We have a crawler!!!

Elijah has officially crawled!! What's so funny is that he looks like he's drunk! He'll go about a foot or so and then fall down, but he's getting the hang of it. But he'd rather just sit and scream! He started crawling on Saturday at my aunt's house in New Jersey. We stopped there on the way up to Vermont (another post on that later!) and I guess he just needed a new environment. He's crawled a little since we've been here in Smuggler's Notch, but not that much. So now I get to look forward to keeping a better eye on him!

Ten months old!!!

Wow! Elijah is now 10 months old. I can't believe how fast the past 10 months have gone. (Why can't Chris' deployments go this fast?!?!) I haven't weighed Elijah in a while, but he's about 23 pounds and in size 4 diapers. Yes, he's a chunk!!! But I love it!! He's doing great. He has two teeth (and working on a few more, which is making my life miserable!) and he's rolling all over the place. Notice I did not say crawling all over the place!! He's still not doing that, but he gets to where he wants to go by rolling. And sitting up. Chris and I have figured out that's one of the reasons he isn't crawling. He's fasinated by the fact that he can put himself in a sitting position from laying down, so that's his new favorite thing! So as you can imagine, it's not fun changing his diapers! Not that it ever really was, but at least the most he did was kick his legs. Now getting him to stay on his back is a major challenge! He's also very vocal, always saying something. The only thing we can really distinguish is 'da-da' and 'ba-ba'. And he loves to blow raspberries and try to bite. Not fun, since those teeth are pretty sharp!

Nine months old!!!

On May 1, Elijah turned 9 months old!!! I can't believe how big he's getting!!! He is 22 pounds 14 1/2 ounces (90th percentile) and 29 1/2 inches long (85th percentile). He is not crawling yet, but he is getting up on his hand and knees and rocking. He still rolls all over the place and even pushed himself under our end table and got stuck. He's doing great eating all of his solids and is doing OK with feeding himself. In typical baby fashion, most of it ends up on the floor or in his lap. I'm trying to get him to eat more chunkier foods, but he doesn't seem to care one way or the other, as long as he's getting food. As you can see, he's not missing many meals!

A weekend in Charleston

This past Saturday (April 5) was the 31st annual Cooper River Bridge Run in Charleston, SC. And since Chris is an avid runner, whenever he can, we head down to Charleston so he can participate in it. We decided since it's a 7 1/2 hour car ride (without Elijah!!) to leave on Thursday so we could enjoy the city. We didn't do to bad. We got there around 7:00 Thursday night after leaving at 11:00 and stopping about 3 times. Elijah did so good...until we got on I-26 to get to Charleston. He was done with the carseat! Not that I can blame him. We were able to stay at the Charleston Air Force base in their lodging and only paid $36.00 for a suite! It was great! Full kitchen and all!

Friday was a beautiful 80 degrees, with a little humidity worked in! So that made it nice and hot, but a welcome change from the 50 degree weather we've been having. Our first stop was downtown so Chris could pick up his race packet. After that we showed Elijah the College of Charleston where I went to school. Of course, we took some pictures of the Cistern! He loved it. I think it was his favorite stop on the trip, but Chris will probably say otherwise! Anyway, after that, we grabbed a quick bite for lunch and headed over to the Citadel to catch the parade and show Elijah around campus. Of course we took a picture of Elijah and Chris in front of the bulldog (actually a very cute picture!). After parade we ran into some old friends, including my friend Kenny! Since the race was the next day, we decided to spend a quite evening in the room. Since we had a full kitchen, we stopped at the store and picked up some spaghetti and rented a movie. We laugh that we can't experience the 'real' Charleston since we have to put Elijah to bed so early!

Since we were staying up in North Charleston, Chris got up early and ran the race and came back to pick up me and Elijah. He did so good (and I even saw him on TV a few times!!!) His official time was 37 minutes and 54 seconds! I think his overall placement was 124th place. Not to bad when there were over 15,000 people either running or walking! After the race, we showed Elijah the Battery, Waterfront Park and even took him on a carriage ride. He did such a good job and even fell asleep. Afterwards we ate lunch and walked around some more and then went to visit some more friends out in West Ashley. Sarah and Nate have a 1 1/2 year old named Ella. Elijah likes older women, that's all I can say! Once we got there, the sky opened up!!! I told Chris I had forgotten how bad Thunderstorms can get in Charleston! It was crazy! I was just glad we weren't walking around downtown when it happened.

Sadly, our trip came to an end on Sunday morning when we had to go home. We made decent time getting home, so that's always good. Elijah slept most of the way and slept really good last night, so I know he's happy to be back in his bed and not in the pack 'n play!

8 months old!

Yes, that's right! Elijah is now 8 months old! I can't believe how fast the past 8 months have gone! I wish Chris' deployments would go by this fast! Anyway, Elijah weighs in at a whopping 22 pounds and is about 29 1/2 inches long. Yes, he is HEAVY!!! He's doing great on the fruits and veggies. And he started yogurt today. He seems to like it, so we'll see how long it lasts! So far his favorite veggie is Sweet Potatoes. Not that I can blame him, they are pretty good! Here are some 8 month pictures of Elijah. He loves bath time. I'm going to have to wear my bathing suit for bath time because I end up soaked! He loves to splash around. The other two pictures I took for Chris, since he loves baseball so much. Elijah seems to like it too. But then, maybe it's just the taste of the ball that he likes!!

Friends, Food and Cherry Blossoms!

We had a very busy day on Sunday!!! A few weeks back, we heard that some very good friends of ours from California were going to be in DC for the weekend, so we decided to trek it on up there. And yes, it was a haul with Elijah and all of the goodies you must pack to be gone all day! Anyway, since we hadn't seen Mark and Indira for almost three years (yikes! Have we been here that long?!?!) we had no problem making the long haul up there. Our first stop was Springfield, VA where we took Elijah on his first Metro ride. About an hour later we were trying to find where their hotel was in regards to the Metro station. Mark made reservations for us at a really good restaurant for brunch. But for the life of me, I can't remember the name, but the French Toast was great! Shortly after lunch, Mark and Indira had to catch a plane back to California, and since Elijah was doing so good, we decided to check out the famous Cherry Blossoms (sorry Rach, that was a last minute decision or I would have called you!!). Since the crowds were astronomical, we didn't head around the Tidal Basin, we just stuck by the Washington Monument and checked out the World War II Memorial since Chris hadn't seen it. After walking around for a bit, we headed up the street, where I nearly sprained my ankle, to catch the Metro back home.

Now for the fun part!!! When we got back to Springfield, it was about 4:00, give or take. We finally get on the interstate and, shock of all shocks in Northern Virginia...TRAFFIC!!!! After about 5 miles, it started moving really good again. Then we get stuck in MORE TRAFFIC!!! All I have to say is that it's a good thing that signs were posted that the interstate was closed due to an accident (again, shocking!!!!) so we were able to get off and take the back roads home. By this time, poor Elijah is hungry and is screaming to get out of his carseat. After singing a few rounds of 'Wheels on the Bus', 'Take me out to the Ballgame', the Marine Corps Hymn and yes, '99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall', we finally made it home at 6:00. So we had a VERY long day and up until the very end, Elijah handled it wonderfully! But I don't think we'll be doing that again for a while!

Success!!

Just as I thought...Elijah did wonderfully this weekend! And so did Chris! Yes, they both missed me but they had a good time together. Chris did tell me that it was really strange for him not to get up this morning and go to the gym and run and do what he normally does on Saturday mornings. And since Elijah slept until about 6:30, Chris even got to sleep in! Chris was able to get to they gym and they only called him to the nursery once. Overall it was a great night for them and I had a blast at my conference! I really enjoyed the experience and loved having girlfriend time!!! So now it's back into the swing of things with dinner, bath and bedtime. Hopefully Elijah will sleep good tonight because I am exhausted!! Too much girlfriend time I guess!

A Day (and Night!) without mommy!

Ok. We've left Elijah overnight before with my parents a few times. The first time was in November so we could go to our Marine Corps Ball. The other time was so we could go to a wedding. Chris has been out of town a few times for work which has left me alone for more than a few days. Well, tonight and tomorrow, Elijah gets to spend some one-on-one time with just Daddy!! I am going to be in Richmond for Mary Kay's Career Conference. I'll be back sometime early tomorrow evening. I have complete confidence in Chris while I'm gone. It'll be interesting because Chris has never been alone with Elijah for more than a few hours, so I can't wait to hear about everything! It's going to be a lot of fun! I told him he couldn't cheat and call my mom! I can't wait!!!

I know, I'm horrible. But what can I say. I'm not wishing or hoping that Elijah's schedule gets way off, but it'll be nice for Chris to experience what I do on a normal day.

A visit with Grandma

Chris' mom came down to spend a few days with us while she is on her spring break. So far we've had a great time!! Elijah loves spending time with Grandma! Today we decided to go to the park. It was a beautiful 71 degrees outside, so we took full advantage! Elijah got to sit in his first 'big kid' swing and he loved it! He also liked going down the slide with Chris. Hopefully the weather will stay nice so we can get out more often!

Happy Easter!

Elijah celebrated his first Easter this year, and boy did we have fun! On Saturday, we went over to Nana and Granddaddys and had dinner with them and Elijah's Great-Grandmother. Then on Sunday, we went to church and up to Quantico to have an Easter Brunch at the Officer's Club. It was sooooooooooooooo good and we were majorly stuffed when we left. Thank God Elijah took a looooong nap so Chris and were able to sleep too! Once we were all awake and alert, Elijah got to discover his first Easter basket. Since he obviously can't eat any candy, the M & M's are for us! But the Easter Bunny did bring him a really cool cammo onesie and some Spiderman sippy cups. He really liked playing with the Easter grass, so we took that away very quickly! But he seemed to enjoy himself.

Elijah's first St. Patrick's Day

Elijah had a great first St. Patrick's Day!! Since he's a little young to be out late, we decided to celebrate on Sunday with lunch at the Irish Brigade, an Irish Restaurant in downtown Fredericksburg. Mom and Dad met us and it was sooooooo good. On Monday, I made Shepard's pie and mom made corn beef and cabbage for a traditional dinner. It was awesome. Overall, we had a good time and Elijah looked so good in his Irish outfit and his Notre Dame sleeper that Grandma gave him.






















Getting ready for bed!

Some pictures of Elijah

Just thought I'd add a few more pictures of Elijah. As you can see, he's getting soooo big!! Yes, he's standing on his own!! Of course, that's only next to the couch, he can't do that standing in the middle of the living room yet. He's such a happy baby!

We have a tooth!

So Elijah's tooth FINALLY decided to break through his gums this weekend. It's just the top of the tooth, but it's there. So hopefully his sleeping patterns will get back to normal and he won't be so fussy! At least until the next one pops up, and it looks like that one's not to far off.

Seven Months!!!

Elijah is seven months old, TODAY!!! We can't believe how fast the time has gone. He's getting so big so fast! We even took his weight and height today. Of course, I can't guarantee their accuracy, but according to our measurements, he's 29 inches long and 21 pounds. WOW!!! He's going to be a tall one. Anyway, here are some of our latest pictures.

Check out this toothless grin!!!!!

I had to take some toothless grin shots of Elijah. (No that tooth that I see still has not made it's way up!) He's such a ham! The Cleveland Browns outfit was given to him by Aunt Beth and soon-to-be Uncle Sean when Elijah was baptized. (It's Chris' favorite, so I had to take a picture of it!)

Is that a tooth I see!?!?!

Hmmm.....I really can't tell, but when I examine Elijah's gums very closely (not easy by the way!!) I see what looks to be the two corners of a tooth popping up! I'll keep you updated on that, but hopefully it'll be popped up by the time he's 7 months! WOW!! SEVEN MONTHS! That is so close. He'll be seven months on Saturday. Hard to believe.

This week has been an uneventful week. Elijah had his second swim class on Wednesday and he's doing great in the water! Doesn't really seem to mind if his face gets wet. Hopefully we can get him to keep his mouth closed when he goes under!

His girlfriend, Natalie, came over for dinner and Wednesday and he had a really good time trying to impress her. Yes, Elijah has TONS of girlfriends! Of course, he was impressed because she has two teeth already and she's two weeks younger than him! On Thursday we hung out with another friend of ours for lunch and on Friday we stayed inside all day because of the freezing rain and the roads. Yes, freezing rain, when just 4 days ago, it was 70 degrees!!!

Chris had duty yesterday, so Elijah and I drove down to Richmond for our goddaughters 4th birthday party. It was Hannah Montana themed. She and her older sister got in a fight over who would get to eat the Hannah Montana head off the cake! It was rather cute. We're going to go swimming later today, whenever Chris wakes up to play with Elijah in the pool. That's all from the peanut gallery!!!

"Airplane" can be hazardous to your face!

I've been waiting to see this happen for quite some time now! Chris was playing 'airplane' with Elijah and a nice loooooooooooooong string of slobber came out of Elijah's mouth and onto Chris' face!!!! I laughed so hard! I told him to be thankful that it wasn't spit-up and said that this tends to happen to most fathers! At least most of the ones I've talked to!

It's Swim Time!!!

A few months back, Chris and I decided to sign Elijah up for swimming lessons at the YMCA. Today started his 4-week session of "Parent/Tot". He did soooo good!!! I should have known since he seems to enjoy his bath time, but we're really glad he liked it so much. I only have the one picture of Chris, since it's kind of hard to be in the water and take pictures, so just take my word for it, he had fun! Even his teacher thought he did great!

Elijah's first President's Day!

Since today is President's Day (and 70 degrees!!!), we decided to take Elijah to George Washington's Boyhood home, Ferry Farm. They had lot of colonial games for the kids to play and we got to walk aroud the grounds where George 'chopped down the cherry tree', threw the stone across the Rappahannock and learned to be a surveyor. They even had cake and cherry tarts (which were really good!!!). We had a really good time and can't wait until Elijah is a little older so he can enjoy the games they had. But Chris enjoyed them!

Chris and George!

Yummy in my Tummy!

Elijah is doing fabulous on solids! He really likes the fruits and veggies that we've given him. If you can even believe it, I've even made some of my own! I know! Shock! I can't really say what his favorite is, because he seems to like them all (thank God!). I fed him a banana today and the look on his face was priceless! Can't decide whether or not he likes that. We're also trying to get him to use a sippy cup. He gets the concept of it, but at this point, he just likes to chew on it! But we're enjoying every new thing that he does!

He's sitting up on his own (but we don't go to far from him!), and rolling a lot, but not everyhere yet. He's no where near crawling, but he is sort of doing the "low crawl." Makes daddy proud with that one! He also loves playing "airplane", where Chris or I fly him above our heads. Always get a good laugh or smile with that one!