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!