So happy to see Daddy!

I caught Eli's reaction when Brandon got home from work...priceless! We are so thankful that Eli loves baths! He gets excited the second we put him in the sling on the tub. I wish I would have had a camera near by last night because it was so cute when Brandon poured water on his hair; he loved it and started smiling like crazy. I'm trying to create a routine at night, so he'll start to recognize that it's time for bed. 1. Feed him/burp him/change him (this possibly comes at the end although they say babies don't sleep as well on a full stomach) 2. Bath (every other night) 3. Pajamas, sleep sack, and a little massage 4. 1 book (he can only pay attention for about one), 5. Music of some sort (either us singing or cd...Brandon thinks Enya works every time) He still doesn't have a set routine/pattern during the day. I really look forward to when he moves into more of a set nap time etc. He does for sure take a longer nap in the afternoon, but it's not always at the same time, and he doesn't always take a morning nap.

Ouch....

Eli has started grabbing my hair and not letting go, so now I have to keep it tied back or I may lose some! He's also pushing his legs out straight a lot and holding them like that, so he likes to "stand" and you kind of have to force him to sit down on your lap because he'd rather be upright. I love that when we're holding him he opens and shuts his hand and fingers on our arms and shoulders and tickles them; it is so precious. Although, once in a while he grabs at my face and scratches me...I swear his nails grow crazy fast! It's about to start storming and isn't going to let up until tomorrow, so I'll have to post pictures when it's over. One more thing...Congrats to my sister Rebecca for passing her very stressful Oral Comps. that she's been studying for forever for her doctoral Psychology program!! We're so proud!

Rain rain go away!

I am excited for next week when it won't be raining every day and it's supposed to be in the 70's! I'm really missing our daily walks this week. I've had to find my exercise in other ways. Eli's been sleeping great at night and going anywhere from 2 1/2 hours to 3 1/2 between feedings, which I've been thinking is heaven! I think he may be going through a growth spurt, or just had a weird day and night because yesterday he wouldn't nap for longer than 10 minutes at a time. Therefore, he went to bed at around 7:30 and couldn't go back to sleep at 3 a.m. I stayed with him for 40 minutes and when I couldn't take it any longer I woke Brandon up and he stayed up with him for about the same until he finally went to sleep! He was also waking up hungry every 1 1/2 hours! Yikes! Luckily, things seem back to normal today. I was showing him animal flash cards today and he loved the cows....probably because they are black and white...but maybe he'll grow up to be a farmer like his grandpa! I called the pediatrician yesterday to check the status on the flu craziness here in Wichita and it's still around but winding down....a little depressing that we still can't take him out much....better safe than sorry!

Old Grumpa had a farm...

We had an awesome trip and time in Minneapolis with my family! Eli slept the whole way there and back, so it was nice and easy. They smothered him with love, play, and affection and he enjoyed every second of it! We enjoyed mom's wonderful cooking! It's so nice to have parents who are great involved grandparents! Growing up we would wake up in the morning and all go downstairs to snuggle and talk with my parents in their bed. All 5 of us in a full bed! My parents have decided to keep the tradition going with Eli, and he loved it....so did Brandon and I as we were able to catch some more z's in the morning :-) Another thing he loved was Granny's puppet shows! He loved the puppets and my mom's voices. He had a great time looking at all the new scenery at my parents house and out the windows. We went and visited a close friend of the family and Eli was adorable as usual. If any of you have been around Eli you know that he has some serious loud gas and explosions once in a while. Everyone took advantage of the poor little guy. You'd hear someone rip one and then everyone would go..."ELI" He always gets blamed now :-) Eli is still going to bed at around 11/11:30 most nights, so my Dad stayed up and rocked him (he's proud of the fact that he could always knock us out quickly when we were babies and is always showing us his skills). Brandon and I took all the dogs on a mile walk around my parent's pasture, and today we all took the dogs and Eli in the off road stroller down the road for another nice walk. It was so nice today we took another walk when we got back to Wichita! We can't get enough of Spring! I have to put this hilarious picture up. I was changing Eli at the last minute and he kicked into his dirty diaper and got is socks dirty. We had already put his suitcase in the car, so while I was finishing eating my mom found another solution to our sock less problem until I could run out and get another pair. Overall, it was a great weekend and we can't wait for my brother's graduation next month to head back to the hills!

Here we go!

Tonight we're headed to Minneapolis, and the good news is we didn't have to rent a trailer to get all the stuff there :-) Yesterday I had my 6 week appointment and everything is great, so I can start really exercising. Today I used Eli as a 10 lb medicine ball :-) It works great! We had a nice dance around the kitchen as well. Well, I found my pre-pregnancy clothes the other day, but it was pointless because all the shirts were too short because of breastfeeding. I ran out last night and did the fastest shopping of all time! JCpenney was having a huge sale, so I just ran in and grabbed a bunch of stuff, and luckily it all worked out. Brandon was grilling steaks last night and on some strange whim bought frog legs (like I'd ever eat them in a million years...I've tried them before and think they taste like fish which I HATE). Eli is such a joy! He's so much fun to talk and sing to. He really enjoys everything now.

Go Falcons!

So today I have officially fit into 2 pairs of old jeans :-) They are the only pairs I have that are not hip huggers. During my pregnancy Brandon kept saying, "Your hips are getting wider." I never believed him until I tried to put on an old pair of jeans...NOT happening! So, I was happy that at least I don't have to wear maternity jeans...while I attempt to shed about 7 lbs. I finally feel like cooking again. It always seemed Eli wanted to eat or be held at the time I usually start cooking, so I've been making easy things like stir fry, spaghetti, etc. Finally I planned out a weeks worth of meals and am ready to go! I think it's the only way I'm going to get it done is to plan ahead! I was laughing the other day because Friends University (where I graduated last May) sent me a bib to congratulate us on our new arrival...along with a brochure on scholarships for children of alumni. You've GOT TO BE KIDDING ME! The poor kid isn't even 6 weeks old and he's already being hounded :-) There is one thing I'm sure of though; I'm positive that he'd much rather be a Friends Falcon than a Purdue Boilermaker (considering most people don't even know that the heck that is....you're probably going to look it up right now)!!!