Goodbye August

I can't believe how fast August has flown by. What a fun crazy month it has been. Eli rolled over a few more times. I know he can roll over, but he just doesn't want to. He can totally sit up on his own now and that makes him hate tummy time even more. Also this month we started Eli on baby food. He loves it. His very first baby food was sweet potatoes. We started a second food today. The plan was to move onto squash but because of some tummy problems we decided to go with prunes. He seemed to like the prunes too. Hopefully that will help his tummy troubles. This month has been a little crazy in the sleep department. There wasn't one night in August that Eli slept through the night. This past week we dropped the cereal and I am already noticing a difference. He is definately less gassy. So hopefully we will be sleeping better soon. We can only hope :-)
Also this month Eli got his first cold. It was very sad. Those few days he just wanted to be held and mommy didn't mind at all. As soon as Eli got over his cold he got his second tooth. It was a little difficult to tell whether he was fussy because he didn't feel good from the cold, his tummy was bothering him, or he was teething.
I love every minute I spend with Eli. Even though I am very tired, I don't mind getting up with Eli in the middle of the night. I love holding him. And no matter how tired I am in the morning when I see Eli smiling at me it puts a huge smile on my face. Eli is definately worth the sleepless night.
I look forward to seeing what September has to bring.

Happy 7 Months Eli

I can't believe that my baby is 7 months old. That means he is closer to 1 than to being a new baby. I can't believe how fast these 7 months have gone. I love this little boy more than words can say. He is so amazing.

It is getting harder to get a picture. He is constantly throwing his arms and legs around when he gets excited. If you look closely you can see his tooth!

He is now getting interested in the camera. Quite a few pictures that I take are with his hands reaching for the camera.

Our new favorite game to play. Where is Eli?

There he is!!! Today we did this probably 20 times in a row. He would get so excited that I wouldn't even get the sentence out before he would pull the blanket off of his face smiling. I love it!

Fun Summer Walk

Tonight Eli and I went for a walk. We have done this before, but he has never enjoyed it. He would always cry within 10 minutes. Today we went on a walk for half an hour. We could have gone longer but it was time for Eli to eat. He was so laid back. He just sat there chewing on his toys as we walked. I loved it. I will definately be doing more of this as long as Eli lets me. I would love to the Reggie and Maggie with us, but it doesn't work. I tried that one day last week and we only lasted about 5 minutes before we came home. I enjoy walks because they are relaxing. Taking Reggie and Maggie and trying to push a stroller is anything but relaxing.

Since adding food for Eli we have gotten into a better schedule during the day. He even took a longer afternoon nap today. It has been great. I hope this means that he will be sleeping better soon. Last night was one of the worst nights that we have had. He woke at 2:00 for 30 minutes, then he woke up screaming at 3:00 and had such a tummy ache that he was wide awake. I gave him some gas medicine, but since he was awake he actually wanted to play! So I gave him a bottle of water to play with. I finally got him to sleep at 4:15 and the he woke at 5:00. From 5:00 to 7:30 he would only stay asleep in my arms. So needless to say it was a rough night. He is still so gassy and I can just assume that it is the cereal. As I have been adding more food I have been decreasing the amount of cereal I have been giving him. If I don't notice a difference soon I will just get rid of the cereal. Hopefully we can get this figured out soon. I feel so bad for him.

This is Eli at 3:00 in the morning

He sure loves his sweet potatoes!! It is so cute. He gets the biggest smile after every bite! I love it. He even started laughing when I would bring the spoon to his mouth. It is so adorable. I hope that I can get it on the video camera. I love this little boy so much!!! :-)

Baby Food

Since Eli was still having tummy troubles I called the doctor on Monday and they said to decrease the amount of cereal I was giving him and go ahead and start him on some vegetables. So yesterday we started with some sweet potatoes. He loved it. We had the video camera going ready to capture his reaction to his first bite and we got nothing. There was no reaction. He took a bite and opened his mouth for more. It was adorable. We are going to start a new vegetable each week and then we will move on to the fruits. It should be fun. Hopefully this will solve the tummy troubles. Also yesterday Eli got his 2nd tooth. We had been expecting it. All weekend we could tell it was bothering him and yesterday we found it.

This is what happened when we were all done.

Poor Maggie

Here is a funny story. Today 2 flies got in the house. No big deal, right? Wrong. Poor Maggie is scared to death of flies. She is shaking so bad and hiding under any place she can find. Right now she is hiding out upstairs. I wouldn't think she would be scared of something as small as a fly but apparently she is.

Happy Birthday Grace!!!!

Today Eli and I went to cousin Grace's 6th birthday party. Daddy didn't get to go because he wasn't feeling well. We had lots of fun though. I can't believe that Grace is already 6 years old. I remember very clearly the day she was born. She is so grown up now. She started school this year and today I asked her what her favorite part was and she said the bus. :-)

As for Eli and his cold, I think he is doing better. He still has a runny nose, but that could be because he is teething. It was difficult to tell what was bothering him this weekend. It was a guessing game between his cold, teeth, and tummy ache.

First Cold :-(

Eli got his first cold this week. It has been so sad. My poor little boy just hasn't felt well at all. Tuesday evening Eli took a long nap, his evening naps are usually very short if he takes one at all. He woke up coughing and crying. He cried for about 25 minutes before I could calm him down. That evening we noticed he sounded congested and it just seemed to get worse as the night went on. I finally got Eli to sleep at 9:45 and decided to go to bed because I was so tired. At 10:15 Eli woke up crying. It was a rough night. He would sleep fine on my shoulder, but as soon as I would lay him down he would wake right up. So we spent most of the night sitting on the couch. On Wednesday the congestion sounded worse and he had a fever all day. He just wanted to be held all day, which mommy didn't mind. He was very fussy and when he cried it sounds like he is saying mama. It was very sad, but it gives me hope that he will say mama first. Also on Wednesday his nose started running. He absolutely hated having his nose wiped. Boy can he scream. Wednesday night was still rough. He woke up about every hour and a half, but at least I was able to put him and get some sleep myself. Thursday was better. His fever was gone, but I could tell he still didn't feel well. He was still a little congested and had a runny nose. The lack of sleep was really starting to take a toll on me so Thursday night Mike was able to take the first shift and was up with him until 3:00 so I could sleep and then we switched. It was so great. I actually got 5 consecutive hours of sleep. I definately needed it. Today Eli is feeling a little bit better. He is still a little congested, but it is much better. His nose is hardly running anymore which is good news to him. He has been much more playful today. I was actually able to put him in the exersaucer for a little bit and get some cleaning done. And tonight Daddy put together one of Eli's toys and he was very excited about it. I am very glad we have made it through Eli's first cold. Only now both Mike and I have sore throats. Hopefully we will be able to get some sleep tonight and we will all be felling well soon. :-)

Eli sleeping in his rocky chair

Sitting on Daddy's lap when he had a fever:(

Checking out his new toy and feeling much better :)

Everything goes right to the mouth!!

Very Tired

It has been 4 weeks since we started Eli on cereal. That means it has been 4 weeks since I have had a good night sleep. I thought he was getting better,but each time we have a good night (not great) it is followed by a few horrible nights. Last night he woke up a little before 12:00 and I got him back to sleep in about 20 minutes. He then woke up again at 3:00. He would be asleep on my shoulder, but would wake up as soon as I laid him down. At 4:00 I decided to feed him so he would go to sleep. This worked for about 15 minutes and then he woke back up. I finally got him to sleep in his rocking chair a little after 5:00. He then woke up again at 6:30 and then again at 7:30 for the day. At least I have gotten to watch quite a bit of Olympics the past week, except it is in the middle of the night. Needless to say I am exhausted. I have found though that if I keep busy I don't feel so tired. So today was a busy busy day. I did lots and lots of cleaning. :-) I hope that his tummy starts to feel better soon. We have only been doing Barley Cereal for a few days so I think I will give it a few more days. If it doesn't get better soon I will be call the Pediatrician again. Hopefully we can get something figured out. I don't like seeing my baby in pain.

Go Colts!!

Today was a very fun day. We took a tour of the Lucas Oil Stadium where the Colts will be playing. It was very cool. I could not believe how huge the place was. It towers over everything. We got to walk around the main floor of the stadium and then travel to the field. We could have gone to the upper level but it was way to crowded. The line for the escalator was way too long. So instead we just headed down to the field. We actually got to walk in one of the endzones. It was amazing to think that we were standing right where Marvin Harrison will be catching touchdowns and Joseph Addai will be running the ball in. When will we ever have the chance to do that again. They were also letting people walk by the locker room and peek in, but it was a 45 minute wait so we decided not too. It was a such a great experience.

The field from the main concession stand

Us infront of the field

Eli standing on the one small corner of the field that wasn't blocked off!

His true feelings of being on grass, especially when tired!

This is the picture I wanted to get on the field, in our living room isn't the same!

Soooo Gassy!

I know I have the cutest boy in the entire world, but he can also be a stinky boy. I don't think I have ever seen a baby this gassy, and boy do they stink. I am consantly checking because I think that he needs a new diaper. Last night he was sitting on the floor playing with some toys and everytime he leaned forward to grab a toy he would let off a little toot. It was very funny and very stinky. Unfortunately all this stinkiness means he is still having trouble with his cereal. I thought he was starting to do better, but he is back to waking up 2 to 3 times a night with tummy pains. So today we started Barley Cereal instead of the Rice cereal. Hopefully this will help his tummy. I think he is ready to start baby food, but I don't want to start him on anything new until I know that his tummy is ok. Hopefully in a few days the rice cereal will be out of his system and next week we can start him on baby food. :-)

It is 10:00. I finally got Eli to sleep about 45 minutes ago and he is already waking up. I think this is going to be a long night. My poor baby boy :-(

25 Random Things

Ok Beth I am going to give this a try to see what I can come up with. :-)

1) I hope to someday have at least 5 kids! I love that I come from a big family. I am very close to my sisters now. I hope my children will be as close as I am to my sisters.

2) I wish I was closer to my older brother Kory. He is such a great guy and a great father.

3) I used to play soccer growing up, and yes it is a sport! I actually wasn't too bad at it. I gave it up when I was a freshman so that I could be a cheerleader.

4) Sam has been my best friend since the first day of 3rd grade when we sat next to each other. Now I am lucky to have my 3 best friends in my life; Sam, Joanna, and Irene are the greatest.

5) If I could change one thing about my wedding I would have my friend Irene in it. Other than that it was absolutely perfect.

6)I believe that I had a miscarriage so that I would find strength in God and join the catholic church. It is important for me to have my family go to church together. I had planned on joing the Catholic Church but I had not thought about when and after I had the miscarriage I felt very strong that I wanted to become Catholic before I had children so that are family would be centered around God.

7) I love watching reality TV (not the trashy stuff). If I watch a show once I am hooked. Here are a few of my favorites: Jon and Kate Plus 8, America's Next Top Model, Project Runway, Big Brother, The Amazing Race, The Bachelor, and Tori and Dean Home Sweet Hollywood. Thank heavens these shows aren't on at the same time.

8) I used to wish that I was shorter. I am taller than all my sisters and all of my friends. I am even taller than my dad. Now that I am a Reger I don't feel so tall.

9) I love the ocean, but it I am a little scared of it. Being swept to sea, shark attacks no thanks. I will just enjoy the beautiful view.

10) I still haven't finished the last Harry Potter book. I think deep down I don't want to because I know that there won't be another one. I finished all of the other ones in the first week.

11) I have been to Disney World 3 times, and I can't wait to go with my own family someday soon!

12) I love to take pictures of Eli, I wan't to capture everything. Mike thinks that I take too many pictures.

13) The first time Mike and I hung out we watched Bruce Almighty, the night before Eli was born we watched Evan Almighty.

14) Eli didn't have a name for the first 2 hours of his life. Mike and I couldn't agree. So Mike finally gave in since I did all the pushing. :-) We had planned on betting on the Super Bowl. If the Giants won we would use the name Eli, and if the Patriots won we would use the name Noah. Unfortunately that didn't work because Eli came 3 weeks early. We must have picked the right name because unexpectedly the Giants beat the Patriots!!! :-)

15) I love to go for walks. I think it is so peaceful. I use to go for walks with my mom all the time. I hope my kids enjoy going for walks someday. I wish that Mike liked to go for walks, but that isn't something he enjoys. Reggie and Maggie love going for walks, unfortunately it is too much to take them and push a stroller.

16) I love going to the movies. Before Eli was born Mike and I would go all the time. Now not so much. It will probably be awhile before I get to go to the movies. But that is ok. I don't think I am ready to leave Eli for that long yet. I want to be able to enjoy the movie!

17) The first movie I saw without an adult was The Mask. I was going to the movies with my family. Jackie and I didn't want to see the same movie that my mom, Katie and Tracy wanted to see. So Jackie and I went to see The Mask by ourselves. It felt very grown up.

18) Pizza is my absolute favorite food! I could eat it everyday. Yummy. Pizza Hut is the best, and Papa John's is the worst. I like it pretty plain and simple, just cheese, maybe a little sausage once in awhile!

19) Growing up I didn't like dogs. We had 1 dog, a couple cats, and I had a bunny. I wasn't mean to the dog, I just didn't care for him. Now I absolutely love my 2 dogs, Reggie and Maggie. Before Eli was born they were my babies. They still are my babies, but they are a step below Eli.

20) I am addicted to Facebook. I think it is a great way to keep intouch with friends. I also love to put up pictures of Eli. I usually add pictures each week.

21) I have over 250 stuffed Winnie the Pooh Bears. I used to collect them and soon I plan to share them with Eli and my future children. About 95% of these bears are from the Disney store because I only collected the "real" ones.

22) When I was born my mom had planned on spelling my name Jenny but someone gave her an embroidered gift with my name spelled Jennie. So until I was in 5th grade my name was spelled Jennie. Then I thought it would be cool to change the spelling of my name and since it is Jennifer on my birth certificate I can spell Jenni however I want. So I thought it would be cool to drop the "e" at the end of my name. Suprisingly it actullay stuck and I have been Jenni ever since.

23) My favorite tv show of all times is FRIENDS!!!! I absolutlely love it. We own all ten seasons of it and I still watch the reruns on tv every chance I get. I also heard they are talking about doing a FRIENDS movie. If this is true I will be the first in line to see it.

24) I have known for a long time that I wanted to be a teacher. (I wanted to teach until I became a mom) :-) But growing up I used to say that I wanted to be a game show host. More specifically I wanted to be the host of the Price is Right when Bob Barker left. That didn't happen. I haven't even watched it since he left. It just isn't the same. I wish I would have gone to it while Bob was still the host.

25) My biggest pet peeve is when people wait to merge in traffic until the last second. When you see that a lane is ending it is just polite to get over into the next lane when you have a chance. I hate it when people wait until the last second and don't even look. They just expect everyone else to slow down and let them in. I am a pretty patient driver, but this really seems to bug me.

Finally!!

Eli is 6 months and 12 days old and Daddy changed his first diaper today!!!! I need to remember this date. He seems to think it is a one and done deal, but he has another thing coming. :-) He did such a great job!

So I am happy to report that 3 weeks after Eli started cereal he is finally sleeping better. He is still waking up once to eat, but that is great compared to waking up 4 to 5 times a night. And he has been sleeping in his crib. Since Eli's tummy seems to be doing better I decided to adjust his feeding schedule. I had been nursing Eli in the morning when he wakes up, then cereal about 1 1/2 hours later. This hasn't been going too well because he wasn't very hungry for his cereal. I tried switching to doing cereal first and then nursing, but he was too sleepy to do cereal first. So today I nursed him when he woke up and held off his cereal until lunch time. It worked out great. When I fed him his cereal at lunch time he was hungry for it. He would take a bite and then open his mouth immediately for another bite. He ate every last drop, and he barely made a mess. I think this change in schedule is going to work best for us, and I don't know if this is just a coincidence or not, but he took the best afternoon nap today. It was almost 2 1/2 hours. I hope this becomes the trend.

Razzzzzzzberries :)

Eli's new favorite thing to do is to blow razzberries. It is so funny. He puffs up his cheeks (as if they aren't big enough already), his face turns bright red and you can tell he is concentrating so hard to do it. While I was feeding Eli this morning he decided that would be a good time to blow some razzberries. Everytime I would give him a bite he would spit it everywhere. He was covered, I was covered, the table was covered. I wonder how much he actually got to eat. I couldn't help but laugh. He is such a cutie.

On Friday we had a cookout with some friends at the house. It was such a nice day. It really cooled off in the evening so we got to hang out outside. Lately it has been too hot to go outside with Eli. (my tan has definately suffered this summer) Eli had fun outside. He sat in the grass for the first time. I stood his barefeet on the grass and he just looked at it for a second and then bent over and reached for it. It was so neat to watch him and see that he was wondering what this stuff was that he had never felt before. I sat him up in the grass and he just looked around. I got a few pictures of him and then he decided that he wasn't too fond of the grass and started to cry. Each day brings something new for us. It is just amazing!

We also had an exciting day today. Four weeks exactly after Eli rolled over for the first time he finally rolled over again!!! YAY!!! We were playing on the floor together and he just rolled over. I cheered, picked him up, and cried just a little :) I then put him back on the floor and he rolled over again. It was just as exciting as the first time he rolled over. I got out the video camera and he was done. Maybe next time I will get it on camera, hopefully it won't take another four weeks. At least this time there was another witness. Aunt Jackie had a front row seat to see Eli roll over.

Two Little Boys in Blue

Today was a fun day!! Eli and I went to visit Tracy and baby Luke. Grandma was there with cousins Kory and Olivia. The boys were so cute together. They just happened to be wearing the same outfits, which made Eli look so big. What a difference 6 months makes. It is going to be so much fun watching these 2 boys grow up together. And we are super excited for baby boy Narsinghani who is due at the end of November. Three baby boys in born in 2008! I can't wait for Christmas :) I know it is 4 1/2 months away, but I am already getting excited for Eli's first Christmas.

Luke: 8 days old Eli: 6 months and 8 days old

Grandma with #12 and #13!!!

Cousins and best friends : Grace and Olivia, playing dressup :)

I am so glad that Eli will grow up with lots of cousins that are close to his age. I hope that they will always be close.

What a good boy!!

I have the perfect baby! Seriously he is perfect. Tonight Eli and I met 2 of my bestest friends, Joanna and Irene, for dinner. Eli was great. He sat in his carseat while we ate and played with his toys. He just smiled the entire time. After dinner we came back to the house to visit and hangout for awhile. I thought that Eli would get tired and go down for a nap, but he sure didn't. He played on the floor while we visited, then he played in the exersaucer for a little bit. He was so content to just play. It was wonderful. He was so adorable. He played the entire time and just skipped his evening nap. I am hoping that he is out growing his evening nap and soon he will be down to 2 naps a day. Now if his naps could be a little longer than 30 to 45 minutes that would be great. :)

Eli and Irene (in February)

Eli and Joanna (in February)

Everyday I thank God for this blessing that he has given us. Eli is everthing I have ever dreamed of in a baby. I feel so blessed.

I think about this day often!!!

Eli's 6 month Pictures

Eli's Pictures are so good!! I can't wait to get them back. Until then I can at least look at them online! :) Here are a few of my favorites:
You can see all of his pictures at this website:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2399221&l=fe4ba&id=13718126

Time For a Haircut!!

Today was haircut day! Not for Eli (although Mike seems to think Eli needs a haircut)! Today was haircut day for Reggie and Maggie and boy do they look beautiful!! I tried to get a picture of Eli with Reggie and Maggie but it didn't happen. It was hard enough to get the Westies to look.

Today was also the first Colts game of the season (well preseason). Eli heard many Colts games from inside my belly, but this was the first game he has seen. I think he enjoyed it. :)I am sure there will be many more games to watch.

Look at how great he can sit up now :)

Watching the game: GO COLTS!!

Isn't he the cutest!!