Set!

I was sorting through some girl clothing today (that I picked up for free at a rained out garage sale!) and thought how the 6 month pink sweatshirt should be fitting around Valentine’s Day. Then I realized pretty much all girl clothing is made for Valentine’s Day. It is a pink bonanza!

The exciting thing I realized in sorting and organizing all of Eli’s too small clothing as well as the girl items is that we are pretty much set for boy or girl. I may try to buy a dozen or so cloth diapers in infant size so I don’t have to wash quite as often and I do hope that someone makes new baby his or her own special blanket. But as far as needing anything, we really don’t and I haven’t spent anything on the new baby yet!

a few recent pics

Here are just a few recent pictures.

helping Papa pack

being packed!

Elias is such a joy to us. He is full of smiles and giggles. He chatters without end, so verbal without saying many real words! He thinks all animals are ‘dah’ (dog) and that they bark. He eats well and likes almost everything, though he’s still considered skinny for his age. It is very encouraging to see how he can obey even at this age. If I say ‘no’ to something, he will stop and move away most of the time. Occasionally I need to discipline him but it seems that for the most part he understands. We are so thankful for the joy and delight he brings us. What a privilege to parent him.

things you can blame on pregnancy

I think these things are all attributable to pregnancy-related absentmindedness. In the course of a week I lost my blender lid, put the dish soap in the fridge, put the lettuce in the freezer, put the cheese in the freezer and couldn’t find the car keys which were in my pocket. There are actually a few others to add to the list but as a testament to my condition I can’t remember what they were.

Being busy with a little one already makes this pregnancy much different than my last. I spend a lot less time daydreaming about motherhood and actually remind myself on a regular basis that I am in fact pregnant. I’ve felt the first few movements now at 18 weeks. I notice my body changing, though not in a cute way. I remind myself that the reward is worth all this and Matt thinks I’m beautiful…

My Son the Boy

Besides having all the right parts Tori and I have decided due to recent behaviors that our son is full on boy.  Yesterday Tori cut up some mangos and avacados for him to eat.  We’re thankful that he can feed himself some foods, but what was hilarious was that without any prompting he made little car sounds and pushed them around his tray before he ate them. Do little girls do that?

This morning was even better.  As I got out of the shower I passed a little gas and it was quite loud.  Eli was startled at first but then made a little farting noise with his lips.  We both laughed and the clouds parted and my hand decended on my son from above and I was proud.  ‘This is my boy, with whom I can  make farting noises and find future bathroom humor amusing.

recent pictures

We were trying to take some pictures of Elias in his Christmas present clothes but he was not very excited about it. Here are a few cute ones.

I’ve just gotten Eli up from his nap and we’re having a pretty lazy morning. After I fed Eli this morning, Matt got up with him so I could sleep in a bit. Then we all played in our bedroom, watching the snow fall, big, juicy flakes of it. Matt got ready for work, Eli pulled out all the ‘toys’ in our closet, and I folded laundry and checked internet stuff.

It’s almost noon and I’m making myself breakfast. There’s a bag of chocolate chips on the counter from last night’s baking but I think should start the day off with something a little tamer. I bought about 20 lbs bruised organic bananas on markdown for less than .10/lb so I’m blending them up with some yogurt, blueberries and strawberries. So tasty. Eli just gets frozen blueberries and cottage cheese. (I bought the honey yogurt this time and he’s too young for honey.)

by edict of the king

Matt commanded me to post something today because it has been over a month. Here are some pictures from the last month:

blueberries for breakfast

sink bath - doesn't he look more little boy than baby here?

with uncle Kelly at Thanksgiving

with Mama

eli as a bee and other fun

We’ve been very busy the last few weeks. Matt has been getting very regular work which we’re so thankful for. I (Tori) just started volunteering at local organization that helps educate moms, hopefully creating healthy families and keeping kiddos safe before and after birth. There is still much up in the air about our future…hopefully more news there soon. For now, here are some pics of our adorable son. He remains happy (well, except the last few days as he’s been teething) and healthy, and we continue to love him so much.

Playing with Uncle Nate.

Loving on his doll. I put this doll to bed with him, thinking maybe it will be helpful but I don’t think he really cares. He actually doesn’t have a special item, a lovey, that he is attached to at this point.

…

Two triumphs for Elias! Today he tried spinach for the first time and liked it! This is terrific because both of his parents strongly dislike cooked spinach. So far we haven’t seen anything he seems to truly dislike. Hopefully being exposed to a wide variety of foods will help him to not be picky. So far he has eaten soft boiled egg yolks, green peas, spinach, squash, sweet potatoes, mango, applesauce (I canned LOTS of this this month), pears, bananas and plain yogurt. The yogurt seemed to make him more likely to spit up so we’ve only tried that twice. We’ve not used any designated baby food yet, instead purchasing either the whole food or frozen produce and preparing and freezing small portions.

The second triumph: Elias climbed all the way upstairs Tuesday. He had been climbing up two or three for a while but he determinedly did all of them. He was obviously proud of himself, turning around to giggle at me every step or two. Now we have to teach him how to go down safely.

sweet boys