A Valentine Surprise in the Mail

Eli's first Valentine's gift came in the mail the other day from his Uncle David and Aunt Stephanie. They haven't seen Eli yet, but really enjoy reading about him and looking at him on the blog. We hope that they're going to come see us really soon. I know Stephanie can't wait to get her hands on him! They sent Eli some cute Valentine's Day outfits and this really cute Valentine leopard (I think it's a leopard; it may be a cheetah). Eli was very intrigued by the leopard/cheetah. I can't wait until Valentine's Day so he can wear his cute outfits. Thanks for thinking of him, Uncle David and Aunt Stephanie. We hope to see you soon!

Oohs, Coos, and Squeals

Eli just started really cooing a couple days ago and it's the cutest thing in the world! Josh and I die laughing every time he gets going. He's so fun to watch because he tries to mimic our mouths when we talk. These are three videos of him "talking" to Josh. You'll notice that he quits performing usually when he sees the camera, so I started standing off to the side. You can still hear him and it'll melt your heart!

Bumbo Seat and Diaper Mullet

I've been putting Eli in his Bumbo seat a few minutes everyday to help him strengthen his stomach and neck muscles. He's doing really well. I'm so impressed with how well he can support his head when he is upright. You'll notice a magazine behind his head in some of the pictures. We usually start off without the magazine, but if he starts to get tired and his head begins to flop, I've found that putting a magazine (actually it's the manual to the TV) behind his head helps him. I love how he's sticking his tongue out in one of the pictures. When I concentrate on something really hard that's exactly what I do.



Later on that night, when Eli needed a diaper change, Josh decided to "help out." This is one diaper change Eli will never forget! I think he looks like a Pilgrim in the first two pictures. Then Josh turned the diaper around to create the diaper mullet--business in the front, party in the back! Once again, my child will probably disown me when he's old enough to understand how incredibly embarrassing these pictures are :)

A Fresh Approach to Tummy Time

So you all know how hard I've been working to get Eli to like tummy time. Well, I'm happy to say that it's getting much better. We just had to try something a little new. He hated being placed on his stomach on a blanket because he couldn't see anything (even with a bolster), so now I place him on my legs while I'm laying down. He gets tummy time and I even get some exercise. He can see all around him since he's up so high, so he'll stay on my legs MUCH longer than on a blanket. Look at how much he's stretching his neck in the first picture!

"Wow! There's stuff above me!"

"Mommy, you look kind of funny like that."

"Are we finished here?"

Raffie

This is Eli's newest stuffed animal. His name is Raffie (he's a giraffe, after all) and he was a gift from Jon and Debbie. They came by while Eli and I were at a baby shower last Friday night. I hate that we didn't get to see them, but as you can tell Eli really likes Raffie. (No, this is not a posed photograph either. Raffie was on the changing table with us and Eli put his arm around him....so so sweet.) Thanks, Mr. Jon and Ms. Debbie!

Tagged

Audra tagged me to do this survey, and since my little man is sleeping right now, I thought I'd go ahead and do it.

4 things I did yesterday:
1. Updated the blog
2. Dusted the house
3. Cooked supper
4. Played with Eli

4 things on my wish list:
1. A healthy little boy
2. Tour Europe
3. Go to Hawaii
4. That Eli would keep sleeping through the night...oh, how I wish this would come true :)

4 things I look forward to:
1. Watching Eli grow
2. Summer vacation as a family
3. More children
4. Many more years with my hubby

4 restaurants I like:
1. Olive Garden
2. Chipotle
3. Texas de Brazil
4. Chili's

4 favorite TV shows:
1. Lost
2. Heroes
3. House
4. The Office

4 Tags:
Cheryl
Mary/Jordan
Jamie
Danielle

Newborn Pictures

This is just a sampling of the pictures Jami took of Eli when he was 2 weeks old.