Lots of Easter pics!

We're in trouble now!!

 

 

So yesterday, I was sitting on the couch watching TV while E was playing around on the floor.  As usual, he was patting my arm from his position.  I look down and he's......STANDING????  Yes, yes, he was definitely standing.  He pulled himself up from his knees onto his feet and was patting me...Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, Mommy....look at me!  So picked him up, and he stands on my arm and balances there while he plays with the shutters.  When did he get old enough to stand up?  Shiznit is getting real around here!  Then, this morning he's crawling around, and he starts heading up the stairs.  YEAH...UP THE FREAKIN STAIRS!  Glenn told me he climbed up 4 yesterday ::shakes head in disbelief::  When did this all happen?  I swear it was yesterday we were sitting in the hospital swaddling him up in a blanket and wondering how our lives were going to change.  Well, here is how life has changed:  we now stub our toes climbing over baby gates, have had to remove all of the caps from our door stoppers (he likes to eat those...he likes to eat everything), and we sing the "Skida-ma-rink-e-dink-e-doo song 100 times in a day.  And we love every bit of it.  I guess the next pill we'll have to swallow is walking....

 

I almost forgot to dye Easter eggs!  I bought the coloring kit several weeks ago. I even hard boiled the eggs.  I was getting ready to bring Eliseo upstairs to put him to bed and realized I hadn't done it yet!  So we did a quick dye session, but I didn't take any pictures :( I'll take some tomorrow of our Easter morning. 

 

Happy Easter everyone!!!!

 

 

 



Boppin Round Town

I love when we get company that likes to get out and do the touristy stuff!  My college roommate came into town for a few days, and even though the snow prevented her and her family from getting here on Sunday, we still made the most of our time on Monday.  We decided to go to the Magic House since her 4 kids would all have fun there.  I'm becoming quite the regular there, going 3 times in the past 3 months but it's always fun and there is so much to do and see.  The Magic House, for those who dont know, is the St. Louis Children's Museum.  It's hands on and huge.  Eliseo always has fun because I "wear" him so he gets to see it all.  This time, his favorite was a huge computer that he could draw on the screen using his hands.....CRACKED UP!!! As always, we had a lot of fun.

Tuesday, we went to Meramac Caverns.  Glenn was off Monday and Tuesday and he was rested up so we went as a family.  It's pretty amazing, you just walk into a building, and next thing you know, you're in a huge cave.  Glenn carried the little man through the whole tour and I couldn't help but keep an eye on his face, which was just looking around in wonder.  There is a part of the tour where they do a little light show and watching him watch that was so cute.  On the way home, we stopped at a winery and had a little tasting and split a case of wine with our friends, so we can finally fill our wine rack!  It's never full, I like wine too much. 

Shannon and her family left this morning, but I'm so happy that they chose to come visit us on their spring break.  They could have gone anywhere and they came here.  We had a great time! 

Snow Day!!

No, I'm not really happy about this.  I work from home, people.  I won't get out of work tomorrow.  I had a thought to get Eliseo bundled up and go out and play in it, but then I realized we would just be cold and wet.  Why did we love playing in the snow so much as kids?  I remember when I was in high school, I'd get home from school and get out the snowblower and shovel and have the driveway cleared by the time my parents got home from work.  Including the plow pile at the bottom.  How awesome was I?  I'd even do the neighbor's driveway.  So, E and I have been sitting around in our jammies, playing on the floor as usual.  We have company coming today and I have to make one more run to the store, but I'm in no hurry.  I may wait for it to slow down out there, although its supposed to snow until tomorrow.  But it has to slow down, right?  I'd prefer to run out when Glenn is awake before he leaves for work so that I don't have to drive with Eliseo.

We had a busy day yesterday, running errands all afternoon.  We also went to church at 4:30.  Did I tell you I have the best baby in the world?  I forgot to grab the diaper bag, which had some yogurt cuz it was going to be time to eat around 5, and toys to keep him busy.  So, we had none of that.  He played with the car seat and my phone, and towards the end of the service he just fell asleep.  We went home and I fed him dinner then we went to Sam's Club.  As we were shopping through the store, I kept talking to him and putting my face into his hands, and he was cracking up.  I don't know what was so funny about that, but I could hear his squeals and laughter echoing throughout the store.  It was loud.  I don't know if people thought it was cute or annoying, but I didn't care.  Better than crying.  We got home around 8pm, so we played for a few minutes and he went right to sleep when I put him down. 

I've noticed today that he's been trying to get his feet under him when he pulls himself up to his knees.  He is a master at crawling now, but I think he'll be pulling himself up and standing pretty soon.  He can take his time though, I'm not in a hurry.  He "talks" a lot with his "bas" and "goos" and the famous "Maaaaa" cry. No real words to speak of yet.  Just a ton of cuteness.

Update on Operation:  Look Hot for Jamaica, I've just been doing the Isagenix meal replacement shakes twice a day and a snack in between, then healthy-ish dinner.  In a week, I lost 3 pounds, so I'm happy with that!  I feel great, the shakes really do keep me full, which never really happened with any other meal replacement crap I've used before (which isn't much, cuz I'm not really much of a dieter).  I haven't done much extra exercise, but I feel like I have a lot of energy and am feeling great about myself in general.  I haven't re-measured the inches yet, I'll do that on day 11.  I really like it though, and Glenn likes it too, so that tells you something. 

That's about it for now!

Spoon tricks

Operation Get Hot for Jamaica!!!

Oh yes, it is true my readers, we are going to Jamaica!  So this means, I have 5 months to shed the rest of "the pouch,"  firm up the buttocks, and look smokin in a new bikini!  I will settle for a tankini if I must, but the good news is I didn't get stretch marks on my belly with E....I think because I delivered him at 37 weeks I got lucky.  I was seeing the beginnings of them but if I'm happy about ANYTHING about being induced, it's the avoidance of stretch marks on my tummy.  My attempts at getting back into hard core running have been feeble, and promises of getting to the gym more than once a week, futile.  Diets?  HA.  You make me laugh.  BUT...it's time.  Running shoes, get ready to stink again.  Gym key card, get ready to be swiped.  Cuz I don't want to cause hundreds of tourists to look away in pain.  No, I invite them to look at the HOT MAMA. 

So my friend Donna has been using Isagenix products, and she has lost over 100 pounds.  She lost most of the weight through diet and exercise, but she was having trouble shedding those last few pounds to reach her goal weight of 100 pounds, so she heard of Isagenix and started using the products.  A few weeks later, not only did she post that she reached her goal weight, but that she FORGOT to post it and she was PAST the 100 pound mark.  CRAZY!!  She swears by it.  I've seen her and her sister enjoying the results, and after much prodding, I have decided that I'm trying it.  So I bought the shakes, supplements, snacks....bring it on!  I've been drinking the shakes for 4 or 5 days now, but I've had to avoid some of the herbal supplements that help to detox and build energy because I am still nursing and don't want to affect my milk supply or pass anything on to E that isn't fully researched.  But Glenn has decided he'll help me with that, because he's decided he wants to try it too.  Oh yeah, we are gonna be turning heads I tell you!  LOL.  So I wrote down my beginning stats, and we shall see with the Isagenix and exercise where I can get in 5 months.  My first goal will be 135 lbs. 

Weight:  144 lbs
Measurements:
     Right bicep:  11 3/4"; left bicep:  11 1/4"
     Right thigh:  21";  left thigh:  19"
     Hip:  40 1/4"
     Waist:  33"
     Bust:  34 1/2"

So will Eliseo be going to Jamaica, you ask?  You betcha!!  Glenn took him to get his passport picture today, he is so freakin cute.  I attached it so you can see what I'm talkin about.  Like you don't already know he is cute.  :)  It will be a long day of travel, but I have all the faith in the world in my little man.  We are staying at an all-inclusive resort and don't really plan on spending too much time away from it.  I'm stoked!  The last real destination vacation Glenn and I took was to Hawaii right before he left for his second deployment in 2009.  We've traveled around a lot, but all trips to see family.  Commence Operation:  Get Hot for Jamaica!!

Dailies for E:  nothing much new, since he started his crawling and grew in his bottom teeth.  Just little things like shaking his head, high fiving, cracking up hysterically at the smallest of things....and crying anytime I walk into a room.  He used to smile when he saw me, now he just wants me to go hold him so he just cries.  He pulls himself up to his knees but not onto his feet yet.  He can stand while supported for about 10 seconds or so before he gets bored and sits down, but no steps or anything yet.  Baby gates.  Blocking every doorway.  He got his 9 month vaccines today because we switched insurance and finally got our cards so we could prove that we were covered.  Polio and Hep B.  He didn't like them.  Next appointment is shortly after his birthday.  We didn't get a weight for him today, but I think he's gained at least a pound since his 9 month checkup.  I guess I can put him on the scale at home and find out. 

That is all.  Until next time...

Obligatory pics for blog absence

Enjoy!

Baby's First....

TEMPER TANTRUM!!!  It was a good one...I was very impressed with his committment to being pissed off.  He must get that from me, because his father is too laid back to reach that level of emotion.

So, let me tell you the story.  Warning: it involves boobs and teeth.  Well, what else is there to say, the little bugger bit me!  I mean, I get it...he didn't used to have teeth, and they are in very close proximity to my boobs when he eats.  But, this was not an accident.  Lately he's been pinching me when nursing, instinctual to get things moving along, if you get my gist.  But that hurts too.  So he was pinching and I kept grabbing his hands, his response being to push my hands away.  I guess he thought he'd show me he would win, so he chomped down.  Hard.  My response, you ask?  Well, first to yell "OUCH!!!" with urgency, then I took him off my lap and put him on the floor.  Clearly, he was not done eating.  Cue the tantrum.  And it went on and on...writhing on the floor, back arching, legs kicking, tears running....and any time he slowed down I would ask him if he was done, and that would start it all over again.  This went on oh, 20 minutes or so?  I knew the kid was hungry, and I was waiting for the moment to pass and for him to start behaving again so he didn't think he had gotten his way with this one!  You know, he never really forgot.  He was so mad at me for taking his food away.  Finally, after a while he calmed down enough for me to feel I could finish up his lunch.  But even then, he was irritated so I just closed up shop and gave the stinker some yogurt. 

I really , really, really hope that he learned his lesson not to bite his favorite food source anymore.  Cuz if that keeps up, we might be finishing up nursing just a little sooner than anticipated.

Car seat comparison

I don't have much new to share today so thought I'd show you a side by side comparison of Eliseo from 3 days old to 10 months and 12 days old, to put it perspective.  Holy cats!

ELISEO WILLIAM!!!

Yes, I did it. For the first time today I had to threaten my child using his full proper name. 

We were upstairs in my office, I was almost done working and E was getting bored. He was playing on the floor keeping himself busy, which I was very thankful for. But then he discovered something...an outlet on the wall without a protector, under a small table. I could see his little brain processing.."oooh I can stick my fingers in there"...light.bulb. (said in Dispicable Me fashion). He crawls up to the table, crawls under the table and stops. Hand goes up. Me (in a very stern and scary voice): UH OH....(Love and Logic words). He jumped and immediately starting crying. Well good, I meant to scare you, that will hurt you! Cries eventually die down.

About a half hour later, silly me for not finding an outlet protector. He crawls over to the table. Stops. Waits. One. Two...hand starts to go up.  Me: "ELISEO WILLIAM...." He turns and gives me the most innocent look. I wasn't gonna go there, really!  Crawls away.

Tomorrow: outlet protectors.

Eliseo's First BooBoo

It was bound to happen...with crawling comes crashing.  And today, he crashed.

Eliseo didn't go to daycare again today because my babysitter has a sick daughter and she has been closed the last few days.  Which is OK, because I am lucky enough to work from home, and Glenn works nights so between us (and my mom helping out this week) we can handle a few days with Eliseo at home.  But, anytime I walk into the room, Eliseo cries for me if I don't pick him up.  So, if I don't have time to pick him up and spend some time with him, I try to stay up in my office.  Well, I just really wanted more coffee.  I had to host a conference call within 5 minutes and wanted a pick me up before I had to run it.  So I decided to take my chances.  I walked down the stairs slowly, trying to figure out where he was so that I could strategically make my entrance and exit.  I had to come all the way down and into the living room before I saw him, he was playing in the alcove between our laundy closet, basement door and coat closet.  Glenn was on the couch, Eliseo in his view.  He spots me.  He smiles at me, a big wide 'I love you Mommy' smile.  He loses his grip on the bouncy seat that he was using to hold himself up.  He hits his forehead on the corner of the wall.  He cries.  Hysterically.  But not just a little cry....one of those cries that is silent for the first 30 seconds, then is followed by a huge wail.  My poor baby :(.  So he is sporting a new bruise above his left eye.  And all day, he just kept running into things!  He must have hit the same spot 5 or 6 times.  Maybe it's time to tape pillows to all the corners or buy him a helmet.   

At least there were no stitches. 

Thank Goodness for Grammy!



Grammys are good.  Very good.  Especially when Mommys have to try to work while babies are wanting to be held, and wanting to play, and are not wanting Mommys to work.  I'm so happy that my mom has been in town, because circumstances have NOT been favorable for me to get quality time at work lately.  If it hadn't been for her saving me, I might still be working on last week's work.  Life. Saver.  Enough said.

Well, I really don't have a whole lot to fill you in on.  E's been perfecting his crawling, and he really likes to lay on his back and kick stuff.  He's got some pretty strong heels.  Glenn decided to use the ironing board as a baby gate today (still not sure why he didn't just use the baby gate...but that's Glenn) and E was so mad that he couldn't get in the kitchen to play with Snickers's water and food bowls.  So, he rolled onto his back and kicked the ironing board.  Get. This. Thing. Out. Of. My. Way.  (Each word with a kick). 

Food:  I went with the turnips.  Guess what?  Loves them.  Isn't it weird?  It's weird.  Does everyone's baby love turnips and all the other weird stuff?  Maybe we just aren't in the fussy stage yet.  I think he's gonna be just like his daddy...put food in front of him and he will just eat it.  Except peas.  What's next?  ::Perusing food list, points finger and lands randomly on...::  watermelon.  I also think its time to take on the chicken.  In our case, the egg came before the chicken (feeling corny tonight, I apologize).  I also think I'm going to introduce shredded cheese.  He's been picking up the cereal "Puffs" and I've been feeding him chunks of soft food, so I think he'll  have fun picking up the cheese and stuffing it in his mouth.  Watermelon, chicken and cheese.  Sounds good to me.  I'm reading here that I can start giving him fish...I bet he loves the fish.  Weird kid. 

Below pics:

1.  E playing underneath my chair at work.

2.  Clapping in action.

3.  Kicking the wall.

4.  Cuteness, such cuteness.

A Baby and His Daddy

So let me begin with a story about Eliseo and his Daddy.  Glenn makes Eliseo laugh more than anyone else.  He just adores his daddy.  So, I was eating dinner at the kitchen table, I must have been really into what I was eating, or possibly playing Words with Friends (more likely).  Eliseo and Glenn were playing on the floor together.  I could hear the laughter, E cracking up.  Last I saw he was crawling around on the vinyl flooring by the front door.  Side note...for some reason he loves playing on the little patch of hard vinyl flooring, even though the carpet is much softer and more comfortable.  Strange.  So anywho, I hear the giggling getting closer and closer to me.  I look down, there is Glenn crawling around with the back of Eliseo's overalls in his teeth, E still in them of course, dangling from his mouth.  It reminded me of Daddy monkey carrying the baby monkey around.  It was pretty damn funny.  I, however, did not get a picture to share.  Maybe they will have to relive the moment.  Thought I'd give you all that visual.  Glenn apparently has some pretty strong teeth.

The rest of the weekend flew by.  Monday morning already tomorrow.  BOOOOO!!!!  Glenn was supposed to have 3 day drill this weekend, but get this....he ETS'ed!!!!  For anyone who doesn't know what that means, it means that his contract ended this weekend, and he didn't re-enlist.  Yes, my husband is now officially a civilian, no longer in the Army.  I'm awfully proud of Sargeant Lyons, but I like Daddy even better.  I'm not really sure what led to his decision (although I suspect his name begins with E), he says it's just his time to get out.  At least he still gets to play with guns in his civilian career.  I'm happy with his decision, mainly because I've been through 2 deployments, and I can't imagine going through any more, especially now that we have E.  Twice within 3 years he was in Iraq and I had to live with this big gaping void in my life and pretend like that was normal.  Glenn helps me a lot with Eliseo, he's not one of those dads that doesn't show any interest in his baby.  He is very hands on.  He loves to take E with him on a Lowe's run, down to the station, basically anywhere he goes when he can.  When he gets home from daycare, Glenn watches him all afternoon so I can finish up work. Yes, sometimes we fight over who gets to hold him or play with him.  I'm glad for Eliseo that he won't have to learn what it's like to not have his daddy around for 12-15 months.  I think about how much Glenn could miss out on in Eliseo's life, being gone that long.  I'm sure that's what he thought of too when he decided not to re-up.  So, Sargeant Lyons is a historical figure.  Officer Lyons and Daddy are his only titles now. 

Food update, I finally made E eggs this weekend.  I made him hard boiled eggs once before; I pureed up with yolk with some water but it made this really gross pastey egg substance that coated his tongue...didn't look very good.  So this time I scrambled them (as I think I've mentioned previously I was going to do).  They went over pretty well, he wasn't sure what to do with the texture, because he gets mostly purees but he ate about half of what I made (I made 2).  Pretty standard for a new intro.  My pediatrician said that giving him a whole egg was OK, but all of my baby cookbooks say that I should only give him the yolk and wait on the whites until a yr old.  So, I just gave him the yolks.  I think he liked them OK.  He didn't down them like the broccoli, but we'll give it a few days and see. 

Other than shampooing the carpets, we didn't really have too much else going on this weekend.  Oh yeah, I went out with my mom to the casino on Friday night and won $17, so that was fun.  I was up about $90 in the first 10 minutes...but I stayed too long and gave most of it back.  At least I left with more than I went with, but I treated us to IHOP on the way home, a worthy way to spend my earnings...on pancakes.  That's all for tonight party people, he's to a good upcoming week!