Eli's Christmas Pictures

Here are a few of the pictures that Beth from Waypost Photography took of Eli last week.

I've Been "Blog-Tagged"

My friend Renee "blog-tagged" me. The rules are-Go to the 6th picture folder on your computer and find the 6th picture in that folder and blog about it. Sounded fun. I had to laugh when I saw what picture it was.

Kevin and I call this the "I Have a Dream" picture. Eli looks like he's giving a very serious and passionate speech. Maybe our boy has a future in public speaking!

2 Month Appointment Today

Eli had his two month appointment today. That means he had to have more shots. The poor boy had two shots and one vaccine by mouth. He turned bright red for the second shot and cried the worst sounding cry. And this is a boy who has had test after test done and blood taken multiple times. It just breaks my heart to hear him cry like that.

We gave him Tylenol drops before the appointment and gave him another dose this evening. Hopefully it will help him sleep tonight. He's been sleeping this whole evening and when he does wake up, all he does is cry that painful cry.

Here are the stats:

Height: 22 1/2 inches (25th percentile)

Weight: 10 lbs 13 oz (25th percentile)

He's gaining weight like a champ. At his last appointment (1 month) his weight was between the 5th and 10th percentile. Guess he made up ground quickly!

If anyone has trouble sleeping tonight, feel free to give us a call. I have a feeling it's going to be a long night!

Here's a picture of Eli sleeping after his appointment. What a priceless face.

Picture Time

Eli just had Christmas pictures taken by Beth Techtmann of Waypost Photography. Eli was such a good sport for the first hour. We wanted to get some shots of him sleeping, but he decided he had enough! Of course he was sound asleep 5 minutes later... (and awake 5 minutes after that).

We're off to run some errands. It will be so strange going back to work after these fun family weeks together. I'll post some pictures from his photo shoot when we get them next week.

What a cute sleeping baby!

Sleeping? Did somebody say sleeping? Oh no, I'm not sleeping!

Two Months Old Today

Our little guy is two months old today. And he's not so little anymore! He has his two month appointment on Thursday, so we'll find out if outweighs Gracie yet. These past two months have been filled with such joy. We've also learned quite a few things since Eli arrived....

1. It is possible to function on 3 hour spurts of sleep. And I use the term "function" loosely.
2. The word poop is used in our house at least 20 times a day.
3. It really does take an extra hour to get ready and the entire trunk space to go anywhere with Eli.
4. A little baby can create a full load of laundry every other day.
5. Eli will pee on us when we change his diaper....and his favorite time to do so is 3am.
6. The Cosby Show is on at 1:30am and again at 2am.
7. Doing the hokey pokey can calm a crying baby.
8. The "boogie picker" is our best friend.
9. A sound asleep infant knows the SECOND he's not being held anymore...and lets you know he's not happy about it!
10. Most of all, we've learned that we have been blessed far more than we could imagine. We're so thankful to be the parents of this little boy and love him so much.

Happy 2 Month Birthday, Little Donkey!

The Donkeys

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

The Cutest Boy

He's growing so fast!

Daddy and Eli

Callan Came to Visit

Eli's friend Callan came to play this past Wednesday. The boys had a lot of fun playing together. Thanks Callan for bringing so many fun "big boy" toys! Come back and visit soon!

Callan loved playing with "Ash."

He gave Ash a kiss.

Cousins

Eli visited with his Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Bill, Aunt Julie, and cousin Mina. He also got to meet more of Kevin's relatives. One aunt and uncle got Eli a little miniature white tuxedo. Hilarious!

Eli with Grandma and Mina

Cousins

December's Book is Here

Eli's book from Mim and Pop arrived in the mail today! The star blinks when the book is open. Thanks Mim and Pop!

Gracie vs. Christmas Tree

I just logged onto my computer and took at a look at my friend Renee's blog. Renee and I have known each other since we were little and we were always a lot alike. In fact, along with our friend Pamela, we referred to ourselves as the "clone babies."

When I checked out her blog, I couldn't help but burst out laughing. Their 9 foot Christmas tree had fallen over (on Renee!). Thank goodness Gene saw what was happening and protected her from the fall.

Ok, so that isn't that funny. A fallen Christmas tree is no joke. Well guess what? The Kim tree, the "beast" that we had cut down just days before, took a tumble last night at midnight. Over half of the ornaments fell off the tree, the tree skirt was soaked, and pine needles flew in every direction. Although Gene and Renee had no ornament casualties, we weren't so lucky. We lost 3 in the fall.

Kevin spent the next two hours cleaning up the mess. He took off the rest of the ornaments, the strings of cranberries, and nine strings of lights. The bare tree was taken to the garage (I think it's in time out). We're going to try it all again tomorrow!

What could have caused the tree to fall over? It didn't come out of the stand. Hmmm. I wonder if the culprit is furry!

Before the fall

I should have been nervous when I saw this. Gracie had already attacked two ornaments and had that look in her eye. I'm not pointing fingers, but something tells me her paw prints are all over this!

Our Family Hunting Trip

Since Eli is seven weeks old today, we thought it was time to take him on his first hunting trip. We all got bundled up and headed out. We vowed not to come home until we had our prize.

We arrived at the hunting grounds around 2:00pm and quietly canvassed the area. Eli stayed nice and toastly in the Baby Bjorn with Mommy while Daddy went ahead with the weapon in hand.

There it was. Quite a beauty. We caught it by surprise; it never saw us coming. With one quick swipe of the weapon, the beast was slain.

I think we are going to make this hunting trip a family tradition!

Entering dangerous territory

The beast is hiding somewhere in there!

There she is. That's the one.

Mommy and Eli stand dangerously close

Violence alert. Children, close your eyes.

It was quick and painless.

Man and beast

The carcass undergoes some prepping before we take her home.

All tied up

Eyeing up next year's prey

Mim & Pop's Visit

Mim and Pop came to visit this past weekend. Eli had so much fun playing with them. Mim and Pop gave him a bath both nights. Mim washed him while Pop "basted" him with warm water. He loved it!

They also brought Eli a gift from my Aunt Phyllis and Uncle Brad in Ashtabula, OH- his very own rocking horse. Eli named him "Ash" and he loves the songs and music he plays.

Daddy and Eli playing with Ash. Look at him holding on tight.

"Look, no hands!"

"I loved getting a bath from Mim & Pop."

"They always want to take a picture of me in this towel!
Probably because I look tough with a lion on my head!"

"I love playing with Mim. She sings songs and reads books to me."

"I can't wait to see you again Mim & Pop!"

Mim & Pop's Very Special Tradition

My parents (Eli's Mim and Pop) have decided to start a very special tradition for Eli. Since we're in Maryland and they are in Pennsylvania and they can't see Eli as often as they'd like (everyday!), they came up with this tradition. Every month until Eli starts school, they are going to send him a book (or hand deliver it). Every time Mommy or Daddy reads these books to Eli, we'll read their personalized message to him and tell him that the book is a special gift from his grandparents. As he gets older and can understand this tradition, Mim and Pop will start sending the books in the mail, because all kids love getting packages in the mail! Each month he'll look forward to his package arriving with his little treat inside. And each time we read them, he'll be reminded how much his Mim and Pop love him. Thanks Mom and Dad for such a great and generous idea. We can't wait to fill the shelves of Eli's bookcase with these treasures.

Book #1 October 2008Book #2 November 2008

Grandma & Grandpa

Here are some pictures of Eli with his grandma and grandpa from their recent visit at our house.

Thanksgiving at the O'Donnell House

Eli spent his first Thanksgiving in West Chester, PA at his Aunt Darlene and Uncle Chuck's house. He met his cousins Ryan, Kyle, and Derek. Dinner was great as usual. After dinner we enjoyed a "friendly" game of kickball. The team Kevin was on beat the team Gretchen was on by about 40 runs. We all had a great time and kickball proved to be much safer than last year's game- flag football. (Aunt Darlene was sidelined with a broken arm.) Now that the visit is over, we're all preparing for the next family competition- the third annual Ping Pong Tournament held on Dec 26 at my parents' house.

Eli with his Great Nan Showers

The hostess- Aunt Darlene

With his cousin Ryan

With his cousin Kyle

Eli just stared and stared at his cousin Derek