8 months. 8 things.

before my little monkey turns nine months

{tomorrow}

i wanted to jot down some eight month highlights 

since apparently the eighth month blinked by at lightening speed.

along with my entire summer....sigh.

however, i must say...we have been having a blast.

our summer has been so full and so fun. 

given my posting record...you can't hold me to this

but i just may have to do a summer highlight post.

just maybe.

ok, eight months

the highlights

in no particular order...

• crawls like a BOSS.
• stands on and climbs objects like a monkey. 
• tests out his balance and steps towards objects...usually me.
• calls me mama. especially when he's upset...its rather pathetic, but i love it.
• waves bye bye.
• eats EVERYTHING we give him. the boy can eat. he loves his puffs.
• takes 2 naps. loves to sleep in the jogger. hates to sleep in his crib.
• plays peek-a-boo with himself in the closet mirror. hilariousness.
• climbed up the stairs. {crap}
• understands and reacts to "no" and a ton of other words and phrases.
• loves to snuggle
• loves the bath
• hates getting his face wiped
• weighed an estimated 22 lbs. and 30 in. or more. big boy. 
• pure joy to have in my life.

i could go on. but clearly, there are more than eight highlights here.
i'll recap on 9 months sooner than later!

fragile...

on monday my biggest dilemma was whether or not to cut a pair of jeans for jean shorts.  how silly. because then days like yesterday happen.  reminding me that life is so fragile.  things can change in an instant. all in the same day you witness an accident that could change the course of a friend's life, you get sad news about a friend, or great news about a friend...you realize God's presence in each separate situation and hear your friends say separately, but almost simultaneously, this was His plan...and your heart squeezes. its in those moments that i am reminded of my faith in God and how trusting i am in His plan for us, and for those that i love and care for.  its in those moments that you pray your hardest for your friends and their loved ones and know the He is receiving your plea and hearing your prayers and will undoubtedly answer them, in His way and in His time.  we do not have answers to all of the questions we seek as to why things happen the way that they do...and that's ok.  its days like yesterday that life gets put back into perspective...and so then, you come home and do nothing but sit and enjoy the silence of your home, the scent of your baby and the softness of his skin, and thank God for all of His great blessings in all of the many forms they come in.

rewind...6 and 7 months!

finally!

i got around to dumping my photos

sheesh. what took me so long?

there were about 8 weeks worth of photos on this little card.

this paper thin little card that one evening i thought i lost

 i prayed to God it would turn up

because i had put off uploading pictures for weeks.

but after 10 frantic minutes, it turned up...phewww.

anyway.

baby Eli is more than half way through his 7th month.

can. not. comprehend. that.

time is moving at warp speed

lots of firsts have happened in the past couple of months.

may 16th marked six months for our handsome little fellow.

and then seven months rolled around on june 16th, while on vacation in florida.

{first plane ride!}

somehow i pulled off getting a few decent shots at 6 months.

but i have to say, there was a big difference between 5 and 6 months.

i could not get him to look at the camera this time around

maybe i shouldn't have given him a prop!? hah.

nonetheless, some of them are pretty cute.

~~~

baby boy,

i remember when i was six months pregnant with you last summer

thinking, wow. that's half a year. half of an entire year!

carrying, loving, and caring for a tiny being in my belly for that amount of time seemed like a lifetime.

i loved every minute and the months that followed.

now seeing you grow...from day one to six months. its incredible and indescribable...

to watch a little being change at such a rapid pace.

not just monthly, but weekly. daily even.

its remarkable.

i'm in awe of you.

six month highlights:

sitting confidently and playing

banging toys, shaking them, pushing them around with your feet.

analyzing toys and passing them from one hand to the other

looking at/gumming board books

cutting your first tooth on the bottom right

eating more solids and doing much better digesting.

after trying it, my personal opinion is that four months is too early. we tried it and then stopped.

your little belly was just not ready...and now you are doing great!

lets see, what else?

oh, you had your first beach trip in may and took a nice long nap in your baby cabana

you went on your first carousel ride

and tried a teensy bit of momma's ice cream! 

we had so much fun with you at the beach...

a couple of weeks later we ventured off to Florida for a family vacation 

you had your first airplane ride and did a fantastic job.

in fact, you slept most of the way there and most of the way back.

a bottle during take off and landing helped you with your ears...

and some new exciting toys held your interest for awhile.

we were impressed.

also,  during your sixth month you started rocking back and forth on your hands and knees

sometimes it was more of a "downward dog" yoga position with your butt in the air

and we figured it was in preparation to crawl...

practice makes perfect!

you are very deliberate and gentle in your actions

daddy calls you our gentle giant.

you are a big boy, not really chunky...just tall and solid.

i call you my rough and tumble boy

especially when i see you do things that take more strength than i assume you have.

but its as if you know when to be strong and when to be gentle.

like when you take the charm on my necklace in your tiny little hands and just analyze it

never tugging, or pulling

just gently looking and observing.

at six months you weighed in at 20 lbs and 29 inches long.

which means since birth you've gained a little over 10 lbs and grew 8 inches!

you are sleeping pretty well...

out like a light at 9:30 but not a minute before. 

if we put you down earlier, you wake up within a half hour all energized

which makes 9:30 a challenge.

you wake up around 6-6:30am to eat and then will usually sleep another couple hours.

you still wear size 3 diapers and are in mostly 6-9 or 12 month clothing
but lately, you're content just cruisin' around in your dipe...

~~~

which brings me to seven month highlights:
while we were in florida, you hit the seven month mark
and the very next day you decided to crawl.
i'll never forget...
all week you had been content in your pack 'n play
until this day.
on this day you wanted nothing to do with it.
done. forget about it. get me outta here.
so i did...and put you on the floor with a blanket and all of the same toys.
but you no longer wanted the toys.
something else caught your attention and with all of your might
you wormed over to a bottle of sunscreen about 5 feet away.
we just stood there amazed and laughed at the timing of it all.

Eli at 7 months

it was so neat to see you explore on this trip

you loved the water

as soon as we put you in the pool you smiled and started kicking.

and we got a great little float for you to sail about the pool in

{i highly recommend it - you can find it here}

our day trips to the beach in florida were interesting...

you would nap in the car on the way to the beach and then refuse to nap on the beach.

all you wanted to do was play with the sand

meanwhile, i was trying my hardest to keep you in a little square, under the cabana, 

and away from the sand

ha. well, eventually i gave up...and let you get all the fist fulls of sand your little hands could grab.

and you were content to just feel it and analyze it.

you were also content to be held in the ocean and splash about.

it was a really great week...

the best part was seeing you there...in all of the places we had made memories in over the last 9 years.

{more on florida to come}

so this month you have been on the move.

each day you get a little bit more curious about the things you see around you.

and when you see something, boy are you fast!

at this point your crawl is just one knee and two arms. its pretty comical, yet highly efficient.

at first you would just cruise over to toys, books, etc...

and then to maya or the kitties

and now you crawl over to me and grab my legs

sometimes you'll crawl over me

and other times you want to sit on me...stand between my legs...roll on me...

or analyze a freckle on my leg for a few minutes. not kidding.

we've been calling you pincher bug lately, as you use your pointer fingers to poke at things

and try to pick them up, gently of course.

touch, touch, touch...

this month you started to say more too...

ra-ra-ra, da-da, ba-ba-ba, and when you are upset a little ma-ma-ma comes out.

only you seem to get louder and deeper when you are frustrated...

high pitched and sing-songy when happy and playing.

the ba-ba-ba is usually followed up by raspberries, because who wouldn't put those two together?

and of course, the da-da came first...but is more rare. 

we think you know that we think its special. so you save them for special moments.

you are also learning more about what we say to you too...

like "where's your puppy?"...and you look around for maya

and when we say "up" you put your arms up!

you reach for both of us now...

i say "go to dada?" and you'll reach over for him if he's standing there.

there's also a selection of songs that you know now...when we sing them you stop everything and smile, or giggle.

we just love seeing your personality take shape.

and you've got a pretty big one. hammin' it up here and there...especially in public

we are always walking out of places shaking our heads and laughing at some new thing you decided to try out on an audience.

we came up with a song a while ago..and it's still true

"imma big boy and i do big things..."

{good thing too, it'll come in handy on the hostetler side ;)}

you are a happy baby...

you're my big strong boy

your the light of our lives

this has been such a fun stage and i know it will just keep getting better.

you're everything we had dreamed of Elijah...

love those monkey cheeks to a million pieces.

happy 1/2 birthday: Eli is 6 months

happy half birthday to our sweet eli.

{a christopher robin in training}

he has a few versions of pooh

a couple of piglets

two tiggers

and an eeyore.

i'm sure one of each would do

or just ONE for that matter.

but somewhere along the way managed to adopt multiple members of the 100 acre woods...

{plus multiple version of the movie}

piglet and pooh are around 20 years old

my piglet, hubs pooh.

sweet baby boy is 1/2 a year today {what?!!} 

and surrounded by stuffed animals that were once loved by us

kind of surreal if you ask me.

my little piglet sat perched on a little bench in my room when i was younger

i never dreamed that my son would be loving on him today.

its all pretty magical.

just like the 100 acre woods.

"sometimes,' said pooh, 'the smallest things take up the most room in your heart."

a.a. milne

true story.

love this little being with all of my heart.

{more on being six months to come}



mother's day recap

a girl can't ask for much more than this perfect little sunday that unfolded before her on her first mother's day. barefoot on the deck with a handsome little babe on my lap and a thoughtful husband to kiss on the cheek...i soaked it all in. sweet letters, good meals, easy conversation, and my loving little family. three generations of mom's around a table talking about life...little posies from the yard and a pitcher of lemonade...dapples of sunshine and laughter filling the day.  

simple plans and simple pleasures. we fancied up our normal sunday routine with a little of this and a little of that...it was easy going. and it doesn't get much better than easy going in my book. a memorable mother's day for sure.  

thank you to the most important mom's in my life...my mom, my grandmoms, my mother-in-law...goodness, without these women neither my husband, or I, would be here...and my little love, my baby boy...well he is a gift made from generations of love. boy, am i thankful. these mom's are a special thing. 

his momma...

{via}

{eli at 4 weeks}

its an indescribable feeling, being a mother 

i have a whole new perspective on life

and i may be speaking for myself here

but this comes straight from the heart...

my life and my purpose began when my baby boy was born.

he is my flesh and blood

the only thing in this world that i can truly call

my own.

he is my greatest accomplishment

a work of art

my masterpiece.

he IS my whole world

and i feel so blessed to be his mother.

wishing all of you mothers and soon-to-be mothers

a wonderful mother's day

{images by carolyn sgrignioli photography}

mondays: optional

is it actually possible to catch up on sleep? ever?

i'm running on empty.

actually, yesterday i was running on empty. and today, well...

i'm on the side of the road wondering how i'm going to fill up my tank.

i could have used yesterday's ugly monday to take a nap or two with my little monkey

i wish mondays were optional 

someone please pass the covers.

~~~

but the weekend was great.

one of those unexpectedly fun weekends.

some highlights via instagram:

our annual artshow

{lots of work to put up and take down - but the kiddos love seeing their creations on display}

cinco de maya mayo - it was out little bird dog's 2nd birthday.

happy birthday to our maya bee.

of course we spoiled her with treats, new toys, and lots of lovin.

auntie bekah came into town for some baby boy cheek pinchin and leg roll eating

and aunt julie joined us too...doubling the fun and leg roll eating.

it was so nice to hang on the deck with a few drinks and a cool breeze just chatting about life.

we made our way to the disney store on sunday and managed to do some more spoiling

we narrowed our purchases down to a tigger and an eeyore and decided to let eli choose

he grabbed them and lit up for both...

his face and reaction were priceless

so naturally, we got both.

tigger from auntie b and eeyore from mama and daddy.

 later we all snuggled in and tried to soak up what was left of our weekend.

but ahhh, summer is just around the corner.

meanwhile i'll be over here dreaming of palm trees and sand between my toes..

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

memory bank...

 

this is what happens when

the weather is warm

the sunsets are pretty

and there is a gorgeous white swan in your pond.  

you venture out for an impromptu photo shoot with your sweet little family.

you laugh and toss your baby in the air

you watch him laugh

you watch your husband transform into a beaming father

and you add more memories to the bank.

boy, am i rich.

Eli is 5 months

baby Eli,

you are getting so big

and i know i say this each month

but i really can't believe you are five months.

for awhile, part of me wanted you to stay teeny

now i find that i'm loving each new phase of watching you grow

and my heart squeezes at each new milestone

some days you will just wake up and do something new

and i love it!

you are 22 weeks and hit the five month mark on april 16th.

and we think you just had a little growth spurt

we estimate that you are about 19lbs and around {amendment: 28 inches long}

at this point its safe to say you've grown out of your 3-6 month clothing

and are now in 6-9 month

{you even fit in some 12 month things, depending on the brand}

your sleeping patterns are:

fairly the same as the last month or so.

sleeping mostly through the night

sometimes waking up around 4:30 to eat and then right back to sleep you go.

a morning nap and an afternoon nap...lasting around 45 minutes.

your feeding schedule is:

still every 3-4 hours

and we are holding off on the solids for a bit

even though the doctor gave us the green light on the cereal and yellow foods

your belly rumbles and you get tons of gas...a ton.

so we'll get more serious about it around the 6 month mark.

but you are very curious about foods

and you will smack your little lips together when you see us using spoons and forks.

you also grab for our plates if you are sitting on our laps during dinner.

some sounds and motions you make are:

raspberries!!!

once you start making little raspberries, you don't stop.

and you will usually do it when you are really excited about something.

you've mastered the mini pushup

and its the first thing you do in the morning...you prop your little arms up and look around for mama.

you are very alert these days and will turn quickly in the direction of our voices.

you've even started turning your head when we call your name.

you LOVE buttons and tags.

you always reach for the remote...

{a boy for sure}

and will put tags right in your mouth.

you've also started adding your feet to playtime

you'll grab and kick objects with your little toes

and you've mastered feet eating! 

boy, those little toes must be tasty.

the newest activity is sitting

you've been working on building up those back muscles during tummy time

and now here we are...sitting up. goodness.

you sit for longer when there is a toy in front of you

like a ball or a bigger stuffed animal

and before long you'll topple over

but you are pretty content sitting up and playing.

your little personality is taking shape
everyone comments on how "good" you are
and you really are a good baby...a happy baby.
those smiles still melt our hearts and your little babbley conversations never get old.
{especially the soft, high pitched squeels.  love that}
its so fun to watch you with your furry siblings
laughing at maya and reaching your hand out so she can lick you
staring at the kitties and listening to them meow in awe.
your world is becoming so much bigger these days.

daddy and i also have fun narrating our activities with you
i talk about a dish or count spoons with you as i empty the dishwasher
as if its the greatest thing in the world
your face lights up in delight...who knew that those small things would all seem so magical.
 we love making up new songs and chants
at this point it has become a daily occurance
and everything is more fun that way!

this month mama started going back to work too
this was extremely difficult.
i hated leaving you.
its taken a couple of weeks to get into the work routine
but you have been such a trooper
in fact, i have to wake you up in the morning to get ready.
and then we chat in the car on the way to meet poppy
we were both out of sorts for the first few days
but at this point we have a good little routine down.
the day seems to fly by
and before i know it
i'm opening the door to mommom and poppy's to see your little smiley face.

goodness we love you so much.
next month marks half a year.
how is that possible?
we'll we are loving every minute. that's for sure.