An Update

When we were at the beach last weekend Doug was still recuperating from his trip to Arizona.  The day of the game he worked from around 9am until around 9am the next day.  After about 2 hours of sleep he was back at work until catching a flight around midnight and landing in Atlanta the next morning around 6am.  He finally got home around lunch and the next day it was back to work.  I'm sure you can imagine just how tired he was. 

So when Eli woke up at 6am on our first day at the beach I decided to feed him in the living room and let Doug sleep.  It wasn't long before my mom was up and getting ready to go for a walk on the beach.  I asked her to wait for me and a little while later, my mom, dad, Eli and I went out to the beach.  As we walked we looked for shells.  There were already quite a few people out on the beach and it was a little late for shell hunting so we weren't really expecting much.

We actually had found quite a few decent sized shells with only small cracks and holes and some sizeable sand dollar pieces before we decided it might be time to turn back.  When we actually made the decision to head back I saw a lump in the sand a little further ahead and suggested we see what it was before turning around.  We had had several walkers pass us from this direction and we had seen them picking up shells so I honestly was expecting to find a big rock or dead fish.  I definitely was not expecting what we found:

It's completely whole, not a single hole or crack and it's about the size of a baseball.  I've never actually seen a shell this perfect on the beach.  It made for quite a surprise on our trip!

Now onto what I was asked to write about... Eli!  One of our best friends has asked me to update about the things Eli is doing so here it is.

Eli is wearing very few 0-3 month clothes any more.  He's mostly wearing 3-6 month or 6 month clothes (some brands run a little small on him). To explain, the onesie Eli wore yesterday (in this picture) was a 6-9 month onesie!

He's also wearing his brand new Baby Legs in this picture.  We just got them yesterday and I already love them.  They're basically a mix between tights and socks.  They really make changing his disper easy and keep him warm too.  Plus, when he starts crawling around they'll be great on our tile floor!  Doug really hesitated when I first showed him Baby Legs but when I showed him the football pair I won him over :)

Eli still eats every 3 hours between 6am and 9pm and then sleeps through the night.  In the last few weeks he has been showing signs that he is ready to start eating more than just breastmilk so last week we officially started rice cereal.  Right now I'm just giving a little bit once a day but he really likes it and does well keeping it in his mouth.  His next appointment is a couple weeks away and our doctor told us that will be the appointment where we start introducing new foods and drinks so we'll be going slow with the cereal until then. 

He is a very happy baby and smiles and laughs out loud all the time.  Doug has this funny way of saying "what's going on?" that makes Eli laugh every time.  And he's ticklish under his arms.  He "talks" a lot too.  Sometimes when I pick him up from daycare he "talks" all the way home, almost as if he's telling me about his day. 

He also likes to play with his toys in his jumparoo or on his activity mat.  He's starting to really hold on to the toys and he also plays with his own fingers. 

We're really struggling lately with him trying to suck his fingers.  I am a strong believer in no thumb sucking but I am absolutely fine with him sucking his pacifier all day long (for right now).  However, Eli has figured out how to grab his paci and throw it, in addition to his previously honed skill of spitting it across the room :)  Yesterday he actually put the paci back in his mouth and Doug and I praised him as much as we could. 

Oh and one more first that I forgot to mention in my last post.  Eli started crying real tears while we were at the beach.  I'm sure they are the first of many in the years to come but it about breaks my heart watching them stream down his cheeks.

Eli still loves music, just like he has since... well, since forever I guess.  For as long as I could feel him moving, music made him dance.  And that hasn't stopped.  For the most part he rides well in the car but when he gets really upset we have to turn on his mirror music and the car radio.  It makes for a crazy sound for the other riders, but it sure calms him down. 

Eli still has not rolled over but he is trying.  I will be surprised if he doesn't go from back to tummy before he goes from tummy to back though. 

Also I want to say thanks to the awesome lady who sent Eli the onesie he's wearing the picture in this post for recommending these blankets:

I absolutely love them and finally feel comfortable letting Eli nap with a blanket.  I'm still working towards letting him sleep with them through the night, but I'm getting there :)

Oh and our neighbors brought home their new baby yesterday and seeing him really made me realize how much Eli has grown.  It almost made me cry to realize how fast the time is passing.

Some Firsts

We took Eli to the beach for the first time this past weekend.

We are hoping to get the opportunity to go every year.  We like going in the winter because it means cheap rates and no crowds, but eventually we'll probably take a summer trip as well.

The last time we weighed him, Eli was up to 14.6 lbs. and we measured him ourselves the other day (probably not that accurate, but it was close) and he's at 24 in. 

We'll be going back to the doctor in early February and we'll be starting cereal, juices and (gradually) baby food then.  I got a little anxious while Doug was gone because Eli was being so fussy, even after he finished eating.  I was so worried he wasn't getting enough to eat that I mixed up some cereal and went ahead and gave him a little bit.  He did eat some of it, but it seemed like he was only eating it because I was putting it in his mouth, so we haven't tried cereal again. 

My mom and I also got the jumparoo down from the attic and let Eli try it out for the first time.  He loves it!  He can't quite reach the ground yet, but he's very close and he loves playing with the toys on it. 

He hasn't rolled over yet, but we've been travelling so much and running every where so he really hasn't had much time to play on the floor to even try to roll over.  We're all tired of all the "going" so we'll be staying home for quite a while now, not to mention the $3 gas prices!

Today started our first real days as a working family with a child in daycare.  Sure, Eli is 3 months old now, but today is the very first day that Doug and I both went to work, Eli is in daycare, and neither of our mothers is at our house.  I'm sure it's going to take us a little while to adjust, but we're so glad to get back to "normal" life.

This and That

Boy, it's been forever since I posted!  We have been so busy with the holidays I just haven't had time to sit down and write about it. 

Our holidays started with the Garth Brooks concert we attended in Nashville on our way to Kentucky to visit my extended family and some friends.  The concert was amazing.  Honestly, I see Garth in a whole new way now.  I didn't realize until that concert just how passionate he is about his music.  And the best part was watching Doug, who was completely mesmerized the entire time!  Best present I think I've ever given him, at least from my perspective.

The next day we made it to Kentucky and visited with my great-uncle, who rearranged his plans so that he could meet Eli.

We also hung out with my best friend and Eli's godmother, who happens to be expecting a little girl in February.  I was born in December and she was born the following July and we have a picture of her pregnant mom with me, so we had to take this chance to get a picture with her and Eli!

We also got to spend some time with the family of a little girl my mom took care of when we lived in Kentucky.  I say "little girl" because my mom watched her from birth until 2 years old.  She's really not a little girl anymore, she's in high school!!  That makes me feel really old.  And it also makes me realize how fast our lives go by.  It seems like just yesterday that my sister and I would lay this little girl down in the living room and have a crazy dance party while she laughed her head off.  She was probably about Eli's age when we did that.  So last week when Doug had to go to work and Eli and I were home alone, we had a crazy dance party... and he laughed about as much as she did way back then :)

By the time we got home, there were only a couple of days until Christmas.  We spent Christmas Eve with my family, went home Christmas day for our own celebration and then spent the day after Christmas with Doug's family.  Doug had to go to work one day during our vacation to pack up for his trip and then we spent New Year's Day with Doug's family. 

Then came Monday and a 1am departure time for Doug so that he could catch his early flight to Arizona for the BCS National Championship game.  If you're an Auburn fan, don't get too jealous, it's not a fun trip for him, it's all work and no play, just ask him!

Monday meant back to work for me as well which made it Eli's first day at daycare.  I worked it out with my boss so that I could be the one to drop him off.  It was really tough leaving him with someone I barely know but we made it through the day.  It's a home daycare and the ladies are wonderful.  We have gotten a picture every day so far!  It's so nice to get to see him even though I can't be there.

I'm hoping for some rest this weekend and some time with my scrapbooking my sister's scrapbooking.  My mom and I have been meaning to finish start my sister's wedding scrapbook for sometime now and with Doug gone and my mom at my house, I don't think we have any excuses!  I have plenty of scrapbooking to do for myself as well.  In fact, that's part of my New Year's resolutions, to get caught up with my scrapbooking.  I really do enjoy doing it, but I like being able to sit down and do as much as I want and take as long as I want and that's just not reality.  I'm going to have to learn to do a little here and a little there until I get it finished.  I've vowed to do all of my scrapbooking in chronological order because I'm hoping that not working on Eli's book right away will motivate me to get it done so I can focus on his book!