Weight-Check Update

Eli had his appointment with the pediatrician this morning to check on his weight/height, since his numbers had not been as great at last months check-up. Suffice it to say, there are definitely no worries about our little guy's growth now! He weighed in at 17 lbs even and 25 inches long. At our last appointment he only weighed 14lb 6oz! So, it looks like the introduction of solids alongside his nursing sessions was just what this growing boy needed. And I'll be honest, it gives my mommy heart a little more peace too! Here's a pic of our "chunky" Elijah that I took yesterday.

Partyin' It Up!

Last Saturday, Eli and I headed to Winston-Salem (with my parents and my sister)to celebrate his twin cousins' 5th birthday. Elijah LOVES his cousins! We had a great time hanging out with family and wished Mark could have joined us...unfortunately he had to work a few hours that day. Elijah was so excited to be at the party that he didn't nap the whole time...even when we drove home that evening! I think he wanted to make sure he didn't miss anything fun!

My older brother Rick is super talented! He makes each of his kids a special cake for every birthday!






The cutest 5-year-olds ever!







Mom's "Ah!" Cake


This one's for Aunt Erin...


I think Eli was eyeing a piece of cake in this pic!

7 Months Old!

Eli turned seven-months-old on Wednesday, April 14th! Where is the time going?!? Here are a few things he's up to these days...

* We will find out how much he's grown at his weight-check appointment next Wednesday, so I will share the stats then.

* He continues to wear Size 2 diapers, 6-month clothes, and some 9-month clothes (depending on the brand)

* Eli's been enjoying many new foods over the past month. He has loved everything we've given him, with the exception of avocado. I honestly think he didn't like the avocado because of the texture from me mashing it up with a fork. It wasn't the really smooth, runny consistency like his other purees. We'll try to give it to him again sometime soon. Some of the foods he does enjoy are: rice cereal, oatmeal, applesauce, peaches, prunes, pears, squash, sweet potatoes, green beans, peas, and bananas. He did try some Stage 2 bananas/apple/strawberry baby food, but Mark and I think he had a little bit of an allergic reaction after eating it for a few days. We'll probably hold-off on any strawberries until he's one-year-old.

*He rolls EVERYWHERE! If you try to put Elijah on a blanket, he's off of it in a few seconds. Sometimes he will pull his knees under him to roll over as well. I keep telling him that he can take his time trying to crawl...that his parents are in no rush to get to that next step of mobility!

* He can't quite sit on his own yet, but I think he'll get there soon. It's just so hard to keep your balance when you are trying to grab things around you!

* Eli continues to be VERY vocal. He will babble and squeal when he's happy and use loud yells and screeches if there is something he wants or needs. Mark is always saying he gets his spunk and loudness from his momma.

* Eli loves to break-out in smiles for most everyone these days. Mark and I think he's just trying to show-off his 2 little choppers and boy are they sharp!

* He's really become attached to his "Sheepy" lovey when he sleeps in his crib. As soon as he is laid down in his crib, he'll reach for it to nuzzle against his face while he pops his left thumb in his mouth. It's too cute!

* Elijah seems to prefer to sleep on his belly these days. Over the past week, I've sometimes found him sleeping with his knees tucked up under his belly and his cute little bum sticking up in the air. This is my all-time FAVORITE pose of a sleeping baby. I just need to capture it on film!

* He also continues to move all around his crib when he sleeps. Mark and I never know how we will find him when we peek in to check on him or get him when he wakes.

* Eli loves his dog-sister, Candy. He'll bust-out in a fit of giggles whenever she's around, especially when she's swinging her toys nearby.

* He learned how to fake-cough this past month, thanks to Grandma (my mom) and her sudden case of Spring Fever when we were visiting a few weeks ago.

* Elijah celebrated his 1st Easter this past month. He spent the day visiting with Mark's family in Virginia. He was one popular little guy! He received his first Easter basket, which was filled with Gerber Puffs, bibs, and a copy of "The Very Hungry Caterpillar." He did NOT like the puffs and began to gag when we tried to feed him one. We'll have to try them out again later. He just doesn't know what he's missing out on yet! (I just have to keep his Daddy from eating them!)

* He continues to improve in the church nursery. Recently, he's been in there for both services, since Mark and I have been checking-out a new Sunday School class. We just have a nursing session in-between and he's good to go!

Eli's 7th month was full of exciting changes and we look forward to what his 8th month will bring! Hopefully, it won't fly by too fast!










Our Squinty Family Pic!



Yes, our son is "opening" his Easter basket wearing a St. Patrick's Day outfit.



I just LOVE Eli's face in this one!




A few of the out-takes this month...I promise, we DO feed him! Oh, and please excuse the spit-up on the left sleeve. Just trying to keep it real on here!

Adventures in Baby Food

This past Sunday I attempted to make some baby food for the first time. Being the proud owner of a new mini-food processor, I wanted to break it in. On the menu, we had butternut squash and sweet potatoes. To be honest, I don't think I had ever even seen a butternut squash before! However, with the help of the Wholesome Baby Foods website, I now have a freezer stocked with about a weeks worth of baby food cubes. I don't know if I'm ambitious (or skilled) enough to make all of Eli's purees, but I'm going to try my best to make some of them in an attempt to save some money and re-connect with my inner domestic goddess. Ha! Most importantly, Eli is eating his homemade sweet potatoes and squash, so I will count this endeavor as a success!


Roasted and steamed...



Cheesing it up for Mark mid-food-processing...



The cubes!

Starting Young

Yes, that is an iPhone on his onesie...it was a father's day gift last year. Mark is so proud.

A year ago today...

...our lives were forever changed when we found out we were having a boy. I remember being SO nervous the night before, that the ultrasound tech wouldn't be able to get that "money shot." I also remember finding myself hoping that it was a boy...because then any children we had afterwards would always have a big brother to watch-out for them. (I'm the 2nd child out of 4 and was/am blessed to have an awesome older brother.) This last desire was also a big change for me, having always grown-up saying all I ever wanted to have were girls because boys were so smelly and gross! Ha! It's funny how quickly that changes when you are pregnant, and all you want is healthy baby.

Nevertheless, as we all know, Eli was not modest at all and cooperated beautifully. Mark sent out a mass text to all of our immediate family members to announce the big news, even as I was still laying on the exam table with the ultrasound lady showing us every little part of our healthy baby. That was the coolest thing; to see our little boy looking more like an actual baby instead of the white blob in my 8-week ultrasound.

That evening, we were to meet for small-group. So, Mark and I stopped by Kroger to pick-up a cake to make our gender reveal. We had a great time sharing the news with our friends. Here were some pics Mark had taken with his iphone. Please excuse the half-eaten cake...we were obviously hungry!




It's so fun to reflect back on the fun memories of our pregnancy journey, while enjoying the end result at the same time!

Sippy Cups and Sleep

Yesterday, I introduced Elijah to the sippy cup. He is ALWAYS trying to grab at my cups, trying to get a swig of whatever I'm drinking (usually water), so I figured now was as good a time as any to try it out. The result...he actually got some water out of it, with a little help. He still needs to figure out that you need to tilt the cup upwards to get the liquid to the spout. I'm sure he'll figure it out in no time!



As of this week, we also have a stomach sleeper. Mark and I had noticed that he was scooting around the crib more lately, but we didn't realize the rolling had started as well. Eli will roll all over the floor with his toys and absolutely loves it! However, two nights ago, Mark and I heard him whining in the middle of the night (very unusual for our champion night sleeper). I, in full Mom-mode, began to worry if he might be sick, but when we entered his room, we realized that he was just upset because he had woken-up and was laying on his belly. Daddy gently rolled him to his back again and he went right back to sleep. Since then, he's been rolling onto his stomach regularly without waking-up, so hopefully we're over that hurdle. The boy is like his momma, we NEED our sleep!






Bonus Pic!

It's been pretty warm here recently (in the upper 80's), so I was finally able to put Eli in this adorable outfit our sweet friends Rob and April sent us. This was one of the first outfits we received when I was pregnant, and I absolutely could not wait for him to wear it!