My Boy is Growing Up!!

After a nice, long bath Elijah got in his bathrobe and his house shoes. No more baby towel.

" Is it time for bed mom?"

" Gotta brush my teeth before I go to bed."

Today we plan on carving some pumpkins so Elijah can feel all the gooey stuff inside. I have to work tomorrow, but will try to post pics of that on Friday! Happy Halloween from the Ballards.

Its not my fault I'm not skinny

First of all this is yesterday, I just want you to see what Beau's idea of play clothes are:


















































Now, to explain the title of this blog to you. This morning Beau got up really early to go into work because he had to be at school earlier than usual. On a normal day that I have
off Beau gets up with Elijah around 7 or 7:30am and plays with him until I get up around 8:30. I know, its great. Well, today I didn't have that luxury. Elijah was ready to get out of his
crib at 7:15 so I had to get up. I tried to look on the bright side and tell myself it was okay because by 9:30 I would feel awake enough to go to the gym for yoga. So around 9 I call to tell
Beau we're about to leave and he asks for us to stay at the house because he's coming home soon and wants to see us. So we stay with the intent to go to the gym after lunch. I wouldn't get to do yoga, but I was going to do the eliptical. Anyway, Beau came and went, Eljiah had a nap, woke up and had lunch then we left for the gym. I get there to sign him into the play area and the workers are looking at me funny. They say, "umm, ma'am, are you going to sign him in?" I say, "yes" they say, "we close at 1pm". I look at the clock and its 12:50. They say, "we don't open again until 4pm." I guess I've only gone with Elijah in the morning or evening. So we leave. We go to Walmart to buy Ligy a tooth brush and paste. I know, I found out I should have started brushing his teeth a long time ago and I read he's supposed to have already gone to the dentist by now. I'm working on that. I decided we wouldn't be able to go back to the gym because at 4 Elijah will be taking a nap and then I'll have to cook supper and Beau won't be home till about 7:30pm. So to make a long story longer, I took Elijah to the park for the first time since I had been promising him he would get to play all morning. ( I know you're saying he doesn't care, but I do). These are some pics from the park. I wish Beau could have come. So, if I'm not skinny I blame Beau and the YMCA!



















Me and Ligy on the slide. He had to carry around a handful
of mulch wherever he went.


























Looks like I have some laundry to do now. Oh well,
boys are supposed to be dirty right? Two handfuls of mulch.





















He LOVED the slide. I wish Beau would have been there to
hold him so I could take a picture. (see... handful of mulch!)



























handful of mulch!




















You can't see it but his little fist is holding mulch.





















Once again...mulch.



















He was chasing me here, he loves to chase you and be chased.
Notice the mulch? By the way I did wash his hands when we got home.

Fall Festival

Elijah and Bibby playing. Elijah doesn't look so smart, but
it's such a good picture of Bibby I couldn't resist. We had
a great time at the Festival today. Elijah was a little over-
whelmed with everything to do and look at. He fell asleep
as soon as we got home, but I had strict orders from Bibby
to get these pics up TODAY!!!



















Elijah...I mean Ct Hook with Rayford. I think Rayford came
as himself.



















Peter Pan and Tink self portrait.




















Too scared to jump.



















Another self portrait







































































Tinkerbell's hair had seen better days. It will
teach her not to wad up her hair and keep it in the
attic. Plus, her roots are showing!!



















"AAARRRGGGG!!"

This one is for my fridge!

I got this in the mail today from Brooklyn. Its our Happy Halloween painting. Don't you love it! She's such an artist.

Gross!!!!

This is my second blog today! Wow. Anyway, we got home from HEB (where I saved over $37!) and I put Elijah in the living room while we unloaded the car. Well, the baby gates weren't up. We are using them less and less because Elijah is starting to realize where he's supposed to go and not go. Anyway, after we brought in the groceries I was going to get Elijah a snack because he's started this new thing of not eating lunch, so I was going to give him a snack before his nap. I couldn't find him.....I'm looking....calling his name....he's not in the livingroom....not in the study....not in his room....there he is....playing in the toilet!!! Are you kidding me!!! I yell, "Elijah No No!!", pick him up and wash his hands. When I come into the living room Beau says, "what was he doing," I say, "he was playing in the toilet water" Beau says "oh yeah, he's done that a couple times" What!! And you haven't told me!! That's gross, we need to shut the doors! Beau says, "why didn't you get a picture" I say, "I wasn't going to stand there and let him play in the toilet" Beau says, "really makes you want to keep the toilet clean huh?" Uh...no....I don't care if it sparkles, I don't want him playing in the toilet!!!

Things to come

So in talking to Aimee today I've realized that I have a lot of things coming up that I am really looking forward to: (in chronological order) Fall festival (We are dressing up as a family for the first time - I will be Tinkerbell, Elijah will be Ct Hook and Beau will be Peter Pan), watching Zac play against UofH (or just stand on the sideline - either way we get to see him and that is a good day in my book, the Nutcracker Market ( I will be trying to get my small business in gear at the Market), Thanksgiving (two words...mom's stuffing - nuff said), Mandy coming for 3 days!!!, Christmas shopping with Aimee ( I plan to start the day with a pumpkin spice latte, shop, lunch at Pei Wei, shop and spend much needed time with my lovely Aimee), Progressive Dinner (we plan on hosting appetizers and somehow have to outdo or at least come close to the Scogin's/Spencer's appetizers from last year - Bisque, are you kidding me! It was fabulous), Christmas (getting to see Jonathan after 3 months!!! Don't forget Katy and Brookie). Wow, that is a lot to look forward to. That really makes me realize how blessed I am. I have such wonderful things happening in my life and I get to do them with all my favorite people! Now for those of you who will say I'm just living in the future I will say this: you're wrong, because my favorite thing about today is HEB with my two boys followed by my best Potato Soup, ending with tucking in my sweet baby and cuddling on the couch with my other sweet baby - a different kind of baby :) Sorry no pics, I've been working the last few days and haven't taken any. As soon as I do you will get one.

Elijah's Big-Boy Carseat

"Hold on....something's different"



















"I can't quite put my finger on it"




















"I know, I'm facing the wrong way!
You guys do know I'm facing the wrong way
right?"















"Well if y'all don't care....Hello people!!!!"

For Mimi Janice

These pics are for Mimi - she bought him the I love NY shirt and the chair. He hasn't quite realized how to sit in it, but he loves it when we put him in it. He leans over the seat and pulls the lever to make all the noises. By the way: he's watching Veggie Tales of course.

Our week so far

He looks so grown up!






















Okay, I blogged on Monday and since then:

Tuesday,

I had to work (ugh) I dream of the day I'm able to stay home with my boy and all the other siblings we hope to add to the family. It wasn't a bad day, though. Well, most of it was until about 5pm. I walked in to my patient's room after her visitors left and she asked if she could ask me a personal question. Gearing up to answer a question about her that she was embarrassed to ask me I said okay (thinking in my head how smart I would look when I answer well). She says, "How old are you?" In my head, "oh crap, she is going to think I'm too young to be her nurse, she doesn't even know I'm the Charge Nurse today" Out loud, "25" In my head, "and that's old enough lady!" She says, "oh, well my grandson wanted to know so he could decide if he could work up the courage to ask you out, he thinks you're really pretty" In my head, "I still got it!" Out loud, "oh really? How sweet" She says, "But I see you're engaged" (I don't have a wedding band, I get tired of explaining that no bands look good with my ring and I like my ring just the way it is) I say, "actually I'm married and my baby just turned one on Sunday" She says, "oh I'll have to tell my grandson, he'll be so disappointed, he wants to be a Radiologist" In my head, "hmmm, I could stay home with my children if I were married to a Radiologist" Out loud, "oh well, it was sweet of him" Then I leave.
I get another patient out of the OR at 6:15pm and after I get her settled in its time for me to leave. She starts yelling "I'm hurting, I'm hurting" I take a deep breathe, "ma'am do you need some pain medicine" Side note: I say this loud enough that the oncoming nurse can hear me, but she makes no moves to let me leave and do it herself. Patient says "yes, I'm dying, I'm dying" I lean down to her and say, "You're not dying today, now calm down and I'll get you the pain medicine" While I'm drawing up the morphine she is yelling that she's going to throw up. I run and get more nausea medicine. I have them both ready to give and realize her IV is no good. In my head, "I am going to kill those OR people tomorrow!" I yell over my "dying" patient for a IV start kit and get it. I wrap on the tourniquet and see that she's got little bitty 88 year old lady veins. Everyone is standing around watching me. In my head, "This is not going to look good when the Charge Nurse can't start an IV" You see, on my unit we don't start IV's because they come to us with great big ones so I haven't started an IV in many moons. BUT I get it!! Tada! Erica saves the day. I give the Morphine and Zofran, stand up, push out my chest and say, "now that's how its done by Super Nurse" In my head, "whew! I am so glad I got that!"
I go home feeling really good about myself. I tell Beau what I just told you and he says "how old was the grandson?" I say, "why does that matter?" He says "just tell me" I say, "I think he was 19" This makes Beau laugh and he makes fun of me. My chest deflates and I sulk off saying, "he said I was pretty!"

Wednesday,

Not as good as Tuesday, I had to work and toward the end of the day I feel that pain in my throat that tells me I'm getting sick. I start sneezing and by the time I get home I feel terrible.

Thursday,

I feel horrible, but Elijah has his one year check up. They weigh him, 20.9 lbs (only 15th %), measure him: 30 inches (51st %) and they measure his head: 19 inches (91st %). Our medium height, skinny boy with a giant Sputnik head got 3 SHOTS!!! OUCH! But good news I'm going to go get a new big boy car seat and some whole milk. No more stinking formula!! Beau took the boy back to work with him so I can have some Erica time since he is going fishing tomorrow. Just my luck, I'm sick for Erica time! And I've wasted 30 minutes of it writing all this! I'm going to go greet my couch now and make sure the TV still works.

One year and so much change

Elijah on October 14, 2006














Elijah on October 14, 2007




















Cuddling with my sweet boy on October 14, 2006














Forcing my sweet boy to cuddle with me on
October 14, 2007
















My two favorite guys.

Time for Cake

Who's ready for cake?

"I am I am!"




















A small piece of advise for all you first
time moms out there (advise no one
shared with me), don't put a lit candle
in front of your baby! They will not just
look in wonder of the tiny flame like you
think they would. They will grab it!





















Feels funny




















But it tastes so good.


























































Kisses for Mimi

The Birthday Party

We had a great time on Saturday. Our family came in and we were surrounded with loving friends. Everyone invited has had a vital role in helping us raise Elijah. We are always overwhelmed with the willingness to help us in our daily lives. I mentioned on Saturday that the old saying goes "It takes a villiage to raise a child" and the people at our party are definately our villiage. I am only upset with myself for one thing. Nothing on the video camera. I am still not used to going and grabbing it. While I was setting up for him to have cake I thought "you need to ask some one to go get the video camera" then I thought "oh I'll do that in a minute". No...you never say that! Always do it right then when you think of it! UGH!! Oh well, here are some pictures from the day.



Our Family















"Thank you for coming to my party"




















"Choo Choo! All aboard!"

"All these presents are for me!"

"Thank you for my gift Papa"

Elijah wouldn't put down this puppy,

we had to tear it away and hide it so

he could get to his other gifts. He

loves puppies!

He walked all over the house Saturday

with his little push toy.