A day in Central Park!

Eli was almost 4 months old and had yet to visit Central Park.  Note:  I first visited Central Park in 2003 and Ryan's first visit was in 2004.  So we decided to make the drive into The City one sunny Sunday afternoon and show him around.

And I had talked Ryan into signing up for a photography class back while I was pregnant (thanks Groupon) and we never got around to doing it.  That means Eli and I got to spend the day in the park while Ryan learned more about our camera.  I was sure to show Eli where his Daddy proposed to Mommy (Strawberry Fields) and where we went to dinner to celebrate (Tavern on the Green).   

Here are a few of our favorite photos from the day!

Ryan captures the beauty of a squirrel!

Spring in NYC!

Adorable little man!

Can you beat this cuteness?

Mommy and Eli!

Daddy and Eli!

"Yay!"

"I love the park!"

Thanks Aunt Shannon, Uncle Bob and Bobby for the adorable froggy outfit!

Eli is 4 months old!

Eli celebrated 4 months of life on April 24th!

4 months old
April 24, 2012

4 months old
April 24, 2012

4 months old
April 24, 2012

Height=??
Weight=??
(We have our 4-month  doctor's appointment next weekend -- will update then! 
Anyone want to take a guess? From my sore back, I am guessing he weighs about 15lbs and has to be at least 26"! )

Eli's life at 4 months:

• Eating: Eli's eating hasn't changed much.  Still on an every-two-hours during the day feeding schedule, downing about 4 or 5 ounces each time. Sometimes 7 ounces.  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 him on rice cereal right around 3 months.  He is still working on the idea of food in his mouth that is not liquid, so I don't think he actually eats all that much!  He showed off his eating skills on Easter for Nana and Pop-pop, but that was his best night ever.  We don't even try with the cereal every night, so that may have something to do with his not gobbling it down successfully yet.  We average about every-other night ... sometimes we work late or he is sleepy or we're just too lazy!  Our pediatrician wants him to start fruits and veggies now that he is 4 months old, but we are holding off till next week. 
• Sleeping:  Yes, Eli SLEEPS THROUGH THE NIGHT! Yay!! He goes down about 10pm or so and sleeps until about 6:30am!  He did this a bit after he turned 2-months, but as soon as we hit 3-months, it was pretty much every night.  Some mornings he even wakes up and just lays in bed, smiling and talking and waiting for us to come in (we have one of those video monitors, so we watch him).  I am so grateful and we hope he continues this amazing sleeping forever!
• LIKES:
  • Eating
  • Sleeping
  • "Sitting" up
  • Still not sitting, but likes to sit on the couch or (sometimes) in his bumbo chair or just being held upright.
  • Sitting in his high chair while Mommy and Daddy eat dinner.
  • Blanket teddy/pooh/frog
  • Still his favorite toys and I never leave the house without one!
  • His IKEA changing table
  • I hope he never outgrows it!
  • Bath time
  • His Binkies
  • TV
  • Still loves TV -- especially sports (baseball, mainly), animal shows and Ellen DeGeneres!
  • Getting dressed/changed
  • I have never, ever known a baby that loves getting changed, but this kid does!  I put a onesie over his head, it gets stuck for a minute -- and he LAUGHS!  He loves getting naked and then getting a new outfit on.  Sometimes, if he is being cranky, we have a "costume change" to settle him down.  Weird baby! 
• DISLIKES:
  • Waiting for food
  • Tummy time
  • doing our best to trick him into it!
  • Being away from Mommy and Daddy
  • We noticed at cousin Hannah's birthday party that he seems to get a little anxious when he realizes that one of us are not within his sight.  We blame this on the fact that he is ALWAYS with one of us and plan to get him around more people soon! 
• New this month!
• Sleeping consistently through the night
• Standing in his bouncer/play thing
• Laughing hysterically!
• We can not hear that laugh enough! So friggin' cute!
• "Talking"
• Sometimes he will babble on for quite a while.  Adorable!

And here are some of Eli's 4-month outtakes!

"Oh, hello Mr. Seahorse!"

"Ho Hum, nothing going on here!"

"Take that, Mr Seahorse!"



"Haha, Seahorse down!"

Seriously, adorable, right? (4)

"Love you, Aunt Kelly!"

(Thanks Kel, for the adoable shirt!  Love the ants!)

Happy Easter!

We spent a very nice Easter Sunday at home, with Nana and Pop-pop coming to visit!

Eli discovered his first Easter basket, watched baseball and ate some cereal.  Eli really loved his bunny ears, his cute outfit (thanks Nana and Pop-pop), his easter bib and toy gift card (thanks Grandma), and all his toys from his girlfriends (thanks Aunt Kimmy and Aunt Anna for the awesome toys).

A very nice holiday, indeed!

Easter basket from Nana and Pop-pop!
"Who is that chocolate bunny for? Oh, Daddy!"

Happy Easter 2012!

"I found my basket from the Easter Bunny!
He hid it right here on the couch, next to me!"

"Yum!  Easter dinner!"

Seriously loved the ears! 
He is so funny!

We also went to see the Easter Bunny at the mall with cousins Hannah and Sophia.  Obviously, not a highlight of Eli's holiday.

Eli is a Yankees fan too!

Despite being a Mets fan, Eli wanted you to know that he is also a Yankees fan. 

Obviously, cheering for a team is genetic.  He gets the Mets gene from Ryan (sorry dude) and the Yankees gene from my side of the family (you're welcome!).  

Good thing we live in NY!  Eli will definitely be at some baseball games this summer!

"Yo!  I am a Yankees fan and it's their opening day!"

"Let's go Yankees!"

"Boo!  Yankees lose."

A Long Island visit

Though Eli has made it out to Long Island when he has had to go to work with me, we decided to make a social visit to the Long Island to see our friends Natalie, Emilio and Dahlia!  Easter weekend, Dahlia was in town celebrating her first birthday!  (Normally, they live in Western PA) Sadly, we couldn't make the big party, but it was actually really nice to head out the day before the crazy celebration and enjoy some time catching up and just hanging out with the babies. 

Eli is looking forward to another playdate with Dahlia soon (hopefully in Niagara Falls this summer!)!  She is such a cute one-year-old and it was so nice to meet her!!!

Happy 1st Birthday Dahlia!

Eli and Uncle Emilio!
(Another dad that is married to a full-time professor
and spends LOTS of time with his child!)

Dahlia joins in!
"OMG- she's touching my arm!!"

Happy Birthday Hannah!

In March, we celebrated Cousin Hannah's 5th birthday with a big luau!  We can't even believe Hannah is 5 years old!  I still remember meeting her for the first time when she was about 18 months old.  She was so tiny, and didn't walk yet, barely spoke!  Now she's 5-going-on-25!  But still so cute, all dressed up in her luau outfit!

It was Eli's first big birthday party, and I think he had a good time celebrating with his big cousins. 



Hannah, the luau birthday girl!

Little Sophie, luau princess!

The 3 cousins
(can't you see the family resemblance?)

Hannah just loves holding Eli
(by herself!)

Hawaiian family fun!
Almost like our honeymoon!

Happy Surf Dude!
(Thanks for the outfit and shoes Natalie!)