Thanksgiving

We were so blessed to be able to be in Independence with family for Thanksgiving.  After a 24 hour drive across country with no overnight stops, we began our Thanksgiving break.  Elliott did surprisingly well during the trip, although we have no intention of ever driving cross-country with an infant again.

During Thanksgiving we were able to spend time with Kyle's family and visit a lot of our Kansas City friends.  It was definitely a whirlwind trip.  Besides seeing family and friends we went to Crown Center's tree lighting, Arkansas to visit more family, and were able to attend our niece's 1st Birthday party.  It was so great being able to visit everyone again.

One of our highlights was watching Elliott and our niece Ava play together. Everywhere we went Ava and Elliott seemed to have their own paparazzi as everyone wanted to capture all of the cute "kodak" moments.  A few of my favorites-- Ava trying to push Elliott in her doll stroller as Elliott tried to escape, Ava kissing Elliott on the cheek, cousin bath time together, Elliott eating Thanksgiving dinner, and storytime together.  Elliott and Ava are only 6 months apart, so Thanksgiving was the first of many family gatherings where they will get to play together.

Thanksgiving break was so much fun and eventful that Elliott and I actually took a nap together at the airport.  (We actually ended up missing our first flight out of Kansas City, so our trip was extended by a couple of hours...but we got home safely!)

Vacation at last!

Elliott looking at the giraffes @ the Wild Animal Park

Kyle and I finally took a mini-vacation!  The first in almost 2 years!  We decided to go to San Diego, because not only is it beautiful, it's only an hour away.  It was SO nice to enjoy each other's company.  We did all of the touristy things- Seaport Village, Old Town, Balboa Park and celebrated Elliott's half birthday at the Wild Animal Park.  Out of everything my favorite part was going on a leisurely morning walk along the cliffs and admiring the beauty we were surrounded by.  Here are some of our favorite pictures from the trip.

Morning walk along the cliffs

Family photo at Balboa park

 

6 month birthday @ the Wild Animal Park

Elliott's new things

I woke up this morning to Kyle's screams of disgust, "Erin come quick.  Elliott has real "human" poop and it stinks really bad!"  I promptly rolled over and pretended like I wasn't awake to avoid getting roped into changing the diaper.  A real poopy diaper can only mean 1 thing...Elliott has started eating solid food, or human food as Kyle calls it.

The last two weeks Elliott has changed so much.  He is now sitting by himself without falling, can drink out of a cup and has started solid foods.  Besides poopy diapers, eating solid foods also means more laundry.  Elliott's favorite move is to spit food out, wipe his hand on his mouth and rub his tummy...all within a matter of 2 seconds.  He also LOVES drinking water out of cups.  It's great because it keeps him interested at restaurants, however he gets so excited he grabs the cup with both hands while he is drinking and pours it all over his clothes.  Did I mention I am now doing twice as much laundry?

A couple of days ago we took Elliott to a My Gym class and he loved it!  The activities were so much fun, but the monthly membership price was not.  I think we'll just stick to going on free days or during promotions. 

My Gym mirror time

October= visitors and Stoller Strides

It's crazy how being a stay at home mom has made my life even more hectic.  Initially I wanted to update this blog every week, but seeing as it hasn't been updated in a while, I figure once a month is about all I can count on.

The month of October was quite busy!  Elliott and I met my mom in San Diego and enjoyed an extended weekend together.  Kyle's dad flew in and he and his dad ran a 1/2 marathon in LA!  So proud of Kyle for completing the 1/2 marathon.  (Hopefully someday we can run one together)  October was also Halloween and we enjoyed showing our little penguin off at Trunk-or-Treats and Halloween parties.

Probably the most significant thing about October was I joined a group called Stroller Strides.  Stroller Strides is a fitness group of moms and their babies/toddlers.  They meet Mon-Fri at various parks and do an hour of fitness while pushing strollers.  The first class I attended had about 25 moms with a combined total of 35 babies/toddlers.  Once I heard them singing nursery rhymes while doing lunges around their strollers I fell in love!  This group of women not only motivate me to work-out, but inspire me everyday and offer great support.  Elliott and I love going to Stroller Strides!  He especially loves playing with his friends on his blanket.

Elliott and Grandpa Logan at the Pumpkin patch

Grandma Snethen and Elliott in San Diego

Update

I can't believe it's been almost a month since I last updated my blog! Time flies when you're a stay-at-home mommy!

This past month we were blessed to have some friends visit us from Tennessee for 2 weeks. It was so great to catch up, play games and do some site-seeing. We didn't finish our list of "things to do", so they will have to come back soon for another visit!

Shara and Jeff visiting from TN!  We're at the LA fair.

Elliott continues to make us smile everyday by the little things he does. He loves laughing, staring at his fingers, rolling from side to side and standing. He is now 5 months old and we can't believe how fast time has flown!

Elliott at the petting zoo @ the LA fair

Elliott loves to point!

Elliott's sleep has improved dramatically! Most nights he's in bed by 6:30/7:00...which of course means he's up by 6:30! (Being a parent is definitely a life transition...I don't remember the last time I slept in past 7am!) His night feedings have decreased to 1-2 a night. HUGE decrease from the month before! Unfortunately he's become a bit of a "mommy's boy" when it comes to sleep. I am now the only one he will go to sleep with. Previously he would sleep with Kyle or myself, so at times it's hard that I am the only one he will take naps/sleep at night with. Elliott has also transitioned from his cradle into a crib, which gives him more wiggle room. :)

Last week I joined a group called Stroller Strides. It's an exercise group of moms with strollers that work out 5 mornings a week. Besides getting a pretty good work-out we are able to socialize with other moms/babies. Most mornings I spend 1-2hrs after class socializing with the other moms and introducing new babies to Elliott. Elliott is still not sure of other babies...he just stares intently...maybe that's because there are about 20 women in my class and some have 2 children (baby/toddler) so it's a bit overwhelming from our house!

All in all, life is great! When you change your schedule to reflect your life's priorities, it's amazing how good you feel at the end of the day.

Precious Sleep

We got a card in the mail last week from our electric company notifying us that they would be doing maintenance work in the area and we might lose power from 9pm-9am. We joking said we would use candles for the night, but didn't give it much thought. Well, last night was THE night. The electricity went off around 11pm. Little did we realize that "electricity" meant refrigerator, air conditioning and all outlets. At night our bedroom sounds a bit like the ocean due to all of Elliott's white noise machines. (It takes 2-3 to get him to sleep, plus a seahorse that plays timed lullabys.)

Within seconds our room became silent and warm...which turned into hot (even with the windows open) and full of noise as our little one unexpectedly woke up from his deep slumber. I wish the electric company knew how much work it took to get Elliott into a deep sleep and the improvements he's been making the last few weeks. After stripping Elliott of his clothes we both took 1 hour shifts rocking him back and forth and trying to recreate the white noise he's used to. (Side note: Now that I am a parent I am amazed at the things I do for my baby at all hours of the night!) Needless to say none of us slept well last night and it was a LONG day for Kyle and Elliott while I worked.

I love watching Elliott's entire face light up the second he sees me and hears my voice. He laughs, makes lots of talking noises and grabs my hands. Ahhh. Tonight when I got home he was so tired he fell asleep after 10minutes of playing and 5 minutes of nursing. It wasn't even his bed time yet! I just sat back, drew his precious body close to mine and admired this little being nuzzled deep within my lap.

2 Days to Go

The last week and a half have been quite interesting and trying for all of us sleep-wise. We had a great Labor Day weekend and enjoyed BBQs and swimming. By the end of last weekend Elliott was sleeping almost through the night...only woke up twice. HUGE improvement from 12-15 times!

I went back to work on Tuesday and the nightmare began again. While I was at work Elliott cried for 3 solid hours. I felt really bad for Kyle because I would have tried to come home early, but I didn't have my cell phone with me. When I got to my car after work I had a voice-mail in 20 minute increments of Elliott crying... The second I walked in the house and he heard my voice he stopped crying and started smiling. Let's just say the week has progressed from there... It's getting harder to put him to bed at night because he wants to be in my arms and will cling for an hour or two before letting me put him down. Poor baby... Poor daddy... Only 2 more work days to go!

On another note I think Elliott is teething. Not only is he gumming me while he eats (that's a fun experience), but he's gumming everything he can get into his mouth. He's also become quite a drooler. With me working and early stages of teething it makes sense why he's having a tough time. Kyle and I swear we heard Elliott crying "Momma" tonight when he woke up to nurse. We listened closely and he repeated it several times. Craziness!