The most random post in this blog's history?

Today was a MUCH better day than yesterday! Thank goodness for that. The boys slept well in their own beds and woke up feeling better than they did the day before. Tomorrow will be even better than today. Every night spent in our own beds is better than a night spent in another bed, right? Or something like that.

As the title of this post promises, I am about to be very random.

Here is a photo of the boys posing in Dan's "office." Elijah LOVES going fast, so maybe one day he will skydive?! Sammy, on the other hand, does not like going fast AT ALL. He's a self-proclaimed slow guy. "I like to go slooooww," he says to me often. Slower, Mama, slower..slooooow down...

Pilot Elijah! One day...you never know!

Dan took this photo of me at the dropzone last weekend. We are beyond "knee-high by 4th of July" this year!

I was sorting through some of Elijah's school/medical papers tonight and came across this binder. This is about a year's worth of medical documents.

And, uhmm.. so, here is Dan! Totally...TOTALLY normal. He left the house like this tonight and went to a public place to purchase gasoline for our car. Yep, it's true!

I actually have a lot on my mind about new strategies Dan and I have talked about implementing to make life easier for our family. In the meantime, I wish to sleep! And work! And clean! And prepare to have guests at our house!

The next few days will be filled with excitement, activity and fun! We are super excited for our Texas friends to arrive. Have a great week!

Boy tidbits

It has been cold and rainy all week and we feel like we've been catapulted back into winter. It's a bit depressing, but we are looking forward to HOT days ahead! The boys haven't been held back by the rain. "MOM! Can we PLEASE play in the rain?" We have been cooped up for so long this winter that I have no objections to that request. Go! Splash around!

I wanted to write down a few precious memories before I forget them. Some are funny and some not so funny. Starting with the not so funny..

I haven't written an update on this in a long time, but we are still working on potty issues with E. We are in a MUCH better place than we were a year ago, but there is still progress to be made. Unfortunately, Sammy has seen the chaos that has surrounded anything potty-related so that combined with his very independent nature has caused him to be 100% against sitting on a toilet. It is a little bit maddening, but as always we are doing our best as his parents and trying to be patient. When both of these boys are potty trained, Dan and I will invite you all over for a huge POTTY PARTY. I'm not kidding. Mark your calendars for 2016.

Sammy and Elijah are the best of buds right now. It is wonderful (when they aren't fighting, ha!). They do pretend play a lot and have so much fun together. Elijah has a lot of grace with Sammy's independence. Sammy tends to boss him around a bit, and as long as he doesn't steal E's toys away from him they can play in peace for quite a while. Every once in a while they root against each other and we have to separate them. We often hear silly names being thrown around. Sammy refers to Elijah as "Blueberry" and E refers back to him as "Strawberry." In the past few days, I have been called, "Mr. Hoo-Shay," "Mr. Lopart" and many other silly names. These boys are silly!

Elijah is finishing up his kindergarten year, which seems crazy. He has had a really great year, minus a few little hiccups. His teachers, therapists and bus drivers ADORE him. Starting about a month ago, when I would get him off the bus his (very awesome) bus driver and (very awesome) bus aide would be loudly singing songs with him. They were variations of: "DO YOU WANT SOME PIZZA (INSERT ANY WORD HERE)....WAAH-OOOOO!" So the other day Elijah sat down and drew them each a picture with a funny "Waah-oooo!" saying underneath. Today when I got him off the bus, his bus driver showed me that they had hung his drawings on the front of the bus and said, "Now we can think of him all the time!" This boy makes people smile!

Sammy adores his stuffed animals, particularly his cow ("Cowwy Cow Cow Can Cow") and his frog ("Froggy"). He does a lot of pretend play with them, too. Cowwy and Froggy often scream and hit and need to be put in time-outs. Or one of them will burp loudly (Sammy has a sound for this that is very very cute). When Sam is being disciplined, he will tearfully cry out for either Cowwy or Froggy, who he feels will save him from his "harsh" punishment.

Compared to his brother, Sammy is super sensitive and way more empathetic to other people. If any of us expresses pain or sadness, he will bring us his blankie (his most precious possession) and pat our backs. "Are you sad, Mama? Here's blankie!" We have two very different boys, which is a huge blessing and so much fun. We love them both so much.

I will stop here for now! Thanks for reading. Have a wonderful week!

A random post

I have a bunch of things in my brain to get down. They are random, so bear with me!

Here are a few photos from tonight. Elijah insisted on wearing his Superman costume from last fall. I couldn't believe how small it was on him! He seriously has grown so much in the past year.

In the above photo you will see Sammy with a toolbox and a boat. He loves to carry these around and pretend he is Handy Manny. "Hi Mama! I Ammy Ammy!" Then I say, "Hi Manny, Hi Tools!" and he asks me to fix a toy and we go through the whole scenario from the show. This boy is the cutest.

Elijah's eye appointment went well on Tuesday. The vision in his left eye is now 20/30. In January it was 20/400. The glasses and patching have done wonders! We are going to begin weaning him off the patches, so for the next 3 months we will have him wear it for 10 hours/week (down from 15). Eventually we are hoping that he won't even have a need for glasses, but this probably won't happen until he is around 10 years old.

Our car died this week, so the boys and I have spent some time at home that normally would have been spent out of the house. Luckily I have a generous, kind cousin and friend who is a car mechanic and who came over to replace my battery while Dan was working today. Thank you, Trevor! We love you!

I don't think I mentioned that Elijah got a second infected spider bite on one of his legs a few weeks ago that required another round of antibiotics. This week he got a double ear infection, and this morning he woke up with another infected bug bite (mosquito?) on his finger. I considered walking him to the doctor this afternoon before our car was running, but Dan talked me out of that one (thank you, Hubby). If it still looks bad in the morning, we will head to the doctor then. I don't know what it is with that boy and bug bites!

I have mentioned Sammy's fierce independence many times. It has suddenly reached new heights. We are now to the point where he won't even allow anyone to read him a book! "MY DO IT!" Ok, goodness, Sam. I can barely do a single thing for that boy without hearing, "MY DO IT!"

Elijah has been working through the concept of death lately. He asks questions about it all the time, which I think is a healthy thing to explore. I have told him about 100 times not to put his hands around Sammy's neck because he could hurt him to the point of losing him forever. So he will ask, as we are lying in bed together before nap-time, "If I squeeze too hard, you would die?" "It's possible!" "If you died, you would go to heaven?" "Yes." "And if you go to heaven, you will take your phone?" "No, no phones are allowed in heaven." "Well how would I talk to you then?" :) Tonight while we were eating dinner he asked me what city heaven was in and whether the fly I had just killed had gone to heaven. Good questions!

Speaking of naps, I have been giving them to Elijah more frequently lately. At noon, after he has hit his brother three times and told me to "shush" twice, I feel like the boy needs sleep. Mostly, though, I adore that time with him. When we lay down for a nap together (yes, I always lay down with him), all bad behavior goes out the window. He oozes with total sweetness as he wraps his little arms around my neck super tight. If my arms and legs are not totally wrapped around his body, he asks me to "pwease hug me tighter!" Then he scoots his little body as close to mine as he can, and he whispers the kindest, sweetest things in my ear as he falls asleep. "Mama, you are so sweet and kind and beautiful!" I have also been described as "fresh, pretty, lovely and respect-uh-mul (respectful)." The words are always positive. At least I think "fresh" is meant to be positive! I cherish these moments more than I could ever explain. I know they will not last forever.

That's all I can think of for now. More later! Thanks for checking in! xo

Random doings and sayings

I love this photo of the boys snuggling, despite Elijah looking quite wiped out.



Sammy loves his new orange Crocs that I got for him in Colorado. He wants to be wearing them constantly. If one happens to fall off, he yells, GOCK! GOCK! GOCK! until we put it back on.

Elijah has always had little quirks and unique sensitivities. Since he was a tiny baby he has absolutely hated the sun shining in his face while riding in the car. He still hates it. So every time the sun is shining in his face, which happens often because that's what suns do, we get to hear, THE SUN IS SHOOTING ME! (Repeat until the sun is no longer "shooting" him.) Just recently he has been extra sensitive to wind, as well. If we are walking outside when it is windy, he says, THE WIND IS BLOWING ME AWAY! (Again, repeat until the wind has stopped blowing him away.) No drama or anything!

That leads nicely into this topic. We have decided to put Elijah into occupational therapy, as well as physical therapy. We are hoping that will help him with some of his fine motor skill delays and also self-care and some sensory issues that still linger from when he was a baby. He will hopefully start that next Monday. I hear that his new OT has all sorts of activities lined up for him!

Lately Elijah has been asking me about his scars. He points to his big one and asks what Dr. Moga did. I explain that he had to cut an incision to get into his heart, and he seems to understand that. Then he points to his chest tube scars and asks where they came from. Those are a little more difficult to explain, but we are honest about why they are there. We have talked a little bit about his upcoming heart cath, and he seems to know what to expect.

The boys have a game they play with me lately that makes us all giggle. When I ask for a kiss or a hug they will say, "NOOOO!" and laugh and run away. I chase them and say, "You can't deny Mama Kisses!" Once I get my hands on them they get assaulted with Mama's kisses! Thankfully they both love getting smooched by Mama.

The potty troubles are still present. I would say there is a teeny improvement in that arena. Just teeny. At least now we see him trying to hold it instead of just going wherever and whenever. We do still have our share of accidents, though. And we still get sassed when we ask him to go. Overall, the sassing has made slight improvements, as well. Dan and I have stuck to our guns and have not backed down ONCE with discipline/consequences. He is learning that we aren't tolerating manipulation, which is good!

Sammy has this funny thing that he constantly does where he will take family inventory. MAMA? Yes, I'm Mama. DADA? Daddy is at work. UH-YA-YA? Elijah is at school. Then he will pat the top of his head. (This is a funny thing because he has never once attempted to say his own name. It's always a head-pat when referring to himself.) Yes, you are Sammy. He does this about 900 times per day. Then he will point to his toes (or any body part) and grunt (grunting is his way of saying, "Look!"). Yes, those are Sammy's toes. Then he will point in Dan's direction and grunt. Yes, Daddy has toes. Then he will point at me and grunt. Yep, Mama has toes, too. Then at Elijah. Elijah does indeed have toes. And on and on.

My favorite recent word of Sammy's is his word for JAMMIES. He calls them BEEZ-BEEZ. :) He has also been saying a string of nonsense words that never fails to make Elijah and I laugh. It sounds like blub-blub-blub-blub-blub-BOP!

Last weekend Elijah got to spend a night with Auntie Lissa and Uncle Dan and two of his cousins! He adores Auntie Lissa's house, and he had a blast with them, as usual. I love this photo of him and his cousin (and puppy) sleeping. Sshhh, please don't tell Emma I posted this!



And he even got to ride the lawn mower with Uncle Dan!



Elijah woke up this morning with a tiny cough and runny nose, so we will be on croup alert tonight. Other than that, and our boys' silly antics, not much is going on with us. We have been outside a lot, enjoying this beautiful Minnesota weather! Which reminds me, happy spring! Thanks for checking in.

Our Thanksgiving weekend so far, in numbers

1 - ears that are infected

2 - sore throats

3 - congested noses

2 - coughs

1 - people who are starting to understand the concept of potty training

2 - people who are already potty trained

6,790 - times a certain toddler has asked his mommy to scratch his "itchy neck," which happens to be the same thing as a tickle

1 - little boys who played so hard at Grandma's house on Thanksgiving Day that he couldn't stay upright while eating dessert or hold himself together once we got home

1 - chubby baby who constantly wants to eat and/or be held by a moving adult

9,941 - calories consumed by our entire household since Wednesday at 4:00pm

3 - people excited about getting a Christmas tree and putting up decorations

4 - times a very tired three-year-old placed his own foot into his little brother's hands and then proceeded to yell at him: "NO GRABBING, SAMMY! NO TOUCHING, SAMMY! NOOOOOOO, SAMMY!"

79 - times the husband in the house has pinched the butt of the wife in the house

2,112 - times a cute 6-month-old has grunted

5(ish) - hours that a certain female member of the house has spent cooking/photographing/blogging

Excitement in the produce aisle

While walking through the grocery store on Saturday morning, I heard a little girl's voice say, "Is that ELIJAH?!" I turned around to see one of the little girls Elijah goes to daycare with, along and her mom and brother. We said our hellos and then turned around to continue shopping. I then heard the little girl exclaim to her mom, "We just saw ELIJAH! That was AWESOME!" It was sooo cute.

This is the same little girl who asked me one time if I was Elijah's grandma. :)

Weekend update to come this evening!

Honest scrap

I don't normally do these awards things, but this one is fun and I just love Amber so much and she is the one who gave this to me and I have been a blabbermouth anyway lately, so..

The rules: Choose a minimum of 7 blogs that you find brilliant in content or design. Show the 7 winners names and links on your blog, and leave a comment informing them that they were prized with "Honest Scrap." Well, there's no prize, but they can keep the nifty icon. Then, list at least 10 honest things about yourself.


I'll start out with 10 things about Elijah since he is way more interesting than I am..

1. He likes to put his finger to his puckered lips and say HMMmmmmmmmm, like he's thinking really hard about something. He knows this is funny for us, so he does it a lot and I love it.

2. He is and has always been a poster child for good nighttime sleeping. Naps are another story.

3. He has made more progress with gross motor skills in the last 4 months than in the 20 months prior to that.

4. He has a funny toe. It's the one next to his pinky toe on his left foot. It sticks out at a weird angle and looks like it got put on the wrong person. I think it's cute.

5. He gets super excited when we tell him "last bite!" This is so exciting to him that sometimes it's hard to get the aim right and his last bite ends up on his sleeve.

6. He does not like people touching his feet. Ever! I think this is most likely the pulse oximeter's fault.

7. He likes to sit on the floor in the bathroom and open and shut the door. Every time it opens, he says HIIIiiiiii! and every time it closes he says BYYyyyyee! Repeat a thousand times. It never gets old.

8. He thinks Dan's belly button is fascinating. He plays peek-a-boo with it.

9. He has had two open heart surgeries, five heart caths, one bronchoscopy and one hypospadias repair, and we're praying hard for an entire year of no surgeries.

10. He yells HIIiiiiii! from his crib in the morning when he thinks it's time to get up. Even at 5:20, I think this is the cutest thing and I always let out a giggle.

11. I have to add one extra...He is LOVED.


My blog choices are all heart mama blogs (of course)..

Hollie's blog Walking the Fine Line...
This woman is AMAZING. I'm pretty sure I don't know a single human being who has had to endure more than she has. She works extremely hard for her two children. Her youngest has been in a hospital or care facility for her entire first year of life! Her blog will make you laugh and cry and hug your family more tightly.

Kathy's blog, Rollers in Vegas...
I love Kathy. She happens to be the kindest, most genuine person on the planet. We got to meet her and her family last summer in person and they are just an amazing little family. Little baby Isaac, her youngest, is just the cutest, sweetest thing. Kathy's blog will make your head spin. Their lives are full of lots of action!

Jennifer's blog, Home of the Four Trans...
I always love reading Jennifer's blog because she is such an eloquent writer. She forms perfect sentences out of jumbled thoughts from my brain that I am unable to form into coherence. Her little Justin is such a cute little chubby baby! I admire the love that Jennifer has for her family and the way that she expresses it.

Amber's blog, What's New With the Baker Family?...
Amber has little heart baby Grace, among three other cuties. She and her husband also foster children and open their hearts up to any child in need. Amber has a heart spilling with love. Her blog always has depth that I just love. It always pushes me to live a better life. Plus, seeing photos of that sweet little Grace face always makes me smile.

Krista's blog, The Layman Scoop...
I've been following Krista's blog since her little angel Kate fought for her life and eventually went up to heaven. Despite their struggles, she and her husband and son have continued to live faithful, fulfilled lives and not many people have inspired me more than they have.

Janes's blog, Ramona Mae...
Jane is another one who takes thoughts out of my brain and puts them into lovely typed words on a computer screen for me to read. Her little Ramona is such a special little girl, filled with so much sweetness! I love the simplicity and the strength I feel while reading Jane's blog.

Andrea's blog, Heart to Heart...
Andrea has little heart kiddo Drew and spunky little Ava. Drew has had a few long hospital stays but he is such an energetic little man now. I love reading about this family's adventures. They are such a motivated, energetic family, always on the go and always helping out others in need. Andrea has a huge heart and her blog is so honest...and FUN.

Neglect at its absolute worst

I'm not sure that I've ever read anything sadder than this in my entire life. If you have a chunk of time, read about the girl in the window. There's a video and audio portion, too.

Gonna go love on my baby now...

Krista got me

Alright, I've never done this before because this blog's sole purpose has always been to inform people of Elijah's progress, etc., but since this is like the tenth time someone has asked me to do one of these, I am going to answer some ??s from Krista...so that means that all my heart mama friends have to answer these same questions!

What was I doing 10 years ago today?
I was one year out of college, probably sitting at my desk at Meridian Advertising in Omaha, feverishly working on a tight Super Kmart ad deadline, color-correcting a photo of a slab of raw steak or playing a practical joke on my coworker Ben.

Five things on my to-do list today?
1. Work with Elijah on his physical therapy
2. Meet Jess for movie date!
3. Employee handbook and organize/label PI sheets (work)
4. Send out graduation cards
5. Remove my horribly uncomfortable yet very cute shoes (done, phew!)

Five snacks I enjoy:
1. Candy. ALL candy! Especially the really sugary stuff (thanks, Dad, I got that from you, along with all of the dental work).
2. Edamame seasoned with salt and pepper (Mmmmmmm, haven't had that in a while)
3. Nachos with lots of meat and giant jalapeno slices
4. Fresh or dried fruit
5. Cottage cheese

Five things I'd do if I were a millionaire
1. Put a huge chunk of money toward Congenital Heart Disease research
2. Make lots of food for families stuck in the hospital with their children
3. Put aside $$ for Elijah's education
4. Buy a home that has a yard and no neighbors with yipping dogs
5. Travel a lot (including skydiving and skiing, with family being first priority, obviously)

5 places I've lived...
1. Manning, Iowa
2. Lake Havasu City, Arizona
3. Palm Springs, California
4. Scottsbluff, Nebraska
5. Joplin, Missouri

Lots of random things as I take a quick lunch break

Answering a few of your questions and offering some additional tidbits..

Dan and I did meet skydiving. We had known each other from the dropzone for a while, but because of timing and other people, we didn't start dating for a year or two after meeting.

Dan has been to about four different doctors for his rash, he has taken steroids, antibiotics, and he has applied many creams. Every doctor seems to tell him something different. One thought it was contact dermatitis and another thought it was a reaction to detergent or shampoo. Who knows?!? At one point earlier in the week it was all over his arm, neck, face and ears. The rash isn't welcome in our house anymore!

We are going on a babyless vacation in July! We have to get our yearly Vegas fix. And we have to meet the Roller family! We will be there July 10-13, so please join us as we unleash some pent-up stress on poor Las Vegas. We already have a few friends who are coming along. Plane tickets are getting more and more expensive, so book quickly! Good thing we've been saving up for this.

I think we've come to an agreement about Elijah's hair. I told Dan we could get it SLIGHTLY TRIMMED if he was willing to find a nice place that would make Elijah feel comfortable. It does get in his eyes a lot, so I feel bad about that. We're not totally getting rid of the curls, though! Who cares if people think he looks like a girl. That just means he has a pretty face.

I was able to find a picture of a very young Dr. Moga on the internet and LOOK! He has long hair! (Does it make me kind of stalker-ish that I googled our surgeon?)



We had the pleasure of meeting this beautiful baby boy and his mama, Lea. He is such a precious little guy. And so strong! They are hoping to get Johnathan home from the hospital within the next week or so. Please keep them in your prayers. They are dealing with a few little setbacks after he had open heart surgery a few weeks ago. While we were there visiting, we saw our beloved DR. G roaming the 3rd floor halls! He did a double take and said, "Just visiting I hope?" We chatted for a bit and he asked how Elijah was doing and said he looked great.

A couple of unrelated things

Someone found Elijah's website after typing this into Google: "do children poop in the pool because the pool water is too warm?" We're a versatile website.

Elijah has a suspicious rash under his arm that we're getting checked out quick today before we take him to my sister's. I'm hoping it has nothing to do with the rash on Dan's arm THAT IS CONTINUING TO GROW AND TAKE UP HIS ENTIRE LEFT FOREARM DESPITE THE MANY ANTIBIOTICS HE HAS TAKEN AND OINTMENTS HE HAS USED and that he acquired in the hospital three weeks ago. I think I'm going to name it soon. It feels like a part of our family.

In 24 hours, sand will be squishing in between my toes!

I mentioned Ellie on here a few days ago. She is my friend's niece who has been diagnosed with a brain tumor that does not typically have a good survival rate. Ellie's dad recently lost his job (and insurance) and they have a baby on the way and they are in serious need of financial help. Please look at this flyer and consider helping them out. Thank you!!

What is unusual about this photo?

Click here to see the original. Tell me what I did to the photo!

Yes, I switched the eyes (and eyebrows). Elijah has my eyes and I have his!

Rambo

Yes, he went to the movie theater dressed like this. That's my hubby! (And no, I was not with him.)





You can see more photos here.

Useless Information Part II

We are heading up to the northern woods in a little bit to visit our awesome friends Kendis and Chris for the weekend. Elijah is excited to see bears and deer and Summit the puppy! I'm sure we'll have some fun stories and photos to share when we get back. In the meantime, here is some useless, strange information that you probably couldn't care less about. Peruse through them if you'd like.

Keywords that led people to this blog:

A lot of people are apparently seeking information about sacral dimples
Sacral dimples around the world
Sacral dimple crevice
Sacral dimple gross motor
Hypospadias sacral dimple
Sacral dimple + kidney
Sacral dimple after amniocentesis

Arm flapping and grunting are also big concerns
5 mo old arm flapping
Baby arm flapping
Prematurity and arm flapping
What does arm flapping look like
Why does my baby do this arm flapping thing
Picture of arm flapping
Videos on arm flapping in babies
Newborn flapping arms grunting
Video on infant grunting

Some unique entries
Thirty year old combover
Chub thighs
Boppy Baldness [this was entered 3 separate times by 3 separate people..??]
Male pattern baldness has to start at front
9 month old with large head [sorry that you’re searchable on google because of your large head, Elijah]
Cute thigh pictures
Buzz his hair
Beast tube
Daniel groin
How to give a dog nebulizer treatments [a surprising repeat from last time]
Head bobbing in tired babies

Elijah + avocados

Messy cottage cheese-avocado feast with absent left sock

We think Elijah might be involved in a gang called the Left Foot Mafia. Every time we put socks on him (which is often here in FRIGID Minnesota) he removes only the left one and then continues about his play. Perhaps his left foot is always a bit too warm? I don't know, but it's pretty funny. The right sock always stays on.

Eli has a urology appointment this Thursday. We've had such a nice reprieve from doctor's visits, so it makes me sad that we're headed back into doctor and hospital territory. Next month hypospadias surgery will happen (see Elijah's Story tab if you want more info about this) and also a cardiology check and a 12-month well visit. Last week I was positive that his lips looked more blue so Dan brought him in to get his oxygen sats checked. Amazingly, they were exactly what they were a few months ago (80-84%) so we were very happy to hear this.

Our chubby boy is getting so smart! You can just see that he understands a whole lot more than ever. He now knows how to knock over his tower of blocks when I ask him to and when I get to that part in the Itsy Bitsy Spider when I tickle his neck, he anticipates it with giggling winces. I can't spend enough time with this person. I can't get enough! I wish I could just put him in my pocket and take him everywhere with me.

I'll try to post a lot of fun, cute, positive things before we are headed back into the land of doctors. Here are some fun pics to start off....


Cottage cheese face


THIS is a fat knee


Do you think Daddy dressed Elijah (this tummy moment is very rare, by the way)??


Splashy bath man. WOW does he like to splash.

My chunky boy

Dan went up north with some friends this weekend, so Elijah and I get to bond here at home. It's so much fun for me to spend quality time with him. During the week when I'm working from 7-4 and only get to see the chunky monkey for two hours every night, I do get a little upset. I often find myself thinking, WHY?!? Why is it fair that I only get two hours a night with my baby? But then I remind myself that I have AMAZING insurance and AMAZING benefits and, for Elijah's sake, it could not be any other way. Dan stays home with Eli two days every week and that is perfect for our situation. It couldn't be more ideal, actually. I really have nothing to complain about.

Our chubby little man has gotten SO MUCH CHUBBIER in the past couple weeks. This week he weighed in at 21.5 lbs. He has crossed over the line between being tolerably chubby and being difficult-to-handle chubby. I'm having a very hard time maneuvering and lugging this big boy around. My back hurts a lot of the time and I'm unable to cart him around the house the way I did a month ago. It's good that he's gaining weight. It's very good! But it's taking a toll on me (that's not a complaint, his weight gain is nothing but a blessing. I'll take the brunt any day.).

Lately Elijah has been letting out really deep growls. It is so funny. He has always been a growler, but now it's a few octaves lower, like he has become a bass growler instead of a tenor growler. Hopefully we can get it on video in the next couple days to share with you.

He has also been very clingy lately. We are working on the stranger anxiety issue and on getting him to be comfortable around other people. He loves Daddy more than anything, second place is Mommy, and everyone else is chopped liver. We're trying really hard not to "rescue" him when he's in an uncomfortable situation because we want him to get accustomed to being around others. This is our current "project," next to the tummy time that we're always trying to get him used to. I can't believe that at almost eleven months old, he STILL won't tolerate tummy time.

He has been eating SO WELL lately. Not that he has ever not eaten well, but he is eating extra good these days. I guess that explains my sore arms and shoulders, huh? We've recently introduced him to some new, chunkier foods, which he's really taken to. He now loves cottage cheese and avocados and bananas and cookies and crackers. Just a few weeks ago he was gagging uncontrollably on all of those things so it's good to see progress in the food swallowing.

I could go on and on about the cuteness that surrounds this special little person, but I'll save some for next time. I'll take some good pictures this weekend and share them. Thanks, as always, for checking in on us. It really means so much. Please don't forget to pray for the babies I mentioned in my last post. They REALLY NEED PRAYERS. Thank you, it means a lot.

My moment

Do you ever have those moments when the world stops around you and everything seems perfectly aligned and peaceful? Then you try to store everything you are smelling, feeling, seeing and touching away in your mind so that you can come back to that moment later? I've had a few of them in my life, and I often take myself back to those moments for peace when I need it. They are pretty rare (at least for me) and I think that's what makes them so special and memorable. I experienced one of these rare moments this week during our flight back to Minneapolis.
 
We were in the airplane, the plane was dark and quiet, Dan had his eyes closed in the seat next to me and Elijah was sprawled out in my lap, contentedly playing with a plastic cup, turning it over and over in his hands, examining it from every angle and chewing on it with his new teeth. I reached down and ran the backs of my fingers along his velvety soft, chubby neck, as I often do, and then I leaned over and kissed him in the same spot and smelled his perfect, sweet baby scent. I ran my fingers through his curls and hugged him tightly in my arms as he babbled to the plastic cup.
 
It was the perfect moment. With my husband resting in the seat next to me, my baby, this sweet and amazing little person, was sitting in my lap, content and relaxed, allowing me to touch and smell and snuggle him as much as I wanted. For as long as I live, I will know the smell and softness of his skin and the sweet sound of his voice and the peaceful feeling I had inside of me as if it were that exact moment. It will stay with me forever.
 
Too often I find myself getting caught up in wanting the next stage to get here. I am constantly wishing for Elijah to be able to crawl, walk and talk. By doing that, I'm wishing away this precious stage he is in right now. During my moment on the plane, I genuinely appreciated Elijah for who he was at that exact second in time. I think it's somewhat natural to look forward to the next step and to be curious about what is to come, but it felt so nice to truly live in the moment and to be sincerely enjoying exactly what that moment was worth.
 
Elijah, if you read this some day, I hope you are still letting me snuggle and hug you. If not, please know how much it means that I will at least always have the memory of it. I love you!

To: Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Joel and Puppy Juan From: Elijah

Dear Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Joel and Juan,

After a very long day in airports and on airplanes yesterday, WE MADE IT HOME! Not to brag or anything, but I was a very good boy despite the off-the-charts level of tiredness I had reached. I hardly cried at all. The First Officer didn't show up for our first flight (too much New Years partying, I guess) and our second flight was delayed due to bad weather. We were all zombies by the time we got home last night.

Now to the important stuff.

Grandpa: I enjoyed making funny faces and smiling at you and having you read books and watch Baby Signing Times with me. Thank you for carrying my chunky body around the house when I was fussy. Sorry if I hurt your back. I'm very lucky to have you as a grandpa and I can't wait to get hugs, kisses and snuggles from you again.

Grandma: Thank you for washing my clothes and blankets when I pooped and peed through them multiple times and for the many yummy meals that made Mommy gain seven pounds. I didn't necessarily enjoy the tummy time you helped me with, but Mommy says she is thankful for that. I loved it when you blew air into my chubby neck and made me giggle. That tickles!

Grandma AND Grandpa: Thank you for enduring the sofa bed so that we could take over your dark, quiet, comfy bedroom and thanks for the wonderful Christmas gifts.

Juan: I know you were a little jealous of the attention everyone was giving me, so thank you for allowing me to be the focus of the house for a few days and for tolerating my crying and constant babbling and grunting. I understand that you went on fewer walks and didn't get pet as much because of me, so that is why I didn't get upset when you decided that my squeaky ducky toy was indeed yours. I hope you enjoyed all the Cheerios I threw onto the floor just for you.

Joel: Thank you for reading to me and giving me hugs and for keeping my daddy entertained with your Xbox 360. Thanks for giving up precious football-watching time so I could watch my beloved Veggie Tales. Mommy says she is so happy to have you as a brother and I think you're a great uncle.

Next time we come visit, Mommy wants to see the Biltmore Mansion and maybe even get up into the mountains to ski. Next time we'll stay longer because the four days we just spent with you wasn't nearly long enough. Now we're back into the routine of work, daycare and co-o-o-old weather. We miss and love you all very much!

I'm tired, I better go take a nap.

Love,
Elijah

p.s. Mom will post pictures later. She took a lot.

p.p.s. On New Years Eve, I heard you guys laughing all night long while I was in bed. It sounded like you were having a good time. What were you doing? I think I heard something about Sasquatch, baby seals and a train pipe?

More cuteness that you're just going to have to deal with reading about

Our boy is growing so fast and he's doing so many fun things that it's hard to keep up. Every day he does a cute new thing that I try to remember or jot down so I can write about it here, for those of you who are into reading about cute baby things.

More Elijah cuteness:

The other night I was taking him home from daycare and I kept hearing a deep, exhaled grunt coming from the backseat. It sounded like he was at the gym, grunting and exhaling with each push of the bench press. I looked back and Elijah was trying to sit up in his car seat. He was doing stomach crunches, trying to sit more upright, but his straps kept pulling him back down. He did it over and over and over, and every time, he'd let out a giant EERRRRrrrrrrrrrrrr.

Lately when I feed him, I can't get the spoon out of his mouth fast enough. He bites down on the spoon and I have to wedge it out of his mouth.

He does this cute silent giggle that is adorable enough to melt my heart into a giant puddle. He's never really been a big giggler. He giggles when Dan tickles him and lately he giggles when I play peek-a-boo with him, but otherwise he's always been kind of a tough crowd when it comes to getting him to giggle. Lately, when he has found something worth being amused by, he will squint his eyes, scrunch up his face and with his mouth open and different sized teeth spilling out, his lower jaw slides over to the right a bit and he just holds it there. No noise, just a scrunched up, lopsided happy face.
It's similar to this face, except more scrunched and lopsided:



I mentioned before his love for his favorite Veggie Tales silly song, Larry's High Silk Hat, right? His love for this song grows with every viewing. He now loves it so much that when the song that comes before this song ends, he gets VERY EXCITED and does spins and spins and spins in his exersaucer and looks back and forth between Dan and me like, Do you KNOW what song is next? Do you UNDERSTAND, guys? Do you? Do you? Then when HIS song is about to end, he starts crying. It's the end of his song! How can it end? It must be the end of the world, too!

Last night Elijah was a little more tired and crabby than usual so I gave him my cell phone, which is usually a last resort. I looked up to chat with some friends and when I looked back down I saw that we were Connecting to someone. Uh oh, who are we calling...Elijah had pressed DAD's speed dial number (Grandpa, to him). He must be excited about seeing him tomorrow! We are headed to North Carolina to visit Grandpa Dick and Grammie Paula and Uncle Joel early tomorrow morning. It will be our first plane trip with a baby, so I'm praying for a smooth day. We are very excited about warmer weather (MN is really just ridiculously cold and snowy this year) and about getting some quality time with the Weiss'.

Cuteness

Some of the cute things Elijah has been doing lately:
 
Making himself laugh.
He'll be lying on the floor, engrossed in a rattle, no one is talking (except him), the tv isn't on, the only stimulus he is getting is from his rattle and his own voice, and he'll just start cackling. It sometimes goes on for a few minutes. It's almost like he just remembered a funny joke and cracks himself up thinking about it. The lady who watches him a few times a week said she has never seen a baby do that before. 
 
Doing the funny hand-ooo thing.
He will put one or both of his hands in the air as if to say STOP, and at the same time he'll raise his eyebrows and do his funny OOooooooo sound. He does it mostly when he's watching his favorite Veggie Tales Silly Song, Larry's High Silk Hat. Here, you can see the cuteness for yourself... 


 
Constant arm flapping.
Pretend you're waving both hands with broken wrists. This is what he does constantly (see above video). Hours and hours of arm flapping take place in our house every day. I am pretty sure arm flapping equals happiness.
 
Getting excited about books.
Every night before we put him to bed, we sit in the loft with him and read books. Even if he is a tired crabbypants, he will show genuine excitement when we pull out a book. The arm flapping that occurs during story time accounts for half of the day's flapping activity.
 
Poop grunting.
He cannot poop without doing his poop grunt, even if he is sleeping, crying or eating. Dan and I can recognize that sound from the other side of the world. We'll hear it from two rooms away and say to someone else, "Oh...we have a dirty diaper to go change," and they'll say, "How in the world did you know that?"
 
Constant yapping.
The kid likes to talk. He is constantly blabbing to himself. Now that he has discovered a couple new consonants, there is so much to say!

Doing the ventriloquist act.
His new sound this week is to say "Agoo-goo" repeatedly while his mouth is closed.
 
Dancing.
Even if there is no music, he will randomly start his side-to-side head bobbing, like he's trying to touch his ears to his shoulders. If you say, "Elijah, are you dancing?" the head bobs will become more vigorous and he'll give you a giant, heart-melting grin.
 

If you look close, you can see his new teeth




Cuddling with my snuggly man


Feeding yourself cereal is exhausting