A few of Eli’s favorite tasty things…

I’m beginning to wonder if Eli even has a sense of taste. No, seriously. He eats anything and everything, and it seems all things are created equal. I made homemade green bean and parsnip purees and they smelled so vegetable-y (insert grimace here) and even tasted just as potent. I fully expected Eli to clamp his mouth shut and/or spit it out, but he happily lunged at the spoon like usual. Unbelievable. I even had some fruit puree on standby, thinking I was going to have to doctor it up, but nope. If he wasn’t so obviously a little me I’d wonder if he’s really mine. I’m not a big veggie fan.**Baffled**.

Anyway, I gave him a piece of apple today which not only made him happy, but managed to entertain me for a good hour as well. He is so funny. I loved watching him scrape out the fleshy part with his 2 new toofers and look so proud of himself as he chipped away at it, slowly but surely.

Such a ham, munchin’ on his apple.

And don’t forget the sock chaser to cleanse the palate:

mmm, nothin’ like a tasty sock.

And dessert:

That would be the tassel to my hoodie in his mouth. When I was finally successful in getting him to relinquish his beloved new teether, I literally wrung it out and made a puddle on our couch (sorry honey, I didn’t realize just how soaked it really was. whoops) I’m not even lying. Now I smell like baby saliva .

So to recap what I’ve learned today:

1.) All foods (and inanimate objects) are created equal in the world of Eli.

2.) Hoodie tassels can hold 8 ounces of spit at one time.

3.) A parsnip looks like a carrot but is cream colored and is NOT a carrot gone bad (although based on the taste test I’m willing to contend this)

and lastly,

4.) I’m pretty sure my kid has consumed more carpet fuzz than my vacuum has in the past 4 years that I’ve had it. I sure hope his little digestive track can handle it all :/

That is all. Na night.

-Linds

A video of Eli on the move…

The other day I mentioned how Eli scoots backwards but doesn’t crawl, well here’s a video of Mr. Talented scooting forward—on his butt.

He’s on a mission…

Mission accomplished.

I think baby-proofing is in order…

-Linds

P.S I can see his second toofer coming in right next to the first one

A travel chair…

Well I hopped onto the Pinterest bandwagon just like everyone else. I tried to hold out as long as possible but peer pressure and sheer curiosity got the best of me . 
What I like best about it is when I stumble upon fun craft ideas, I just “pin” it and come back to it when I’m ready to start. No pressure, no commitment. Ha! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wracked my brain trying to remember where I saw a cute craft idea that I wanted to make, and the inevitable fist shaking in air when I can’t find it! Well not aaaaannyymooooorre .
I stumbled upon this little gem:

How cute is that??! You can find the easy peasy tutorial here. (She suggests using quilted fabric but that’s super expensive and typically comes only in old lady designs, so I just used my own fabric with some batting I had lying around instead). Oh how I wished I had something like this a few weeks ago when a couple friends of ours invited us over to dinner with Eli included. You should have seen my epic fail when I tried to fashion a high chair by propping him up on a pillow and straight jacketing him to the chair with his own blankie, (not my proudest moment). It was pretty comical for us adults but Eli was not having it. I even took a picture but then deleted it for fear of getting hate mail and being reported to DCFS for safety concerns . Anyways, now I can just tuck this puppy in my oversized purse (you know how I love convenience and “totability”), or leave it in my car for those unexpected lunch/dinner dates with people who don’t have a spare high chair lying around like my mom .
Here’s mine:

He humors me .

Here’s how it works:

You thread the strappy thing through the spokes on the chair, he sits on the mat part, then you pull the front part up through his legs, wrap the straps around and velcro in place. The last step is to fold down the excess over the velcro-ed straps in front. Once you’re all set, you watch your kamikaze son check it’s limits and give you a small heart attack, like so:

“Can it handle me doing thiiiisss…..”

***Obviously you should only have your bundle of mischief joy in this thing with you near by, and never ever,ever,ever,EVER leave him unattended while in it***

Yay for the adorable boy fabric, right?? Oh and here it is tucked into my purse:

I’m lovin’ it.
Alrighty, that’s all for now. Later gator.
-Linds

What the…?

New fashion trend, buddy? “Yeah mom, all the cool babies wear their shirts like this.”

So there you have it.

Hey if you got the guns, flaunt’em right? Ha ha. Crazy kid. He never fails to entertain me .

-Linds

A scooter on the loose…

Does backwards scooting count as crawling?? Because he no longer stays where I put him. Yesterday he pushed up onto his knees and rocked a bit but then resumed the planking position like usual. But when I leave the room and come right back, he’s at least 5 feet from where I left him! Like here for example. He has a nice little setup with my “C” maternity pillow around his play mat but he found the opening and this is where I find him 5 seconds later:

And where exactly do you think you’re going young man?? Look at that sh** eating grin. He cracks me up!

Pray for me.

-Linds

One can NEVER have too many drool bibs…

Amirite?!? Sweet baby Jesus there has been copious amounts of baby drool around these parts. Grandma constantly tells me the kid needs a bib because he’s soaked, but I always hesitated because I didn’t want to cover up the cute onesie underneath :/ So that got me thinkin’, I should put the cute onesie designs on the bib so what’s under the bib doesn’t matter. Simple drool bibs are super easy to make so I started a few yesterday while Eli napped and today made some more because he was down for THREE hours! He hasn’t done that since he was a newborn. I have TONS of ideas floating through my head. The options are endless. Of course all my ideas are for girl bibs. I need to have a baby girl asap….or Steph does.
So my little muse wearing one of his bibs today:

All smiles after his 3 hour nap.

Ok gotta run. Auntie Stephie and Uncle Pibe are home from their mini vacation to New York so we wanna go say hi.

Toodles!

-Linds

We have a toofer in the Hiz-ouse!

That’s right ladies and gentlemen, Eli cut his first tooth! It took 7 months and 17 days . The past couple of days I’ve seen what I thought were little white lines on his lower gums so I figured any day now (but who am I kidding? I’ve thought this for months!) Sure enough, I stuck my finger in there to feel for myself after daddy claimed he felt it and I squeeled! On his right lower gum I felt the ridges of that first tooth. I’m so proud. I think #2 is right around the corner since I can see a white line next to it as well.

That explains the rosy chapped cheeks and all that slobber.

The best part was Daddy had come upstairs for a study break when I mentioned seeing the white lines so he checks and confirms the toofer and I totally thought he was just pulling my leg. So my point is we got to share this “first” all together as a fam. Together now, “awwwww!”

Here the big guy is celebrating with mom and dad:

Believe me, I tried desperately to get a gummy grin for you all so you can see it but this was the best I could get

Just wanted to share our good news, na night.

-Linds

What a ham bone…

Well, it’s time for Eli’s nap and he is fighting it tooth and nail. I don’t get it. Yesterday, he went down no problem. Today It’s like I’m trying something brand new and he’s afraid of this thing called a “nap”**shiver**. Uh, kiddo, we’ve been doing this little schedule for over 7 months now. At bedtime, I lay him down wide awake and he’s like “ok, I know what to do now. Momma wants me to go na nights. Ok. Done.” Easy peasy. Naps? “Wait, what is this crazy lady wanting me to do right now? Go ‘na nights??’ What the heck is that lame sauce?!” …Sigh.

So out of the crib he comes to sit with me on the couch for a bit. I’m on to his scam though. He puts on all the charm he can muster in that little pint sized body of his so that momma doesn’t banish him back to that bad place, aka “crib”.

Exhibit A (enjoying his 1 hr a day out of his helmet, in case you were wondering where it was):

“See mom, I’m way funner when I’m outa my crib” Mmm hmm.

Exhibit B:

“Mom, you’re the greatest mom in the whole wide world!” Mmm hmmm.

Exhibit C:

“Mom, you’re so funny..and did I mention beautiful…?” Mmm hmm.

And Exhibit D:

“But momma, I’m not tired…” Mmm hmm. I can tell Sweet Pea.

Kids, I tell ya.

-Linds

Happy Valentine’s Day and some good news!

No, I’m not pregnant
So today Eli and I went to his 1 week follow up visit with Cranial Technologies (CT) to make sure our first week in the helmet went well and to do measurements. This morning, while doing our 1hr free time out of the helmet, I was picking Eli up out of his jumper and didn’t see the obvious flatness on the back when usually that’s the clearest I can see it—looking straight down from above him. I thought, “huh, that’s interesting, it’s like his head is improving already.” But then I dismissed the thought as I proceeded to get him dressed and head out of the house.
Well we get to CT and I take his helmet off so the lady can measure his head and shave down some more of the foam core on the inside (this allows for further growth in the flattened areas) and I noticed it again. His head did not seem as flat on that one side and the back was so much rounder than before! She measured it and commented how he’d had a growth spurt since last week’s measurement and that his head looked less flat also when comparing it to his photos. What perfect timing! I’m so glad we caught this growth spurt while IN the helmet. Woo hoo buddy! I should have known though. He’s been eating a TON, waking up twice during the night to eat, we had to raise his jumper up to the next notch and he’s just seemed so cumbersome to carry in his carrier—all just within this past week! I guess when I think growth spurt, I think weight and height, not head circumference. So, I’m super encouraged that the helmet is working, and I have my fingers crossed that he’ll be out of this thing well before 3 1/2 months as previously predicted. I understand that baby’s growth dramatically decreases after the 7 1/2 month mark and I don’t want to get my hopes up, but I reeeeally needed to see this improvement . *Squeeal!*

He’s growin’!

****************************************************************************

Well it’s just me and the kiddo today for Valentine’s day. Daddy is in Vegas where he got offered a free trip to speak at a conference. (I know, lucky right?!) So we crashed auntie Stephie’s house today to have a visit.

How cute are they?!?! I love this pic. My little heart breaker. He’s a trend setter—rockin’ the one sock/shoe off 

Steph even managed to snag an unsolicited kiss out of him! Unbelievable that she gets it and not me, I’m jealous. It really was hilarious though because he just leans forward, plants one on her lips (it was at least a good 3 seconds long) and then licks her chin. Ha ha ha. I WISH I had gotten a picture of it! So funny. Love that kid. He also spoiled her by giving her a little foot rub. Oh uuuuuncle Piiiiibeeeee! Your nephew is setting the bar high for you on this Valentine’s day. Top that.

That’s all. Have a good one ladies and gents.

-Linds

Just playin’ with our Dinosaur

Well it’s another Sunday funday, for Eli and I anyway. Not so much for daddy :/ He’s stuck in his man cave doing homework. Poor thing. I personally don’t know how he keeps his sanity working full time AND doing full time school work. I know I wouldn’t be pleasant to live with if the roles were reversed. But we can all see the light at the end of the tunnel. He’ll be graduating in May with his MBA… “Graduating in May with his MBA”—sing with me: “graduating in May with his MBA!” (The joys of living with a baby, where everything is turned into a rhyme or song to sing. Who’s with me on this? ) Eli and I are SO proud of you daddy!!!
So what do WE do while daddy is working on school work you may ask? Why, we play with dinosaurs of course! Here he is giving his interpretation of what a dinosaur sounds like:

Right on Eli, right on.

This video is dedicated to Auntie Stephie who hasn’t seen him in a few days due to that dreaded “w” word which shall not be named…

-Linds

Eli’s spiffed up Doc band…

Not gonna lie. I feel sooooo much better about Eli’s helmet now that it’s painted. The stark whiteness of it, made it seem like there was something wrong with my baby. Each time I looked at  him in it, my heart broke a little. I couldn’t explain it but it made me sad. Kind of like seeing your kid in a cast, I would imagine. I guess it just made me go down that pity road of “what if…” What if Eli did bang his head against stuff? What if he did crack his skull open from a fall? Gah! I just can’t bare the thought! As a parent, we naturally just want the best for our children, plain and simple. I once questioned if I was even cut out for having children of my own because I’m very sensitive when it comes to hurt feelings or seeing a child fall/get hurt. I don’t want to hear about Eli getting bullied or shoved down or have him break an arm—all of which are just about guaranteed to happen at least once in our lifetime, right? I mean who out there has never had someone tease them, or hasn’t broken a bone? Ok enough depressing thoughts. Lets move on to the good stuff.
Now the big reveal. I love it. I did end up stealing the “just fixin’ my flat” idea because it makes me laugh every time. I also had to do an airplane for obvious reasons. I envisioned the plane in the little bump out area over his forehead and the plane spelling out his name in loop-d-loops. Can you picture it yet? Also from the instant that white helmet went on, I thought how much more I’d “like” it if it were baby blue. So baby blue it is . I’ll admit I was shakin’ in my pink slippers worrying I may ruin this thing. I guess my strong dislike for the white was stronger than my fear of jacking it up :/
So the front, I just free handed because I couldn’t find cute baby-like airplane stickers (what the heck people! I ran into the same problem when decorating his nursery. Somebody wanna get on that? You have a large untapped market to take advantage of and I’ll keep you in business ) And the back is using stickers.
So without further ado, the before:

Hello handsome

The, to me, much improved after:

Front view

Back view.

Now I’m not a gambler by nature (that would be my mom, Hi mom!) so I made sure to follow the tips and recommendations from Cranial Technologies on how to go about decorating it. Isn’t that funny that they encourage it? I was so surprised about that. Anyways they recommend using non toxic acrylic paint and mod podge to seal it. After I painted his helmet it started to chip just by applying the stickers! I was seriously worried about it’s ability to endure Eli playing and sleeping in it. But I did one coat of mod podge over everything, crossed my fingers, said a little prayer, and put him to bed and hoped for the best. I was so giddy to see it held up over night when I went to get him up this morning! Not a single chip! Woo hoo!

So, now I look at my widdle guy and see a cool new hat, not a medical device . So what do YOU think?

-Linds

Eli waves for the first time!

Well day one is complete and I am happy to report that Eli seems none the wiser that he has a new accessory on his head. These past 24hrs in the helmet went without a hitch. He slept normally and wasn’t fussy or trying to take it off at all. I’m a proud momma . Thank you all that called or texted inquiring about how he did his first day in it. That means a lot to me.
Today we had a play date with Eli’s buddy Mason, and decided to take the boys in their strollers and walk around the mall. The boys brought their aunties and we all had a nice time just hanging out and strollin’. I think Eli had a little crush on Sara’s sister because she had him giggling and she got him to wave for the first time! It was SO stinkin’ ca-uute that I just had to get it on video and show you all. This is for you grandma :

How cute is that?! Being all shy. Poor kid had 3 blondes inches from his face cheering him on. Ha ha.

I feel bad because I think there are a LOT of people who are not familiar with the Doc band so they look at him full of curiosity. I’ll bet they think I’m a paranoid momma who won’t let my child out of the house without a safety helmet on! (My hubby would probably say that that’s not too far from the truth, ha!) Either that, or they think he’ got a disability like he must bang his head on things or something, Breaks my heart. No peeps, he’s perfect, just trying to round out that noggin of his is all.

I saw a helmet on the internet the other day that was decorated with construction cone stickers and a decal that said “Just fixin’ my flat!” Ha ha ha. I about died. How funny! Some people are just so creative.

Well that’s all for the update. Toodles!

-Linds

The Doc band has arrived…

Well, the time has come. Eli is now sportin’ his new head gear, aka “the helmet”. He seems perfectly fine with it on. I think it bothers me more than it does him. I can barely tolerate wearing a hat/glasses/headband/ear warmer more than a couple hours because my head starts to hurt. That’s what worries me about the helmet for Eli. I hope it doesn’t dig in and cause pain or irritation like I know it would me. He’s a baby. He can’t tell me that it bothers him and that it needs to come off. Even the softest knitted hats bother me after a few hours I am happy to report though, that the whole top of his head is exposed so I can still sniff and kiss that sweet baby scented head of his. Mmmm mmm. With out further ado, here is my widdle guy:



Next on the to do list: Pimp it out! Any ideas? I’m thinking decals or stickers so when I get sick of it, I can change them out. I was a little disappointed that they predict he’ll be in this thing for 3-3 1/2 months rather than 6-8 weeks like I was foolishly hoping. Oh well. Such is life. So far he seems like he doesn’t even realize its on. Fingers crossed it stays that way.
-Linds