September 25 & September 26

Hey Monkey!
As I type this, I am drained.  Exhausted.  Tired.  You are taking it out of me, man.  I don't know what is happening but your night time sleep is just not working for us.  You are happy and playful during the day but then, when it is time to go to sleep, you are a fussy pants.  On Friday, we thought it was just because you were overtired because of the football game.  Then, on Saturday, you were screaming in pain twice and you ended up sleeping with me.  On Sunday, it was the same thing.  I don't know if it is teething, food issues, allergy issues, or you have just learned that when you scream hysterically you get to sleep with us.  In any event, it makes for difficult sleep when there is always an Elijah kicking you, taking up the bed or grabbing my hair in an effort to get 1/2 centimeter closer to me.  I hope this works itself back out now that it is Monday & you will be back in Mary's routine.

On Saturday, our family photo shoot was canceled due to rain so we just ran errands.  After nappy time, we went to watch the Huskers play football at the Beaty's house.  You played with Debbie, Morgan and the puppies until you were exhausted!

On Sunday, we hung out in the morning as your daddy was at the Chiefs game.  Gramma Debbie came over to babysit you while I went to Uncle Tyler's graduation ceremony.  Even though you were not there, he did not forget about you - he had a call out to "Baby Eli and Baby Jake."  Afterwards, we went to Great Gramma's for our photo shoot and Gramma Debbie acted as an assistant.  You did a great job for the photos - didn't even pull your hat off.  When I wheeled you around in the wagon, you thought that was pretty darn cool  :)  Then, it was evening, fussy time and trying to get you to sleep time.

Thank you, buddy, for posing so well for the photos.  We really did get some good ones today.  I thought you were free of the camera until Halloween then I remembered that we were doing Brigham family photos next weekend!

September 23 & 24

Hi Lijah! Actually, I should say "Hi Squid".  That is what your dad calls you  :)


Not much to share on Thursday buddy - Mary's, visit at Great Gramma's, home, mommy at book club, you asleep.


On Friday, we have more to discuss  :)  Omg - you are such a twerp kid. This morning you were all fussy and it was a morning where I felt guilty being a mom that sends her kid to daycare. See, if you were a stay at home kid, I thought you would have taken a nappy and been happy again. But, I quickly learned that you weren't fussy. You were just in a big hurry to go to Mary's. Each time your dad would come in the room, you would look up excited and then get fussy when he left again. As soon as I said "Are you ready to go bye-bye?", you were all smiles!! You just didn't want to hang out with your mommy anymore. Dad said you weren't fussy at all and you were near giddy when you walked up the stairs to Mary's.  Twerp. Traitor.


We went to the Omaha Nighthawks game tonight.  It was the first one ever and it was at Rosenblatt. You went with daddy early then I met you later.  You also saw your first concert - Nelly.  You slept through most of it  :)  You were a good boy all night but you were a tired puppy.  We got lots of photos.

Your favorite food - french fry.  You are like "Look at me, I am a cool kid."

You like to suck them like spaghetti.

Playing with Morgan and Debbie at the game.

"Gaga Baba" Oops, I mean "Go Nighthawks"

Look at Silly Debbie playing with you.

Silly Elijah!

I am going to go deep on you for a minute. I had a big realization today and I think it is important to share it with you. A few years ago, I went to therapy to do some work on myself to get me to a place where I was happier. I don't know if I achieved that goal but I did learn a lot about myself. One thing I learned is that I didn't think too highly of myself. This was pretty shocking for me to learn because I always felt like I had a very healthy ego - bordering on plain being conceited.  She had me do an exercise where I had to tell myself something nice about myself everyday. It was amazing to me because each time I said something nice to myself, a little voice immediately followed with a negative thought. For example, I would say "You have a beautiful smile." That little voice would say "yeah, when it isn't buried in fat from being overweight." Each thing I said was constantly negated and I was shocked.  So, this morning, I was driving and listening to one of my favorite songs, "I am" by Train. The thought popped in my head "I am ... A good mom." You know what buddy? There was no negtive voice that contradicted it. From the core fiber of my being, I know and believe that I am a good mom to you. I am sure that every person who knows me and you probably has an opinion on what kind of mom I am. But, I really don't care - I know that I am a great mom to you and that is all that matters. I am so grateful that you bring this out in me and I am also so grateful that if there is only one thing that I can compliment myself on, it is being a good mom to you!!

September 22

Hi there buddy!
I feel like it was a really momentous day today - despite our activities being rather mundane. When I picked you up from Mary's, she said you pulled yourself to your knees with a toy. Man, I sure was nervous thinking that you are going to be pulling yourself up & walking soon. We came home and you took a nappy. We had dinner - you had Spaghetti Os and some fruit.

After dinner, I looked around the kitchen and living room to see if I could put you down on the floor. After deciding there was nothing hazardous to your health or digestive system, I set you down. I blocked off the stairs and closed all the doors down the hall. You were so excited because this was the first time you have ever been put down upstairs. You have been in your room and you have been downstairs but we don't spend much time upstairs. You just thought you were all that and a bag of chips doing laps from the kitchen to the living room. You may not be crawling but you do a great job with the scooting. It was so weird to see you scooting up towards me while I was putting away dishes. Overall, it just felt like a big boy moment.

After we wore you out on the floor, it was time for a bath. I was sitting there watching you and you were wanting to pull yourself up but just didn't get there. All of a sudden, you did it. I yelled at your daddy to come see. You were standing upright!! What was even more amazing was that the floor of your duck tub is so unstable and you were able to keep your balance. What I am about to show you could be considered distasteful but I am sure that your girlfriends will love it :) Definitely another big boy moment. I can't even believe how you are growing so fast, buddy!

September 21

Hi Baby!
Well, you were a fussy pants today. Apparently, your dad gave you bean soup last night and it ruined your day. Your tummy was upset, you were pooing up a storm and just squirmy. Even Grampa & Heather said you were a fussy pants.

When we got home, we fed you then we went and ran to Old Navy. We had to get a new family outfit for our photos on Saturday. We are going to do your 9 month photos and Brigham family photos. You were good in the car & good at Old Navy. We had fun trying on new hats. At first, you liked them. Then, you got tired of being a model. We did buy one for your photo shoot & I can't wait. Oh, wait, we bought it because you need a winter hat. haha.

Here are some photos from our hat fun.

September 18 - 20th

Hi Elijah!
Man, did we ever have a busy weekend and boy, I sure was proud of you. You did so good with all sorts of new people and new adventures. You were even short on sleep and were a good boy.

On Saturday, your daddy woke up to a surprise! Your butt was nekked in your bed! You ripped off your diaper. There was a small mess in there but, luckily, you were not all dirty! After that discovery, you went with daddy to the allergist and he got his shots. Then, we did a bunch of cooking while you sat in your highchair or exersaucer. You were so content for such a long time that I was kind of surprised. We were heading to our first Husker party and you were all dolled up in your Husker gear. We stopped at Uncle Zachary's so he could take a few photos of us. Then, off to our party. You let so many people hold you and play with you. I was so impressed. You were going through a phase where you didn't like strangers much and I think you have outgrown it again. You played, scooted around and even did a party trick. We put you on the ground and you got yourself into a pushup or plank position and you just held it. Your abs, arms and legs must be so strong because it was a true ab bridge. After awhile (like 2 minutes), you got tired and starting fussing because you didn't know how to get out of that position. You were a great little sport and you met lots of new people. You also got to see our friends Sandy & John again. Sandy loved you up & she bought you your first Mickey Mouse! You will have to get to know him before we see him in December.

On Sunday, you & daddy went to check people in at the Corporate Cup run. Then, we went to visit the Lindbergs. You played so well with the girls. I was worried you might try to eat Vivianne but you and her just played together. I was so proud of you again. Afterwards, we got to see Great Gramma and Auntie Val for a couple of hours before you were just exhausted tired. While we were there, Baby Jake came over and you did try to eat him. I can't figure out why you played so well with Vivianne but not Baby Jake. The two theories were that you knew she was a girl so you were nicer or you are trying to establish dominance :) You ended up sleeping with us because you woke up all upset. You see, your mom is kind of lazy. Instead of taking the time to get you back to sleep, I just throw you in bed with us. So far, you haven't made a bad habit of it but I will have to be careful :)

Not much new on Monday buddy. Mary's, nap, eat, bath, play, sleep!

I will leave you with your scrapbook pages from this weekend with all your Husker photos!

September 14 - September 17

Hi Elijah!
I don't have a lot to share with you for this week. We worked, went to Mary's hung out and slept. That is about it. No visits with Grampa Keith or Great Gramma. On Friday, you did hang out with the Beaty's and they said you were the most fun ever. Now that you are getting older, you are more animated & such a scooter :)

Few developmental items to discuss with you Mister. You are getting to be a little speed demon with your scooting. We have to watch you every second - especially on the bed. You get your knees under you, you push your butt up but no actual crawling yet. I don't know that you need to crawl because you can scoot so quick.

You are now a master waving machine - when you want to. You are so darn stubborn. You know that we want you to wave to us in the mornings and you look at us, grin and put your hand in your mouth. You just know that it is expected of you & so you are not going to give in.

Finally, there is the mama thing. All 3 of us know that you are perfectly capable of saying mamamama. But, just like waving, you know that we want you to say it so you are withholding. Your dad says you are the master manipulator. On Thursday, we went to Sams and when we were driving in the car, I said "Yeah, his first words will be 'I love you Mary'." All of a sudden you started saying "mamamama". Then, you realized that you had let it slip that you knew how and stopped with a devious grin. Mary said that you said it twice on Friday. The devious grin is cute though :) And, watching your dad talk about how you are a master manipulator at 8 months is pretty funny too.

Well, we have another busy weekend buddy! On Saturday, we have a Husker Party with our friends. On Sunday, we are going to visit the Lindbergs so you can see your future wife (whichever one you choose) and then Auntie Val is in town for you to visit on Sunday night. Better rest up!

Mommy & Daddy's January - July Photobook

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September 11 - September 13

Hey babycakes!
We had a busy weekend didn't we? Not only were we busy, you had a picture for each day on this post!

Saturday
You went to see your cousins, Andrew & Tyler, bowling. You & Dad hung out with your Aunt Laura and ate french fries! It was nappy time when you got home. Then, we dressed you in your Nebraska attire. You were with daddy all evening too as I took a photography class & went to dinner with our friend Cindy. Daddy took you to see Cindy & Jay. I was bummed that I didn't get to see you for so many hours but you know what? You woke up right before I came home so I got to say good night to you after all!



Sunday
We went to the gym and you hung out with your Uncles for over an hour. Sounded like everything went good. I hope that you can spend more time with them as you get older. Afterwards, we hung out, nappy time, dinner time then we went to CocoKey for an hour. You loved the kiddie pool and splashing. We did the lazy river but you didn't love that as much this time - you didn't like floating in your life jacket. Maybe you had flashbacks of Missouri :) I put you in between my feet and you floated like that & enjoyed that. I took you on one of the small slides. I don't think you liked it or disliked it - just indifferent. It was a nice hour to spend with you. When we got home, you were just about to go to bed and I saw Auntie Val was online. We called her on the computer but you cried again. I don't think you like computer chats buddy!

This is a picture your Uncle Zachary took. He said you are going to be a bargain shopper. I think you just like the sound of the paper and eating it :)



Monday
Back to Mary's and your routine. Your daddy wanted you in your Chiefs jersey because it was game day. When you got home from Mary's, we also put on one of your new Chiefs diapers. Daddy is going back to school so he needed some quiet time. Me & you went to Shopko and HyVee shopping. I put you in the big boy cart. I think you liked it - you were playing with the steering wheels and then you even maneuvered so you were standing up and driving the car. It was kind of funny!



That's about it buddy! Just our normal routine coming up - work and Mary's!

Sept 8 - Sept 10

Hi Elijah!
Well, I don't think I have a ton to share with you. We have been hanging out and now it is time for another weekend. Unfortunately, no more holidays until November!

We did two big things this week as far as vacation planning. We canceled our Chicago trip. Just wasn't good timing and we weren't ready to have that many expenses. I also changed our Florida trip. We are no longer flying into Tampa but into Orlando. Because we are going into Orlando, we are going to spend one day there and go to Disney World. They have a special Christmas party there and we are so excited to do that. Neither of us have ever been there. Your daddy is so excited to take you to WDW!!

Wednesday -
We went out to dinner after Mary's at our favorite Mexican restaurant. You did so good. No fussing! You ate some chips & queso and some refried beans. Then, we went to Husker hounds to get you all geared up for our Husker party next weekend. We each got a new shirt. Finally, it was time to run an errand at Target. We wore you out and you slept on the way home. When we got home, we put you in some jammies I found in your drawer. It was your first time in 2 piece jammies - such a big boy. Even daddy looked emotional at how big you are!

Thursday -
We all just hung out together tonight. Daddy said that you and him needed to watch to see how his fantasy football player performed. I don't think you cared much but we all watched the game! Daddy brought your bouncey chair back in and you missed it! You were in there for a LONG time!

Friday -
Back to the allergist & daddy said you were a good boy! He said that you were putting your nose in the right position without them doing it for you - like you remembered from last time. No fussing or crying.

You had your weekly visit with Great Gramma and you were a little fussy when I got there. She felt bad for your cold toesies so she bought you some socks :) Afterwards, we had a date since daddy had bowling. We went shopping at Shadow Lake. I put you in your carrier and we walked around together. Afterwards, we had dinner at Wheatfields. You could barely eat the mashed potatoes because you were too busy flirting with a little girl at the table across from us. But, you were a good baby all night.

I will leave you with some scrapbook pages. I am almost caught up again but I am behind in reading :)

Our family photos in Missouri. Yours has different writing on it.


You and your ladies :)


Gramma Debi D's going away party - yours has different writing on it though


I had a hard time with these photos because I liked them so much!


Your First Boat ride photos!


You & Jake

September 6 & 7th

Hi Elijah!
Your first Labor Day. It was probably like any other weekend day for you but man, mommy & daddy sure enjoy the extra day off work. I guess we didn't do anything too spectacular - daddy was still catching up on laundry & I was doing dishes. We ran errands - Sams & Walmart. I put you in your sling carrier at Sams facing out and you loved it. I think you loved seeing everyone and being able to wave your arms & move your legs. You were cracking me up! It almost reminded me of being pregnant - you were shaking up my body with your little legs going crazy. We went over Great Gramma's for a BBQ where you saw almost all of your Lang family. You played in the bouncey bounce for an HOUR without even getting fussy. You missed it for over a week since we left it over Gramma Lang's. You even ate green beans and cheese potatoes while bouncing. After your bounce time, you had some of Great Gramma's Jello Cake - YUMMY. Mommy is dieting so I didn't get to eat but a bite of yours. However, you seemed to love it. You were covered with red jello cake and white whipped topping. Welcome to one of Mommy's favorite desserts young man!

You sure are in a good mood but you aren't feeling good. I think it is still your allergies and I wonder if you have another tooth coming in as you seem to feel a bit better after I rub some orajel inside there. Due to constant threats of people calling Child Protective Services on me, we no loner reach for the Jackie Daniels. :)

Something new to tell you is that we are trying to lay you on the floor to play more. We typically rotate you between your bouncer, walker and the recliner with us. But, you don't really want to hang out with us much anymore so now, you are spending more time on the floor with your toys. Well, I should clarify that I put your toys out for you but your favorite playthings are pieces of paper, shoes and hangers. :) Once you are done playing, you get fussy and then scoot over to the recliners to be picked up. You are quite efficient at scooting but still don't want to crawl.

Tuesday
Today wasn't too much of a stellar day for me & you, huh? Mommy just didn't have too much patience and you just didn't want to do your normal activities. You came home after your visit with Grampa Keith and we had Chef Boyardee for your dinner. You ate about 1/4 of a can. Daddy thought that you would like them so we decided to get some at Sams with the caveat that he would eat them if you didn't! Mommy really doesn't like Chef Boyardee or the smell of the sauce even. Afterwards, you walked in your walker for about 10 minutes, played on the floor for about 15 minutes then, you were fussy pants. Daddy wasn't home so it was just me and you. I think you sensed my weakness and decided to exploit it :) You were up until 9:00 and just couldn't get settled in anything. Finally, you ate some bottle and you went to sleep with no fussiness.

We are going to have to go get you some clothes buddy. It is getting cold out and when we did our shopping last time, I did 18 months thinking it would be warmer longer. Now, it is colder and your clothes are all too big or too chilly. Going to need to clean out the dresser and get you some new clothes. Well, new to you anyway :)


I will leave you with some scrapbook pages. As you may have been able to tell during your first 8 months, I go through cycles where there are a LOT of pages then cycles where there are NO pages. During those times, I am typically reading :)

September 4 & 5

Hi Monkey!
It is a holiday weekend and we are so excited to have Monday off! But, it has been a big weekend - the first Husker game of the season, Gramma Debi D leaving town to move to Florida and tomorrow we have a BBQ to go to. Yesterday, I left you with daddy most of the day and I hung out with our friend Debbie. We got the results of your Xray and you still have a sinus infection so they called in more drugs for you. I hate that you are on so many drugs so early in your little life! When I got home, we went over to Gramma Debi D's to say goodbye. We are going to see her again in December but it was sad to know that she isn't just a phone call away to visit you. While we were there, Gramma Debbie and Donnie came to say their goodbyes so you got to see them too. When we got home, it was time for the Nebraska game. I can't say that you cared one way or the other about the game!

On Sunday, we hung out at the house most of the day. We ended up going out to dinner at Wheatfields. You were such a good baby. You sat in the chair, ate good and flirted with all the customers. No fussiness. No loud noises. Thanks baby! When we got home, it was time for a bottle and to bed. I was holding you while you were sleeping and (I confess I am kind of a stalker) I was just looking at you and I am still amazed that I am a mommy. I know it has been 8 months but I am still amazed you are here.

I will leave you with two examples of why I will not win mother of the year for 2010....
1) You were in Chiefs attire during the Nebraska game
2) I opened the windows in the house because the temperature dropped and it was so nice out. Well, mommy forgot that you have allergies and the windows being open would make it super worse. It was your daddy who said "It is time to close the windows. Elijah and I are near death." Sorry baby. I don't have allergies so I forget about you & your dad.

Also leaving you with some scrapbook pages...

Our road trip photos with your Cheetohs experiment.


Your Missouri pool photos.


Our Chiefs photos


Baby Jake's baptism


Our day with the Brigham's in Missouri

September 3

Hi Elijah!
I have another story for you today that proves I am officially a mommy! I even posted it as my facebook status - "I know I am a mom when the boy sticks his foot in my delish bowl of food and I am more worried about it hurting his foot than the foot juice in my food. :)" Yes, you literally plopped your foot in my bowl of chicken parmesean!

Let's see, what did we do today? Daycare, doctor appointment for an xray, visit with Great Gramma & Cindy White, visit with Gramma Debbie, home, foot in food, bed. :) You were scooting all over Great Gramma's living room! It looks like you are pulling yourself with your hands and pushing yourself with your toes dug into the carpet. At Gramma Debbie's I showed her how you ham it up for a camera. I held up my iPhone to you & you instantly stopped whining and smiled for the camera. You are so darn funny.

Yesterday was quite exciting - I finished your 6 month scrapbook and ordered it to be print. I can't wait to see it!! I would like to take less pictures so you don't end up with 2 books per year for your first 18 years but I can't help myself. I am telling myself that the first year is the worst then we will get tired of taking so many pictures :)

Anyway, not much else to share with you buddy. You are peacefully sleeping and it is 10:00 on a Friday night and I am about to join you!! Your mom is old and tired :)

September 2, 2010

Hi Buddy,
Another day with nothing exciting to share with you. Awake, daycare, home, eat, change your diapers, sleep. You are continuing to wave at me, Mary and now even Stan the Man (our neighbor). I took you to daycare today & I did notice that you are not into waving when your friends are around, you just want to play with them rather than say goodbye to me. So, your dad will have to take it a bit less personally from now on.

I wanted to share something with you today. I share this not to make you feel bad about being here but because it was kind of eye opening for me. Your dad and I bought concert tickets to a band we both enjoy. In fact, we have seen them before and it was one of the best shows I have ever been to. I was so excited to go and your dad was looking forward to it as well. We look at the show and realizes that it starts at 8:00 with an opening act. The main group won’t start until 9. That means we won’t get done with the show until about 10:30 and with traffic, it could be 11:00 before we are out of the parking lot. We talked and we decided not to go. We were both not liking the fact that we would be taking you to a babysitter (Gramma Ruth’s) right at your bed time then picking you back up when you should be sound asleep. This is the first time we have truly been able not to do something for your benefit and I realized that I am truly and officially a mommy. You know what else I realized? It wasn’t that painful. I am disappointed but it is in your best interest and that is way more important to me than a concert. I feel so grown up at age 35 :)

Elijahs first year

Click here to view this photo book larger

Sept 1

Hi baby!
We had a big night tonight! We went out to dinner with Gramma Ruth then off to Rosenblatt to see a baseball game. It was really important because there is only one more game at Rosenblatt before it is retired as the local baseball stadium. Through our years in Omaha, your mom and dad have gone to a lot of baseball games there so it was important that we took you & took photos. You did so good! You were flirting with everyone around us. One guy next to Gramma even held you for awhile but you bouncey-bounced on his lap and wore him out. We were so proud of how well behaved you were!

Just a couple of snapshots from tonight. This may be my favorite new photo of you and your daddy. You are both looking at the camera and smiling. He is such a proud papa. He loves you so much!


Super cute photo of you! Too bad you have refried beans on your nose. That will so be photoshopped prior to going in the scrapbook :)