What Eli Sounds Like

Just wanted to post this so family and friends can hear Eli talking.

Four Months Old

Eli is four months old already! I think his little life has gone faster than Micah's seemed to....probably because I'm a little busier this time around. Ha! You think you're busy with your first child, then you add another, and you realize you weren't really busy at all.

At his well-baby checkup, Elijah weighed 18 lbs. 8 oz. (96th percentile) and was 25.23" long (61st percentile). He's a chubbo, that's for sure! He did great for his appointment, only crying a little when he got his shots. In fact, Micah was with me, and I had to spend way more time comforting him than I did Eli! (Micah's scared of the doctor, and he didn't really like it when they were making Eli cry.)

In other news, Eli started rolling over from back to front last week. It first happened on Josh's birthday, so I guess that was his present from Eli. He did it so easily that it made me think he could have done it much sooner, had I given him more time on the floor. But with an active big brother like Micah around, the floor isn't always the safest place for a little guy--even one as "sturdy" as Eli. :)

Josh and I took both boys to the zoo today. It's been stinking hot in our town lately, but it was overcast and drizzly this morning, so it was actually quite pleasant. Micah loves the fish and the birds. And penguins, which are kind of a cross between fish and birds. Eli sleeps the whole time we're at the zoo. I don't think the poor little guy has ever seen any of it. Oh well.

So there's your update. Life is good here. :)

July pictures

Hello! Here are pictures from July:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=197107&id=506485788&l=c677d7cf93

and from Matt's wedding:


http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=192334&id=506485788&l=c71a054adb

Eli's 4-month checkup is tomorrow, so I'll soon be posting some stats and an update on him. Stay tuned!

False Pride

Just wanted to share a funny story.

Micah knows almost all of his capital letters, so he's always pointing them out when he sees them. He has a growth chart in his room with his name on it, and yesterday, we were in there and he was naming off all the letters on the chart. So he said, "M-I-C-A-H, Micah!" I was kind of shocked and amazed that my not-even-two-yet child could not only recognize letters, but he could actually read his name! Of course the thoughts that popped into my head were ones about how smart my kid is and how I must be an awesome parent and whatnot. Then Micah moved from the growth chart to reading the letters on my shirt. He read, "G-O, Micah!"

Oops. I learned two lessons yesterday: 1)I shouldn't jump to conclusions about my son's apparent cognitive development, and 2)Comparing my kid's abilities to other kids' is a dangerous path that leads to false pride. Ha! :)

Poor Sick Micah.

I feel very blessed to have such healthy kids. Aside from jaundice as newborns, I have only made visits to the doctor for well-baby checks--that is, until last week.

Wednesday night Micah started running a fever. He didn't seem to have any other symptoms, so I was just giving him ibuprofen and I figured it was teething. Thursday he started to lose his appetite, and Thursday night, he only slept for about an hour at a time. He'd wake up crying, and Josh and I took turns watching movies with him until he fell asleep again. Friday he refused to eat anything, even candy--that's when I knew something was wrong.

I took him to the doctor and they said it was hand, foot, and mouth disease. It's a virus that causes blisters in the cheeks and throat (and sometimes on the palms and soles of your feet, although he didn't have that). So he was absolutely miserable--couldn't eat, couldn't drink, wouldn't swallow medicine, wouldn't talk. It hurt him to swallow his saliva, so he'd just hold it in his mouth until something made his lips open, then he would drool like crazy. Saturday was the worst day, and today (Monday) was the first day he ate much of anything. It's really contagious, too, so we were keeping Eli in the basement and Micah in the living room and we sanitized everything. So far, Eli hasn't gotten it, so I hope we're past this. Yuck.

It's so tough to see your kids hurting, and even tougher when there's nothing you can do for them. We'd try to give him children's ibuprofen, but he refused it, and when we'd try to force in in his mouth he would spit it back out. And I'm sure he was hungry, but eating hurt worse than the hunger pains. Poor guy!

Once again, I would like to praise my heavenly Father for blessing me with kids that are generally healthy. It's something I don't take for granted! And if your kids ever get hand, foot, and mouth disease.....well, I'm sorry for them, and I feel your pain, too.