one more

I went back through the pictures from the day, and I had to add one more picture because Eli looked so happy!

Eli's first haircut

We took Eli to get his first haircut today. Not surprisingly, he wasn't too happy about it. He was much happier (and more handsome) afterwards when he got to play in the toy car and crawl around. We also took him to Didier Farms and he got to play with pumpkins and see some farm animals. It is always fun to "moo" at the cows. And, I think he tried to do that today. Enjoy! We are off to Boston tomorrow!

Dave and the crepe guy in Paris

IMG_0408, originally uploaded by dhoconno.

Dave and his new friend, the street crepe guy, in Paris last week.

messy eater

Eli demonstrated his messy habits very nicely today. He put those pieces of cantaloupe on his head, not me. And, he really makes a mess with his avocados. But, he can eat an entire avocado for a meal -- amazing! I also thought folks might like to see Eli wearing his winter attire. I'm sure that will get more use in the coming weeks.....

Oh, and there will hopefully be pics from our trip to the pumpkin patch today. But, those pics are on our other camera and I need to find the cable to get them off of that camera. Stay tuned!

Survived

The entire family survived Shelby's business trip to Duke. Eli and I had a great day last Sunday as I described in the previous blog entry. On Monday morning, I took Eli to school and had a busy day at work. I picked up enough dinners for both of us to last two nights and hunkered in for the night. Unfortunately, I came down with a cold on Monday and was sniffling by evening. Grandma Linda and Grandpa Mike were concerned about my ability to take care of Eli if I was sick myself, so they volunteered to come up on to Madison on Tuesday. Tuesday morning was cold and rainy, so Eli and I spent the morning playing in the house. We went out to eat lunch with Grandma and Grandpa at Noodles, a notable meal because we ate with Eli sans any specific supplies. Having a little extra food on hand would be useful in the future, but it is good to know that in a pinch we can simply take Eli out to eat. Later that afternoon, Mike and I watched the Twins v. Tigers MLB tiebreaker game. Eli also had a bit of a cold, so he slept through a good portion of the afternoon. Shelby came back to Madison on Wednesday night. Before she came back, Eli spent the day in school and I spent the day at work. By 7PM, the entire family was back together again.

The rest of the week passed in a blur. I can't honestly say if anything interesting happened on Thursday or Friday. Saturday we went shopping in the morning and then spent the afternoon around the house. Today was a milestone, as we left Eli at the house alone with a babysitter for 3 hours (thanks Regina!). Shelby and I played a soccer game in the cold, dry fall weather (we even won). No harm befell Eli and he is now playing contentedly with Shelby.

On the Road Again

This morning Shelby left for a business meeting in North Carolina. This is her first business trip by herself in several years and the first time she has entrusted me with Eli's care. So far, so good. He woke up at the normal time, took a cup of milk, ate breakfast, went on a nature walk, played around the house, and took a good nap. Triscuit is getting into the spirit of the week and has been more protective than usual - he even jumped up on Eli's chaise as I set him down to a nap! This afternoon I will take Eli to the zoo and then to my soccer game, where he will be watched by our babysitter. A busy day, but hopefully he won't register too much disappointment about mom's absence.

Today also marks the start of a particularly busy stretch for us. After Shelby gets back from North Carolina late on Wednesday, we are together until next Saturday, when I leave for a week in Paris. After I return on Thursday night, we turn around for a week in Boston two days later. The last trip might be the hardest because we have to pack for Eli.

Eli is now starting to walk with assistance and make noises that sound suspiciously like words. His first unassisted steps could come any day.

And now, some pictures: