~*~*~ Happy 1st Birthday ~*~*~

Since today is my birthday, Mommy wanted to say a few words.

Well, my little baby boy is now 1 years old today, July 12, 2007! You can hardly call him little anymore, and he definitely doesn't look like a baby. He is growing up so fast! I get comments all the time, when I tell people Eli's age, how big he is and how he looks a lot older then he is. He looks like such a little boy now, with his full head of crazy blonde hair and his jack-o-lantern smile. It seems like so long ago that he was a newborn with that sweet newborn smell.

Today, unfortunately, his birthday started out with his 1 year immunizations. He got two needles, one in each arm, and he was not pleased at all with those! He cried hard but recovered quickly. He was in such a good mood while we were in the nurse's office spinning his strollers wheels and humming away like he always does when he plays. Then the nurse had me sit Eli on my lap, which I did, and he just sat there smiling at the nurse. It was hard for her to poke his arm when he was looking at her with that big grin of his. But she did it and he survived. Upon weighing and measuring him, it was determined that he is slightly above average in both height and weight categories when compared with other children his age. He now weighs 23 lbs 3 oz and measures in at 30 1/8 in. On average babies will triple their birth weight by age one, but Eli a few pounds short of that as he was 8 lbs 15 oz at birth. The nurse was pleased with how he is doing through. No worries there. Now will just work on dropping his last bottles of formula in the day so he is strictly on homo milk, which so far, he seems to be doing very well on.

Not only is Eli growing like a weed, his little personality is growing stronger everyday. He is definitely a stubborn little guy and if he wants something, he will let it be known with the kicking of his feet and screeching. He can be very loud! His latest favourite thing to do is to throw things, anything he can get his hands on. He throws his toys just to see where they will land. He will pick them up over and over and throw them back down again. This is a fun game for him. An unfortunately target has been the glass panel on our t.v. stand. When he is in his high chair, he will throw all of his food on the floor, then look down at it on the floor as if to say "what is my food doing on the floor?". Berkley loves this game and has gained a few pounds as proof.

Along with throwing things, Eli loves to explore the drawers and cupboards and everyday he seems to take out our collander and cheese graters and throws them on the floor. Once he does this, he then proceeds to push these items across the floor. He also likes the pots and pans cupboard and throws the lids on the floor every chance he gets. When you open the dishwasher, no matter where he is in the room, he crawls over as fast as he can and pulls himself up and tries to take the utensils out of the dishwasher. He also opens the t.v. stand door and takes out his Einstein dvd cases and plays with them.

Not all of his activities involve throwing things though. He has mastered his ring toy stacking the rings on the post in the correct order and claps his hands along with Mommy when he is done. When reading a certain book he loves, if we ask him "where's baby?" he opens it to the page with two babies on it. He waves bye-bye by opening and closing his hand. He loves his Daddy to chase him on the floor on his hands and knees. He has mastered walking with his push toy and can get around the house in no time maneouvering the corners all by himself. If he sees a blanket, he will put it over his head and play peek-a-boo. He is always discovering new things everyday.

Eli is not quite walking yet, he still prefers the fastness of the crawl. He has taken five steps. He stands for quite a while by himself and I can tell he wants to move his feet and walk, but I think he is scared. So for now he is happy walking while holding onto our hands or pushing his toy. He will walk when he is ready.

Today Aunty Jenny is taking Eli out for lunch for his big day and this evening we will just have a quiet night at home. On Saturday Eli will have a birthday party with family and friends.

This past year has been the best year of our lives. Being parents is the most wonderful, exciting and rewarding experience we have ever had. Chris and I are truly blessed to have Eli in our lives. We looked forward to the years to come as Eli continues to amaze and amuse us every day! Happy Birthday monkey. Mommy and Daddy love you more then you will ever know.

Here is a look back at Eli's first year:

Welcome to the world


2 weeks


1 month


2 months


3 months


4 months


5 months


6 months


7 months


8 months


9 months


10 months


11 months

My first Calgary Stampede with my friend Graysen a few days before my birthday


1 yr old today playing in my new sandbox that I got for my birthday

Lots of stuff...

So I am 11 months old now, well, almost 11 1/2 months (Mommy has just been slow updating this for me) and I have been busy this past month. So far I don't have any new words, despite Mommy's efforts to get a "ma-ma" out of me. I am still stuck on "da-da". And I am not quite walking yet but I have made great progress in the mobility department. I am now walking with my push toy! As soon as I figured out what is was for and that I could walk holding on to it, I took off and haven't stopped since. I have even figured out how to turn the toy when I hit a wall or get stuck somewhere (after getting frustrated and crying at times). It is so much fun! I did take two small steps from the coffee table to the couch where Mommy was, but so far that is it. My preferred method of getting around is still the tried and true crawl. I get where I want to go and fast, so why change that right? The only sad part about me getting older is the fact that I have less time left with Mommy during the day as soon she will have to go back to work. But I will be taken care of a great lady named Julie in her home with some other children close to my age so I am excited about that.

So this month I was baptized along with my cousin Jordan who is 2 months younger then me. It took place in a school in Harvest Hills as the new church is still under construction. It was an extra special day because my Grandma and Grandpa Kirby along with my Great-Grandpa Wood came down from Regina and I haven't seen them in such a long time. I think they were surprised by how big I have gotten!

Grandma & Grandpa Kirby and I


Jordan, Grandpa Wood and I


My Grandma and Grandpa Jarina also came up from Sparwood and Jordan's grandparents came all the way from Australia! I did pretty well at the baptism, despite the fact it was my naptime. After I was baptized, Aunty Jenny took me out of the room to play with some toys as I was getting grumpy. My Auntie Lynn, Uncle Rick and Auntie Nancy were also there along with my Auntie Jennifer, Uncle Peter and cousin Ashley. After the service we all went back to Auntie Jennifer and Uncle Peter's house for some food and drinks. It was a good day!

While Grandma and Grandpa Jarina were up visiting, I got to go to the zoo with them. I had been to the zoo before when I was much younger but I slept through the whole thing so I don't remember much about it. On this day I was wide awake and liked looking at all the animals. My favourite was the gorillas. They were fun to watch.

Silly gorilla


Although I liked watching the animals, my absolute favourite part of the day was the awesome playland they have at the zoo for all of the kids. They had a long tunnel there and once Mommy put me in one end, I crawled through it and didn't want to come out! I wish I had a tunnel like that at my house! The zoo was so much fun.

Grandma, Mommy and I


I have discovered one of my favourite things to eat is pasta. Mommy made me some ravioli for lunch one day and I just couldn't get enough of it. I think the pictures explain it all!








With the warm weather we have had these past few days Mommy took me to the waterpark where we met up with my friends Norah and Ashlyn. It was a hot day and there were lots of kids there. I loved the water and didn't mind that it was a bit cold. We stayed there for a while and ate some snacks and played. It was a fun day.


Chillin'


Checking out the waterfall


Playing with the big red wheel


Today Mommy and Daddy took me to get my haircut. Mommy thought it was time to get a trim as my hair was getting quite long. As the appointment got closer though she was unsure if she really wanted to cut it as she really loves my hair. I did end up getting it cut though and Daddy thinks it looks really cute! I just got a trim so my hair is no longer in my eyes. The hairdresser also trimmed up around my ears and the back of my hair. I didn't seem to mind at first but every once in a while I would turn around to get a look at who was "playing" with my hair. I got to sit in a jeep, not just your regular chair. There was also a movie on the television that I could watch.

The day Mommy decided to cut my hair. I woke up one morning and looked like this!

Lotsa hair


Signs of a mullet


Mommy had one last moment with my hair (either that or she wishes I were a girl!)


Checkin' out the cool car


Sitting like a big boy


Hey, whatcha doing to my hair?


Okay, not liking this anymore


But I survived. Here is the new me!


My big boy haircut


Thanks for looking : )

Love Eli

Goodbye Riley

This weekend Mommy, Auntie Jenny and I went to Sparwood to visit Grandma and Grandpa and to say goodbye to Riley, the family dog. Riley was 13 years old and lived a long and happy life. I only had the pleasure of knowing him for the last 11 months but in that short time, I grew to love him very much.

Riley was only a tiny furball, the runt of the litter, when Mommy, Grandma and Auntie Jenny went and picked him out 13 years ago. Grandpa had no idea what they were up to. He was so small and cute. How could they resist! Grandpa came home that day to find a tiny ball curled up on the living room floor, his new pet. Grandpa loves dogs and has always had dogs, so he was happy that day.

In his younger years, Riley loved to play ball, go for walks and do tricks. But one of his favourite pastimes was fishing. He loved going to the river with Grandpa and was a great fishing buddy. He also loved to go for rides in the car or truck. As he got older, he didn't go on as many walks, so he would spend his time out in the front yard rolling in the grass and watching the vehicles go by. He lived for his treats and would often go up to the treat cupboard and bark. It was hard to say no to him. He would just look at you with those big brown eyes. He also loved to eat whatever anyone else was eating at the time. He especially loved buttered popcorn and cheese.

Riley went to doggie heaven today and now he is a fur angel watching over all of us. We love you Riley and will never ever forget you. You have made the last 13 years the happiest years of our lives.

A Dog's Prayer

When I am gone, release me, let me go-
I have so many things to see and do.
You must not tie yourself to me with tears,
Be happy that we had so many years.
I gave you my love, you can only guess
How much you gave me in happiness.
I thank you for the love you have each shown.
But now it is time I traveled alone.
So grieve awhile for me if grieve you must,
Then let your grief be comforted by trust,
It is only for a while that we must part,
So bless the memories within your heart,
I will not be far away, for life goes on,
So if you need me, call and I will come.
Though you can not see or touch me, I will be near.
And if you listen with your heart, you will hear
All my love around you soft and clear.
And then, when you must come this way alone,
I will greet you with a smile and "Welcome Home".

Parties, Smarties and laughter...

Yesterday one of my best friends, Norah, turned one. I went to her birthday party with Mommy and had so much fun! Norah is so cute. She has beautiful blue eyes and blonde hair, just like me. I can't believe she is one already! When I first met her, she was only 4 months old. Norah had a princess party as she is herself a princess. There was a castle cake and she wore a beautiful princess dress. We played outside on a mini rollercoaster and in a ball pit. My other friends Drea and Logan were there too.

Norah looking pretty


Me on the rollercoaster


In my princess birthday hat


I like to play this game with Mommy and Daddy where I climb up the stairs and once at the top, I want them to chase me. I turn around and look at them and they say "I'm gonna get you!" and they crawl after me while I crawl away as fast as I can. I just have so much fun playing this game.

Playing "I'm gonna get you!"




My top tooth is coming in quite well. You can see it when I laugh and smile. Mommy thinks it looks too big to be a baby tooth but I think she is just not used to seeing me with top teeth. The tooth beside the front tooth is coming in as well. I have been kind of grumpy when it comes to eating as some of my favourite foods (crackers etc) are painful to eat. So back to the pureed foods for a while.

My new tooth


Yesterday Daddy bought some Smarties and he wouldn't share with me. I tried and tried to get the box open but I just couldn't do it. Daddy, why won't you share with me?

Determined



And just for fun, me looking serious. After all, it can't be all fun and games : )


Thanks for looking!

Love Eli
XOXOXO

10 Months Old

Wow, where has the time gone? I can't believe I am 10 months old already! I sure am growing up fast.

So what makes me different then my 9 month old self? Well, first of all, I have said my first word. Nope, not Mommy but Da-da. Mommy can't figure out why, after spending 10 months at home with me, all day and all night, that I choose to say Da-da first. Don't take it personally Mommy! I still love you. I will say Da-da at total random times. Sometimes Daddy is in the room, sometimes he isn't. If Mommy asks "Where's Daddy?", if Daddy is in the room I will look at him. Same with puppy. Mommy asks "Where's puppy?" and I will look at my puppy Berkley.

My favourite thing to do now is climb the stairs to the second level in our house. Usually I am unable to get to them as I am blocked off in the living room but often I will stand at the barricade and cry. Then Mommy or Daddy lets me out and I crawl right to the stairs. I love to climb them. I will take a few steps and then look behind me and then take a few more steps. I sure am getting fast! Then when I get to the top I turn around and look at Mommy or Daddy and then crawl away fast so they will chase me.

I have had my first taste of homo milk now. Mommy will mix it in my cereal and sometimes put it in a sippy cup for me, although I haven't quite mastered the sippy cup yet. I am trying though.

The past couple of weeks I have been more cuddlier then usual. For those of you who don't know me very well, I am not a cuddler at all! I usually want to be down on the floor crawling around, doing my own thing. But lately I have been following Mommy around at home during the day and crawl up her legs for her to pick me up. Berkley also follows Mommy around all day so I think we are driving her a little crazy. I just love my Mommy though. Then when Daddy comes home from work and says hi, I get a huge grin on my face because I love my "Da-da" too. He always lays me on the floor and tickles my belly and neck and makes me giggle.

Now that the weather is warmer, I love to go to the park and swing in the baby swing and slide down the slide. I love to play with the big steering wheel they have at the park too. I love wheels! When Mommy or Daddy are pushing me in the stroller, I lean over to watch the wheels going around.

I am becoming more balanced on my feet these days. I often will only be holding onto something with one hand. I actually stood by myself for a few seconds too but then I fell over. No walking for me yet, but I am getting closer every day.

Now about the falling over, being 10 months old means more bumps and bruises. I fell head first into the wall the other day and my nose was bleeding and my lip instantly puffed up. Boy did I cry. Mommy has never heard me cry like that before nor has it taken her that long to calm me. It really hurt! But it didn't take me long before I had forgotten all about the fall and I am fine now.

On the actual day I turned 10 months old, I was in Banff with Grandma and Grandpa Jarina, Auntie Jenny and Mommy and Grandpa bought me a Calgary Flames Jersey. He saw it in the window of a store and Grandma made him buy it. Thanks Grandma and Grandpa. Grandma also bought me a Robert Munsch book. I love those books and have a little collection now.

Check out my new Flames jersey! Iginla is my favourite player too : )




That's all for now. Talk to you all soon.

Love Eli