, but it is much better and he is on the mend.




In other Eli news, he's joined in the wrestling sessions with the other kids. He grabs onto your leg until you pick him up and tickle him. He still gets a bit jealous when I'm tossing the other kids around, but at least I can play with all 3 of them instead of having to pick up Eli because he is screaming and doesn't understand.

He's also getting his molars finally. 2 on the bottom are on the way out, 2 on the top haven't completely poked through, but there on the way. Only 8 more teeth to go and he'll have his full set of baby teeth. That will allow him to eat more things like the peanuts and chips he currently doesn't chew all the way (see below post). We are hopeful that he'll also start sleeping through the night once his teeth are all in.

Lastly, he's beginning to speak a bit more. He wakes his brother up with "Hi, Hi, Hi, Hi" every morning. He'll say bye on occasion and will occasionally get out another word, like Elmo. He also is starting to watch TV cartoons/sesame street. If we are lucky that'll translate his screaming for things into words soon.

Eli The Hider

Sharon borrowed Eli's car seat today. I saw the worst mess I've ever seen underneath his seat. It's like the black hole of trash! We'll had to wash his seat too, I think it got a little barf from the peanuts on it yesterday that I missed (he choked on peanut M & M's). I also found 3 of Tori's babies (the black baby and twins) plus a cookie jar, dog, cat and a couple more doll house pieces just from taking Eli's car seat out for the day. I bet there's a million dollars in there somewhere!

Molar

Eli is finally getting a molar and moans and thrashes in his sleep because of it. He is in pain, and the medication helps, but not completely. Poor little guy! It's tough to be a baby. We working on getting him to talk. He can say, mama, dada, bye, hi, but those are few and far between. He does babble a lot, however, and screams and grunts to no end. Wait until he discovers how much easier it would be to say milk than grunt at the fridge.

Eli The Sock Monkey

Eli wore his costume for half a clock and went trick-or-treating. He watched in amazement as doors opened and candy went into his bag. he seemed to have a good time but I brought him home when his cheeks and nose turned red. He came to the door a few times to see what all of the fuss was about, but he never got excited about all of the goblins at the door. Didn't faze him. He was just having fun running around and stuffing his face with chocolate.

All went well, and we ended up with a huge bowl of candy, plus I sent home a huge sack with Annie and Dale. This does not bode well for a week from now when the Fanny May candy arrives from school. We better get rid of the other by then, or we're all going to get fat!

Little Helper

Sharon needed the day off yesterday, so Eli and Tori stayed home with me. We cleaned house. I wasn't sure Eli would cooperate, but he did, following me from task to task, playing along the way. He finally tuckered out at 1:30 and was not pleased to be woken up at 4:30. He went to bed at 10 and slept with his dad from 3 to 5 this morning. Tonight is my turn to sleep with him, unless he fools us and stays in his bed all night.

Must Move

Eli must move. At dinner time he gets in his chair, eats (with a fork or spoon now) and gets down. There is no waiting around for him. He is so eager to move that as soon as his tray is removed from his chair, he turns around and climbs higher into the chair. Unfortunately, this continues through meals out as well. Most of the time his Mom doesn't get to eat her food because currently she's his favorite and HE HAS TO MOVE! We've never strapped a kid in a grocery cart. Guess what happens to Eli...STRAPPED! He doesn't fight this one extremely hard, but he still gets out.


He's also become king of the mountain. He'll climb on the kid sized chairs and stand on them, grinning and screaming to get our attention. He thinks he's so big and cool. He'll also climb on the chalkboard table to play. Then he'll scream at you to get off the table because he doesn't want to do it himself. He's almost tall enough to climb onto the couch, but just can't get his leg on top of the cushion to get himself up. He yells at you to help him. Once up, he's not done, Oh No! He climbs over the cushion and onto the sofa table behind the couch. This is a great place to play because he gets to pull the light chain, throw small objects off, then scream that he can't reach them. So he climbs down the couch (sometimes he falls on purpose) and retrieves what he threw, then repeats the cycle until it gets old. The boy never stops, he just must move.

A Thing For The Ladies

Apparently, Eli is rather attached not only to me but to the sitter. He sits beside her when she watches TV and whimpers when she leaves the room. Eli sure likes the ladies, except for my sister Annie. He isn't too keen on her, at least not yet. That should change, just like it did with the other two.

Mr. Active

Eli is all over the place, fussing at this and that and looking for me at every turn. I cannot leave the room for very long. On another note, he has shower radar. Turn on the shower, and you can bet he will be there in five minutes or less. He hops into every shower, sometimes more than once a day, and is super clean. I no more got upstairs and got into the shower last night than he was there banging on the door wanting in. He took a shower and then hopped into the tub with his sister. He is water bug!

Much to Huts' dismay, Eli wants his mama. He screams when I leave the room and demands to be on my hip 24/7. He also screams out at night so I will come get him and snuggle with him. Finally, I get a child of my own/. Tori was a daddy's girl, so it's been a while since I have been the favored one. Huts is not enjoying it, but maybe after his leg is healed. Eli will go to him again.

Night Owl

Eli stayed up until 10 last night, rarely fussing. I don't know where he got his energy, but after a few hours of fun with Tori, he roamed around downstairs playing and sitting with us. He was super content, which is so unlike him. Huts and I were amazed, even more so when I put him to bed and he fell asleep quickly!

Climber

Eli is our little daredevil, climbing everything possible. He gets onto the couch and up on the sofa table. He gets up on the chairs and table. He gets up the stairs and yells from me to come and get him down. He pulls down toys and pulls things with cords everywhere. He is one busy guy!

Little Person

Eli may only be up to your knee, but he is a little person now. He may not talk, but he lets you know what he needs and want. He screams when he is mad, smiles when he is happy and grunts for everything he wants. He walks everywhere and climbs up and down the stairs like they're nothing. No more baby!

The Inquisitor

Eli's 1 year appointment was yesterday and other than his head gash, he was in tip top shape. He is in the 50% in height (30 inches) and weight (23 lbs) and his head was in the 75%. He's got a big head. I don't know if that's from all the egg's on his head swelling it up a bit or if that is its normal size. One thing the doctor did say was that he was very inquisitive. Which we already knew by all the bumps, bruises and cat scratches that he has collected in the past year.

The good thing about all of this is that it has made transitioning things a very easy on us. While his siblings were gone, he started sleeping through the night. For the most part this is still true. He'll still wake up if he's uncomfortable, but he's been sleeping through almost 3 weeks now. Its also making the transitions from bottles to sippy easy. He didn't get a bottle at all yesterday for the first full day and he didn't care. He also fell asleep on his own in about 15-20 minutes after we laid him down last night. He's growing up so fast, its hard to tell sometimes where our little baby went.

Not Again!

Much to our dismay, Eli fell yesterday and busted his head on the fireplace. No glue or stitches needed, but a nice little cut and big Band-Aid. ugh. Huts is going to do something with that fireplace tonight. We are both going to try to keep dare-devil in line. That boy is worse than the other two. He has a bump on his head and a bump on his nose from a dive off the couch, bruises and scrapes on his head from a tumble with a bar stool at the babysitter's, a cut on his arm from a tousle with Splatter and bruises all over from the constant trying to run and falling. He also squishes himself through the barricades to get up the stairs and climbs on top of any and everything he can. He is brutal, and his little body proves it!

How To Eat Your 1st Birthday Cake

Lick 'n Kiss

Mommy and Daddy gave each a kiss last night. Eli saw it and decided to join in. He held open his mouth, with tongue down, and gave Mommy a lick n kiss. She squealed in delight and laughed and laughed as he did it again and again. Then it was Daddy's turn. As soon as Mommy and Daddy kissed again, Eli repeated his antics. This went on for about 20 minutes. What a riot! If you're in the mood for a kiss and don't mind a lick, too, see Eli. He's got plenty to offer.

Almost 1

Seven more days, and Eli will be one! He is walking, screaming and chattering. You cannot miss him. He is a rough-and-tumble, likes to play with cars kind of boy. He pushed his cars along the floor and turns everything else into a battering ram. He also makes vroom noises. He's a real hoot, and I can't wait to see him dive into his little birthday cake.

All By Himself

Eli is finding out what it is like to be an only child this week and next, and so far, he is doing well. He has the two of us to himself, and he has taken full advantage of the fact, demanding our sole attention until bedtime. He has also started to sleep through the night. He beat Tori's 18-month record. Woohoo!

2-Step

The time has come for more mobility for Eli. He's a speed demon at crawling. He cruises along furniture without slowing down. Now, he's starting to walk! Last night he was snacking on the living room rug when he stood up. Not a big deal, he's been standing by himself for awhile now. Its been trying to get him to take a step that's been the issue. Up to this point, he'd reach as far as he could to avoid taking a step. Last night, he took his first baby steps to get to us. They weren't far, but it was a giant leap forward in his mobility and his ability to keep up with his siblings which he is dying to do.

Two nights ago his siblings were running around downstairs and he wanted to join in. He crawled after them furiously, but they lapped him several times. Now the gap will be closing the closer he gets to walking. In a short amount of time he'll be annoying them as well with his constant presence.

Happy Happy Happy

Eli was on top of the world this morning, charming everyone with his toothy grins. He told us all bout his day while munching on a waffle. He is so close to walking, yet so far. Every time he tries to walk, he gets scared and stops. He can go up the stairs by himself, though. Huts followed him all the way up them last night. I think he is going to be like Tori and maneuver those with no trouble.

Loud, Loud, Loud

Eli is a big talker, bah, bah, bah and more, all day long. He talks and screams from the moment he gets up until the moment he falls asleep. We're going to go nuts when he starts saying things we can all understand. Huts and I will never get a word in between the three of them.

Big Boy

After months of detesting facing backwards in his car seat, Eli is now in the forward-facing seat. He did not know what to think of it this morning. He looked around for a long time before getting antsy. He seemed surprised and happy to be facing forward. It is sure not to last, but at least for now, he is content. He has grown by leaps and bounds in the past month, with four teeth now, some hair on his head and a loud voice. He screams at everything and gets into everything. He is definitely giving us a run for our money.

Tooth Poking Through

Huts thinks that one of Eli's front teeth has finally come through. I hope so, because he needs more teeth to eat. He hates baby food and wants to eat our food, so another tooth will most certainly help in that goal. Little guy went everywhere last night. He is moving fast now. Walking should be next.

Eli The Happy Baby

He cooed all the way home yesterday, sleeping for an hour just once. He ate a lot of crap and threw up a lot of crap. Too much junk for his tiny tummy. He went to sleep early and woke up after six this morning. He was ready to go, except when he got into his car seat. The fussing started then! He hates being penned in that thing.

Off to A Rocky Start

Christian was surly, his sister was tired and his brother hurt his finger. There were fits all over this morning, and we're lucky we made it out of there, with our wits intact. I don't know what got into the three of them. Tori must have stayed up too late playing her room, while Eli is teething. The bruised, cut finger didn't help matters. What a morning. Hope this afternoon and night is better.

Since Eli has learned to crawl he has become a man of action. He'll pull himself up on everything. Dump his pile of clean diapers on the floor. Once up on the couch, he grabs onto the back pillow cushion, yanks on it repeatedly until he falls down and the cushion falls on top of him. Then he repeats the cycle after we reset the cushion. He loves this game.

Unfortunately, his actions have posed a few new risks. Like his new found love of diving head first off the couch! He also likes trying to dive over the side of the arms of the couch. I caught him last night or he would've conked his head on the floor and we might've made a trip to the emergency room. Last night was also a first. While we were grocery shopping he decided to stand-up in the grocery cart seat, hang onto the handle and bounce himself up and down. Talk about wondering if your kid is going to hit his head!

The only thing he doesn't like is when we leave him alone in a room and he realizes we are gone. If he's playing, he's fine until he realizes that we aren't in the room. Then he crawls crying looking for us. He also cries when I leave him at the sitter's every morning. He's got a bit of separation anxiety, but it will pass.

Unfortunately for us, all this extra physical activity hasn't lead to Eli sleeping through the night or sleeping later than usual. Which leaves his parents still tired and hoping that he will sleep through the night faster than his sister's record of 18 months.

Fuzz Head

Eli is finally getting some hair on his head, and like the other two's was, it is blonde. No doubt he will turn a dark blonde and maybe even brunette when he grows up. Christian and Tori have dark blonde hair right now, and it appears to be getting darker. Tori's eyes are also more hazel now than blue. Eli, on the other hand, has very blue eyes. Funny how genetics works!

On another note, Eli is crawling now, albeit on his legs with his butt in the air. He is also pulling up to everything. This child will be walking before we know it!

Pictures

You should all be receiving pictures of the kids soon. We got them this weekend and are getting them ready to mail tonight. Christian is all smiles; the other two, not so much. Tori was shy and Eli had no intentions of smiling. He couldn't figure out what was going on.

Crawling

Eli can crawl n ow. He doesn't like to, but he will do it when he wants something. He has also been spending time playing upstairs with his brother and sister. He likes to pound on toy pianos and buttons. He is getting a little hair now, still fairly bald, but he is getting there. He is also getting close to having his front teeth. His gums are nice and swollen, as though the teeth are sitting there ready to poke through.

Teething, Snotting and a Real Crab

Eli is getting more teeth, and he has a cold. Last night he went to sleep early and kept Huts up most of the night. He did the same to me the night before. Tonight is my turn to stay up. We're going to be two tired parents, and we have a swing set to put up this weekend!

Thief

Like his big brother, Eli has become a thief! He obviously inherited this trait from his brother, who stole his Mama's garlic bread off her plate before he could speak. Eli got a taste of a chocolate chip cookie last night. His Mama was going to give him another small bite when he saw it in her hands. He snatched it out of her hands whole and started in on his precious treat. He ended up with a happy chocolate face.



Eli has started eating more normal food. Crackers, cookies, vanilla wafers, pasta (not easy to feed an 7 month old noodles) and a try at Chinese (which got 2 gross faces out of 3). He seems ready to eat just about anything, only his stomach can't quite handle the good stuff yet. Only 4 more months and he can be on solids full time. Then we'll have to hose him down in the yard after every meal!

I Hate My Car Seat

My parents put me in it all of the time, and I tell you, I don't like it. I scream and try to squirm my way out of it. I don't care how safe it is for me, I do not like being confined to that seat. I can't wait until I am done with it.

Leg Up

Eli gets up on all fours and kicks up one of his legs. He so wants to crawl and is working hard on sitting up from a lying down position. We are in trouble when he gets mobile. He can already slide off the couch and scoot around the hardwood floors. Last night, he flipped out my arms and I caught him upside down. He didn't l like that much and wanted Daddy after that!

Screamer

Eli has discovered that he has a voice, and boy does he use it. He likes to scream happily for hours at a time. Two nights ago, I didn't think he was ever going to quiet down. He kept rocking back and forth on our laps and screaming with joy. Last night, he tried spaghetti. Not a big hit with him. He doesn't like butter biscuits either. The other two loved those, but not Eli. He looks at them as if to say, "You can do better than this, folks."

Fight!

While everyone was busy skiing, Eli and Tyler hung out with me in the hotel room. The two were good, except they kept stealing each other's toys and bopping each other. Eli tried to roll all over Tyler, who tried to sock it to him a couple of times. I guess he wopped Eli on the head with his drum at one point. They yanked on each other's toys and seemed to have somewhat of a good time. All in all, it was a nice trip. Maybe we'll go again next year.

Chomper

Eli's weekend was pretty uneventful other than a milestone, he got his first tooth! It started poking through this past weekend. He's had a few toothache's ever since. Luckily no fever, but his tooth bothers him a bit. He's got the extra drooling and crabiness along with his tooth, but he still seems to be in pretty good spirits.



On the trip itself, he slept most of the time in the car (its 6 hours each way). He played a little bit in the water park. They had bouncy seats for babies in 6 inches of water, but he wasn't interested at all in that. He took a ride on an inner tube around the lazy river with his dad and seemed pretty content with watching everything pass by. As a matter of fact, he was pretty interested in watching everything at the water park. He just didn't want to participate. For a 6 month old, who can blame him.

He is trying to get up on all 4's and is starting to rock. Crawling won't be far behind. Then we'll have to hid the kitty food. I'm sure his siblings can attest that it isn't very tasty.

From Crap Apple to Happy Pants

Eli was not real happy yesterday. We think he might be cutting a tooth. He chewed on everything until Huts gave him some medicine. I held him for a while in my arms and he slept. He never does that. He woke up when I put him down, and that's when he got some medicine. it seemed to help, and this morning, he woke up happy and ready to play.

Healthy

Eli had his six-month checkup, and he is fine. He played with the doctor's stethoscope and showed off for her, swaying back and forth while standing up. He destroyed all of the paper on the exam bed and chewed on books. We had to wait for a while, but thankfully, he was in a good mood, and so was his sister, He cried just a little at the health department when he got shots. He was a good boy!

Pooped Out

Eli went to sleep around 9 and stayed asleep until I got him up this morning around 6:30. He woke up with crusty eyes, one of which I had to clean before he could open it. The entire time, he is smiling big. This child is just so happy, even when I am wiping his nose and cleaning him up. He has very few complaints. What a life!

Eli is crusty in the eyes and the nose. In spite of it. he is a happy boy. He loves his big brother and sister, even if they do treat him like a toy. Just look at this picture. Christian thought it would be fun to cover Eli in rings. Eli liked it!

Napless

Or so, Eli thought. He stayed awake all Sunday morning and much of the afternoon. The car ride didn't even do the trick. He woke up and fussed. I rocked him but he woke up again. Huts rocked him but he woke up again. Huts rocked him and put him in his car seat, where he slept for three hours. We win! Too bad that won't stick. He has a cold and napping flat on his back is a problem. At night, he seems too tired to care. He slept from 9:30 top 4:30 this morning. I got up with him and he fell asleep in the car on the way to the babysitter's. Let's hope he sleeps again tonight, and Tori doesn't wake up demanding a drink.

Eli The Acrobat

Eli continues to move as much as possible. Even in his sleep! On 2 separate nights, I've placed him on his back on one end of the bed to sleep. He has woken up on those 2 nights with his feet on the opposite end of the bed, flipped over on his stomach with an arm and his legs sticking through the bars. The boy must've needed to move badly.

He continues to try to push his legs underneath him, but hasn't succeeded yet. He scoots on his back when he's trying to get to something. He wants to move. He's in the exersaucer quite a bit and only gets mad when he knocks all the toys off and no one puts them back up for him. I tried putting him up in a crawling position after his bath last night, but he crumpled under his own weight. His sister kept jumping on the bed and laughed when he fell. I'm sure it won't be the last time. When Eli gets big enough, the laughter will turn to tears as a battle royal will break out. Much crying and blame will be had by all 3!

Better

Eli is much better now and is playing more. He was a booger to get to sleep last night, but went right back to sleep after a bottle at 2. He woke up at 5:30 and waited patiently while I got dressed. He grabbed greedily for his bottle and managed to finish it in spite of all of the distractions. He is a grabby little booger. He likes to throw toys around, hold his bottle and tug at clothes. Good thing I don't wear jewelry anymore!

The Non-Napper

Eli came home and got a cold. He then spent much of his time awake, fighting sleep. Huts had to take him with him to CVS for cold medicine to get him to fall asleep in his car seat, where he slept for three hours. Finally, he got some rest but still work up fussy. He seemed better this morning but got mad when Huts transferred him from the swing to his car seat. He fell asleep there fairly quickly. Poor little runny-nosed boy!

Sleepy Eli

Eli slept through Christmas morning and awoke just in time to play with his new rings and toys. He chomped on them all and fussed around much of the day. Too much activity for him. I have finally discovered the trick to getting him to sleep. He must be wrapped in a blanket and rocked on the edge of the lap. He generally talks himself to sleep. As for his naps, well, those are fairly short. He is good sleeper at night, though. This trip should throw him off, though. Hmm.