A few weeks ago, I posted on Twitter and Facebook that @EliKaiser was walking.
“The word: @elikaiser is walking! He hasn’t done so for @nkaiser and I yet, but Eli’s grandparents swear by it!”
And since I didn’t see Eli taking steps, but I was shooting lots of video and lots of pictures, I posted this picture of a very proud Eli:
Eli's proud "walking" face
That was on August 24. It’s now September 11, and Eli chose this day to take a few steps–for real! And I got it on video! Enjoy!
Maybe it was the presence of Allison Koester, visiting from D.C. after moving from Seattle 2 months ago. Or maybe it was the influence of 19 month old Marion Smith, who walked circles around Eli all day yesterday at Grandma and Grandpa Smith’s house.
Eli watches Marion making "soup" in the dog's dish
Either way, he’s walking. It’s exciting and scary, all at the same time.
I believe the one taken of my father was sometime around 1960. The one of Eli was taken this evening… Marissa thought the similarity was a bit uncanny.
After my last post, I think a little cute is in order …That and the fact that my dear friend Nicole Adams specifically asked for a baby Eli update, and I can’t disappoint her. Eli’s been doing a lot of traveling around the state. Over Memorial Day weekend, we all went to the cabin in Eastern Washington. We went again last weekend for Uncle Clayton’s graduation from Central Washington University.
In a couple of weekends, Eli’s looking forward to spending some time with his cousin, Hazel. They’ve practiced playing together at the cabin and it’s pretty cute, if I do say so myself.
Eli doesn’t mind the car ride. He especially likes it when there’s sun coming through the windows. Eastern Washington is good for that.
A happy kid in his carseat
Where's Uncle Clayton among all those robes?
Congratulations, Graduate! (Eli is asleep in the pack)
Eli got sent home from daycare yesterday because he threw up. Sometimes, Eli throws up because he eats too much. Yesterday, it was determined that he is really sick. Poor kid.
He didn’t eat much of anything at all, and he didn’t keep much of that down. So last night, Nate went out and bought Pedialyte (which I’m calling Gatorade for babies), and we deliberated about what to do next. Eli was banned from daycare, so we called my mother-in-law. (My own folks have helped out and watched a sick Eli on numerous occasions in the past. We just thought we’d see if Susie was available this time.)
… And she WAS! Sort of. So we all agreed that I would take Eli to work with me, and Susie would pick him up after her doctor’s appointment.
In the meantime, Eli had a marvelous time at my office, napping on Amy’s lap.
Now, he’s playing at Grandma’s.
I’m wondering if his “sick day” was just a ploy to play with cute girls…
ZONKED. No really. Another coworker came by to see what all the heavy breathing was about
This past weekend we finally had a chance to try out Eli’s bike carrier. As you can see, Eli has grown a bit since we received the carrier for Christmas. Photos like this surprise the heck out of me. In only four months he has gotten so big… Latest tally: six teeth, 1/3 of a head of hair (a natural mohawk ), and now he is high-fiving, crawling, and pulling himself up into a standing position.
The Kaiser house has been less than fun these past few days. Eli came home from daycare with his first cold, and promptly gave it to Nathan. The two miserable boys spend last week with stuffy noses and fevers. I fear that snot is going to become a permanent fixture on Eli’s face. It was good that last Monday was a holiday. Eli and I stayed home together, and we had the added bonus of Nate’s presence, although he stayed in bed for most of it. When I went back to work on Tuesday, Eli went back to daycare. He managed OK, and got well after a couple more days.
Eli and his daycare buddy
Sadly, Eli’s week turned sour again when another tooth started to come in. He’s not enjoying this one bit. We’ve taken to keeping teething toys in the fridge, rubbing Baby Ora-gel on Eli’s gums at regular intervals, and giving him Tylenol to ease the pain.
Poor, poor teething kid
Somehow, I managed to avoid the cold last week. I’m popping Airborne and Vitamin C like they’re candy, and I hope that does the trick! I’ve got a big weekend next weekend, and I’ve GOT to be well for it… me and the ladies are off to 2011 Girls Ski Weekend! We’ve rented a house in Leavenworth and there’s 9 of us total. I can’t WAIT!!! And I expect my legs may fall off from all the skiing I’ll be doing
Fingers crossed that I’ll stay well through the week and the weekend!
In the meantime, I’ll leave you with some happier pictures of Eli (cuz that’s what you want to see, isn’t it?):
A good friend put it this way, “Two of the most sociable people we know take off alone for New Years?!? It defies logic.” But that’s what we do… For the past five or six years, we’ve headed to the Kaiser cabin for New Year’s Eve, sometimes with another couple, sometimes just to two of us. This year it was actually the four of us for the long weekend–Eli, Galt, Nate and myself.
The Kaiser boys say, "Happy New Year!" from the cabin
We celebrated New Year’s Eve along with rest of the East Coast, and were in bed by 10:30 p.m. Then on New Year’s Day we dropped Eli off at mountain daycare and continued a long tradition: we hit the slopes.
It was GORGEOUS!!! The sun was shining, the snow was great, and you could see at least four different mountain peaks in the distance. Did I tell you it was gorgeous?
We love Mission Ridge Ski Resort! And the lines… well, they were nonexistent, which is part of the reason why we love Mission Ridge!
It’s been a FULL 6 months. Heck, just this past one month has been crazy… But FUN. How can you not have fun with this kid?
Eli's first Christmas
In the month of December, we went to Hawaii, Eli tried solid foods and made a sometimes-transition to formula, we celebrated Christmas with the Kaisers (a week before real Christmas), we celebrated Christmas Eve at Auntie Terry and Uncle Benson’s house, we hosted Christmas Day at our house, and then we snuck off to the Kaiser cabin to be antisocial for New Years Eve.
Eli's Hawaii outfit
Waikiki Beach is awesome
Our cowboy got a horsey for Christmas
... and a Chariot!
Ready for the snow!
Happy New Year's Eve!
It’s now January, and according to Eli’s 6-month check up (about a week ago), he’s in the 98th percentile for height, the 50th percentile for weight, and the 50th percentile for head circumference. We have a tall kid!
He’s enjoying the new, neat adventure of eating solid foods and drinking from a sippy cup.
And he’s started sitting up (almost) on his own. We didn’t know it, but Eli was days away from cutting his first tooth during the filming of this video. Now looking back, it makes perfect sense.
This is late… Way late. As in almost a month late…
We visited Hawaii at the beginning of December.
Here’s a picture of Eli on the way over:
When does this flight end?
Regardless, we had a great time. Saw friends and family and enjoyed the sun and the waves. I really enjoyed hearing the newscasters telling everyone to bundle up as it was going to be in the low 70′s during the morning. The ended the broadcast by looking at one-another and saying “Brrrrrrr”
We returned from Texas the Monday before Thanksgiving, which as many may recall was the #snOMG “apocalypse.” That was the storm that shut down Seattle and left us stranded on the plane on the tarmac for over four excitement-filled hours. It was an interesting ending to an amazing trip through the heartland of Texas.
Boots and Hat at the Ready: Texas Bound
We saw family, had dinner with friends, went two-stepping (poorly) and enjoyed a lot of what makes the Lone Star State what it is. Once we landed in Texas we were off and running on what would become a 1,007 mile odyssey from Houston to Kerrville, Fredericksburg, Blanco, Seguine, Yoakum, Victoria and back to Houston. Eli was fortunate to meet cousins (some once removed, others twice, and a few that were even more than that), friends, aunts, uncles, great aunts and his great grandfather.
My parents had invited us to join them on this trip to see everyone under the auspices of making the “Night at Old Pearl City: dance at Turner Hall.” We were promised lots of Polka and Texas two-stepping, and we were not let down! Marissa and I had a great time and enjoyed every minute of the dance, though our feet are a bit worse for wear… (I simply can’t dance).
For a run down of the itinerary:
Tuesday, Nov 16th: Fly into Houston. We were looking forward to seeing Jap and Louise Lott and we ended up staying with their daughter Cindy and her husband Mark. It was 80-degrees in Houston and beautiful clear skies.
In good hands!
At some point I will share stories about Jap and Louise. A few years ago they celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary and are simply an amazing and inspirational couple. He was a fighter pilot in WWII in the Pacific and generally quite the hell raiser. They are kin through my Grandpa who grew up in Yoakum, Texas (my parents are both from the same small town).
Wednesday: We are off to Kerrville to see my Aunt Sharon. She is my mother’s sister and was amazing with Eli. Simply put, it is the highlight of my trip to spend time with Aunt Sharon.
Eli meets Aunt Sharon
Thursday: Off to Fredericksburg, which was the “vacation” of this vacation. It is a beautiful town that was originally settled by Germans and retains a lot of the history and offers delicious German food. It is quite the tourist area now. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to go into the Nimitz Museum. We will definitely take Eli in the near future.
Friday: Fredericksburg to Yoakum by way of Blanco and Seguin… The joke during the trip was that if we had 7 minutes of free time my mother was certain to call some distant relative and let them know we would be visit’n (correct spelling).
We stopped by to see my second-cousin-once-removed Carl in Blanco and his 46 cats. Carl was part of the initial wave of US soldiers to land on the beaches at Normandy. After the war, he was an executive with the Red Cross and worked all over the world. Side note, their daughter was born in Korea and they actually had Texas soil underneath the birthing table so that she could be born a Texan. Marissa and I did the same thing with Eli, but didn’t know that we were following in other’s footsteps.
I have met Carl before and thoroughly enjoyed seeing him again. While his health is failing, he was gracious, funny and whip smart and seemed to take quite a liking to Eli. Eli also took quite a liking to Carl and his cats.
Then it was off to dinner in Seguin at a huge colosseum built to the mastery and worship of the almighty catfish! (Sadly, catfish is the only thing I am allergic to so I didn’t have any.) The onion rings were great and the beer was cold and delicious. We were also able to introduce Eli to my cousin Benji, his wife Phoebe and their daughter Bentley who is a week and half older than Eli.
Cold and refreshing: Shiner Bock: D-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s
Then we were off to Yoakum.
Saturday: Trip into Victoria to see my Mom’s side of the family:
Aunt Linda, cousins Meredith, Wendy, Jake and their respective kids and friends for amazing BBQ. Marissa and I went for the sampler plate which included ~4 lbs of meat and a pickle (as I recall).
Saturday Night: DANCE TIME
The whole family started to arrive, my sister and brother-in-law Ailey and Ritchie Hughes, Aunt Kay, Uncle Mike, cousins Rachel, Jen, Josh, Courtney, Tommy, Aunt Corliss and Uncle Owen. The list goes on and on and on. It is simply too much fun seeing everyone.
Eli knows his Aunt Ailey!
We drank, we danced, we caught up, we admired Eli. Eli actually got to go to the dance, though he ended up sleeping under the table… (is that in the parenting books?)
Cousins Jen and Josh: Pearl Beer: $0.50 / can: Just the right price.
Sunday: We had an early Thanksgiving at my Cousin Courtney’s place and Eli got to meet their six horses, five or so dogs, and ~20 cattle. Needless to say he was thrilled!
They prepared an amazing spread and it was fantastic getting to sit down and enjoy the time with everyone.
Monday: Back to Seattle (via Houston)
The flight was interesting to say the least.
2 hour mechanical delay in Houston
4 hour flight – no problems
1.5 hour delay as the jetway was broken and they couldn’t move it to the plane
1.5 hour delay as the tow comes to get us, which then gets stuck in the snow
45 minute delay as no one made it to work and there wasn’t anyone to operate the working jetway
45 minute delay waiting for luggage
A patient and easy going kid… PRICELESS
The happiest people on the plane!
—————–
It was an amazing trip and we had a great time. However, it wouldn’t have been possible without my folks. They were great, watched Eli, put together the trip, and just made sure it happened. It was awesome. Thanks Mom and Dad!
This Thanksgiving, we’re all extremely thankful for family. And food. And lately, we’ve had a lot of both!
Our little pumpkin
We’ve just returned from a 1,007 mile trek around Texas–Houston, Kerrville, Fredericksburg, Victoria, Yoakum, and back to Houston. It was a tour of filled with family, delicious food, various hotel rooms, gorgeous countryside, and more family.
The weekend before that, we hosted my sister, her hubby, and her in-laws in Seattle for a post-wedding celebration (2-months post wedding). My sis got to don on her wedding dress, and we were surrounded by friends and family as we were served a LOT of Chinese food.
Of course, friends and family were excited to see us, but they were truly there to see and meet baby Eli. We’re fine with that
Eli’s Aunt Beth and Uncle Dan were in town for their Seattle reception and Po-Po (Eli’s Grandmother) suggested we all get some pictures taken. Pretty good idea!
