Two Busy Boys

Elijah is finally feeling better. After feeling so awful for a few days, he is back to his normal self. We have had a busy last couple of days! We went to church, drove to Branson to eat on the Landing, went swimming, ate at CiCi's Pizza with our friends, and went shopping at Sam's. The boys have had a great time!

Elijah can now say almost his whole alphabet in order. He can't say K, Q, V, or W, but he gets the rest and I fill those few in for him. I want to find some wooden or plastic alphabet letters to see if he can put them in order that way too. I am so proud of my smart boy! He can put on his own shoes now as well.

Ethan has been "army crawling" all over the place. He can get up on all fours and rock back and forth, but he hasn't been able to move his hands and knees forward together to crawl. No matter! He gets back down on his belly and pulls himself all over the place with his arms while he pushes with his knees. I am sure it is very gratifying for him to finally be able to get something that is out too far in front of him to reach! While we were eating at Piztro's on the Landing, Ethan discovered that he likes cantaloupe. Elijah was given a slice, and Ethan picked it up and went to town eating it. I held it for him and he gummed it down to the rind! Here is a picture of Ethan eating his new favorite treat, and some other pictures of the last couple of days as well:






I also wanted to include a picture of me and my mommy friends from the baby shower we had for Christen on Saturday. This is Jody, Tori, Christen, me, and Andrea. I know it is a terrible picture, but I wanted to share even so.

We got the Britax!

I am so excited because we got two of the best, safest car seats available! It may seem silly to get excited over a couple of car seats, but knowing my kids are as safe and comfortable as they can possibly be in the car is an amazing feeling. We got Britax Boulevards in the Park Avenue print. Britax car seats are the number one rated car seat on Consumer Reports, they fit babies rear facing and forward facing 5-65 lbs, they have side impact protection and a 5-point harness system, and they are soft and comfortable. They are also really cute! The Park Avenue print is a grey, brown, and blue striped pattern on a smooth velvety-type fabric. Yes, they were expensive ($300 each - yikes!) but it was worth every penny for the boys' safety. The boys rode in their new car seats for the first time today, and they enjoyed them very much. Before Travis installed them, I took a picture of Ethan in his. He looks a little confused about why he is in his carseat in the house:

Sick Baby

I haven't written in a few days because Elijah has been very sick! Since I stay at home with the boys, neither one of them gets sick very often. I wonder if this makes it seem worse when they do goet sick every once in a while. Elijah woke up in the very early morning on Monday with a fever of 103.5 and difficulty breathing. He was crying and coughing and it sounded awful! I gave him some baby Motrin and baby Tylenol, and took him to Urgent Care. We got right in, and the doctor told us he had Croup and a sinus infection. He was put on four prescription medicines in addition to his Motrin and Tylenol. There were so many that I had to make a chart in order to make sure he got the right dose of the right medicine at the right time! He is taking Azithromycin, an antibiotic; Prednisolone, a steroid; Albuterol Sulfate, a bronchodialator to help his breathing; and Ceron, for cough and congestion. When we got home from Urgent Care and the pharmacy, I moved Elijah's matress into the playroom so he could watch Elmo and rest. He layed out there all day, and wanted me to lay next to him. Unfortunately Travis had to work, so I was home alone with a very sick toddler and his baby brother. My mom came over to help for a few hours, which was great. Poor Elijah would just cry, cough and wheeze, and say "Ow" over and over. Monday night was rough also. Travis didn't get home until after midnight, and Elijah had just fallen asleep. Travis decided to sleep out in the playrrom to keep an eye on Elijah. Although he had only been asleep for a short time, the poor sick boy woke up at 2 and was awake and crying until 4. Ethan woke right up at 6 so we were all pretty sleep-deprived. Tuesday was still pretty bad. Elijah did stop running a fever, so that was good, though he still felt very sick and his croup sounded awful. The medicine chart was perfectly followed. Tuesday night he went to sleep in his own bed at the normal time and slept for his usual 10 hours. He woke up this morning feeling quite a bit better. He is playing almost like normal right now, though since he hasn't eaten hardly a thing in three days he looks skinny. I hope he starts eating like normal again soon. I just worry about him so much. I hope that by tomorrow he is eating, playing, and sleeping like normal. It may take longer than that, but I hope not. Ethan is still completely well and healthy and being his usual happy self, so that is great. I hope he doesn't get Elijah's illness because that would be awful! Back to my sick boy...

The Mommy Behind the Madness

I thought about it, and I decided that the people who read this blog might like to know a little more about me, the mommy who writes it. The "All About Emily" section to the side is a bit lacking, so I will attempt to explain myself and what I am really like. I expect it will be difficult, but I'm willing to give it a try.
My name is Emily. I am 27 years old, and I still live in the city in which I was born, beautiful Springfield, Missouri. I have never lived anywhere else, and I don't mind at all. Most of my family lives here - my parents, my sister and brother, my grandparents, and many of my aunts, uncles, and cousins. I have made a lot of friends here over the years, and although some have moved away I feel as if I have a great deal of friends who still live here. In fact, I often find out that friends that have moved away have come back to the area to raise their families. My husband and I live in a beautiful home with our children, and we don't plan on leaving.
Anyway, I was going to write about me, not my hometown! The things that matter most to me are my relationships with God and my family. We attend James River Assembly and it had given us so much joy, hope, and opportunity to meet people with similar values. I attend a ladies night Bible study every other Tuesday, and it is really teaching me a lot. We are doing a study about the book of Daniel and talking about how we live in the Babylon of today. It is so interesting, and really makes me think about what is important and what I focus on daily.
As far as things I like to do? I enjoy spending time with my family. I love it when Travis is off work and the four of us can go for a walk up to the local pizza place for dinner. We just put the kids in the wagon and enjoy the summer weather and the beautiful trees and scenery on the way there and back. Lately I have been enjoying cooking, especially making meals for my family. I have been really getting into finding yummy recipes, going shopping for the perfect ingredients, and cooking a meal. I especially enjoy grocery shopping at the local organic and natural food market, Mama Jean's. The other night I made vegetarian chili and a Greek cucumber salad, all with fresh organic ingredients! It was so good, and it was also rewarding to know that I was letting my family eat only the freshest foods with no harmful antibiotics or preservatives. For dessert we had strawberry pound cake with whipped topping...I'm getting hungry just thinking about it! I also enjoy shopping, like any other American girl. I don't go shopping nearly as much as I used to, and when I do it is usually to quickly pick up something one of the kids or Travis needs. I guess I have a weakness for Dooney and Bourke purses, but they are seriously so pretty!
I love the fall, when all the trees change color, the weather is nice, and I can take the kids to the pumpkin patch to pick our pumpkin and go on a hay ride. I like going to my great-grandparents' farm, where my grandparents now live. It is just beautiful there, and I hope I get a chance to go before Thanksgiving when we all enjoy a big meal there together. I love holidays with my family. I actually love anytime I get to just sit and spend time with my parents, siblings, and grandparents. I look forward to those times so much, and I wish we were all a little less busy so it would happen more often.
More about me...I love my friends. Now that I am a mom, I especially enjoy spending time with my other mommy friends. Our children socialize, and I get to have some adult conversation! My friends and I take our kids all over the place - swimming, to the park, to play at each others houses, to gymnastics, to baseball games, you name it. Just recently I got to know some mommies during a "girls night out" without the kids, and that was really fun. We went to a restaurant and just chatted and laughed well into the night. I had the best time. Thanks, Andrea, if you are reading this! I belong to a mommy message board that I enjoy too. It is a place to give and receive advice from other moms, and I have really enjoyed being a part of it. I love my JM girls!
I feel as if I have written a book about myself, so thank you if you are still reading this. I hope that you feel as if you know me a little better!

Splash Time

I took Elijah swimming today! He had the best time. I think it is his new favorite thing to do. He ran through the fountains, splashed in the water, played with his friends, and shrieked with joy the whole time. Here are a few pictures:





He really wore me out today! I chased him the whole time, and had trouble getting pictures of him because he is so fast and was always running away from me. This afternoon he is at Incredible Pizza Company (see previous post) with his Nana, so he will be ready for a big nap later today. Elijah is such a busy boy!

Staying at Home

Sometimes when people find out I stay at home with my children, they ask, "But what do you DO all day?" We do a lot! We play, color, read, talk, laugh, learn, cuddle, run around outside, swim in the wading pool, take walks in the double stroller, play with our friends, bake cookies, and just have a good time. I also take care of the house - I do all the laundry, cooking, cleaning, bill paying, errand running, etc. Today we just stayed home because we didn't have any errands to run. We played with all the new birthday toys, and Elijah and Ethan especially liked it when the three of us played with the Little People school bus and airplane. Elijah makes airplane noises and "flies" the plane around the playroom! Elijah also had a good time coloring today. We are making thank-you pictures for everyone who got him a birthday gift, and he made three today. Here is a picture of him coloring in his diaper:

Isn't that cute? Today was also the first day I had to clean crayon off the wall. I'm sure I will be doing that about a thousand more times in the coming years! Thank goodness for Magic Erasers! The fact is, what we do all day is enjoy time with each other. My babies are only little once, and I want to soak up every second I can with them. I am blessed to be able to stay at home with my two beautiful boys.

Elijah's Birthday Party

Yesterday we had a little family birthday party for Elijah. It was so much fun! The party had an Elmo theme. There were lots of Elmo decorations and party favors, an Elmo cake, and Elmo cupcakes. He received lots of gifts. He got the Buid-A-Bear Big Bird, a tricycle, a big Radio Flyer wagon for he and his brother to ride in, Elmo sheets and a comforter, an easel and art supplies, a Baby Leap Pad and three extra games, several books, an Elmo tub toy, an Elmo backpack, several Diego toys, a membership to a gymnastics class, and a savings bond. He had a great time eating icing off the cupcakes and playing with all of his family members! Here are some pictures of the day:

Happy Birthday, Elijah!

Today my oldest baby turned two years old. I can't believe how fast time flies! It seems like just yesterday Travis and I were bringing him home to our little apartment, where he had to wear bililights for the first several weeks because he was jaundiced. Two years ago today, at 6:43 p.m., my life changed dramatically. Elijah was 7 lbs 5 oz, 21" long, and 3.5 weeks early! Today we celebrated by going out to lunch, having cake with two candles, making a stuffed Big Bird at Build-A-Bear, and making cookies. Elijah also found one of his presents early. I had left the tricycle in the laundry room and he saw it, jumped onto it, and started to ride! I am glad he likes his present so much. Tomorrow is his party, which has an Elmo theme. I bought so many Elmo party decorations, balloons, and toys today that I think the house is going to burst! In honor of Elijah's birthday, I thought I would post a few pictures of my sweet birthday boy.

This is me when I was 9 months pregnant with Elijah. I have changed a lot in the past two years!


This is Travis holding Elijah when we were still in the hospital. Elijah is two days old here.


This is me holding Elijah when he was two weeks old.


This is Elijah at 4 months. There could never be a sweeter little face.


Here he is at 9 months:


10 months old and so precious:


Here he is at his 1st birthday party:


16 months old:


Elijah is 18 months old here:


And here he is at 22 months:


Finally, here is a picture from today, his 2nd birthday:



I love my sweet 2-year-old boy, and I am so proud of him. Happy Birthday, Elijah!

Too Sweet for Words

Today I want to share some pictures of my children. These are the latest pictures taken by my mom, who is a professional photographer. Travis and I are so blessed to have such beautiful pictures taken of our children!

Cloth Diapering

Yes, we use cloth diapers. When I tell people this fact, I usually get a weird look, followed by a bunch of questions. "Are they REALLY waterproof? I bet they leak all the time," "Where do you buy these cloth diapers? I have never seen them in the store," "Aren't they super expensive?" and "Don't you just hate washing them? Isn't it really gross?" After I answer the questions, the person is most often genuinely interested. They still look a little skeptical, but once they see the diapers they usually change their minds. I think most people don't realize how far cloth diapers have come in the last 20 years. They are really quite easy, and cute! I cloth diaper two children, so the savings is quite substantial for me, though it is significant if you only have one child. We have spent about $350 on cloth diapers and supplies, when before we were spending about $170/month on disposables, wipes, and diaper genie refills. We started saving in just two months! I can really tell a difference in our budget, and it has provided money to buy more organic food and pay off medical debt. I wash the diapers every three days, and honestly, I do so much laundry around here that it doesn't feel like any extra at all. Laundry is endless, so adding two loads a week goes truly unnoticed (just as infinity + 2 = infinity). The top reason I cloth diaper the boys is that cloth is better for the environment. I consider myself to be a "greenie" and proud! I recycle, buy CFL light bulbs, eat organic, go meatless, turn the thermostat up in the summer and down in the winter, and make it a general practice to do everything I can to save our planet. I believe God gave us this Earth on which to live and it is our duty to take care of it for future generations. Disposable diapers are the third most common item in American landfills, and Americans add approximately two tons of disposable diaper waste into our landfills per child. Cloth is also much safer for babies. Cotton underwear has to be more comfortable than plastic and paper, and it doesn't contain the harsh and sometimes dangerous chemicals found in disposable diapers. Disposable diapers contain dioxins that are banned in other countries and were banned in US-manufactured tampons in the mid-1980's. Babies who wear cloth diapers also have fewer diaper rashes than their disposable-diapered counterparts, and develop athsma at lower rates. There are current studies that show that wearing disposable diapers may lead to male infertility as well. As far as being reliable, I can honestly say that we have never had a "blow-out" in a cloth diaper. When we were using disposables, it seemed like we had a blow-out almost every day. We are also starting to potty-train Elijah, and my cloth-diapering mommy friends have told me that it is a quicker process in cloth because the babies can better feel when they are wet. And where to buy cloth diapers? I buy on the internet, and have a very good friend who owns an online cloth diaper store. Erinn's store, Green Planet Baby, is listed in my favorite links over there in the sidebar. All-in-all, I feel as though we have made a great and significant decision by cloth-diapering our babies. It is definitely best for our family and our Earth.

Here are some pictures of my littlest cloth-diapered cutie, taken when he was 5 months old:

Family Outing

Today Travis and I took the boys to Incredible Pizza Company, a great place for kids to eat and play. We had a really fun time! The four of us ate and played for a couple of hours, and then the kids were worn out! They fell asleep on the way home and took long naps this afternoon. Here is a slideshow of our day:

Fun with Friends

We had friends over today. Andrea brought her two little ones, Isabelle (27 months) and Jacob (4.5 months), and Jody brought her son Jacob (27 months). Ethan and the little Jacob smiled and cooed at each other, and the three older kids played in the playroom with all the toys. I think they played with every toy in there! Elijah and Isabelle are like two peas in a pod. They have similar personalities and feed off of each other. The two of them climbed, ran, jumped, chased, screamed, and giggled all afternoon. It was so funny to watch! Here are some pictures:

They had the best time together! I am so happy to have met Andrea and Jody, and I'm glad our kids enjoy playing together. We are blessed to have such good friends.

Recuperation

Today we are all recuperating from the holiday. Yesterday was a great day full of family, friends, fun, and of course fireworks, but it wore us all out! Even though the boys went to bed over two hours late last night, they still woke up bright and early this morning as usual. I think big naps are in order today. The kids get so fussy when they don't get enough sleep, but the ironic thing is it makes them want to stay awake even more. One of my mommy friends always says, "Sleep begets sleep," and I totally agree. We enjoyed spending the holiday with Travis yesterday. Since he works in the restaurant business, he has to work most holidays and weekends. Since he was off yesterday, it made the day even more special for me and the boys. I have some pictures to share from the festivities yesterday:

Happy 4th of July!

Well, here we are in the middle of summer. I have to say, I am loving summertime so much this year. It is the first summer since 2004 that I have not been pregnant! It is the 4th of July, and we have some festivities planned. Our church, James River Assembly, puts together an incredible celebration every 4th of July, and this year is no exception. There will be live music all day, an air show, helicopter rides, great food, games for the kids, and a fabulous fireworks show. It should be a really fun time. I got the boys matching BabyGap flag t-shirts in honor of the holiday, and I took their picture. They aren't very good about sitting together for pictures these days. Ethan always grabs Elijah, and Elijah shrieks and runs away before I even have the time to snap a photo. However, I tried, and this is what I got:

Pretty cute for a snapshot, I think. They are out in their playroom, which is the back room of our house. I think they both have drool spots on their shirts, too. Anyway, off to the celebration! I hope you all have a great holiday and get to spend time with your families.