Christmas and New Years

Dear Eli,

So we've made it to the end of 2011, and what a year it's been! I mean, when your daddy and I started this year, you weren't with us, but now... well... you consume almost all of our time! And we love it :) In fact, as I write this letter, your daddy is sitting in the floor, trying to get you to eat. What's for dinner, you ask? Peas and Carrots. Your favorite! You've got food all over your face, and your dad is chasing you around saying, "You want a bite-bite?" So cute!

So let's talk about Christmas...

As soon as school was out, we left for Indiana. We got up at 4:00 a.m., and we were on the road by 5:00. We wanted you to sleep most of the way, which you did. Kinda. I ended up sitting in the back seat with you for the majority of the trip so you wouldn't cry. Because, let's face it, dealing with a crying baby for six plus hours isn't ANYONE'S idea of fun.

Once we got there, though, you were happy until it came time for bed. Your Grandma and Grandpa were kind enough to give us their room, but that didn't seem to matter to you. You didn't know where you were, you were starting to get sick, and you screamed. Every. Night.

Even though you were kind of a butt, that didn't stop your daddy's family from showering you with gifts. You got a walker from your Grandma and Grandpa, a puzzle and a puppy that teaches you the ABCs and what not from your Uncle Bob and Aunt Tina, and a Notre Dame jersey from your Aunt Kate. I have to admit, that jersey IS pretty cute. Even if it's not Georgia.

We had originally planned to stay from Saturday to Tuesday, but it was just too much, and we ended up coming home early. I think your Grandma and Grandpa were sad, but they understood. You needed to be in your own bed.

The week went by pretty quickly, even though you were super fussy and getting sick. That didn't stop the days from passing, though, soon it was time for your very first REAL Christmas!

This year, Christmas was on a Sunday, and while you got us up around 4:00 a.m. hacking coughing and crying, you ended up falling back asleep and we didn't get out of bed until 7:00 or so... and then it was time to see what SANTA BROUGHT!

Ok, so I have pictures, but they take forever to put on here, and I don't feel well, so tomorrow, I'll put them up. I promise.

What did Santa bring you, you ask? Ohhhhh, LOTS of things :)

For Christmas, you got...
A ball
(Another) Walker-I guess he didn't consult your Grandparents?!
Some Veggie Tales DVDs
An Activity Table
A Pop-Up Toy
Some Baby Tylenol (Santa knew you were sick!)
A Sippy Cup (You don't like it)
Some Night-Nights
Bath Toys (One of which lights up and squirts water. You don't like that, either. Bad Santa! Scaring the baby!)
And a bunch of other things I can't think of right now.

After we opened presents, we ate some cinnamon rolls, then it was time for church. Normally, we have a slew of old ladies that want to keep you in the nursery, but I guess because it was Christmas, no one volunteered. Well. You talked, squealed, gabbed, and spit your way through the first half of the sermon, and then your Grandmommy took you downstairs. Thank goodness, because you obviously needed to express yourself!

After church, we headed home. We wouldn't have dinner with my side of the family until Monday, so we got to come back, rest, and let you play with your toys. (By the way, we ended up eating at Hardee's for lunch because it was the only place open. If they still have Hardee's when your older, go get a Thickburger. You won't be disappointed!)

Your Grandmommy and Poppa came over later that night to see you (again) and see what Santa brought you. We ate dinner, hung out, and when they left, we went to bed!

The next day, we went over to their house. We ate filet mignons and baked potatoes and it was DELICIOUS! You were pretty crabby, though, because you were full-on sick at that point. We didn't know it yet, but you had an ear infection. Ouch!

You managed to stay pleasant through the presents, though, and you were loaded up again! You got a toy guitar from your Grandmommy and Poppa. He said he's bound to have a guitar player in the bunch! You love it, by the way. It makes all sorts of noise and you go crazy! (By the way, you are currently playing with the removable part of the walker your Grandma and Grandpa got you... and you love that, too! Anything that makes noise and lights up, right?!) You also got a wiener dog toy from your Uncle Andy and Aunt Jessica, a walker from your Uncle Cameron and Aunt Kelly, and some more bath toys and some money for your college savings account from your Grandmommy and Poppa.

So now, here it is, New Year's Eve. In the past, your daddy and I have gone out and partied it up. Not so much since we got married, because we're old and like being a home, but when were younger... you couldn't hold us back!

However, I have to say that watching you play with a pair of socks is MUCH more fulfilling than anything else I've ever done.

You wanna know what the best part of 2011 was, Eli? Every moment since 5:30 p.m. on April 8th. Because that's when you arrived. You've changed me in ways I didn't know were possible, and you've discovered parts of my heart that I never knew existed. I love you to the moon and back, Eli James. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, my sweet baby boy!

Love,

Mommy

OH MY GOODNESS!!!

Dear Eli,

This letter will be super short, so I'm just going to call it a note... but I wanted to write you and tell you what you did last night! So your daddy had given you a bath, and I could hear you upstairs laughing and giggling with him. When I went up, you guys were playing basketball with your tiny goal, and you were having the BEST time. When you daddy is able, he'll send me the video and I'll post it for you. Anyway, you're playing playing playing, and you would consistently hold the ball with one hand, and hold onto the goal with the other.

THEN.

All of the sudden, you let go with your other hand, and you just stood there. By yourself. And balanced.

You stood unassisted for probably five or six seconds, chewing on that little basketball, not realizing what you were doing. Of course we did, and your daddy had been videoing you, but he wasn't at that exact moment.

We were so proud of you! We started clapping, but you didn't know why, and I'm pretty sure you didn't care.We tried to get you to stand again, but you weren't interested. You looked at me like, "I'm not a monkey, mommy. I don't perform on command!"

You're growing up too fast. Last night was the first time I looked at you and realized you won't be a baby much long. It made my heart both achingly sad and wonderfully happy all at the same time. To know that you are growing and developing--how wonderful! To know that you are becoming more independent and don't need your mommy as much--how sad--yet wonderful! I know... I'm a mixed bag of emotions right now. It's hard to explain. You won't understand until you become a parent... which won't be until you're at least 30 because you can't date until you're 25. Ok. 24.

Ok, I have to go give a mid-term now, but just know that I love you to the moon and back, Eli James :)

Love,

Mommy

Your First Thanksgiving and Some Other Stuff

Dear Eli,

Tomorrow you will be 8 months old. Can you believe it? I know I can't. Your daddy and I were talking about that on the way to work this morning. About how, when you were born, we thought you'd be little forever, and how by Christmas, you'd be crawling and getting into everything... but that would be 8 long months from your birthday! Well... those months actually weren't too long, and here we are. And yes, you are crawling everywhere, and yes, you are into everything.

So let's talk about Thanksgiving, shall we?  This year, we went to your Grandmommy and Poppa's house. They just finished the addition onto the back, so there was lots of room. You were very excited to eat! You had a bib on that said "Baby's First Thanksgiving," and you were SO cute. However...

We ate kind of late this year. Maybe 5:00 or so? By that time, you were tired, so you ended up sleeping through most of dinner. I held you and you slept on my chest while I ate. It was actually pretty great :) By the end of the meal, you had woken up, and you managed to eat quite a bit of sweet potato souflee (I don't know how to put the fancy accent mark in there, so you'll just have to imagine it) and dressing. Oh, and ham. You LOVE ham.

So we ate, we hung out, you played with your cousins, it was a good time! Eventually, though, you got tired and cranky, and it was time to leave.

It was good. A wonderful Thanksgiving with lots to be thankful for.

Let me tell you this, though-- because your daddy and I had all week off, you did NOT want us to go back to work. That next Monday when I dropped you off, you clung to my sweatshirt and cried. You had never done that before, and my heart broke into a million peices.

You've gotten back into the routine, though, so that's good. However, it's going to get jacked up again after Christmas break. That's ok with me, though, because that means that I get to spend two weeks with you at home! I can't wait :)

Random switching of gears... We took you to your first basketball game last Friday! You had a great time. You crawled all over the floor (not the court, mind you), you watched the game, and you played. It was so cute! Here are a few pictures:

How cute are you?! We went out to eat before the game, and boy was it a mess. You woke up crying in the diner, clonked your head on the table, screamed some more, and stuck your hand in my plate of pancakes before I could get the bottle in your mouth. Awesome. I ended up having to change your clothes... which you did NOT like. It all worked out for the best, though, because you were clean by the time we left, and everyone wanted to hold you.

Ok, I have to go teach a class now, but I wanted to write to you while I had a minute. I love you to the moon and back, Eli James!

Love,

Mommy

Likes and Dislikes

Dear Eli,

Yeah, I just wrote you a letter, but I saw this on another mommy's blog, so I'm stealing it! I think I'll start doing a likes and dislikes list every couple of months... don't you think it would be fun to look back on later? Yeah, me too. Let's get started!

As of November 6, 2011 you LIKE...

• Getting kisses from mommy and daddy
• Giving kisses to mommy and daddy
• Anything off of our dinner plates
• Apple Sauce
• Walking in your walker
• Crawling EVERYWHERE
• Going outside
• Veggie Tales!
• Your bottle
• Napping in someone's arms
• Playing in the bath
• Playing at all
• Snuggling in mommy and daddy's bed
• Playing on the computer
• Watching TV... yeah yeah yeah, I'm a bad mom
• Taking a walk in your stroller
• Playing with Roxie
• Potatoes, lemons, pineapple... not necessarily together, of course
• Power cords. You LOVE them, actually.
• Reading books
• Playing in the dishwasher
• Trying to pull over the trashcan
• Running in your walker at ramming speed
• And a thousand more things I can't think of right now, but when I do, I'll add them, I promise!

Now all the things you dislike...

• Getting your hair washed
• Having your diaper changed
• Changing clothes
• Getting in your carseat when you don't want to go for a ride
• Being told "No!"
• Sitting still
• Having your face wiped... or hands for that matter
• Not getting your way
• Being put down when you want snuggles
• Waking up in your bed in the middle of the night
• And a couple other things I can't think of right now, but when I do, I'll add them!

I love you to the moon and back, Eli James!

Love,

Mommy

So Many Updates!

Dear Eli,

Oh my goodness... so much to tell you! Let's start at the beginning, shall we?

On Oct. 17th, we finally realized why you have been keeping us up all night long, and what all the tears were about. You finally cut your first tooth! Not two days later, the other one started coming through, too, and there you are, the two toothed wonder. With the advent of your teeth, you now think that baby food isn't good enough, and you want whatever is on my plate. Or your daddy's plate. Or your babysitter's plate. Or Grandmommy's plate. Or Poppa's plate. You get the idea.

Moving on, a few days after you cut your teeth, you miraculously started crawling! It was funny and we got some videos, but your daddy has them on his phone, and he's sick in the bed, so those will have to wait. But back to that day...

You had been trying to crawl for some time. You'd rock back and forth on your hand and knees, and then you'd lunge forward and face-plant into the floor. We thought it was hysterical. You... not so much. But we were up in your room, and you finally figured it out. I mean, don't get me wrong, it took  you 10 minutes to go 5 feet, but things have changed since then. Now you're a mover and a shaker, and you crawl EVERYWHERE. I put you down in one place, turn my head, and you're gone. (By the way, you're currently cruising around the room in your walker. I looked up from the monitor and you caught my eye and gave me the BIGGEST smile. I LOVE YOU!)

Take, for instance, yesterday. I put you in your crib so you could play while I got a shower. When I got out, I heard you crying, so I went in there, and low and behold, you are STANDING in your crib. I thank God that we lowered your mattress two days before that. If we hadn't, you could have tumbled out. Anyway, I went and got you, and put you in the floor of the bathroom so I could finish getting ready. I've NEVER taken that long to dry my hair. Let's just say that every 30 seconds, I had to stop, grab you, and take something out of your hand to keep you from eating it.

So you're a crawler, which is awesome, and you can stand, which is just plain advanced, and you are cute, which is obvious, so your daddy and I scheduled a photo shoot to take some family pictures. We haven't gotten them back yet, but we took you to Piedmont Park in Atlanta last Sunday. It was absolutely beautiful, and I can't wait to see how the pictures turned out. At first, you weren't too interested. We tried to get you to smile, but you weren't having it. We took a picture kissing your cheeks... and you are screaming. Awesome! I put you into the stroller, though, and propped the bottle up where you could eat (you refuse to hold it yourself, you lazy baby), and your daddy and I took some pictures, just the two of us. After you had eaten, you were in a much better mood, and you were just adorable. At one point, we were down on a dock, looking at some ducks on a pond. And of all places that you could have done this, you did it right there. You kicked your BRAND NEW SHOE off into the water. It was the first time you had ever worn then. And we all watched as it floated off into the water. I even think the photographer got a picture of it. But as your daddy pointed it, that won't be the last thing we buy for you that only gets used once before it's lost or destroyed.

This takes us up to Halloween. These are some of the pictures taken from the weekend leading up to the holiday:

Do you see your teeth? So stinkin' cute!

We went to a Halloween party, and that's where you wore the skunk costume you borrowed from your cousin Jack. The jammies are also from him. Thanks, Jack, Uncle Andy, and Aunt Jessica!

Then... there was Halloween. Your father swears you'll hate me for your costume, and you'll be embarrassed when you're older. Well son... let's just say I can't wait for you to bring your first girlfriend home, because THIS is what I'll show her:

That's right, Bubba... we dressed you up like a redneck! You had a mullet wig, a sweet flannel shirt with the sleeves cut off, a pair of blue jeans, and a buck-teeth pacifier... that you refused to keep in. Notice that I'm holding it in your mouth in the picture that includes that piece of the costume. Your Grandmommy thought it was funny. She laughed, and laughed, and laughed! Your Poppa, though... I'm not so sure about him. He hates that we call you Bubba in the first place, but that didn't stop him from going trick-or-treating with us, and he carried you up to more than one front door in that AWESOME costume.

And now, here we are, and you're almost 7 months old. I can't believe how fast the time is passing. You're growing up so fast, and I can't stand the thought of you not needing me any more. Right now, you are mommy's baby. You love love love your momma! And I'm eating it up :) In fact, I had to stop mid paragraph here because you had toddled over in your walker, and you were wimpering, holding your arms up for me to get you. So of course I did! Just know, baby boy, that you are the greatest single thing I have ever done with my life, and while it hurts me to watch your move out of the infant stage, I can't wait to see what you become. I love you to the moon and back, Eli James.

Love,

Mommy

Your Half-Birthday

Dear Eli,

This weekend was your half-birthday! Six months have gone by already... it makes me happy and sad all at the same time. We won't talk about that right now because if we do, I'll cry. So... on to less tearful subjects! To celebrate, your grandparents came all the way down from Indiana to see you. They've been here all weekend, and boy have you been loved! We've eaten and laughed and eaten some more. On Saturday night, Aunt Kate's boyfriend, Tom, was over hanging out with all of us. You fell asleep on him and I think he pretty much loved it :)

So for your your half-birthday, Grandma and Grandpa bought you a present: A light-up ball that rolls around. Honestly, I think it might be possessed. It rolls by itself, and then it will say "Bye-Bye!"... but 5 seconds later, it's flashing and rolling around again. You're about the only person that think that's funny, though, and while the rest of us are staring at it, willing the ball to turn off, you'll be laughing.  You're trying to crawl now, so I have no doubt that in no time flat, you're going to be chasing after it.

We're also kinda sure that you said your first word this weekend. You looked at your rubber ducky and said "duck." As plain as could be! You said it several times... who knows if it was a fluke or not, but your mommy likes to think you're advanced, so in my mind, you said it.

 I also wanted to tell you that I took you to the doctor today for your six month check-up. You literally pooped and peed all over that exam room. TWICE. Just thought I'd throw that in here so I can tease you about it when you're older. The nurse looked at me like, "Get control of your son's wiener, please!" But I couldn't get the diaper on you fast enough. Let's just say I was wiping up pee-pee from... well... everywhere.

By the way, you're currently in the floor with your Grandma and Grandpa, and they are rolling a (non-demon possessed) ball with you. Your Grandpa said it's a "ground ball drill." However, you seem more interested in eating the ball than rolling it back. Check out the pictures I just took...

Every time your Grandpa rolls it to you and it hits your feet, you laugh and giggle. Here's a video:

Ok, I do have a video, but Blogspot won't upload it. I'll try again later.

Last thing and then I'll be done for the night... I was at a crafts fair with your Grandmommy and Poppa a few weeks ago, and I found the perfect sign. It said "I love you to the moon and back," so of course I had to buy it. It's currently hanging in your room by your door.

So with that, I'll leave you for now, but not really because I'll never leave you. I love you to the moon and back, Eli James.

Love,


Mommy

PS-Sorry this is kind of a disjointed and not very well written letter. There is a lot going on in the living room right now and I'm distracted. Next time, though, I will be so loquacious you won't be able to stand it!

Look at You, Big Boy!

Dear Eli,

Wow... that's all I can say. The last few weeks since I've written you last... just... wow. Let's begin by telling you that you can now sit up all by yourself! You're growing like a crazy man and I've officially put away all your 3 month clothing. I mean, I guess it was time. You're 5 months old now... I guess I was just hoping you could still fit. You're now wearing all 3-6 month size clothes, and every once in a while, you'll sport something that is 6-9 month. Will you just slow down, please? PLEASE?!

With all this growing that you're doing, you're teething. And I have to admit, it's kinda terrible. For the last week or so, you've been keeping your daddy and I up all. night. long. Today is Saturday, and on Tuesday of this week, I couldn't take it any more. I had reached my breaking point. I was exhausted. Your daddy was exhausted. You were even exhausted. I cried that morning as I was getting ready for work, cried on the way there, cried when I got to school, cried in 2nd, 3rd, 6th, 7th, and 8th periods, and cried when I got home.

That night when I put you to bed, I prayed that God would not only watch over you, but also allow you to sleep.

He granted me that prayer.

But that's been the only night.

Needless to say, we are TIRED, but life doesn't stop just because your mommy and daddy are sleepy. Last night, you and I went to your Grandmommy and Poppa's house because Grandmommy needed help making cupcakes for a wedding shower we all went to today. Your Poppa got to spend a lot of time with you last night while your Grandmommy and I were in the kitchen. He fed you (you had a banana for the first time!), played with you, and then gave you a bath. After we were done in the kitchen, your Grandmommy came in played with you. You kept laughing and giggling at her. You thought she was pretty funny! This is you hanging out with them:



So, the wedding shower was cowboy themed, and we all dressed up. I wish we had taken a picture because you looked SO cute. You had on a white t-shirt, dark jeans, and a bandanna. Your daddy even dressed up... what a good sport! He was happy, though, that we got home in time for the Notre Dame game, which leads me to my next point.

So you're going to grow up confused. Who do I cheer for? Notre Dame? UGA? Both? Your daddy and me have had some friend, yet heated, discussions about this topic. We finally came to the decision that you can cheer for both, but remember that if momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy... ;)

But really, none of us have been happy with either team lately. Georgia started off 0-2 and Notre Dame was the same. Here are some pictures from your very first game day! (Yes, we changed your clothes for each game!)

Yeah....... we both lost that day.

But good news! Both UGA and Notre Dame won today!! Georgia beat Coastal Carolina (I know, right?! They better have won!), and Notre Dame beat Michigan State. So today, you have two very happy parents!

And you know what makes you the most happy? Walking in your walker! Yes, you've already started scooting around in one. It's really cute. When your daddy gets home from the restaurant with our dinner (celebratory chicken wings!), I'll post a video of you toddling around. It's so cute! Actually, as I'm sitting here writing to you, you're cruisin' around the living room. The coffee table is covered in clean laundry I've had to stop you from pulling things off of it several times now. You LOVE being able to get around! This is you right now:

Ok, Bubba, I gotta go now. You're busily pulling all my clean underwear into the floor. Apparently you think it's funny to make a mess. I love to you to the moon and back, Eli James!

Love,

Mommy