Where to start…? I have been out of blog-land for quite some time, so we have a lot of catching up to do!
Christmas happened for us here in California. This was our first year not going home. My family came out and stayed for a week during this time. We spent one of the days at the San Diego Zoo and another at Disneyland. As much as I’d love to say this trip was the best ever, it wasn’t. My mom was recovering from lung surgery, my dad got the flu, and my niece Ella was sick the whole time and made a trip to the ER. However, with all the stress and illnesses we still managed to have a good time. Christmas morning was especially exciting because Elliot was finally able to understand what was happening. We spent the weeks leading up to Christmas doing a Christmas countdown. He was very excited for Santa to come. He asked Santa for a baseball bat and ball and dictated a letter to him that we mailed at Macy’s. On Christmas morning we waited for my family to arrive and didn’t let Elliot and Marissa out of his room until we could capture their excitement on film :) The day was spent relaxing and enjoying the new toys. Thank you Mom and Dad for bringing the fam out!
Oliver turned 4 months way back on January 8th. He weighed 15lbs 10oz. and was 25.25 inches long. At 4 months Oliver was sleeping through the night so we decided to move him out of our bathroom and into Elliot’s room. Elliot was/is thrilled that he gets to share his room (which is funny because he doesn’t normally like to share). The move to Elliot’s room did not go as well as planned. Elliot needed to work on being quiet when going to bed, Oliver needed to stay asleep (which wasn’t happening), and mom and dad (us) needed to work on patience. We are still all working on those things (yes, 2 months later), but it’s much better! So, routinely Oliver wakes one to two times a night and fusses for a few minutes before going back to sleep. In the beginning we were stressed with him waking up Elliot, so we would rush in and plug him with his pacifier. We are at the point of letting Oliver fuss and self sooth….basically Elliot has to deal. Elliot has been doing a good job with this! Shortly after turning 4 months we started putting Oliver in his jumper. This has been nice since he loves watching Elliot and has a great vantage point from this angle. At this age Oliver still wasn’t rolling, but had good neck and back control.
Elliot being naughty while going potty :)
Swimming in January.
February! The majority of February was spent at Disneyland. Since our passes would be expiring soon we spent nearly every Sunday as a family going to Disneyland. The boys and I went on our own several times too! For Christmas, Elliot received an autograph book that he and I have worked on filling with character autographs. Along with autographs comes a TON of pictures! We were able to go to a character breakfast on one of our last Disney days. It was fun to have the characters walk right up to our table as we ate mickey shaped waffles :) For a while Elliot was on a big “Alice in Wonderland” kick and met Alice, Mad Hatter, The White Rabbit, and The Queen. He later moved on to loving “Peter Pan”. After a visit to meet Tinkerbell, we got the scoop on how to find Peter Pan (because he never grew up, Peter doesn’t work, he just runs around and can occasionally be spotted). So, we sat down on a bench and waited to see if Peter would walk by. And he did! I was very proud of Elliot because during our Peter Pan chase Elliot yelled his name. Peter stopped and signed his autograph book! We then got to meet Captain Hook at breakfast. We are missing Disneyland now that our passes have expired.
Jared was in a wedding this month, so we turned it into a weekend getaway. We went to Lake Arrowhead (near Big Bear) as a family. Elliot got to go sledding for the first time. The faces he made were priceless!
Other happenings this month include Oliver turning 5 months! This month we have seen the most changes with Oliver. He started sitting up and continues to sit longer by himself everyday. Oliver also started eating solids. He started with sweet potatoes, but didn’t love them. He has since had avocados with bananas, carrots, peas, and apple sauce. I have decided to make his food since these are all things I buy anyway. It’s been a challenge to remember I have another mouth to feed, but the process of making and freezing food has been simple. Also, this month Oliver and Elliot are showing they like each other. Elliot can make Oliver laugh like none of us can, and Elliot regularly hugs and kisses him. He is also quick to share his most precious toys and blankets to make Oliver happy. Oliver is always watching Elliot and if Elliot gets close enough, Oliver grabs on to him!
Prepare for a Disney picture overload.
Elliot was obsessed with the movie Alice In Wonderland at the time of meeting the White Rabbit, Alice, and Mad Hatter.
Elliot’s current favorite ride…Peter Pan
He is now in love with Tinkerbell and watches Peter Pan often!
Wedding weekend fun.
6 months! I can’t believe Oliver is now 6 months old. He is sitting up and will straighten himself when he starts to fall. He can’t sit back up once he does fall. He still doesn’t roll (Elliot didn’t either). Oliver is playing more with toys and grabs at anything within his grasp (my hair, phone, our faces…anything). His form of talking is screaming. He is starting to blow bubbles and spit (oh joy), and drools like crazy. Still not sign of a tooth, but it can’t be long. Besides the solids Oliver is exclusively nursing and only recently took a bottle (this has been a battle for a month).
Elliot is doing well. He is about 3 months away from his 3rd birthday (which is mind blowing!!). He talks ALL the time. He has a lot to say and a lot on his mind so his sentences aren’t always understandable, but for the most part he gets the point across. His favorite foods remain hummus and crackers, avocados, and apples. He LOVES any fruit. He has started being more picky with the dinners I serve, but will try most things. Elliot is into imaginative play and plays all the time. He just started part-time preschool. I went back and forth on this decision with Jared and we decided it was best for Elliot. It was hard for me to put him in preschool because I can easily stay home with him, but we did it for two reasons. 1) To socialize him. I have done my part taking him to classes, play groups, the park, etc but he only ever plays alone or with me. 2) Educational purposes. He knows his letters, colors, and shapes. He loves learning new things, but has shot down all my attempts to help further his education, so I am leaving it to someone else :) To say Elliot was excited for preschool was an understatement. He had a lot of fun and his teacher said he was very polite (wonder if that'll change as he gets more comfortable?!)
First day of preschool! This is his “big smile”.
Got my first pair of glasses and they happen to be the same as Jared’s! matchy matchy :)
