Tuesday, November 30, 2010

our 1 year old.


Wow! We can hardle believe that O.N.E. year has passed so quickly, as today we celebrate the first year of our precious little boy! He has brightened our days (and many a night) and we just couldn't love him more than we do today...that is...until tomorrow. It seems hard to believe that at this very moment one year ago, we were tucked snuggly into our hospital room with oh so much to learn, but lots and lots of love to give. In the blink of an eye, one year has passed and those first twelve weeks are only a blurry memory of special (and sleepy) nightime moments, lots of playmat time, tight swaddling, and hot showers for my salvation. While 12 full months have flown by, it also feels like a world away from those first weeks at home. While our lives have changed dramatically in just one year's time to say the least, our little Eli has been our family's bright shining star and we know that God sent him to us just at the right time.


Happy Birthday, Eli! We love you!
xoxo

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

mountaineer saturday.

What a fun, blue and gold weekend we had! Uncle Kent and Auntie Danielle made the long and late-night journey from Morgantown to Louisville for a short visit and the WVU football game at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium! I just love when the Mountaineers come to town and get especially excited to be amongst fellow fans in this town of red and black or UK's blue and white. While Andy was kindly offered box seats from the Dean of the medical school, we just couldn't take the offer. We needed to sit with other Mountaineer fans. We needed to chant the familiar cheers. We needed to wear our blue and gold - and we didn't want to be discreet!
...and to top off our fun day at Papa John's stadium, our Mountaineers were victorious over the C-A-R-D-S! We just love a Mountaineer win!

While Kent, Danielle, Andy, and I were enjoying four quarters of football, Eli was loving his time with my good friend, loyal Cardinal fan, and soon-to-be-mama, Dena. Thanks so much, Dena for taking such wonderful care of our little guy!


Sunday, November 21, 2010

thursdays at gymboree.

"Thursdays" are a favorite day of the week for Eli and I! Each Thursday, we have so much fun at our Gymboree Play & Learn class. Surrounded by lots of cute babies close in age, Eli crawls, climbs, jumps, explores, shakes, rolls, claps, catches bubbles, bangs on drums, rings bells, plays with a parachute, sings, and so much more. What fun it is for Eli to interact with other babies that are his age and what fun it is for me to chat with other mamas.
Each week, Gymboree's fun instructors select a focus for play. For example, last week was "fun with texture and different levels". Eli and I enjoyed playing with different sizes and textures of foam blocks, crawling through an obstacle course with different stair steps, ramps, and slides with smooth, soft, bumpy, and rough textures to feel. I love this time with Eli and especially love the stage that he is in currently. We just can't wait for Dad to enjoy class with us one day soon!

Saturday, November 13, 2010

our dedication.

Last weekend, Andy, Eli, and I participated in Parent-Child Dedication at our much-loved church, Highview Baptist Church. What a special time it was for Andy and I to dedicate ourselves and declare publicly that we will lovingly raise Eli in the word of the Lord. Eli was in perfect spirits for his big morning -- despite the fact that it was the morning of Daylight Savings Time -- and jabbered the entire time while we were on stage. Our pastor even remarked, "...and this little guy is sure excited about this time. He is testifying!" We are both blessed and humbled by our responsibility as parents. It is our prayer that we raise our son to know and love God and to share that love with others.

Every good and perfect gift is from above.

- James 1:17

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

11 months.

As I think back to the beginning of last November, I am in total awe of how much our lives have changed in 11 blink-of-an-eye months. 11 short months ago, I felt like I simply couldn't grow another centimeter; I already had our home decorated for Christmas, every Christmas present was wrapped, and every bow had been tied. Today, while I hardly am as organized as last year and have just branched into the world of holiday shopping, I love spending each and every day with you! The way you smile, the way you love to jump, and the way that you are always on the go makes our hearts smile and we just couldn't love you more! You are funny. You are smart. You, sweet boy, have one spunky personality! There isn't a mirror in our home that you don't love looking in and talking to yourself! You shake your head quickly back and forth and the more I smile and laugh, the harder and faster you shake that head of yours! You are beginning to cruise slowly but surely, especially if there is something that catches your eye that you must hold! Nonetheless, you haven't shown that much interest in walking yet as you crawl to your destinations at the speed of light. You love to explore our home and while you adore your toys, I think you almost prefer to be on the go.

You love to eat your baby food, but are giving us a bit of a challenge as we try to transition you to more and more table food. One thing is for sure - you love multi-grain, blueberry waffles and pickles...not together, of course.

You are a true thinker. This week at our Gymboree Play & Learn class, you crawled through a short tunnel to capture a cage bell that you fell in love with. Upon introducing you to a much longer tunnel and enticing you to crawl through with that same cage bell, you simply turned around, backed out of the tunnel, and crawled beside of the tunnel to retrieve the bell from the teacher at the other end. We all had to laugh at your creativity to get the bell without crawling through the long tunnel.

This time 11 months ago, we just couldn't wait to meet you. This time 11 months ago, we couldn't wait to see what you looked like. However, this time 11 months ago, we knew we would love you, but we had no idea of how in love with you we would be. Your birthday is fast approaching, Eli, and we just thank God each day for you, your health, your happiness, and what you have added to our family!