Bathtub Graffiti

When I went to clean the bathtub today, I was given a glimpse of the fun the boys have with Daddy during bath time. Of course, I also couldn't help but get a chill from the Halloween-esque reference of "Brother". Thank goodness I have boys, because if I saw "Sister" I may have sentenced the boys to a padded room for the rest of their lives. Just kidding! (kind of)

Colin-isms

I realize even before listing these that they're not nearly as cute or funny when written down as they are when Colin says them. I just can't capture the intonation of his sweet little voice or the hilarious hand gestures he always uses. But I still wanted to document them. I love this kid's personality. He makes me laugh everyday.

* That's too weird.
* Kick it, dudes!
* It's perfect!
* Me tried - nothing came out.
* Old MacDonald; hey, hey, hey.
* Oh, I see.
* OK, OK, OK!
* Let's do it, dudes!
* No take my picture - bad hair day.
* Not too bad.
* Don't worry.
* Come (pronounced as tum) on!

Eli is 9 Months Old

Eli is 9 months and is finally sleeping through the night! Woo hoo! And to think, all it took was 6 oz. of formula before bed, a size larger diaper, and two nights with Daddy. Between that and 2 (usually) solid naps a day, 2010 is definitely off to a great start in this household.
In addition to sleeping well, Eli is always on the go, exploring and practicing what he can and can't do/get away with. Thankfully he has quickly gotten much more steady on his feet and he's mastered the art of getting himself down. When he is up and not strapped into something, he is usually standing. That or chasing after Colin, which is now one of both of their favorite games. It's hilarious to watch Colin get down on all fours, say "Come on Eli!", and lead him all over the house. They both just shriek with laughter while wearing themselves out running around in circles.
Eli is also starting to self-feed himself. Some of his new favorite foods include cheese, Cheeiros, toast, waffles, cheese, and did I mention cheese? He's not as keen on fresh fruits and veggies, but I'm working on those. He still nurses 6 times/day with the formula supplement before bed, and also eats 3 meals of solids and 2 snacks of solids. His weight is up to 20 lbs. and he's 28 1/2 inches long.
He's got a great personality and I can tell already he's going to be a practical jokester. He loves to be silly and make people laugh. He's not as clingy as he used to be, I think because he's so interested in exploring, but he definitely still has his snuggle moments. And although he shows the occasional stranger anxiety, he's usually pretty social and loves other kids - babies and big kids.

Goofy Brothers

Project Linus

Chris and I recently participated in the Disney Give a Day, Get a Disney Day program. We chose to volunteer for Project Linus. It's a fantastic organization that donates hand-made blankets to children in hospitals who are seriously ill, traumatized, etc. As a parent who got a brief glimpse of how hard it is to have your child hospitalized, I really appreciate the joy this organization can bring to kids and families. It provides kids with a comfort object that's homey and I think parents appreciate the generosity of anything that can add a little more sunshine to their child's life. It's so easy to help. If you check out their website, there are tons of local chapters and they accept all types of blankets (just ask what they need). We made no-sew fleece blankets, and if this uncrafty mama could do it, so can you!

Painting Time

Colin received lots of fun arts and crafts supplies for Christmas this year. The other day I decided to bust out some of his paints from Nana and Papa. He wanted to start with the brushes but after awhile I convinced him to try out the finger paints. He usually doesn't like messes, but I think he might be moving toward the dark side. ;) He had lots of fun and I'm looking forward to doing more crafty projects with him this winter when we're stuck inside.

Eli's on the Move!

A couple weeks ago, I commented on how Eli went from barely rolling over to pushing up on all four's, rocking back and forth, and crawling all in a week after his last surgery. Well, since Christmas he has now learned how to pull himself up on *everything*, has started cruising along *everything*, and has also started letting go to try to get to other things (this he always fails at because he just falls down). Now, I know I don't remember everything about Colin 100% accurately, but I know he was never this daring. Good thing being nervous about my non dare-devil child has me already prepared with lots of ice packs and the knowledge that it's normal for head wounds to bleed profusely.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Due to the entire family getting sick in addition to all the holiday revelry, I have fallen woefully behind on my blog updates. I was planning on doing a separate entry for each of the holiday events we attended, but as it is already January 3rd, I am going to condense them all into one fairly lengthy entry and just feel glad that I got Christmas blogged at all. It was definitely a fun-filled holiday season with lots of traveling and lots of family visiting. Sadly, I didn't get many pictures of the boys with all their cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents, but they certainly enjoyed playing with everyone and getting the extra attention.

This year, Colin helped me with some of my Christmas baking. He "helped" me with all the different cookies I made, but he actually saved me some time when he helped decorate the sugar cookies. It just so happened to also be his favorite task.

Next came Christmas at Nana and Papa's. Colin loved playing with all his cousins and seemed to particularly enjoy pilfering everyone else's toys. Eli was doted on by the girls and I just thought it was so adorable when they all gathered around to help him open his gifts. (Unfortunately, the picture I have of this keeps rotating when I try to insert it and I have now given up trying to fix it. Everyone will just have to take my word for it when I say it was *very* cute.)

Next we celebrated at Grammy and Poppy's. Once again, Colin thouroughly enjoyed playing with his cousins and Eli enjoyed all the extra attention. It was nice to have all the siblings together again and I know my parents had a great time hosting this year.

On Christmas Eve, the whole family drove around to look at Christmas lights and the boys got to open their Christmas jammies. Colin was very excited about his. Eli, I think, just wanted to go to bed. Colin then wrote a letter to Santa and left cookies, milk, and carrot sticks (he wanted to make sure Rudolph had a snack too).

The next morning, we celebrated Christmas at home. Colin woke up first, as per usual, but did a great job staying patient and waiting for Eli to wake up before we all headed downstairs. One of the first things Colin checked was the plate of cookies to see if Santa had eaten them. He was thrilled when he found out the big man had left one for him to enjoy that morning.

After opening gifts, we all got dressed and headed to Erie, PA to celebrate Christmas with Chris' extended family. We celebrated with the Donor-side of the family on Christmas day and celebrated with the Ring-side of the family the following day. In our rush to leave on time, I completely forgot to take pictures of the boys together in their new Christmas jammies, so I attempted a photo shoot that night in the hotel.

After we came home, we got to spend a little extra time with my sisters. First Kasey swung back into town to visit for an extra day before heading back to North Carolina. Then Angie stayed with us for New Year's before heading back to California. It was nice to be able to spend a couple extra days with them since we only get to see them a couple times each year.

In addition, to talking about Christmas, I'd like to briefly reflect on the past year. It was definitely filled with a roller-coaster of emotions and provided us with some unforeseen challenges, but I wouldn't change a thing about it. I learned a lot about myself and feel that my relationships with my husband and children have grown stronger. I also learned that I have a wonderful network of family and friends that are more than willing to help when the going gets tough. However, I am hoping that 2010 proves to be a less eventful year in which we all get a little more sleep. :)

Happy New Year!