New Teeth, Bad Sleeper

Tooth #5 just appeared this week in the upper left. It looks like Eli will have 8 by the end of the month. I thought he would have more by now, but I'm glad they're so late because they're so hard to brush. This week Eli has been back to waking up at 3 am every night. I think he must have a sore mouth.

Grandma Behunin took all the in-town grandkids to Cherry Hill on Thursday. Eli went down the fast water slides three times until mommy was sure that he was in fact not enjoying it. The tunnels were a little too dark and the splashing was a little scary. There was a smaller water slide the size of those at the playground that Eli went on at least 20 times. Mommy would set him at the top with her and then quickly slide down while he waited, and then when I called him, he would push himself down. Several times he got going so fast that he would fall over, and be laying in the water. It didn't faze him at all. Later, mommy and Eli rode the lazy river for a long long time, until Eli finally fell asleep. He loves water.

Phoenix to Visit Aunt Kimmie

On Sunday we got back from a week long stay in Phoenix to help the Hatchetts settle in. Kimmie was in bed a lot because she had used so much energy for the move out of Farmington. We spent a whole week of late, late nights (12 or 1am) and then Eli slept until about noonish each day after an earlier morning feeding.

The Hatchetts used to call Eli Okie Dokie because of the way he used to say it. (You would tell him to say okie dokie and he would respond with "odle dodle dodle dodle dodle" and the dodles would go on for ever sometimes. Now the Hatchetts call him Gully Gock, because Eli followed uncle scott around all day saying some version of "gully gock" or "gully gully gully gock". When Scott would leave the room Eli would automatically say "gully gock?". It was awesome! So scott gets two names, gully gock and sometime just "dot".

Eli LOVES water (wawee). He likes to touch it, play with it, step in it, drink it, bathe in it, and now swim in it. Here is Kimmie giving Eli a bath, this is his fish face:

The second night we were in Phoenix, we went swimming at about 10pm. There was a big area that was just about a foot deep, and Eli was having a great time being able to play in the water on his own. At one point he lost his balance and did the same thing he normally does, put his hands on the ground to steady himself. But he got a little surprise, and unwittingly dunked himself, which shocked him, and then he couldn't get back up. This happened to be the exact moment that mommy looked at Savannah's cool trick, so Eli spent a couple seconds under water. He coughed and sputtered, and about 10 seconds later he had forgotten all about it and was running along.

The second night mommy got in with Eli, and we swam around the whole pool, and at some point Eli decided it was pretty cool to stick his face in the water. Then we thought it was really cool to throw his binki in the water and then chase after it.

By night #3 in the pool, Eli had to all figured out. he knew that he needed to close his mouth when he stepped off the ledge into the deeper water where he couldn't touch, and we was purposefully falling off ledges so mommy could catch him - knowing that he was going to dunk himself first.

Eli is always a happy boy, and everyone thought he was great. Kimmie had a few tougher days, so she would come out to get some Eli therapy. Eli made her so happy, but Eli's heart still belongs to uncle Scott.

I've missed so many things! Eli started walking with his train around 10 months. He started to get so good that he would actually pick up the train and move it around, but he just didn't really feel like walking on his own. At 10 months he was pulling himself up on everything, furniture, mommy's legs, the toilet. I thought he would be walking any day, but he waited until about 13 months. At that point, Nate and I practiced with him for a couple days, walking from mommy to daddy and then back. After that he was off and walking. He took about two weeks to really get stable and then he really just decided it was time to run. I think his extra time spent with the train really helped to stabilize him, so that when he decided to walk, he was really good at it.

Yesterday, I was working out in front of the TV, and Eli was sitting on the couch watching me and eating cookies. All of a sudden he started exclaiming Feef! Feef! Feef! and pointing at the box of his cookies (he REALLY likes to have the control to hold the box while he eats right out of it). I go over and he is pointing at a little fish printed on the back of the box. He was so happy and so proud of himself, and mommy was so proud of her smart little guy she started yelling too. I'm sure we'll have plenty more moments just like this, but this was the very first.

Tuesday, Eli had his 15 month Dr's appointment. He was still about 50% on the weight scale and 75% on the weight (this is very perplexing, because he has such a huge belly, which everyone is always commenting on. One of the kids and the gym daycare, who loves Eli - he's about 10 years old - was telling me all the funny and great things about Eli, and then at the end said "My favorite thing about Eli is his huge belly!" Of course, how could it not be? I can tell Eli loves it too, because when he walks, he aways makes sure the stick it out and put it on display). Anyway, after Eli discovered what a light switch does, as we were sitting waiting for the Dr. to come in, she asked about his words. She said he should know 5 by now, and I told her he probably has about 30.

Of course, Eli's first word was light which is still is "la", and then there was socks, shoes, hot and daddy and mommy. His other words are:

-fuff (which is the work he uses for fuzzy - his blankey. Sometimes he'll also call it his fuffuff)

-booty (which is binki, and he always says it right after he gets his fuff - even if it's already in his mouth)

-Scott

-Yogurt (which used to come out as "geegee" but has evolved for some strange reason into "dee-da")

-Outside (which has been the first word of everyday for at least the last 3 or 4 months, as soon as I walk into his bedroom. And is always said very loud and with much enthusiasm.)

-ball

-hat

-uh oh

-no (which he still sometimes says as "no-n" because mommy always says nonononono)

-motorcylce

-uncle Scott

- grandpa (which is new just yesterday, and somes out "pa pa", or "ga pa")

-ba-bye

-hi

-hey

-floss

-oatmeal (o-me)

-please (but never when I ask him to say it)

-beep (which he says whenever he sees mommy's car, or he hears a horn honk)

-bird

-beans (which much like bird is just "bee". The other day I was feeding him black beans, and he ate like a half a cup of them and apparently decided to spit his last bite on the floor. When daddy came in the house he was holding Eli, and asked "what is this on the floor?" and Eli says "bee" and daddy says "kate, what is this on the floor?" and mommy says "Eli just told you".)

-cheese

-water (wah-wee)

-vroom-room-room (whenever he sees a truck)

-vrooooo (whenever he sees the vaccuum)

Eli is a good boy, but he rarely sits still for long. Today was a frustrating day. He only lasted about 25 minutes at church before daddy had to take him about and 10 minutes later, when daddy brought him back, he only lasted about 5 more. mommy was very frustrated, and felt really guilty for being frustrated, because sitting still is just not Eli's thing.

One funny thing that Eli does is point at the street and say "no no no no" and he point point points at the street (because he's seen mommy do it so many times). He does it when he sees people in the street or anytime, wherever we are, that he sees the line between the gutter and the street. Many times he flat out runs to the end of the driveway and then stops one step short of the street and says "no no no no", and then he'll look around and if mommy isn;t saying "no no no no" he'll throw his binki, or a ball, or a rack into the street (durring or after he says Uh oh) and then he thinks he has the right to go into the street to fetch the thing that he's thrown. You have to give him credit for a smart idea, but instead he usually has to go inside as punishment.

Eli likes to have a lot of attention, and if he doesn't get it, he will come and climb right into mammy's lap - which mommy LOVES, but it makes it really hard to get anything done. He really does like to cuddle, but just for about 30 seconds at a time.

Eli loves to fall asleep to "Skip to my Loo" and mommy has had to make up several new verses. I think he likes it because "loo loo, skip to my loo" is repeated so many times, and he likes to sing "loo loo loo" after mommy stops. Sometimes, in the morning before it's time to wake up, or just a few minutes into a nap, Eli will wake up and start screaming. At this point, mommy goes in and grabs him and holds him close in the rocking chair and sings that song, and he helps, and then he falls right back to sleep. It's awesome!

Sweet Weather In Sunny San Diego

Sunday morning, Valentines Day,  the three of us hopped on a plane to Long Beach.  Eli was awesome on the airplane, he decided to fill his pants within the first few minutes of take off, and he did not like the airplane changing table, but other than that he was GREAT. 

We stayed at the Hyatt resort just a few blocks from Balboa Island, and we spent Sunday, after the In 'N Out Burger, walking around Balboa Island, and then to California Pizza Kitchen in Fashion Island for a super romantic Valentine Dinner - Eli was not so awesome.

Monday, Nate had the day off work, so we drove the Pacific Coast Highway and walked around Laguna Beach, and we stopped at the park to play.  Later we met up with Chris and Amy and Truman at their place in Newport.

Tuesday, Nate had business meetings at Fashion Island, and Eli and Mommy walked around the mall.  We spent lots of time watching the fountains and playing in the koi pond.  Eli has the cutest pair of little crocks, and he LOVED splashing them in the pond.  He also loved to hold onto mommies hands while he walked back and forth around the pond.  We met up with dad in the late afternoon, and then went to get some more In'N Out before meeting Heather and her chubby, CHUBBY cheeked baby on Balboa Island for a walk.  Eli ended up falling asleep in the car, so dad stayed with Eli in the car.

Wednesday, all of Nate's work meeting fell through, so we went to Balboa and caught the ferry to Newport Beach.  We were worried about having enough time at the beach and still getting checked out of the hotel on time, but it was all for naught.  Eli had his first experience of being at the ocean and he really didn't like it too much.  We got him all dressed in his swimsuit, but he didn't even really like having the waves hit his feet, I think it was more because mommy got nervous a few time when the waves were bigger and pulled him up off the sand pretty fast.  We played at the park at Newport, ad then we caught the ferry back to Balboa while Eli slept in his stroller.  Because we're so original, and we hate chains - we went to Cheesecake factory for luch before we drove to San Diego for the rest of the week.  Wednesday night we went to downtown San Diego's gaslamp district and walked around and then had some super good woodfired pizza and some awesome frozen yogurt (for the third night in a row, Sunday night it was a balboa bar).

Today daddy had to work downtown, and Eli and mommy walked around Harbor Island, where our hotel is, and then we headed for a long walk to downtown.  We saw a huge pelican, with like a six-foot wing span.  It flew by us, and then stopped for a long time, and we were able to get really close and look at it perched on the rocks next to us.  I'm not sure if Eli cared at all, but it was really neat.  Dad finished his meetings right whe we got close to downtown, so came and picked us up to take us back to the hotel.  Eli and daddy are out walking now, while mommy gets a few minutes alone to blog.  Tonight we are headed back downtown so dad can have a work dinner, while mommy and Eli walk.  It will be great.

Everything is good, weather is awesome, but we think Eli has croup!  He wakes up everynight sounding just like Darth Vader.  I keep hoping he gets better, but he seems to be getting a little worse.  He's just so darn happy, it doesn't seem like he's struggling at all.

So much for my great idea...

I thought that I would write more if I did a blog, and so here we are... Eli is 9 months and 5 days old, and I have nothing written about it!

Of note lately for Eli:

He got tooth #1 (his bottom right) on Sunday December 27. His second bottom tooth appeared exactly on his 9 month birthday (January 8, 2010).

Eli started pulling himself up on things about 3 weeks ago, and now he is an old pro. He can pull himself to standing with the use of anything, and he can do it in seconds. Just like a weeks ago he would pull himself up on his exersaucer, but it would be to wobbly and he would fall over. Not anymore. Today I left in the office for a minute to get something out of my car, and I heard him yelping. I came running in, and there he was standing up holding on to the office chair, which was swiveling, and he was getting tired and nervous. He couldn't figure out how to get himself back to sitting without falling.

Eli is wearing 12-18 month clothing already, his 6-12 month clothes are really tight. Whenever we put on an outfit that he hasn't worn yet, dad comments that it's way too big and it won't fit. Then we put it on and it's too small.

Eli is always found sockless is his left foot. If he finds a second where he isn;t otherwise occupied, he will pull off the right one too. The other day I was in the grocery store and a grandma was asking him where his gloves and hat and socks were.. yeah right, like Eli would wear gloves, but he did have his socks on when we left the house.

Eli loves to talk especially in sacrement meeting when his voice resonates so well. Everyone who sees him as we're out and about comments on his talking and EVERYONE talks about his beautiful blue eyes and long eyelashes.

Eli likes to be with mom all day. If he can manage it, he crawls in her lap, and if he can't manage it, he keeps trying anyway. He deffinitely doesn't want to sit in my lap though, he just wants to get there and jump around and then move along, until he realizes he's not in my lap anymore, and then he tries again to get back in my lap.

Eli is a really happy baby and he loves strangers. Especially women, he smiles at women all the time, he's sure that they will see him smiling and come over to coo at him.

Lately when we run errands, I open the back door to pull him out of the car, and there he is, just smiling a huge smile for mommy. Even if he was upset during the drive, he always has a big smile on when the door opens.

He has a cute little toy that hangs on his carseat and it make a bunch of different sounds and he tries to copy the sounds when he hears them. The funniest are the laughing sounds whenever he hears the toy laugh, he copies with a fake little laugh. This make mommy laugh, and that makes Eli laugh.

Eli just learned to wave bye-bye (about 2 weeks ago). We didn;t know this until we went to dinner one night, and as we were walking out the hostess waved goodbye, and he waved right back. This week he's also learned to wave hello.

Eli loves to laugh when others are laughing and clap when others clap. He also likes to sing when others are singing. If there is a lot of noise going on, Eli will yell, at the top of his lungs. He always wants to be in on the action.

Well... That's it for now. Goodnight.