Eli- 12 months old!

I know...I am a slacker mom! I am a little behind on Eli's 12 month update. It is crazy to think it has been a year. On Eli's birthday we went to lunch with "Uncle Paul" at El Potrillo. It was a tough day for me. Remembering all the happenings of that day was tough considering I was not totally with it for most of it. For me it was a day to remember all that I was thankful for. For the best little gift I was ever given. For months I drove back and forth to the hospital to hold my little baby and now I get to see him anytime I want! Aaron and I have never been happier and thankful for all we have been given.









These are just a few of the 200 pictures I took. Eli is so funny now. I love all of his crazy faces.

Weight: 19 lbs. 9 oz.
Height: 29 inches long

• You wear size 3 diapers. size 6-12 months and 9 month clothes.
• You eat mommy and daddy's food and don't really like baby food anymore.
  
• You love to roll around on the floor.
  
• You walk around holding our hands but you are not interested crawling.
• You like to talk all the time! Dada, Ba-ba, Yay, Hey, and many other non words, just babbles. You think you are pretty clever when you talk and you love babbling in the backseat while we are driving.
  
• You try to pull up on things, but haven't quite figured out how to use your legs yet.
  
• You love to unpack things, blocks in a box, books in a basket, etc.
• You sleep with a pacifier and love turning it over and over in your mouth. Most days when I come to get you in the morning you have it flipped upside down.
  
• You get so excited in the morning when daddy or mommy walk into your room.
  
• You like rolling the ball with your daddy.
  

You never cease to amaze me and dad. We love you so much. You bring us so much joy. You make us laugh all the time. We have huge dreams for you. I know you are going to be a kind man. You love everyone. I hope that lasts a lifetime.

You is Kind. You is Smart. You is Imprtant

I am assuming that most of you have seen the movie "The Help" or read the book. If you haven't then I would urge you strongly to do so ASAP. It is powerful. It is a wonderful book/movie about humankind and what we are capable of. You may think this post is a review of the movie or book but it's not. I do love them both but I have no desire or expertise in order to critique them. So...I am just applying it to my own little life.

This is a totally random but I have been told by a handful of students, staff and faculty on Asbury's campus that I look like Hilly Holbrook from the film. Her real name is Bryce Dallas Howard. I don't see it but it does make me laugh.



Maybe I don't want to see it because of the character that she plays. I sat through that movie thinking I can't believe her, what a terrible person, and many other mean thoughts. Then I took a step back. I would like to believe that I would be like Skeeter. Doing all the right things for those in need around me but is that true. We have no idea how we would respond or what we are capable of until we are really put in a tough spot.

All that to say, I am thankful that I didn't have to see the things portrayed in the movie in real life and that I do hope daily even though I am not faced with such obvious racism I would be conscience of the people around me who are hurting in any way.

That was all a very long way to get to this point. I was sitting in a meeting last week called Early Alert. It is a group of five of us who check grades, chapel misses, personal life, etc. on the entire student body. We note anyone who we see falling through the cracks and assign someone to be in contact with them before weeks end. As I sat there I was struck with the fact that I could really relate more to Abileen and her relationship to Mae Mobley in the story. Abileen wanted to teach Mae Mobley that she is better than how her mother treats her.

I am capable and responsible to teach all the students that I interact with on a regular basis that they truly are better than they believe themselves to be. This is my own little goal now. Not that it is any sort of little goal, but I want people who interact with me to know those things are true when they are finished talking to me. Maybe not the first time, but by the end of this school year I want lots of students to be a little more proud of themselves and more confident that they were made for great things by their Heavenly Father.

So...if you are a student reading this, don't be surprised to get a note in your CPO reading..You is Kind. You is Smart. You is Important.

Laughs and Leaves

This past weekend I went to Indiana with a former student and friend of mine Dottie Ennis to look for a place for her to live. She got a job and is relocating to the area near my parents so we made a little road trip north to look at several apartments and houses. We drove through a freak snow storm and still made great time. The weather has been bonkers. It was cold and snowing one day and 60's and beautiful the next. If I figure out to upload videos I will post one of our ridiculous driving experience.

I didn't take any pictures of the places we looked at but I did, shocker, take pictures of Eli! Ha-ha, I know, I am totally that mom! My parents just have a beautiful tree out front and I couldn't resist. I hope you enjoy the pictures. These area only five of the 80 that I took. Again, I am that mom.

Kresge Kandyland!

I have been an RD for a year and a half and as most of you know I love planning events. So when I took the job I thought up the idea of a trick-or-treat event. We call it Kresge (the dorm name) Kandyland. So many people are against Halloween because it is the "devil's day" so I decided to put a positive spin on it. We turn the whole building into a Kandyland board...K for Kresge.

The girls get really into it and have a great time. This year we had Peppermint Prairie, Frosted Forest, Licorice Lagoon, Chocolate Swamp, Lollipop Lane, Sweet Street, Candycorn Canyon, Sourville, and Gumball Gorge. We had over 750 people participate in the evening. My sister-in-law Jennifer came up from Florida with her hubby and my niece and nephew. My parents and brother came into town as well to see the event themselves. It was a wonderful weekend with family. Below are a few pictures from the weekend.

The Green Lantern, Lois Lane, Clark Kent, Tinker Bell, 80's Rocker, Superman, and a Doctor.

Our little Newsie!

The lobby with some of the community members.

Eli- 11 months old!

I cannot believe it!! Eli is almost a year old! That is right. He is 11 months old today! He is growing and growing and changing what seems like everyday.

Weight- 19 lbs. 5 oz. (found out last week at the doctor's office)
Length- 28 inches long

• He is rolling from his back to his belly as well as from his belly to his back.
  
• He can sit alone for very long periods of time.
• He loves watching kids play. Kids of all ages. His cousin Landry was here last week and he was entertained for hours watch her.
  
• He laughs and smiles all the time.
  
• He still sleeps great and is taking two naps a day.
• He loves his pacifier. We try to give it to him at bed times only, but we make exceptions every once in awhile.
  
• He can now find his pacifier and put it in his mouth on his own.
• He loves to stand-up.
  
• He can pull up on me and Aaron and hold on, but he hasn't figured out to pull up on other things.
  
• He is starting to pull his legs under him like he might want to crawl soon. (Here's hoping)
• He can say, yay, yeah, dada, baba, gigi and boo boo. He doesn't know what they mean but he likes making the sounds.
  
• He grunts and groans all the time.
• He is eats big boy food type 2 twice a day and takes 4 bottles at 8 am, 12 pm, 4 pm, and 7:30 pm.
• He has been to his first basketball game and Halloween event.
• He was a "Newsie" for Halloween. (It was an easy costume that mommy could put together at home quickly)
• He got his first ear ache. I think that it was from the drainage of teething. He had a really bad runny nose and cough but was still a happy little guy.
• He still loves walks and being outside.

I am sure there is tons more, but I can't think right now. He is just a true joy to parent. I dream all the time about what his future holds. I know the Lord has big plans for our little man. It really is crazy to think I he has only been a part of our lives for 11 months. I love him more and more everyday so I cannot imagine how big my heart will be on his first day of kindergarten, his graduation from college, and even his wedding day. It is going to be a very exciting life for our little family.

Grateful Grapes

Man the Lord is teaching me a lot! He is truly breaking my heart for this world and for the people who are in it. A great deal of the heartbreak is for my students and the hard times they are experiencing and the other is just the own struggles I am feelings. Eli is now 10 months old and that means we are approaching the year anniversary of the day he was born as well as the day that I almost died.

It brings up so much emotion. I was watching the Today show and they asked a guest what their life was like and if they were able to function on a normal level after a heart transplant. Her answer was that she "lived a more full life than most because she has experienced the fragility of life." I am trying to remember this daily. I am not so much like Tim McGraw and his skydiving and rocky mountain climbing, but I do want to live a full life. Full of forgiveness, grace, joy, peace, love, and integrity.

This year I have two small groups of girls and in one of them we are going through spiritual disciplines. In the last two weeks we have talked about Gratitude and Celebration. I came up with the idea to send them "grateful grapes". They were green paper grapes. On the back I wrote that life is often like a green grape, bitter and sour but we choose to be grateful and celebrate. I have it posted on my bedroom mirror with a list of things I am grateful for. It is a daily reminder of all that I have. Even with that I am still brought down by sadness, frustration, annoyance and my irritation. It is hard to stay joyful all the time, but I am working to do it as much as possible. I have far more than I deserve.

I hope that by reading this you are reminded of your grateful grapes and the things that fill your life with happiness. I recommend listing them in a place that you see regularly. It helps.

Eli- 10 months old

Eli is 10 months old and the time is just getting away from me. We don't have his height or weight because he won't go to the doctor, but even without it I can see and feel that he is growing. I feel like he has changed so much in the last few weeks.

• He now sits perfectly. He only tips when he is tired or really distracted.
  
• He eats type 2 baby food twice a day and really likes it.
• He eats all fruits, veggies, and whatever meats we give him.
  
• He loves his Nanny Anna and many other of our college students. One of the guys, Randy Troyer, makes him laugh a lot.
  
• He never touches the ground around campus. The students think he is the greatest!
• He can clap.
• He can grab Aaron's hand to sit up.
• He still only rolls from his belly to his back and over his right shoulder.
• He doesn't have any teeth, but he slobbers like crazy and chews on anything he can get a hold of.
  
• He smiles always.
  
• He is the light of Aaron and my life.
  

Trip to Florida

This past week Aaron's job was flying him to Florida to recruit at two schools about 30-45 minutes from his family's house. What does that mean? Abby and Eli go to! It was such a fun trip. Eli got to spend lots of time with all his cousins. We were able to meet our newest addition, Lincoln John Foote born in August and spend some quality time with the whole family in between Aaron's class visits. Aaron worked on Thursday and Friday so I got time with both of my sister-in-laws which was so fun. We shopped a bit, got pedicures and ate lots of yummy food. The pictures below are just a brief overview of our time there.

Not the best picture of all five grandkids but great if you think about getting all five seated in one place.

Pool time pictures.

The End! :) Get it.

Eli- 9 months old

OK! So I am a crappy Mother. You can all say it. Eli is now 9 1/2 months old and I am just sitting down to write his 9 month blog. Life has just been out of control and I haven't been on blogger for over 2 weeks. My hubby is much better at keeping up with this stuff.

Weight: 17 lbs. and 3 oz. (this is the 5% for a 9 month old)
Height: 26 1/4 inches (this is the 2% for a 9 month old)
Head size: 44 1/2 cm. (this is the 26% for a 9 month old) I know...big head!

Well as you can see above he is growing well. I went to multiple doctor's appointments in the past two weeks and he has officially been discharged from his hernia doctor with perfect reviews and the NICU nurses just raved about how great he looked when we stopped by. His regular pediatrician talked about how great he was doing and had no concerns about him. Then his specialists for being a preemie raved about him and had nearly everyone in the office come by to see just how "cute" this baby was. They also said he was developing wonderfully and that he was "perfect!" He is getting nearer and nearer on the growth chart and at his point all we have to do is keep feeding him and working on normal baby stuff.

• He loves baby food and is eating wonderfully. He opens his mouth and leans forward when he sees the spoon.
  
• He is great about sitting in his high chair and wearing a bib.
• I am working on not being so OCD about everything being clean while he eats. ie, the chair, his face, and the tray.
• He still sleeps great, but isn't quite as interested in naps other than his morning nap.
  
• He sits SO well all by himself.
• He loves bath time. He is a big splasher.
• He will eat anything that we give him. So glad he is not picky at this point.
  
• He is in size 3 diapers.
• He is in size 6 month clothes.
• He doesn't love shoes, but is ok with them every once in awhile.
• He talks, jabbers, screeches, A LOT and is rather LOUD! It is lots of fun.
• He has found his tongue and loves it as well as his hands and feet.
  
• His hair stills sticks straight up most of the time, but I think it is going to start laying down soon which makes me a little sad.

All in all he is doing wonderfully and we are just still so happy and enjoying our little bundle.