A Day in the Life of Eli (or why I am always tired!)

Our little caboose!

Pea gravel is so much fun!


Eli enjoys laundry much more than his mom!

Eli loves mealtime!

Eli is growing and changing everyday. He is such a cutie pie, and I wanted to write a little bit about the person he is today. As impossible as it seems today, I know that someday I will have a hard time remembering the details of this phase of our life. So, here is a day in the life of Eli...

I usually hear a little voice calling out to me around 6:00 in the morning. I am not sure what the words are that he is saying, but I totally understand the message -- "Come get me!" Either Mark or I usually goes and gets him and brings him back to our room for a little pre-breakfast bonding. I think this is one of his favorite times of the day. He gets both Mommy and Daddy's undivided attention, and he eats it up!

We then head to the kitchen for breakfast. He usually eats scrambled eggs, banana and either toast or cheerios. He eats with great gusto, and when he is finished, he lets me know! Extra food goes on the ground and the yelling begins.

Then he begins his day of getting into everything possible. He is really at a cute, but draining age. He recently learned to climb onto the couch, but he has not learned how not to fall off. He also loves climbing up the stairs, which keeps us on our toes. We just bought a six foot gate to try to keep him safely on the first floor! Some of his other favorite activities include: eating crayons and other treasures left on the floor, turning off the computer when Mommy is using it, sneaking into the bathroom or his sisters' room, throwing folded laundry out of the basket, and many other adventurous activities.

The other children are great with their little brother. They help me keep an eye on him, and yell if he is in trouble. He loves to follow them around, and it grieves him to no end if they leave without him. I think he has no choice but to be a people person!

Eli usually starts to fuss a couple of hours after he wakes up. I put him in his bed with toys for a few minutes. Sometimes he goes to sleep, but more often he just plays and talks. This little break lets me get school started off on the right foot, and Eli usually comes out of his bed in a better mood than when he went in! He takes a nap for a couple of hours in the afternoon, and that gives me some cherished quiet time. The other children play in their rooms, and I relax.

Eli loves his daddy! He often throws quite a fit when Mark leaves for work in the morning and puts on a great big smile when he comes home. "Da" was the first word that he said consistently. He loves to spend time with Daddy in the evening.

Eli heads to bed around 7:00. He is a great sleeper. We rarely have to get up with him at night. The house is much quieter and calmer after he goes to bed!

Eli is a lot of work, but I could not imagine life without our little man!

Favorite Foods:

Eli loves scrambled eggs, cheese, green beans, bananas, spaghetti, anything sweet, apple juice, and anything that somebody else is eating!

Favorite Activities:

Getting into everything, riding in the car, taking off his pants, unloading cabinets and drawers, splashing in the tub, playing in the grass, dancing to music, chasing the neighbor's dogs (thankfully, they are smart enough to never let him catch them)