Haircut

Guess who sat perfectly still like a little angel for his haircut last night! Woo hoo! The hairdresser put it in a mohawk for fun. He's super proud of his new haircut!

Wicked recovery!

I haven't blogged in a week. It's sad! I have had a headache for 8 days, so I've just been taking every chance to rest. Finally, this morning I don't feel one. Last night I laid in a warm bath for like an hour while Eli and Brandon ran errands, and it really helped! I've been working on baby stuff a lot. Brandon brought me home a bunch of storage containers to store Eli's old clothes in, so I got to work on that last night. We've figured out how we can arrange our room to fit the crib, rocker, and will turn our dresser into a changing table. Feels good to have a plan.

Last weekend was Wicked. It was SO amazing! One of my best friends from college (who I haven't seen in a couple years) just happened to be sitting in the seat in front of us. We were stoked to get to catch up and hang out. We were 5 rows from the front! It rocked! I was in pure heaven, and Brandon and Will loved it. It didn't get over until 11:00 p.m. and when we got home Eli had woken up and was upset that the babysitter had gone in his room when she heard him crying. Needless to say, Eli would not leave my arms. I tried sticking him in bed with us because I was so tired, but once again we were reminded that he will NOT sleep with us. He was laughing, dancing, snuggling, talking. Finally, I stuck him back in his crib and all was fine because he knew we were here. Then, I couldn't sleep! Needless to say, the next day I was sick as a dog and it's taken me a couple days to recover. I'm used to going to bed at 9, so going to bed at 1 or 2 doesn't work for me!

Eli is so funny about church. He cries every time we head towards Sunday school, but then doesn't want to leave when we come to pick him up. It's so weird. We were laughing because when we were leaving the house for church Eli ran and hid behind the bed because he didn't want to go. How funny! Then, he ALWAYS loves it. He likes to show off his craft/art that went with the lesson and tells us what he did with the other kids. We have a show an hour away on Friday, Halloween Saturday, then headed to my parents for a few days Sunday. It's going to be fun!

Mother nature I love you!

We've been savoring the past few days of strangely warm weather. It has been in the 70's for the first time in over a month! Glorious! Besides our normal walks, hide and seek outside, chalk, sandbox, feeding the geese, leaf gathering, etc. we've taken Eli to two parks the last two evenings. We hit up Sedgwick County Park to test out their new equipment and back to our familiar Riverside Park last night. What fun! We were laughing because a lot of the kids Eli played with the first night were back at our park last night. It's usually the little girls that want or make and effort to play with him. It's adorable. I've come to the conclusion it's because they are more advanced than the boys socially and able to play with each other more than the boys. Eli loves it. The boys acknowledge eachother, but don't play so much (unless there is a ball or something physical). He had several little girlfriends both nights. This one little girl Trinity was holding Eli's hand and catching him at the bottom of the slide and bossing him around. It was so cute. She kept calling him "baby" even though she was just a few months older. We were cracking up. It's fun to watch Eli's fascination with other kids. You should see him show off for the girls. We were walking playing in leaves on the sidewalk today and his friend Jackson was out playing. Eli quickly grabbed a stick and a rotted leaf to take as gifts to him. Jackson loved it and they gave eachother high five. Fun! Eli loves Petsmart. He loves looking at the cats and playing with all the balls. Well, Rica was overdue for a haircut so Eli got to go there twice yesterday. In the evening, when we were picking her up all these dogs in costumes started showing up. It was the funniest thing I've ever seen. They were doing Halloween pictures for the animals and having a parade around the store. I kept laughing so hard at the funniest costumes. Eli thought Rica looked hilarious shaved and kept feeling her back. My parents are coming tonight for Wicked (we go Saturday). Eli is in for another grandparent surprise! He's going to be thrilled!

NANA and BUM!

Eli came down with a cold on Thursday. I was so worried it was the flu, but we totally lucked out! So far, he's just had a runny nose and hasn't acted any different at all. He was overjoyed to have his grandparents here this weekend. We played a benefit concert at Vineyard with Mitch McVicker on Friday night. It went really well and was nice to listen to an amazing musician/performer after we were done while Nana babysat Eli. Saturday we just enjoyed a fun day with the family. Eli just goes crazy when they are here! He talks about them every day and demanded their attention every second! We took a long walk through Oak Park (large forest) near our house and gathered beautiful leaves. For lunch we hit up Panera. Eli loves Panera. He loves their broccoli soup and sat there perfectly eating away at all the healthy goodness. Saturday night, we went to a Japanese steak house to celebrate my brother and cousin's birthday. Eli loved the fire but whined/cried and said "DONE!" everytime the guy clanked the knives on the grill. He hates loud clanking noises like that. He scarfed down shrimp, rice, soup etc. but we took turns taking him out while the guy was cooking. So annoying! I was so tired after that meal. Ug! Brandon led worship today, and I was dissapointd all weekend I wouldn't be able to see him, since Eli was sick. Mom offered to watch Eli while I ran and enjoyed worship at church. It was wonderful! While I was gone she took Eli to Walmart and got him some wooden blocks and a giant bag of balls (which she put into our shower for a ball pit). Eli has been playing with both things all day. What a treat! He reminded us all day that "NANA!" had gotten those things for him. So cute!

I have several really exciting things to look forward to in the next few months! I'm so excited to see Wicked next weekend with Brandon and my brother. I saw it on Broadway on our NYC trip and it was so much fun I just HAD to see it again. It's our anniversary present. Halloween should be a blast this year. Then, in a month we have tickets to see Maroon 5 (our favorite band), which is our Christmas present to eachother! After that, Thanksgiving, sonogram on Dec. 8 (which we should be able to find out the sex), and Christmas! All of which I am stoked for!

Rain rain go away....don't come back for a while please!

Woke up to another cold rainy miserable day, so I packed Eli up and we headed to the mall play place (since I knew that early there would be NO other kids to infect him with illness). A creepy guy was watching us and even came up to me and tried talking to me etc....so we left after about an hour. Luckily at the time I go there are 15 million mall walkers and older folks with their morning coffee clubs, so I felt safe enough. We tried to play outside all bundled up, but I was freezing and Eli's hands were getting red, so we had to head in. At least we got a few minutes fresh air running around. Tomorrow the weather man is PROMISING sunshine and he better be right! Eli has been really into building block towers right now. He can build a pretty tall tower and is very gentle and careful so it doesn't fall over too soon. Brandon taught him to fly his airplanes into them to knock them over. (9/11...yeah I know). He gets pretty frustrated if they fall over too soon, but I've been really trying to teach him that it's okay to mess up/lose/etc. I always say "Try, try again!" and it seems to be working. We've been doing a lot of art projects/crafts since the weather has been horrible. Yesterday Eli painted a pretty picture, then we glued beautiful Fall leaves onto it. I hung it in the window, and he is SO proud. The second Brandon came home he ran to show him his masterpiece. So cute! Time to make more leaf decorations to put around and add some color to this dreariness!

This afternoon I had a doctor's appointment with my beloved OB. I was glad to hear that my antibody screen was great...no positive antibodies (from Eli's A+ blood). Seems that the Rhogam did the trick! He couldn't find a heartbeat (I'm only 10 1/2 weeks), since I'm still early so he was kind enough to suggest rolling in the sonogram machine so I could have peace of mind. It was obvious why he couldn't hear it because the placenta was blocking the entire front of my uterus. It's in a good spot he said, but just makes it hard to hear the heartbeat. We could see the baby beyond the placenta and there was a great little heartbeat beating away! I'm glad everything is going well....well except the fact that I'm out of jeans. I'm sad to say it is time to move onto maternity jeans. I'm almost out of the first trimester. This pregnancy is flying by! Brandon awoke at 4 a.m. this morning to find a little mouse (aka ME) nibbling crackers on the bed.....well make that a giant bloated mouse. I woke up and was so hungry I couldn't go back to sleep. Poor Brandon. I didn't want to wake Eli (always my main concern), so I was just crunching away in our room. Ah, pregnancy is crazy! I am extremely emotional this past week. Ask Brandon ;-) I think I've thrown a couple tantrums, cried if I've seen or read anything sad in the news or at church, bawled when watching my tv shows during Eli's nap at anything even romotely sad, etc. It is just rediculous. I don't remember being this way with Eli...but I probably was. I got an e-mail from a pregnancy site saying this week should be marked by extreme hormone reactions like crying etc.....they were RIGHT ON!!!!

Our neighbor's son finally died of pancreatic cancer this week. He's been living with his parents next door under Hospice care all summer since he was terminal. When he was diagnosed last spring they gave him a couple of weeks....he lived for over 6 months. Every day I'd watch him sitting on the porch while I played with Eli and try to imagine being in his shoes or being in my neighbor Tamara's shoes as she watches her son wither away quickly. I definitely have hugged Eli tighter. As a mother, I can't even imagine. Something doesn't feel right without Doug sitting on the porch swing trying to savor his last moments of fresh air. I'm glad he's no longer in pain and am praying he's with his creator!

Boom boom pow!

Eli's had an obsession with this song for a while now. He heard it on the radio and has been stuck on it ever since. It's by the Black Eyed Peas. He even recognizes the female singer on magazine covers etc. We've been trapped indoors with this horrible Winter weather. My parents actually got SNOW! You've got to be kidding me! Highs in the 30's and miserable drizzle. I'm almost to the point of insanity. Yesterday, was the first day it's been nice enough to take Eli out for a few hours in the afternoon. We went on a leaf gathering quest. He decided he thought the brown rotten leaves were the prettiest of the bunch, so while he gathered his "pretty" leaves I focused on the red! Finally, I convinced him to only pick up red and yellow! Score! Will write more when I've gained sanity back!

Happy 21st Birthday little brother!

I'm sitting here drinking a cup of warm hot chocolate hoping to scald away the chill of Autumn that has snuck in around here! I've already had the heater running at night a little bit to keep Eli snug. We'll have our first freeze this week! I'm glad I got my bulbs in! I have to admit, the crunchy leaves, crisp walks, pumpkins, soups, Halloween decorations....everything is exciting to me this year. I think it's because Eli's really old enough to enjoy and appreciate everything. Makes it all new and exciting for us too! As much as I despise the thought of Winter and being stuck inside, I keep reminding myself that you can't have Spring without it! Sunday evening we enjoyed a fun birthday party at the Racchini's house. Ethan turned two! I'll never forget the day of his birth because it was the same day I found out Eli was a boy. Eli had a great time playing with all his friends and loved all the goodies in his gift bag. Amy Racchini is expecting too right now and is due May 14th...a week after me! I'm so excited to have kids the same age again! The past couple days have been spent getting supplies for the chili party I'm throwing for my brother's 21st birthday and my cousin Sam's 20th! It's another cousin party! Woo hoo! We've been looking into seeing about putting a separate heating/cooling unit upstairs to get some more air flow up there. We're getting three different bids this week. I will never feel completely comfortable having our kids up there unless we can really regulate the temperature better. It is connected to the central air, but because this house is so old there is barely any air flow up there. We'll see what we can afford! Funny story time. Eli loves to toot. He's a boy through and through. The other day he tooted, laughed hysterically and decided he wanted to keep tooting. He balled his fist and was pushing as hard as he could to try and work some up. Brandon and I were rolling. He actually managed to get a few more out...much to his pleasure. What would we do without him? P.S.-That's Veggie and Ham Cheddar Chowder all over his face. He was licking the bowl clean. What manners ;-)

Orpheum!

We played at the Orpheum Theatre here last night for Gracefest 09. It was fun! They had 4 Christian bands of different styles. It was amazing being up on the beautiful stage! Luckily my parents came and watched Eli for part of the time and my brother took over when the show started so they could come and watch. From sound check to finish we were there for 9 hours!!!! Luckly Eli was asleep most of that time. The last performer, Christopher Cody had a HUGE production. I mean, costume changes, like 9 performers, dancers etc. It was hilarious. He was the one who invited us to play at it. We were hanging out under stage in our dressing room and this lady came in...."Hair and makeup is ready for you." We all looked at eachother like....YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!!! What the heck, I had them touch up my make up and a couple of the guys had them do their hair. We never get star treatment....so it was SO hilarious. We kept joking and laughing the whole time. Definitely an interesting experience. Eli and I were walking back from feeding the geese and one of our neighbors was having a garage sale. I saw this little kids plastic chair that I knew Eli would love. We snagged it and he helped me carry it home. Hoping to use it with his art table. He kept posing in it for me :-) The other picture is of Eli hugging the baby. At least a few times a day, he remembers the baby and will lift my shirt up to give the baby a kiss or hug or point and say "Bree". We've found one way for Brandon to really get snuggles from Eli is for Brandon to "scratch/tickle" his back. It's so cute. Melts my heart. I got some serious organizing done yesterday while Eli had some daddy son time. I went upstairs and sorted throught the baby gear taking off all the cloth covers on the car seat, swing, bouncy, etc. and put everything in trash bags ready to pre-wash when the time comes. Also, threw in bibs, burp rags, towels, bedding, etc. Anything to make it easier right before I have this baby! I'm going to have to use the dining room closet for some of the babies clothes etc. because our nursery doesn't have a closet. I bought bins/baskets and totally reorganized it, so there should be plenty of room for the baby stuff and all the other towels, sheets, etc. that need to go in there. Feels good to be getting stuff done gradually, so there will be less to do at the last minute. I know the next few months are going to fly by with all the holidays. Headed to Ethan Racchini's birthday dinner/party tonight. I'm so excited for Eli to play with the kids and have some fun with our friends! Brandon was commenting on how well he plays with other kids (for not being in daycare). Earlier, Brandon was walking him around and our neighbor's grandkids were out and he joined them. They were a lot older like 5 and 7, but Brandon was saying he had a lot of fun playing. They taught Eli how to "pound it". They kept telling Eli to "give me some knuckle" and Brandon said he immediately caught on and would pound his fist into theirs. SO cute! He's growing so fast.

Eli obviously has NO fear of water!

Boy or Girl?????

Of course one of the main issues on our mind with this new baby is whether it is a boy or girl. It's fun to talk about! With Eli, Brandon and I were just positive he was a boy from the second we found out we were expecting. This baby, not so much. I've really struggled with trying to picture another baby in our family and I can only picture a girl. When I try to picture a boy all I see is Eli. Any attempts at picturing myself holding a boy is returned with images of Eli as a newborn. A girl is so foreign to me and different from Eli that it's easier to picture. Obviously, we want HEALTHY!!!! That is our main concern! I think every parent tries to picture having such an intense love and passion for another child besides the first, and it seems impossible. Eli is all I know! If it is a boy, it will be fun to see the differences and similarities between them. Sorry boys, the comparison is going to happen whether you like it or not....I won't love you more or less! Pros of having another boy are: I would love for Eli to have a little brother to play with, we already have EVERYTHING for a boy, definitely would be easier financially because we have all the clothing already, most of our toys are boy geared, we know how to deal/play with boys, etc. Pros of having a girl are: I'm sick of being outnumbered (ha ha), exciting new territory, wouldn't have to play ball 24 hours a day (please can I just play dolls/barbies for a day?), would love to buy all the adorable dresses/hair clips etc., Eli would hopefully grow up more sensitive to women's issues. I've noticed that men who had sisters are better husbands in a lot of ways (not saying it's always the case, but seems a little easier at least). I just am DYING to find out! The cool thing is, I think I'll be having my next sonogram right before Christmas....so I'm hoping for an early Christmas present and a cooperative baby so I can find out and buy some last minute things to throw under the tree!

Eli and I spent yesterday planting bulbs and putting up Halloween decorations. I had printed off a bunch of Halloween coloring pages off the internet and the past month we've been working on them and cutting them out. Now that it's October it was time to hang them on the windows! Eli is so proud. He points to them all the time reminding me HE colored them! I'm so glad I did that! We also hung up a light up pumpkin in the window and he helped me put up Halloween window stickers. I wish I could just go crazy and spend tons of money on decorations, but think it would be better to just add a few new things each year and hopefully I'll have enough some day! As we were putting up the window stickers he started saying NANA! NANA! NANA! and pointing at some of the stickers. No surprise.....guess what the stickers were. CANDY! I started cracking up. He always tells on her ;-) ;-) He doesn't get sugar from me folks. If he ever hears anyone say "cookie" or "candy" he always says NANA! That's what grandmas are for, right?