Eating at Shane's Rib Shack

Elliott ate at his cousin Kellie's Shane's for the first time today. He loved it! He had some barbeque, green beans, and a rib, but then he gobbled down a whole side of mac-n-cheese!! In this video he was laughing and being silly with the girl who works behind the counter. I think it's safe to say that he looooves Shane's!

Straw Sippy!

A while back (maybe 2 months ago?), I got Elliott two new sippy cups. These were different than the 'normal' sippy cups because they had a straw. They are no-spill, and the straw flips down and hides away if I wanted to carry the sippy in Elliott's diaper bag. Awesome! Well... what they don't tell you is that the cups are no-spill because the straw has an anti-leak system in them that allows liquid to only pass through when a biting + sucking action occurs. Do you know how hard it is to get a baby to bite THEN suck on a straw?? Let me tell you--it's not easy! I gave Elliott the new sippy at every mealtime, but eventually it just became another object for him to throw on the ground when he was bored. (Not with me, of course... with the food...)

I have jokingly given him the no-spill straw sippy a handful of times over the past two months and each time he would toss it aside. I have friends whose babies, all born the same month as Elliott, have tried the bite and suck sippy cups--some have mastered them and some haven't. I really didn't think it was too big of a deal. We have already packed every single bottle away so there is no going back as far as that is concerned, and he drinks wonderfully from a 'normal' sippy. He even drinks well from a normal straw. (Which, oddly enough, he loves to chew on while he drinks...)

Today I was in the kitchen and wanted to give Elliott some water, and the first sippy cup I put my hands on was a no-spill straw sippy. "Uh oh", I though. "I'm just going to waste this water and then end up having to go get a normal sippy."

I handed him the cup. Much to my surprise, Elliott started gulping water! YAY! I looked down and he was drinking from the bite and suck straw sippy cup like a pro! I clapped and made a big deal... and of course he looked at me like I was crazy.

I don't have any plans on switching him to all straw sippy cups any time soon, but it is nice to know that he can drink from them if need be. These are what his no-spill straw sippy cups look like:
(today he was drinking from the green and yellow one, but he also has the all orange one)

A long video of Elliott's slow walk

Since Elliott started walking more and more I thought I would film a little bit of it. You have to realllly love Elliott to watch this whole video, especially more than once! It's long, but it gives you an idea of how he is progressing with his walk.

90% walk, 10% crawl

This video was taken on my phone, so it's a bit dark. Sorry!



Elliott has flipped a switch today. He has spent 90% of the day walking and only about 10% crawling! He looks so cute wobbling across the livingroom and kitchen. And he thinks that he is pretty funny, too. He talks and laughs and is soooo proud when he can walk over to me without holding on to anything!! Ohhhh I love him so much!

tooth #12

Elliott has all four molars! The last one to come in was the top right. They are all so small right now, but very sharp!!

tooth #11

The blood blister wasn't there when I checked today, (I've been checking daily) but his molar is!!
I'm not really sure if it bled when it popped as I thought it would. Since Elliott just started walking more than a few steps without holding on to anything (yay), he has had a few falls (socks+hardwoods=ouchie) which ended in a bloody mouth. Not sure if one had anything to do with the other.  :/
So, his current tooth count is: 5 on top (the four middle ones and the left molar), and 6 on the bottom (4 middle ones and a molar on each side).

tooth #10

Elliott's lower right molar came in today. There are still no signs that his blood blister is going away, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it will be gone soon and not cause him any pain.

tooth #9

It's here! His lower left molar came in!!

Blood Blister

Poor baby!


At the pediatrician's office yesterday Dr. Davis was looking to see if Elliott had any new teeth and she found a blood blister on his gums!  :(  She said it is completely normal, and that sometimes when teeth start to come through, a little bleeding happens under the gums and forms a small blood blister or bruise. Isn't that just about the saddest thing you've ever heard? His tooth hasn't come through yet, and I'm wondering what will happen once it does. I'm curious to see if the blister will pop and bleed in his mouth or if I'll even know that it's gone. I guess we'll see!

12 month appointment

Weight: 21lbs 13oz
Height: 31in
Head Circumference: 47cm

From December 2010

Elliott could NOT sit still at this appointment! He walked all around the room (holding on to the furniture) and when he had to sit on the table, he wanted to do anything BUT sit! He tried standing, and then found that the paper beneath him made crinkle noises, so of course he wanted to destroy it. I was so proud of him when Dr. Davis checked his ears, mouth, nose, eyes, and breathing --  he was super still! I couldn't have asked him to behave any better!


He got three shots at this visit. He was very still for the nurse, but as soon as she got the first needle in his right leg, his eyes welled up with tears and his jaw dropped open, his face turned bright red and as soon as he could catch his breath he let out the saddest little (loud) cry I've ever heard. (ok, probably not ever...) The nurse gave him two shots in his left leg and then I got to pick him up from the table. He only cried for about 90 seconds, and the nurse joked that she went from being his best friend to his worst enemy. Good thing he probably won't remember even getting shots next time he goes in for an appointment (15 month well visit).

Birthday Doughnut

Elliott and I went to Krispy Kreme on his birthday for a Mommy-Son birthday doughnut. He was so serious about it, but we both had so much fun! Everyone there told him 'Happy Birthday' and made a big deal about him turning 1! (You'll see two customers in the video that stop and talk to us and tell him 'Happy Birthday'.) I think this is going to become a yearly tradition for us :)
[ps This is a LONG video, but I didn't want to edit any of it out!]

Sharing Cherrios with Scarlett

Tonight Elliott's friend, Scarlett, came over to play while her parents went to see the new Harry Potter movie. Elliott and Scarlett had fun sharing their snack, and Elliott really enjoyed feeding Scarlett a few of the Cherrios.

Clapping!

He claps!

Earlier this week I told Matt something like this, "I'm going to work on clapping this week with Elliott. I want him to be able to clap at his birthday party!" I had been wanting Elliott to clap for about a month now, but had never even showed him how to clap or said anything to him about it.

Matt is going to be out of town today through Saturday, and today around lunchtime he was home waiting on a ride to the airport. He went to change Elliott's diaper and while he was in the middle of changing it, Elliott started clapping! I was so happy for two reasons: 1) Elliott was clapping! 2) Matt was the first one to see it! Since I'm home with Elliott every day, I get to see a lot of his firsts. It just so happened to work out that Matt was home in the middle of a random day and that day was the one that Elliott chose to clap! YAYYYY!

Pumpkin Preachin'

We (Pammie and I) took Charlie Brown (aka Elliott) to the pumpkin patch to let him pick out a pumpkin. While he was there he decided to talk... no, YELL to everyone there. My mom and I could barely breathe we were laughing so hard! We decided that he was preaching in the pumpkin patch.

walking with his dinosaur

Pammie bought Elliott a Stride-to-Ride Dino to help him practice walking. It looks like he will be practicing his running before too long, though! He really likes to talk while he walks - like his mom! :D

too soon... too fast...

I just got a little sick to my stomach. I'm up late making Elliott's birthday invitation in photoshop (I started the project on a whim and just couldn't stop) and then I realized that my friend's baby girl turns one in exactly 2 weeks. WOW. Seems like she was just born yesterday. Then... it hit me... Elliott is just 5 weeks younger than Karis.

two... plus five.... equals seven.

"There's no way he'll be ONE in only seven weeks." I think.
"My math has GOT to be wrong." I tell myself.

I look at a calendar.

NOPE. I was right. Seven weeks. Seven.short.minuscule.weeks. Only 51 days until my baby's life is measured, not in months, but in years.

Is anyone else's throat starting to close up at this point?!?!

I know it's ironic that I realized this while making his birthday invitation... but I was looking at it from more of a 'craft project' than an actual invite that I'll be using soon!

Now I know why children never stop being their parents' babies... In my mind Elliott will be my baby FOREVER!

On a happier note, only 51 days until I reach my (seemingly never-ending) goal of breastfeeding until one year! Wooohooooo!

Ergo Giveaway

I don't enter that many giveaways, and I certainly try not to blog about them too often... but I really believe that Ergo baby carriers are the BEST way to carry a child sans hands. If you have a baby/small child and have never tried an Ergo, I highly encourage you to do so!

Anyhow, I'd love to win this giveaway!

He's got a lot to say... about his remote

Elliott has been talking up a storm lately. I think he was trying to tell me about a TV show in this video... maybe about something he saw on Oprah. haha

Walking practice

Elliott likes to practice walking in our little livingroom :)

Double Rainbow

While in the car today we saw a double rainbow! I made Matt pull the car over into a parking lot so that we could take a few pictures with it. For some reason my camera made the photos look realllly yellow. Don't be fooled--the sky was not yellow.

Matt and Elliott under one side of the rainbow:

From September 2010

A flying rainbow baby:

From September 2010

The other side of the rainbow (not looking nearly as yellow):

From September 2010

the baby likes to clean!

During small group tonight Elliott played with a broom. He looked like he knew exactly how to use it! His daddy (who loooves a clean house) should be so proud!

From September 2010

tooth #8

Well, as anticipated, Elliott has cut another tooth! His bottom left tooth is here, making the total tooth count EIGHT! Four on top, four on bottom. Woohoo!

tooth #7

It's here and it means business! It's on the bottom right. We're waiting for bottom left to poke through. Let's hope once that happens that he takes a break from teething for a while!

Saturday night playtime

Just like Daddy

Elliott wants to be just like his Daddy when he grows up. One of my favorite parts of the day is when Matt gets home from work and Elliott sees him. He just lights up with pure joy!!!

Wearing Daddy's work shirt

From September 2010

Looking to Daddy for approval

From September 2010

After work baby-daddy chill session

From September 2010

9 month appointment

Weight: 20lbs 14oz
Height: 30in
Head Circumference: 46cm

From September 2010

Elliott had a very good visit with Dr. Davis. He was standing and walking around holding on to the table and chairs -- he thought I had brought him to a new play room :) He was a complete wiggle worm, but there are no shots scheduled at 9 months, so there were absolutely no tears! Of course, the doctor still thinks he is perfect ;)

Hilton Head Island vacation

Matt, Elliott, and I went to Hilton Head to meet Pammie and Pops for vacation. Unfortunately Matt could only stay a couple of days, but we all had a great time vacationing. The one thing I learned is that vacationing at the beach with a [curious, want-to-be walking] baby is not so relaxing. In fact, I'm just going to call it a trip from now on. Here is a photo update from our trip:

On the way to Hilton head, Elliott had a Puffs accident (when Mommy let him play with a ziplock full of Puffs... and she looked away for 3 milliseconds!). His little fingers were scratching so fast and he was SOOOO HAPPY that all the Puffs were in his seat. Daddy wasn't happy, though, and kept telling Mommy what a mess it was making.

Pops and Elliott

From September 2010

Pammie and Elliott at one of our favorite HHI eating spots

From September 2010

Hanging out with King Neptune

From September 2010

Out on a walk (my two favorite guys!)

From September 2010

In the pool

From September 2010

Playing in the ocean. He really couldn't get enough of the ocean and had NO fear of the water or waves. If we had let him, he would have just crawled right on into the water and across the ocean to Africa. It was actually kind of scary.

From September 2010

Figuring out the sand

From September 2010

We ate lots of good food this week!

From September 2010

Playing with the water at the kiddie pool

From September 2010

Elliott discovers the beach

An awesome giveaway

Silly Eagle Books is giving away an $80 CSN Gift Certificate. CSN offers a variety of items, I'm sure you could find something to spend $80 on! Maybe many things! You have until September 8th to enter.

If you don't check out Silly Eagle for the giveaway, you should at least check them out for the book recommendations. I love books, and I hope Elliott grows up to love them, too. It doesn't take much (if anything) to convince me to buy one (or five). Be warned: Vanessa @ Silly Eagle Books will make you want to double your kid's library!

playing in the water

Peek-a-boo!

While out to lunch today, Elliott started playing peek-a-boo with us! I was covering his face with the napkin, then removing it and saying "peek-a-boo" and he would laugh. Then he took the napkin from me and started doing it himself!

Olive Garden in Wake Forest

Wake Forest's newest restaurant opened tonight and I just had to eat there. I absolutely go crazy over the salad and breadsticks at Olive Garden, and I'm soooo excited that they opened one just 1/4 of a mile from our house! Even though it was the Grand Opening, we only had to wait about 30 minutes. It was well worth it!

From August 2010

Doing some reading while waiting for our food:

From August 2010

My mouth is watering just remembering this meal!

From August 2010

The family at the Grand Opening of the WF OG:

From August 2010

bathtime or playtime?

This is the life, right? I mean, I can't remember the last time I took a 30 minute bath!

Some Serious Jumptime

Does anyone else think at some point that Elliott will just jump straight out of his jumperoo?? We raised the seat, so now Elliott can jump better and higher. Matt was making Elliott laugh and when I tried to get Matt on camera, he ducked away. :(

Playtime in the Pack-n-Play

Elliott usually has playtime in the pack-n-play at least once a day. He plays by himself and is such a good boy! This lets mommy take a shower or eat some lunch. Elliott apparently thinks that his toys are his lunch because he keeps trying to eat them. :)

tooth #6

This morning I felt in Elliott's mouth and sure enough, number six has officially joined us.

In fact, Elliott and I had a welcoming party this morning from 3:30am-5:00am for the tooth. Yay. :(

I've been checking for it a lot lately because I could tell it was right below the gums. I'm so glad to know it has finally cut through... and hopefully it will only take the next few days (which always seem the worst in Elliott's Land of Teeth Cutting) for Elliott to suffer the consequences of this new tooth and we'll be back to sleeping like normal. (Normal = only waking once a night for about 10 minutes for Elliott to eat)

Elliott's new favorite way to shop

Elliott's new favorite way to shop... standing in his carseat! While we were at Target tonight, Elliott was strapped in his carseat that was sitting in the shopping cart. He started crying, so I got him out of the carseat. I was holding him and trying to push the cart and he started grabbing for the straps in the carseat. I let him crawl into the seat and he stood there squealing with joy. He rode around the store squealing at everyone and bouncing around in his carseat.

ApParent Privilege

In a few weeks we are going to a parenting seminar that is being held at our church called ApParent Privilege. I'm pretty excited about it and will hopefully have some things to write about after we've gone. This is what the email that we've received about it says:

"Parents, you have the greatest privilege of your lives in front of you every day: raising your children. Pointing your children to Christ, modeling the Gospel, and talking about God's grace shouldn't be a burden. It is a privilege. ApParent Privilege provides biblical understanding and the latest research to encourage you in the unparalleled opportunity you have to be the primary influencer of your children." (Back cover jacket of ApParent Privilege by Steve Wright)

“How can the Gospel be lived out in my home?”

“What is the value of a family devotion?”

“Are my kids ready to leave the nest?”

“How can my home be a mission field? An evangelistic tool? A sending agency?"

“What role does the church have in the life of my child?”

If you’ve asked these questions or ever thought about these issues, ApParent Privilege is for you. If you haven't asked these questions, IT'S DEFINITELY FOR YOU!

Steve Wright is the youth pastor of Providence Baptist Church and the author of ApParent Privilege and reThink. Steve has researched, studied and practiced biblical parenting and discipleship as a father and youth pastor and has great insights to share with us.

This is not a programmatic, one-size-fits-all package that you will be able to take home and “fix” any problems that you may be encountering. Steve will share biblical truths applied to the home and parenting, to children and the church, in a way that you will leave with practical steps toward head and heart changes to apply in your home.

We're really excited about it!

finding the door stopper

Today Elliott (army) crawled away from me for the first time. He came around the ottoman, looked up at me, and then kept on going. After all, he had things to explore. He somehow knew to crawl straight over to the door stopper and BOING! He found something that jumped when he touched it and made a loud noise! What could be better??? So, boing, boING, BOIOIOIOING went the door stopper... until mommy had enough and made him move on to other (less noisy) toys.

Elliott watches his favorite "show"

At some point each week we have the laundry going in the evening when we're trying to get dinner ready and the kitchen cleaned up a bit before we eat. Sometimes we'll put Elliott in his Bumbo seat in front of the washer and dryer and let him watch the clothes tumble around. Who knew three years ago when we were purchasing these appliances that they'd also double as a babysitter! :)

tooth #5

Elliott has another tooth... which means that he and mommy aren't getting much sleep. :(

He'll go to sleep, wake up an hour later crying... go back to sleep, wake up 3 hours later... then not want to sleep for the rest of the night. Soooo tiring.

This time it's the top tooth immediately right of the middle.

Elliott reads a book

Elliott was being SO talkative while reading this book... until I turned the camera on! He ended up 'reading' this book for about 15 minutes. I was so surprised it kept his attention for that long! He even put it down for 5 minutes then picked it back up and played with it for about 10 minutes more. Hopefully he is going to grow up to love books like his mommy and especially his daddy!

(He is wearing his sleepsack in this picture so he looks kind of silly. It's a wearable blanket that he wears when he sleeps and he had just gotten up from his nap!)

fun items babies shouldn't play with

Things in our home that are not toys:
wires, entertainment centers, shoes, dvds, hair, earrings, shower curtains, mommy's & daddy's books, cell phones, cameras, silverware, stairs, magazines, coasters, tv trays

Things in our home that Elliott sees as toys:

wires, entertainment centers, shoes, dvds, hair, earrings, shower curtains, mommy's & daddy's books, cell phones, cameras, silverware, stairs, magazines, coasters, tv trays

:)

The Things Kids Learn

I've been thinking a lot lately about how I am going to teach Elliott. I'm not talking about homeschooling. (We haven't ruled this out 100%, but I definitely am not leaning towards it. Luckily we have a few years before we have to make this decision.) I'm talking about teaching him life. How to love God, how to respect people, how to use his imagination, etc. I've been thinking about what discipline will look like in our home. I've thought about how to instill a love of books in Elliott. I've just been doing a lot of thinking.

My friend, Jen, stopped by our home today. She told me a funny story about her 15 month old son, Henry. Earlier this week, Jen handed Henry her eyelash curler to play with. She said she rarely does her makeup in front of Henry, and didn't think he had a clue what the small metal contraption actually was. She looked down to see him put the curler up to his eye and mimic curling his eyelashes.

What will I teach Elliott when I don't think he is paying attention? I'm sure there will be things that Elliott picks up from Matt and me that we don't necessarily teach him. And with the good will come the bad. He will see how selfish we are and how much pride we have. He will hear how we talk about others behind closed doors and how we treat the people we love. If having a child doesn't make me realize how much sin I have in my life, what will?? I pray that Matt and I will be good examples for Elliott of sinful people trying to live a life that honors Christ. I know I can say this: My son makes me want to be a better more holy person.

"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates." Deuteronomy 6:5-9

Ready... Set...

Any second now Elliott is going to take off crawling... Watch out world!

How long before...

When your baby is born you often ask the question "How long before..." The end of the question changes - before he sleeps through the night, rolls over, says 'mama', goes to kindergarten, graduates high school, etc. Well, when you have a little boy, there is an extra and very important "How long before..." thrown into the mix. It crossed my mind the first time I ever changed his diaper, and frequently with diapers since then... "How long before he sprays me??"

Tonight Elliott's bath/bedtime routine was in full swing. I started the bath water, handed Elliott a rubber ducky, went into the nursery, and set out a new diaper & clean onesie next to his crib. I laid Elliott down on his back and took off his onesie then his diaper. I swooped him up into my arms, grabbing the dirty onesie and turning toward the hamper where I was going to drop it before heading into the bathroom. Then it happened. The surprise of cool liquid. Mom jumps and screams. Baby's eyes widen in shock. Mom tries to calm baby while stepping into the view of a full-body mirror to assess the damage done. It seemed to all happen within a matter of milliseconds. While searching the mirror I thought, "How long did I last? Quick--what's the date? July 16th. I lasted 7 months 15 days before I got sprayed!" Almost immediately after calculating the amount of time I had remained "Pee Free", I began to realize that I wasn't that wet. In fact, I only had a tiny amount of liquid near my right shoulder, where Elliott's head was, and then on my left arm near my elbow, where Elliott's hand was. The hand that was holding the rubber ducky. He gave the ducky another shake. A trickle of water ran out of the whole in the bottom. I grabbed the ducky and waved it through the air. It sprayed me with water! I had been sprayed, but not at all by Elliott!! The green, blue, and white striped ducky was the culprit!! I quickly remembered that Elliott was diaper-less and whisked him away to the bathtub as to avoid a real spraying.

"How long before he sprays me?" So far - 7 months 15 days and counting!

Why don't friends with kids have time?

Here is a link to the web version of the article. I've only been a SAHM (stay at home mom) for 7 months, but I agree with this article 100%!!

This is what the article says:

Carolyn:

Best friend has child. Her: exhausted, busy, no time for self, no time for me, etc. Me (no kids): Wow. Sorry. What'd you do today? Her: Park, play group . . .

Okay. I've done Internet searches, I've talked to parents. I don't get it. What do stay-at-home moms do all day? Please no lists of library, grocery store, dry cleaners . . . I do all those things, too, and I don't do them EVERY DAY. I guess what I'm asking is: What is a typical day and why don't moms have time for a call or e-mail? I work and am away from home nine hours a day (plus a few late work events) and I manage to get it all done. I'm feeling like the kid is an excuse to relax and enjoy -- not a bad thing at all -- but if so, why won't my friend tell me the truth? Is this a peeing contest ("My life is so much harder than yours")? What's the deal? I've got friends with and without kids and all us child-free folks get the same story and have the same questions.

Tacoma, Wash.

Relax and enjoy. You're funny.

Or you're lying about having friends with kids.

Or you're taking them at their word that they actually have kids, because you haven't personally been in the same room with them.

Internet searches?

I keep wavering between giving you a straight answer and giving my forehead some keyboard. To claim you want to understand, while in the same breath implying that the only logical conclusions are that your mom-friends are either lying or competing with you, is disingenuous indeed.

So, since it's validation you seem to want, the real answer is what you get. In list form. When you have young kids, your typical day is: constant attention, from getting them out of bed, fed, clean, dressed; to keeping them out of harm's way; to answering their coos, cries, questions; to having two arms and carrying one kid, one set of car keys, and supplies for even the quickest trips, including the latest-to-be-declared-essential piece of molded plastic gear; to keeping them from unshelving books at the library; to enforcing rest times; to staying one step ahead of them lest they get too hungry, tired or bored, any one of which produces the kind of checkout-line screaming that gets the checkout line shaking its head.

It's needing 45 minutes to do what takes others 15.

It's constant vigilance, constant touch, constant use of your voice, constant relegation of your needs to the second tier.

It's constant scrutiny and second-guessing from family and friends, well-meaning and otherwise. It's resisting constant temptation to seek short-term relief at everyone's long-term expense.

It's doing all this while concurrently teaching virtually everything -- language, manners, safety, resourcefulness, discipline, curiosity, creativity. Empathy. Everything.

It's also a choice, yes. And a joy. But if you spent all day, every day, with this brand of joy, and then, when you got your first 10 minutes to yourself, wanted to be alone with your thoughts instead of calling a good friend, a good friend wouldn't judge you, complain about you to mutual friends, or marvel how much more productively she uses her time. Either make a sincere effort to understand or keep your snit to yourself.

tooth #4

Tooth #4 (the top right tooth) has joined our family with very little commotion. Thank goodness. We can only pray that the rest of his teeth come in without drawing much attention to themselves just like #4.

Thank you, #4, for setting such a good example for all future teeth!

Yummy Squash

Elliott's fourth solid food was squash from his greatgrandfather's garden! He gobbled it up! He had already eaten a bunch of it before we started filming and finished the whole bowl! Matt was feeding him, and he has a different (and funnier) technique than me... he waited until Elliott had his mouth open wide and shoved the spoon in from the side. Elliott didn't know what to think of it!

Sorry the video is really dark. I should have shut the blinds before him before started to record.

the beginner crawl

Elliott has figured out how to move forward! He still stays on his tummy, but he is going places (especially on smooth surfaces where he can just sliiiiiide). You'd never know this by looking at the video, but he is getting faster!

Innocent

I know that 'innocent' isn't a word that I'll use for very much longer when it comes to Elliott. But, for now at least, he is just that. I'm often reminded just how innocent he is during the times when he is nursing. He usually keeps his hands pretty busy while he eats. He likes to pull on my shirt, scratch the pillow that sticks out from behind my back... but the other day he did something new. He stuck his thumb up my nose. It really is just the perfect size to slide right in there, and for a few minutes he took turns poking it up the left side of my nose, then the right side, then the left side... you get the idea. I had to keep myself from laughing really hard at him (I didn't want him to stop eating) because he had the straightest face while putting his thumb up my nose! He doesn't know that it is bad manners to poke around in someone else's nose. He doesn't realize how silly it is for a baby to have his thumb up his mommy's nose. Innocent.

Two more things he doesn't find funny right now are burps and farts. I know one day that I'll probably be so angry at myself, but I can't help but laugh when Elliott burps or farts really loud. I just clap and cheer him on. But the little look on his face---he doesn't even know the loud sound has just escaped from his body! Sometimes he even looks around like "Who is that? Is someone else here?!" Innocent.

One day I'm sure Elliott will giggle about boogers and burps and I'm sure we have several "you can't pick your nose in public" conversations in our future. But for now, I'm happy that he is just my innocent little baby boy.

tooth #3

It has arrived! After a month of swollen gums and a week of the tooth staring at me from under his gums, Elliott cut his third tooth today! It is his top left tooth and the top right tooth doesn't look to be far behind. I haven't noticed Elliott being fussier than usual, so I'm hoping that cutting teeth at 7 months goes smoother than the ones he cut at 4 months did. 

With his first two teeth, he stuck his tongue out and did weird 'dance' type moves with it. I haven't seen him doing that too much lately, but he is doing this weird 'lips pinched sucking my gums' thing. Again, the gums sort of move in a dancing motion. What a strange little boy!! haha

Starting Solids

Elliott had rice cereal for the first time on June 19th, then on June 25 tried avocado for the first time. He really likes to eat!

The avocado video was shot with my phone, so it's poor quality and there is no sound. Sorry!

Benjamin & Emily's wedding

Yesterday was Benjamin and Emily's wedding! It was such a beautiful day!

The wedding was supposed to be outside on the beach at Hilton Head Island, but because of rain (and lightening) storms, the ceremony had to be moved inside. The reception was still outdoors, though, and everyone enjoyed the great food! Did we mention that we danced the night away? I know I had to sweat at least a pound off out on the dance floor!

Elliott says "ma ma ma ma ma"

Here's a short video of Elliott in the car saying "ma ma" over and over. He doesn't know yet that I am Mama, but I still love hearing him say it :)

6 month appointment

Weight: 18lbs 8.5oz
Height: 28in
Head Circumference: 44.5cm

From June 2010

I love Elliott's doctor! She is just great. I can't really even put my finger on why I like her so much, but each time I leave I really feel confident that she wants the best for Elliott.

We have been weaning him from his reflux meds and decided to take him completely off of them. So far he is doing well but she said it might take up to two weeks (if the reflux is going to return) to get bad again.

We talked about starting him on cereal then solids after our trip to Orlando (June 13-19) so I'm really excited about that!! And, so is Elliott! haha He is SO ready for food and watches every single bite we take and sips of drinks. I'm also planning on making his food, and I am really looking forward to it!

Elliott really wants to walk all the time, so the doctor checked his legs and said they are super strong and that we can let him stand on them as much as he wants. 

Baby Dedication

At our church, North Wake Church, the public dedication of children serves three main purposes:
1) Parents commit publicly to raise their children in the training and instruction of the Lord. (Eph 6:4)
2) To present the children to the Lord. (1 Samuel 6:27-28)
3) To seek God's blessing. (Mark 10:13-16)

We were asked three questions:
-Will you commit to train them, first and foremost, by your example as you follow Christ wholeheartedly?
-Will you commit to train them by your teaching, actively communicating the truth of the word of God to your children?
-Will you pray for them regularly and raise them in the fellowship of a church that worships God and teaches his Word?

tooth #2

Well, not even a week after Elliott cut his first tooth he has a second one. Today the bottom left tooth decided to join the bottom right one. Those things are SHARP!

4 month appointment

Weight: 16lbs 12oz
Height: 26in
Head Circumference: 43cm

From April 2010

two new milestones

Milestone #1- Rolling over! On the night of April 1st (my mom's birthday) my little bitty baby rolled over for the first time! He was laying on his back and rolled towards the right and FINALLY got his arm out of the way and WAM! He was on his tummy!! Mom and I were on the floor with him and went crazy in celebration! April 2 we didn't give him much of a chance to roll over (no tummy-time) but on April 3 we put him down for a few minutes at Grandma & Papa Johnson's house and he rolled over for everyone there!

Here is a picture of my super star right after his first roll:

From April 2010

Milestone #2- A tooth! Well, my four month old cut his first tooth. (It made it's first appearance on April 4, Easter Sunday.) The first question I've been getting from people when I tell them that is "Oh, how was that?!" Well, he also had a double ear infection and major congestion during the tooth cutting process, so I'm not sure which of those things made him grouchy. He seemed to be a little ill during the day (wanting to be held a lot) but he slept pretty well during naps and at night. It probably helped a little during some of those nights that we gave him Tylenol before putting him to bed.

Do you see a tooth??

From April 2010

Look closely... it's there!

From April 2010

He was given Amoxicillin for his ears... and BOY DOES HE HATE IT! I can definitely see his will starting to show while giving him his medicine. It takes two people to get him to open his mouth and get all the meds down his throat (as opposed to down his chin and on his bib).

I can't believe my little baby has a tooth already! I just know it was yesterday that I was in Labor and Delivery having him!!!