6 months-Half a Year!!

6 Months:
16 lbs, 3 oz (25th percentile)
25 1/4 inches (5th percentile)
Head circumference 16.5 inches (12th percentile)

Dear Eli,
I can't believe you're 6 months old! I cannot believe you've graced our lives for half of a year. With each month that passes we get to know each other better and my love for you continues to grow and develop.
We had a couple of big events this past month: on June 24th, you were baptized! Your grandpa Dennis came down and did the baptism, and we got to share the day with both of our families as you were baptized at Centenary United Methodist Church in Beatrice. It was so amazing to be reminded of the grace and love that God has shown at work in your life already-and it was incredible to witness to that grace and love alongside everyone who celebrated with us. Later that day (which was your dad and I's 6th anniversary!) we left you with Grandma and Grandpa Bailey for our first night away from each other so that your dad and I could celebrate our anniversary. We all did really well and made it!
This month was also about a battle of the wills. Right before our planned night away from you, you decided you didn't want to take bottles anymore (a complete 180 from a few months ago when you didn't want your mamma at all!). So we spent a day waiting you out and eventually you took the bottle again-and we've had no problems since! Your dad and I also decided to work harder on your nighttime schedule since you were still getting up to eat every 3-4 hours. After a few hard nights with lots of tears (from you and me!) you now sleep 8-9 hours and then wake up for one feeding a night-and I am SO GRATEFUL! we are both doing better with more sleep!
You also had a big milestone, as you had your first taste of solid food! I am so proud and grateful that your only food source up until now has been what I could provide-your mother's milk. But it was time to start teaching you how to eat solid foods-you were so interested in what we were eating and I just felt like it was time! So, when you were 5.5 months old, we gave you rice cereal for the first time (mixed with Momma's milk). You've also tried avocado, which you really love! You seem to really enjoy being a big boy at the table and love to "help" me feed you!
You are so fun right now. You are so ticklish and love to laugh. You don't roll over yet but you rock from side to side and go to sleep on your side. You love being held up so that you can stand up, and you sit up with help. You take in the world around you-always taking some time to "inspect" people but warming up to them quickly. Your hair is coming back in, and it's lighter than when you were first born. Everyone says you look just like your daddy and I see it more and more every day. We have a small pool for you in the backyard and you love to splash in it, just like at bathtime. You read books with dad almost every night before bed and love to look at the pictures. You've discovered your feet and love to grab them-you try to put them in your mouth but you need to become just a little more flexible! You say "daddadadada" and make lots of other sounds (vooo, grunts, shrieks). I know this next month will bring even more development, and I can't wait to see it! We love you so much, little man-thanks for bringing so much joy to our lives!!

Can I eat these yet??

Just chillin-cause I'm 6 months old!

Homemade Lime Tortilla Chips

What's this? A post when it's not my son's month-iversary? I know, I know...but this recipe was so easy and delicious I had to share!
We grilled up a great meal on Father's Day this year, and while we waited for the food to cook I whipped up these homemade tortilla chips with some leftover corn tortillas we had in the fridge (don't you hate how they come in packs of 30? I only ever use like 8 at a time...). We then ate them with some salsa for an appetizer.
The recipe is based on a recipe from my recent issue of Eating Well, but I adapted it to use up some lime zest I had from a previous recipe.
Here it is:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Coat both sides of 8 corn tortillas (I doubled the batch) with cooking spray; cut into quarters (a pizza cutter makes this very easy!)
Spread on 2 large baking sheets
Sprinkle with 1/4 t salt (1/2 for double chips)
Sprinkle with zest of one lime

Bake at 375 on the middle and lower racks, rotating the pans from top to bottom and stirring once halfway through until crisp-14-18 minutes.

What I learned: measure your salt. Ours ended up way too salty when I decided to just "throw some salt on". Also, I made a mess trying to get lime zest and salt on both sides-just put them on one, they will turn out great!
I can't speak for how well they keep, as we went through them pretty quickly! I think there were a few leftover the next day, which Jon ate and seemed to enjoy...they would keep well in a ziplock bag, I'd imagine! These will be the star of your next fiesta-themed party or tailgate!

5 months!

Dear Eli,
Yesterday you turned 5 months old. I am kind of scared to write this post because that means that the next time I write about your month-iversary it will be the big S-half a year. And I just can't believe that you have been with us for almost 6 months!!

You still aren't rolling over, but you are so close! You tolerate tummy time a lot better, especially when daddy reads to you or you watch your light-up music player. You seem to enjoy being naked more than being in a diaper or clothes, as you still fuss when we start to get you dressed. You are really starting to express not just your delight in life but also the things that frustrate you-when you lose a toy you're playing with, or when mom or dad are playing with you and have to get up for a minute.
You continue to vocalize all the time. Although we still see the occasional raspberry, we're more likely to hear you "rawring" like a dinosaur or lion (or sometimes it's more like a pirate "ARRRRRR!"). You've realized you can fake cough and do that all the time as well.

What is especially enjoyable about you right now: how you study other people, and then give them a big smile. How comfortable you are around other people. How you like to hold my hand while you nurse. How it's so easy to make you smile and laugh-and your laugh is such a delight to listen to! How content you are all the time-whether you're playing by yourself, riding in your carseat, waking up and talking to yourself in the crib...how much fun it is introducing you to new people, and watching them shower you with so much love. How much you love to splash in your baths-you use your arms now too! How your legs don't stop moving, ever! And, of course, how you helped me to celebrate in such a big way my very first Mother's Day!

We kept you very busy this month! During Memorial Day weekend, you went with us to a cabin at Black Hawk State Park in Iowa with our friends the Leos and the Olsons. Evan and Eric, your bestest buddies (whether you like it or not!) both learned your name, and although you aren't the most interactive playmate yet, they still had some fun with you. And of course your honorary aunts and uncles had a great time cuddling you and making you laugh!
You also attended your first two (of many!) Annual Conferences-first Iowa, then Nebraska. Of course you were a welcome distraction to all around us-everyone loved meeting you! You also helped do your part raising money for Imagine No Malaria as you donated a net for every month of your life, and challenged everyone there to donate a net for every year of their life. We know you will continue to do so much good with your life, and pray that we do our part to raise you to be aware of the needs of the world around you, and always willing to respond to those needs in a helping way.
Eli, you are so very special to us, and we just can't remember the last time anything or anyone brought us so much joy! It is an honor to be called your parents.
Love,
Mom and Dad

3-4 Months

Dear Eli,
You are four months old now! I missed posting your three month letter and am late with your four month letter because we have not slowed down lately! Your dad and I wondered if when you came into our lives it would slow us down much- but it appears not :) for your three-month birthday we were staying with Bibi and Pappy in Des Moines while your dad and I attended a conference (your first of many United Methodist conferences, I'm sure!). Your four-month birthday was on graduation day at Nebraska Wesleyan University so I hardly got to see you at all that day-but your dad took great care of you and even brought you to see me during one of my breaks.
At some point just after your two-month birthday, your dad and I looked at each other and said, "he's not a newborn anymore!". We're not sure when it happened exactly but somewhere in there you really started showing your personality, learning new tricks, and stopped being the cuddly, floppy baby who would sleep on us all the time! I am sure from here on out we will meet each transition in your stages with a similar feeling: mourning, in a way, how fast you are growing and the things that are no more, yet so excited to see you continue to grow and develop into the sweet boy you are becoming.
You still aren't rolling over yet but your doctor tells us that can be the sign of a very content baby! You continue to smile more and more and always have a story to tell-we can't wait until the day when we know exactly what you are saying :) You love to read books and you are able to sit up in your Bumbo chair. You don't like having your clothes put on or having your diaper changed anywhere but home.
Just after you turned three months we took you on your first big trip and plane ride to New Orleans for a family wedding. It was so much fun introducing you to the LeHew family-you will have so much fun with them as you get older! Of course the happy couple were the stars of the weekend, but you were a close second as people were anxious to meet their newest cousin and grand nephew! We also got to go and see our friends Jared and Alina and meet your new best friend Palmer! You did two new things on this trip. First, Bibi taught you how to blow raspberries-and I don't think you've stopped since! You wake up blowing raspberries, and do them while you play on your playmat. Your dad says that's how you communicate :) On April 21, you also gave us your first belly laugh. Bibi and I were playing with you in the hotel room and you just laughed, it was so sweet! Of course since dad wasn't there he didn't believe it happened-and you wouldn't give us another one for a week or so! But now we are able to make you laugh with tickles, silly faces and goofy games.
The other really neat thing about this time in your life is that during your fourth month, your daddy got to take paternity leave and stay home with you for a month. I loved it because dad got to see how much work it is to stay home and take care of you-he loved it because it was priceless time you two got to spend together. He really got to know your habits well during that time and is usually the one educating me on your schedule and needs!
Eli, you are such a sweet, happy baby and so many times your dad and I look at each other and ask, "how did we get so lucky??". We love you dear boy. My favorite moments lately are when I am feeding you and you stroke my back with your hand or play with my shirt. I also love the sweet smiles you give just before you fall asleep! I know the next few months will be so much fun as you become more mobile and we continue to see your personality come through! We love you little man!

2 months!

2 months yesterday, on 3/12/12! I didn't take pictures until today because he got his shots yesterday :( so he was a little grumpy and sleepy all day! Here's a few good ones:







Dear Eli,
You are two months old! So much has happened in the past two months as you have continued to grow and experience the world around you. You have changed our lives so much-by making them so much better. Some nights your dad and I turn to each other in bed and question if we're lame because we're excited to be in bed by 9:30-because honestly, you kind of wear us out! But we just laugh and talk about how much we love sharing our lives with you, and how much better you've made our day to day routine.

Since the weather's getting nicer, we've been able to take you on walks-and we think that you love them. Although you usually sleep through them, it's funny to see you experience the elements-squint when the sun hits your face and we aren't quick enough to pull up the shade on your stroller; try to eat the wind when it hits your face because you don't quite know what that feeling is.

You talk all the time-and it's the cutest thing ever (and yes, I know every month there will be a new "cutest thing ever")-but seriously, it's very cute. You have a sign over your changing table that your "Aunt" Skye made for you and it's truly your favorite thing to look at-no matter what mood you're in, whenever we lay you down to change you, you have a good long conversation with that sign, and it usually includes lots of smiles, so we think you're happy with what you see.

You've started smiling-but just a little! It's hard to get you to smile and when you do smile at us it seems to be at the most random times, but I think you're just saving them up to make them extra special. There have been a few times when you've been fussy and one of us picks you up, and after a minute or two of staring at us you just smile this huge, toothless grin (I think I see a dimple or two!) that seriously melts. my. heart.

We started using cloth diapers on you this month and so far, so good! Eli, we care a lot about the world we live in and we hope that you do, too. It's not always the best place because a lot of people don't care about or respect our planet, but we want to do our part to help raise you to always be kind to this planet you live on. We hope this is just the start of your environmentally-conscious way of living!

As much fun as this past month has been while we watch you continue to grow and develop (you now enjoy your play mat and the toys that hang off of it; you track us with your eyes; you learned how to suck on your fist and your thumb; and your head and legs seem to get stronger by the day!) this month I also had to do a very hard thing: go back to work. Today was my first day back and it was a day of mixed emotions. Eli, my sweet boy, I want you to know how very much I have cherished the past two months I've been able to spend with you. And today, as I was away from you the longest I ever have been, my heart yearned to be back home with you. BUT. You get to hang out with your grandparents this week, which they love and I'm pretty sure you do too. And it makes me feel better knowing that you're spending good quality time with people that love you so much. And that made heading back to work at a job that I do love a little bit easier. I think it would have been even harder if I didn't enjoy my job so much and find it so fulfilling-I pray that when you're older and ready to work, you can find a job that makes your heart sing as you go through the day to day.

Eli, we love you so so so very much, and can't wait to see what the next month brings!

tagged...

So my friend Skye at Neathering our Fest tagged me in a getting to know you type thing. It has rules and all but like Skye I can be on occasion a rule breaker...this is what I'm supposed to do:

here are the rules:

you must post the rules.
answer the 11 questions that the tagger posted for you
then create 11 questions to ask the people you've tagged.
tag 11 people and link them in your post.
let them know you have tagged them.

but I'll be honest...I don't have it in me to create more questions and tag more people, so I'm answering Skye's questions and that's about it!! Sorry, but I'm only pooping on half of the party, so that doesn't seem so bad...

Questions from Skye:
1. have you ever gone back and read your very first blog post? what is one thing that makes you cringe and one thing that makes you smile?
I started my blog when we spent two weeks in Ireland a few summers ago as a way to share pictures and notes about our travel with family and friends. It wasn't until much later that I tried to be better about regularly blogging about our life! I would say that I had a lot of passion in those first few posts-that makes me smile :) but I still cringe at the fact that I never had much of an identity for this blog, it was just a place to share a few thoughts and experiences! I am in awe of all my fun blogger friends who have a much better direction and are much regular posters than I am.

2. tell us all about your favorite pair of shoes. where did you get them? what did you buy them for? what is your favorite memory while wearing them?

My absolutely favorite, go-to pair of shoes are a pair of Teva flip flops (they are green and black). I know that I got them at an REI store but I can't remember where! I bought them thinking ahead to summer and I've worn them many summers since...I would say my favorite memories from those shoes are the first summer we spent a week at Possum Kingdom Lake!

3. if you could go back and do one thing you didn't do, what would it be?
Call my grandmother the week before she passed away. I had been telling myself all week to call and I never did, and then I got the call that she'd had a brain aneurism.

4. what is your go-to beverage first thing in the morning?
COFFEE. no question. Pregnancy only changed me from fully caffeinated to half-caff. Now, I'm back to the full-strength stuff, especially after a long night with several wake-up calls!

5. do you sleep with the fan on or off?
On in the summer, off during the winter.

6. what is your favorite thing about the home you currently reside in?
Our nursery! It was the first room I feel like I've really been able to put together!

7. money aside, you get to plan the absolutely perfect date. spill the details.
dinner at a swanky restaurant (a la Abacus in Dallas), a night at a bed and breakfast, followed by a day at a winery. Sorry I don't have great details, I'm super bad at planning things like this.

8. do you get nervous pulling your car into the bay when you get your oil changed? or is that just me?
heck YES I do! I never trust the guy when he tells me to keep pulling forward either!

9. the eternal debate: mac or pc?
I've been a pc all my life, then when I started my job I was forced to work on a Mac. It's now my preference and as soon as the new Macbook Air comes out (rumors are it's on its way...) I will finally get to purchase my Christmas gift!!!

10. what habit do you have that you would pay someone to help you get rid of?
Always questioning how others view me. As a people pleaser, this is a daily struggle!

11. what is one habit you wish you could naturally pick up and have for the rest of your life?
The ability to hop out of bed when the alarm goes off-no more snooze button!

I had fun answering these questions, so if you want to go ahead and answer these or come up with some new ones, let me know and I'll update this post with your info! that's my lazy response! Thanks Skye!

Who does Eli look like?

As soon as you have a baby, everyone has an opinion on who your child looks like! I would have to say that overwhelmingly we hear that Eli looks just like his daddy, but a few have said he looks like the perfect combination of the two of us, and fewer still have pointed out his features that seem to resemble mine.

When I was pregnant, as I thought ahead to meeting our baby boy, I thought for sure I'd be able to pinpoint right away who's eyes, nose, mouth, etc he has...but I still don't always see what people point out! I just see Eli.

We pulled out our baby pictures to do some comparisons.

What do you think? Here's some of my baby pictures:




We only have a couple of Jon's, and only one that I could get a decent picture of:


I think the pictures of me sleeping look a lot like Eli.

Here's a 6 week and a sleeping picture of Eli, for comparison...



I know for sure Eli has his dad's hair (dark and curly) and his dad's feet! I think he has my nose, inherited from the LeHew family (my mom's family).

I love these little feet.
Who do you see in Eli?