Update from May - California trip.

Sorry I've been MIA ...

Latest update on us:

Went to California for vacation, had a great visit with Chris' sister, her hubby and their new baby, Jackson. We had a great time visiting the San Diego Zoo, Pacific Beach, the Seal Lions, and on the top of Chris' list, In-N-Out.  We even had a park playdate with a couple of my HS friends and their sons.  It was so fun to see our boys interact and play together since they are within 2 months apart from each other. 

(L-R: Ethan, Ashton, and Elliot)

Picture taken by Aimee Vignocchi

The most exciting news since my last update is that Elliot is officially a WALKER!!!  He took his first steps at 9.5 months but took a month to gain the confidence to prefer walking over crawling.  That might be because of the big forehead bruise or the rug burned chin and nose.  Either way he is a great walker now and it is so cute to see how proud of himself he is.  

It is truly amazing everything that Elliot can do.  Of course, I'm a mommy and I have to brag but isn't that what this blog is for?  To update everyone on Elliot and our lives in general... 

Here's a few of Elliot's latest tricks:

- walking!

- waving

- plays peek-a-boo but prefers using cloth or a toy instead of his hands to hide his eyes

- occasionally does "so big!" arms up motions

Things we're working on:

- has the hand to his mouth portion of blowing kisses

Wow - it's been almost 3 months since my last update!!

Sorry for being MIA ... can't believe it's been almost 3 months since my last post!!  Life with a very active 9 month old pretty much sums up why I haven't had the time to blog, lol.

Update on life:

• Elliot is 9.5months old!!!!  He is a ball of bubbly and happy personality.  "Talking" a ton, cruising along furniture like a champ, and standing on his own (without holding on) with more confidence!  He waves (when he wants to) but prefers "high-fives!"  Oh and he took 2 steps last week!

• I'm an AUNT!!  Congrats to Megan and Jon on the birth of Jackson Dale on March 16th

The next few weeks are busy!  Elliot's first Easter and Chris' graduation for his Masters degree is on May 7th.  I am so unbelievably proud of him!  

Promise to update again soon!  

Elliot: here, there, and everywhere!!

The title says it all ... Elliot is keeping me on my toes and very busy these days!  He loves to crawl and stand up on pretty much everything.  He's a very curious little guy and loves to explore his environment.  I love it!  I love watching him learn new things!!  

This week was busy between playdates, Mommy & Me, and Storytime.  This was our first week back to Mommy & Me and we met some nice Mommies and babies around the same age.  Elliot loved the big foam blocks and climbing up on the baby gate.  Next week will be crazy since we have Sign & Sing class on Tuesday, Mommy & Me on Wednesday, Storytime on Thursday morning and music class Thursday afternoon.  

Elliot LOVES his big sister Peyton and has recently started to crawl over to the sliding doors to see where she goes when we let her outside to play.  Not sure if he's thinking 1. "Hey Peytie, come back and play with me!" or 2. "I wanna go outside tooooo!"

Anyway, enjoy the video! 

Here is another video of Elliot crawling and standing on one of his favorite toys:

7 months old!

Happy 7 months old to our sweet baby boy!!  He crawls, sits, stands, climbs, rolls, blows bubbles, smiles, giggles, says Da Da, and fills our hearts with more joy than we ever knew was possible!


Ever since Elliot was born I've loved watching him grow and change.  He really does learn something new everyday and this month was no different.  So many exciting things and milestones that makes me realize how fast our little boy is growing up!


- He got his first 2 teeth (bottom) on Christmas Day!
- He crawls!!
- He perfected sitting up without tipping over (my favorite stage!!)
- He learned how to go from laying down to sitting and does it super fast now!
- He learned to pull himself up into the standing position and pulls up on EVERYTHING within his reach including Peyton, lol. 
- He continues to roll and roll and especially loves to show me when I change his clothes/diaper
- He can say Da Da and we're pretty sure we've heard "Hey" when we say it to him (lol)
- He can give high 5 and sometimes waves back but it's not perfected yet.  




Here is a video of Elliot crawling:

Elliot saying "DaDa" ... sorry the lighting is awful!! 

That's all for now ... off to relax after chasing my little guy around today.  

All I want for Christmas is ...

My 2 front teeth!!  And Elliot got them!!  On Christmas morning we noticed that his 2 bottom teeth had broken through.  He was a bit fussier than usual on Christmas Eve but I thought that was because he was overwhelmed by family and that we weren't at home mixed with the fact we didn't even attempt bedtime until 2 hours after his normal bedtime.  There have been nights in the past where I've thought he was fussy and I always check for teeth.  They were not there on Christmas eve but on Christmas morning around 11 am my mom noticed he was messing with his lip and she felt for teeth and BAM she could feel and see the start of his pearly whites poking through.  Can't believe that my baby got his 2 front (bottom) teeth for Christmas - way to make me sound all cheesy and Hallmark-like. haha!  My baby boy's gummy smile will soon be gone and I will realize even faster that he is growing up WAY too fast! lol

Christmas was great and we had a wonderful time with all of our family!  Elliot met his great Auntie Annie for the 1st time, saw great Uncle Jack who he hadn't seen since he was 2 weeks old, met his Uncle Jon, and several cousins who came down for Christmas.  It was a fun time and I can assure you that he was completely spoiled with hugs, kisses, and loads of presents!

Hope everyone had a blessed Christmas and we wish you all a very Happy New Year!!

Happy 6 months, Elliot!!

Is it December already??  My baby boy is 6 months old today!!  With the end of the year quickly approaching I can't help but think about how awesome this year has been for me and my family!  This time last year I was just 14 weeks pregnant and didn't know if I was having a boy or a girl and now I am celebrating Christmas with my 6 month old baby boy!

I say this every month but I really can't believe how fast time is going and how much Elliot has changed and grown.  He is such a fun and happy baby - he loves when people talk to him too.  Elliot is VERY close to crawling - he likes to get up on all 4s and rock and he can wiggle backwards.  I bet he will be crawling in no time!

New things he can do:
- almost crawl by getting up on all 4s and rocking
- drink from sippy cup
- drink from straw

Likes:
- Solid foods mostly peas and oatmeal
- reaching and playing with toys
- tummy time
- being in his entertainer bouncer
- his new friend Scout (talking dog toy)
- rolling (back to front and front to back ... over and over!)

Dislikes:
- being in his bouncer chair for too long (he tries to wiggle out)

I will update again after his 6 month appt (and shots) on the 21st.

Sadly this month also brought the loss of our precious 4 year old kitty, Persephone.  She is greatly missed and Elliot would always giggle when we would help him pet her.

With love,
CCE

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!  We have SO much to be thankful for, especially this year!!!  We are so so so blessed and thankful for having each other, our sweet baby boy, our family and friends, and that we are all healthy and happy!!

It's crazy to think that this time last year I was keeping one of the biggest secrets I've ever had since we had plans to share the news of "Bellyot" with our families over Thanksgiving.  And now this year we will be giving our 5 month old mashed potatoes at the dinner table!

Speaking of 5 months old, I decided to make a hand turkey for Elliot's 5 month picture since it's November.

For some reason my pictures aren't uploading but I will update with a picture once it's working again.

Hope you all have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving!!