How Motherhood Changes You

I wish I could say this picture was staged, but I can't. I walked in my bedroom the other night and this is what I saw. It made me stop, laugh, and immediately run to get my camera. What's on my nightstand these days? The latest New York Times bestseller? The new issue of a celebrity magazine? Nope, not even close!


Ah, the life of a new mother! :)

Eli and Hannah

Eli got to spend his night in the nursery with his friend Hannah. Hannah is about seven weeks older than Eli, and the daughter of some friends of ours, Diane and Josh. I love the fact that Hannah is a little older than Eli, because I can always get a preview of what Eli will be doing very very soon. Just the other night, Diane showed me how Hannah can get on her hands and knees and rock...WOW! I can't believe my baby is going to be that close to crawling so soon.

Nicki and Belinda kept the nursery tonight and Nicki knows how obsessed I am with pictures (she is too!) so she took these for me! It looks like Hannah, Eli, Nicki, and Belinda had a lot of fun in the nursery. Thanks, Nicki!

Hannah (6 months) and Eli (4 months)

This is what these two looked like just three short months ago.

Look how much they have both changed!

I walked in right before church and Belinda and Nicki had these two facing each other so they could "talk". It was so CUTE! Hannah was smiling so big at Eli. Eli was trying to be cool and play hard to get, but secretly he enjoyed all the adoration :)

Nicki said Eli had a great time in the exersaucer at the church. This particular exersaucer is Jonah's old one. When I found out how much Eli enjoyed playing in this one at church a couple of weeks go, Josh and I went and got one for him to play with at home.

Look at my little future world traveler! He's already studying the globe picking out the countries he's going to visit one day. His Grandpa E (Josh's Dad) would be so proud!

Nick-Nick, I can help you take that picture. I've seen my Mommy take lots of pictures!

Way Back WHENsday

These pictures were taken last year on our first annual ski trip with our friends Josh and Diane. Josh and I had been skiing in Crested Butte several times (in fact, that's where we got married!) and we were so glad to share that with Josh and Diane. After a long hard week of skiing the slopes, we took the last day off to shop the quaint little stores in downtown Crested Butte. This one shop had all these nifty glasses and Josh, Diane, Josh, and I had lots of fun trying them on and taking pictures. I'm sure the shop owner was so happy when we left! We didn't go skiing this year because both of our families were blessed to welcome little babies, but we are already making plans for 2010. It's going to be so much fun!

Golfing with Daddy

Sunday afternoon, we took Eli to the golf course for the first time. Summer is approaching very quickly, which means Josh is going to be golfing a lot. I'm sure this is just one of the many trips we'll take with him to the golf course this summer. It was such a pretty day that we couldn't stand to stay inside all day long. It was time to get out and get some fresh air! I dressed Eli in his golf overalls (I didn't know golfers wore overalls, but there are two golf clubs embroidered on the front!), grabbed his mini golf bag (Christmas present from Grammy and Pop), and we loaded up in the car for his first trip to the golf course. I know that there are going to be many more trips like this for both of my boys, but I'm glad they let Mom tag along this time. We had a great time! Here are some pictures from our day :)

My two golfing boys :)

I've got my golf bag...where's the first tee?

Sheesh, lady! You're embarrassing me!

His first day at the golf course wore him out :)

Tickle Me Eli

You've heard of Tickle Me Elmo...well, Josh and I have a Tickle Me Eli! Our little boy is very very ticklish and laughs so hard when Mommy tickles him. It's so cute!

Roly Poly

I told you last week that Eli finally mastered rolling from his back to his tummy. I actually didn't get a picture or video of him doing it because I was so surprised when he did it! I have made up for that though! Saturday afternoon, I was able to capture him rolling from his tummy to his back and from his back to his tummy. He's "talking" a lot during this video and after listening back to it, it sounds more like whining. He's probably telling me how much he doesn't want to be on his stomach and back; he prefers sitting or standing these days (with assistance, of course!) My little baby thinks he is so much bigger than he really is!

His new found mobility also has Josh and I being really cautious now about where we leave him. The other night he was on his blanket in the middle of the floor, Josh was on the couch, and I was in the recliner watching TV (this isn't going to happen very much anymore!). One minute Eli was in the middle of the living room playing with his toys, the next minute he was under one of our end tables! Last night he ended up almost under the recliner and today he ended up under another end table. Tammy took some of these pictures to show that he's being a roly poly at her house, too! He decided to check out her coffee table today while he was there :) He was just doing the white glove test for dust :) Mammy passed! I told Josh that we need to just lay blankets all over our carpet so he won't rub his face raw when he starts rolling. We also are going to have to pick up anything we leave on the ground that we don't want him to get into, because now he can! In fact, just looking at these pictures, I'm going "Okay, that needs to go, that needs to go, THAT really has to go..." It's so funny to watch him roll from place to place. We can already tell that life is going to get really interesting when he starts crawling....

This is where he started...

Where he ended up...

Uh oh! They caught me!

Hmm...look at all this stuff I can't touch...yet ;)

Don't mind me, Mammy.
I'm just checking out the table...thought it was a little loose.

Ooo, nice and sparkly. Mammy, you're a good cleaner!

Peek-a-Boo! I see you!

Jumping Bean

Eli has really started to like his Jumperoo. He gets quite active with it, too! This is turning out to be one of his (and our) favorite toys. It's so much fun to watch him bounce around and laugh and giggle! Josh said the other day that this is his favorite stage since Eli was born. I gladly told him that it just keeps getting better and better. We love being Daddy and Mommy to this precious little boy. He brings so much joy into our lives every single day!

Just Pictures

Eli came home Friday afternoon and was in a very playful mood. He's so much fun! Oh, and you can't see it all, but his onesie says "Totally Cuter Than Daddy." :)

First Cold

Last Saturday, Eli woke up with a very stuffy nose. Poor thing! He was snorting like a pig because he could hardly breathe. We used the nasal aspirator, saline nose drops, a humidifier at night, and even did a couple of steam sessions in the bathroom all that weekend, but Monday afternoon when I picked him up from Tammy's he still was very stuffy. Since it had been a full three days, I went ahead and called his doctor to see what she suggested. He hadn't had any fever, and was still sleeping okay at night, but they said that since it was his first cold it would be best for me to bring him in.

Quick funny and embarrassing story....

Monday afternoon when Eli and I got home, his nose was very stuffy, so I thought we'd do a quick steam session in the bathroom. I stripped him down to his diaper, put him in his bouncy seat, gathered up the phone, camera, and computer (the essentials) and into the sauna we went. I checked my email, Facebook, and the blog, and by then the computer screen was completely fogged up, so I opened the door to go put the computer back on the charger. I completely forgot that there is a heat sensor in the hall that alerts our security company if there is a fire. Well, the steam from the bathroom rushed into the hall triggering the sensor. The alarm went off (I didn't know why it was doing that at this point) so I went to disarm it the way I always do. About three minutes later, it went off again, so I tried to disarm it again. I thought that there was a malfunction in the system, so I called Josh at work to see what he wanted me to do. He was tied up at work so couldn't really talk to me. About the same time I got off the phone with him, the security company called on my cell phone. They explained that they had received an alert from the heat sensor in the hall that we had a fire. WHAT?! I quickly explained that there wasn't a fire, that my son had a stuffy nose and we were doing a steam session in the bathroom and the steam must have triggered the alarm. Too bad for me though, because our local fire department and police station had already been dispatched and were on their way. The security company offered to call and cancel, but by that point they were parked in front of my house. How embarrassing!! I rushed out there, with Eli still in just a diaper, and waved to let them know that we were okay. About that same time, I heard an officer answer his phone and signal to the firemen that it was a false alarm. How embarrassing! I guess I gave my neighbors something to talk about that afternoon :)

Back to the doctor...Tuesday morning, St.Patrick's Day, Eli and I went to see Dr. Russ. She checked his eyes, ears, throat, nose, and chest and said that other than a stuffy nose, he looked and sounded fine. I was thankful to know that he didn't have a sore throat or any congestion in his chest. She said to keep doing what we were doing and to call if it got any worse. I felt like such a "first time mom" for taking him in to see the doctor over something so minor, but peace of mind is worth so much! Eli kept his stuffy nose pretty much all week, but he seems to be much better now. In fact, I've only had to use the aspirator twice today. Hopefully, we are on the road to being well once again!

My little shamrock waiting for Dr. Russ

He was just happy to hear the crinkly paper again!
He'd go back to the doctor just for that!

The Baby UFC

Eli was on his activity mat the other night and Josh decided to join him down there for some fun father-son bonding time. Unfortunately, I guess Eli listened to too many UFC (Ultimate Fighter Championship) fights while he was in utero, because their father-son bonding time quickly turned into a UFC octagon match! Eli went straight for Josh's hair and was relentless! He even used his Daddy's hair to pull himself up so that his feet went straight in Josh's face. I guess he knows that Josh can't stand to have anything in his face, much less someone's feet! At the end of the round, the judge (Mommy) scored the event and it was clear...Eli was the Baby Ultimate Fighter Champion!

Way Back WHENsday

In the blog world, a lot of people do posts called "Way Back WHENsday". I think these posts are a great way to remember all the fun you've had in the past and to bring back special memories you may want to revisit again and again. So, I decided to join in on the "Way Back WHENsday" fun and start with a very special memory...

One year ago today, I heard this for the very first time...



Isn't that an amazing sound? That was Eli's heartbeat at 7 weeks. What a miracle! That was one of the happiest days of my life. To know that the little boy that we have been blessed with started off as that tiny little pea...WOW! If that doesn't show you how amazing of a God we serve, I don't know what will!

March 18, 2008, Nicki and I went to my first prenatal doctor's visit. I was so, so nervous. I remember that I couldn't tell anyone at school why I was leaving early, so I'm sure I made them all very suspicious. Nicki met me at the doctor's office to be my support and to also be the photographer/videographer (a job she would keep for the entirety of my pregnancy and delivery).

Josh and I knew we were pregnant, but we had only told our family and a few close friends. After this appointment, we told ANYONE and EVERYONE. I remember how happy I was when I got to change my MySpace status to "Josh and Amanda are having a BABY!" (HA! It's the little things in life that make it so good, isn't it?)

You can click here to read the post I wrote that day, but I wanted to leave you with this one picture...still makes me laugh, Nicki!

(Background Information on the picture: Nicki was trying to be as inconspicuous as possible the entire day, but during my first talk with my doctor, Nicki stopped us mid-conversation and had my doctor scoot her chair closer to me. She wanted to make sure she got both of us in the picture. Is she a great photographer, or what? My doctor thought that was pretty funny, so she and I posed for this picture. Thanks again, Nicki!)

Just Keep Chewing

This is what much of Eli's day consists of these days...chewing, chewing, chewing. He must be working on some teeth, but from everything I've read it can take months for just one tooth to come in. I may not have any knuckles left if that's the case! He will chew on anything that comes in contact with his mouth and he wants LOTS of pressure on his gums. So much that it really hurts sometimes! I've given him lots of teething rings and teething toys, but he seems to prefer his own hands or someone else's over everything else. I've read about freezing washcloths and then letting the baby chew on those...I may try that soon.

In other news, you'll notice that Eli is sporting a new accessory on his Bumbo...the Bumbo tray! I found it today tucked in the back of his closet. It's amazing what you find when you start organizing (again). I tried it out today, but Eli quickly proved that it's no match for his strength. One minute the tray was on his Bumbo, the next, it was flying across the kitchen floor. I'll have to weld the pieces together, I guess, if I want it to stay affixed to his chair. This little boy continues to amaze us with his strength and determination :)


Speaking of determination...guess who rolled from his back to his tummy TWICE today? Yes, yes yes! Eli rolled from back to tummy today for the first time! Not only did he do it once, he did it twice! We all clapped and cheered! We were so surprised! In fact, I was so surprised that I didn't even get a picture! (Don't worry, I will very soon!) For weeks, he has been SO close to rolling over, but never could quite get his shoulder over. Today he finally did it! He was so proud of himself when he saw the amount of praise he received from his adoring fans. He's growing up so fast!

Like Grandfather, Like Grandson

Before Eli was even born, Josh and I knew one thing from the sonogram pictures...he was definitely going to have one distinct trait from my Dad's side of the family...a mighty forehead! I sport quite a big forehead myself, but Eli definitely has my Dad's (receding hairline and all!) Last week, when my parents were here, Josh suggested that all three of us-me, Eli and my Dad- take a picture together sporting our foreheads. I decided to go with just Eli and Pop :) I was taking the picture to show how similar their foreheads are, but it turned out to be a sweet picture of those two. It is so obvious that my Dad is completely in love with his grandson. These two are going to have so many special memories with each other. I can't wait!

Eli's Rice Cereal Experience

Eli made a "Happy Bowl" :)

Schedule Shemedule

Wednesday Grammy and Pop kept Eli all day while Josh and I went to work. I was so glad that they were able to get this one-on-one time with their grandbaby. I know they miss him so much! The day before Eli had his 4 months shots and did fine all day-no fever, not fussy, eating and sleeping habits were the same- but when he woke up Wednesday morning he was running a low grade fever. I gave him some Tylenol and hoped that would bring it down. I didn't want to leave my baby when he was sick and go to work, but I knew that he would be in EXCELLENT hands.

I wrote out a very detailed schedule so Mom and Dad would know when Eli normally eats, when he normally naps, the normal duration of the naps, his "I'm getting sleepy" cues, and a lot of other information. Well, look at the next picture and you'll see what Eli thought of my schedule :) Mom said he was trying to "read" it, but he pretty much took the schedule and threw it out the window. LOL! He woke up a little later than normal after his first feeding of the day, and that threw the entire schedule completely off, but they did great despite his little deviation :)

"No one tells me when to eat and sleep. I'm my own little man!"

Here are some pictures from their day. I think they had a wonderful time :) I'm so glad they were able to come visit us. We're going to try to get up to their house sometime very soon :)

Eli chewing on his teething ring with some assistance from Pop.
He's been chewing on his fingers and anything that comes in contact
with his mouth so much now.

Eli's second rice cereal experience. Yum, yum!
Dad videoed the entire feeding and it's so cute to watch, but unfortunately if I uploaded it, it would use up all my space (nearly!) on Blogger. Trust me, though, it's pretty funny to watch!

Mom said Eli spotted her Diet Pepsi can and wanted it so badly!
He loved the colors on the can.

Eli's "Going to School" picture.
He's got his book and he's ready to go.
Hopefully, he got a star on his sticker chart today for good behavior :)

Visit from Grammy and Pop

Tuesday afternoon, my parents, Eli's Grammy and Pop, came to visit us for a couple of days. We were all so excited! The last time they had been down was back in January and they were dying to see how Eli had grown. They get to see him about once or twice a week on the web cam, but it's not the same as seeing him in person. We were so glad they were able to make the trip!

They got in late Tuesday afternoon (Eli's well visit day) and Eli was taking a much needed nap in his crib when they arrived. I know it was so hard on them to not rush in there, snatch him up, and start smothering him in kisses, but they refrained because they knew how much he needed to sleep. He'd had a very busy morning and needed his rest. It wasn't long before he started to stir and they went back with me to get him. It was so much fun to see his face when he saw them for the first time. His face lit up with joy! He was so happy to see them and their faces were GLOWING! There is no doubt this baby is loved :)

Smiling in Grammy's arms

Eli and his Grammy

Eli and his Pop

Eli and Pop chillin' on the couch

My little jumping bean

Doing leg exercises in Grammy's lap

Earlier that day, Dr. Russ had given us the go ahead on trying rice cereal with Eli, so I let Mom feed him some that night. I think we're going to have a lot of success with rice cereal. Eli LOVED it! He's still figuring out how to use his tongue to eat from a spoon, but I think he did really well for only his second time to eat rice cereal. Dad videoed it, but I don't know how to use iMovie and the video is kind of long, so I can't post his just yet. (Josh and I did one that lasts about a minute the other night. I'll try to post that one soon). Like I said, I think he did really well, but it was funny because at the end of the feeding he had it ALL over him. He enjoyed "helping" Grammy feed him the rice cereal. Oh, and you'll notice the spoon he's holding in the picture. Grammy had a spoon that he wanted, so we finally gave him one to hold. The spoon ended up getting in the way and making things messier (if that was possible!). I think every orifice on his face was covered in cereal by the time it was all said and done. He probably wore more than he ate! (Where was I with the camera then?)

I've got my spoon! Let's eat!

Yum! This stuff is kind of good!

Like "see"food? Here ya go!

Eli did enjoy showing Mom and Dad all the things he can do now. He showed them all his tricks-squealing, cooing, laughing, jumping, grabbing his toes, and rolling over. He especially enjoyed using Mom's and Dad's arms as a Johnny Jump-Up. (I did post that video!) I don't think he sat still for 5 seconds Tuesday night. He just kept playing and playing. Pretty soon, he wore himself out and finally went to sleep. He must have known he was going to have a busy day with his Grammy and Pop when he woke up!