Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Eli's 1st's Continued....









Eli has been to several restaurants now. His first time at a fast-food restaurant was when Daddy and Mommy were bringing him home from the hospital. They went through the drive-thru at Steak N' Shake. Since then, he went on his first outing with Daddy, Mommy, and Brother to Olive Garden. Other places he's been is Chick Fila with Mommy and Isaac and Culvers with Grampie, Grandmama, Daddy, Mommy, and Isaac. Eli went on his first stroller ride, while Mommy walked for exercise in the neighborhood and big brother Isaac rode his tricycle. His first shopping outing was to Kroger to pick up some groceries with Mommy. Mimi fed him his first bottle while Daddy worked and Mommy was at a church conference. He has also had his first real smiles, shown in the pictures above. We are so blessed with our little fella, and can't wait to experience many more "firsts" with him!!!


Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Isaac- August 2011



























Isaac is getting so big! He really expresses himself very well! He has said a lot of funny things this month. His new favorite word is "cool." He says, "that's cool." When we are getting ready to go for a walk, and Isaac rides his tricycle, he says "we are ready to roll" or "let's roll." One morning when we were getting ready for his school, he told me "today is a good day." I am not real sure what was going through his mind or why that particular day was any better than the others in his mind, but I am also thankful for an optimistic attitude! Isaac gets really excited when we play with him. Some new phrases he has started saying quite frequently are "check it out," "watch what I can do," "I show you," and "I show you what I like the best." Not only has Isaac been able to express himself well in a positive way, but he also tells us when he is not so happy. He says things like "you make me sad," "I sad," and "I'm not happy" as he gives us that little pouty puppy dog face. Boy, he sure knows how to work it. When he is tired, he tells me "I'm going to take a break." I know if he voluntarily takes a "break" then he is really needing to rest. Finally, Isaac also makes it clear what he wants for lunch. He still loves peanut butter. Now he says "I want peanut butter on a spoon." He is so particular about his peanut butter! I am thankful he likes it, because otherwise, I feel like he might starve (not really, but it seems like it sometimes).

Isaac has had several accomplishments this month including dressing himself for the first time on 8/22/2011. He has been able to put on his shorts, socks, and shoes, but now is finally able to put on his own shirt (at times). He also bathed himself for the first time this month (8/23/11). He is able to brush his teeth and actually has an interest in this, but feel he is not quite ready to complete independence in this area. When he is really adamant about brushing his own teeth, I "check" his teeth afterwards. Another accomplishment of his this month is reading his first word besides his name. He read the word "hi." Isaac also drew his first recognizable picture this month (on 8/22/11). It was a whale and really looked like one. Finally, Isaac has started attending church services now. Instead of getting childcare during the service, he sits with us. For the most part, he does pretty well being quite and still (although he has his moments).

Isaac seems to like his new school (BGCA). He starts each day with three frogs on a log. Each time he disobeys, a frog gets removed from the log. So far, he has not had any frogs removed, and he is so excited to show me his frogs when I pick him up in the afternoons! He is so proud of himself, and so am I! Even though Isaac seems to like his school and teachers, I can't ever get him to tell me much about his day. From our conversations about school, he can't seem to recall any of his new little friends names or tell me much about what he did that day. When I ask him about lunch, he says he did not eat. Apparently, he skips lunch and holds out for the snacks. His teacher, Mrs Bradshaw, did tell me a funny story about Isaac. She said that Isaac always has interesting prayer requests. She said most kids request to pray for their parents, pets, toys, etc. Well, our little guy asked the teacher to pray for his garage door to go up. I am not sure why he thought this needed a special prayer because our garage door works just fine.


Isaac has had some fun times this month. He had a visit from his buddy Tay, went to his friend Dhavid's birthday party, and played many hours with his neighbor Caroline outside in the back yard. He loves riding his bike, playing with his train table, and being outside. He enjoys spying on the neighbors by peeping out the window. He also has a new interest in money. He likes getting coins to put in his bank. One day Grandad gave him a dollar, and he was disappointed because he wanted the penny (he likes the coins better). Oh, how quickly that will change!

We have started "Mommy school," and Isaac is very interested in this. We have what we call the "learning box" and work on learning letters and numbers. We write letter on a little marker board, and Isaac is so proud that he writes an "I." He likes to look for letters on everything, such as signs, clothing, etc to see if he recognizes them. He also likes to trace his foot. We try to learn things when we are in the car too. He has learned to recite John 3:16, which he learned while I drove him to school. While in the car, he also likes to tell me when to stop and when to go, depending on if the stoplight is red or green.

One of my favorite things Isaac started doing this month is whispering. His little face will light up and he will whisper things like "after I poopy I can get a starburst" as he nods his head up and down. Another thing that is precious to me is when he tries to tell about an event that happened in the past. No matter when the event happened, he always says "last two days ago..."

This has been such a big month for Isaac. He has had to adjust to changes at home and at his preschool. Overall I feel has done a pretty good job of adjusting. He finally seems to be getting used to Eli, his "Bubby," being around. It is my prayer that these two brothers love each other!

I am thankful that the Lord has blessed Isaac with health and the ability to learn. Isaac is so dear to me, and it is such a joy to be his mother!

Who's Who?...Do you see any similarities?

Here are some similar pictures of the boys. Even though they have some differences, you can certainly tell they are brothers (or at least I think they do). Eli's pictures are first and Isaac's are below. See what you think!





Brotherly Love









Many people have asked how Isaac is doing with the new baby around. Well, I can honestly say he has adjusted fairly well, and seems to be improving each week. It was a little difficult on him the first week or two, but he seems to love his "Bubby." As you can see in the pictures, he likes to show Eli how to do things. Sometimes if I am encouraging Eli to do something, such as hold his head up during tummy time, Isaac says "I can do that Mommy, watch me." Isaac will ask to hold him at times, but after a few seconds, he is finished. He says "I done." I have to watch because he will just let Eli's little head drop when he is finished holding him (like a toy he is done playing with). Isaac definitely needs assistance in holding his little Bro.

Isaac likes to be a big helper. He will go fetch diapers and burp cloths for me when needed. He will turn the music on for Eli when he's in the swing, bouncy seat, and on the play mat. When Eli is crying, Isaac says "he's so sad." Sometimes he is too big of a helper. For example, he may try to give Eli toys to play with in his crib. He does this by throwing hot wheels blindly into his crib. He will also help him by rocking his swing or car seat, and tends to do this a little to forcefully. It's a miracle Eli has not been really hurt. He tends to be a little too rough with him at times. He has only intentionally tried to hurt him a couple times (i.e. pulled his hair and bit his eye). One lesson Isaac will learn early is that he will not intentionally hurt his brother. We are trying to teach him to love his brother and to be gentle with him!

We are so thankful for both of our sweet boys, and look forward to watching them grow up together and be good buddies!!!

Eli 1 month old update (8/8/11- 9/8/11)


Eli is such a pleasant baby! He seems fairly laid back and content, for the most part. He weighs 11 pounds 9 ounces and is 22 3/4 inches long. He eats/ nurses 8-9 times/day (about every 2.5-3 hours). He takes frequent naps between feedings. He is sleeping a little bit longer stretches at night (3.5-4.5 hours). He has done a very good job of getting on a good eating schedule. Eli has discovered that it helps him fall asleep if he sucks his thumb, knuckles, or index finger. He constantly wants his hand in his mouth. He sometimes takes a pacifier, but definitely prefers his thumb. Swinging also helps him go to sleep.

Eli is becoming much more alert. He really enjoys looking at people's faces, being outside, looking at lights and fans, grabbing and holding onto Mommy's hair, looking in mirrors, swinging, being walked and rocked, listening to music, and playing on his playmat and bouncy seat. He smiled for the first time this month, at 5 weeks of age! What a precious smile! I just love his little toothless grin! Having a child smile at me for the first time is such a wonderful feeling! Eli started social smiling consistently at 6 weeks old. His first smile for his Daddy was on 8/21/11. He is tracking objects/ people and batting at objects more now too! Eli also had his first bottle this month (given to him by Mimi).

This month Eli met some more new faces. He met some more extended family members, including baby Lucas Coats who was born this month. He has also met more of our church friends who have been bringing us meals. Eli has been a busy boy this month, going to several new places and getting out of the house more. He went on his first trip out of town. This was to Greenville for Carrie's baby shower and to visit grandparents. He also went to Dawson Springs to visit his other grandparents, Paris, TN for Chris's mom's memorial service, church, Olive Garden, Chick Fila, and Culver's. Eli travels fairly well; however, the trip to Paris, TN was a little far for him. On the way home, he was just crying, but as soon as he heard the music on the radio, the crying stopped. It was amazing. Eli seems to cry a lot too when we are shopping. Other than that, he mostly just cries right before he falls asleep.

Eli's biggest problem has been with spitting up after he eats, and it seems to be getting worse. He spits up massive volumes, so we hope this improves soon. Eli also got cradle's cap this month; although, it went away after one use of Neutragena T-gel shampoo. It amazes me and the rest of the world who sees him that he has so much hair. It's really unbelievable. He has not lost any hair. It is so cute because it actually has a little curl to it when it's wet.

I love the sweet sounds Eli makes. He makes a sweet "awwhh" sound after he sneezes. He is cooing a lot. He also still grunts frequently due to gas. He has started making a pouty face/ lip before he cries.

We love Eli so much, and are thankful the Lord has entrusted him to us to grow and raise! I just want to snuggle him, squeeze him, and hold him forever! He is so precious to me! What a blessing!