Half Pint

[This blog post was supposed to have happened a little more than a month ago, when Eli turned 6 months old. I was going to be cute and clever and post about how he was a half year old and what a big mile stone that was. Instead, we have a 7 month, two week and two day old celebration. Happy belated half birthday, Little One!]

Eli is officially six... ahem, seven months old! I can't believe he is such a chunky, energetic, interested sweet baby boy. I know it's trite, but everyone really was spot on with the whole, they grow so fast!, thing. In honor of my sweet boy turning seven months old, here's some things I'd rather not forget.

Nicknames: Bear, Gooby, Gooby Bear, Angel Baby, Little Man, The Boy, Baby, Monster

Most Exciting Things: Daddy or Mommy when he hasn't seen one of us for a little while, the very intriguing cat, the Robot Roomba (he crawls after it and then firmly places his hands on it while it tries to scoot along), baby food/spoon, Mommy's shoes, mirrors and other shiny things like desk chair legs, Mommy's iPhone, laptop or mouse

Favorite toys: his mobiles (he still loves looking at them and they instantly pacify him), chocolate bar wrappers, socks, Sophie the Giraffe, his dragonfly, his Itsy Bitsy Spider book

Favorite people: Anyone! He loves flirting with strangers at the store and has only once cried when Mommy dropped him off at her friend's house. He adores older kids and animals.

Things that make him cry: Getting in the carseat, going to sleep at night (although usually he only cries for a few minutes), bonking his head (which is happening a lot since his favorite new trick is standing, sometimes without holding on to anything), teething, getting his nose wiped, shots

Favorite no no's: playing in the soot of the fireplace, standing up using his humidifier as a rest

What people say: Look at those cheeks! What pretty eyes! Only 6 months, wow! I didn't hear him cry once. What big hands! He really is such a good baby. And Mommy's favorite, "You're right - he is beautiful! I'm so glad I didn't have to lie this time."


Six month stats: Head size: 50th percentile, Weight: almost 20 pounds, or 75 percentile, Height: 2 inches, or 75th percentile

Favorite time with Mommy: When I get to snuggle you at the end of the day. You place your heavy head on my shoulder and fuss a bit until you get comfortable. I lay you across my lap and you stretch your head back as far as you can get it, making little clucking noises with your tongue until you feel just right. Your breathing evens out and you become perfectly still and content

Second favorite time with Mommy: When I come to get you at 5 a.m. to nurse and you give me the most humongous, slobbery open-mouth kisses, placing your little hands on my shoulders or tangling them into my hair.


Third favorite time with Mommy (yes, here's Mommy's problem of editing again): When I lay in bed with you at 8:30 a.m. and you lie in the crook of my arm next to me on the bed. Even though my eyes are closed most of the time, every time I glance at you, you are silently watching me with those gorgeous blue eyes. When you catch me with my eyes open, you instantly break into a huge, lovable smile and pat me on the stomach/chest/eyeball.

Favorite time with Daddy: Daddy loves when he comes to get you in the morning. You are usually standing up in your crib, yelling out for our attention and the instant you see Daddy, you get a huge grin on your face and start bouncing up and down excitedly.

 It truly has gone by so fast, but what a wonderful seven months it has been!

We love you, Gooby Bear Baby Face.

Love's Got To Do With It

Lately, it's been hitting me. Mike and I have been married for nearly eight years. We've known each other for ten. Yes, that's right. T-E-N years. We are officially one of those old married couples that seemed so experienced when we were newlyweds.

And, truth be told, we've learned a lot. Looking back, I remember some wonderfully happy times, day-to-day blurs of busy-ness and a few more-than-hard times too. Through all it all, I've loved Mike. He's loved me. Together, we've made it work. More often than not, we've made it more than work. A lot of times, we've made it great. So, in honor of our TENTH Valentine's day together, here's a little bit of what I've learned.

When we first started dating, I had an idea that every Valentine's Day was going to be something along the lines of this:




Source: Cardcow.com/images



You know, something low key and totally realistic.

Alright, let's face it. I had completely unattainable expectations. Poor Mike... well, he's a very sweet, sensitive guy, but I would describe him as romantic in the hot air balloon ride planning, serenade singing, fedora hat wearing kinda way.

This Valentine's Day, though, things have felt different. It might have taken me a few too many Valentine's Days to come around, but I finally felt a bit more free of traditional expectations. Sure, I'd never turn down flowers. Chocolate still sounded nice. But we decided to be a little more relaxed this year and avoid spending money since we just bought a ridiculously huge TV. I had bought a Groupon for a nice French restaurant a few months ago and the Young Women organization in our church volunteered to babysit for a few hours tonight. It was going to be awesome, yet easy.

And then I remembered Mike is in Cub Scouts. He won't be celebrating Valentine's Day with me, but with a bunch of 10 year old boys.

What should have been a bummer actually struck me as meaningful. Mike is fulfilling his calling, serving in the church and doing exactly what he should do. While it doesn't make for the most exiting Tuesday night, it makes me proud that he is Mike is my husband.

Oh yeah, and despite our little agreement, this is what I came home to after grocery shopping: pizza in the oven, one of my favorite flowers on the table and a gift that made me laugh.

Toni Morrison once said, "Love is never any better than the lover." That resonated with me because it spoke to all the women who love abusive men. If he isn't good, than the love isn't either, even if it might occasionally seem that way.

So, ten years after meeting my man, a few things have changed, including me. This day has been a surprise. Not in the, 'Hey, let's hop on this fine steed and ride him to a heart-shaped lagoon where we will swim with pink seahorses" kind of way. But in the realistic, rewarding, 'This is a good love with a good man' kind of way.

As I sit here, writing this blog and trying to keep Eli from hitting the "Delete" button on my laptop, I'm okay with  Mike being gone on Valentine's Day night. He's right where he should be.

Happy Valentine's Day to my good man.

Fall Family Photos

Back in December, we had our official family photos. Mike usually hates to get his photo taken, but I warned him about a month out to give him time to mentally prepared. That's one valuable tip I've learned after 7 years of marriage: forewarned, Mike can cope with nearly anything he considers traumatic, like dancing or family photos.

For me, it was so fun getting semi-dressed up, finding a pretty location and taking Little Man out. It was even more fun to see how well the photos turned out.

Pretty awesome, huh? I love showing off our little family. Which ones are your favorites? I'm having a little trouble deciding which ones actually are going to get to go on the wall!

A Fun First

There are a lot of truly fun things about being a parent, one of the greatest being all the exciting firsts that baby experiences. His first real food (avocado), his first time chewing on a wire, his first taste of chocolate (a Fudge Cicle just a few days ago), his first time standing in his crib, his first... well, you get the picture.

For some inexplicable reason, all these tiny little things are just so darn fun. So amazing. So awe inspiring.

For example, the other day, Mike and I were walking to a shopping center a few miles away and we passed a little park. I suddenly realized Eli would be old enough to swing. What followed was pure awesomeness. 

Having this little guy around makes even the most simple thing, like a walk to the park on a sunny Saturday, something really special.