Visit with Great-Grandma

We are very excited that Elijah's Great-Grandma Jennie is here for a visit. She got to meet three great-grandkids for the first time this trip: Elijah, Logan, and Piper. We have been able to spend a lot of fun time with Grandma, and with aunts and uncles and cousins, for the past few days. What a blessing. Grandma will be here all week, so we are looking forward to more good times as well. Here are a few pictures of our visits so far; more pictures and stories to come ...

Great-Grandma Jennie and baby Piper

Elijah and Logan
Great-Grandma Jennie and Sophie

CRAWLING!

Elijah crawled today! Finally! Nana, Grandpa, and I were very excited. Elijah didn't know why we were so excited. But he had a fun afternoon chasing his toys around the room. (Other than the part when he got stuck out on the wood floor - not so fun.) Hooray, Elijah!

What a mess!

Well, my house was clean, this morning. I was so proud of myself! (It really doesn't happen that often - and usually Patrick's done all the work while I'm sleeping.) But when I realized that we were down to a few cubes of frozen pureed sweet potatoes, I knew that it wouldn't last. During Elijah's afternoon nap, I started cooking. Elijah's baby food is all homemade - except for the occasional jar for travelling. Mostly, I enjoy making his food. It's the cleaning up that really kills me. Anyway, I've been having fun trying new things now that E is chewing more and eating more kinds of food. I have a baby food cookbook called First Meals that I like a lot, and I currently have one from the library called The Well Fed Baby. Today I made black beans and rice, my own version of baby chicken noodle soup, and pureed peaches. Before I go to bed, I'll cook some oatmeal and blend it with rice and fruit for breakfast. Considering that I am now out of ice cube trays (in which I freeze the extra portions of whatever I'm making), the pureed carrots, Elijah's special spaghetti sauce, and the applesauce are going to have to wait until another day. It's a good thing - the dishwasher is full, too. Happy eating, Elijah!

My Favorite Things: Books!

Elijah loves his books. He enjoys when we read to him, and also likes to look at the books by himself. He turns the pages and looks at the pictures (or just flips through as quickly as possible), and then goes through it again from back to front. I am amazed by his attention span!

My Favorite Things: Bath Time!

Elijah loves his evening bath. Why not - there is so much to love! Quality time with Daddy, being naked, splashing, trying to drink the water (or his he attempting to snorkel?), the duck tub and bath toys ... Yes, bath time is a wonderful thing. Getting out of the bath, not so much. But he sure is cute all wrapped up in his hooded towel!

Good morning!

I love waking Elijah up in the morning! I only get to do it on weekends, but it is so much fun to just hang out with him. He doesn't say a whole lot, but he's still a lot of fun!

More laundry

More pictures of the boy and the grand fun of laundry. ("Why is daddy always putting me in this basket?") Elijah has also been using the laundry basket as a walker - pushing it around the living room so he can practice some balance. Too funny.

Hangin' out with Uncle Cam

We have had so much fun spending time with my brother Cameron while he is home on break from the Naval Academy. He has to go back soon for a summer class and football training, but we are having a great time while he's here! Uncle Cam and Elijah have been hangin' out and playing together. Elijah thinks it's cool that Uncle Cam reads to him and throws him around. I think it's so cool that Elijah has such fun aunts and uncles who love him.

Little Sailor Man

Elijah in his super-cute sailor suit.

Laundry

It seems like I'm always doing laundry - maybe it's just that my tiny washing machine doesn't hold much, maybe it's just having a baby, maybe the loads of cloth diapers are putting me over the edge. But anayway - Elijah loves laundry. Well, he loves the washing machine and dryer and the laundry baskets. Recently, Jackie asked why kids love laundry baskets. My theory is it's because when they are babies, their daddies put them in the laundry baskets and tell them it's fun.