Eli and his toys

So this week Eli made some big moves! On Saturday night, he graduated from the co-sleeper into the crib in his room. He has a mobile that plays music, a cool light on the wall that looks like the moon, and a "Twilight Turtle" that projects stars on the ceiling. Putting him to bed, it's like camping in his room with the mural! He has also started playing around in his walker. He is starting to figure out that he can get places in it but so far doesn't seem to have an agenda on where he wants to go -- just enjoying the new perspective on the world. On Saturday he became no longer a vegan when he started on yogurt. Not a fan so far -- he made the funniest faces -- he'd leave his mouth wide open and wouldn't swallow -- too weird mom! We had a very mellow homebody weekend, as it was raining/snowing a bit. Very cozy.

#1 ~ We were getting ready in the morning and he was so cute that I had to document.
#2 ~ Sippy cup demo. He knows all about holding on for himself now and can hold onto the bottle by himself too.
#3 ~ Where did Eli go? Oh, must have accidentally put him away with the toys ...
#4 ~ Eli sharing his circle of toys with Phoebe, Phoebe getting caught sneaking into the circle!
#5 ~ Our walking kid

Marlboro gathering

This weekend the Marlboro alumni council descended on Portland. We met on Saturday, moving forward our agenda to friend-raise for the college, and then had a party at a bar downtown on Saturday night. It was great fun! Unfortunately bad lighting did not allow us to take good pictures. On Sunday a smaller group got together at Radha Rogers' house for some brunch.

#1 ~ group photo -- starting top left -- Saraswati, Radha, Andrew, Pippa, Mark, Barbara, Vanessa & Eli, Dena, Anna (sp?)
#2 ~ Barbara looking terrific!
#3 ~ Saraswati and her husband Henry, with her neice Anna
#4 ~ Pippa and her lovely new pup!
#5 ~ Mark, his mustache, and Eli

helmet and basket

So then the mixing bowl wasn't quite enough, and we moved onto the big red riding hood basket of toys. So much fun investigating all the different options, making a mess, and giving everything a taste!

#1 ~ What is in the basket of goodies ...
#2 ~ Eli in the basket of goodies!
#3 ~ avocado pro
#4 ~ helmet and basket
#5 ~ My friend Barbara came to visit for the Marlboro alumni council meeting. Her skills include telling the best jokes for 7 month-olds ...

new adventures require a helmet ...

so the little squiggle bean is starting to go on adventures and find an agenda ... he is getting very close to crawling -- can roll any direction, can bunch his legs up and doesn't get as frustrated.

#1 ~ I gave Eli one of my old mixing bowls -- we put toys in it, and he really enjoys taking them out one by one. It also fits his head rather well -- we call it his helmet. :)
#2 ~ J got him a glockenspiel and even though he doesn't have the motor control yet, he understands the idea, and really likes to bang on things in general.
#3 ~ All that play is hard work!
#4 ~ Wearing dad's hunting hat
#5 ~ Rolling adventures brought him to the table, whose bottom required close examination.

mmmmm, toes ........

#1 ~ Eli during our morning snuggle time. Every morning he does tummy time and plays with the blue dog from Tonya. He's wearing what his Uncle Declan calls his "Maggie outfit."

#2 & 3 ~ Eli in his natural habitat. :) We've ordered a nightlight shaped like the moon and a stuffed animal that projects stars onto the ceiling. I am also staining a bookcase for his room this weekend. When all of these are in place, he will be moving into this room.

#4 ~ Classic. mmmmmm, toes.

rough and tumble games with dad ...

There's a big kid in our house all of a sudden ...

All of a sudden, Eli is busting out a new skill almost every day it seems. Here you can see his mad sitting skills. He likes to sit and look around and can entertain himself with a variety of objects, passing them from hand to hand and trying different combinations. You can also see dad/son quality time -- Eli is WAY into the computer, as well as cell phones, remote controls, any piece of paper we're reading, glasses, earrings, hair, etc. Also, as you'll see in the movie, he's developing an affinity for rougher games with dad!

Eli's first adventure with solid food ...

Christmas Day and crawling photos

#1 ~ Eli and J with the abacus Grandpa Dave and Grandma Song sent
#2 ~ What is this abacus thing anyway?
#3 ~ Eli and V with all the loot (wearing the hat the Val made. Thanks Val!)
#4 ~ So he's in this stage where he gets in the position all by himself, but then he finds it really hard and cries for help without making any distance. We give him toys a little out of his reach for goals, and sometimes he gets to them on his own. In this picture, he actually scooted backwards and was having a difficult time.
#5 ~ This one was a little more fun

First Christmas ...

Happy New Year! The Green family had a great first Christmas Eve. We made our house very cozy and played with our kid. Then on Christmas morning we opened all of the presents! Santa, Blitzen, and the Christmas Grinch all came through. J and I each took a few days off over the holidays and just spent relaxed time around the house. I am so glad that we did, because we both feel like Eli has grown tremendously in the last few days! All of a sudden he seems exponentially heavier and taller, he moved up a clothing size (6-9mo), he's eating like a pro, and he is awfully close to crawling. It seems like the crawling thing starts gradually, and by some measures I think you could say he is crawling already -- if not, he is truly on the brink. Which means that J and I will have to step up our learning curve to keep him away from all other brinks!

btw, I realize that all of these in the first batch are essentially the same picture, I just couldn't choose between them!

#1 ~ J and Eli looking related
#2 ~ Eli staying up late waiting for Santa. We disobeyed the 9PM bedtime rule and stayed up rocking and rocking until he fell asleep in my arms. :)
#3 ~ Staying up late is fun!
#4 ~ Our cozy house
#5 ~ Beginning of Christmas morning, wearing the outfit Smitty sent us!