Slim.

Eli has really slimmed down lately.

It probably doesn't look like it here (oh my aren't those rolls cute?!), but he has really plateaued the last month... which correlates with him moving more than ever before. Today I put on a pair of shorts that were quite snug a month ago and today he could have used a belt!

I was so used to Eli flying through sizes, I assumed he'd be all into 24 months clothes by the end of the summer. Now I think he'll be in mostly 18 months for a long while. Of course he has sizes 24 months and 12 months that fit him now, go figure. Sizes are relative. My sister got Eli a pair of footed pajamas size 24 months (due to my request for that size) and I'm certain he will fit in them next year. Yowza!

I was going through Eli's bins and bins of 0-6 month size clothes last night and it was hard to believe he fit in and wore most of it (at least once). I am now more motivated to buy size 18 months+ for people having babies because I know the kid will end up wearing it more frequently. But it's so hard to not want to buy those itty-bitty adorable little outfits. The clothes are that much cuter when they are so tiny!

Eli and I are heading to the pediatrician tomorrow afternoon to check out his leg. We think he is double-jointed in his left knee... or something. Whatever it is, his knee sort of pops in and out, his whole leg shifts. It's weird and doesn't seem quite normal (though Eli doesn't seem to be bothered by it). I am resisting the urge to google all about popping knees and shifting legs... I don't need to freak out unnecessarily. I did read that double-jointedness can delay crawling and walking, so hey, great excuse for slow development! I'm willing to spend a $20 co-pay to go get it checked out... we shall see.

And that is the story from our neck of the woods this week,

-Heather

UPDATE: Eli has to see a pediatric orthopedic doctor. It doesn't seem to be a huge deal, but our doctor thinks this is the best route to go. The saga continues! Also, Eli lost two pounds since his appointment five weeks ago. He really is Mr. Slim! Obviously, his knee/leg issue isn't preventing him from being active and moving around and around and around... speaking of, I must go fetch him from under the table.

Bloomers.

I love Eli. And I love having a boy. I wasn't expecting that. It makes me smile, the joy of this mama/son connection. The cars and action figures and sports and mud and other typical-boy stuff... I have a lot to learn, but I'm game.

But I still really miss girl stuff.

Honestly, it's still hard to see the girl section in stores. All those cute ruffles and no Maelee to buy them for. No Maelee to go shopping with me to pick out a new doll or new hair bow. No cute dresses or skirts to make, no pink monogram to make for her room. I still just sort of gaze past all that girl stuff (unless I'm getting to buy something for my nieces or as a gift). Like I almost feel guilty if I'm standing there or maybe I feel like people can sense "she doesn't belong here".

These feelings, these longings for my girl don't just happen in stores. They pop up with the most innocent of triggers. Last weekend the twins were wearing the cutest little bloomers. You know, those little diaper-cover underpants thingys that girls wear that match their cute dress? Sigh. I love those. It happened when I saw the little red-headed girl and her mother online and found myself wishing for the connection they have. When I think about how often Greg talks to his mom (not nearly enough) compared to how often his sister talks to his mom... no matter how great the kid, daughters just talk to their moms more than sons (typically). I can't help but wish for those conversations with Maelee when she needs a recipe. And then hope for a daughter to raise on earth someday. (I may never get that. I know. We could have a van-load of boys if I were to think having a girl was up to me. It's not and that's okay).

Maybe some of the things I dreamed about when I was pregnant, after we found out Maelee was a girl, maybe those four months of dreams are what I can't quite shake. Because they were real for us then, they are a little harder to let go than if I had never actually had a girl. Maybe that's what makes it a bit different when I see the cupcake pajamas now, not only am I wishing, I'm grieving, too.

So yes, sometimes it's hard to see little girls because I yearn for mine here on earth instead of in heaven. I don't know if jealous is exactly the right word. Maybe. But it's sort of hard to be jealous when you have an Eli smiling at you and patting you on the back (which he does often, adorable little pats as I'm holding him). I may not have my daughter, but I have my son. And I choose not to miss out on light saber duals or car races on the kitchen floor because I'm hoping for tea parties.

-Heather 

More.

If I were more like my mother, I would have a pretty sparkly clean house most all the time. Instead we have bursts of sparkle here and there.

If I were more like my mother, I would be able to make a dessert that would cause you to swoon. And know how to cook crab. And be able to make everything I touch taste better. Instead, I call her usually once a week with a food-related question and I cross my fingers whatever I'm making turns out.

If I were more like my mother, this blog could be like Martha Stewart's blog, or maybe like the oodles of awesome blogs out there with pin-worthy posts, it would have some seriously crafty/creative crap.

If I were more like my mother, I would have sewed this lovely crib rail guard featured on this blog (found via Pinterest). Why? Because Eli is a biter. And he has learned to stand up in his crib. And the result is this loveliness I found one morning last week:

Ouch! Our lovely crib is now forever marked with indents of Eli's teeth. The little stinker. Too bad I didn't realize they had crib rail guards out there. Who knew! You want to make one, Mom? I sure don't!

Mom, thanks for all that you are and for selflessly sharing with us your talents through the years. I love that I can see your hand all over my life and I'm glad for the Sherry-isms I have picked up. Your daughters may not have mastered all those life skills but we still turned out pretty good. And I can make a darn good frosting.

Happy Birthday Grammy! We love you!

I look forward to years ahead learning from you, Mom!

-Heather

Happy Birthday Daniel!

This baby that I was so excited for is here! And it's a boy!

It's hard to see but there is a big pregnant belly here. Promise.

He was born this morning and we are so excited for this little guy. He's getting a pretty awesome family (complete with three older, adorable siblings) and not to toot our own horn, but a pretty great extended "family" too. 

Congrats friends! 

And Daniel, we love you already, sweet godson! May you grow to know and love the Lord and may you bring your parents much joy!

-Heather

When I have a photo of him to share, I will!

UPDATE: Here is Daniel Ryan... an adorable little man! 

Raving.

I like to read reviews on products on Amazon. I really should write them more often. So it makes sense that I like when friends tell me about stuff they like... it gives me an idea for a gift for someone or it makes me a smarter consumer or it just makes me want what they have.

So I decided to tell you about some of the things I'm raving about this week:

1. Chokecherry Honey. My lovely Mom K gave me two bears of this stuff and it is SO GOOD. It is just deliciously sweet. If you live in ND, this company sells it in stores with local products. Actually they ship it but shipping starts at $11 so I don't think I'll be buying any unless I get desperate.

 

I just realized no one down south has probably heard of the Chokecherry Tree before. Growing up we had a chokecherry tree in our front yard.... but I don't think anyone actually ate the berries because they sure are bitter. I recall the shelves and shelves of chokecherry jam and syrup that my mom would make growing up that I snobbishly thought were gross and rarely ate. I thought all that work we did with the cheesecloth and the huge caldron of canning stuff just didn't make sense for this burgundy not-as-good-as-strawberry jam. But now, oh now I wish I could have those shelves and shelves. And then maybe I could figure out how to make this chokecherry honey.

2. Wusthof Knives. I am learning the importance of a good knife in the kitchen. I bought a Wusthof chef's knife on clearance at TJ Maxx awhile back and I actually enjoy chopping vegetables now. It's that good. Granted our old knives are really dull and horrible. I also have a paring knife that gets used daily. Wusthof are one of the top brands and they are spendy. My plan is to have just a few good knives versus a load of bad ones. But if you want to rock the socks of someone, buy them a set of these knives (in their classic or gourmet lines).

3. Shutterfly. I'm making photo books like a mad woman. There was a little learning curve to their Custom Path photo book maker but I'm a fan overall. If you want to make a photo book, this is the main popular site I'd go with over the others.

4. Plaid. It's just so stinkin' cute on kids.

5. Southwest Salad. I pinned this recipe and made it last week. It's pretty tasty and totally worth trying if you are into chicken/corn/beans/lettuce/avocado in a creamy/taco/rancy dressing mix. I actually cooked a batch of chicken in the crock pot with taco seasoning and salsa and used it for this recipe plus another. Raw chicken grosses me out so I'm a fan of quickly putting it in the crock pot and then forgetting about it. Call me a wuss, I just don't like pinky, slimy uncooked chicken.

6. Kids Placemat. I love this thing for going out to eat with Eli. It has suction cups so you stick it to the table in front of your kid and they can grab their food without you having to worry about the nastiness of the table underneath. It also has a little catch area for food that drops... and then the whole thing rolls into that when you are done (you roll the mess inside and hope not to forget to wash it and leave it in the diaper bag for a week). I got ours brand new at a consignment sale for $3 but they are on amazon for $9-10. I'd consider it one of our most used items, especially good for traveling.

Sorry, dear husband, for this not so attractive photo but it's the only one I could find with the placemat! You can tell we like our DQ cones in this family!

Well this has gotten long. I'll do another installment of My Favorite Things soon.

-Heather

BB.

This is my new favorite photo of Eli. He's got his excited hands out, just happy as can be. It was taken at Betty and Carl's place in West Fargo. The thing that makes me laugh, however, is the background butt. I don't know who it is, but you will be in my son's photo albums for years to come.

-Heather

Document.

I like to document life with photos. I think we've established that. Instead of posting way more than one blog can handle, I'm going to link to my facebook albums so if you really want, you can check those for many (too many) photos of our trip. Click here for the ND leg of our trip and click here for the MN part.

But I won't leave you hanging. Here are a few highlights...

Eli and Uncle Chris looking quite dapper!

Grandparent Love!

A Princess and Her Daddy!

All spiffed up.

The reason we went to ND in the first place was to see these two lovebirds get married!

Making music with the MN cousins.

Can you tell they are related?

Fun with my sister and Ali and Ava on Mother's Day 2012. 

-Heather

New Family Photo.

-Heather

Buffalo Days.

I take way too many photos. Way.Too.Many.

Okay, now that I've voiced this... let's get on to photos from one of my favorite places on God's green earth: Buffalo.

North Dakota, that is. Not New York or Minnesota or any other Buffalo's out there.

Buffalo was the second leg on our trip and it's always a heart-happy time. Great Grandma & Grandpa K are there and Maelee's grave is there. So it feels like home.

Getting in some walking time with Grandma.

I love how Lilli is just carefree and enjoying every moment!

Family fun!

That's my MIL and her new venture: Just Coasting... if you are in need of coasters, I can hook you up.

Where my FIL went to High School... they are renovating/re-purposing the building and doing a great job.

We heart Buffalo.

Twins Gear with Great Grandma!

Eli does not like grass... really, he hates it so that's why he's upset. But it seems fitting somehow.

I love this photo! The look of determination on Grandma's face and the Miss Priss look on Lilli's face is just priceless!

Eli had lots of fun on Great Grandma's piano. Another musician in the making?!

-Heather

Where Are They?

Eli: "Um, Mom, where all the people?"

Me: "What people?"

Eli: "You know, the people that would wave back at me, smile at me, hold me all the time, and have fun with me... where are those people?!"

Me: "We are back home now, Eli. It's just you and me during the day."

Eli: "Nooooooo!" Whine. Pout. Scream. "I want my always-captive audience back!"

This is the conversation Eli and I will be having most of the day. We made it back to Columbia yesterday. Our luggage didn't make it, but it was sitting on our porch this morning so no major hassle. When we stepped out of the elevator in Charlotte, Greg was right there waiting. Eli had a "um, you left me" sort of look for the first minute, then he was all smiles and giggles for his Daddy. Eight days without Greg makes for one happy reunion!

Now onto the unpacking and getting to the things I've neglected for 16 days. I have only checked my email a handful of times, facebook twice, haven't read any blogs or pinned a thing. I'm feeling a bit out of the loop... but honestly, my life was very full without much computer time these last weeks. It's more fun connecting with people in person than over a screen, eh? 

I'll post photos of those people as I get to it this week. Now I must go start laundry and continue to wipe the snot running from my kid's nose. My guess is the dry air made Eli stuffed up for a few weeks and when we hit the humidity yesterday, it all loosened up and is coming out. Good theory, eh? I bet that's more info than you wanted to know about snot today.

Off to unpack and work on my southern accent again!

-Heather

Happy Birthday Dad K!

In no time, he can make a sad, sad boy...

Into a really happy kid!

He is goofy and fun...

And one of our favorite people!

We are blessed, so blessed to have this guy as our grandpa, father-in-law, and dad. He's a rock. He doesn't want us to make a big to-do about him (and is really not into gifts for him, he'd much rather give) but today we just have to share how great he is and how much we love him!

Happy Birthday Dad!

-The SC crew

Nap.

I took a nap today. I'm not a big napper. I just don't nap well. I am jealous of those that can fall asleep anytime, anywhere. If you can do that, enjoy it. Today, however, I was so exhausted that I fell asleep on the couch with Eli playing his cousins' noisy toys and doing his happy screams. All this traveling and going and people and fun has wore me out! Or maybe it's worn Eli out and he's worn me out?!

We made it to my sister's in MN and this is the last "leg" of our trip so here's to hoping for a little rest. Those that know my two nieces may be laughing at that statement... not sure if rest is going to happen until they become lazy teenagers. 

I had great intentions of sharing photos of our trip as we go... but all the going and lack of internet connection prevented that from happening. I'm a sucker for order, however, so I'm going to start from the beginning of our trip which was our time in the great town of Bismarck:

Eli loved spending time with his cousin Lilliana and his Uncle Chris.

Uncle Chris gave Eli this awesome guitar for his birthday... it's seriously one cute toy! Many hours of fun have already been had with this dog-itar.

We saw the Peterson crew for a quick time celebrating Rebecca's birthday. Notice Eli checking out that awesome red hair:)

Eli thinks Zoey is most fun when in a cage and not able to lick his face!

And the Weisbecks came for dinner! Eli was not so sure about Ben... he gave some very concerned looks!

Sweet Aunt Nancy!

We loved Amy & Andrew's new house! Yippee!

 

The Browns - some of our favorite people!

-Heather

Tie and Hat.

We are having a blast up here! Loads of fun, seeing lots of good family and friends. Greg left today, however, so that's a bummer. Here's Eli in his outfit he wore to the wedding we went to yesterday (congrats Jerod and Jenn!)... he has had just a few photos taken of him lately. Just a few.

I'll share some of those here...soon.

-Heather

Ah.

Beauty! Took these on Monday during our drive, just stuck the camera out of the car window... these clouds are just gorgeous. Sky for miles and miles. Love it. 

Zoey Brown and Lilli!

-Heather