Good-bye December!

We have quite an eventful end to our year. Aside from typical holiday madness and rushing about, we have each been quite sick, especially Eli. As I write this I am hopeful that we are about to put this all behind us, but with how things have been going, I am not holding my breath.

Beginning on December 10th, Elijah has had/still has each of the following ailments:

- Double ear infections (treated now with 2 rounds of antibiotics)

- Sinus Infection

- Diarrhea

- Vomiting

- Runny Nose and Eyes

- Cough

- Diaper Rash/Infection

Dan and I have both had some of the cold and stomach issues as well, but not nearly as severely as Elijah. He has been a trooper most days and survived his first holiday season quite well for how sick he is/was.

He is considerably better right now, the cold symptoms are still lingering, but seem to get better each day. We are treating the diaper issues now with a Rx and are hopeful that will clear up soon. He has been eating some again, but is refusing all green vegetables, so it looks like I may have a battle ahead on that issue.

Because a sick baby just wouldn't have been interesting enough, my parents and siblings have all been sick as well, one of my uncles had surgery, a cousin got pretty sick while in town and yesterday a tornado ripped through my mom and dad's neighborhood. All are okay in the tornado and minimal damage was done at my parents, although many of their neighbors weren't so lucky.

Our break hasn't exactly been relaxing... but somehow still I am ready to go back to work. It is exhausting to be home 24/7 with a little guy who is so miserable and out of sorts. We all need to get back into good routines.

Sad sick eyes!

6 months

Wow, half a year. I can't hardly believe how big you are and how many tricks you can do. I think is by far the most fun age. Between the scooting, sitting, pulling up and general wiggling you are certainly learning how to get around. I wouldn't say you are efficient at it yet, but you are certainly a busy boy.

All About Eli - Month 6:

ELi Likes: sitting up, scooting around, reaching things, being outside, Sophie Giraffe, eating solid food, blowing raspberries, playing with Chuck the Truck, pulling up, shoe laces,

Eli DOES NOT Like: getting his nose cleaned out, teething, laying down on his back, naps,

Eli's 6 month check up went great. He did well at the doctor's office until the shots. He got pretty mad at the shots and didn't quite recover as quickly as last time. He was pretty mad about the whole thing. As you can tell from his numbers below, he is gaining weight and is getting a bit more square.

Vital Stats - Month 4

Weight: 17 punds 15.5 ounces (59th percentile)

Length: 27 inches (71st percentile)

4 Months!

My sweet precious little boy turned 4 months this week and is so big and fun I can hardly stand it. He smiles and giggles. Dan says his giggle is dorky, but I think it is adorable. He has recently begun to purposefully reach for and grab things, everything that is successfully grabbed heads straight for the mouth. Including the toes... in the last week or so he has mastered the fine art of Toe Eating. The toes made fantastic "built-in" toys during our vacation last week. He has even grown quite a bit. He doesn't have any more "empty skin wrinkles" that made him look like an old man in his early days, and is almost getting a little chunk here and there. He has gotten so long that he doesn't easily fit in my arms to rock which has turned bedtime into a wrestling session of sorts and a much more physically taxing activity for Momma.

All About Eli - Month 4:

ELi Likes: eating his toes, being swaddled, being naked, chewing on EVERYTHING, grabbing things, "helping" momma and daddy, playing in his laboratory, giggling, standing up, Gymboree, being outside

Eli DOES NOT Like: going to sleep, staying asleep, not being able to reach something he wants, being held like a baby, being alone in the backseat of the car,

Eli's 4 month check up went great. He is growing perfectly and appears to be hitting his developmental milestones right on schedule. He chunked up a little bit in the last two months and is still super long! He got 2 shots and has only been a little extra cranky and sleepy, so I can't complain.

Vital Stats - Month 4

Weight: 14.4 lbs (38th percentile)

Length: 25.5 inches (80th percentile)

2 Month Check-Up

Today was our 2 month check up with Dr. Powers. Of course Eli was due to eat at the same time as the appointment, so that made things a bit more interesting. I ended up feeding him a bottle in the waiting room and finishing it up in the exam room while we were waiting for the doctor. Eli did a great job at the appointment. He really didn't fuss at all except for the shots. Yes, shots...lots of them. He got 4 vaccines today, 3 shots and one oral vaccine. Although, he screamed during the shots he recovered fairly well once Momma picked him up and cuddled him. He actually was smiling again by the time we got out to the car! So far today the shots haven't made him super fussy or anything, but he does seem extra sleepy, but I am A-OK with extra naps!

Vital Stats - Month 2

Weight - 10 pounds 4 ounces (21st percentile) Still just a little guy!

Length - 23.75 inches (83rd percentile)

This is a big jump in length percentile,

no wonder his footed sleeper outfits haven't been fitting recently!

Two Blue Cameo Band-Aids to mark his battle wounds!

Coming Soon:

Month 2 Pictures and "All About Eli"

Recap of our busy weekend

A blog about our friend Max

and next week pics and posts from Wedding Weekend!

Doctor's Visit

Momma, Daddy and Eli all went to Eli's one month check up this morning with Dr. Powers. He got measured and weighed and generally poked and prodded! The doctor said he was growing great and everything looked good. Eli did a pretty good job at the doctor's even though he was pretty sleepy and would've preferred a nap to all the poking and measuring. His next visit is the week before the wedding... that Monday I think. He will be getting 3 shots that day... hopefully he will recover long before the wedding and be his normal delightful self in time for the festivities that weekend!

Vital Stats - 1 Month:

Weight - 8 pounds 8.5 ounces (18th percentile) ( I will admit that his diaper was pretty full when they weighed him so this may be slightly exaggerated :) )

Length - 21 1/2 inches (47%th percentile)

Snoozer! This is what he has been doing ALL day today! You know that doesn't bode well for my night! :)

Here is what 8.8 lbs and 21.5 inches looks like all stretched out on the floor!