Lately...

Life has been so enjoyable lately. That is, when I don't let myself get carried away with worry about Eli's eating habits. :)

We have been seeing some improvement in his eating, though..

-He is eating more at each feeding, and he is eating eagerly for the most part.

-He dropped his night-time feeding. Though I would like him to get those extra ounces at night, I must admit that it is really nice to put him to bed at 6pm and not hear a peep out of him until 7am! :)

-He LOVES foods that he can feed to himself. This includes organic chocolate animal cookies, "puffs," teething biscuits, and Gerber "little crunchies." I am beginning to think that he will skip the "baby food" stage all together and move right on to table foods.

-He still hates to be fed by spoon, though we are seeing some small improvements as we continue in therapy.

Here are a few other things I love about my sweet boy...

-He loves to be scared. We spend so much time jumping out at him, saying "Boo!" into his face, playing peek-a-boo, etc. He thinks it's hilarious to get really good and scared. I'm glad for this, because Eric and I take great delight in scaring each other- it's nice that Eli shares our passion. :)

-He longs to be mobile. He's not too content any more to just be carried around. He's always leaning out of our arms, trying to wiggle away. If he can just get the crawling thing down, he'll be happy as a clam!

-He LOVES Daddy. He's content with me all day long, but as soon as Daddy walks in the door he goes nuts until Eric picks him up. It's precious! I love the bond that they share.

-He still hates tummy time, but he's learning to push up on his hands and knees. Hopefully crawling will shortly follow.

-He can pull himself up a little, which is so cute to watch. But because he's so little still most everything in our house is too tall for him to reach. :)

-He loves to stand and bounce. He also loves to be outside.

-He's little, but he's happy, healthy, active, and the sweetest little thing you'll ever meet. I try to focus on these things and remember that he'll eventually catch up in size, even if it is little by little.

For Valentine's Day Eric and I stayed here at home and cooked a fancy meal and watched a movie. It was really nice. He gave me a beautiful bouquet of some of my favorite flowers (tulips and lilies) and a gift certificate for a "wifey time out," meaning that I get to go have lunch, a pedicure, dinner, a night in a hotel, and breakfast the next morning all by myself. I know this sounds crazy to some people- why would I want to do all these things by myself? But nothing sounds better to me. Since having Eli I have been craving more than ever some good, prolonged time alone. Just to think, pray, and rest. I am so thankful that Eric knows this about me and makes such an effort to give me these breaks that I need. I am so looking forward to my "wifey time out," and I will be so eager afterwards to come home to my amazing husband and precious son, who make life so fulfilling. My gift to Eric was a concert that we saw on Tuesday night of sacred music, performed by the Fort Worth symphony orchestra and chorale. It was a really fun date for us, and I'm so thankful for parents who are willing babysitters!

Now it's time take Eli for a long walk on this gorgeous afternoon...