4.77419354838 month update

I haven't posted in awhile, and facebook is to blame. I finally joined facebook about a week ago, and it is SO fun. It's like seeing your friends every day even when you can't actually see them. And you can keep up with far away friends that you LOVE, but don't call because you hate talking on the phone. (you = me in this case)

So now for a few Eli updates. We're getting close to five months! ...hard to believe!

sleeping - We have regressed a little in our quest for sleeping through the night. I think Eli may have hit a growth spurt or something because he is waking hungry more frequently - like two and three times during the night. I try giving him the pacifier, but when I try the pacifier to smooth over actual nighttime hunger...it doesn't go very well. We still get some six hour stretches, but we haven't seen an eight hour stretch in a little while.

eating - we're still exclusively on breastmilk but plan to start his first solids at 5 months. Our pedi gave us the green light at 4 months; however, the AAP says to start at 6 months - we're splitting the difference. Also, he has shown signs of possible allergies (e.g., mild eczema), so we don't want to rush him. (we = I in this case... Pete is pretty laid back about it, but I'm just a little paranoid. I even suggested that for every new food we give Eli, we introduce it to him at the park next to the hospital ... that way if he does have any serious reactions we're right there! that's paranoid. and that parenthetical was much longer than intended).

Anyway, we're thinking about starting him with a mixture of breastmilk and organic rice cereal. I'm pretty sure he's developmentally ready to try the spoon because he is so interested and curious in what mommy and daddy are eating.

play - I keep saying Eli has found his voice, but it seems like every time I say that he finds it even more a couple days later. He loves practicing all the new sounds he can make - and it is so funny. He definitely keeps us laughing. He spends much of tummy time trying to figure out crawling. He moves his arms and legs, but he hasn't quite figured out how to pick up his tummy. He has figured out how to scoot backwards and can go as much as a few feet. I have a feeling he'll be mobile before we're ready - as if one is ever really ready. Eli loves to open and close his hands over and over again. I think it's his way of exploring how something feels. He reaches up and does this on my face or on my shirt, and it kind of melts my heart. Eli loves faces, and he loves peekaboo. He thinks it is so funny when we look at him suddenly with a shocked look on our face.

playtime pictures

Eli's first time in the exersaucer - it kind of blew his mind. I can't tell you how much he loves this thing. I was putting Eli down last night while Pete was picking up in the living room. Pete put the exersaucer away, and when Eli heard the exersaucer toys making noise he opened his eyes and looked towards the living room...he was ready to play!


Eli and I took our first trip sans Pete. We drove to Aunt Amy and Uncle Patrick's for Camille's bday party. Nana came along too, so I wasn't totally by myself. The bday party was so great - I am so impressed with Aunt Amy's ability to put something like that together!!

More pictures - These two pictures captured a couple of great like-father-like-son moments...

Notice they are both raising one eyebrow

looks a little like they are watching something very suspensful on television


These are just some fun pics I took at brunch last weekend. Eli has some of the funniest expressions, and I love when we capture them on camera. Here are a couple of my favorites.