November 23 - November 25

Hi Elijah!
Well, your first Thanksgiving has come and gone.  Now, they are all the same from here on out  :)  Let's see what we have been up to lately...

Tuesday - It was your normal visit over to Grampa's house and they think you said "Eli." They were talking to you and called you Eli and they think you said it back.  It wouldn't surprise me because you are really trying to mimic sounds.  We had dinner together & we had Stroganoff.  I gave up on trying to feed you with the spoon and just let you go for it with your hands.  It was so messy but you seemed to eat more and you enjoyed it.  You thought it was pretty darn cool - up until I had to clean your face off!  Then, it wasn't much fun anymore, was it?  You even had a piece of beef hanging from your eyelid you silly duck! Afterwards, we went to Target to get groceries for Thanksgiving.  I got a Starbucks hot cocoa and your daddy got a coffee.  While we were at the counter, you were so excited because you were thinking it was frappucino.  Not even 11 months and already addicted to the Starbucks.  :)

Wednesday - Mary said you were a crabby pants all day!  We are guessing it was your teeth because that little hole in gum was gone again.  Your poor gums are so swollen and white but those stinking teeth just won't come out.  We went to Taco Bell after Mary's because mommy was HUNGRY!  You got some cinnamon crispas and refried beans.   You loved your crispas with your chocolate soy milk!  After your nap, we gave you the beans and it was just as messy as the stroganoff on Tuesday.  But, it was just easier to do a bath tonight :)  You kept me and your daddy on our toes because you would not go to sleep.  We were dying tired and you were up until 10:00 pm playing.  All of a sudden, you were so tired that you just laid down on your mat and passed out!  We were so relieved that we could finally go to bed.  That is what happens when your parents are so old - they want to sleep more than you do!

Thursday -  it was your first Thanksgiving!  You and daddy played together until I got up at 9.  Daddy said you were good all day then I came down and you started whining "Mamamama."  My theory was that you just associated those words with whining.  But, your dad's theory is that you know it is me.  Last night when I was getting tired and whiney, I tried to convince your dad that you were really saying "Mark."  That didn't work so well.  We watched the Macy's day parade, it was nappy time then it was time to go over Gramma Brigham's.  Gramma Debbie and Donnie joined us for dinner too.  You played with your cousins and then it was time to eat.  My goodness, son, you ate a TON.  You cleaned your plate.  I didn't even bother with the spoon - it is just easier to let you go nuts.  You were entertaining everyone at the table and enjoying yourself.  After Gramma Ruth's house, we went to visit Gramma Lang to wish her a Happy Thanksgiving.  When we got home, daddy & I were exhausted but you took a cat nap then were up until like 9:30 again.  I am in need of a bit more sleep buddy so we are going to need to work this schedule out.

Friday - as of now, you are taking a nap!  We are hanging out together today because Mary is off work.  We are trapped like rats without a car - the battery is dead.  So, we will have to entertain each other.  I have to get sappy on you.  We were watching Oprah today & Garth Brooks was on.  You were getting fussy so I picked you up at the end.  We swayed together while I sang along to "The Dance."  The song makes me sad because your Grampa Larry really liked it. But, today, it kind of held a bit of a different meaning to me.  The song is basically about how painful a relationship was but how he wouldn't change it because they had a perfect dance together - that magical dance was worth the hurt in the long run.  Here I was snuggling with my son and singing to you.  You were so entranced - I am sure it was by Garth's voice but I would like to think it was because of me singing to you.  I realized that YOU are my "dance" and that all of the pain that we went through leading up to you was worth it to have you now.  I am not sure that your dad & I would be the parents that we are if it weren't for everything we went through to get here.  Yes, I do wish things would have gone differently for us but I guess I think the experiences were necessary for us to be in the position to have you.  So, I was happy-sad today and smooched you lots  :)

November 23

Hi buddy!
Man, your daddy and I had a really rough day today.  Probably our roughest in quite awhile.  I have to be honest that we have had a rough 5 years or so.  We have lost a lot of people, lost two babies, lost our first puppy and, in some cases, lost our faith in people.  Then, you came along out of the blue and made things right again.  Since you have been here, I can't really recall a time where we were sad - until today.  We had to take our kitties to the vet and it was their final vet appointment.  They are up in heaven torturing our first puppy - Lexie.  It was the right decision but it doesn't make it any easier to deal with.  I figure that it might be a good idea to tell you about the girls because I really doubt that we will own any future cats.

When your dad and I moved in together (yes, in sin, before we were married), we went to the Humane Society to get a kitten.  They had two sisters in there and we took them both.  Hoobie whined for weeks (ok, who am I kidding - for 14 years!).  They were both of our first pets as adults.

Hollie was our best animal - she never complained, she was independent and would come around for attention every once and while.  She looked after Hoobie - she let Hoobie pretend that she was her mom.  She got sick about a year ago with allergies and it slowly progressed.  About a month ago, she had to have surgery on her year.  This weekend, she damaged her good ear in the same manner.  She just looked miserable and her allergies were getting worse.

Hoobie was .... Hoobie.  She was loud.  She was whiney.  She was needy.  She tortured the dogs and it was fun to watch her beat them up.  In the past few years, Hoobie and I became friends.  She would eat lunch with me.  She would sit in my office while I worked.  She mellowed out a bit.  But, she had a lot of behavioral problems.  When you came along, I wasn't sure how she would act.  Man, you loved her.  Out of all of our animals, she was your favorite.  You would walk in the house and you would immediately start looking for her.  She would come rushing down to see you too.  You would squeal in delight each time you saw her.  Your love for her made today that much harder, buddy.  She even let you pet her - I was shocked.  We knew that Hoobie would never make it without Hollie.  The day that Hollie was at the vet getting her ear fixed, Hoobie cried all day.  We also knew that her behavioral problems would never, ever go away.  We had agreed that if something ever happened to Hollie, Hoobie would need to go with her.  I had a hard time with that decision.  Logically, I knew it was the right thing to do but emotionally, it was hard because she wasn't truly sick.

I really hope that you never, ever have to go through what we did today buddy.  From making the appointment on the phone to knowing why you are putting them in the kennel to driving to the vet - it was all torture.  I want you to love animals without the heartbreak that can go along with them.  But, I suppose everyone has to experience this somewhere along the way as they grow up.  I just hope we can shield you from the worst of it.

I will leave you with some photos of the girls and even one of Lexie - who you never met.  RIP Hoobie & Hollie!

Little Lexie - one of my favorite photos of her ever.  This was taken at your Grampa Keith's house - mommy and daddy lived there before he did.

Hoobie and Hollie this past November enjoying an unusually warm winter day.

 Hollie always used to eat your dad's hair.  It grossed me out  :)  That was your daddy when he was young - and had glasses.

On of my favorite photos of Hoobie - I opened the cabinet door and there she was.

The girls always snuggled up together.

One of my favorite photos of Hollie.  She looks so ferocious but she never was!

November 19 - November 21

Hi Elijah!
It sure seems like you aged a lot this past week.  Lots of new developmental things going on - you are crawling more now, you are "talking" more and you know how to make fishy lips.  You have been making noises for awhile now with all the syllables.  However, now you are actually stringing together gibberish into sentences.  When I repeat it back to you, you laugh like "What the heck are you talking about mommy?"  Yeah, exactly.  You say mama and dada a lot now.  When you are whining or crying, mama seems to be the most common.  I still don't think you know what you are saying but it is kind of fun to hear it  :)

The fishy lips crack me up.  You started doing it a few days ago and it is so darn cute.  It is a cross between puckering your lips and a true fishy lip.  But, what amazes me the most, is that you actually now correlate the face to the words "fishy lips."  After just a few days of me telling you that you were making fishy lips, you can now do it on demand.  TOO CUTE!

We have to make a change at night time.  You are going to have to wear disposable diapers at night.  We had our system figured out - 2 liners - and it worked for a long time.  Now, no matter what style of diaper I put you in, you are waking up wet and I think it is hurting your bum.  So, we are going to try disposables to see if that will help your bum.  Yes, I know, that is SO anti-green.  But, I did order the Seventh Generation brand so that you at least won't have a bum full of chemicals  :)

Let's see - what have we been up to these past few days?
Friday - we hung out together.  We napped, we did a fun Christmas project, we met Daddy for lunch at Hy-Vee (wow - you sure packed in the food at the buffet, buddy!), we napped again then it was time to go see Great Gramma.  While we were there, we ran into Baby Jake!  You guys played together a bit and it was time to come home and see your daddy.  We all had dinner together, played and then bed time.  With your daddy's arm being so sore, he has to get down on the ground to interact with you.  You can't stay in the recliner and bond together.  It has been so much fun watching you two be silly, giggle, and play catch.  Daddy's arm may be in pain but it has had a positive unintended consequence - you guys playing together.

Saturday - I had to work so it was all about you & your daddy hanging out.  When I got done, Gramma Debbie came over to visit you.  She had all sorts of clothes for you and even some food for all of us to share.  We took a nap and hung out and I crashed back to bed before you & dad - I couldn't even finish watching the Husker game.  You & dad had a rough night.  You ended up sleeping in the playpen downstairs.

Sunday - we hung out all day together.  We had breakfast, we played.  At noon, I took you to get your Christmas pictures taken and we ended up at Uncle Zachary's house.  We did all sorts of photos for you - Christmas, first birthday invite, more Christmas props!  You did a great job but you were getting tired and hungry towards the end.  It was nap time for us then we hung out some more at night.  While we were playing at the end of the night, I noticed that you had a hole in your gum.  Your tooth finally made a little puncture in your gum.  A few more days and we will probably be able to see it!

Only 3 workdays this week and then we have your very first Thanksgiving!  Then, another 3 days of us hanging out together.  Next thing you know, it will be Christmas and your birthday!!

November 17 & November 18

Hi there Buddy!
It has been a long time but man, it is time to go sappy on you for a bit.  First of all, I have to tell you that in my mind, you were born like 2 days ago.  Like 48 hours ago, we went into the OR as a scared couple and came out 30 minutes later as a mommy & daddy with a baby boy named Elijah.  I know that is silly talk because we are near 11 months later but I want to tell you how you are still a little infant in my mind.

So, now that you know how my mind works, you can imagine my surprise when I looked over at dinner and I saw this big boy sitting next to me.  Out of no where, there was this little guy sitting on a booster seat stuffing grilled cheese sandwiches into his mouth.  This little guy was pretty cute - he had two teeth and light brown hair and a smile that lights up a room.  He was drinking water out of a big boy cup with a straw and his lips were so darn cute puckered on that straw.  The water would fill his mouth and he would gasp in surprise then giggle at my husband.  My husband lit up at this little guy - like there was no where else he would rather be or no one else he would rather be looking at.  Who is this big boy?  Where did he come from?  I know he can't be my son because my son is just a little newborn that I swaddle at night to put to sleep, right?  My son is not old enough to be sitting in a booster seat.  He is not old enough to be shoveling grilled cheese in his mouth.  My son is not old enough to use a straw or have two teeth.

Then, the strangest thing happened.  I looked down at my shopping cart at Bakers today and that big boy was in my cart.  I had a Starbucks Frappucino in my hand and that big boy kept reaching down and drinking it out of the straw.  I think that boy drank about 1/3 of my treat.  I don't know where this big boy came from but I think I will keep him anyway  :)

When you were born, so many people told me to cherish every minute because it goes by so quickly.  I always said "I am" or "I do".  But, looking back over the last 11 months, I don't know if I did because I can't believe it happened so quickly that you are now a big boy.  We have so many intimate moments everyday that are not something that I can take a photo of or something that I can type out everyday - but, those are the precise moments that I never want to forget because they are the best moments to remember when you are in college and done with me  :)  So, here are a few snippets of things I don't want to forget....
1) After you drink a bottle and you are getting ready to go to sleep, you roll over smack your lips, crinkle your eyes and pretend to go to sleep.  Sometimes you do fall asleep and sometimes you are faking it but man, that moment is so darn cute.  I recently started laughing at you and saying "FAKER".  Now, you giggle at me when I say that.
2) You crawl around on the floor and stop, turn and look at me and smile.  It is like you are saying "Hi mommy, I am still here and want to make sure you are too."
3) In your playpen, you poke your head up over the rail and laugh like you just found me!
4) Walking up to Mary's house in the morning and you squealing in delight at being able to see your friends.
5) When you lay your head down on my chest or shoulder to cuddle up.  I don't know how long you will want to cuddle with your mommy.
6) When I walk in your room in the morning and I say "Good morning sunshine" and you smile so big that you really are like a ray of sunshine.
7) How you entertain people - you are so aware of people, if they are looking at you and thinking of ways to make them smile.  You live to smile and make people smile.  But, it breaks my heart when I am watching you watch someone but they don't see you.
8) When we go to Great Gramma's on Friday and we pop around the corner.  Gramma sneaks up and says Hi to you.  Your face lights up and her face lights up.  I can barely get you out of my arms fast enough to go to her.
9) When you learn something new, it is like you are a child genius.  You are so excited and so proud that it makes my heart burst.  Little things - clucking your tongue, clapping, standing, making fish lips, etc.  You revel in each new thing that you learn.
10)  Your giggles.  They are over the silliest things but man, there is no sound that is of greater joy to me and your dad!

OK, enough of that mushy stuff, monkey!  What have you been up to?  Well, a lot of playing, eating, baths and having fun.  Grampa Keith picked you up on Wednesday for me and you were conked out on the recliner when I got you.  We had dinner, we played, and you conked out again.  On Thursday, we ran errands, ate dinner, played, bed time.  We are in a routine and it is pretty mundane but it is a good routine.

Tomorrow, I am off work and we are going to hang out together.  I have a couple of fun plans for us so I hope you cooperate and are in a good mood  :)

November 13 - November 16

Hi buddy!

I have to tell you that the last few days have been pretty much heaven with your sleeping.  You are back to normal which means I am back to normal!  If you are waking up, I am not hearing it but we are both sleeping.  Daddy has his own issues with sleep due to his surgery so we can’t say the whole house is sleeping well.  It has been kind of interesting – the past 2 nights, you have been in the recliner with me and I can tell you are winding down.  You snuggle up with me and I rub your head or your ears and you are just content.  When I put you in your bed, you are still awake but you don’t scream at me – you just smile, take your pacifier and go to sleep.  That is a great situation all around – cuddling, no screaming and sleeping all night.  This morning, I didn’t hear you making noise but it was time to get up to go to Mary’s.  I went in your room and I rested my chin on your crib rail.  You stretched, looked up at me, smiled and woke up for the day.  I can’t think of a better way to start my day – a smile from you & you in a great mood.

 

Let’s see what we have been up to since I talked to you last…

 

Saturday – I had to work and daddy was still recovering so you hung out with Auntie Sheila and Uncle Jeff all day!  She picked you up at 10:30 and I didn’t see you again until almost 7.  They said you were good all day.  When I got there, Baby Jake was there too!  Couple more sessions of you guys hanging out and you will have mastered this playing together thing.  He is starting to defend himself a bit more and you are being a little gentler.  You both look at each other and smile and talk to each other.  It is fun to watch.  I was so grateful that your Auntie & Uncle took you for so long.

 

Sunday – I wasn’t feeling good so I skipped the play.  Gramma Ruth  & Andrew came over to pick up daddy then you & I hung out together.  We have set up your play pen downstairs with all your toys.  It gives us a tiny break from chasing you.  It is funny looking at the basement and seeing all the road blocks we have put up to keep you from going anywhere – clothes baskets, trash cans on their sides, love sac.  You are effectively learning to climb over EVERYTHING and you think it is so fun to be chased!

 

Monday – You were a little hostile when I picked you up today.  You did not want to leave all those cool toys at Mary’s.  When I took you off the floor,  you were whining at me, arching your back and showing your temper.  Mary commented again on how you have a temper.  Yep, you do flare up when you don’t get your way.  Not going to go over so well when you are bigger.  I think you are also showing your temper when you bite.  Sometimes, when you don’t get your way, you will bite.  I am cutting you a bit of slack since you 1) are still a baby  2) are biting everything because I think your gums hurt.  However,  young man, throwing temper tantrums and biting are not going to be the norm around here.  You and daddy played on the floor tonight and you were just giggling up a storm.  It is so great to hear your daddy being silly & you giggling so hard over silly things.  Warms my heart.

 

Tuesday – you hurt yourself at Mary’s today.  Apparently, you now stand on everything and not all toys are meant to hold your weight.  You tipped and the toy nicked your chin.  Mary said you were a big boy and didn’t cry at all.  Probably just scared you a bit.  You hung out with Grampa Keith & Heather.  Heather said that you squealed when she picked you up.  It is so nice to hear that you look forward to spending time with them.  We were talking about the noises you make and we both agreed that you are trying to mimic sounds.  I have noticed that when I say “Elijah”, you try to do a 3 syllable word too with the same tones.  Heather said you did that today with “Thank You.”  You were a piggy at dinner – 3 fish sticks, a container of fruit and you shared a yogurt with me.  Then, you drank a full bottle plus 4 oz more before you went to bed.  Must be a growth spurt!

 

I have some bad news for you buddy.  We had to make the decision to cancel our Florida trip.  We have lots of reasons and it is the best decision but we are not happy about it.  No Mickey, no Minnie, no Gramma Debi D.  Maybe we can make some time in the spring to go visit now that we have extra air line tickets.  But, our Christmas party and December visit are canceled!

November 6 - November 12

Another week just flown by, buddy!  Got you all caught up and told myself I would post more frequently but then I look at the computer and it is a week later!  It has been a rough week though - we still didn't have a lot of luck in getting you back in your sleep routine.  You would go to bed with little fuss but then would wake up screaming in the middle of the night.  We really don't know if you are in pain with teething or growing or just plain trying to get into the habit of sleeping with us. Luckily, on Thursday night & Friday night, you did sleep all night and we were so relieved.  You did have Tylenol each night so maybe your gums are bothering you.  Whatever the case, thank goodness we got some sleep!

Overall, you are learning a lot lately.  You now will sit up on your own from scooting or standing.  You are pulling yourself up a lot more.  You will scoot along the furniture.  You love walking with people holding your hands. We think you also like music - you seem to be-bop with the tunes when we have them on.  You have also started taking an interest in (unfortunately) TV.  Since we have been so exhausted, I will confess that I have allowed you to watch Garfield so we can just relax a bit!  I think you are also trying to learn Itsy-Bitsy spider - you try to move your hands like I do.

Well, let's see what has been going on this last week.
Saturday - Auntie Becky & Uncle Steve came over for a date with you.  You loved going to the pet stores with them!  You visited Great Gramma Dorothy too.  Afterwards, we all watched the Nebraska game together.  You were so tired with activity and you didn't sleep enough during the day because you couldn't miss anything!  We went to Old Chicago for dinner and we tried a booster seat rather than a high chair.  That worked out much better - you didn't squirm around as much!

Sunday - Daddy watched football and tried not to scream so you wouldn't be scared  :)  We went over Auntie Sheila's & Uncle Jeff's for dinner and cards.  You got to see all of your cousins and even Baby Jake.  You did good with Jake - you didn't try to eat him but we have to work on your head butting.  I think you try to give love but don't realize how hard your head is!

Here are some photos from Brandi:

Monday - Our friend Kim came over to play with you and you were anti-social  :)  Afterwards, we went to Dairy Queen.  Dad and I agreed that you didn't need any sweets so that it wouldn't interfere with your sleep.  Dad let you suck on his straw of vanilla malt because you don't know how to use them.  Well, lo and behold, you now know how to suck on a straw - but only when you want to  :)  At first, you were kind of biting the straw to get the malt in your mouth.  Then, you learned how to suck and your cheeks were sucked in as far as possible to get some malt!

Tuesday - Grampa Keith & Heather time!  When we picked you up, you were standing in the doorway looking out.  It was so cute.  We went out to dinner and you were a crabby pants.  Daddy thought it was because no one in the restaurant was paying attention to you!  We got some dessert afterwards and you were happy as a clam with your bites of ice cream.  We took a picture of you to send to Auntie Kim - we had you in your Texans sweatshirt.

Wednesday - We went out to dinner (can you tell we haven't been doing a good job of eating at home?) and went to Malaras.  You loved the sketti!  You were good again at the restaurant and you fell asleep on the way home.  We thought that bode well for you to sleep all night - WRONG!

Thursday - What a weird day.  Daddy had surgery so you had to go to Mary's at 5:30.  You woke up at 3 and came into bed with me.  You went back to sleep but I was up since 3.  I took a shower at 5 and I blocked you in with pillows.  When I got out of the shower, you went right over the pillows and were playing with things on my night stand.  Luckily, you didn't go over the edge of the bed.  I thought you would sleep all day at Mary's since you were up so long but nope!  You barely took your normal naps.  Daddy's surgery went well and he was not in pain because he had a medicine block.  He was so excited to wake up and be able to continue being your daddy.  He was worried that there would be a problem and he would not wake up!

Friday - it was time to see Great Gramma!  We hadn't seen her in 2 whole weeks!  You played for 1/2 hour then you slept for 1/2 hour.  Gramma was amazed at how much you had changed and grown in 2 weeks.  Afterwards, it was time for your first trip to Walgreens.  Normally, you stay home or stay in the car with Daddy.  I had never taken you in!

Well buddy - long weekend ahead of us.  Daddy still recovering and mommy working.  You are going to hang out with Auntie Sheila tomorrow and maybe Grampa if I am still working on Sunday.  Also on Sunday, you will get to see your Mickelson cousins while Daddy, Gramma and maybe Mom go to a play!

November 2 - November 5

Hi Lijah!
You can tell we are lucky that you are just shy of a year old because Mommy is having a hard time keeping up with your blog.  I told myself that I would cut back when you were a year old.  Only a few more weeks :)

Tuesday - it was a rough day for me buddy.  I had election duty & I was gone from 7 am until 9:15 pm so I barely got to see you.  After you visited Grampa, Daddy brought you up to see me for a minute but I missed you!  You had a guys night - you and Daddy went to KFC for dinner together then hung out.

Wednesday - Grampa picked you up again today and you slept the whole time.  Darn flu shot on Monday made you sick.  You came home from Grampa's, slept for an hour or so then you were fine.  We played and then it was bed time again.  You woke up at 5:00 am and slept with me the rest of the morning.  Poor daddy went to get you in the morning and you were missing from your crib.

Thursday - You were pretty much back to yourself after the shots.  Thank goodness!  We don't like sick Elijah!  It was a sentimental day for me today.  When I picked you up, you guys were in the house and you were on the floor playing trucks with the boys.  It was the first time I picked you up and you were interacting on the floor with the big boys.  Where did my baby go?  We went out to dinner and you were a terror.  You were screaming, whining, loud, wouldn't eat, throwing your plate.... yep, we were that family.  At that minute, I really missed the little baby who slept in his car seat while we ate.  But, then you smile or laugh and I am glad you are a big boy now!  Can't win  :)

Friday - Big news today buddy!  Mary said you crawled in her basement.  Since she has carpet down there, you were able to get traction and crawl!  Once you were upstairs on the wood, you slip and slide and go back to your army crawl.  I don't expect to see you crawl at our house because we have all wood.  But, at least we know you can do it.  We didn't get to see Great Gramma today because she wasn't feeling good and didn't want to give you cooties.  You were way out of whack on your sleep - no morning nap, no evening nap, and then you took an hour nap at your regular bed time.  It was a rough night sleeping.  We threw you in bed with us - you punched me in the eyeball in the middle of the night, you head butted my cheekbone (to where I thought I would get a bruise) and you punched daddy in the eye.  Yes, we definitely prefer you to sleep in your own bed.  Especially when you go to sleep at midnight and wake up at 5:00 am.  I think it is your darn teeth because you are crying beyond whining - you seem like you are in pain.  I hope those darn things pop through soon.

Big weekend this weekend buddy!  Tomorrow, you have a date with Auntie Becky & Uncle Steve.  You are going to go shopping at all of the pet stores.  Daddy is doing his flying lesson from his birthday. Sunday, we are going to see Auntie Sheila and Uncle Jeff to play cards before Uncle Jeff leaves town.  Next week is also a big week.  Daddy is having surgery on Thursday.  He is going to be in a lot of pain afterwards so it will just be you & me for awhile.  I hope you will be extra good for me!

October 26 - November 1

Yes bucko, I have neglected your blog for one whole week.  But, it was truly a rough week!  You had your first true illness with a fever.  Man, that was miserable.  You were so sick and miserable and we felt really bad for you.  We don't know why it happened but you had a fever up to 103 at certain times and received doses of tylenol every 4 hours.  We even set the alarm to wake up to give it to you.

On Wednesday, Mary called and said you were sick and needed to come home.  Daddy left work early to come get you.  We cuddled with you all night while you slept.  Even though we hated you being sick, we both did having you cuddle with us a bit like when you were little.

ALERT ALERT - You are now a big boy!  10 months old!!

On Thursday, we kept you home and you were sick again but starting to get a bit better.  You were laughing a bit.  But, I knew you were sick because you were content just laying in bed and not playing.  We had a hot date with Gramma Debi D and I made the executive decision that you were feeling well enough to go visit her.  Gramma Debbie came over and helped us to get loaded in the car and get to the restaurant.  You got spoiled with more gifts from Gramma Debi D and Marianne - a Husker stocking cap and Husker shoes.  We got lucky because you slept all night and when you woke up, you were feeling better.

On Friday, it was your Halloween party at daycare.  Mary said you were still fussy but I would guess being around the kiddos helped you feel a bit better.  I am still waiting to see a photo of you and all your friends dressed up!  Afterwards, you went over Great Gramma's and played with her.  We went out to dinner and to Target then you were ready to crash!!

On Saturday, we had a big day!  I got my haircut while you & daddy hung out.  Then, we went over Candi's dad's house to have a playdate.  There were so many kiddos and parents there that it was overwhelming!  You did really good with the kiddos - didn't try to eat any of them!  We went shopping for a bit and you enjoyed being in your stroller - it was like you saw you had feet for the first time  :)  When we got home, it was nappy time for both you & me while daddy watched the Huskers.  We ate dinner together then daddy gave you a bath.  Oh my goodness - that was so fun.  You guys were playing so hard and you were laughing harder than we have ever heard you laugh.  It was hysterical but we don't even know why you were laughing!  After bath time, you played downstairs and you are officially now a climber - you can pull yourself up.  Mommy & Daddy are hosed!  You pulled yourself up on the lovesac and were petting Hoobie.  It was miraculous on 2 levels - you pulled yourself up & Hoobie let you pet her without running away!

Another big day on Sunday - HALLOWEEN!  We were solo in the morning while daddy was at the Chiefs game.  We slept in late!  You ate a ton of breakfast then we started the Elijah roadshow.  You had already gotten lots of Halloween gifts - shirt from Gramma Debi D, outfit from Gramma Debbie, stuffed animals from Auntie Val and a shirt/stuffed animal from Auntie Kim - but you were even more spoiled on the roadshow!  We went over to the Beatty's where you played with Hippie Morgan and they bought you a toy.  We saw Uncle Tyler, Uncle Zachary & Leisa where you got bibs and a new Elmo towel.  We saw Grampa and Heather where you got snacks - goldfish & cookies.  You were wore out so the roadshow came to a temporary halt.  After nappy time, we went to Great Gramma's where we saw Baby Jake in his tiger costume.  Great Gramma spoiled you both with lots of toys.  We picked up daddy and went to Auntie Sheila's where we saw Auntie Sheila, Uncle Jeff, Linnea, Brandi and Jeff.  You scored a new bowl there - your first bowl!  Gramma Debbie saw you next and you got more toys - a drum & a dog.  She took you to 3 houses for trick or treating - your first official trick or treating.  Then, off to Cindy White's where she made you a goodie bucket too!  Finally, we wrapped up with Daddy's side of the family & saw Aunt Mary Ann, Gramma, Tyler, Andrew, Aunt Laura & Uncle Mark.  You (and me both) were so exhausted!  You crashed immediately when we got home.  You had a great day buddy and you looked so cute in your lion costume.  Daddy already picked out your costume for next year but it will be a surprise for you  :)

On Monday, daddy picked you up from Mary's and you went to the doctor.  You got your 2nd flu shot and your ears were checked out.  All is well.  Daddy said you didn't even cry!  I missed you today because daddy took care of you in the morning and I didn't see you until 4:30 when he brought you home.  We went out to dinner and we put you in your new stocking cap that Aunt Laura gave you.