5 things...

So here is a new blog I have started to follow: encouragedmom.wordpress.com  This wonderful girl from our old church started this blog as an encouragement for moms.  She suggested that we stop what we are doing and take a few minutes to write 5 things we love about our child/children today, so here it goes...

Eli, here are 5 of the things I love about you TODAY:
1. Your super fast, super efficient military crawl.  You look like a snake slithering or a wriggly worm crawling across the floor.
2. Your two tooth smile.
3. The giggle I hear every time you are heading for me, or daddy, or a toy, or the dogs.  It is a dead giveaway that you are up to something.  I keep trying to catch it on video so I can share it with everyone, but haven't been successful yet.
4. Your peach fuzz-y head.
5. That you are SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT!!!!! YAY!

9 months

Bear with me....I wanted to get this posted and did not read through it or spell check it after typing it...so good luck. 

Eli is 9 months old.  That blows my mind!!  How in the world has that much time passed already??  Seriously?!  I have said this before, but I will say it again...when I was pregnant and right after Eli was born, other parents would say to me "enjoy it while it lasts" or "it goes so fast" or "he will be driving before you know it".  Ok, so I thought yah sure, that is just something that parents have to say.  It can't really go that fast.  Can it?  So now I AM one of those parents that says that to new and expectant parents, but I always add "no really. You have to believe me! I am totally serious.  It goes SO fast."  Next thing you know I am going to be saying "because I said so" and "if you are under my roof you will follow my rules"  and "eat it or die" (that one was my dad's favorite) or any other parent cliche you can think of.  And that is okay with me.

So at 9 months old Eli is crawling, sort of.  He is extremely fast, but he has yet to get up on his hands.  He is perfectly content and very efficient crawling on his elbows and belly like a little army man.  It is so adorable/hilarious.  When he is really determined to get somewhere, he takes off and with each step? reach? motion he makes a little "heh heh heh" sound.  We always know when he is headed for something, like the dog bowls, an open door, Tucker's tail, or any other number of dangerous or off limit items.  He is not "berry berry sneaky" but he sure it cute.  He is pulling up onto anything and everything.  He likes to crawl over, through and into furniture, dogs, people, boxes, pillows, or anything else in his way.  He claps, pats and can occasionally high five on cue.  He pulls hair, a lot.  He giggles, usually after pulling my hair.  He smiles when Daddy gets home from work.  He has two teeth.  He likes to watch his doggies play.  He likes to play with his doggies' toys and put them in his mouth (eww vomit).  He still loves the rattle that his granddad made him.  It broke after being slammed against the time for the gazillionth time, but after a little wood glue we are back in action.  He is eating lots of fruits, veggies and meats in pureed or "smooshed" form and we have started giving him more table food (what do you call that? table food sounds like he is a dog.  umm, real food? whatever.).  So far there isn't much he doesn't like.  He is 25th percentile in weight, 75-90th for height, and 10th for head circumference.  tall skinny kid with a tiny head, hehe. 

Other than watching our precious son develop new skills every single day, we haven't really been up to much.  That is all for now.  I need to go to bed.  This time change kicked my booty. Love, L.

I miss these girls

I miss you girls! and you too Mel! and Lynette! and Kathy! but I don't have pictures of you all. and Dave, I miss you too, but this post is really for Leslie, because I know she checks this blog and I want her to smile today :) Love you Les! Have a great day!

January-February

I just uploaded some recent photos from my camera so this post doesn't have a specific theme, just covering all the pics I have. Just be thankful I posted something here people :) Within the last week, Eli has figured out how to pull up. The first thing he pulled up on was the edge of the bathtub. I was fixing my hair and turned around to see him standing looking into the tub, then trying to pull himself up and over the edge and into the tub. I intervened. Do not worry. Now he pulls up on this little play table, the ottoman, his toy basket, my leg, Tucker, etc.

It isn't graceful, but he gets it done.

This was one of the sweetest things I have ever witnessed. This play table needed new batteries. I was in the kitchen making dinner or doing something spectacularly domestic I am sure. I heard Andy say to Eli "Buddy, do you want to help me put new batteries in this? Let's go get a screwdriver and I will teach you how to do it. I will teach you how to fix lots of things." It was so cute I almost cried and then ran to get my camera. It just made me think of all the times they will have together. I know Andy cherishes the memories he has of working in the garage with his dad and is SO thankful for the things his dad taught him, and I LOVE that Andy wants Eli to have those same memories and learn those same things. It was just a sweet daddy-son moment that I got to witness. It kinda makes me tear up now just thinking about it. Moving on...

So I needed a couple of baby gifts. One for Eli's friend Mason who was celebrating his 1st birthday and one for Katie, Eli's dear sweet babysitter, who is expecting baby #2 at the end of March. I decided that I wanted to do something a little different for them and I was feeling just a little creative or crafty or something so I made these cool fabric blocks (found the idea here). I made some for Eli and his friends Kerrington and Micah too while I was at it. It had been quite awhile since I had done anything crafty and I forgot how much I enjoy it.

Oh the poor baby. This picture makes me so sad. Eli had his first ear infection a couple weeks ago. He woke up with a 102 degree fever and was super snuggly and clingy. Andy took him to the Dr. (it was a Wednesday, one of only 2 days I work so we decided Andy would take the day off instead) and he got some antibiotics (which he HATED). I took this picture on Thursday. He was still running a pretty good fever and still did not feel well. I sat him up in the corner of the couch and tucked him in with the boppy and some pillows and our super soft blanket and let him watch Veggietales. He is all better now. I think it was the blanket...or maybe 10 days of antibiotics.

We have had lots of super cold snowy icy days here in the last month or two. This buffalo sits in the lawn in front of my work building and we can see it from the windows of the clinic. Now I am not usually one for "potty humor" but this made me giggle. A patient pointed it out to me and then we laughed for a good 5 minutes. Awkward place for an icicle.

My little snow baby. He did not love the cold wind. We went sledding with some friends from church and we bundled up the baby and took him along. He didn't get to sled, and I only got to sled once before Eli needed to warm up in the car, but geesh isn't he cute? Kerrington was there too but somehow I didnt get any pictures with her looking anywhere near the camera.

This is our end table. Eli's new favorite spot.

Some of our favorite gifts...

Andy's uncle Dave (and family) makes these amazing rocking horses for firstborn little ones in each family and they gave Eli his while we were in Hillsboro for Grandma's birthday. As you can tell, he enjoyed riding it...but needed just a little help to stay on :) We didn't get a really good picture of the horse itself, but I will just tell you it is SO lovely! We love it!

My dad made Eli this rattle and it is his "go-to" toy. He consistently chooses it from amongst all his other toys and then belly crawls around the room with it, occasionally shaking it but ultimately working his way to the kitchen or entry hall where he can then beat the rattle against the tile.

more eli

This was an outfit that Andy's Grandma Froese got for Andy when he was a baby. It finally (kind of) fits Eli. We had to use a clothes pin to temporarily hold up the pants? shorts? bloomers? whatever you call them for these pictures. Eli didn't mind. He thought it was a pretty cool outfit, and he just looked to stinkin' cute. He thought it tasted pretty good too.

Happy 80th Birthday Grandma Loewen

Andy's grandma celebrated her 80th birthday at the end of 2009 and the whole Loewen clan got together to celebrate on New Year's Day. I didn't get any photos of the big party, but i managed to get a few pics once things quieted down a little. Cousins Eli and Bethany part of the Froese family circus.

Walking with Great Grandma

Grandma with a couple of her "greats"

so serious

4 generations