December 13 - December 19

Hi baby!
It has been a week BUT I have been making notes each day so I don't forget.  Also, I have a lot of photos for you this week.  We are getting close to the holidays so lots of photos.

Monday -
Grampa picked you up for me and you hung out at his house for awhile.  We had dinner together - yes, mommy cooked today - YAY mommy!  You had your first Little Debbie's "Christmakuah cake."  Those are daddy's favorite and you loved it.  I have a feeling that you are going to have no problem with your first birthday cake.  You woke up in the middle of the night with a big mess.  Yay mommy for being the silly one to go in and get you.  :)

Tuesday -
Grampa picked you up again and you hung out over there for a bit.  We had dinner at home again (yay mommy!) but you didn't really enjoy the ham I made.  You liked the mashed potatoes then you pigged out on grapes, mandarin oranges & peaches.  The funny thing was that on Wednesday, Mary told us you loved ham at her house.  I don't know if I made the pieces too big or if you didn't like the mustard on mine.  You played and conked out early

Wednesday -
You and I were tired puppies.  We slept right through the morning until daddy woke us up ready to go to work.  You are doing something new this week.  You are sticking your tongue out.  You did it when you were a baby and now you are doing it again.  It isn't an ornery stick out - it is a big thick cute stick out.  I saw one of your friends do it at daycare and I think you picked it up there.

Daddy and I took off work a bit early to take you to see Santa.  You did great when we were walking up - you were smiling and talking.  You pointed at Santa.  You reached out for him.  Once I gave you to him, it was done dealing.  You were SCREAMING.  When I picked you back up, you were fine again and looking at him.  We will try again next year  :)

Santa gave you a candy cane and you liked it.  It was your first!

I gave you something new tonight.  I cut up an apple for us to share.  I made little bitty pieces for you and you didn't like that so much.  You grabbed a wedge and you loved that!  You were gnawing on them for a good 1/2 hour.  I love that you like healthy fruit.

Thursday
You were a total fussy pants this morning because we were up early but daddy said that as soon as you got in the car, you were a happy camper.  You are trying to change your nappy schedule.  You like just one in the afternoon now and then a short one when you come home.  That works for mommy because I can get some work done.  I think it works for Grampa and Great Gramma too because they like to cuddle up with you.  We had a bath tonight and you ruined it twice.  Come on buddy - the tub is not the toilet!!  You are getting funny when you go to bed.  You cry, then you talk to yourself then you conk out!

Friday
I am trying not to take it personally but you don't like hanging out with me in the morning.  You just get so impatient for daddy to come and get you.  You reach out for him, you whine for him and you just want the heck out of the house to go to Mary's.  We ran errands after work and then it was a Christmas party at The Beaty house.  We had yummy spaghetti and wedding cake.  You got your first Christmas present - a big bouncey house that you fill with balls.  We will probably end up turning the upstairs living room into a play room for you.  You liked the paper but didn't care about the box  :) We wore you out at Morgan's and you conked out!

Saturday
It was a big day!  We took a road trip with Gramma Debbie down to Cookie day in Lincoln!  You were spoiled rotten Auntie Bettie & Great Gramma Dorothy.   They fed you all sorts of goodies and you were so excited to have cookies for breakfast!  You played, napped and then you got 3 more Christmas presents!  You got a new dump truck, a new Cars book (Auntie Sue said you need to get interested in cars early so you can learn to fix them like Grampa Larry) and a Veggie Tales DVD & CD.  Auntie Becky picked the Veggie tales especially because there is a Veggie named Larry!  You tried to tear the paper a bit but you aren't really into presents yet.  I don't know if you will open that many next week.  We got take out at Outback and you had your first taste of Outback Steak.  You liked it!  You pigged out on the Steak and mashed potatoes.  You had them all over your head!  You didn't sleep too well tonight. We don't know if it is your teeth (that 4th one poked out) or if your ears are bothering you.

Sunday
When we got home from Lincoln, you had a new present waiting for you from Mr. and Mrs. Sewell.  You got a new book and a Little People Nativity Scene.  It is so cute and what a perfect Christmas present.  I set it up and we played with it while I ate breakfast.  You really liked all of the people.  I had to keep telling you to quit eating baby Jesus!

After breakfast, you were in your playpen while the Chiefs were on.  Daddy would scream at the TV in glee then you would scream too.  It was so darn cute.  Daddy got his first experience as a Christmas daddy - he put together your new fire truck from Great Gramma Faiman.  He had to get new tools in anticipation "of having many more toys to put together."  Yeah, mommy doesn't believe it but daddy always likes excuses for buying tools.

Mary told us you loved hot dogs last week so I bought you some today. Man, you pigged out at dinner - a whole hot dog, 1/2 banana, cereal, applesauce and cookies with daddy!

Well, baby, I leave you with a photo of you playing by the tree today and letting you know we have a super huge week ahead.  We have Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, family time, and your birthday party.  WOOAH... I hope we get some sleep.

December 7 - December 12

Hi buddy -
I am behind again.  Your birthday is 2 weeks and we are going to have to renegotiate how often I post on here because I am falling behind  :)  I found this picture on my phone and I had to post it.  How silly you are with your cookie face.  I can't remember what day was but it was pretty recent.

Tuesday - After your visit with Grampa & Heather, we got some burgers at Red Robin.  I must share with you that we are rotten parents already.  I ordered a diet strawberry lemonade and daddy ordered a malt.  I thought you would enjoy a treat of lemonade and strawberries.  I put it over to you so you could take a drink.  You snubbed it, cried and pointed to Daddy's malt.  OMG - how embarrassing!  My 11 month old son is already trained to identify a malt and know it is good.  We did photos with Baby Jake for Christmas and then it was bed time!

Wednesday - I don't remember our day but I sure do remember your night.  Daddy was taking you to bed and you got sick all over the hallway.  We got you cleaned up and calmed down and you slept for a bit.  Around 4, you were up and I gave you some pedialyte.  As soon as you were done drinking, you were sick again.  You couldn't sleep and we took some turns with you.  Daddy let me sleep a bit because he knew I could nap with you a bit.  It was a long night but I have to say that I am so proud of myself for not getting sick when you did twice!

Thursday - After our rough night, you stayed home with me and I took the day off.  I felt so bad for you because you were so upset when Daddy left for work and you were not able to go to Mary's. You were devastated!  We hung out in bed all day.  You slept a lot and I tried to sleep when you did.  You were feeling a bit better but you still weren't yourself.  You were snuggly and content with just being in bed with me.  I would grab you & say "Give mama a hug."  You would

Friday - You were feeling better today.  You went over to Mary's and were so excited to get out of the house.  She said that you didn't get sick but now we have a sickness on the other end  :)  You hung out with Great Gramma and she said you got fussy, went into the kitchen, crawled up the counter and pointed at your bottle.  She fed you and you curled up to sleep with her on the rocker.  You love snuggling up with Gramma in her rocker and taking a nap.  We got some spaghetti and then it was time to play.  We definitely needed a bath tonight because you were beyond repair when your tummy got sick.  You loved the bath and it was the most comfortable I have ever seen you in it.  You were crawling and standing without any hesitation.

Saturday - We had a totally lazy day today.  We watched a lot of TV, I did several scrapbook pages, you slept a bit and played a lot.  It was snowing and cold outside so it was a great day for all 3 of us to be lazy.

Sunday - You slept in today buddy!  You woke up at 10:00 - that was so awesome.  You hung out with daddy all day while I had great day out with our friend Debbie.  You got to see Gramma Ruth & your cousin Tyler.  Afterwards, we had to be tortured with the Chiefs game then we had dinner and went to Target.  Daddy thinks your 4th tooth is popping through.  He said you have 2 weeks to get it out or you are developmentally behind on the chart from the dentist  :)

Not too big of a week this week.  We hope to go visit Santa.  We also got groceries so we eat at home more often this week.  But, we do have a busy weekend - date with the Beaty's and cookie day in Lincoln on Saturday.

Photos

Forgot to add your photos from the last few days buddy.

We got to see Baby God Daddy for the first time in ages!

Our branch of the family tree at Marias.

All of the grandkids were in town and look - now there is a new level of Great Grandkids.  WOW!

Look at my baby - all grown up.  You don't like to be fed anymore - just have to put the food on your tray and let you go to town.  Now, you are even using a sippy cup!

Daddy hung out with the Cvilikai at the Chiefs game while you & I were hanging out.

December 1 - December 6

Wednesday - You were still a sick, fussy pants and Mary was going to expel you from daycare if I didn't take you to the doctor.  So, I took you to the doctor and you had an ear infection.  Darn it!  We got you new meds and you were much better all night.  I hate that you are on meds again but we have to get your ears cleared up.

Thursday - We went to Rojas for dinner and you wore us out.  You were so active and ornery.  I asked if they had a spare playpen in the kitchen that we could put you in while we tried to eat.  They looked like I had grown two horns.  Luckily, you fell asleep pretty early because your daddy & I were tired.

Friday - Well, I think this is going to show you just how old your mom & dad are.  Neither of us can remember what we did with you on Friday.  I know daddy picked you up from daycare but neither of us can recall any details of the night!

Saturday - It was a big day today buddy!  We went to Farmer's Market to get us some enchiladas and some Christmas presents.  I went to another craft fair while you napped and then we had family dinner.  We had 19 people at Maria's - every Lang in Omaha was there  :)  Afterwards, we went to Gramma's to watch the Big 12 Championship.  You hammed it up with everyone and played with Baby Jake.  I was so excited because you did so great at dinner.  I haven't really known how you would do with so many people.  You did great being passed around and talking with everyone.  You are getting better at playing with Jake.  You are always so excited to see him but your way of showing affection is still a little rough for him - your pointing at his head, your patting of his head (actually, it is slapping), and your kisses (turns into bites!) - need to be gentler for him.  But, we are getting closer!

Sunday - Daddy went to Kansas City with Brian, Erica and Brandon.  You were so good to me - you slept until 9:15 and then talked to yourself until 9:45.  We had breakfast and I tried a new recipe for sugar cookies.  We napped and played.  I tried to take you to see Santa but the wait was too long - 2 hours.  We napped again and went over Gramma's to wait for everyone to return from KC.  You played and crawled over Gramma's again.  We need to lock you up in living room because you were under everyone's feet in the kitchen and Gramma worries that you will fall in the kitchen.  After we said goodbye to all of the Cvilikai, we drove downtown to see the lights.  Actually, we were hoping it would put you to sleep in the car  :)  Luckily, you went to sleep pretty quickly because we were tired!

Monday - You woke up at 5:00 and needed a bottle.  I brought you in with me.  Apparently, you decided that my head was a pillow and then a kicking bag.  I sure love it more when you sleep in your bed.  :)  I didn't end up going back to sleep.  I spent from 7:15-7:45 just watching you sleep.  Man, another day of shock as to where this big boy came from.  Even your hands are a big boy's hands!  Mommy & Daddy played hookie from work today - we had vacation.  We ran errands and saw 2 movies.  Since you have come into the world, we have been unable to go to a lot of movies.  We got you from daycare then it was time for mommy to rest her back and for you to play with Daddy. You were kind of a fussy pants tonight.  We think you may be getting some more teeth as you are drooling up to a ton.

Well, buddy, not much else to share with you.  We don't have any big plans this week so maybe we can all relax, heal (daddy's arm, my back, your cooties) and maybe get some cleaning done around this joint!

November 26 - November 30

Hi Buddy!
Long time no talk.  It is because we are quite a pathetic household these past few days.  Daddy is still recovering with his arm, I threw my back out on Sunday & you have a cold/allergies are acting up.  Daddy really liked the idea of trying to find a temporary nanny because we are struggling a bit  :)

Friday - I was off work to hang out with you.  We napped, we hung out, we braved the Black Friday shopping to go to Walmart, we napped again  :)  You really liked going to Walmart but we must have stayed about 5 minutes too long because you were fussy pants in the check out.  We went over to visit Melissa, Brian and Benny to get some new diapers for you for night time.  You had a mini-play date.  You did so good.  I was surprised because I noticed that your toys kept getting taken away from you and you didn't even cry.  You just went and found a new toy or chased the one you were playing with.  You loved their cocker spaniel and were trying to kiss him.  Benny (2 years old) did get tired of hanging out with you and started pointing at you saying "Baby night-night." It was so cute!  His mommy said "Give the baby a kiss."  So, he kissed you and you opened your mouth wide to kiss him back  :)  I love watching you interact with other children - especially ones that are a bit older than you.

Saturday - we were lazy all day buddy.  You had cooties - I don't know if it was from Gramma Ruth's dogs or the cocker spaniel but you were just a snot box.

Sunday - I couldn't believe that you slept until 10!  I thought you were waking up from an early nap but it turned out that you were waking up for the first time!  Since you slept so long, we went to Sam's right away since we thought you would be in good spirits.  We had the car worked on and it took longer than we thought it would.  You were so tired that you just fell asleep at Sam's!  Stupid mommy lifted something too heavy and pulled something in my back.  I was down for the count after that.  You still have cooties and you just look so miserable!  You also turned 11 months today.  Where the heck did the time go?  11 whole months.  Just one more month and you are going to be 1 year old.  WOW!

Monday - Still had the cooties buddy.  Mary said you were a fussy pants and wouldn't take a good nap.  We had ice cream today and you had a vanilla malt - I figured that there can't be too much dairy in Dairy Queen Ice Cream - it is fake, right?  You did love it!  You just kept sucking and sucking on that straw.  I figured you finished the whole thing but you probably only drank 1/5 of it.  Afterwards, you were asleep at 8. You were coughing so badly that you woke yourself up at 3:30.  I made you  bottle and brought you in bed with me.  We stayed up for about 90 minutes until you calmed down and your medicine kicked in.  Once you fell asleep, you got all comfy and just tucked your arm in mine.  It was so cute.  I love snuggling with you.  I just wish you felt better.

Tuesday - another day of cooties!  You went over Grampa's but you slept for the first part of it.  You just aren't getting enough sleep.  I tried changing your medicine timing to see if you could make it through the night without coughing so much.  At Grampa's, it was so funny.  You wanted to climb up on the couch to chase the cat but you couldn't do it on your own.  You came up next to me and all sweet and innocent started going "mamamama."  Yep, you thought you would get your way if you just started saying "Mama".  After Grampa's, we came home to have dinner before I went to book club.  You went over Gramma Lang's while daddy was at dinner and I was with the ladies.  Unfortunately, daddy's dinner went late so I had to leave book club and come get you.  I was so worried that you would be fussy for Gramma because of your cold.  I took Debbie with me because I was worried I wouldn't be able to carry you.  When we got there, you were snuggled up on Gramma sleeping like an angel.  She said you were good the whole time.  You didn't even want to come see me - you just liked being with Gramma.  We visited with Debbie, Morgan and Shane for a bit.  You played with all their Christmas decorations and entertained them. Debbie hadn't seen you pull yourself up yet or crawl so she was happy just to watch you be you.  Afterwards, time for bed and you slept all night!  I only saw you for a few minutes in the morning but you didn't appear to be as congested so I am hoping the change in meds worked!

I hope you feel better pronto!  We have a big weekend this weekend with lots of plans!!

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!