Elliot's Baptism 2012

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A Partial Update

So a lot has happened since I last posted:

Elliot started napping and night sleeping in his crib.  He also started sleeping through the night!!!  He LOVES drinking from a bottle now, and he has started to wave, clap, say some words like "bye-bye, hi, ba, uh-oh" and more. 

Oliver is now potty trained!!!  He is still using diapers at night, but is now only wearing big kid underpants during the day.  Also, the Binky Fairy visited and Ollie is now done with binkies!

Our boys are growing up soooo fast!!!

I am having a hard time adjusting to going back to work.  Since I leave the house at 6am, I don't get to see the boys in the morning which is very sad for me. I pick the boys up at 4:30pm when I am already very tired from my long day at work and try to make the best of the few hours before it is time for them (and me!) to go to bed, but it is hard to spend quality time with the boys while also making dinner, cleaning up, and doing the whole bedtime routine.  Hopefully, I will get the hang of it soon, or at least be content with the smaller windows of time with them.

Luckily, Oliver and Elliot are not bothered with the big changes: they both love going to school!  Oliver's new teacher is awesome and they have done lots of painting, baking, reading, singing, and playing so far this year.  Oliver told me all about how Jonah was not a good listener and ended up in a whale's belly.  Elliot is quite the ladies man at "baby school" where they all gush over his smiles, giggles, and good-natured temperament.  This is a far cry from his start there (when he was still refusing bottles, cried all day, and we were afraid that they would kick him out)!  Elliot even has his first friend at school, Asher.  They have their own little game where they look at each other "talking," squawking, and cracking up!

Shared photo book from Gerlinde2012

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Happy 97th, Aunt Wanda!

 We traveled to Ohio to celebrate Aunt Wanda's 97th birthday.  I hope if I make it to 97 I look this fantastic!!!  Mary, Father Stan, Aunt Mag, Debra and Roger were also there to celebrate.

Oliver was excited to see Aunt Wanda again and Elliot, meeting Wanda for the first time, loved her immediately!

A Shout Out To Our Friends

 Thanks for sharing meals with us...

 For making music with us...

 For making up and reading stories with us....

For taking us on adventures and exploring the outdoors with us...

Safely!

 For fun times at the pool....

Despite appearances, Elliot was having a great time!

                                                                                                                  ...or on the porch!

The highlight of any day or week is always the time we spend playing with our friends.  Thank you for making our lives so much better be being in them!

Summertime at Home

You gotta see this!

 Compost is awesome!  We love to scoop out shovel-fulls of decomposing yard and kitchen waste to watch the hundreds of fascinating bugs scurrying around in confusion and panic. Aunt Lisa taught us this fun activity in the Fall and it never gets old.  Did I mention that I have boys??? We love bugs.....

 Elliot enjoys the view from his own little "farm,"  alternately playing with his toys and craning his neck, trying to see what is sooo interesting to Ollie over there....

 Mom's hat, Opa's cane, Mom's scarf (anything belonging to someone else) are favorite objects for play. What a wasted opportunity. We should have taught Ollie some bellydancing moves to go with this look.

 

 Elliot is such a hilarious little man.  He is always full of smiles and giggles.  Music is his number one interest right now.  If we give him a little tambourine, he joyfully beats on it with full arm swings and sings along to his own drumming or with someone else who is singing to him.

I have not been great about reporting every milestone he hits right away, but here are some recent ones: as of June 4 Elliot can sit unassisted; he started sleeping in his crib on June 16; and has recently started making tons of new sounds like dada, blahblah, baba, haaaaaa, and even mama.

 

Looking at the books that are out on Ollie's table explains where his 'new' ideas come from.

Oliver demonstrates how powerfully his favorite books live in his imagination on a daily basis.  He surprises us and cracks us up with the ways in which he sees these stories in his everyday life.  He invented an elaborate fantasy about the two of us being stuck in the tree in our front yard and Daddy throwing up beds, a bathtub, a table, chairs and food for us. This is loosely based on the book Stuck, for sure.  When he does something naughty (like taking off his clothes and running naked on the front porch) he proudly tells us, "I am No, David!" We were puzzled that he insisted on naming his new teddy bear from Opa "Ted," despite all sorts of suggestions that Opa had given him, until days later when Tony realized that the bear in Oliver Who Would Not Sleep is named Ted!  When I asked Ollie what he wanted to make out of Elliot's old shoe box, he really wanted to make a house for the The Very Busy Spider.  And I was delighted when Oliver suddenly wanted to play 'cleaning,' asking to wipe off tables, chairs, the floor.... and realized he had been inspired by Little Oink (the poor little pig whose parents make him create messes when really all he wants is a neat and orderly home).

While Elliot took a nap, Ollie painted this himself and found everything to put inside in our backyard.
It is amazing what kids' eyes notice!

6-1/2 months old

Elliot takes three steps forward and then two back when it comes to eating and drinking.  I was overjoyed a couple months ago when he suddenly decided that he would drink from a bottle!!!  Unfortunately, after about two weeks, he changed his mind, firmly pursing his lips, turning his head, and never again allowing a bottle to pass into his mouth.  We are trying to teach him how to drink water from a sippy or straw cup in the hopes that we can then try it with milk.


He is on again, off again with solid foods as well.  At one meal loving to eat, another willing to take one or two bites, and sometimes acting as if we are trying to murder him with that spoon.  He has tried and sometimes likes sweet potatoes, bananas, avocado, apples, rice cereal, yogurt, mango and oatmeal. He is taking his time, and reminding me not to rush him too much.

so big: the day before E turns 8 months old

Don't worry, though, he is not starving....as you can see!

Oliver provides more enjoyment for Elliot than we could ever hope to, bringing him toys, making faces at him, and generally acting as a fascinating and mesmerizing entertainment act.  Elliot's eyes remain riveted on Ollie no matter what he is up to!

Max would like me to mention he also outranks Mama and Dada so far as Elliot is concerned.

 Ollie is beginning to use this sweet balance bike from Oma and Opa and is very proud to only need two wheels! Don't worry, Opa, he normally is wearing his helmet (he is just posing here for a couple quick photos).

Giant Parent Milestone:  Tony and I went out to eat (just the two of us!) the other night downtown Ferndale and had a wonderful time (just the two of us!).  It is the first date (just the two of us!) that we have had since Elliot was born.  Thank you Grandma & Papa for babysitting!!!

Looking Cute, What I Do Best

 Brother Time

Tooth on the Way!

 

Play Time with Daddy