10 weeks & 10 months

I am officially 10 weeks pregnant and I have a 10 month old. Sounds exhausting ;)

I am constantly looking back at life thinking.. "how did I get here?" I have always wanted a husband and to be a mom.. and I have two amazing boys in my life.  

Eli loves to walk with his walker and will stand for a few (very few!) seconds by himself, so I am sure he will be learning to walk soon!  He sleeps from 8:30-8:00, to which I am very thankful!  He eats everything we put in front of him, and keeps me on my toes as far as cleaning goes because if there is a little something on the floor, he will eat that too.  This month he became really good at playing with himself for a little bit.  He will take a baby wipe and "clean"- and he likes to drag items around with him when he crawls, and the plastic rings are his favorite.  Diaper changes have become incredibly difficult as he just loves to go go go!  We got a puppy this month, Emma, and Eli LOVES her! 

Sweet Baby Eli,

I know you're almost a toddler but you will always be my baby.  You are so happy, I never realized how happy babies could be.  I honestly assumed they spent a lot of time fussing- you hardly ever fuss!  I treasure our days together.  You are very observant and I know that will come in handy as you grow up.  You speak with such determination, I cannot wait to understand all of the things you say!  I am sure you have a vivid imagination.  Run with that sweet boy.  I pray for you every day, for your safety, heath, and dedication to the Lord.  I pray your Father & I will lead you the right way and that you will love Jesus.  You are my pride and joy.  I couldn't love you any more! 

xoxo,

Mommy.

Emma's debut

As if one dog, a baby, and a pregnancy isn't enough... 

SAY HELLO TO OUR NEWEST ADDITION, EMMA...

How cute is she?!?  She is a catahoula and is so sweet. She had 8 other brothers & sisters and her Father's owners was a bride/groom of mine last year... He was at the wedding and was the most behaved dog I've ever met!  From what we have read on them, they are protective and assertive, but super sweet and amazing with families and children.  Currently we are being super cautious of her around Eli but the interaction they have had has gone on with no issues.  I think she will be  a great fit to our family!  

Zoo Day!

Oh how I LOVE the zoo!  The Metro Richmond Zoo is really great -- The animals are close and it's never too crowded to do the things you want to do.  My favorite part is feeding the giraffes, and Eli loves that AND going with David into the bird section -- I am not such a fan of the birds (okay, I'm scared of them, so what!)  but Eli & David hop right in -- I love that Eli has no fear - He's very curious in nature and his sensory exploration meter is always on.  Most of the time things end up in the mouth, but what better way to get a good feel for it?!  

Littlest Love

We are so so SO excited to announce that the newest member of our family will be arriving in January 2013 (or maybe December!)  Eli has the sweetest heart and we constantly say what a great baby he is, so I know he is going to transition into an amazing brother.  I know some days will be hard, as they will only be 16-17 months apart, but I am so excited for the days ahead.  They will be best friends- going through life events around the same time.. I can NOT wait!! 

9 months!

This is a little old since he'll be 10 months next week.. but I wanted to create a gift (accordion albums) for  Eli's grandmothers for Mother's day and had to keep the pictures under wraps until they arrived and were delivered-- and then I forgot to post the pictures/stats!

At 9 months Eli weighs 23 pounds and is 30" long.

It seems new teeth pop up every day and right now he's working on #s 7 & 8. 

He is down to one nap a day (typically) but it's usually 2 hours so i'll take it!

Some days he'll have two 1 hour naps

He is eating pretty much everything we do - I don't think he has a favorite .. he just likes to eat!

We still use a paci, but only for sleeping.  Hoping to stop that by 12 months.

He says mama, daddy & nana (I think that's supposed to be Sadie, our dog)

He crawls like a champ, stands (not alone yet but on furniture & with toys), and can walk with your hands or with toys. 

Loves climbing up the stairs

Bath time is his favorite activity-- he gets so excited! 

Eli, 

We cannot remember what we did without you.  Your personality is so fun- everyone says you are the happiest baby and I agree.  You hardly ever cry.  You are very expressive- scrunching your nose and breathing funny is my favorite thing you do.  You also tighten your fists and make a funny noise.  Both of those things can happen if you're happy or a little upset at something we do.  (like wipe your face, you do not like that! but we've learned if we give you a wipe you don't hate it so much) You are curious about people and love watching them.  You have conversations with us and I know you know what you're saying, and I cannot wait until we do too.  You are my little sidekick and I love spending our days together.  You are the best son a mother could ask for! I love you sweet boy.

Love,

Mommy

Park day

It is no secret that I am 100% addicted to instagram. (follow me! @meggarrison)  I post multiple pictures a day and most of the time they all are of this cutie.  We have so much fun together and the iPhone is the best way to document our day-to-day.  I like that these aren't perfect. Professionally these photos (coloring, contrast, DOF, everything!) would make my cringe... but personally.. I love documenting his life with the iPhone.  We've been to the part twice and this was our first time going just the two of us.  I think it will have to be a weekly (if not a few times a week!) thing for us.  The pool opens this weekend so we will also have to add that to our list! 

The biting game

Over the past few weeks Eli has begun biting.  The kid is working on his 7 & 8th tooth..so he's got some chompers to work with in there!  It takes you completely by surprise and it HURTS!! So far he has only bitten me.  I've been waiting for the day that he got David.  I scream every time and David would give me the "really?" look -- I knew the day would come when David would get bitten and then I could be like, "see!! I told you it hurt!!" Can I just say I am happy that I was in the room when it happened.  I know that's terrible, and in my mind I may have jumped up and down and danced.  And I think Eli got David way better than he's gotten me...these teeth marks lasted for a good 10 minutes! 

p.s. how do you teach a 9 month old not to bite? 

Not the easiest thing in the world!