May 3

Hi Elijah!
I don't have a ton to tell you today either. Daycare, house work, sleep. We were pretty boring. You flipped your mom and dad out because you took your normal nap from 3:40-4:40 then you were asleep again from 6:30-9:00. We were debating back and forth whether or not to wake you. We didn't and you stayed up until about 11 then went to sleep until 7 so we were all good.

One interesting thing is that you are now giving clear signs of when the fussiness is about to come out. Not everyone would recognize them but I do. You get all happy and play for a few minutes, then you make a certain "coo" sound and I know that within 5 minutes, Fussypants is in the house :) Last night, I told your dad that he had officially 8 minutes until you got fussy. I think you made it 6.

You were playing in your bumbo while mommy and daddy cooked dinner tonight so I snapped a photo. It is a bummer that your eyes are closed but I like the expression on your face.

April 29 - May 2

Hi baby!
Been a few days since I have chatted with you, huh? We have been busy beavers!
Thursday was Taco Thursday at Darbys with Brandi, Jeff, Uncle Jeff and Aunt Sheila! You played up a storm with Uncle Jeff. There was a storm brewing and you would not sleep for anything! We kept feeding you and trying to put you to bed but you just kept screaming. It didn't matter that you were so tired! We threw you in bed with us and you passed out! You did great sleeping. About 4, I took you off your boppy and you rolled right up to me and sucked up next to me. We made it until 6:50 when you started being squirmy and started waking up.

I love, love, love this photo! How silly are you?



On Friday, you went over Great Gramma's for a visit. Then, we had dinner with Brandi & went to bowling with dad.

Close up with bug eyes:

On Saturday, we were out and about all day. We went to Farmers Market, had lunch in the old market, went to the Renaissance Fair and then you went over the Beaty's house while mommy and daddy went out. Debbie said you were really good playing with Morgan then in the stroller. But, you were tired and conked out!

Farmers Market - don't we look all granola?


Sleeping at the restaurant during lunch:


Indecent exposure in the Old Market - yep, we pretty much strip you nekked and change you in the trunk if we have to. We have no shame. While we were doing this, someone pulled over and asked us where the "Hemp festival" was. Your dad about stroked out that he may look like the type of person that would know the answer to that question. haha.


At the Renaissance Fair - pretty much wasted $22 but look how cute you are in your hat?


We were pretty boring on Sunday - just hung out around the house and did house stuff. But, you were so fun all day. You played on your mat, played in your bouncy, sat in your swing. You are getting so big - I can't even believe it. You are almost too big for your swing. When you were born, you barely could stay in it you were so little. We put the batteries in your play mat and bouncy - you love all the noises. It was so fun watching you listening to the music, cooing and smiling. You also mastered the bouncy and were moving all over. It amazes me how you change day to day and week to week. The progress is amazing.

Tough love - want food? Hold your bottle...


We have a busy week this week and guess what, this weekend is all about Mommy! It is Mommy's day!!

April 27 & 28

Hi Elijah!
Happy Birthday baby boy! You are four months old today. I can't even believe it!

Yesterday, you spent a bit of time with Grampa and Heather then we went over Auntie Sheila's for dinner. You got to see Uncle Jeff again and you met Gramma and Grampa Naven! We also all got to see Baby Jakey some more. You did a great job playing on the floor and talking to everyone. You were only fussy when you were hungry and you needed a nappy!

Today, we started the day with you puking all over me. Literally all over me where I needed to change my clothes. Yep, good morning mommy! Mary said you were sick while you were at her house. You weren't quite yourself today but we did hang out and you were smiling a bit. You did let me get a few photos of you for your 4 month birthday. Today, Braeden told me that he is 4 months old just like you :) He means 4 years old but he was just so excited that you were the same age.

As we have closed the day on your 4 month birthday, we need to have a serious talk. You need to start pulling your weight around here and you are a bit older now so you can start having some chores. Here are some things you need to start doing -
1) Holding your own darn bottle. It is hard enough for your mom and dad to shovel food in their own mouths fast enough. You need to feed your own self.
2) Need to poo on the potty chair when we put you on there. Washing your diapers is hard work and we need to conserve where possible.
3) Give us a clue when you are going to puke all over us so we can get you to the toilet. Again, laundry is hard work and we need to conserve all of our clothes where possible.
4) You should be learning sign language by now at daycare so start using it at home instead of just crying when you want something. You are a big boy now.
We will have a performance evaluation at 5 months and you better be making the cut buddy. :)
Speaking of conservation, Mary might go back to cloth diapers. She really liked your liners and how they make dirty diapers easy to clean. What a great thing! You are already teaching people to be more green - haha!

April 22 - April 26

Hi Elijah!
We have had a busy few days & lots to catch up on! Tomorrow is your last day of being a 3 month old. You are going to turn 4 months old on Wednesday. Each passing day of you getting bigger just amazes me!

Thursday - when I picked you up from Mary's, she said that you act like a trained circus seal. You roll over from your back to your tummy, the kids all cheer and you smile. Then, you roll back over from your tummy to your back, the kids all cheer and you smile. I don't ever see this at home so I think you are lazy at home but I tell you it is because your cloth diapers are too big for you to be so active :) Thursday night, we had dinner with Gramma Debi D & Mr. Pepsi. Then, we ran errands to get ready for our trip.


Friday - it was off to see your Minnesota family! We packed up Great Gramma's car and we took off. You were so good on the way up there - you slept most of the ride. When we got there, Brandon was in town already and your Minnesota Godparents were working. You and I took a quick nappie before we hung out with the family at a late dinner. We stayed at a hotel and you slept with Daddy tonight. You were so cute laying in bed next to him with the blankets up all around you. You looked like such a big boy! I really love this photo because not only are you & your daddy super cute lying next to each other, you can see both of your bottles in the background. You are both addicted to your individual bottles - you to formula and him to Diet Coke!


Saturday - You woke up for some food then we all slept in until 9:30. You are a good vacation sleeper! We went over your Baby God Daddy's house for awhile then we went shopping. We finally found you a diaper bag we could use. It is a Nike Backpack inspired by Brian. I think we have finally found our final diaper bag. We bought you a little windbreaker jacket and it was one of those moments where I look down at my hand carrying this little squirt's coat and I think "Who does this belong to?" Then, I remember, that I am a mommy now and you are my son and I have to buy you coats. Almost 4 months later and I still am occasionally taken off guard. When we got back to the apartment, Auntie Val was in town to love you up. She spoiled you while we grabbed dinner. Your mom and dad packed our bags for 75 degree weather but it was in the 50s. It made soccer a tad chilly. Thankfully, your Auntie and Great Gramma loaded up a bag with winter coats. We wrapped you up in one of those to stay warm. You liked all the cheering but when the crowd boo'd, you got upset and started crying. Baby GodDaddy played for 28 minutes and their team won! Afterwards, you hung out with Auntie Val while we played cards. It was your last chance to hang out with your cousin Brandon. Each time he held you, you were fussy & he didn't quite know what to do with you. I think he just picked the worst times to hold you rather than you disliking him :) He has committed to teaching you how to ski when you are able to walk so you need to stay on his good side!!



Sunday - You woke up again for food then slept until 10:00!! I loved it! We had breakfast at Brian's and you got some last minute loving from Auntie Val before we packed up the car and headed out again. You slept almost the entire way home. Your job was to entertain Great Gramma in the car and I don't think you passed! Sleeping is not entertaining but we were all happy since you were not fussing.




Monday - Back to daycare and to your routine! Mary said you were all smiles this morning. She is altering your schedule a tad so that you sleep when I pick you up so I can keep working. It has been working out good. You give me a couple of smiles then you fall asleep for about 45 minutes. Afterwards, I was going out to run errands and Gramma Debbie wanted to see you so you hung out with her tonight. When you got home, it was bath time (plus some oily gook on your head again!), food time and bed time!



Tomorrow, you are going to hang out with Grampa Keith & Heather during my last hour of work then we are going to go see Uncle Jeff! You haven't seen him in 3 months! You will also get to meet Auntie Sheila's parents - Linnea and Norm. I think we are also going to get to smooch up Baby Jacob if we can snatch him away from all those other people who want to love him up!!

April 21

Hi Baby!
It was a big day today little man! Your best friend Baby Jake was born at 6:47 pm. He was a little smaller than you - 7 lbs 12 oz and a little longer than you 21". Mommy waited all day for the announcement that he was born and for Lauren to say we could come up to visit him. Once we got the ok, we were out the door and didn't even put pants on you!

Outside of our big Baby Jake news, you hung out with Grampa Keith & Heather for the longest time ever! They walked over to Mary's and picked you up. Heather sent home a video of you that I am going to check out right now. Maybe we can get it on your blog soon :)

April 19 and 20th

Hiya Baby!
What I am about to share with you is the stuff that is ripe for tormenting you in front of your girlfriends later on in life. Here is the deal - you are a drama king. When you need to dirty your diaper, the world stops spinning, we all hold our breath and we hope for the best. You scrunch up your face, you whine at us, you turn red and it is a major ordeal. Even Mary said "I have never had a kid in 26 years that makes such a production over taking a poo." (I altered the last word for your innocent ears)

So, last night, I picked you up from Gramma Debbie's and I was trying to give you some cereal. I was interrupted in the middle by your need to poo - like I said earlier, the world stops turning so food was definitely out of the question. I sat there watching you, waiting for you to finish and I realized that if I am going to sit and watch you in your high chair, I can sit and watch you on a potty chair. We ordered you your first potty chair and I made sure it had a high back on it so you can lean against it during your turmoil.

Now, mommy and daddy realize that you are way too young to begin potty training - despite your dad's demands that you be trained by 6 months. However, if we are fully aware of when you are dirtying your diaper, we may as well get you in the habit of doing it on the toilet. Maybe it will help us down the road when you are starting to train. While you may not be old enough to give us the verbal clues of "Potty", you certainly show us the physical cues of when to throw you on there.

After your mini-cereal feeding, poo and bath, we put special lotion on your head because it is really dry and flaky. You were glistening and oily like a bodybuilder during a photo shoot. Daddy was worried he was going to drop you because you would slip out of his hands. You played on your exercise mat for over 2 hours! Just rolling around, kicking the poles, toppling the whole thing on top of you! Such a good baby tonight.



Not much to share for Tuesday little man. You hung out with Gramma Debbie and nappied together. We came home and you played on your mat, we did cereal, bath and then it was pretty much bed time.

April 18

Hi baby!
We had a super big day today! You were in a good mood most of the day but not as happy as yesterday. You went to Starbucks with daddy then took a nap. After your nap, we decided to try to feed you some cereal. I think we were supposed to wait until 4 months but you are drinking so much formula (about 6 oz every 2 - 2.5 hours) that we thought we start to slowly introduce cereal. I read that the first few feedings are less about the food and more establishing the habit. You did great. You were fussy at first because you were hungry so we let you drink a little bit of your bottle. After you drank a bit, you were happy and were playing with the cereal in your mouth. I was a bit sappy because you are such a big boy now! You were sitting in your bumbo like a big boy and eating like a big boy! Then, we went over Grampa Keith's to work on his computer. Him and Heather loved you up for a couple of minutes but not long enough for them! Kylie shark asked if she could have you today so we had an appointment with her too. She was so excited because you gave her your new squeal!!

When we got home, you spent a lot of time on your exercise mat as your dad and I did stuff around the house. All of a sudden, you squealed and your dad looked over. You had rolled over from your back to your tummy! You didn't like being on your tummy once you got there and so you had to get our attention to roll you back over. We were both so bummed we missed it. Your daddy thought that maybe you pulled on your giraffe and pulled yourself over. He kept watching you and you were playing with your giraffe but you rolled over AGAIN and you didn't use your giraffe at all. Now, you have rolled over both ways!

We have a BIG week this week buddy! Gramma Debbie wants to see you on Monday & Tuesday. I asked Grampa Keith to pick you up on Wednesday because I have a haircut. On Wednesday, we (hopefully) get to meet Baby Jake! If not, we definitely get to meet him on Thursday!!! On Friday, we are going to pack it up and head up to see Baby GodDaddy and Erica. Your cousin Brandon will be there and Auntie Val too. We are driving up with Great Gramma so you will have lots of family time!!

I will leave you with a sentimental moment. As we were feeding you the second time, you were just gazing at your daddy. You were looking at him with such admiration and then you would grin at him. He was looking at you just as intently and then he would smile back at you. Oh my gosh, it was a moment to make my heart go pitter patter. He told you that he hopes you remember these moments where just looking at us makes you happy because you might not like us so much later down the road :)