Happy 1st Birthday Eli Hudson!

A year full of love and smiles and fun!

I can't believe my little baby has turned one!

 

Thank you Eli, for being the best kid we could have ever hoped for.

Eli is 11 months old!

I cannot believe that my baby celebrated 11 months on November 24th! 

Just crazy how quickly it is going by ...

November 24, 2012

November 24, 2012

Height = Surely about 3 feet by now ...
Weight = Just over 20lbs (at home scale)

Eli's life at 11 months:

• Eating: This kid can eat.  Luckily, he has gotten past his choking issue.  Which means he eats lots more "real" food.  Puffs, bread, noodles, rice cakes, cheerios, rice krispies, bananas, avocados, mac & cheese, gerber cookies, rice, cheese and (not surprisingly) his favorite -- french fries!  The vast majority of his calories still come from pureed food, mainly because I am not pushing him off of it.  Why rush it?  He also still drinks a ton of formula, and we'll be transitioning him to "toddler" formula this month. 
• Sleeping: A solid night's sleep still alludes us all. As he has been for months, Eli is still a champ when it comes to going to sleep. But his issue is staying asleep. He wakes up yelling for food and will yell until he is fed, then goes back to sleep.  He has gotten much, much better at naps, always getting two solid naps in (maybe an hour or more each time?) and rarely fighting to stay awake.  I'm hoping his current overnight sleep issues have more to do with teething and that he'll get into the swing of things soon, much like with his naps.     
  

LIKES:

• Eating
• TV
  • If I watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse one more time .... 
• Being naked
• Spoons
• Animals
  • Still not over his animal obsession.  The excitement is ridiculous! 
• Books & anything made of paper
• iPhones and iPads
• Adventures
• People watching and meeting new friends!
• Kids
• Crawling
• no more army crawling, this kid is quick!
• Pounding really hard on the washer and dryer to make noise
• The vacuum
• Not sure how I failed to mention this before, but Eli loves when Daddy gets the vacuum out.  He actually crawls toward the vacuum!  So weird! 
• His Fisher Price Little People
• Eli has a train with santa, an elf and a reindeer and he just loves his little guys!
• Going out to dinner or lunch
• Snuggling
• Bath time

DISLIKES:

• Waiting for food
• People walking away from him
• Sitting still to get clothes on
• Teething

New this month!

• Standing! 
• The kid is pulling himself up on everything!  He loves standing up.  Not yet walking on his own, but he pushes his little walking toy and his old walker and his high chair (which is on wheels).  I am in no huge hurry to have him running every where yet! 
• Eating real food
• Maybe a bit behind, but he has started to move away from the baby food and on to "real" food. 

And here are some of Eli's 11-month outtakes!

"Mr Seahorse, my mom keeps insisting
that we need to stay in this f'ing box!
She doesn't understand that I can't
be contained!"

"Come on, Mr Seahorse, we must dance!"

"Ain't nothing gonna break my stride..."

"Nobody's gonna slow me down..."

"Oh no, I've got to keep on moving!"

"Look ma, one hand!"

"OK, now that we had some fun, we
need to have a serious talk Mr Seahorse.
Next month, I will no longer be a baby
and our days of fun in the green box
will come to an end. 
I know our relationship started out rocky,
but I love you, man!"

Eli is 10 months old!

And on October 24th, Eli turned 10-months-old!

October 24, 2012

October 24, 2012

October 24, 2012

Height = 29" (around the 60th percentile)
Weight = 19 lbs 7 oz (just below the 50th percentile)

Eli's life at 10 months:

• Eating: Eli is still eating like a champ. 4 to 6 jars (or equivalent in homemade food) or pureed food every day!  He likes pretty much everything, with sweet potatoes and pears still his favorite and peas his least favorite.  We started on meats this month for a little extra protein at dinner (with the hopes of a longer sleep at bedtime, but alas, meat does not equal sleep!).  We are still approaching real solids with caution, as it seems our kid chokes easily.  He is better at eating puffs and eats baby "cookies".  He's also had the occasional piece of rice or noodle, but mainly sticks with baby food.  Of course, Thanksgiving is coming soon ...
• Sleeping: A solid night's sleep alludes us all.  Eli is still a champ when it comes to going to sleep.  But his issue is staying asleep.  He wakes up yelling for food and will yell until he is fed, then goes back to sleep.  We're at a loss, and I am hoping he just grows out of it.  He used to be finicky about his napping too, but lately, he's been very good about going down and sleeping for an extended period.  So maybe sleeping through the night will also happen soon?   
  
• LIKES:
• Eating
• Sitting up  
• TV
  • He now really likes to watch his own shows and not just what we're watching.  Though he still likes his sports! 
• Being naked
• Spoons
• Walker
• Stuffed animals that are made to walk like real animals
• Real animals
• Sort of obsessed with dogs and cats and any live animals.  He gets so excited he can hardly breathe.  Adorable to take him to the petting zoo!
• Books & anything made of paper
• iPhones and iPads
• Adventures
• People watching and meeting new friends!  
• Kids
• especially his Madeline! He just loves watching kids and interacting with them!
• Crawling through the house like a mad man!
• Still an army crawler, but he can move fast!
• Pounding really hard on the washer and dryer to make noise
• Pulling on electrical cords
• Wearing costumes
• Thank goodness as Daddy LOVES Halloween!
• Snuggling
• Bath time

DISLIKES:

• Waiting for food
• Being away from Mommy and Daddy
• Especially Mommy. Still lots of whining when Mommy walks away.
  (Mommy is trying to get better about giving in too often and picking him up ...)
• Sitting still to get clothes on
• Teething

New this month!

• Trying to stand up!
  • Though he can't really stand on his own yet, Eli has started trying to pull himself up.  Oh the trouble!  Ryan caught him doing it one morning in his crib and now he'll try it with any chair or gate or person that looks sturdy.  Of course, Eli always ends up falling and banging his head, so this is not fun yet for us!  
• Animals 
  • As I mentioned in his "Likes", Eli is newly obsessed with live animals.  Even after hours with his favorite dog (Jack) or months at the baby-sitter's (with 2 cats and a little dog), Eli can't get enough and harasses the poor things!  Trips to the petting zoo are definitely fun!  And he gets far to excited about the Betta fish that is now residing in his fish tank!
• Having a rambling conversation
• Along with Dadadadada, Eli rambles on and on and will sort of "converse" with you.  His newest sounds are "et" and "bah" (probably after his visit to Grandma's where he met "Boo" the ghost).  Adorable!
• Dancing and clapping to music

And here are some of Eli's 10-month outtakes!

"Oh, Mr Seahorse, they want us
to perform again.  So demanding."

"You're right Mr Seahorse, let's give them
a good show this month!"

"You ready for this??"

"OK, we'll try kneeling first..."

"Check. Me. Out."

"How do you like them apples?"

"YEAH!"

Eli is 9 months old!

I am desperately behind on my blog posts!  I guess having a baby is time consuming.  Oh, and having jobs and family and friends out of town that leads to lots of travel.  Oh, and just all the other important things that need to get done!  Someday .. I'll catch up on all of Eli's adventures!

But until then, I'll at least try to stay up to date with his monthly info!

Eli turned 9 months old on September 24th!

September 24, 2012

September 24, 2012



September 24, 2012

Height = ?? Tall!Weight = ?? 
(Doc appt soon where we will get actual numbers!)

Eli's life at 9 months:

• Eating: Seriously, this boy can eat!  For breakfast, he eats at least 4oz of fruit and grains, for lunch he eats at least 8oz of fruit and veggies and for dinner eats another 6oz or so of fruits and veggies.  If you're picturing it in jars, a typical baby food jar is 4oz, which means Eli eats at least 4 jars of food per day!  (I have made some baby food myself (which I will post about someday), which means a lot of our "at home" meals aren't out of jars ... but you get the picture!))  Eli eats!  As for "real" solid food, we are hesitant.  We started Eli on "puffs" over the last few weeks, which he definitely loves to eat!  BUT, we have had more than one occasion where he has choked on them!  To the point of us panicking and him vomiting.  He even did it with a baby-sitter once (Sorry Becky!), so we are now vigilant on giving him one at a time and watching like a hawk.  Maybe he just needs to practice more? 
• Sleeping: Oh, sadly, sleeping has become less than wonderful for all of us.  Eli was such a good sleeper at first, but we started a downward spiral.  The "sleep training" plan that we have been following basically says "get baby to fall asleep on his own and he will sleep through the night".  Sorry, not my baby.  Our bed time routine is awesome.  After dinner, we play for a while, have a bottle, get a bath, put on pjs, have some hugs, read our bedtime story and get a binkie and blankie.  Eli rolls over and falls asleep.  Maybe once a week he "fights" it, whining for a minute and then falling asleep.  Then he wakes up at least once (usually twice) throughout the night, screaming until we feed him.  Then he'll go back to sleep.  Sigh.  I think it was the perfect storm of a cold, traveling and teething that upset his schedule and now we're just off.
  
• LIKES:
• Eating (formula and "real" food)
• Sitting up
  • A real sitting champ! 
• TV
  • We have learned to watch Sons of Anarchy after he goes to bed. 
• Being naked
• Spoons
• Walker
• Rolling ball toys and his go-go turtle. 
• His Fisher Price Rumble & Learn Driver steering wheel
• Last year's Christmas gift from Daddy!
• Books & anything made of paper
• iPhones and iPads
• Adventures  
• People watching and meeting new friends! 
• Going to Ms. Anne's (his babysitter!)
• Being with Dr. Becky, Colin & Megs! 
• Kids -- especially his Madeline!
  • Loves watching kids and interacting with them

DISLIKES:

• Waiting for food
• Warm weather
• Being away from Mommy and Daddy
  • Especially Mommy. Lots of whining when Mommy walks away. (Of course Mommy probably gives in too often to picking him up ...)
• Napping
• Still fighting the naps, though getting better!
• Face washing after meals
• Teething

New this month!

• Crawling!
• Not a full-fledged crawl, but he army-crawls better than anyone!  He can travel the length of our living room/kitchen/dining area in 30 seconds flat!  He can also go from a sitting to a crawling position and (one time!) he went from crawling to sitting.   
• "Walking"
• He loves walking when you hold his hands.  So wobbly and so cute. 
• Saying "Dada"
• Not really directed at Daddy (though sometimes it seems like it is?), but dadadadadada is one of his favorite rambles! 

And here are some of Eli's 9-month outtakes!

"Alright Mr Seahorse, I think today is
the day we break out of this joint"

"I will throw you out of the box first, and
then I'll climb out while they're
distracted!"

"What, Mr Seahorse?  Are you
punking out on me?  You've been
talking about escaping for months!"

"OK, I am heading out without you!"

"Oh, no! They're on to us!"

"No, Mommy, we weren't trying to
get out of this awesome green box..."

"Guess our escape will just have to wait 'til month 10!"

Eli is 8 months old!

(Though I still have SO MANY summer adventures to tell you about, I will interrupt the narrative to get in his 8-month photos before he hits 9 months!)

Eli turned 8-months-old on August 24th!

He caught his first cold, so the photos were a bit late as we waited until he felt up to socializing with Mr Seahorse. 

August 26, 2012

August 26, 2012

August 26, 2012

Height = ??  Tall!
Weight = ??  Feels heavy to me!  :)


Eli's life at 8 months:

• Eating: This month, Eli officially joined the American tradition of breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Prior to this, food was mainly formula, now I bet we're at about 10oz of food a day and probably 30oz of formula.  His tummy has finally gotten used to food and he is a champion eater!  He eats anything we give him: rice cereal, oatmeal, bananas, sweet potatoes, pears, apples, carrots, peas, green beans, mangos, pineapple, squash, corn, blueberries, pineapples ... and probably more fruits or veggies that I am just not thinking of!  Everything is pureed so far and we're in no rush to have him feed himself or eat more "solid" foods.   
• Sleeping: While we still can't complain about Eli sleeping, he's not the champion we wish he'd be!  He goes down very well, usually around 8 or 8:30pm.  A bottle, bath, story, binkie and bed.  No troubles.  But then he occasionally wakes up sometime between 12 and 2am.  Sometimes he wants milk, sometimes he just wants a binkie and a hug.  Then he almost always wakes up at 4am because he is SO HUNGRY.  He downs a 5oz bottle of formula and goes right back to sleep until about 6 or 7 (which is a perfect wake-up time).  We have used Dr. Jodi Mindell's "Sleeping through the night" book (mainly because Jodi is married to my Master's advisor and also because she is brilliant and awesome!), which has definitely helped, but we've yet to perfect things!

• LIKES:
• Eating (formula and "real" food)
• Loves all things food related!  This kid will eat us out of house and home as a teenager!
• Sitting up
  • Definitely sits for longer periods without falling over now! 
• TV
  • I suppose we'll have to let him watch cartoons soon .... 
• Getting dressed/changed or being naked
• Spoons
• Walker
• Rolling ball toys
• His plastic cars, boats and trains that click together
• no idea what these are really called.  An easter gift from Aunt Kimmy!
• Books & anything made of paper
• Swimming (or water of any sort!)
• Gorillas
• iPhones and iPads
• Adventures
  • He loves getting in the car seat and heading out and about!
• People watching and meeting new friends!
• His Fruncle (Uncle Steve)
• Kids
• Loves watching kids and interacting with them

DISLIKES:

• Waiting for food
• Warm weather
• Being away from Mommy and Daddy
  • Especially Mommy.  Lots of whining when Mommy walks away.  (Of course Mommy probably gives in too often to picking him up ...) 
• Napping
• Really hates missing anything and he knows that sleep means he misses out on all things fun!
• Teething

New this month!

• Rolling like crazy!
• This kid is still too lazy to crawl, but why would he bother when he can roll every where!
• Playing peek-a-boo (in his own way)
• Yes, my special kid likes to play peek-a-boo with you!  We noticed this when Grandma was in town and he has done it a bunch of times since then!  He hides his eyes from you and then "jumps" out.  Hysterical!
• Playing "catch" with Daddy!
• I didn't even know babies could play catch, but he throws and catches toys "on purpose" with Daddy. 
• Living in "baby jail"
• With the movement, we have brought out the "cage" to keep Eli contained!  This kid is gonna be trouble!  :) 

And here are some of Eli's 8-month outtakes!

"Yes Mr Seahorse, I know I look like crap.
I haven't been feeling well.
No, Mr Seahorse, I was not on a 2-day bender.
I have a cold."

"Please, no photos of me."

"I'm not exuding my usual cuteness."

"OK, maybe just a couple photos..."

"Woohoo Mr Seahorse, let's have fun!"

 

"Whoa, it's hard to have fun with a virus!"



"Is the room spinning?
Hold on, Mr Seahorse!"



"Let's get out of here.
I need a nap!"

 

Eli is 7 months old!

I can't believe my little boy is more than half way to one-year!  Where has the time gone?

July 24, 2012

July 24, 2012

July 24, 2012

Height = 28.5" (90th percentile)
Weight = 17 lbs 6 oz (about 25th percentile)
(Tall and thin!  Lucky boy!)

Eli's life at 7 months:

• Eating: The vast majority of calories still come from formula, about every 2-3 hours. He eats at least 5 ounces at each feed, which works out to more than 40 ounces a day.  We are getting serious about having Eli eat "real" food, now trying at least breakfast everyday, and many times lunch too.  We skip lunch if (1) we're out and about or (2) he seems to have a tummy ache after breakfast.  Again, Eli 's stomach still seems to be the problem when it comes to food ... but his mouth likes everything.  So far he eats: rice cereal, oatmeal, bananas, sweet potatoes, pears, apples (maybe allergic?), carrots (maybe allergic?), and peas.  Of them all, we thinks he likes pears the best. 
• Sleeping: This has been a rough month of sleep for Eli (and us).  At first, we thought the traveling was throwing him off, but then we realized it was actually some teeth coming in!  He had reverted back to three or four wakings at night, wanting to eat at most of them.  Now that the teeth have poked through, he seems to really only get up once (around 4ish) and then will go down again until sometime between 6 and 7.  With a 10pm bedtime, I think this is still pretty good.  Napping has been better, but Eli still hates to miss anything if other people are around.  Ryan has done well getting him on an approximate 9, 12, and 3 nap schedule.  He usually sneaks a power nap in before bed too.   

• LIKES:
  • Eating (formula and "real" food)
  • "Sitting" up
  • Pretty good at holding himself up now, but he doesn't really sit unassisted yet (we're working on it)
  • TV
  • Loves watching sports!  Very excited about the Olympics right now! 
  • Getting dressed/changed or being naked
  • Frozen teething toys  
  • Also likes chewing on a spoon when we let him!
  • Exersaucer thing 
  • Walker
  • Yes, he has an awesome old-school walker and takes quite a few steps in it (though usually backwards) 
  • Stacking cups
  • Rolling ball toys
  • Books
  • The best one is from "Grandma Kathy" (Aunt Kimmy's mom) which is actually all cloth!  It is awesome!  He loves looking at regular books too, but he really, really wants the paper in his mouth!
  • Swimming
  • Pools or beaches!
  • Gorillas
  • iPhones and iPads
  • Seriously obsessed.  Maybe because we all spend so much time on them.  Maybe because Grandma lets him play slots on her iPhone ...
  • Adventures
    • He loves getting in the car seat and heading out and about!
  • People watching and meeting new friends!
• DISLIKES:
  • Waiting for food
  • Warm weather
  • Being away from Mommy and Daddy
    • He still often looks for us when someone else is holding him.  He has also recently started whining when we walk away, especially Mommy.  Apparently (according to the baby books), this is the age where "separation anxiety" starts.  Here's hoping we get him over this real quick. 
  • Napping
    • If people are around.
  • Diaper rash 
  • We are very lucky and have hardly had to deal with diaper rash for the last 6 months, but he had a HORRIBLE diaper rash at the end of June.  It was so bad that he was actually crying when we had to wipe him (crying during a diaper change never happens (unless he is waiting for food!)).  It was right after he ate apples and carrots, so we think it might have been an allergy and we're waiting a while before we try those again.  Luckily, it cleared up in a day and he was make to his happy self!
• New this month!
• Holding his own bottle
• Ryan is an awesome stay-at-home summer dad and trained him to hold his own bottle after about 3 days.  Best.  Thing.  Ever.
• Screaming with joy!
• After some baseball games, he learned that people yelling doesn't always mean distress, and they can yell in joy too.  He has since started screaming when he is very excited.  Adorable ... most of the time!
• Hitting with joy!
• He also tends to flail his arms when he is very excited, often hitting himself or us.  Again, sort of adorable ... until you get slapped across the face or get a sharp claw in the eye!
• Standing (with assistance)!
• Teeth!
• Eli's got his mandibular central incisors (bottom middle teeth)!  We had suspected teething for a while and they showed up in late July! 

And here are some of Eli's 7-month outtakes!

"Mom, seriously, do you not see my feet sticking out?
I don't think I fit in this box anymore!"

"Oh, Mr Seahorse, look, the paparazzi are back!"

"Mr Seahorse, of course they are going to stalk
us after all of the fun we had when I turned
6-months-old!"

"Mr Seahorse would prefer if you didn't take any
photos of him today."

"I said, NO PHOTOS OF MR SEAHORSE!!"

[insert your own caption here]

"I told you Mr Seahorse doesn't like photos"

"Wait!  How old am I?!?!?"

"Help me hide my age Mr Seahorse!"