Lots of New Developments...

I realize it's been a while since we updated this. It's not that there hasn't been a lot to say, though. What's happened since we last wrote? Well...
1. It snowed in Wilmington! This happens once every two or three years, so we get pretty excited.
2. Eli is sitting up on his own. He still needs help getting into a sitting position, but he can stay there and if he falls he can brace himself.
3. Eli can get around using a one-arm-dragging crawl.
4. Eli out-grew his car seat and stroller. We bought a new car seat but we're still shopping for a jogging stroller.
5. Eli's baby bath moved out of the sink and into the bath tub. He splashes too much!
6. Eli has slept through the night 3 nights in a row! He now wakes up at 7:00 on the dot every morning. I had just been getting used to getting up with him. To be honest, I think I might actually miss it!
7. We updated the shutterfly site. Here are the best of the best...

Just in time

Today is Eli's 6-month birthday, and since I'm getting my hair cut tomorrow, I took this last opportunity to duplicate the photo above. And I think it's a good time to share these lyrics by Jack Johnson:

If I Could
A brand new baby was born yesterday
just in time
papa cried, baby cried
said your tears are like mine
I heard some words
from a friend on the phone
that didn't sound so good
The doctor gave him two weeks to live
I'd give him more if I could

You know that I would now
If only I could
You know that I would now
If only I could

Down the middle drops one more
grain of sand
They say that
new life makes losing life easier to understand
Words are kind
they helped ease the mind
of this, my old friend
And though you gotta go
we'll keep a piece of your soul
One goes out
One comes in

You know that I would now
If only I could
You know that I would now
If only I could

New Movie

If you liked our earlier video of "bouncing Eli" and you are a fan of European rock and other weird stuff and you didn't already see it via Facebook, check out Chris' "EliRock" video on YouTube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PHKRtp5gFo. Hope you enjoy. Caution: bountiful bouncing baby footage!

Not feeling good

For the first time in Eli's short life, he's not feeling so hot. Or rather, he is feeling hot. He has a low-grade fever, a runny nose, and a bad cough. It's likely just a cold, but we really don't like to see him feel bad! The worst part is doing the nasal drops/aspirator suction every time he eats or sleeps. He really doesn't like that, and our doctor's office strongly recommended it to prevent infection. He probably thinks we're trying to torture him. I wish we could explain to him why we're doing it.

If there is a good side to this, it's that he's in the middle of a 3-hour nap right now, which has given me enough time to clean, work out, take a shower, eat lunch, start the laundry, and update the blog. I'm actually caught up on what I wanted to do today--except organize Eli's room. That will have to be done later.

More Photos

Today...Eli looking thoughtful


Today...Eli with Grandma


Eli enjoying his new favorite bathtime toy


Going for a walk, dude.


Daddy, Eli, and Kairos (our newly adopted outdoor cat--he showed up right when we returned from Mom's funeral)


Eli and great-Grandma


Christmas morning!


Christmas Eve

The New Year

Above are some of the photos taken of Eli in his first ever studio camera shoot. We thought he did a pretty good job for his first time. He was very tired by the end. All that forced smiling wore him out!

A couple things about the new year...I had resolved to stop swaddling Eli in 2009. I thought it was going to be hard, because he always seemed to wake up and cry whenever he got out of his swaddling blanket. But apparently, he had the same resolution I did, because at 12:30 AM on January 1, he broke out of his swaddle and refused to be swaddled again. We were shocked that he slept until 7 AM! And then last night he again refused to be swaddled, and he slept until 7:45, only waking up once at 4:30! He's very cute now, sleeping on his side and his belly even. So that wasn't nearly as difficult as I thought it was going to be. I guess he just outgrew it, as everyone told us he would.

Also, I have been saying that I hope 2009 is better than the past couple of years, because I have had some pretty crappy years lately. But I realized on New Year's Day that this year can't possibly be better than last year because I had my mom for 11 months last year. So I can't hope for better, but I can hope for "different" and "happy". Eli is certainly a great source of joy, and since he has started laughing more and sleeping better, motherhood is just getting better and better. I only wish my mom was here to share it with me.