Now that Elliot does not require constant entertainment, Logan and I have noticed that we spend more and more time picking up after the boy. Our house unfailingly looks like the kid bomb went off. However, we learned the other day from Aunt Lisa that Elliot can be put to work.
Lisa: “I told him to make himself useful”
Lisa: “He tried to sit down, but I informed him he skipped the hardwood.”
Lisa: “Boy I don’t care if you are tired, WORK” Haha!
So we tried to enlist his help in some yard work today.
He and Logan did have to take a football break.
Addendum: Now he is helping with the groceries too!
Tonight, Elliot played outside for almost an hour. He ran around the yard in bare feet, occaisionally tripped and fell, but had a blast. The only thing he didn’t like was that I would not let him play in the road. We are working on boundaries…
At Elliot’s bath tonight, I showed him how to make a balloon with a washcloth, which he thought hilarious!
I worked my first night shift on Friday night, and if there is anything that I learned it’s that we are not ready for mommy to tackle a week of night float. Logan went to Gam Gam’s with Elliot and Gam Gam volunteered to let Elliot sleep in her room and take care of him. I appreciate that but I bet she won’t volunteer to do that again! Elliot would not sleep unless she held him. Otherwise, he was up at 1:30 and 4, although he only ate at 4. Poor Brigitte. We’ve got to get this taken care of before December.
So, perhaps it is time to learn some self soothing. Unfortunately, Elliot has NEVER been easy to get to go to sleep. He generally naps with someone rocking him and he sleeps in our bed. I do actually like sleeping with him, except for the part where I don’t get very much sleep. He is cuddly! I have not been ready to let him cry it out… Attachment parenting advises against it and those that follow the philosophy feel that it is cruel. On the other hand, those that advise to let them cry it out say that it “empowers” the child to learn to soothe themselves. It basically feels like (to me) that it is a question of do you want an obedient child or one that loves you? Where is the middle ground? and why won’t little Elliot just sleep on his own? Sleep is so nice!
So we are attempting a Ferber style plan where we check on him at increasing intervals. So far with the current nap it has not worked. What is going to happen is that he is not going to get a nap and I am going to go out this afternoon on some errands and he will sleep in the car, thus defeating the purpose.
We are going to the pediatrician for his 6 month check up this Tuesday. I feel like the GERD set us back on the sleep thing in the first place. He still cries a lot when we try to put him on his back. Maybe his medication dose is too low? He is a BIG 6 month old…
When I got home from my night shift, Logan had him dressed in this. (Courtesy Teresa)
It cut me to the quick. It felt like Elliot had grown up overnight while I was working. I told Logan the same and he said to me that Elliot and he had discussed that (him growing up) on the way home from Gam Gam’s and Elliot apparently made some very interesting points… Haha… Still, he really won’t be a baby forever…
Now (an hour later) he is finally lying down, but he is making great big sob sounds. It is breaking my heart…
Not a lot to report this week. I finished my Interventional Radiology Rotation so I should have a bit more free time. Elliot sits up very well now with out assistance except to occasionally catch him as he starts to fall… or not. He’s usually a pretty good sport about taking a little tumble. However, he wasn’t too happy about an incident which resulted in him not being allowed to sleep on our bed unsupervised. He’s a little dare devil.
So the creator of Baby Einstein is a freaking genius. This is the most cheaply put together movie I have ever seen (except for maybe the Lord of the Rings Cartoon) and yet it sells for $20 bucks new and $11-15 at McKay’s. And the worst part is it actually works! This video that plays Mozart and show 15 sec clips of various toys and objects actually holds his attention. It’s brilliant! I wish I had thought of it… Our thanks to Aunt Lisa for introducing it to us!
Today we went shopping for shoes for Logan. A lady at the shoe store saw me walking with him and commented that I was very brave to bring a baby so young shopping. I replied, “He loves going out and looking at stuff! He is much fussier at home.” We also took a trip to Gatlinburg to look at Slappy’s campground and Aunt Linzy’s house!
My parents came up this weekend and Logan and Grandpa went to Cincinnati for a Bengals game against the Jets. The Bengals won and my dad got to experience Logan’s Ohio relatives including the infamous “Pappy van”. They had a good time.
My mom stayed with Elliot on Friday while I was at work. Tom got off early and the three of them went to Walmart to shop and entertain Elliot. Elliot has been highly entertained recently by his Fisherprice Jumperoo horse.
When I got home from work we went to Naples to eat. Elliot sat in his Bumbo on the table and ate rice cereal, which was highly entertaining to the rest of the restaurant. Then he tried and tried to get Tom’s Spaghetti Carbonara.
That night, Elliot and I slept by ourselves for the first time without daddy. I put pillows all around the edges of the bed and we slept together like a momma and baby bird snuggled in a nest.
The next day we got up and went to Tom’s winery for a tour. A lady working the wine bar tried to wow me with her son’s baby stats, but he was only 8 pounds something. Elliot and I were not impressed.
After that we went shopping at the Tanger Outlet’s. Mom remembered she wanted to get Logan a birthday gift and I found more that enough stuff for him at “The Kitchen Collection” and “Le Gourmet Chef.” We also got Elliot some clothes. We wanted to find him a onesie that said “My Uncle is Attractive and Single” since Tom was carrying him around in the Bjorn, but no such luck.
Logan and Grandpa came home in time for lunch. Logan opened his various gifts, which he enjoyed.
Mommy, daddy, and baby took a family nap that after noon. My parents left that evening after dinner at Nixon’s Deli. Logan, Elliot, and I went to the mall briefly to look around and then went home and went to bed.
Today we had a visit from the Collier’s. Victoria was moving into her new apartment for school. So she, her mom and dad, and Mathew stopped by to see the house and Elliot. Elliot was asleep but he happily woke up for company. He showed off his horse and some baby tricks for them. Afterwards, Logan, Elliot, and I went out shopping again. Elliot slept most of the time but awoke by the time we got to walmart for our groceries. He hit the hay pretty early tonight too. I guess we are all pretty tired.
Baby Elliot is 4 months old today! It has been quite the busy month. He scoots himself, grabs toys, and eats cereal. We went to see Dr. Dave today and by the time the doctor got in the room, Elliot had shredded the paper on the examination table and was on all fours. The doctor was very impressed! Elliot weighed 16lb 15oz today.
We have hired Auntie Linzy to babysit Elliot 3 days a week so that daddy can go back to the office some. She stayed over Monday night. After I had put Elliot to sleep, Logan, Linzy, and I went to clean up dinner. I was washing dishes when I thought I heard Elliot cry out. So I stopped the water and listened. I didn’t heard him any more so Logan and I continued cleaning up. When we were done I went upstairs and there was Aunt Linzy rocking baby E back to sleep in the recliner. It was sweet!
Elliot got a fun new horse toy today from a lady that goes to the hair salon next to Logan’s office and a cowboy costume from Aunt Lisa. The cowboy shoes he already had from Gam Gam.
I’ve been trying to stick to a routine at night. I bathe him after he eats, we put him in a comfy onesie, and I read him a story. I added brushing his gums today since he is now 4 months old. I read him Mike Mulligan and he fell asleep by the end of it. I usually have to feed him again to get him to go to sleep, so I was impressed that he managed to fall asleep without some warm milk. My baby is getting older…
