Laughing

Ok, so apparently Eli is going to do something new every day. 

Geez kid, you're really taking this "3 month olds are awesome" thing to a whole new level!

He's given us a few giggles from time to time, but today he started giving them consistently for my dad

We were on our way home, but I had to try it for myself…

SO cute

Rolling Over

Ok, NOW it is for real. After a week or so of geting halfway there- he FULLY rolled over, and then did it again by request for the video...

Also of note- 

1-I just watched all his videos I haveof himas a newborn- oooooh my gosh.

2-Tonight he actually smelled like Eli baby (and not generic baby, baby) again. It was AMAZING

3- I just wrote a 2 page instruction letter for babysitting my child from 8pm on. Holy details batman!

Mommy updates

This will be waaaaay more than you want to know if you are

1- Not a woman

2- Not currently so involved in new mommy stuff that talking about girl things doesn't phase you

Don't say I didn't warn you. 

I'll start off easy…

Each morning Eli and I walk a couple miles to my parents house. Now I am going to start running parts of it. It has revealed a sad fact for me.

Our dog is officially getting old. He can barely make it on our walking days, and the couple of times I tried to jog with him…well, there was dragging involved and I look/felt like an abusive dog owner. So, although it will slow my goal of being able to run the whole way without stopping, I've decided to just walk it with Max on Tuesday/ Thursday. 

I'm using my couch to 5k ap again. This time I don't have the pretty lake and I am pushing a baby, so it is far less glamorous than 3 years ago. 3 years?! Yikes.

In other (ALSO less glamorous and more "why are you telling the Internet this") news- this morning God let me know that there has to be some balance in the world, SO to balance the extra sleep Eli has been getting at night (therefor the extra sleep I've been getting), my body has decided it is ready to have a baby again.

My BODY folks, not me.

Yes, I get to have my period again. Gross, I know, but honestly this is what is going on in my world. 

Oh, and I'm pissed and need to vent about it.

I was REALLLY hoping that since I am exclusively breastfeeding that I wouldn't have to deal with this until he started eating solids (about 6 months). I WANT THOSE EXTRA 3 MONTHS OF GLORY 

It's been a year since I have had to worry about this- and that year was awesome.

I even saw a video on Facebook yesterday: "What if guys got their periods" and I commented to Rico about what a nice perk it was to get to skip out on that part of life.

Honestly, I didn't even pack anything to deal with this. It's been so long- I don't even know if I even HAVE anything. (I used to have emergency packs EVERYWHERE- one in my purse, one in my office, one in my car: but I started giving them away like hot cakes when I found out I was pregnant.)

The good news? Well, it explains a LOT:

-My crazy acne (I'll be going to my high school reunion with MORE acne than when I was still IN school and I can't do much about it because I am breastfeeding and don't want to use anything with more than 2% of the ingredients that actually do work on acne)

-My OBSESSION with chocolate/ sweets lately. I realize that most of it is that I have REALLY been lax on my diet. Last night I ate white rice people. WHITE rice. I've been slacking on my eating for convenience sake, so I assumed that was 100% to blame for my obsession with getting chocolate in my body at all times. I even made Rico go get ice cream with me on a weeknight- and I ordered a sundae. Not once in my entire life have I ever ordered a sundae.

-My emotions. I react when I get my period the same way I react when I drink. 

I wonder if that is a thing? 

Anyway, I don't get mad…or sad…I get LOVEY and NEEDY.

You'll hear me ask my husband: "Do you love me?" "How much?" multiple times a day (it really is annoying, I realize this)

You'll find me randomly saying things like, "I really just love Rico so much."

Well, that happened JUST the other day, but NOW I also get mushy about how much I love Eli.

So much love going around!

3 months

"It will get better, just wait until he's 3 months" 

To be honest, things started getting MUCH better at 2 months, but if 3 months has even more fun to offer, bring it on.

We've figured out a pretty great system for being able to go in public, so we can go out to dinner or run short errands a lot more easily now. 

We even brought him out on a dinner date Friday. 

He slept through it.

WHICH, might I add, meant he missed out on having a picture with his face through a world-cup themed cardboard cut-out. I actually considered waking him up to do it.

Rico talked me down.

He's starting to thin out in the back of his head- more than you can see here.

Eli recognizes Erik and I and turns toward us when he hears us. His cries are much easier to distinguish- thank goodness.

Trying to find me as he hears my voice in the kitchen

He found his hand and has it in his mouth almost ALL the time. He has also learned how to grab toys and put them in there too…and how to suck on shoulders and chairs. You could say "He really sucks", sorry, it had to be done.

He's LOVING his taggie blanket- mainly shoving it in his mouth.

We pull him up by his hands to sit up and his neck stays strong. He's started to hate laying down- he prefers to sit up. Basically, he's stopped being floppy, which is great and all, but floppy = newborn/infant and now he's a "baby"

Growing up is stupid.

Just kidding, kind of. 

He uses his bumbo chair.

He loves to bounce and fly with all his grandparents!

He sleeps 4-5 hours at night (I don't though…gotta pump pump pump). He still sleeps in his rock-n-play (not swaddled), but naps in his crib (we just started swaddling again in the past 2 days and OH MY GOSH- he is actually taking REAL naps, not 10-20 minutes siestas)

He wakes up EVERY morning with a smile.

Want some t.m.i/ a mental image you don't really want but it is probably my favorite thing he does so I am going to share it anyway?

In the morning, when he wakes up to eat, you can tell that he is done and ready to be up for the day: he'll stop eating because he looks up and me and is smiling too big to eat. It's like he forgets what he is doing and he just griiiiiins. 

It makes me laugh every time. Even if it is 6 am and that smile means I am going to be missing sleep- I just can't help but smile. 

Obviously, I don't have a photo of this. 

His most recent trick? 

He grunts.

Does that sound cute to you? 

Let me assure you, it is not.

Ok, it's kind of cut the first couple of times- and then it just sounds like he is constipated all day long. 

Here's a video to prove it:

Our lives are pretty consumed by the house right now, and by "our" I mean Rico's life…and his brother.

Eli and I just hang out here since he isn't allowed to be in the construction. 

He HAS been on many trips to pick out counters, paint, backslashes (etc) though.

Fun with Jess

My friend Jess came into town to visit her family…and we got to have lots of fun.

Saturday:

She saw our new house and I gave her a "tour" of Derby, complete with sno-cones. 

We gave Eli a bath.

Sunday:

A pool play date at her aunt's house.

This was a big day for Eli- he had never gotten all the way in the pool before. 

He did great! 

He kicked his little feet 

and he didn't cry at all!

 Again, he wasn't Mr. Smiles, but he didn't cry, and that is my current measure of him liking things.

 Monday:

Zoo day! 

I. Love. The. Zoo.

Since we've moved here (about a month), I've taken Eli to the zoo 3 or 4 times.

Last time I went, Eli SLEPT THROUGH THE WHOLE THING.

This time, he was awake and alive. 

A little grumpy, but awake.

A little fussy, but awake.

A little crying, but awake.

A little sweaty and uncomfortable (it was over 100 today), but awake.

This helps you size your child up so you know what breed of penguin they are the same size as. Eli has been asleep though this part every time we've been here.

Tigers

He fulfilled one of my mom dreams by bonding with a gorilla.

Growing up, I always noticed that babies seem to draw the apes in…

so I used Eli as baby-bait. 

It worked! 

The gorillas came over to us and faced the baby to stare at him.

It's official- everyone loves babies.

He seemed to actually like it too- look at that smile!

He got bonus points by ALSO bonding with the orangutans. 

Melt. My. Heart.

1st 4th

 I don't "get" the 4th of July like most people do.

Don't worry, I feel guilty about it.

As emotional as I am, I don't get goosebumps when I hear the star spangled banner.
I don't like beer.

I don't cry when I hear "Proud to be an American"
I've never spent any of my own money on fireworks- it would feel too much like lighting a wad of dollar bills on fire.

I think the colors red and blue look kind of stupid together….that's right, I said it. 

I look at it this way: America doesn't seem to be lacking any confidence in itself and its awesomeness, so it is ok if I sit out on the "u-s-a, u-s-a,u-s-a" chants. 

I DO, however, LOOOOVE a theme. Even more, I love when people all across the country participate in a theme. So, I try to appreciate the 4th for its theme-yness as well as its ability to provide me with lots of potluck eating opportunities.

Eli's first 4th of July involved lots of good family time. He finally got to meet my mom's side of the family in the afternoon. They have giant inflatable water slides and lots of drinks and super delicious BBQ (apparently my cousin is quite the grill master) to keep the adults entertained. It will be even more fun next year, when Eli is old enough to actually use the toys. This year, we mostly stayed inside and chatted (between with giant mouthfuls of food)

That night we headed over to Rico's grandparent's house for another picnic and fireworks watching (they live across from the park where the city sets off its large display, so we get a front row seat without the parking nightmare)

Rico called this one of his "artistic" cell-phone shots. "it's either going to be the most awesome picture ever, to you won't be able to see a thing" Well, you couldn't see a thing. I tortured it enough in iphoto to at least be able to see our heads

 This is his grandma Jaye's childhood home, so when I looked up and saw her out showing him the garden, my heart just melted.

We passed him around some more here. 

I love family things, where he gets to meet all his extended family (for more reasons than just the fact that I get a break from feeling entirely responsible for his personal happiness….let someone else make the faces/noises and bounce/ walk/ keep him in constant motion for a few hours- I'll be over at the dessert table if you need me)

Proud grandparents encouraging the cuteness that is their granddaughter giving kisses to her cousin

How did the fireworks go? SO well.

I had another mom-guilt moment before they started as I got on facebook and saw a picture of a baby wearing giant noise canceling headphones. 

Crap.

I thought I had packed everything.

 I even remembered the baby sunscreen and his rock-n-play in case he got sleepy- but did I remember something to save his tiny little eardrums from the EXPLOSIONS we were going to be watching- no.

Thankfully, Aunt Di is a doctor that specializes in hearing….and in being the sweetest lady ever, and when I asked her how guilty I should feel, she told me to just cover his ears. SO COVER I DID.

Seriously, the kid's head was in a mini little vice for the big show.

Of note- his cute little outfit was made FAR less cute when I took off the button up. 

Well, it's pretty cute if you are into old men or high-waisted pants really do it for you.

He LOVED the fireworks. Ok, ok, Eli doesn't actually really LOVE anything right now (besides staring at/ talking to his favorite people and being in motion), but he didn't hate it, and in baby land, I consider that love.

He stared at the big fireworks the ENTIRE show. He didn't wriggle, or fuss for me to move him. He just sat (he doesn't "just sit"), sucked on his little fists, and watched them. 

He didn't really make a peep until the end, when the last firework went off he made a little sigh/ babble that sounded like "woooooow!" 

(it's not just me, I looked at Rico and we both busted up laughing when we heard it)

What a great day. I'm still not going to go out and buy a bald eagle and an American flag bikini, but I can say that for the first time in a while, I really enjoyed the 4th.

New Home: The First Weekend

To buy our first house, we signed approximately 1,001 pieces of paper.

We closed on our new house Thursday…we signed 1 piece of paper. 

1.

We then immediately went to show it off to our families so Rico and his brother and cousin could start demo that afternoon. It looks a bit like this now:

A few hours (and a lot of sweat) earlier- this was a bedroom. The carpeted floor was all the way up where the white starts on the wall (above my knee)

I meant to capture what a mess the living room was, instead I may have captured what an unsafe mom I am

Opening up the kitchen- step 1

GOODBYE excessive cabinetry and nasty floor

They ripped down so much stuff, that when Rico's parents brought dinner, we had to have it tailgate style outside the house.

I am not really able to be a part of much of this, since I am Eli's beck-and-call girl.
I COULD leave bottles and have babysitters watch, but at this point it is of more use for me to save any pumped milk for when I return to work part time.
BUT, I did find a way to put my stamp on this process.
I made treats for the neighbors…

This is the pinterest recipe I used- but in this case it turned out looking exactly the same (a pinterest rarity)

complete with a cheesy poem introducing us to them.
Rico thought it was the most ridiculous thing ever and almost refused to let me give it out.

It makes you wonder, how bad could it be?
I'll let you be the judge:

Here’s a sweet treat from your new neighbor’s the Browns.

We hope you’ll be happy to have us around.

Like this messy dessert, construction looks scary

We’ll try to be fast, so don’t be too wary

We have lots to change, from windows to tile

Our hope is to keep it from lasting a while.

There’s lots to demo, from the ceilings to floor

If you have a concern, please knock at our door.

Good neighbors pick up and don’t make a racket

Empathy’s important, we don’t want to lack it.

Please bear with us in kindness as we hammer and saw

We hope in the end you’ll look at the progress with awe.

I know, I know, you are jealous that you didn't think of it huh?

But, in all seriousness, I needed a way to let them all know that there was an end in sight so they might have a little more patience with us.
If I've learned anything from moving home and spending more time with my parents, it is that retired people love NOTHING more than peeking out their window and dwelling on whatever it is they see.
Not just dwelling on it, but making the worst assumptions possible and convincing themselves that something utterly illogical is, in fact, not only LOGICAL, but also certain reality:

"Is that a blue car across the street?
I've never seen that blue car there before.
Have you ever seen that car there before?
 ("sneaks" over to front door to "peek" at blue car)

*10 minute back and forth verbally describing the type of car and each and every location they may have ever seen that car before and each and every person it might POSSIBLY be based on the limited information known about the neighbor and drawing on what can only seem to be the most illogical predictions ever
"I think they're doing a drug trade, they were only here for 9 minutes and 37 seconds and the woman was wearing a ponytail (obviously indicating that she was in a hurry because she needed her next fix) and wore a shirt with a dog on it (obviously indicating that she bought it at goodwill becasue she spent all her money on drugs)"

It's like they think they live in a soap opera.
One where everyone is up to no good.
One that through a long series of tiny assumptions and over generalizations that all SEEM very logical, you end up with a neighbor that calls the cops on you.

Hopefully my note helps to avoid this- or at least prolong the inevitability of it by getting them on our side.

The best offense is a strong defence.