Dedication & Celebration

Today was a big day for our little man. He was dedicated at church this morning and afterwards Kevin's side of the family came over for a party. Eli had a great time and loved all the attention. It was a really fun afternoon. Thanks to everyone for celebrating the day with us and for Eli's birthday gifts. Grandma & Grandpa after the dedication ceremony

Eli and Grandma

"Here I am at the party with Aunt Emo."

"This is my cousin Lucas. He's Daddy's cousin Lisa's son."

Ladies in the living room

All the kids.... uh, I mean, Kevin and all the kids

Lucas and Mina helped Eli open presents. Eli ripped the paper off of them and tore at the cards, and then promptly put every piece of paper in his mouth.

"I think I am going to hug Uncle now. Bye, Aunt!"

" Isn't my cousin Seung Eun pretty? She's getting married next weekend!"

Mina posing with Eli's new Music Table- a big hit already!

Eli really enjoys paper. It's one of his major food groups.

"Thanks for your help, Lucas. This is a big one!"

Eli got this adorable hat and overalls from Seung Eun.

Grandpa and Uncle monitoring the family room activity.

"This present doubles as a drum!"

This is quite a serious face Lucas.

Cousins Lucas and Mina

Those Stinkin' Hawkeyes

Eli and I spent Saturday in our Penn State gear listening to Game Day. We were ready for a victory. Eli had on his Happy Valley t-shirt but it turned out to not be a happy day for the Nittany Lions."I hate Iowa"

"Eli, it's not nice to say that you hate Iowa. But it's ok this time, because Mommy hates Iowa, too."

More Sliding Please

Eli and I went for a walk early this evening before dinner. We always end up at the playground near our house and today was no exception. After swinging and checking out a tree, I held Eli as he went down the slide. He loved it, and I kept asking him if he wanted to do it "more" with the sign. He has done the sign back a few times but not consistently. Tonight he signed "more" perfectly. I think that was the funniest part. He was so excited to go down the slide again, but then he very calmly signed "more" making sure that his fingers lined up perfectly with each other each time he did it. I'm so proud of my big boy.

In other news, he is a wild terror with his push toy. He whips that thing around and walks all over our middle floor. He runs over books and goes barreling toward the screen door, the TV, the fireplace... pretty much any dangerous place. We've barricaded as much of the room as possible.

I'll post pictures of Mim and Pop's weekend with Eli soon. They came down to watch him so we could go to a wedding on Saturday and another on Sunday. Thanks Mim and Pop. We miss you already!

11 Months

Our little baby is a little man. He has developed such a personality. He is such a joy and keeps us laughing everyday.

Here's what Eli has been up to:

• He's pulling himself up on everything and will stand without holding on briefly (to clap). He will take a few steps holding on to the couch, but he hasn't taken any steps without holding on to something. He's still crusing behind his little ride-on toy.
• He's very into clapping. He will give us, the cat, or himself a round of applause for just about anything. It's really funny. I often hear him in the morning clapping in his crib.
• He says 'yeah' all the time. That cracks us up too. Especially when we ask him silly questions and it sounds like he's answering us.
• His hair is getting really long. He's waking up with bed head most mornings. Kevin wants to let it grow, so he might have a shaggy mop by the time he turns one. It's really thick too. I guess he gets that from his dad. It takes me forever to dry it after his bath.
• He has always enjoyed splashing in the tub, but it's getting ridiculous. I need to capture it on video again. He gets himself soaked. I usually just hold up a towel to block myself from the tidal wave.
• He still has just 4 teeth- the middle top two and bottom two. He had a couple of drooly, rough nights that we were really sure was due to teething, but nothing has popped through.
• He giggles and lets out a big laugh (like an "ahhhhh") when we tickle him.
• He crawls with his belly off the floor now and he's fast. I chase him around on all fours (man, that's tiring) and he loves it. He giggles and screams.
• He still enjoys his books, but now he likes to "read" them by himself at times, too. The peek-a-boo books are favorites but his very favorite is "I Love You Through and Through."
• We spent almost every night this past month cruising around in the red car that the Whites gave to us. Just this past week or so, Eli has been leaning over in it while we're pushing it to touch the ground. That little stinker.
• He can climb the steps all the way to the top.

He's just the most lovable, huggable 11 month old little man.

Tricks with Mim

tg

...some clapping, some high-fiving, some Indian war sounds, and a big slobbery kiss for Mim.

Beach Pictures

The clouds never did go away, but the rain stopped on Friday. We went down to the beach to get a few family pictures. Eli was too into playing with the wet sand to even look up much, let alone smile.

Kevin got a little too close to the waves and therefore has wet marks all over his shirt. Way to ruin the pictures Kevin. :)

Turn of Events!

...just kidding. It's still raining.

Rain, Rain, Go Away

We're still at the beach, but we haven't seen the sun since Sunday. That stinks. Well, we actually finally saw the sun this morning at 7am. We were at the beach before 9am to soak up the rays. The wind was blowing like crazy, so the only direction we could sit without getting sand in our faces was not facing the ocean. So there we were, bundled up since the breeze was cold, facing the condominium lined street and watching seagulls eat the wayward puffs that flew off the blanket.

We were there for one hour before the sun went behind gray clouds. It hasn't emerged since. But we're making the best of it. We went to the outlets at Rehobeth yesterday and my parents taught us how to play pinochle last night. Today we're all reading our books and playing pinochle while Eli naps.

I'm sitting here typing in my bathing suit, cover-up, sweatshirt, and sweatpants. In the event the sun comes out, I'm ready to go at a moment's notice. For now I'll resist the urge to document the details of this day, i.e walking outside to make sure it's still raining, then coming in and checking the weather forecast to see that it's supposed to rain all day. Stinkin' rain.

Greetings From Ocean City

We arrived in Ocean City Saturday afternoon for vacation week. My parents, Nathan, and Katie had gotten here earlier and enjoyed a day of sunshine. Sunday was our first day on the beach, and it was a great one. My parents brought Eli down to the shore when he woke up from his nap.

He wasn't thrilled with the beach. He didn't seem to mind the dry sand, and of course he tried to eat it. He did not like the water or the squishy sand. He really didn't like the foamy water. I think the sound of the waves scared him a bit. He did enjoy the beach toys that Mim & Pop brought for him, especially the shovel. If he had the shovel in his hand, he was a happy man. After some playing on the beach, Eli fell asleep on Mim. He ended up taking a nap in the tent for 2 hours.

Feeling sand for the first time. Fast forward 5 seconds and it was in his mouth.

What is all this noise, Pop? It's loud out here! Let's go back to the blanket!

Dad, I'm not a big fan. I see sharp shells, it's kind of cold, and my feet sink. How about we go back to the blanket?

Seriously, Mom. This is a bit scary. I might drop my shovel in this foamy water and then I won't be a happy camper. Let's just go back to blanket and play!

Taking a break from paddle ball to pose

Nothing beats a nap on the beach.

What a pose...butt in the air and shovel in hand.

We went out to dinner last night at a place called Catch 54 and had great food. We then met up with Kevin's old roommate Joe, and then ended the evening with a heated game of Taboo. We now hear that the forecast for beautiful weather for the week has changed to rain and clouds. Fingers crossed that we'll get back out the beach!

check out the outfit

Uncle Nathan is tickling me!!!

I wish they could stay the whole week!