|
Monday, May 4, 2009
"WHAT'S THAT?!?"
Spring is in the air, so once again it's allergy season. Last year, we thought
Elijah had a cold and when we went for his 9 month check up, the nurse informed us he had allergies. So I was dreading Springtime
this year and almost the day after it was officially Spring, his nose started acting up. He doesn't like his face to be wiped,
so trying to wipe his nose and all the mess after he sneezes isn't a piece of cake- He runs, darts, hides, squirms, whines
and screams as if we're giving him an injection or something. But, surprisingly, the sniffles and runny nose lasted less than
two weeks, so maybe this time he did have a cold, because we all were under the weather at the same time and we all basically
better now.
Elijahs eye doctor appointments went fine. He saw two different eye doctors
and was surprisingly patient during the 2 hour plus visit. He started getting fussy toward the end and a nurse came in and
gave him stickers and a lollipop. That was his very first and only lollipop/candy and she was quite surprised. They can only
do so many test on children his age, but his vision like I thought, is perfect.
Basically it's what I thought it was- His brain is still developing and all
the wires aren't just connected perfectly, so that is why his eyes sometimes aren't looking right at you. The medical term
is Emmetropia. It comes and it goes and eventually and hopefully he'll outgrow it.
It's always so cute to watch him learn something new. The simplest of things
that are second nature to us as adults. Elijah learned to walk on his tippy toes, so of course he's so proud and does it everyday.
Tell him do "crazy eyes" and he rolls his eyes up in the back of his head, looking like Linda Blair in the Exorcist. He loves
to walk backwards and many times he'll hold my arms, skirt or pants and we'll walk backwards from the kitchen down the hallway
and back. Or stacking things- everything and anything he'll attempt to stack and then he'll admire his latest creation, then
in an instant, knock it all down.
He's so extremely observant as well. If he walks into a room and notices anything
missing(i.e. I 'm watering a plant in the kitchen) or something new, he will definitely let you know. He is aware of the hummingbirds
that come to the feeder. He just has to hear the sound of them and he knows they're at the front door, drinking the nectar
I make for them. He's constantly pointing and or saying; "What's That" wanting to know what everything is and you just have
tell him once, maybe twice and he remembers it.
Now I know why parents spell out words. I have to do it now myself, because
he'll hear a word and then want whatever you have just said. I bought this unused book years ago at a thrift store called
"The book of Improbables" which contains thousands of answers to those "who, what, where, when, why and how" questions kids
constantly ask and I believe this book will most certainly come in handy.
D.J. Lance Rock from Yo Gabba Gabba
His favourite show right now is Yo Gabba Gabba and he will actually watch it,
not the whole show but more than the other kids show, which most are boring. I find Yo Gabba Gabba most entertaining
as well. If he's not watching it, I sure am. It teaches preschoolers about basic, simple everyday things, but with hip music,
fun characters,
kids and various celebrities dancing, as well as musical guests. Elijah will
point to the clock or T.V. and say; "Gabba Gabba." It's something we both look forward to in the morning. And once
it's over he want's his "YaYa"-which is his toothbrush and then it's nap time(Yippie!).
it's "dancie dance time" on Yo Gabba Gabba
The next time I update this blog Elijah will be two years old. Amazing....That
lil' baby that kept me up all day and night for the first year is no more. He won't eat in his highchair any longer, so he
either eats on the floor or if it's dinner time and I'm cooking, he'll eat in a regular chair next to us. Soon he'll be talking,
feeding and going to the bathroom by himself. Which is less work for me, I'm not complaining, but at the same time, it means
he's growing up, not a baby any longer....
Sunday, February 8, 2009
2009-SO FAR, SO FINE.....
Happy belated New Years to all. The holiday season is always hectic and just
finding time to do anything can sometimes be almost impossible when dealing with a lil' one. Elijah is doing just fine. He
went to his 18 month doctors visit last week and got to walk inside on his own two feet, because the last visit he was still
in a carrier. And just like I thought, he was a few ounces shy of 30 pounds. He only grew an 1/2 inch, so I think it's time
to cut back on some snacks. He doesn't eat junk food, he just loves to eat, period. He had one vaccination and had blood drawn
for the first time ever and didn't freak out like I thought he would.
He is going to see an Opthamologist next week to check his eyes- Sometimes
when he focuses his eyes, it's a bit off. His vision in itself is fine- He can spot the smallest spec of a crumb and hand
it to you or alert you to a bird sitting on a wire outside. So we'll see how everything goes after the eye appointment.
I think I caught a cold when we were at the Doctors office, so for the last
few days I've been dragging around. Elijah on the other hand, is full of life and energy. His little mind is constantly
trying how to figure everything out. He's a pro at opening up the refrigerator, so I made a lock for that. Before the lock,
you'd look and he's walking around with a bottle of b-b-q sauce, salad dressing or a few times he'd have my open container
of ice tea (luckily, no spills).
elijah and the blue cheese dressing
His latest string of "no-no's" are getting up on the kitchen chairs to stand
or standing up on the living room table to get the remote controls and whatever else is out of his reach. And then he
usually throws a tantrum, cause he can't do what he wants to do. He obviously knows when to attempt these feats of danger-
When he thinks he's alone. Like with all curious kiddies, you suddenly hear the deafening "sounds of silence". Too smart for his own darn good, but luckily, I'm a wee bit smarter....
Elijah love for all kinds of music continues to grow and you should see him
dance and totally get lost in particular songs. If I'm playing my music on the p.c. and it stops, he's quick to let me know.
Twinkle Twinkle little star is one of his personal favourites. Some of his toys play that song continually. He has all these
dancemoves/choreography like; pulling his eye lids, rolling his eyes up in his head like in the exorcist, holding his nose,
rocking, swaying, stomping, kicking and turning around. Some of the moves
I don't know where he came up with them, I guess you could call it interpretive dancing.
He is as sharp as a whip and you have to watch what you do around him, because
if it piques his interest, he'll immediately try and duplicate what you did. Even something done in jest, he'll attempt to
do it. He has an excellent memory- Knows where everything goes and he will let you know it. He's still throwing his toys and
everything else all around the house whether he's over excited or frustrated, except now you have to duck, because his aim
is sharper and the speed and fury at which he throws things has increased. Some of his his more dangerous toys have been put
up for now, for noise and safety sake.
Potty training will be the next step for him. He points to his diaper when
he pees and poops, so that'll be the next step as well as feeding himself. Everything happens in its own time, I'm not rushing
it. Less for me to do and more for him, which will be a welcomed relief. Franklin has taken him for a walk a few times with
out the stroller around the neighborhood and Elijah did such a good job. With each step he's becoming more and more a little
boy and no longer a baby. The path from dependence to independence can be long, hard and daunting. But as with every child,
they will always remain your little baby, no matter how old they are or how grown they think they are...
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
BAD BOY/GOOD BOY
Sometimes there just aren't enough hours in a day, especially when you're dealing
with a toddler. Elijah still takes a morning nap, but it's rare if he sleeps for two hours and if he does, it's like you don't
know what to do with yourself, because you know he's going to wake up and you don't want to start something. And once he's
up, he's up until bath time. An afternoon nap, he just won't do. So, I've basically given up on those, unless he's super cranky
and then he still won't sleep.
He's just got to much to do, Elijah is a baby on the go. So busy playing, tearing
up the house, asking what everything is all around the house, everyday, all day long. And of course eating. It's amazing how
much he can eat, its as if he has two stomachs, like a cow. If he hears the microwave beep, a plate being moved, he's in the
kitchen pronto. You literally have to hide to eat, because he'll have whatever you're having. Depending on what and if I cook,
sometimes, I just wait till he's in bed, so I can enjoy it. He now has a "big, fat belly" that's what I call it and he's proud
to show it off, like a happy, laughing Buddha.
He's been wanting to hold his spoon or food bowl/jar/cup when he eats, so I'll
let him. He's not quite ready to eat on his own, because he throws everything, so I'm not taking that risk, yet.
He learned how to climb on and off the couch by himself this week and he does
it constantly now to show us that he can do it. So, of course you have to make sure he's not standing trying to take the pictures
off the wall behind the coach or hanging off the arm rests, ready to jump. He loves to help me, by actually picking up his
toys and putting them back, then usually dumping them back on the floor. He'll attempt to wipe up his messes, he'll try to
swiffer the floor and he loves when we get the vacuum cleaner out. I think I'll have to get him his own vacuum cleaner and
his own sponge. Hey, if he wants to clean, he's more than welcome to, because that's what I seem to do all day long. He'll
throw things away, into the sink. He thinks it's the garbage can, because we keep a bag for recyclable behind the sink. So,
he'll toss anything and everything in the sink-his snacks, his toys, whatever.
It seems like he's hit the "terrible twos", even though he's just turned 17
months. If he trips on a toy, he throws it. If he just stumbles, he'll chuck something, anything. If he's pissed off for whatever
reason, he'll find something to throw or he'll bang his head on something. Then the next minute, he's laughing. Babies at
this age have no impulse control and I believe it. They want what they want and they want to do what they want to do A.S.A.P.
We take his toys that he throws in anger and place them on top of the refrigerator. Thats how you can judge his day- by the
amount of toys on the fridge. It's quite a shock, when there are no toys up there by the end of the day. Hopefully very soon,
he'll get over this phase.....
We will spending Thanksgiving day at Grammys and Grandpa or "fingers" (because
of her painted nails) and "pop pop " as elijahs refer to them(sounds like Mafia mob names), so this time Elijah will truly
enjoy it because the whole day revolves around food, something he really appreciates. The holidaze season is upon us yet again----Enjoy
everyone.....
Monday, September 29, 2008
"PICK YOURSELF UP, DUST YOURSELF OFF"
The lil' monkey is walking! He started taking a few steps at a time last month
and now he defiantly spends more time upright then crawling. And so far, he hasn't really hurt himself...yet. Of course he
falls down, but it's no big whoop, as the song goes; "I pick myself up, dust myself off, start All over again." At least now
the front of clothes are cleaner now, since he's not dragging himself across the hardwood floors. I was going through stain
remover like never before- a whole bottle in less than a month. I should
of attached my Swiffer pads to the front of his clothing or purchased a "baby mop."
 He has the appetite of a horse. He will try and eat anything. We have not found
a single thing yet that he won't eat. If we are sitting down for dinner, he's right there, like a dog. Even though he might
of finished his dinner a few minutes beforehand, he's ready for more. I haven't let him start feeding himself yet, because
he's into throwing everything! Sometimes when I'm feeding him, he'll have a fit and reaches for the jar or bowl of food- to
throw it. So, if you don't havea good grip on it, it's across the floor.
Luckily, the few times my grip wasn't good and he chucked it, whatever he threw was too thick to make a major mess.
Elijah's favourite things to play with, or throw are the four balls(plus a
set of 5 balls I bought for him months ago) for his dinosaur that Uncle Carson bought him. So all day long you hear and see
them flying across the room, or he walks with one in each hand and then we have to search for them throughout the house. If
the day ends and we can find all of them, it's a miracle. He also loves to
place his toys in or on other things, like containers, pots, tables and other toys. And he always wants to play with things
that aren't toys, but if it won't hurt him and it entertains him, I'm not complaining.
elijah and his dinosaur toy
All day long he'll keep saying; "momma" and "dadda". If I mention grammy or
grandpa, he'll point to the front door. He's into pointing to everything and then we tell him what it is and he tries to say
the word. He digs music and will watch the videos I've collected for him on you tube, as long as there's music involved and
it doesn't have to be "kids" music either. His taste is quite eclectic, like mine (wonder where he gets that?!?). He's been
what it looks like, tapping his foot to the music as well.
Elijah knows what bath time and bedtime means and will immediately go and play
with a toy like he's busy. And lately it's been a struggle when it's time to brush his teeth, he does the same thing,
because I think he knows when I try to brush his teeth in the morning, that
means its time for his morning nap. If I say he's made a mess with his juice or food, he'll wipe the surface with his hand,
like he's cleaning. He's a one smart cookie.
But, he's a cheeky monkey if he doesn't get his way, he's been protesting by
throwing something, yelling, banging his head on something or flailing about, which is a no-no. I know right now that he's
learning and expressing his new emotions/feelings and seeing the reactions/responses
he gets from us. Sometimes it's so hard to keep a straight face and then you see him smile and it's most difficult not to
crack a smile as well. He's still a baby, he's learning...But then when do
we ever stop learning?
Sunday, August 24, 2008
ZOOM, ZOOM, ZOOM....
We're back!!! The day after Elijah's first birthday, my camera broke. Luckily,
it was under warranty, so I was able to send it off and they actually fixed it for free. I did have to wait almost a month
to finally get it back, but I have it now and that is one of the main reasons I didn't update the site. I have my old 35 mm
camera, but once you have a digital camera, you're spoiled. When I used the
35 mm cam to take pictures of Elijah, I kept holding it like dig-cam, trying to look at the screen and it felt so heavy, like
some photographic antique.
Then, after the 4th of July, Elijah finally got that cold/flu I had for almost
a month. He was teething as well on top of that. So he was quite miserable for almost 2 weeks. He would be teething during
the day and then after his bath, that's when his cold symptoms were at their worst. But, he and his immune system fought it
off and at least his illness didn't last as long and go through so many stages as mine did. So even though the my camera broke, there just weren't that many "Kodak" memories to capture last month. The camera
broke at a good time, you could say....
Elijah went to his 12 month visit last month, everything checked out fine.
He got 5 vaccines and handled it rather well. He is now 21.11lbs(he's probably gained a pound since his visit) and he's 32
inches tall, almost 3 feet. Elijah is the same size right now as the actor Vern Troyer or "mini me". If Vern ever needs some
used clothing, he could give Elijah a call....
I'm no longer breast feeding Elijah, he weaned himself off the "juice", all
on his own. I thought it would be one more dragged out chapter, but as he hit the one year mark, the breast feeding sessions
slowly tapered off, no struggle at all. Even though breast feeding is a lot more work, like 24-7, if I were to have another
child, I'd definitely do it again, sleep deprivation, tendonitis and all.....
He finally learned how to crawl correctly. He was doing that paralyzed Vietnam
veteran scoot/drag, but once he started to move around on his own two feet with the aid of holding things, some ones hands
or his walking toys, he's one the go- ZOOM, ZOOM, ZOOM. If Franklin or I go down the hallway, Elijah will soon to follow.
He's not walking yet on his own, but it's only a matter of time.....
His new words are: "Cat", "cup", "hot", "momma" and "got", which could be yogurt
and I think he's been attempting to say "plant", but he'll just use the words and syllables he can say for everything he sees
and points to. If he sees one of the cats, he'll meow. He knows his juice is kept in the refrigerator, so he'll point to it.
If he wants more snacks, he'll pat the floor if he's sitting there or his highchair tray for more. He'll eat anything or at least try it. The only thing he hasn't really dug is sour cream(from my baked potato),
but he'll probably eat that one day too....
Today Elijah is 14 months old. He's asleep right now, but it's the lunchtime
hour, so I know the lil' monkey will be up soon. He'll take his morning nap, but his afternoon naps are becoming less
frequent and I know eventually he'll be down to just one nap. He can be quite the "mommas boy", they say children born under
the Cancer sign can be rather clingy at times, but that's better than him screaming and crying when he sees me. Over all,
he's good little boy- Clever, bright, full of curiosity, wonderment, amazement
and energy...Sometimes, too much energy. It's so much harder to take pictures of him cause he just won't sit still- He's on
the go- ZOOM, ZOOM, ZOOM...
just a footnote-my mother mentioned how some people didn't realize there are
pictures of Elijah on this web site. If you look at the top of this page, you'll see links(in red) to other pages for
his site, just click on them and there you go....
|
|
|
2009.05.01 |
2009.02.01 |
2008.11.01 |
2008.09.01 |
2008.08.01 |
2008.06.01 |
2008.05.01 |
2008.04.01 |
2008.02.01 |
2008.01.01 |
2007.12.01 |
2007.11.01 |
2007.10.01 |
2007.09.01 |
2007.08.01
|
|
"A MOMENT SUBLIME"
(poem I wrote for elijah)
I gazed into the eyes of a wee little face
a new creation of peace, hope, love,
wonderment, joy and grace
it was a moment sublime
I shared with you
it was a memory encapsulated
I shall always cherish true
of a mother and her son
the words so new to me
getting to know one another
feeling the love grow
even further
heartbeat by
heart beat....
Vital Statistics
Date
of Birth: june 24, 2007
Time of Birth: 8:24 a.m.
Place: Kaiser Permanente, Harbor City, CA.
Weight &
Length: 6 lbs 15 oz. 21 in.
"BEFORE I WAS A MOM"
Before I was a Mom
I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether
or not my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.
Before I was a Mom -
I had
never been puked on.
Pooped on.
Chewed on.
Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind
and my thoughts.
I slept all night.
Before I was a Mom
I never held down a screaming child so doctors
could do tests.
Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously
happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.
Before I was a Mom
I
never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put him down.
I never felt my heart break into a million
pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.
I
never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.
Before I was a Mom
-
I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.
I didn't know how spec ial it could feel
to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something
so small could make me feel so important and happy.
Before I was a Mom -
I had never gotten up in the middle
of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache,
the
wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much, before I was a Mom.
|
