Elliott Milton LIVE!

I had so much great feedback about Elliott's video debut that I thought I would add a few more.

In the beginning, we thought we liked the jumperoo. His little feet didn't quite touch the ground, but he sure did smile a lot when he was in it.

Apparently the little guy grew his legs long enough to really get himself going AND his little brain grew to learn how to really play in it. It's a ton of fun to watch.

This one is simply titled: "This Is How I Roll, Guys."

I also love to watch Elliott play, so I thought I would share. He is learning so much from day to day, and starting to show favoritism for certain toys.

Finally, I will title this one "The Complainer."

Dave and I are both notorious in our families for overusing the phrase "It's not fair." I think Elliott may be warming up his complainer skills... This was right before bedtime and he was telling me "Enough playing Mom, put me in the tub, rub me down with that pink smelly stuff and give me some mommy milk!"

This is a different night, but I do put him in the tub, massage his growing baby muscles with Johnson's lotion and feed him before bedtime. Here are a few snapshots of that....

I didn't realize that Elliott's thighs had grown to be so Michelin Man-esque...

More random pictures of the cutest baby in the entire world.... Did you spot the little red mark in the corner of his right eye? Elliott decided to knock the pump bottle of Johnson's head to toe babywash off the corner of his bathtub. It fell right into his eye. Thankfully, his quick reflexes made him shut his eye and it just scratched the skin in the corner. However, it took me getting drenched by taking him out of the bathtub mid-bath and Elliott screaming bloody murder and me crying and Dave rushing up the stairs to help before we determined everything was ok and we didn't need to rush to the emergency room or buy a pirate patch for our one-eyed baby.

I am the king of Mount Daddy!
And the King of Drool!

A few of the pictures we've taken lately have reminded me of how quickly Elliott is growing. Here is an updated version of the "milk coma" that I blogged about when Elliott was just a week old.

Remember?And I don't know how much Elliott weighs, but I think he'll be out of this carseat sooner rather than later. *sigh* This was taken on Sunday. I just love those gosh darn Osh Kosh warm up pants!

Here is a photo from 6 weeks old...

In non-Elliott news, my friends Laura and Matt had their little girl, Lila Jean on January 19. She was 7 lbs, 5 oz's and 18.5 inches long. And the last preggo employee at the baby store had her baby yesterday. Parker Nathaniel, ironically also 7 lbs, 5oz's, but he was born 3 weeks early!

Here is baby Lila. I am really excited to meet her and for Lila and Elliott to play together in the future.My Mom a.k.a. GRAM is visiting for a conference in Lansing. I am very excited to spend the evening with her and Elliott and Dave. Grandma Carolyn is coming to visit this weekend on Sunday. Hooray! And next weekend we are heading to Traverse City for our Leelanau Peninsula wine tasting trip for my birthday. Grandma Carolyn and Grandpa Dave are going to watch Elliott for us. I think all five of us are excited for next weekend!

Finally, if ya'll wouldn't mind, please comment now and again so that I know you are reading... I realize I wasn't the best at posting when Elliott was really little, so I wonder how many of you are still out there...

First Attempt at Video

Well, if you can stand to hear me coaxing him on, here is a little video of the little man chatting with me and sticking his tongue out. I promise not to take up a career in film production.

I look great.

So apparently I'm a hottie new mom. Went to my first PRSA meeting since the little man made his arrival and I got literally a handful of compliments about how great I look. I guess motherhood agrees with me. I've been comfortable in my own skin for quite some time now, so compliments surprise me.

I also highly recommend the first-trimester nausea-filled pregnancy plus post-partum breastfeeding diet.

HA.

One more side note, Elliott is now a roller extraordinaire! He rolled over several times for Dave and me today. I think he can tell how excited we get when he does it, so he was really showing off for us this evening. He passed out early tonight, before 9, so my sleeping through the night bragging may come back to haunt me in just a few hours.

The adventure continues!

That's How I Roll, Mom.

Elliott has been "almost" rolling for about a week now. Last Friday I was convinced he was finally going to do it as an homage to it being my last official day of maternity leave. Have I not learned by now that I am not in charge anymore? And that while Elliott loves me a ton, he is not planning to do as I wish, now or perhaps ever.


So anyway, he is being kind to us by sleeping through the night these days. Life is so much clearer when you have 6-8 hours of sleep under your belt CONSECUTIVELY, not broken up into 2-3 hour chunks. Delish. Anyway, I went in to wake him up this morning to feed him to find him on his belly. I went back into our bedroom to ask Dave if he had flipped him at some point during the night, but alas no. Elliott did his first successful roll sometime between the hours of 9:30pm and 6:30am.


Let me talk for a moment about sleeping. A. Elliott is a great sleeper. B. We use blankets. Oh horror of horrors, we use blankets! But we do, we have since he was born and I plan to use them for future babies. There I said it. C. Occasionally, we flip the little guy over to sleep on his tummy. Dave and I are both stomach sleepers, and when it means we get an extra hour of sleep or when it's the only way he will nap, we're brazenly defying the "back to sleep, tummy to play" campaign.

Here is a re-creation of Elliott's nighttime habits. This is how he goes to sleep at night.

And this is how I find him in the morning. He has also been known to do a full 180.

Oh, play! What a great topic for right now. Elliott is a playing machine. Sometimes he'll even fuss because he wants to be left alone to grab at and mouth his toys. There was a period of about 3 weeks when he was almost constantly on his play gym, hanging on for dear life to his dangling friends Elephant, MonkeyMan, Mr. Parrot, ButterflyThing, Chiming Bunny and a host of others. These days, he is ALL about his Jumperoo. My fave baby product to date has been the Boppy. I am quickly becoming a devotee to the Fisher Price Rainforest Jumperoo. Not only is it fun for Elliott, it makes me smile and laugh just a smidgen less than he does. He is adorable in it, and smiles his happiest gummy grins when playing. It has also been the reason Dave and I have been able to eat dinner together for the last week or so. It's a gift, truly.

Another few notes on play. Elliott had his first playdate a couple Saturdays ago with Sawyer, the 9-month-old, red-headed adorable son of my friend Jessica from the National Home. We swapped Mommy stories, Sawyer pillaged Elliott's toys and Elliott took a big long nap in his swing. Not the best playmate yet, but Sawyer didn't seem to mind.
We also watched some other folks play last week... The Michigan State University men's basketball team! Yes, we took Elliott to his first sporting event, and more importantly to his first Spartan sporting event. He was SO good! Watched the action, listened to the music, snoozed a bit during halftime and let us take lots of pictures of him. Toward the end of the game, he got a little fussy, but heck, I was getting antsy too as the other team was calling a timeout after each play to extend the game. Anyway, the woman sitting next to Dave says, "Oh, so he DOES cry!" I about died. Um, yes Ma'am, have you met my baby? The baby formerly known as Prince Tomato Face? HA. We have come a long way.

Hmm, other exciting and fun things in our life. We've been interviewing daycare providers because Dave got a call to return to work at the testing center. I don't think he's going to take this particular job that goes from Feb-April, but we definitely found someone we are comfortable leaving Elliott with. Her name is Brenda. She was referred to us by my friend Lexi, whose daughter Laynie stayed with Brenda before they moved to Pittsburgh. She is a home-based provider and a good $70 less per week than any of the big CAFO daycare centers in Lansing. She has a small home about a mile away from our house and is willing to be flexible as Dave is on again, off again from work. Best of all, Elliott smiled at her, cuddled right into her arms and chilled out while we talked about her 15 years of daycare experience. So I think everything is going to be ok.

Speaking of work, I'm doing well. I miss the little guy while I'm gone, but as I've said before, I'm just not cut out to be a stay at home parent. I like my job and love my profession. It feels so good to be back into a routine and it makes me appreciate my time with Elliott more and I feel like an even better Mommy. My job is going to transition to 100% plant initiative, which is also helping me stay busy and focus on work while I'm here and not just pine away for Elliott and Dave.

I have to say, though, that my favorite part about leaving for work is coming home. Elliott hears my voice and finds me with his eyes and breaks into just about the biggest smile ever. It's like his eyes are saying "Oh Mom! There you are! I've been looking for you! Got milk?"

Milk. Yes, that's going well too. I am staying several ounces ahead of what he is eating at home with Dave. We think he is taking the edge off with the bottle and then filling up his tank to F when he sees me. This is great because my daytime milk production is still high and my body has adapted to make more in the evenings too. I still feel like making milk is a superpower, but it's also downright convenient. All of the health and bonding benefits aside, breastfeeding is so much easier on all of us.

Elliott is also downright squirmy these days. My Mom says that boys have extra muscle, so they need to move their bodies more to oxygenate their little bodies. Whatever the reason, he is a squirmy worm. So nursing him is a nice time to cuddle him, cut his fingernails, pick his nose, sing to him, and do other things he definitely won't sit still for these days.

Aunt Meredith came to visit from Chicago last weekend. It was very fun. Elliott wore his Chicago Cubs outfit to celebrate her arrival.

My parents continue to visit regularly. I don't know what I'd do without their help and listening ears. Plus, they think Elliott is the greatest thing ever. I agree of course, but being a grandparent has a whole different twist to nurturing. It makes my soul feel warm watching them together.

Elliott is talking and cooing quite a bit. This morning, for instance, I fed him and put him back to bed a little drowsy, but not sleeping. He jabbered away for almost an hour before he fell back asleep. Dave almost went in to get him, but we agreed that he has a distinctive talking voice, a complaining voice and then, of course, crying.

That is my favorite complaining face.

He is also all about sticking his tongue out lately. It's hilarious and I keep thinking that some day we'll have to re-train him NOT to stick his tongue out. But for now, it's cute. He was talking up a storm to me on his changing table when I took this picture.

My friend Anne is coming to visit this weekend. Dave is bartending as usual. Otherwise, it's nice to have our time free to just play. The snow continues to fall, but I am already looking forward to springtime and taking Elliott outside to play.

There is so much to look forward to.

Like playing with Uncle Nate...

Being able to talk directly to Grandma Carolyn on the phone....

And playing football...

Slowing the flow of drool and being able to NOT wear a bib all the time...

Watching sports with Daddy. Oh wait, he's already doing that... Perhaps "yelling at the TV" is what he's looking forward to...
Playing with Daddy in general is always something to look forward to...

Getting more new shoes. That might be what I am looking forward to...
Walking...
Chewing on something other than our favorite treat, HAND...

Flying... Although right now we "superman that baby" quite often. It's one of his favorite things to do...
Traveling more... Although Elliott is quickly growing out of his carseat... His 4-month appointment is on February 6... I can't wait to see how much he weighs...
Getting into mischief...
Being the light of my Mommy's life...

Time Flies.

Oh, where to begin?... There isn't a good place, so I'll just start with right now.

Elliott is doing amazingly well. He is a smiley, happy guy who loves to play and eat and stand up and wiggle and squirm and sleep on his daddy. I can't believe he will be three months old on Tuesday. I also can't believe it's already time for me to go back to work. Sure, I've been in a few times, but now that I HAVE to go back, it isn't nearly as fun. I will be able to work half time for a week or two, which is a decision I'm glad I made way back in preggo land.

A great practice for me was going back to work at Babies R Us on Sunday. I'm only going to work 4 hours every other Sunday, but I just don't want to quit. I love working there. I love helping expectant parents. I love so many of my co-workers. I don't know how I'll feel about it when I'm back up to 40 hours at MSU too, but Sunday felt really good.

I knew it would be hard to return to work, but it has to happen sometime. I know I wouldn't be happy as a stay at home parent. I trust Dave to take amazing care of Elliott. I have lots of friends whose children love daycare and leaving work every day is a reward for a job well done during the day. I think this is a time when it's all about attitude. Am I sad? Absolutely. Will I miss Elliott? Immeasurably. But do people do this everyday? Yes. Can I do it too? I can and I will.

Ok, enough self empowerment. If you didn't already know this, my baby is freaking adorable.

We had wonderful holidays. Hectic, but wonderful. Elliott did really well considering he traversed the greater state of Michigan for a more than a week. He had a minor meltdown one night in Saginaw where I think he had had enough of being passed around and held and just needed his Mommy. Heck, sometimes I just need my Mommy too, so he is certainly entitled. He is definitely over that whole "I'm crying but I have no idea why" thing, which also makes him a much more enjoyable houseguest.

This is one of my favorite Christmas decorations, and I think it will be funny to compare how big Elliott is to Santa next year...


Dave got a bike, a PlayStation and a shirt that says "ME" which we didn't understand until he pulled out a onesie for Elliott that is embroidered with "MINI-ME." We about died. I got a bike, fabulous rasberry luggage, new silverware, new shoes, a Lane Bryant giftcard that I immediately spent on new underwear, so much more. Dave's Dad and Pam got us a delicious box of Omaha Steaks. Mmmm. Elliott got a seat to ride on the back of my new bike, a ride-on dinosaur, wonderful, treasured books (my best friend Mary Frog Toes would call them 'literature'), a TON of clothes, baby sunglasses, two pairs of shoes (those were perhaps more for me than him, I love baby shoes), a case of diapers, a case of wipes, and a few very cool toys.

Remember, you can't spoil a baby... And let me send a shout out to Carolyn who wrapped Elliott's gifts from Santa Claus. It just didn't feel right wrapping gifts I would have to unwrap later... Carolyn saves the day again!

Even after two years at the baby store, I didn't know they made baby sunglasses. ADORABLE!

One of the best gifts I received this Christmas, though, was being able to introduce Elliott to my sister Melanie. We've been missing her so, so much and neither of us are very good on the phone, so getting to catch up in person and watch Elliott bond with her so quickly was one of my favorite memories.

Is it sad that Elliott has no pants on because I knew he was working on a big poop and I didn't want him to get it on his pants? He was wearing one of my favorite outfits...

"Dearest Auntie Melanie, can you show me how to get my hands into my mouth?"


My birthday was the 21st (I'm 27 now, woo hoo) and my wonderful parents in-law, Dave and Carolyn, were so kind to come early enough for Dave and I to go out for a delicious, grown-up dinner. There was wine, there was cheese fondue, there was smoked turkey and steak, there was adult conversation and there were no interruptions. It was wonderful! My gift continues in February when Dave and Carolyn have agreed to watch the little guy again while David and I go wine tasting on the Leelanau Peninsula. I am very excited!

Dave, Martha Stewart called. She wants to hire you as a cake decorator... Just kidding, I love you. And thank you for making time to make me a birthday cake complete with pink writing.

My amazing husband also "helped" Elliott pick out a card. The front was a picture of a baby sucking on a pacifier. Inside it said, "Mom, without you, life would really suck." It was cute, but what made me cry (see above) is that Dave traced Elliott's hand into the card and dated it. It was so thoughtful, and it is also hilarious to note that the trace was a little uneven. Our little guy still HATES to have his hands restrained or messed with in any way.

So every mother thinks their baby is the cutest and smartest baby ever, and I am no exception. Elliott is growing so much every day and continues to amaze Dave and I with how much he is learning. His new tricks include: sleeping 9 hours occasionally; clasping his hands together; putting anything and everything into his mouth; drooling; complaining and whining about being hungry, not flat out wailing as soon as he realizes he is hungry; new consonant sounds like ooooh, aaaaah, coooo; sitting up with very little assistance; playing in his swing or bouncer or Bumbo with his toys for 30-60 minutes at a time; splashing in the bathtub; sucking on his hand; tracking his hand with his eyes and bringing it to his mouth; grabbing toys from his playgym and hanging onto them for dear life; batting at toys; being distracted from crying with toys or talking; kicking his new crib gym to make it light up; wearing 6/9 month clothes; holding himself up on his hands; scooching across the floor if you put your hands behind his feet; wiggling his way to one end of his crib through the night; doing his darndest to roll over, but getting stuck by his big noggin; launching himself off of the Boppy pillow when he is on his tummy (Dave calls it vaulting); refusing to burp between the right and left boob; grabbing hair, clothes, burp clothes, etc.; and much more that I'm forgetting.

"I love my Bumbo seat now!" Thanks Cat and Mack!

Turtleman is one of Elliott's favorite toys. My sister made the frightening observation that Turtleman's snorkel looks, well.... Anyway, my Dad started calling him Dickhead if that helps paint the picture for you. I think Elliott finally noticed Turtleman's growth. He still loves him best though, so I'm not taking him away because of his Auntie Melanie's dirty mind.

Dave and I are also doing well. We are both nervous about the big, upcoming change in our routine, but we are relying on each other for support and trying to communicate as much as possible. This won't be easy, but if it was then everyone would do it, right?

Elliott and I also took a fun weekend trip to see Aunt Meredith and Uncle Jerry in Chicago. Other than toll booths, stop and go traffic and any other time when the car stopped moving, Elliott was a great traveler for me. I also discovered that people are decent and good and will hold the door for you when you're carrying a huge diaper bag and a baby in an infant carrier. I also discovered that Macy's in Chicago has a lovely "sitting area" in their third floor women's room that is a great place to feed a baby.

The bathroom is pink, but Elliott didn't mind. A funny story about our meal in the bathroom. There was already a woman nursing her baby when we entered, making me even more comfortable. When the woman's mother referred to the baby as Elliott we started chatting. Turns out that baby is Elliot with one T, he was wearing the "HO, HO, HO" onesie that my Elliott also owns from Old Navy, and he has the same Chicco travel system that my Elliott has. Weird, but kinda cool. Maybe we'll meet up in the third floor of Macy's again sometime.

Aunt Meredith is the coolest. She calls Elliott monster. :)

Uncle Jerry is also cool. He told Elliott he was going to teach him to grill steaks and shoot things. Jerry's first question to Elliott was "Do you want to watch Uncle Jerry play video games?" The answer was actually yes...

I knew this, but maybe you don't... my sister Meredith is buff. She got a great workout by carrying Elliott in the front carrier most of the day on Sunday. A huge snowstorm was kind of a blessing as it made Elliott and I stay an extra day in the Windy City and Meredith and I ventured out without the stroller and had a lot more fun. Elliott wanted to be held, and the front carrier pretty much takes care of that. Elliott wanted to sleep, and Aunt Meredith's chest was a great place to snooze. Elliott loves lights, and Chicago in December is the place to be for lights.

A random woman was kind enough to take our photo. She was obviously not a professional.





We rode the L home. It was cool. Elliott slept.

Jerry and Meredith's dog, Gem, also loves Elliott. She was kind enough not to steal his toys and sniffed him very nicely very often.

And now, because I am very tired, here is a random mishmash of pictures with some commentary. I don't have patience for moving them into chronological order, I hope you don't mind too terribly much.

Our attempt at a cute Christmas picture. We ended up using one we casually took when my good friend Mack visited.

Big boy sitting up. The Little Pumpkin socks from Grandma Carolyn finally fit. No, it's not Halloween anymore, but I call him Pumpkin Baby and they match his adorable Osh Kosh sweatsuit.

The pink Kitchen Aid stand mixer makes holiday cookies so much easier and so much more fun!

Christmas at Grandma Wiacek's.

We love Mom/Grandma Carolyn!

Grandpa Gary thinks I'm cute. I feel like a celebrity when I'm there with all of the flashes going off all the time. :)

Merry Christmas Mommy. Your gift from the Scott's... a NAP and a chance to read Oprah magazine. Delicious!

My Christmas outfit makes me hot, Mom.

Meeting Aunt Jo. She bought me my first pair of Levi's and was a very comfortable place to snooze.

Smiling at Gram (previously known as Grandma Joy.)

Some of my very favorite people in the entire world. Melanie, Grandma Natali, Mom and Elliott Milton.

I'm Wanted for Cuteness. Thanks Aunt Jo, great shirt.

Just a small sampling of Elliott's post-Christmas wardrobe! Thank goodness for big closets and Rubbermaid storage bins!

Mommy, have you tried this new treat called "HAND?" It's delicious!

Playing is so much fun! And I'm a big boy holding my head up!

When's lunch? I'm thinking of adding another chin....

Mooooom, this camera angle makes me look fat.

I've got my giraffe and I'm not letting go until he is good and drooled on.

All of the cool kids drool now. The "Your Baby's First Year" book says so.

Mommy thought it was time to play. Elliott agreed with his daddy that it was time to watch MSU basketball. It was downright WEIRD... he would not take his eyes off the television and kept "talking" to the TV like his daddy does. Nature? Nurture? Or just downright CREEPY?

I love you too, Baby Bub.