11 Months

Elliott is 11 months old today. I feel like he is now in the last month of being a "baby". This is hard for me, as much as it is exciting. I can't believe a year has almost flown by since that first day when I held him in my arms. He has grown so much and changed so much...and yet...he is still my Elliott. His personality is shining. He loves to giggle at everything. Today he giggled as I chased him through my parent's kitchen. He giggled when Grandpa burped. He giggles when I wiggle my toes and when he climbs on me and I say, "Who's gettin me??" I've noticed lately that his understanding of language has really increased. He can follow simple directions like if I say "Let's read your new book" he will go over to the new book, or if I suggest playing with his piano, he will go towards the piano. He looks at grandma when I say, "Where's Grandma?" He responds when I ask him questions with a simple sigh, and a little noise. His way of saying "yes".  He still gagagagagagagag gagag agagas and points to things, but his speech is definitely more specific and directed. He has two new teeth starting to show on top and he is still working hard to learn to walk. I can hold his hand and lead him as he walks down the hall to his room, but he isn't quite ready to do it on his own yet. I don't want to rush anything. I want him to do things on his own time. He amazes me every day. I am watching him grow into a little boy every day. It is happening right before my eyes. We mailed his 1st birthday party invitations out yesterday and in exactly one month from today, we will celebrate his 1st year. I am excited and anxious. I am reflecting and looking ahead. Most of all...I am in love.

Baseball and Swimming

It's been a pretty exciting week of firsts for us. On Sunday, we took Elliott to his first Ray's game. We were able to got tickets from James Shields, the pitcher, since I taught his daughter last year. I invited David, Steve, and Grandpa and we all made our way to the stadium after buying a cute Ray's outfit for Elliott. We picked up our tickets as Elliott slept soundly in the sling. The ladies at the entrance overheard me say it was his first MLB game and they let us in through the VIP entrance and inside they gave Elliott a special "My 1st Game" button. As we got settled in our seats, the crowd erupted in cheers and clapping and Elliott opened his sleepy eyes. He had an absolutely astonished look on his face as he took in all of the sights and sounds of the ballpark. He stood on my lap and clapped his hands. He watched me eat a chili dog and pumped his arm in the air, dancing as the music played loudly throughout the stadium. We had a great time and I was so glad to be there with my dad. I know he was excited to be there for Elliott's first game. After the game, my dad and I went for milkshakes. It was a very special day.

The other big thing this week was starting swim classes. Florida is of course full of pools and water and Elliott has loved being in the water so far. He loves splashing in the bath and running his hand under the faucet as the water pours out. He loves splashing with me in the pool and playing with his water toys. Learning to be safe in the pool is important and one of the teachers from school offered to give Elliott lessons for free. We go every morning and he will learn how to float on his back in the pool. I felt comfortable since he knows Cindy and I trust her to be patient and gentle with him. He has cried each time so far, but I sit right by the edge and encourage him. He is doing well so far and can almost float on his own. Next he will learn how to hold his breath and then after 5 weeks he should be able to be safe in the water. It is hard to watch him cry for sure, but I am right there and he can see me and hear me the whole time. Cindy only keeps him in the water for few minutes each session and he goes right into my arms and stops crying when it is done. Of course his safety is number one and I think he will be proud of himself when he can do it.

Play Date

Today Elliott and I went to our first mom group play date. One of the teachers from school encouraged up to join an online group of North Pinellas moms who meet up around town for play dates with their young kids and babies. I thought this would be a nice way for us to get out and meet some other moms and kids and find some fun things to do together for the summer. We were supposed to meet at the Chestnut Park, but it's been rainy for the past few days, so we met at an indoor play space in Palm Harbor. It was just a room full of toys for the kids to play with and completely safe for crawling babies like Elliott. I set him down and off he went. I watched him make his way across the floor over to a toy that resembled his rocking horse Rody. He pulled himself up on push toys and walked around. I watched him pick up a toy wrench and bang it on the side of clubhouse as though he were working on it. He opened the cabinet doors of the play kitchen and climbed up the ladder of a small slide. I got real pleasure and joy from watching him, felt a sense of pride as I introduced myself as Elliott's mom. Glowed when the other moms told me how cute and sweet he was. We played in there for 3 hours and then came home, had an early bath, and ate dinner together. After that we played on the floor until it was time for him to fall asleep. As I rocked him tonight I told him how proud I was of him and how happy he makes me. And I know he understands.

10 Months

Monday was Elliott's 10 month birthday. He is 2 months away from being a year old, and that seems like such an enormous milestone. Right now my memories of every day with him are so fresh in my mind. It seems like just yesterday that I held him tight in my arms for the first time. But so much has happened and he has changed so much in such a short time. He claps his hands now with a joy that I have never seen in any baby before in my life. He smiles proudly and sweetly with his mouth wide open. He has grown four teeth (two on top and two on the bottom). For a while his tongue hung out the side of his mouth because he was unsure of where it belonged now that his bottom teeth were there. I watch him make adjustments and learn about his new body, his new strength, his new abilities and it truly is a miracle to see how a person grows. He shows understanding now as I watch him point to the bunny rabbit in his book, as he points to the puppy dogs outside the window, or as he turns his head and his attention to objects and people that I talk about. When we sing If You're Happy and You Know It, he claps in anticipation of the words to come. He responds to his name. He knows when he is tired after a bath and playing in the evening and will quietly make his way over to my lap and nurse himself to sleep. He is starting to dance and will wave his little hand in the air, or grab his foot in the car and wiggle it around. He is persistent in his learning and his will is strong. His attention span continues to amaze me. He is starting to communicate more and more. Right now everything is ga-ga ga ga ga gagagaga. But those sounds mean something and he will put his hand out as if to gesture and emphasize his point. His attention span continues to amaze me. He has learned to suck through a straw and can eat almost anything. He enjoys food so much and it is a real pleasure to watch him eat. He loves to pick up tiny pieces of food in his fingers and shove it into his mouth. Tomorrow is my last day of school for the year and I can't wait to spend the summer with Elliott. He is growing before my eyes and I don't want to miss a minute of it.

Puppy Hugging

Today Elliott and I went on an adventure with our pal Meghan and her family to the Southeastern Guide Dog facility. They invite people and kids to come in and help socialize their puppies that will become guide dogs. It was absolutely amazing to know that we were doing something positive for these puppies who would one day help a person in need. And yet...those puppies did something for us too. As soon as we arrived and saw the puppies, we got so excited. There really is not much better then a pile of puppies. Elliott got to be right there with us as they let the puppies into the room where we sat on the floor and just played with them. He laughed and screeched. He crawled towards them and put his hand out to touch them. Everyone there was so nice and brought the puppies right over to Elliott and made sure he didn't get hurt by any of them. He laughed the most when the 5 week old puppy (that only he got to touch!!!) nibbled on his little fingers. Elliott feeds off of my joy and I thrive off of his. This is a cycle we will live in forever. Those puppies gave us yet another reason to laugh and smile and appreciate the beauty of moments. They gave us a special memory and filled our hearts with good.

Mother's Day

On Sunday I celebrated my first Mother's Day. I was excited. It felt special..like being part of a new club. I felt honored and proud. My mom gave me an old telegram she got from her parents on her first Mother's Day. It was like passing a torch. They tell me every day they are proud and I know they are. It was a nice day swimming, eating Greek food, together with our family. Last year my mom and sister and I spent the night down at Clearwater Beach. I looked like I had a large beach ball under my shirt and I was starting to feel really run down and swollen. This year I held Elliott, I watched him laugh at his cousins and sit on his grandpa's lap. I watched him splash in the pool and even stand on his own for a few seconds for the first time. Sometimes it hits me and my heart skips and I smile. I'm a mom.

Busy

It's been a very busy last few weeks. I am in the process of finishing up the school year, and Elliott has been busy learning new things, trying new sounds and words, and just being an absolute joy. So this is kind of a catch up post to get me back on track for more regular writing this summer. I realized that I hadn't written so much lately and so many things have been happening.

Elliott and I had to say goodbye to a good friend a few weeks ago. Beta was our cat. She was an important piece of my life and Elliott's too. He was just starting to make sounds that really sounded like kitty cat. He would point to her and make the sound. He would tap on her belly and make the sound. He was definitely saying kitty cat. But then she was sick. And then she was gone. It's sad, and yet I know that she was happy to be a part of our lives, and we certainly were happy to have her as a part of ours. She was Elliott's first pet and that's important.

We've had many adventures recently, including a day at Touch a Truck in Dunedin. Elliott loved seeing all of the big trucks and he wasn't scared of the horns honking. When he is with grandma during the day, they often see trucks drive by and he waves. So he did a lot of waving that day. And smiling. Flashing those two bottom teeth and kicking his legs in excitement. We went to the beach at Honeymoon Island. Elliott touched (and tasted!) the sand. I took him into the water...and he loved it. He bobbed up and down in a little floatie and kicked his feet. We went to a baseball game. It was a Clearwater Threshers game at Brighthouse Field. My school had a special night there and it's always special when I can bring Elliott along to school events. It's nice to see the kids there with their families, and to see the other teachers outside of work. We enjoyed hanging out, we didn't even watch one second of the game!

It's been so hot outside. Summer is definitely on its way. I've been so excited to take Elliott in the pool, but it's been a little too cold. But Saturday was the day. I set up his little water activity table that I got for him. It has little boats that he can push through the water. We spent time hanging out on the front porch with grandma and Uncle Stephen, watching grandpa plant flowers. And then we got in the pool. Elliott loved every moment of it. He waved and clapped (that's his newest thing!!!!) and again kicked his feet. I'm so happy he loves the water so much. It's going to be a fun summer for sure! I can't wait to spend my days with him and have more adventures. Spend our days in the pool, at the park, just playing inside. Anything really. Just being together with Elliott is my idea of an adventure.

9 Months

Saturday was a special day. Elliott turned 9 months old and we got to spend the day with friends in Sebring at Camp Kulick. Tiffany and Lila and Elliott and I set out on the drive to Sebring to hang out with Beth and Andy and their kids, along with some other new and old friends at their house on the lake. It was an overcast day, but we spent hours outside exploring the yard, walking on the sand, conquering the water slide and watching the babies. Some of them are not really babies anymore, they've grown...they've become beautiful children who remind us of the joy's of living each moment to the fullest. They remind us to play, to laugh, to set aside fear and take risks. Elliott has been changing and growing so much in the past month. This was a nice day to just sit and enjoy him. To slow down for a moment. He is pulling up on everything trying to stand. He definitely thinks he can walk, but once he is standing with his hands on something, he isn't quite sure what to do next. He loves to explore in the living room where his toys are on the shelves. I see him looking at his toys and choosing things to play with. The toys on the shelves right now are his wooden airplane, his Please Touch Museum puzzle, Snoopy Sniffer (who Elliott has just learned to pull towards him), his toy piano and shaker, a bucket full of balls and blocks, and his books. He loves to stand by the window and hold onto the window sill and look out. He gets excited to see cars go by and people walking dogs. He loves to take walks in the buggy and watch me feed the ducks. He is doing a lot of waving and clapping and babbling. I am almost certain he says mama mama mama. He is definitely trying to say words like grandpa and grandma (ga) and pretty sure he said Lila several times this weekend. Elliott is pure joy. He is so happy every moment and cries only when he needs something. To eat, to sleep, or when he wants to be close to me. I love taking him places, playing with him, cuddling with him, and showing him new things. I have now officially carried Elliott on the outside as long as I did on the inside. It's hard to believe this little boy grew as a part of me and now I get the honor and pleasure of watching him grow and learn every day. It's amazing and special. I've noticed recently that Elliott is beginning to look more and more like a little boy and less like a baby. This is so hard for me and yet so exciting a the same time. It's exciting to watch the older kids and know that I have so many more exciting things to look forward to. Next year at Camp Kulick he will be walking and exploring on his own. But I will be close by to hold his hand if he wants me to. 

Philadelphia

Last week was my Spring Break and Elliott and I took our first vacation together. We traveled all the way to Philadelphia to visit Tiffany, Jesse, and Lila. Our flight out left Tuesday morning and we flew back Saturday night. Elliott did great on both flights. He played and made friends with the people sitting around us and smiled at the flight attendants. He slept a lot of the way, but when he was awake he played with his toys and snacked on some Puffs (his new favorite!). We spent the days hanging out with Lila and Tiffany. Elliott spent a lot of time watching Lila walk around, he did his best to stand and play with her at the coffee table and she enjoyed showing him all of her toys. On Thursday we took Elliott on his first zoo adventure to the Philadelphia Zoo. We rode the city bus to get there (his first bus ride!!!!). He loved looking at the monkeys and the birds and the otters. It was amazing to watch him notice the animals and then follow them with his eyes. He smiled and laughed and then took a long nap as we walked all the way back home. The next day we took a ride downtown to hang out with Jesse for lunch and do some city shopping. It was fun to visit the upscale baby stores and show Elliott the big buildings and all of the people. I bought him a wooden airplane to remember our trip. On Saturday morning we all went to the Please Touch Museum. It was an awesome museum where the exhibits were made for the kids to play and touch and explore. We watched Lila push a shopping cart around a little store and select groceries off the shelf. They have an old restored carousel in the museum and Elliott loved riding up and down on the horse. We all went out for burgers and milkshakes after the museum and it was so cute to see Elliott and Lila sit next to each other. Elliott got to try a lot of new food including Indian food and we got to do so many things together for the first time!! I loved getting a chance to spend my days with my son and my very special friends. Every day is another reminder of how lucky we are. It was definitely hard to say goodbye to people we love so much, but we will see them again very soon. We are settled back at home. Today we spent the day together, doing laundry, cleaning up, and getting ready for going back to school. Dinner over at grandma and grandpa's with Uncle Stephen, and then a bath and Elliott fell asleep quickly. I know he is dreaming of the fun times and the special moments we had this past week with people we love so much. I know I am.

8 Months

8 Months!!! Its seems impossible that Elliott is already 8 months old. These months have flown by so quickly it's crazy. Elliott is such a happy and sweet boy. He smiles at EVERYTHING and his newest thing is waving his little arm at people. He has two teeth on the bottom row and crawls with ease throughout the house. He wants to touch and explore everything in his environment....I am trying my best to make our home a safe place for him and one thing I've done is made the lowest shelves in the living room his. He has his books, a toy, and a robot bucket. He will crawl over and select something to play with and I love watching him do this on his own. He loves being read to and even tries to read along. Some of his other favorite things right now are playing the keyboard with Uncle Stephen, practicing clapping his hands, putting everything he can find in his mouth to chew on with his new teeth, riding in his buggy, wearing his hat, and playing in the bathtub. He is also vocalizing so much. He babababas all day long, and always has something to say. 8 months!!!!

Home

Today was a quiet Saturday at home. Elliott woke up around 6:30 this morning and played on the bed for about 20 minutes, stretching his way over to Beta, playing with his bunny, and playing his feet. I lay there watching him trying to remember to enjoy this special time with him despite feeling like I could sleep for several more hours. The weather was beautiful today, so I opened all of the windows and put on some music. We spent the day together at home, playing, laughing, just being together...in our home. We sat on the porch swing, Elliott sped around in his walker, we read books on the floor and I carried Elliott in the wrap while I folded laundry and cleaned. Elliott is eating more and more solid foods and I decided to make some homemade sweet potato fries. We both ate them for lunch together sitting at our kitchen table. This evening as I was nursing him before bed and reflecting on the day, I realized how nicely we have fallen into a routine together and how comfortable it is and how special it is to just be at home with him. We have our routines, our daily habits, our things we do....and it's nice. Really nice.

Orlando

On Tuesday, me, my mom, and Elliott made our first long drive to Orlando. I had to work at a conference and while I worked, my mom hung out with Elliott at the hotel. The car ride was great. Elliott slept most of the way there (and the whole way back). We brought his pack and play for him to sleep in and I set it up right next to my bed. On the first morning, as we were just getting ready to wake up, there was a small scratching sound coming from Elliott's crib. My mom and I both lay there laughing. Elliott likes to touch everything and feel different textures with his fingers. He was touching the side of the crib and making a scratching sound. It was the first thing we heard..no crying...no whimpering...just Elliott scritch scratching touching his bed. Figuring things out. It was a nice way to wake up...laughing with my mom. The trip was a success. Elliott loved looking at all the people in the hotel and around the conference center. He stares people down until they give him a smile and then he flashes them his big mouth smile. His sweet eyes are unavoidable and he makes everyone smile. He brings joy wherever he goes and to whoever he meets. But most importantly he brings joy to me and my family.

Swinging

Today Elliott went on a swing for the first time. First he giggled at a dog that was in the park and then he gave his big open mouth smile as we pushed him on the swing. How fun to be so little and so happy. And how special to watch.

6 Months

January has flown by. Elliott Henry is 6 months old today!! I cannot, cannot, cannot believe it. At six months old Elliott loves to play the keyboard at grandma and grandpa's house, sit up and play with his toys, try to crawl, and sing along to songs. He is a pro at getting around in his walker and spends a lot of time chasing Otis and checking out the kitchen drawers at grandma and grandpa's house and following Beta down the hall at home. He loves to have books read to him and reads along. Tobi and Adam let us borrow their high chair and now Elliott and I love to sit together for meals. He's been trying all kinds of new foods...some goes in, but mostly it just gets all over him and the high chair. He has tried avocado, steamed broccoli and carrots, sweet potato, bananas, and sucked on a piece of pita. Every time we eat, he watches so carefully trying to learn how to get the food into his mouth and so excited to try new foods. He has started to show more emotion about things, like crying when I take something away or leave the room for a moment. His smile is contagious and whenever we go to the store people are always coming up to talk to him. Six months seems like such a short time, yet here is this amazing little boy who has gone from tiny newborn to expressive baby. From lying silently in my arms to sitting up alone on the floor giggling at himself in the mirror. He is truly a miracle. A masterpiece.

Good Times

It's been a crazy week. Elliott celebrated his first Mueller Christmas, got to spend time with great friends, tried some avocado, played at the park, had a sleepover with Selah, went out for some good food, smiled, laughed, and did some more practice sitting up on his own. The holidays are always such a special time but this year was the best, with Elliott by my side.  I always look forward to people coming into town and this year Jesse, Tiffany, and Lila came from Philly, Selah came from Savannah, and Beth, Andy, Theron, Royal, and Birdie came from Sebring. While there were definitely a few people missing this year, it was so nice to be able to get together with friends who have been such an important part of my life and who are now an important part of Elliott's life. Our family extends out to this group of special friends and each one adds something to the way that Elliott will grow and the person that he will become. Lila is walking and watching her is amazing. I cannot even imagine watching Elliott play on a playground, sliding down a slide, running through the grass giggling. It seems so far away, but I know it will be here so soon. It's fun to watch her grow from a distance. Every time we see her she has changed so much. While we may only get to see our friends who mean so much to us so rarely, their love and support reaches us every day. I can only hope that they know how much we appreciate and love them back.

Tradition

It's December 23, but we are celebrating the holidays a little early this year. Tina has to work on Christmas day, so we bumped everything up one day making tonight our Christmas Eve. Elliott and I started the day by doing a little last minute shopping at the bookstore where the ladies doing the complementary wrapping gave Elliott a bow for his mostly bald head! A stop for lunch with grandpa, David and Stephen and then to grandma and grandpa's house to get ready for the name present exchange. Elliott napped while I went home to gather up some gifts and do some last minute wrapping. A nice walk around the neighborhood looking at lights with David and Elliott and then it was time for our Christmas Eve dinner. Everyone came over and we had Greek food. Our family tradition is to pick names after Thanksgiving dinner and that is the person you give a gift to on Christmas Eve. Even though Elliott is not a part of the name picking and gift giving yet, it was amazing to have him there with us for the first time ever. I gave Elliott a present to open, an illustrated Twas the Night Before Christmas. It feels so special to have my son a part of our family traditions and so exciting to begin new traditions with him. I am so excited for the morning....I feel like a little kid again. I don't think I will be sleeping very well tonight. Tomorrow is going to be magical.

5 Months

Elliott turned 5 months old today. He is having so much fun practicing sitting up on his own. It's amazing. One day he was just barely sitting on his own and then last night I sat behind him as he wavered back and forth, but he was able to keep his balance. Tonight while we played on the floor by his mirror, he was able to stay up by himself even longer. He flashed me his wide open mouth smile and seemed so proud of himself. Of course, I was so proud of him too. This morning I gave Elliott his first taste of real food. I put a piece of a banana on the tray of his walker. At first he completely ignored it and then finally he tried to pick it up. It kept flying off the tray and I had to wash it off a few times, but he did manage to get some of it on his fingers and put it in his mouth. It's going to be so exciting to start giving him other foods. I am going to try to wait until 6 months, but a little sample here and there should be fine. We had a nice day together today which included meeting up with my old friend Mark and then going on a little lunch date just the two of us. There is no other boy I would rather be out to lunch with.

Countdown

November flew by and it's already the middle of December. It's time to start the countdown to Christmas and then the New Year. Elliott's first Christmas. It's come up so quickly since I have been back to work. I did put up a tree and put out some decorations. My mom gave us an advent calendar and I take Elliott over to it every day to pull out the little toy to stick on the tree. I like the idea of starting traditions with him. Tina, David, and Steve got Elliott a Mickey ornament that says "baby's first Christmas" on it and I have it hung on the tree right next to the ornament Tina and Stephen got for me when I was a baby. I think giving Elliott an ornament each year will be special. It will so fun to decorate with him. On Sunday my mom and I took Elliott to see Santa. I chose to take him to the one at the Oldsmar Flea Market. I just wasn't that excited about the mall Santa, it didn't seem like something I really wanted to do. But we go to the Flea Market a lot and something about it just felt special for us. There was no line, no other crying kids and parents waiting impatiently. Just me and my mom and Elliott, the photographer and a very nice Santa. We laughed and had a great time. Poor Elliott was falling asleep in the buggy, but he was a good sport and didn't even cry at all. It was really special and a memory I will always have. Each year when we get out the photos, I will smile as I remember Elliott's first time visiting Santa and how excited I was about the countdown to his first Christmas.

Exhausted

My first week of back to work is done. I am so lucky to have found such an amazing environment to be working in and it has made the transition so much easier. Leaving Elliott each morning is tough. Yesterday, he slept as I got ready and then stayed asleep so that I did not get to have awake time with him before I had to leave. Aunt Tina was here for her first day with him and I had trouble leaving without waking him up first. But knowing that I am leaving him with my mom and my sister make it easier too. The days at school are busy and I am getting used to pumping at work. Everyone has been so welcoming and kind and I can't wait for them to meet Elliott. I think about him all day long. I look at the little boys and wonder what he will be like when he is 2, 3, 4, 5, 6....will he like soccer, will he ride the trikes or play in the dirt? Will he be kind, sensitive, caring, and friendly? The possibilities for who he will be and what he will like are endless and so exciting. At the end of the day I rush home to see him. Can't wait to hold him and play with him...just look at him and love him. At the end of the day I am exhausted. But I save every last bit of energy to be there for him. To give him what he needs. Because, at the end of the day, he needs me and being a mommy is my most important job.

Work

I went back to work today. First day on a new job at a new school and I was leaving my baby boy for the first time all day. Talk about emotional overload. We started the day at 5:45. Elliott woke up before my alarm went off and I kept him awake after his feeding just to spend time with him before I had to go. It was hard to get ready to leave, make my lunch, get dressed, even just brush my teeth, because I just wanted to hold him and hug him and talk to him as much as I could. Only a few tears from me when I left. I actually did much better then I thought I would. I told my new class all about Elliott. Brought in his little socks for them to see and a picture. I thought about him all day long, and my mom kept me posted with texts and I checked in twice during my breaks. I've never missed another person so much. When the day was over I raced home to see him. As I pulled up, there they were standing outside waiting for me. His little face peering over my mom's arm was even cuter then I remembered. As I nursed him on the couch, I fell in love with him all over again. Completely overwhelming to love someone so much. Completely worth every moment.