The last week with Eli has been a lot of fun. We took Memorial Day off of work and spent the day with Eli. In the morning, the three of us went running in the Aboretum. After we got back from running. I played tennis for a few hours. With barely time to catch my breath, we bundled up Eli and took him out for a play date. Eli is just about the same age as another boy in his day care class, and they happen to live near us. We went to their house, took a long walk, and then watched the babies eat together at their house. Very cute! Later in the day, Shelby and I played with Eli in the arboretum. We keep showing him animals and plants, but I don't think he is processing the information yet.
Shelby stayed home with Eli on Tuesday and got to spend more time outside with him. Wednesday, Eli spent the day at school. We picked him up and brought him to swimming. Eli enjoys the pool more each week. He now interacts with the toys and seems to enjoy the songs, though his deliberate activity is limited to splashing.
Yesterday I was able to come home a little early from work to take Eli for a walk. We meandered down to Monroe street for dinner. Good times were had by all. Today we will be eating out again, but tonight with friends. After Eli goes to bed tonight, I am going to play softball for the first time this year. Shelby will stay home (since the babysitter is busy), but we will both get to play soccer on Sunday afternoon. Tomorrow we will have another play date with the baby from Eli's day care class. So a somewhat busy weekend is coming, hopefully the weather will hold up.
Off to have dinner!
dave
Friday, May 29, 2009
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
In the mouth...
Just like any baby, Eli likes putting stuff in his mouth. While we have a ton of pictures of Eli putting stuff in his mouth, I wanted to highlight the use of his fingers. You should try his 'reverse-hand' position. I lied on the floor with him one day and kept trying the finger sucking position. It was difficult! I think his joints must be more flexible than my old ones. Oh, and I also thought you would like to see him sucking the rings at the pool. Big fan of those rings....
Monday, May 25, 2009
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Family dinner
Grandma Gail and Grandpa Allan visit for a weekend of spring fun with Eli. Including dinner together!
Eli and the lush grass
Since we don't have much grass in our yard, Eli enjoys frolicking on the well manicured lawns of the state capital groups.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Less words, more pics
I never have as much to say as Dave, but I thought I would add a few new pictures for fun. As you can see, Eli is becoming a better stander. He can stand with support (and without me) for a few seconds now. Boy, does our house need better babyproofing! And, when he sits, he can scoot himself all the way around. He is also becoming a better eater. We can have family dinner....with our without the Cubs bib! Enjoy the pics!
Weekend at Eli's
The last few weeks have been very hectic. Visiting scientists from Tuesday to Thursday conspired to kidnap the middle of both weeks. Nights were filled with business dinners, except for Wednesday, when we hosted the business dinner and about 25 other lab folks at our house for a BBQ. Fortunately the visitors are now all gone and we are returning to normal.
What else has happened in the last few weeks when we've been too busy to write? Eli is getting better at eating every day. He is now using a spoon (tentatively) to push mushy vegetables into his mouth. He is also getting more experienced trying to manipulate soggy Cheerios from his high chair. Twice in the last week, we've tried hard to cook our dinner early so we could eat as a whole family. While Shelby fed Eli, we ate our food and talked about our days. We suspect that Eli will continue to improve his ability to eat 'real' food and we will be having family meals that approximate 'dinner' really soon.
Last week we also got to take Eli to the Farmers' Market, which is pretty much ground zero for Madison parents to mingle while admiring large gourds. Though it was crowded, we had a nice time on a beautiful Saturday morning.
Eli is becoming more mobile with each passing day. He can now scoot himself 360° in a circle. He also falls and rolls, so we have to be cautious that he isn't going to fall into corners or walls. He can press himself up with his elbows and knees too. He isn't crawling yet, but Shelby and I both suspect this will be coming soon.
He is also spending time outside while Shelby and I work in the yard. Last weekend we planted Pachysandra in the backyard. Eli sat contentedly on his blanket while we planted and weeded. This afternoon was a bit chillier, and Eli's tolerance for the blanket was lower. We received a truckload of mulch, though, so getting it off the driveway and onto the yard will be priority for tomorrow.
The nights with Eli are also getting more routine. I don't think Eli has woken more than once per night in the last two weeks. This doesn't mean that Shelby and I are any less tired; we have been getting to bed late because of work/dinners. Hopefully that will begin to settle down in the next week.
Fortunately, the weather has finally gotten nicer and Madison is enjoying its two weeks of spring. Shelby and I have taken advantage of the nice weather to walk to Bluephies for dinner once a week. Eli enjoys his stroller for the first 45 minutes of the hour long walk. He consistently gets fussy at the same spot on the way home. Perhaps we will be able to gauge his development by the length of time (or lack thereof) that he is willing to spend in his stroller? We have also been able to take Eli out in his jog stroller. He seems to like the stroller well enough, but it is hard to push up hills. For us, it is like running on a treadmill while holding onto the hand bars. It messes up our strides and uses up a lot of energy. Hopefully we will acclimate.
Lastly, Shelby and I played soccer together for the first time in more than a year last week. Eli behaved himself well while our babysitter Emma kept him safe and entertained. Tomorrow, for Mothers Day, we will play together again. Hopefully Shelby will score!
What else has happened in the last few weeks when we've been too busy to write? Eli is getting better at eating every day. He is now using a spoon (tentatively) to push mushy vegetables into his mouth. He is also getting more experienced trying to manipulate soggy Cheerios from his high chair. Twice in the last week, we've tried hard to cook our dinner early so we could eat as a whole family. While Shelby fed Eli, we ate our food and talked about our days. We suspect that Eli will continue to improve his ability to eat 'real' food and we will be having family meals that approximate 'dinner' really soon.
Last week we also got to take Eli to the Farmers' Market, which is pretty much ground zero for Madison parents to mingle while admiring large gourds. Though it was crowded, we had a nice time on a beautiful Saturday morning.
Eli is becoming more mobile with each passing day. He can now scoot himself 360° in a circle. He also falls and rolls, so we have to be cautious that he isn't going to fall into corners or walls. He can press himself up with his elbows and knees too. He isn't crawling yet, but Shelby and I both suspect this will be coming soon.
He is also spending time outside while Shelby and I work in the yard. Last weekend we planted Pachysandra in the backyard. Eli sat contentedly on his blanket while we planted and weeded. This afternoon was a bit chillier, and Eli's tolerance for the blanket was lower. We received a truckload of mulch, though, so getting it off the driveway and onto the yard will be priority for tomorrow.
The nights with Eli are also getting more routine. I don't think Eli has woken more than once per night in the last two weeks. This doesn't mean that Shelby and I are any less tired; we have been getting to bed late because of work/dinners. Hopefully that will begin to settle down in the next week.
Fortunately, the weather has finally gotten nicer and Madison is enjoying its two weeks of spring. Shelby and I have taken advantage of the nice weather to walk to Bluephies for dinner once a week. Eli enjoys his stroller for the first 45 minutes of the hour long walk. He consistently gets fussy at the same spot on the way home. Perhaps we will be able to gauge his development by the length of time (or lack thereof) that he is willing to spend in his stroller? We have also been able to take Eli out in his jog stroller. He seems to like the stroller well enough, but it is hard to push up hills. For us, it is like running on a treadmill while holding onto the hand bars. It messes up our strides and uses up a lot of energy. Hopefully we will acclimate.
Lastly, Shelby and I played soccer together for the first time in more than a year last week. Eli behaved himself well while our babysitter Emma kept him safe and entertained. Tomorrow, for Mothers Day, we will play together again. Hopefully Shelby will score!
Monday, May 4, 2009
Bedtime rituals
The last few weeks with Eli have been terrific. He is much more interactive now than he was even at this time last month. He smiles, waves, laughs, and fusses in response to his mood. He really is a bundle of energy. His teachers at school adore him, though even they think he can be very loud when he is trying out his lungs. This weekend he got to spend quality time outside. Our babysitter Emma watched him for two hours while Shelby and I played soccer together. Eli has also been spending time in the front and back yard while Shelby and I do yard work. He will almost certainly be crawling soon.
Shelby now cherishes her nighttime routine with Eli. Though it is a little long (about 9 minutes), the video below shows Eli enjoying the process too.
Shelby now cherishes her nighttime routine with Eli. Though it is a little long (about 9 minutes), the video below shows Eli enjoying the process too.
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