Eli is 5 months old!

5 months old!  Wow!

5 months old
May 24, 2012

5 months old
May 24, 2012

5 months old
May 24, 2012

Height=??
Weight=??
(No official measurements this month -- but Eli looks bigger every second!  We'll try to get some unofficial measurements soon and update here!)

Eli's life at 5 months:

• Eating: Eli is still eating every two or 3 hours during the day, downing about 4 or 5 ounces each time. Sometimes 7 ounces. Sometimes 10. Sometimes 2. He is still eating about 40 ounces (or more) every day and is still on the "gentle" formula.
  As our doctor recommended, we started fruits and veggies this month.  His mouth definitely likes it, but he's had a few bellyaches after eating, so we're really taking our time with it.  So far, he has tried bananas (fresh) and sweet potatoes (earth's best jar).  No trouble gobbling them down, so I am sure he'll be a great eater once his digestive system catches up with his taste buds!  
• Sleeping:  Eli is still sleeping through the night (10pm-6am) for the most part.  He's had a few days where he's decided a 1am snack is a good idea, but we really can't complain!  As for naps, he usually takes 4 or 5 little naps (for 30-45 minutes), but he almost seems to be shifting toward a long late morning nap (1.5 hours) and then a few short naps.  Hard to tell as it's now "summer" for us so we've been out and about which changes his sleeping habits (as in, he sleeps in the car and tries to stay awake when we're out somewhere fun!). 
• LIKES:
  • Eating (formula and "real" food) 
  • Sleeping
  • "Sitting" up
  • Blanket teddy/pooh/frog
  • Or really anything he can snuggle with.  He is a real snuggler!
  • TV
  • Still loves TV, really not picky about what he watches.  
  • Getting dressed/changed or being naked
  • Yep, this kid hasn't out grown his love of the costume change.  He really just loves being naked.  As Aunt Natalia and Uncle Luke say, Eli will likely be "naked kid".  Sigh. 
  • Caterpillar
  • Not sure who gave it to Eli (Aunt Anna?  Aunt Kimmy?  Aunt Kel?), but Eli also loves his Bright Starts caterpillar teether beads.  I can't even find a link for it online, but it's sort of like his Starry beads, that Eli has and will play with if caterpillar is unavailable!
  • Floor gym
  • When Scarlet came over for a playdate, she brought her floor gym and Eli really seemed to enjoy it, so we had to get him one too.  We picked up this Bright Starts one (at Target.com, with a coupon and free shipping, or course!) and Eli loves it!  Now that Daddy is home with him most of the week, I think Daddy loves it too! 
  • Folding laundry
  • Loves watching us fold laundry ... when can I make my kid start doing chores?
  • His pet fish
  • More on this soon!
  • Adventures 
  • He loves getting in the car seat and heading out and about!
• DISLIKES:
  • Waiting for food
  • Warm weather
  • Like Mommy and Daddy, he seems to dislike muggy, humid days.  Maybe because we get cranky on muggy days, he does too?  Either way, I have a feeling our AC will be running all summer. 
  • Being away from Mommy and Daddy
    • As I said last month, we noticed this at a family birthday party and our goal for the summer is to work on this.  He seems to do fine with people once he warms up to them and if Mommy and Daddy don't leave the room too soon.  In the last month, Nana and Pop-pop and then Grandma all baby-sat Eli for a short time and he did well, so we think he's improving! 
• New this month!
• Moving
• Nowhere close to crawling, but he has become a bit more mobile.  Eli rolls back and forth (though not really "over" without help) and scooches a bit and re-adjusts himself.  He can no longer be left sitting on the couch alone in fear that he will arch his back and end up on the floor! 
• Paying attention
• In the last few weeks, Eli seems to be more aware of everything around him.  He loves looking out our windows at the trees and the river and realized recently that there was a world outside the car window.  He also really "looks" at patterns on things now (his play mat, books, his clothes). 

And here are some of Eli's 5-month outtakes!

"Mom, I don't think I fit in
this box anymore!"

"So we meet again, Mr Seahorse ...:

What a year it's been!

May 27, 2011

May 27, 2012

A fun playdate at the zoo!

Eli enjoyed a wonderful "playdate" weekend with his good friend Scarlet while Ryan and I enjoyed a nice visit with Scarlet's mom and dad, Sonia and Matt.  We always have a great time with them and it's actually fun that we just happened to have babies at the same time (Scarlet is just one month older than Eli)! 

They made the drive in from PA and we headed to a full day at the Bronx Zoo.  Yes -- a FULL day.  We got to the zoo when it opened and left when it closed!  Both babies were amazingly great all day!  7 hours at the zoo seems excessive, but we didn't even see the whole thing (the Bronx Zoo is that big!).  Ryan and I got a membership to the NYC zoos last year (pre-pregnancy even) and I have a feeling we will be renewing it for years and years.  We always have a great time at the zoo and it is a nice place to bring friends!

I think Eli's favorite part might have been the monorail ride through Asia (we had never done this before it was great!) and I hear Scarlet's favorite part was the reptile house (that also had amphibians in it!).  Here are a few photos from our adventure!  Here are a lot of photos from our adventure ... it was hard to pick only a few with two cute babies at the zoo!

Crazy moms!
(With our matching strollers!)

Not sure why I love this one so much!
Those are some cute babies!

Eli eats some more

As I mentioned before, Eli started food a while ago because his doctor wanted him to start cereal at 3 months and fruits and veggies at 4 months.  Eli turned 4 months old just as Ryan and I were in the throes of finals week and then we went to PA for the day so Nana and Pop-pop could baby-sit Eli while we went to a wedding (Congrats Matt & Heather!!).  With all that fun, we waited for a bit to start solids other than rice cereal.  We decided to go with bananas to start (because I read somewhere that was a good food to start with and we had bananas in the house!) and then a few days of sweet potatoes. 

Yummy!  Bananas!

Eli seemed to really like to eat both.  The bananas were just mashed fresh bananas mixed with formula.  He ate them down, but on the third night, he woke up almost hourly with obvious tummy pains.  This was very unlike him.  He usually only wakes up at night if he is hungry and will chow down a full bottle.  That night, he would wake up yelling and then want to be held and snuggled and occasionally eat, but only about an ounce or so.  Not a good night.   

"I love sweet potatoes!"

We waited a few days and then tried sweet potatoes, this time out of a jar, thinking maybe the pre-made jarred food might be easier on his tummy.  Again, he gobbled it down at each sitting but woke up with tummy pains again throughout the night on the second and third days. 

For now, we have decided not to push the food too much.  It is obvious that Eli's tummy cannot take the food even if his mouth loves it!  Ryan and I made the executive decision to stick with bland cereals (maybe oatmeal this month?) for a few more weeks and then try fruits and veggies again.  I even have a bunch of "homemade" baby food waiting for him in the freezer (more on that fun adventure later!). 

"When can I have more of
those yummy 'tatoes?"

Baby Bumpers

What to do with those crib bumpers that came with the nursery bedding set?

After I posted photos of our nursery, my friend Mary Beth contacted me to let me know that currently, many groups are recommending to REMOVE the bumpers from cribs because many babies have been injured by them and they may increase the chance of SIDS.  She sent me some great info (Mary Beth works for EPIC Every Person Influences Children) and I found this article (and its links) full of good information too.  Before Mary Beth contacted me, I honestly didn't realize what a safety issue bumpers were, but I definitely removed them before Eli started sleeping in the crib (Thanks MB!). 

Then I thought to myself "What can I do with these adorable bumpers?".  I am not crafty enough to sew them into something cool.  So I just added them to the very, very bottom outside of the crib.  We live in a small apartment without much storage (for all of the diapers that I hoard when they go on sale!!), so this was a good way to hide all my stored items under the crib and add a bit more color!

Anyone else do something cool with their bumpers?

Mother's Day 2012

My first Mother's Day was my best Mother's Day ever!

Cards, flowers, a nice dinner out, celebrating with my Mom and my little guy!

The photos speak for themselves!

I'm a spoiled Mommy!
(Thanks everyone!)

I can't handle the cuteness!!

Weekend with grandma

Eli was very excited that Grandma came to visit for Mother's Day weekend/her birthday! 

He made some gifts, baked a cake, and was generally cute the whole time.  We took Grandma to the Central Park Zoo, to NJ for a visit to IKEA, and out to some nice dinners.  He was also very good while Grandma and Mommy went to the casino and while Mommy and Daddy went out on a "date" (yay, Avengers movie and fast food!).  Eli already misses Grandma and can't wait to see her a lot this summer. 

I'll put the official "Mother's Day" photos on the next post, but here are a couple photos from the weekend ... though none with Grandma ... oops!

Making Mother's Day gifts!

Amazed by our crafty-time!

Loved the penguins!



This penguin loved Eli!

Mommy's favorite!

Mother's Day 2011

Yes, this post is about LAST year!
(Just wanted to be clear that this photo is NOT current .... because then I'd have to get a psych eval or something!)

On this Friday before Mother's Day, I think about last year (2011), on the Friday before Mother's Day.  It was that day that I peed on this stick and we found out about our little Baby Wynne!

So while this is my "first" Mother's Day, last year was pretty special too!

Our big boy!

The 4-month numbers are in!

Height = 24.75" (about 50th percentile)
Weight = 15 lbs (just under the 50th percentile)
(and I totally won the bet, with him coming in at exactly 15 lbs!)


Our little monkey is getting so big!

Waiting patiently for his doctor!

1799*

Approximate number of photos that we have taken of Eli since he was born.

*This is the count only of those on our computer, which includes all photos taken on "our good camera" and "our diaper bag camera".  Not included are hundreds of iPhone photos that are on our phones/iPads/the "cloud" (whatever that is!).*

And you thought we posted a lot of photos!

"WHAT?!? You've taken how many photos of me?
Oh, the embarrassment the future will bring!"

Eli's first Mets' game!!

I don't know who was more excited -- Eli or Daddy!
On April 21st, 2012, Eli went to his very first major league baseball game at CitiField to watch the Mets play the Pirates!  It was a sunny day, we got to see our friends (the Berry family!), and the Mets won (amazing!!!)!!!

We are very excited that Eli is a sports fan and look forward to a summer full of baseball outings!

Daddy is so excited to take Eli to
his first Mets' game!

The Wynne family cheers for the Mets!

Another of Eli's many girlfriends!
It was Meghan's first Mets' game too!

Our Mets fan friends -- The Berry Family!
(Congrats to Dr. Sean, celebrating his new PhD!)

"OMG!  I am at Citifield!"

"Go Mets!"

And a special gift from Daddy!
Eli will always remember his first game!

A sweet SMA baby

I am currently sobbing because of a blog I read by a sweet little girl named Avery who had suffered from SMA (Spinal Muscular Atrophy).  Sure, the crying is due to the lingering pregnancy hormones that I just can't shake, but it really is such a sweet and sad and important story, so I just had to share.  Please check out her story http://averycan.blogspot.com/2012/04/smavery.html.  And you better believe I will be looking into this genetic test before the next Baby Wynne is born!