9 Month Well Visit

This afternoon Josh, Eli, and I went to see Doctor R. again for Eli's 9 month well baby visit. We had originally scheduled this visit earlier in the month, but things got kind of busy at the doctor's office and we had to reschedule. Technically, Eli's about to be 10 months, but since he wasn't going to get any shots during this visit, it didn't really matter when we came.

I took off half a day and came home to  get Eli ready for the doctor. He didn't get to go see Hayden and Ms. Ashley today because Ms. Ashley got her wisdom teeth removed last Friday and she's still not doing well. Say a prayer for her, please! Josh's grandmother came and kept Eli until I could get home. She said that Eli had played his little heart out all day and had been so good. That's my boy!  :)

He is getting so very close to walking. Most babies that I've seen will just stand in one place and work up the courage to take steps. Eli's skipping that part. He's taking steps and falling all over the place. Luckily, he has great reflexes and always braces himself before he crashes to the floor. I think my entire head will be full of gray hairs before this is all over :)

We got him ready, gave him a bottle, and let him take a quick nap and then made our way over to see Doctor R. Luckily we didn't have to wait very long for them to call us to the back. While we waited Josh and Eli had a serious conversation about why he was at the doctor's office again. We got called back to the room and the nurse weighed and measured Eli. Then we got to wait again for Dr. R to come see us. Eli had been going crazy the entire time we were waiting for Dr. R. He wanted down on the ground to play, but there was no way in the world that was going to happen. He and I danced, ate puffs (yes, I had some too!), read books, played games with Daddy, zoomed around on Dr. R's stool, looked out the window, played peek-a-boo, and anything else that would keep his attention. Dr. R came in the room and all the activeness ceased immediately. Eli polished his halo and was the picture of perfection as she checked him. He didn't budge at all when she examined him. He sat watching her every move the entire time without moving a muscle. Josh and I were astounded!

Eli's 9 Month Stats:
Weight: 18 pounds 12 ounces (25th percentile)
Head: 17 1/2 inches (50th percentile)
Length: 28 1/2 inches (75th percentile)

Dr. R told me to not worry about this weight. She said from what I told her, he is getting plenty of food during the day; he's just working it all off quickly, since he NEVER stops. Seriously, if he's awake he is in constant motion. She said to continue to do what we're doing and to keep working on the sippy cup. He will drink from it occasionally, but would rather drink from the bottle instead. Imagine that, Mr. I-Used-To-Hate-My-Bottle actually prefers the bottle over something else! My how times change :)

She said everything looked great and that unless he got sick (please NO!) we wouldn't need to come back until his 12 month well baby visit. Oh my gosh! Are we already that close to the 12 month well baby visit? I need to start planning a birthday party :) He didn't need shots today, but they did need to check his blood levels for anemia and lead, which meant he was going to have to get a finger pricked. Josh and I cringed because the after hours clinic did this a couple weeks ago and Eli was not a happy camper. They could barely get the blood out of his finger, poor thing! Today went much better though. The nurse came in, grabbed Eli's hand, wiped it down with alcohol, pricked his finger, collected the samples, and then left. Seriously, I don't know if it took more than 2 minutes. And get this...ELI DID NOT CRY ONE SINGLE TEAR! Josh and I were expecting him to get really upset, but he acted like he didn't feel anything. He's such a strong and tough baby :) His blood results came back great, sobarring illness, we won't see Dr. R until he's one years old! I can't wait to see how much he's grown and changed by then!

Being such a BIG boy at the doctor's office!

He didn't even cry!! :)

Eli and Hayden

For several weeks now, Eli has been going to a new sitter in a new house with a new little friend and so far it is going great! Some friends of ours, Guy and Kally, have a little boy, Hayden, who is about 6 weeks older than Eli. They have a wonderful sitter, Ms. Ashley, that comes to their house every day to keep Hayden. When they found out we were looking for a new sitter, they asked Ashley if she would mind keeping two babies. She said she wouldn't, so Eli started going to their house this summer to play with Hayden. Both sets of parents wanted Eli and Hayden to start getting some socialization with another child and to get used to being away from Mommy and Daddy during the day. So far, so good!

These two boys are great together and it seems like they have a lot of fun during the day with Ms. Ashley! When I dropped Eli off this morning, I snapped a few pictures of the boys and then I left my camera there so Ashley could take some pics of them during they day. It makes my heart so happy to see my little boy having so much fun. Josh and I are so thankful for Guy, Kally, Hayden, and Ashley. I can't wait to see this little friendship mature :) I'm seeing future teammates, classmates, best buds, and pals :)

Hayden :)
He's such a fun baby!
I'm so glad he and Eli are going to be best buds!

So sleepy, but he looks like such a big boy sitting there on the couch.

Trying to get a 9 month old, a 10 1/2 month old, and a 6 year old to pose...not so easy!
This was the first try and it's all I could do today because I had to rush off to
school before I got written up for being late!

Playing so well together

Playing "peek-a-boo" with Ms. Ashley

He LOVES Ms. Ashley! And this warms my heart so much to know how much he adores her! I want him to love others and to go to them without hesitating. I'm so so thankful for her!

Cheap Entertainment

Eli LOVES the refrigerator. I'm talking as soon as he sees the door open, he rushes towards it like a bug drawn to a light with a HUGE grin on his face. It's so cute! I don't think I've ever seen him move as fast as he does when he's heading to the fridge. I'll admit there have been times that I've been desperate for something to keep his attention so I could wash dishes without him hanging onto my legs and I have opened the fridge so he could "play". Cheap entertainment and it lets Mommy wash bottles. Unfortunately, if you shut the door before he has time to thoroughly investigate the contents of the refrigerator, he throws a fit. (Yeah, we've got a temper, but we're hoping to work on it!) Oh, and he's a climber. See that bottom shelf in the fridge. His goal every time he gets to look in the fridge is to climb on that bottom shelf; the only problem is that he can't get down without just falling. This kid needs a helmet, knee pads, and elbow pads because he is ALL BOY!!

Blueberries for Eli

Eli is a huge fan of fresh fruit, so we are trying lots of different ones to get him used to different textures. He's had all the fruits in the pureed baby food version, but now he gets to try chunkier pieces using his mesh feeder (greatest baby thing ever!). So far he's tried watermelon, peaches, pears, plums, grapes, banana, and blueberries. As you can see for yourself, blueberries are a favorite around our house! Let's hope he doesn't turn blue from the massive amounts of blueberries he's ingesting everyday :)

"More blueberries, please!"

A Steal of a Deal

This afternoon Eli and I were running around town doing some errands while Josh bonded with some buddies on the golf course. I had a couple bags of clothes that I needed to take to the shelter in town, so that was one of our first stops. When I drove around to the back to drop off the clothes, I saw a plastic Radio Flyer wagon sitting there. No one was back there to accept the clothes so I loaded up the wagon and drove off as fast as I could before anyone could catch me.....

NOOO!!! I didn't do that! But I bet I got some of you :)

I found a bell hanging from the wall and rang it has loudly as I could. I was not about to let that wagon out of my sight! While I was waiting for someone to come see me, I inspected the wagon to make sure it was in working order. Other than some normal wear and tear, it was in excellent condition. The lady came back and said they hadn't even priced it, yet. I told her to tell me a price because I wanted it. She came back with $5.35. WHAT?! These things normally sell for over $50! I told her it was a deal, paid for it , loaded it into the car, and drove off smiling really big over my wonderful deal. That's one birthday item I can cross off the list now :)

Later this afternoon, when it wasn't nearly as hot, Josh cleaned the wagon for us and we took Eli for his first ride. Eli loves being outside, so I knew he would LOVE the wagon without question. I was right. He sat there like such a big boy while his Daddy pulled him down the street. Maggie and I walked beside them taking pictures the entire time (You know me...first time Mom has to document everything!)





We ran into Whest, Dara, and Molly and stopped to visit. Molly checked out Eli's wagon and even tried to go for a ride in it with him, but her family was leaving to go eat so we had to take a rain check on their wagon ride together. Maybe next time :)






We continued our stroll and then made our way back home. Eli didn't once try to bail out of the wagon. He sat so still with his little arm on the side looking at everything around him. I can't wait to take Eli for many more rides in this little wagon. I'm so so happy about my incredible find!

Mr. Blue Eyes

5 Days Down, Only 175 Days to Go!

This week I started my seventh year of teaching. WOW! It's hard for me to believe that I've been out of college for seven years already. I remember when I first started teaching that I thought seven years seemed like an eternity. I remember thinking that those teachers who had taught for that many years were so wise and must know all there is to know about teaching kids. I realize now how wrong I was! I DEFINITELY don't feel wise and I DEFINITELY don't know all there is to know about teaching kids. In fact, I'm pretty sure I could teach for 30 years and go to every workshop under the sun and one of my students would still do something to surprise me! (One of the reasons I really enjoy teaching...you never know what to expect!) Funny story that happened this week. One my very ACTIVE students was working on drawing a picture of herself during the first week of school. I was walking by to see their pictures and she grabbed my skirt and begged me to stop so she could explain her picture. There was a person on the ground pointing up and there was another person that looked like they were floating in the sky. In the background you could see a chalkboard and a desk, so you knew it was supposed to be the inside of the classroom. I asked her about her picture and these were her sweet little words, "This is you down here telling me to sit down and do my work....and this is me (pointing to the person in the sky) climbing the walls of the classroom!" I laughed out loud and immediately went next door to share the story with a teacher friend. Kids say and do the darndest things!

This year I feel more lost than ever. Cheryl pointed out a week ago that it's probably due to the fact that I'm having to leave a certain little boy with someone else while I go work all day. Do I regret my decision to work? No, I honestly don't. I'm not saying that leaving Eli is easy; it's NOT! There are days that I wish I could stay home with him, and love, play, and have fun with him, but I know that he's in WONDERFUL hands. We have a great babysitter who loves Eli and cares a lot about him. Plus, there's another little boy there who is 6 weeks older than Eli, so Eli is getting some much needed socialization. (We are right in the middle of the separation anxiety phase and the other little boy provides some much needed distraction when I need to leave in the mornings). I enjoy teaching and I feel that it's what I'm supposed to be doing at this point in my life. I feel like I'm living out the calling that God placed on my life a long time ago and I guess when he says I'm finished, I'll leave, but until then a teacher I will be :)

I will say my whole outlook on teaching has changed since I had Eli. Having a child really makes you think twice about how you treat other people's children. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a mean teacher-I never could follow the "don't smile until after Christmas" rule that some teachers use-but I know I've gotten frustrated and impatient now and then with a child. Since I've had Eli, I see children a little differently than I did before. Now, I see my little boy in all of them and I find myself asking, "Would you like it if someone spoke to Eli this way?" No matter how dirty a child is, how they act, how they dress, or how they look, they are someone's baby and deserve to be treated with kindness and respect. It is my goal to make sure that every child in my room feels loved every day they are in my care. Who knows? My smile may be the only one they see that day and my hug or pat on the back may be the only positive encouragement they receive that day, or for the week! So sad to think about, but SO TRUE! It is my prayer that God will use me to be his hands, arms, and feet to help these children every day. I want them to know how much I love and care about each and every one of them, even the ones that try my patience to no end :)

My first week back as a working mom was tough. Not only was it the beginning of a new school year, but Eli started running a fever around 5 o'clock Sunday night before school. We thought it was just related to teething, but when it jumped up to 103 degrees we knew it was something else. To top that, I got a text from my babysitter saying that she felt bad and probably didn't need to keep Eli the next day. GREAT! What a wonderful way to start off my new school year! Thankfully, Josh was able to stay home with Eli Monday, so I could go to school. Some good friends and family members also pitched in and helped out all week with Eli, so Josh and I could work. A HUGE thank you goes out to Bepa, Mammy, Zue-Zue and Mamaw. I don't know how we would have gotten through this week without you guys. I never once worried about Eli, which was a wonderful blessing, because I was able to focus on everything I had to do at school. Lots of people were praying for Eli and I need to say thank you so much for your prayers! Eli's fever broke late Wednesday night and he feels much better now. Although, we're having to un-spoil him now because he was held a lot when he was sick and now, even though he's better, he still wants to be held pretty much all the time. It'll get better though, I'm not worried.

I'm looking forward to this year and seeing what surprises it has in store for me. I am also looking forward to the little angelic face I'm going to see every day around 3:20. That is DEFINITELY the BEST part of my day!!! I've been in school for 5 days now, only 175 school days left until another summer with Eli! Here's hoping and praying for a WONDERFUL year!!!

Me and Sondra on the 1st day of school
She's helped me in my classroom for the past 2 years, but this year they moved her. BOO HOO HOO!! I was very sad to not have her with me again, but so excited when I found out that we have morning duty together so we can still talk :)