Duh!

Eli totally understands the meaning of the word "dog" now. Up until this week, I would prompt him: "Do you see the dog? Say dog!" Now, we go for a walk and every time we pass a dog, he says "dog," which really sounds more like "duh!" The other day, we were even inside the house and could hear a dog barking and he said it! I was so proud of my smart baby!

He has been repeating a lot lately. Every time I hang up the phone, he says "bye," or "bah!" Pretty much anything that starts with a 'b' is "buh!" There are some slight variations in the tone or the sound of the vowel. Ball and block are both "buh!" Bath sounds normal, but without the 'th,' and buck (as in, the deer his Pappy has mounted in the den) is also "buh!"

Oh, and rubber duck? It sounds pretty much like dog :)

I was playing around with my new camera and got this. I love it!

Corrected Age Birthday Party

The cake was supposed to be made to look like blocks,
but I ran out of time and didn't get to add the detailing

He was much more interested in cake this time around

He was trying to get on the 4-wheeler before it was even unwrapped!

On Thursday the 27th, our little man turned a year old corrected age, meaning had he been born on his due date, this is when he would have turned one. It also means that he is developmentally like a 12-month old. We had cake to celebrate this birthday, as well as the anniversary of him being home for a year. He came home from the hospital on August 22nd, 2008 after 10 weeks of being in the NICU. It's hard to believe he's been home for so long, and such a blessing to be celebrating his corrected age birthday!

The party turned out really nice. All of his grandparents came, plus his Auntie Bri, Uncle Jeremy, Crystal, and Gage. Everyone enjoyed watching Eli play as we reminisced about how far he has come. He got all of his current favorite things as gifts: blocks, cars, and balls. Mommy and Daddy got him a small ride-on 4-wheeler, which he just loves!

Mommy got a present on Thursday, too! Seth got me a new camera. My regular digital camera broke when Seth and Eli dropped it a few months ago, so I have been patiently waiting for the day that we could afford a new one. Seth is supposed to be getting a profit-sharing check from work, so I am now the proud owner of a Nikon D40! All of the pictures from the party were taken on it, but I had just received it about 30 minutes before the party started and hadn't had time to practice. It's a DSLR, so it's going to take some playing around before I become a better photographer. I'm already improving though. More to come! :)

Home for a year!

Wow... it's been almost 4 months since I've updated this site. I've been super busy, and after it had been so long since I updated, I kind of gave up. For some reason, tonight I decided to get started again, so here is the rundown!

In May, Eli started to get a stuffy nose, and rather than rush into the ER like the crazy-first-time-Mom whose kid just has a cold, I decided to keep my eye on him. For days, he seemed fine--nothing but a stuffy nose. One night, though, he took a sudden turn for the worse. I took him to the ER when he spiked a fever and was breathing heavily, as if it was a struggle. His temperature was 104.8 and his oxygen saturation was only 73% when we arrived. Our local hospital determined that he had pneumonia and we traveled by ambulance to Columbus and Eli was once again admitted to Children's Hospital. It was a relief to feel that we were in good hands, and for a second time, the Ronald McDonald House became my home away from home.

Eli was stable within 24 hours, and he was feeling better after a few days. He ended up being treated for a viral infection and not pneumonia. He was put on oxygen and inhaled steroids. It took a while to get him weaned off his oxygen, so we were in Columbus for almost 2 weeks. In the mean-time......he began to try to crawl!

Once we were home, Eli was feeling as good as new. It seemed like it was just a few days before he was a pro crawler. After only 2 weeks of being home, however, poor Eli started to show some of the same symptoms he had been showing before I brought him to Children's. This time I was able to spot what was happening earlier, and I brought him to the ER before he got as bad. This time, we were admitted to our local hospital and only had to spend 5 days there.

Unfortunately, he was discharged the day before his big birthday party, so we decided it would be best for him if we cancelled it, which was a dissappointment to me but honestly somewhat of a relief. Who knew how much work it was to play a first birthday party?! Instead, we had a smaller get-together with some family at his grandparents house.

June and July were busy for Mommy and Daddy. Seth was in the hospital for a month, during which we only got to see him twice because he was 3 hours away. Now that he's home he's feeling better than ever, and it really shows. I put in my two-weeks notice at Walmart back in June when I got a job working at a nursing home. I was put through a 2-week course to become a Certified Nurse's Aide, and have since become state-tested. I worked full-time as an aide for the rest of the summer on the 6 a.m.-2 p.m. shift. It's a tough job, but all-in-all I like it, and I love having my evenings free to spend with my family. Today I started taking classes at a nearby community college. I plan to apply for the nursing program next fall to be an RN. It feels good to be back in school! Now that I'm a full-time student and Mommy, I'll be dropping down to 3-4 days per week at work.

My family reunion was at the end of July for a full week at Blackwater Falls State Park in West Virginia. Seth, Eli and I went for the final weekend and Eli spent his first night in a tent. He loved it of course, because he loves being outside. When it rained the next night, Eli stayed in the cabin with my Aunt, Uncle and cousins while Mom and Dad got wet in the tent. All of the family loved visiting with Eli, and he adored the attention. I have some great pictures, but they are on my sister's camera, so maybe I'll post them later.

Eli had his 1-year well-child visit in July, but was sent home because he had a low-grade fever. Last week was his resheduled appointment and he weighed in at 21.6 pounds, a pound and a half heavier than he was at his July appointment. He is on the charts for both height and weight for his real age. He is just below the 25th percentile for weight, and at 29 inches, he's just below the 5th percentile for height. He also had his vaccinations for MMR, Hepatitis A, and chickenpox. He didn't like that too well, but he only cried for a minute. In September, he'll go for his developmental assessment at Children's Hospital. He'll be 13 months corrected age, so they will make sure he is on track for that.

Today, Eli is 14 1/2 months old. This past Saturday marked the one-year anniversary of his homecoming, and in 3 days, he'll be 12 months corrected. We plan to have a cake to celebrate, so hopefully I'll update again after that. He is walking around furniture, but has yet to take his first steps. He sometimes lets go of whatever he's using to balance, and had stood alone for maybe 10 seconds. It won't be long. He has no trouble getting around, or getting into everything, though. He loves to climb. He loves the outside, and I swear sometimes he gets cabin fever. He will fuss and carry on, and the only words of comfort are "do you want to go outside?" or "wanna go for a walk?" His favorite toys are blocks, balls and cars. He drives his cars around and says "brmmmmmmmm." He also likes to ride (we push him, he can't reach the pedals!) on his Harley Davidson trike he got for his birthday. He says a handful of words, including Mama, Dada, PapPap, ball, truck, stuck, dog, and uh-oh. He's finally getting some hair. It seemed to be growing quickly for a while, but now it's just kind of stuck. It's still very blond, and in the sun it looks white. He has six teeth now, and he eats pretty much anything. He's not very picky. I still don't allow him nuts, too much sweets or "junk," or drinks other than milk, water or the occasional juice. He's a big fan of food! His favorite thing is definitely popcorn! He drinks from a sippy cup most of the time, but can drink from a straw, a water bottle, and still has a bottle of 2% milk before bed, but I'm trying to get away from that.

Oh yeah, he can play cards, too. Here's a video fI took tonight on my phone.




Here is a link to the slideshow I made him for his first birthday: Small-fry turns one. It turned out really nice, so check it out!

And here are some random pictures:

Peek-a-boo!

The switch to bottles...

I don't have any new pictures, since my old rechargeable batteries only hold a charge for about 3 pictures these days, but there has been a lot of changes recently and I figured I'd post an update.

About two weeks ago, Eli nursed for the last time. He was gradually becoming less and less interested in nursing and putting up a fight sometimes when it was time to eat. He fussed because he was hungry, but then fussed because he didn't want the breast. It wasn't a pleasant experience for either of us (he was actually physically hurting me), and I didn't think he was getting enough to eat, so I decided it was best to switch to formula. I was really sad about it at first, and I wasn't looking forward to having to make bottles after the convenience of just pulling up my shirt, but it's actually working out very well. He's a happier baby, and even holds his bottle himself most of the time. I'm excited about having my breaks at work back to myself without having to pump. I also bought a new bra the other day and was very happy about that.

On the Tuesday after Easter, the tooth Eli was working on finally poked through, and now it is very clearly visible. It's really cute, and I believe he's working on another one. The weaning worked out nicely timing-wise; he never had a chance to bite me! He's chewing a lot of his food though, and we are working on some finger foods. He is a pro with big things like graham crackers and cheese puffs, but has a hard time with smaller foods like cheerios. He gets them into his fists and then can't figure out how to get them into his mouth.

It's possible that might decide he wants to crawl after all. Lately he's been doing a combination of rolling and scooting on his belly, and sometimes gets up on all fours. He can go the whole way across a room sometimes, but other times he still gets too frustrated and wants help.

His new hobbies include peek-a-boo and dropping things. The kid has no fear. He likes to sit on the couch with his Daddy, push the tv remote onto the floor and then dive after it. Seth has to grab his legs while he hangs upside down and picks up the remote. Once Seth sits him next to him, he throws the remote and repeats the whole thing over again, about 20 times. It is both humorous and exhausting!

And he's really starting to grow again! He had been kind of lingering around the 15-16 pound mark for a few months, but last week at his appointment for his last RSV shot, he weighed 17.4 pounds, and then several days later, at a WIC appointment, he was 17 pounds 13 oz (clothed) and 26 inches. He's finally putting on some height! "Eli the small fry" is becoming "Eli the big guy!"

Easter

The Easter Bunny brought Eli this huge lollipop!
I think he liked the stick more than the candy....

Daddy, Mommy & Baby on Easter

About to dig into his Easter crate (1 of 4)

His first egg hunt. He didn't want to put the eggs into the basket.

Grandpa Smith let him suck on m&ms

Basket from Nana

He totally posed for his picture before we left for church.

My favorite pic of the day!

Hopefully, all of you had a wonderful Easter. Ours was very nice, but very busy! We got up early to get ready for church. It was the first time Eli had really been to an actual service, and he was a very good boy. I was quite impressed! After church, we went to Nana's for brunch, and then to visit with Grandpa and Rita. Of course, Eli got presents at both places. Later, we went to Grandma and Pappy's for an egg hunt, and more presents. It was basically like Christmas for Eli, in terms of gifts! He was very spoiled. Unfortunately, I had to be at work by 3:30, but at least I got to spend a good bit of the day with family.

In other news, Eli is working really hard to cut a tooth. I can feel it, but I can't see anything yet, other than swelling. He's been rather unpleasant and irritable at times, especially at night. Mommy and Daddy are very sleepy! I hope he works it through soon, so he can feel better. I'm just a little scared about what is to come when he nurses with teeth!

Eli has been working really hard at walking and standing. He loves to do both with assistance, and actually demands help often. He still doesn't seem to be getting any closer to crawling, so who knows? maybe he will be one of those babies that skips it. He's getting less and less wobbly when walking and he goes right towards what he wants with no guidance, just balance. He tries to pull himself up, too, and he's almost there.

Oh yeah, and he waves now! It's adorable :)

An overdue update

Eli is nearing 10 months--I can't believe it! I'm already planning his birthday party, and I'm quite excited about it! I have a cute idea for a theme, but I'll leave it a surprise. If anyone especially wants an invitation, leave me a comment on here or myspace or give me a call!

Eli is still not crawling (nor does he seem interested), but he is surprisingly mobile. He can roll to get what he wants, sometimes scoots, and often whines until you grab his hands and he will then stand up and walk. He wants to get into everything, and I'm actually hoping he is a late crawler (lol). His new favorite things are the computer keyboard/my laptop, his singing mirror, and blocks, along with the classic favorites: paper, plastic bottles, his jungle, and the exersaucer.

My sister, Makayla, and I went to Columbus on St. Patrick's Day for Eli's developmental assessment. His corrected age at the time was 6 months (nearly 7, really) and he tested above average in all areas. In most areas, he was at about an 8 month level, which is right between his corrected age and his real age of 9 months. Everyone there was very impressed with him, and had no concerns of any kind! It was a great day--I was a very proud Mommy--and I love going to the clinic there, because my questions are always thoroughly welcomed and answered.

His next appointment in Columbus will be in September, where he will have his 12-months-corrected-age assessment and he will also see a urologist. If you don't remember, Eli may have hypospadias, a birth defect involving an abnormally placed urethra. Plus, Eli is still uncircumsized, because he was too fragile to have the procedure done at birth. I am thinking that is the way it will stay, but I want to get some facts from the doctor before Seth and I finalize that decision.

Enjoy some recent pictures!

I had a little fun with the camera today :)

This was about 9 months ago.... What a difference!

Can you see the fuzz growing up there?!

i

My big boy standing up!

Posing with his stats: he is still small for his real age, but pretty normal for the corrected age. He was 16 1/2 lbs at this appointment.

Playing with the physical therapist during his assessment

A family pic at an anniversary party for Seth's Aunt and Uncle

oOBubblesOo

I haven't had the chance to update in a while, so I thought I'd share some pictures from today. We took a ton, and there are even more on my Mom's camera, but here are some of the better ones from my sister's. The first one is my favorite!

Eli has been doing pretty well, except for the little cold he has now. His developmental assesment in Columbus had to be canceled because I didn't want another child to get sick, so we'll be going next week instead. I'll most likely update again afterwards!