A Lovely Weekend

Saturday was a big day for Elliot. He was Christened by our friend and minister, Janna Roche, at Mimsey's house in Williamsburg. We had hoped to hold the ceremony in the garden, but the chilly weather kept us indoors. Despite the weather it was a lovely ceremony. We were very lucky to have our friends Tasha (Elliot's Godmother) and Marci in attendance and lots of family; all of Elliot's grandparents and his Aunt Lindsay. Elliot wore an adorable white suit and did not cry or fuss once during the ceremony.

Today Elliot's grandparents took Elliot, Brian and I to lunch and to the Virginia Museum of Art to see the Impressionists exhibit. This was Elliot's third visit to the museum, and the first that he was awake for. Elliot enjoyed looking at all of the art, especially a stained glass installation, and squealed with delight while strolling through several of the galleries.

Tomorrow will be Elliot's last day to "play hooky" from day care. He has been having so much fun with his grandparents and has seen many new sites including cows at Maymont and the water play area at the Children's Museum. We will all be sad when his Grammy and Papa head back to Denver, but we will see them again soon when we visit Colorado in May for Bryan Snow's wedding.

1 + 2 = 3

Elliot woke up this morning with two new teeth! He was a little bit fussy during the night and seemed to be having a tough time getting comfortable. This morning when I felt his gums I was shocked to feel two new teeth. We knew that one of the bottom teeth was close to coming it, but I wasn't expecting one of his top teeth to erupt at the same time. It won't be long before he can nibble on Cheerios.

Elliot's grandparents have been here since Wednesday night and they have been having lots of fun with Elliot during the day. Hopefully we'll have some nice family photos to post after his Christening this weekend.

Hoppy Easter!

Elliot's first Easter was very nice. We enjoyed a relaxing weekend at home and got to spend lots of quality time with the little guy. Unfortunately I have a bad cold so probably wasn't the most fun Mommy...

On Friday Elliot received a lovely stuffed bunny from his Aunt Stacey and Uncle Joe. It arrived with a pretty bow around its neck and a tag that read, "Hoppy Easter". Out little bunny likes his new friend very much. We also gave Elliot a present, a jumperoo. He had a great time on Saturday and Sunday perfecting his own hopping skills and exploring all of the "activities" the jumperoo has to offer.

Elliot's Mimsey and Grand Dad Cliff stopped by on Sunday night on their way back from South Carolina. They went down to Aiken for the weekend to the horse races. We pet sat Rosi (who really liked Elliot), so they had to come by to pick her up. Brian made us a lovely Easter dinner and Elliot got to spend lots of time cooing and smiling at his Mimsey. By the time they left he was pooped and ready for bed.

Bring Your Baby to Work Day

Elliot got to take a fun detour on his way to daycare this morning, my office. The foundation I work for is giving an award to Linda Nablo, the former Director of Child Health Insurance for the Department of Medicaid Assistance Services, for all of her efforts to "insure" that low-income families in Virginia have access to health insurance for their children. My boss wanted a picture of Linda surrounded by children to use during the recognition event and asked all of the mommies in the office to bring in their little ones.

Elliot was on his best behavior and had lots of fun touring the office in the arms of my colleagues. He was all smiles and even giggled a little for my co-worker Sherrina. Unfortunately my camera battery died before I could snap a picture of Elliot sitting the chair at my desk. I did manage get a couple of shots of him with Kim (left) and Lisa (right), and of course the group shot with Linda.

6 Months Old

Elliot turned 6 months old today! We don't plan to make a habit of celebrating half birthdays, but thought this one was worth noting. I can't believe that the little man has only been a part of our family for six months. I really can't remember what life was like before him. He has been such a joy and we are having a blast watching him grow and change every day.

Tonight we played with his music table, a gift from the Spencer family in Erie, CO. He had a great time pressing buttons/keys, watching the lights,and listening to the sounds that he was creating. Its hard to fathom that six months ago he was just a little hungry ball of sleep.

Little Leprechauns

Today was the second Saturday of the month - time for play group. All of the babies were wearing green in honor of St. Patrick's Day. Elliot wore his new green polo with little alligators all over it. Play group, as always, was lots of fun. There were several babies there who were the same age or very close in age to Elliot. It is so cool to see how everyone is growing and changing. Two of Elliot's little friends, Maddox and David (both 1 year-olds), are walking! Elliot was watching the babies who can crawl very carefully, I think he'll be there before we know it. Before play group ended we took a group photo of the babies. They must have thought we (mommies) were all crazy - lining them up, making silly faces (to get them to smile), and all pointing cameras at them. Nobody cried but a couple of babies tried to crawl out of the picture. After play group Elliot was a pooped puppy, and he feel asleep as soon as he hit Daddy's arms.

(Group shot from left to right: Maddox, Elliot, Jenny Leigh, Evie, Myles, Henry, and Emory)

Happy in the High Chair

Tonight Elliot tried out the high chair that his Grandma (CO) gave him. I think he liked sitting high up. There was so much to see from his new vantage point that dinner took a bit longer than usual. Elliot thought something about the chair or dinner was very funny, and he was all smiles and silly sounds in between bites of peas and rice cereal. After dinner Elliot took a bath (dinner was especially messy tonight) then went to bed. I hope he sleeps well, he needs to rest up for play group tomorrow.

Wheezer

Poor little Elliot has had a nagging cough for the last couple of weeks. It did not seem to be clearing up so I took him to the doctor today. Buddy has a wheeze and was prescribed more nebulizer treatments and a steroid. She thinks he has the remnants of a cold that won't leave and asthma. I guess kids who get RSV (like he did at 4 months) are more likely to have childhood asthma. We will go back to the doctor in a week to make sure he is getting better. He has been a little trooper through it all and is still the happiest, sweetest baby.

He was even happier (if possible) when Daddy got home from work before he went to bed - a rare occasion. Daddy read him a story from the Curious George Treasury book and gave him his bottle. I am sure he is dreaming sweet baby dreams as I type this.

It feels like Spring, almost...

This weekend fit that saying about March perfectly, it was "in like a lion and out like a lamb." Yesterday was cold, rainy and very windy. Today was bright and sunny, still a little cold, but very sunny. We went for a long walk with our neighbors Ned and Martin and their mom, Rachel. Along the way we saw lots of signs of spring: dandelions, tulip buds, new grass, robins, and even a little garden snake! The boys were so comfy in their strollers that midway through the walk they drifted off to sleep. When we got home Elliot was well rested and ready to play, what a great way to end our weekend. (Left to right: Elliot, Ned, and Martin)

The Ladies' Man

Yesterday was a busy day for Elliot. Mimsey came to Richmond and took Mommy and Elliot shopping and to lunch. We had a fun time with Mimsey and Elliot can't wait to wear the adorable little outfit (brown corduroy overalls with golf themed applique) she bought him for this fall. After our outing Mimsey and Elliot spent some quality time playing. Elliot showed Mimsey his standing and rolling skills, and even did a little sitting. Elliot was very happy to be spending so much time with his Mimsey.

After Mimsey left, Elliot went down for a nap so he could rest up for his next adventure, dinner at the Aman's. Elliot enjoyed seeing his friend Clare and her Mommy and Daddy, Ada and Matt. Clare let Elliot try out her new bouncer, shared her toys, and showed Elliot how to sit like a pro. We all had a fun evening and look forward to future play dates with the Aman family.

B is for Bananas

Tonight Elliot tasted his first fruit - Gerber BANANAS! It took him a couple of bites to get the hang of the new taste and before I knew it he couldn't get enough. He finished half a jar of bananas and half a serving of baby oatmeal. Before he went to bed we read a Curious George story (from the book his grand mom in CO gave him) in honor of the occasion.

Well that explains it...

Elliot's grandparents returned from Argentina on Monday and his grandmother, Mimsey, rushed home to look up when I (Elliot's Mommy) got my first baby tooth. It turns out that I sprouted my first tooth at 3 months. I guess I should not have been surprised that Elliot got his first tooth relatively early. I think more teeth are on the way. He has been drooling a bunch and has been fussy eater.

Green Beans, Greenbacks, and Giggles

What a busy day! Today Elliot tried his first vegetable, green beans (the Gerber variety). At first Elliot wasn't sure if he liked the new taste. After a few bites he decided they were quite tasty and he finished the entire bowl of beans and rice cereal - YUM.

After Elliot's morning nap, Elliot and I (Mommy) set off for Stony Point Mall to meet my friend Ashley (pictured with Elliot) for lunch and to find an outfit for Elliot's Christening. Lunch with Ashley was lots of fun and Elliot enjoyed looking at all of the people in the restaurant, especially the toddlers at table next to us. After lunch we said good-bye to Ashley and hit the stores.

I found the cutest little outfit for Elliot's Christening at Gymboree! click here for a preview. He is going to look so handsome when he is Christened at the end of March. When we got home from our shopping adventure Elliot got to spend time playing with Daddy. Elliot was having so much fun that he started giggling! We have heard him chuckle, but not giggle. It was very cute and we'll try to capture it on video for the next post.