Chunky Punky.

My family is a nickname family. I've had a variety of nicknames throughout my life, and most members of my family have one or another that has stuck. It's only natural that Elliott has a variety of nicknames as well. Unlike some families though, our nicknames tend to morph from their original form. Case in point, my brother Nathan, a.k.a. Uncle Nate.

Nathan became Nahum became Hum became Hummy.

Elliott began his life as my Pumpkin or my Pumpkin Baby. Partly because he was born in October, and partly because we fought with a mild case of jaundice during his first week of life and I told him I would call him Pumpkin so he didn't have to turn himself any more yellowish orange. Elliott has morphed as well.

Pumpkin Baby became Pumpkin/Pumpkin Boy became Punky became Chunky Punky.

I also call him Bub or Baby Bub. Anyway, he is chunky as all get-out these days. He has cute little roly poly thighs and a multitude of chins.

Our own Scott family Christmas miracle happened this week... Elliott slept through the night!!! My Mom kept telling me that it would just happen one night, but it's another one of those things that you just don't believe until it happens. Elliott went to sleep around 9pm after a good meal. Imagine my surprise when I woke up at 5AM!! My boobs hurt like hell, but my baby had slept for 8 hours! It was awesome. The next night, he did not eat well, so only slept from 9pm to 2:30, but still. Bedtime is a lovely concept. That's why I am blogging now, I fed Elliott and put him to bed at 9pm and I am reasonably sure that he won't wake up for several hours, so I don't feel the intense urgency to go to bed right away. I can do crazy things like check my email and blog. Hooray!

Dave and I made an excellent discovery this week. Both of our local malls have nursing rooms! Private areas with comfortable chairs and locked doors where I can feed the chunky punky. It is WONDERFUL and means that our holiday shopping got done in a hurry. Elliott is also getting better at being out and about. He can hang out in his carseat and stroll around the mall, staring at the lights and/or snoozing. He wants to be picked up now and again, but for the most part, he is a good shopper. However, he is also a good pooper. I knew when we went out today that he had not pooped in a while, but Dave and I were unprepared for the true poopfest that ensued today.

I fed him at home and we had lunch at Bennigan's (yum). We went to Toys R Us next, then to Target. During all of this time, he was a happy camper, but definitely started to get hungry at Target. Perhaps it was the popcorn smell... Anyway, so not knowing that the Meridian Mall had a "Nursing Lounge," I fed him in the car. He wasn't eating well, which usually means he is more focused on pooping than eating. Sure enough, two big poops. No big deal. Well, it was a big deal and he needed a new outfit once we got into the mall. Then, midway through our shopping he fussed, so I picked him up. I IMMEDIATELY put him back down when I touched/saw a HUGE poop stain on his back. Thank goodness we had two outfits in the diaper bag.

Speaking of poop, Elliott's last blowout had some expensive ramifications. Again, knew he had to poop, so when he finally went while I was holding him I made him dance around and tell Dave about how great he felt. Dave's face changed and he said calmly, "Um, honey, you have something on your shirt."

So yeah, I got pooped on. No big deal, but we've learned that baby poop stains quickly, so we put a load in the washer right away. I was smart enough to remember to take my chapstick out of my front pocket, but neglected to remember that my cell phone was in my back pocket. CRAP. So I washed my cell phone and had to buy a new one on ebay. It was craptacular.

Elliott is a ton of fun these days. He doesn't cry for the sake of crying anymore, which is a real treat. He smiles and coos and plays frequently throughout the day and is getting a pretty steady routine. He is VERY vocal and is "talking" quite a bit, especially to me. This could be because I talk to him all the time. :) He is much more interested in toys these days and is starting to enjoy sitting in his bouncer and playing or laying on the floor and cooing at his favorite toys, Mr. Turtle and Elephant.

If worrying were an Olympic sport, I would be a gold medalist. And I'm worrying a lot lately about going back to work. It's not like I have a lot of options, and I know that I will be able to worry a lot less with Elliott at home with Dave, but I love my little guy more every day. Elliott also likes our new couch. Hooray!

Dave is the yin to my yang, so he is working hard at reminding me how much I love my work and emphasizing the few weeks we have left together. They will go by quickly with the holidays fast approaching, but every day with Elliott is a real blessing.

We never should have gone to Baby Gap... That place is dangerous, and I am tempted to spend more on clothes for Elliott than I would ever pay for myself. And mine fit me for a lot longer!

We ventured out to get our first Christmas tree together on Monday. Dave put the lights on today. It's magical.

Dave always asks Elliott if he is calling Fiji when he holds his baby phone. I always ask him if he's calling Grandma.

Buff or fat? You make the call.