The Baylor Family Blog

Eli learned the words “yes” and “no” in the same week shortly after his 2nd birthday. To combat the overuse of the word “no” as a two-year-old, I have been working very hard to have Eli answer requests from Matt and I with “Yes, Dada,” or “Yes, Mama.” He has his moments of running around the house yelling “no,” but overall, Eli typically says the word “yes,” cued and un-cued, much more often.

With that said, I’m pretty sure he doesn’t always mean what he says. He just knows that “yes” is usually what his daddy and mommy want him to say. To test whether he knows what he is answering to, I often like to ask him questions that have a yes or no answer.

Mom: Eli, did you enjoy going to the zoo?
Eli: Yes

Mom: Eli, do you enjoy eating cookies?
Eli: Yes

Mom: Eli, is your favorite food tofu?
Eli: Yes

Mom: Eli, do you like to eat your toe jam?
Eli: Yes

Mom: Eli, did you poop?
Eli: Yes
(note: his diaper is not dirty)

I think you get the point. He pretty much answers yes to every question we ask him. But I guess it is still beter than no, right?

Though, when asked what a few of his favorite things are, here are his typical answers:

Favorite color: blue
Favorite number: 6
Favorite letter:  O
Favorite animal: monkeys or giraffes
Favorite food: cheese

Memorial Day weekend was just how I remember pretty much every Memorial Day weekend growing up. At least weather-wise. It rained and rained and rained. We spent the weekend at home and stayed nice and dry, whereas growing up, we spent most Memorial Day weekends camping and didn’t always stay nice and dry.

On Friday evening, we ventured out to Babies R Us to spend a gift card that we had. I’m not so good at spending giftcards. I spend way too much time thinking and analyzing how the “money” could be best spent, making the “extra money” go the furthest it possibly could or maybe be just the answer to something we technically need but don’t really have money in the budget for or so on. Yep. Well, Matt and I had been talking about getting a crib entertainer for Abi since she loves her mobile so much. And we found one and bought it. But since then, I’ve been pondering the purchase, and we are going to take it back. I’m not sure what else we’ll get. I need to spend a little more time analyzing the whole event. Don’t be jealous. At least I have a patient husband!

On Saturday, we woke up to gloomy skies. To Eli’s dismay, the parks were covered in puddles and the slides were all wet, ruining his plans to spend the holiday weekend at the playground. So instead, we headed up to the outlet malls to buy him some shoes and me some jeans, since all of my jeans prior to this purchase have holes in the knees. I guess its proof that I spend a lot of time on the floor playing with my kids! After afternoon naps, we ventured over to Sam’s Club to buy some fruit, and of course, eat lots of samples.

On Sunday, we woke up to gloomy skies and rain once again. We ventured off to church, then bought a new kitchen table on Craigslist, put the kids down for a nap, and enjoyed some friends over in the afternoon. We went to sleep desparately hoping for some sunshine.

On Monday (today!), we woke up once again to gloomy skies, but no rain! So we quickly packed the kids up and headed to the zoo. We enjoyed visiting lots of animals and feeding the giraffes. Eli spent time walking and riding in the stroller. He had a blast. We wore the kid out, and he took a three hour nap this afternoon. I headed out during naptime to see a patient for work, who instead decided to go out with family today. So, I got to come back home to my family! Matt managed to get the yard mowed, not long before the rain came.

Sigh. I love Colorado. And I really love the weather. I’m ready for these gloomy days full of rain to return to the midwest. I need the sunshine back!! I didn’t realize how much I’ve gotten use to every day being sunny!!

A few things that Abi has been up to lately:

• Laughing. Like the big belly laughs that make you stop in your tracks and laugh yourself.
• Eating Rice Cereal. Well, organic brown rice cereal, to be exact. Because her head control has room for improvement, we are feeding her in the bouncy seat. Her tongue is very active, but overall, she did much better than I anticipated!
• Talking. Not quite in words yet. But Abi talks in her car seat, talks in her crib, talks while laying on the floor. And she loves to be talked to. Abi babble is the newest addition of normal household sounds in our lives!
• Growing. And I’m not happy about it either. The fact is, she’s not only growing in size, but she is simply growing up way too fast. But this weekend, I sadly packed up her 0-3 month clothes, and our little girl is styling 3-6 month clothes. And they fit. Definitely lengthwise at least.
• Drooling. The constant drip has begun. The bibs are pulled out fighting hard to keep Abi’s outfits as dry as possible.
• Tummy Timing. Its pretty much ranks very low on Abi’s list of fun things to do. But we still make her do it. I found this adorable heart pillow that was given to Abi, and somehow, it seems to be making her moments of tummy time not quite so horrible. And she’s pretty darn cute with it, too.
• I wish I could say sleeping through the night, but unfortunately, not yet!

A few things that Eli has been up to lately:

• Pooping in the Bathtub. And no! I am not happy about it. And I am less than happy to admit it isn’t his first or second time to do such a thing. And I am even less proud to admit his first 3-word phrase was “Doop in Dath,” Eli’s way of saying “Poop in Bath.” He’s quite proud of his new verbal skills and has been broadcasting this 3-word phrase way too liberally. Matt and I are practicing the skill of ignoring this 3-word phrase.
• Talking. Gone are the days of him enjoying car rides looking at the window. He now wants to talk and interact with his parents in the front seat. Its not all that bad. In fact, Matt and I like it a lot! We are amazed at Eli’s willingness to imitate and the number of words he is adding to his vocabulary each week. He’s also commonly saying two word phrases, and as mentioned above, one three word phrase
• Sliding. Whenever we tell Eli we are going anywhere, or have him put on his shoes, or buckle him into his car seat, or open a door to the outside, or put him in the stroller, or even mention the word park, Eli quickly says “slide” in his non-indoor voice! He loves the park this summer. Its been so fun seeing the joy parks bring him this summer. Though, it can be hard to explain to a 2-year old why we can’t spend every waking moment at the park.
• Showering. Yep. Baths are now for little boys, thinks Eli. He would much rather take a shower with dad than a bath with Abi now.
• Admiring the snow, er rain. Eli thinks rain and snow are the same. So with the lovely three day weekend full of rain, Eli has enjoyed looking out the window and saying “snow!”
• Drinking with a Straw. I am proud to announce that Eli can now drink out of a straw like a pro. He loves his new straw sippy cups so much that he drains them the moment he gets them. Unfortunately, the increase in his oral liquid intake has increased his liquid output. Good times.
• Shoe Shopping. No, he doesn’t love shoe shopping. But I had no idea how difficult it would be to find toddler shoes. After scouring our city for summer shoes/sandals and coming up empty, we headed up to the outlet mall to thankfully find a pair of shoes and sandals that fit! And he really likes his new shoes, too.

As I’ve claimed before, I enjoy crafting but often lack inspiration. I must admit, though, that I have thoroughly enjoyed working on this project for the kids’ rooms. And I am thrilled with how this craft turned out! I cherished the help of my good friend, Lindy, who accompanied me through the vast-ness of Hobby Lobby to help me acquire the supplies to hang the letters. We went with pink ribbon for Abi’s room and a shelf in Eli’s room. Lindy graciously tied all the bows perfectly, and her mom even helped with some final touches, including the ribbon “notch” above the bows. Matt even got in the crafting spirit by helping me decide where to put the names in each room and assisting in the actual hanging process. All this to say, I needed LOTS of help, and I APPRECIATED all the help I received!!  The letters are completed and hung. And I think it is safe to declare this craft completed.

Several people have asked me how to make this craft. So for those who are interested, here are my version of the directions:

1. Buy wooden letters. These came from Hobby Lobby.

2. Pick out scrapbooking paper with the design you want for the front of the letters.

3. Carefully trace the letters on the scrapbooking paper.

4. Paint the edges of the letters with a color to match the design. Let dry.

5. Carefully cut out the letters from the scrapbooking paper.

6. Glue the paper letters on to the front of the wooden letters using craft glue. Let dry.

7. Apply Mod Podge to each letter. Let dry.

8. Hang letters in desired location. I found the double stick 3M strips very helpful.

Happy crafting!!

I brought Abi to the doctor for her 4-month well visit today. I can hardly believe she is 4 months old! She is 10.5 pounds (10th percentile) and 23.8 inches (60th percentile). Based on that, she’s tall and skinny. She’s got some long legs, for sure! The doctor is satisfied with her growth at the moment. She agrees with my thinking as to waiting on the GI testing recommended, so that is what we will plan to do for now. Abi seems to have caught Eli’s cold, but her symptoms are minimal compared to his. Abi also got two vaccinations. Thankfully, we weren’t rushed out of the doctor’s office as it took me a little while to get both my kiddos calmed down after shots! Abi quickly checked out and went to sleep.

I’d just like to say that my kids are two of a kind

One of the dilemmas I seem to continually face as a parent is deciding when my children are sick enough to go to the doctor. Even after earning a four year nursing degree, I cannot seem to master this feat! It seems when I think Eli is the sickest and bring him to the doctor, I’m told its only a virus and to wait it out. So oftentimes, trying to save ourselves the $25 doctor’s visit copay, we try and wait sickness out. But Eli never seems to get a cold that lasts 1-2 weeks. His seem to last much longer. And when I wait it out thinking Eli must only have a virus, but finally end up bringing him in, the doctor is very concerned at it seems like Eli comes home with numerous prescriptions, lab orders, and special tests ordered. My mommy instinct is failing me

Well, after 2 1/2 weeks of Eli coughing through the night and having a continuous flow of snot from his nose, Matt and I decided together (I quit deciding on my own a long time ago), to bring Eli in for a doctor’s visit. I always qualify my visits now with, “this may only be a virus, but he isn’t getting better yet, so we thought maybe he should be seen?” And I usually do ask it with a question And low and behold, this time he left with an antibiotic. I really didn’t think he’d get one this time. All I can say is, what do I know??

Yesterday, Eli slept for 3 1/2 hours. His longest nap to date. And he’s constantly been asking to be held. And I really don’t think he feels good. So hopefully, the antibiotic will speed up the recovery for him.

Being sick definitely doesn’t keep him away from playing in the dirt, though

Eli weighed in at 26 pounds. While waiting for the doctor, we practiced saying “stick please,” as Eli LOVES playing with tongue depressors. He politely said “stick please” the moment the doctor entered the room. Continuing to show off his amazing verbal skills, I had him tell the doctor what his sister’s name is. He skillfully replied, “Abi.” Then I asked what his name was. He confidently replied, “Giraffe.” I love my boy! Eli ended up getting a Hep A shot, too, and cried and cried. Until the nurse gave him a bandaid in the wrapper. He didn’t want it out of the wrapper. How can we understand the mind of a two year old. Have I mentioned that I love my boy?

While Eli ran around and navigated the playground, Abi was not this bright eyed. In fact, she slept. And slept. This little girl amazes us that she can sleep with noises and lack of movement. That’s not to say that sometimes she prefers quiet and movement. But still, her calm temperament brings us joy. Her smiles melt our heart. And this little girl LOVES to babble and be talked to. She breaks out in smiles when we come in to get her up from a nap. But when she is ready for a nap, she breaks out the saddest cry ever. She is getting a little stronger at holding her head up and bearing weight, but she still has a fairly low tolerence. And she strongly dislikes tummy time. I’m doubting she’ll be mobile as early as her big brother.

Besides having slight remnats of a cold, it seems like Abi has recovered from her sickness. It also seems like her reflux is back under control with her current medications. And her fussiness was likely related to the GI bug, as that is gone, too. Her bowels have continued to work fine without a laxative or probiotic. So either they are doing better or there is a slight remant of the GI bug left in her that is helping out. But we are hopeful.

We started concentrating her formula on Sunday to 22 kcal/oz (instead of the normal 20 kcal/oz). She tolerated it just fine, as we anticipated. Her feeds have been increasing in the past few days as well. She took 20 oz on  Sunday and 24 oz on Monday. So that is also encouraging to us. At this point, I’m leaning against doing the Upper GI and the Swallow Study that the GI specialist recommended. They are not only expensive and uncomfortable, but I think they are unnecessary at this point. We have Abi’s 4 month well visit with the pediatrician tomorrow, and I plan to ask her opinion of the situation.

Oh, and Abi hasn’t seemed close to sleeping through the night yet. She’s small, so I’ve not fretted it. But last night, she took a feed around 8:30 p.m., fed at 3 a.m., and then woke up at 6 a.m. Essentially, she was only up once during the night. Up until last night, she’s been up to feed 2-3 times a night to eat. That was exciting in our world!

On Sunday, we decided that Eli was still too sick to be in the nursery at church, so we stayed home. In the morning, we loaded both kids in the bike trailer and took our first family bike ride. The weather was perfect, and it felt so nice to be out on a ride! Eli was a bit scrunched in the bike trailer next to Abi in her carseat, but he thankfully was a good sport!

After nap time, we loaded up and told Eli we were going to the park. His instant response was, “Slide?” He LOVES parks right now, especially slides! Fortunately, the park we were headed out to had a park and plenty of space for Eli to run!

I have been amazed watching how much more coordinated Eli is at the park this year! He can easily climb up on the playground equipment. He is fearless and confident. My first inclination is to stop him, but I’m learning to let him try new things and see what happens. I’m often stand amazed at what he can do by himself! As I’ve said in an earlier post, this is going to be the summer of boo-boo’s for our little guy, anyway!

Another discovery at the park is the big kid swings! He enjoys swinging by himself, but I when he is finished, he simply falls off. So I have to be careful how high I push him. I’m trying to teach him to say “Mama done,” so I can stop the swing so he can more gracefully get off, but he hasn’t caught on yet! He also enjoys to swing on his belly. He still needs help sitting on the swing, so he enjoys the independence of swinging on his belly.

Unlike last year, Eli will only last moments swinging on our laps. Honestly, he isn’t still for long!

Our favorite park isn’t crowded and has tons of room to climb, explore, and run! Eli especially loved walking along the rock walls. At one moment, Matt and I were distracted by Abi and noticed Eli was walking up a wall with a drop off of probably 12 feet onto cement. Yep, my heart dropped. But Eli navigated the wall confidently like a pro. However, we rescued him at the top and brought him down safely.

We also brought along a picnic dinner. We enjoyed watching Eli run around and come back from bites of food, while the rest of us enjoyed laying on the blanket and soaking up the Vitamin D. Times like this are priceless.

We had a BEAUTIFUL weekend. We purchased a Gorillapod tripod for our camera and headed out to our favorite park to have some fun! Here are a couple family shots!