Eli's Last Surgery Has Been Scheduled

Eli had another follow-up appointment with his surgeon today. He's doing great and we were able to get his final surgery scheduled. As long as he heals well from his urology surgery and doesn't have any complications, he's scheduled to have the reconnect done on Tuesday, November 24. We'll go in the day before to get his colon prepped and we will probably be at the hospital for most of the week. It's crazy to think that he's going to have two more surgeries in the next month, but it will be nice when they're all over and done with.

Harvest Party

This weekend we attended the annual Harvest Party thrown by Nana and Papa. It is so much fun to see all the kids dressed in their costumes, playing games, and of course clamoring for candy. This year the kids got to play some silly race games including carrying an egg on a spoon and running with a roll of toilet paper between their legs. They played some Halloween inspired games like pin the eyes on the pumpkin (maybe it was nose - I was nursing Eli during this one) and pin the tail on the cat. They got to race to see who could eat a donut the fastest off a string (Chris helped Colin finish his). And of course, there was a pinata. I swear, those kids have cat-like reflexes. Before I even knew candy had started to fly out, they were shoving pieces into their bags and eating the busted open skittles. It was hilarious! The kids also got to do some crafts like decorate a candy bag and each family got to decorate a pumpkin. It was lots of fun and the kids had a blast.

This year we also celebrated Rob's (my brother-in-law) birthday. He turned the big 4-0 this year. Happy Birthday Rob! We also got the chance to meet our newest little niece, Grace. She is adorable and very sweet.

It was a busy and fun-filled day. Thanks Nana and Papa!

The boys

The girls

Rob as "a Ring" (the infamous blond hair)

Waiting patiently to dive into the donuts.

Eli and Papa

Colin jamming (very fitting since he's representing Rich, the drummer).

The Ring family pumpkin

Autumn, Emily, and Alex - goofy kids!

Little Boo at the Zoo

Today the boys and I went to Little Boo at the Toledo Zoo. We dressed as Colin's favorite TV characters, The Imagination Movers (Playhouse Disney). We've gone every year, but this was the first year we all (including Chris!) dressed up. We each represented one of the four "Movers" characters. Chris was Smitty, Colin was Rich, Eli was Dave, and I was Scott (yes, that is facial hair on my chin). When we started looking into Movers costumes, we discovered that it's next to impossible to buy their outfits (unless you're willing to shell out some serious cash), so we got the opportunity (yikes!) to make them. We bought the jumpsuits - Chris and I wore actual work coveralls, Colin's and Eli's were costume flight suits. Then, my good friend Elle (owner of Baby Cake Designs, http://babycakedesigns.blogspot.com/) added the stripes, gears, and Colin's drumstick pockets. Chris added the iron-on nametags and Movers logo. I accessorized - I never claimed to be crafty.
Colin got to go trick-or-treating at 10 stations set up around the zoo, there was a magician, several bounce houses, and lots of fun characters to see. Colin was still unsure this year about trick-or-treating, but did OK if I was right there with him, holding his hand. I'm hoping he'll get some of his jitters out at some of the up-coming events we're going to so he's not as tentative on Halloween night. Eli slept almost the entire time we were there. Luckily we got a few family shots before he dozed off. I'm sure next year he'll be running around with his brother. It will be interesting to see if he is more bold at walking up to complete strangers and asking for candy.

Halloween Shirts

Last week, the boys received a sweet Halloween care package from Aunt Angie. Included inside were these adorable shirts. I just had to get some pictures of them posing with their pumpkins on the porch. Thanks Ang!

Eli's 6 Month Well-Child Visit and Pre-Op Appts.

Yesterday Eli had his 6 month well-child visit and is continuing to do great. The doctor says he's doing a great job reaching his milestones and is continuing to grow well. He's officially 27 inches long and weighs 17 lbs., 5 oz. (I'm starting to think my scale at home is a little off...). Today he had his pre-op appointment at St. Vincent's Hospital and is all set for his surgery in two weeks.

Here's a picture, just to make this post a little more interesting.

Gust Brothers Pumpkin Farm

Today, the boys and I made our annual trip to Gust Brothers Pumpkin Farm to pick out Halloween pumpkins. We had plans to go last week with the Toledo Parents Group (TPG), but the weather was so cold and rainy, we opted not to. Then, we planned on going last weekend, but it felt like Winter instead of Fall, so again, we put it off. We're so glad we waited because today was absolutely beautiful! I discovered this farm last year when Colin and I went with some friends from TPG. We had such a great time and the owners are so sweet, I knew I wanted to come back the following year and make it a tradition for our family. In addition to having pumpkins, the farm also sells a variety of other gourds, cornstalks, hay bales, mums, fruit, and jams. They have pick-your-own pumpkins or you can choose from some already picked. They also have animals you can get up close and personal with like pigs, cows, sheep, goats, and bunnies. On the weekends, they offer hay rides. Today we just chose pumpkins from those already picked and enjoyed the gorgeous Fall weather.

Colin and his buddy, Sam.

Eli is 6 Months Old

I can't believe our baby has already reached the half-way point of his first year! He's still the happy, smiley baby he's always been... as long as he gets enough sleep. During the last month, Chris and I started sleep-training him using a modified Ferber method. I would say now that it has worked beautifully, but for a week or two at the beginning of the month, we discovered a different side of Eli - the overtired, irritable baby. That week or so seemed to last for forever with lots of whining and crying and skipped naps, but thankfully he's gotten the hang of self-soothing, is back to sleeping well, and is happy again. He now goes to bed around 7 PM, wakes once in the wee hours of the morning to eat, and gets up for the day between 7-8 AM. He usually takes 3 naps each day, unless one is particularly long, then it's just 2. He has also been weaned from his binkie and from swaddling.
In addition to sleep-training, we've also started introducing fruits and vegetables to his diet. It's been an interesting experience because unlike Colin, Eli has hated every new food we've given him. He loves his oatmeal and opens his mouth for it like a baby bird, but start giving him something else and he clamps his mouth shut and turns his head away. So far we've offered prunes, carrots and bananas. Despite the first few failed attempts, I have high hopes that he will soon be a hearty eater like the rest of his family.
Most everything else about Eli is the same. He's still enthralled with Colin, loves playing in his exersaucer, and loves reading (and chewing on) books. He puts everything into his mouth, enjoys throwing things on the floor, and is quite a chatterbox. He still isn't moving around a ton, other then to twist and turn to watch what's going on or to reach a toy, but will play on the floor for longer periods of time now. He loves to be carried around and really enjoys the Baby Bjorn. I also think (dare I say) that we may have a mama's boy on our hands. :)

I also wanted to give an update on his medical appointments. His "cosmetic" surgery with the urologist has been scheduled for November 4. We decided to stick with the doc we were already seeing because they other guy in the area couldn't even see us for an initial appointment until December. He's going in for his 6-month well-child appointment on October 20 and I'll update his weight and height after that. He has his pre-op appointment on October 21. His next follow-up with the pediatric surgeon is October 28. I'm going to ask if he can get his surgery scheduled at that point, but I think the doctor is going to insist on waiting until after he sees how he's healing from the other surgery. His last appointment with the surgeon was pretty uneventful. He's doing great with the dilations and we've reached the largest size we needed to go to (13 mm). I still dilate him twice each day, but he doesn't even blink an eye when I do it. Both boys have been real champs when I drag them to all these appointments, but I will be relieved when we don't have doctor appointments scheduled for every week.

Erie Orchards

In an attempt to not stay inside at home again all weekend (last weekend we all went a little stir-crazy) and to discover more the "greater" Toledo area has to offer (it was just over the border, I swear), the boys and I went to Erie Orchards for the first time today. It was awesome! Granted, it was a little further than we like to go, but I think it was worth it. They were having a little harvest festival with some really cute attractions (a bounce house, crafts, pony rides) and some slightly random booths (one was selling just Twilight paraphernalia).

As soon as we got there, Colin ran straight for the pumpkins. He thought the little ones were so cute - just his size. We then went inside the store to check out their apples, donuts, and cider. Lo and behold, Erie had a window inside the store specifically for watching the juice-man work his magical machines. Colin was super excited. Unfortunately, the juice-man never made an official appearance. Luckily we were able to pry Colin away with cider and donuts. I would like to add at this point, that between the three orchards we've been to this year, I think Erie's donuts are as good as MacQueens's (although they only had two varieties to choose from whereas MacQueen's has at least a dozen) and their cider is as good as Plymouth's. So, the best of both worlds just happens to be in the middle of both worlds.

After noshing on our donuts and cider and running from the bees, we walked around the little festival area. They had a tractor and a little wooden car set up that the kids could sit on. Colin called the car a train because it had a bell. After sitting on the car for a good 10 minutes, we convinced Colin to go into the children's play area. It was just a little area covered in hay, but apparently that equal a really good time. Colin was a bit tentative at first, but after awhile he really started to enjoy diving into the hay and throwing it all around. In fact, even though we practically had to bribe him to go in, we had to carry him out when it was time to go home.

I really enjoyed what Erie Orchards had to offer. There were a lot of activities that the kids could enjoy even without the festival, including a little petting zoo, the play area, picture props, and a hay ride. Maybe next year, we'll actually venture into the orchard and pick our own apples. We'll definitely be able to spend more time there once Eli's not napping as often. Speaking of Eli, he also had a good time, riding around in the bjorn, as per usual, and people watching. It will be fun next year when he can run around too.

More Halloween Frights

Apparently I married a comedian.


Still makes me jump, every time.