Oatmeal...Not so much!

Feeding Eli has proven to be a constant battle - and tonight was no different! I thought maybe it would be fun to try introducing Eli to Oatmeal with Bananas for his evening snack, hop on the solids train, hoping he would love it, eat it like crazy and gain some much needed weight! NOT SO MUCH...the following pictures display his reaction...

Hey mommy, what you doing?

hmmm, what's this new thing coming toward my mouth...

yah, not sure I know what to do with that right now...

what the heck did you just put in my mouth...


maybe I like this - just need to figure out how to swallow it first...

starting to swallow...

swallowing the first spoonful of yummy Oatmeal with Bananas...

After this picture he threw it all up along with his previous bottle of formula all over me and himself! Yep, did not like it at ALL - completely made him gag! Maybe he is just not ready - obviously! I probably ruined the taste of Oatmeal for him forever. So, I guess we will try again next month. I really hope this boy learns to eat, because it is starting to drive me insane and really starting to make me feel like an unfit mother! God, please help...

Spooky Cookies

Today, Ashtyn helped Nana make Halloween cookies! My mom loves to make sugar cookies and decorate them which we typically do around Christmas, but we thought we would start a new tradition and start decorating cookies for Halloween to give away to our cousins and friends! We made pumpkin cookies and decorated them with orange frosting and sprinkles.

I was very impressed with my little artist! She helped Nana roll the dough, cut the cookies and then of course she did a wonderful job decorating. She was very careful of what she put on the cookie - Most kids just dump the sprinkles on in a big pile - not Ashtyn, she slowly placed each sprinkle one by one just where she wanted them! It was so cute! I love how much attention she has for details - just like her mama!

Ashtyn also enjoyed eating the cookie dough and the sprinkles and the m&m's and the icing! Let's just say she had tons of sugar today! I think the cookies turned out very cute and now we can give them away for Halloween presents - there is no way we can eat all of them. Ashtyn will definitely be ready for Christmas cookies this year - she is so fun now that she can actually take part in these activities and enjoy them! Eli, however just played on the floor trying to stick his feet in his mouth - but I am sure next year he will dive right in! Thank you Nana for the fun day!

Little Pumpkins

We visited the Rock Creek Farm Pumpkin Patch again this year and had so much fun. We picked a wonderful fall day to go - it was actually a bit hot, but made it nice to pick the perfect pumpkins and enjoy the farm. Ashtyn knew exactly what to do this year and LOVED every minute of it. She had no interest in finding a big pumpkin which is typically my goal - No, she wanted to find the smallest pumpkin there was - so we found the smallest pumpkin we could find and she held on to it the whole time - she even slept with it that night.

Eli just hung out in the baby carrier and watched his big sister run around! I am sure next year will be tons more fun for him, but he sure looked cute...

After pumpkin picking we went to visit the animals - Ashtyn loves to sing "Old McDonald" all the time, so this was just the coolest thing in the world to see all the animals hanging out. Of course her favorite were the pigs - they even had piglets which just made her day. She actually fed and petted the big mama pig! But as we were watching them she kept asking me "Mama, what's that smell?"

Ashtyn loved picking pumpkins and petting the piggies, but probably her most favorite was the jumpy castle! Which I don't blame her - I LOVE jumpy castles, yes at 30 I would have loved to been in there with her! She jumped for a good hour, before we had to force her out and carry her home - of course not without a big fight! Everyday she keeps asking me "Mama, can we go to pumpkin patch?" So I am thinking she loved it this year! She still is not on board with the whole "decorating" her pumpkin thing - Last year she had a break down when we carved the pumpkins, so maybe this year we will just leave them be!

It was such a fun day spending time with my little family I love so much! Each year will just get better and better as my kids get older and enjoy these little outings. Now off to finish the costumes...Happy Halloween!

Sisterly Love

As many know, Ashtyn had a hard time welcoming her baby brother into her little world. Slowly, month by month things have gotten better. We have been asking her for months if she wanted to hold Eli and each time she would say "Maybe later" or "When he gets bigger". Well, finally a couple nights ago, Eli was being fussy and I just casually asked Ashtyn if she could hold him for a minute and she said "Sure!" - Shocked, I jumped at the chance and lied him right in her arms - the minute she was holding him, Eli stopped fussing - AMAZING! I had to of course run and get the camera since this was the first time ever holding him and capture the million dollar shot! It definitely brought a tear to my eye! I hope they always love each other - I know they will fight and argue like all brothers and sisters do, but I really hope they will be close forever and share their lives with each other! I know what a pain in the butt little brothers are, but I think Ashtyn is really going to enjoy having him around - especially to boss around. I love my babies so much - XOXOXO!

Just a Little Guy

FOUR months OLD! Here are Eli's stats:

weight: 12 lbs 2 oz - 6%

length: 25 inches - 56%

We visited the doctor for Eli's 4 month check up. All in all he is doing great, but the doctor said "I guess he is just a little guy" when referring to his low weight gain again. Until he falls off the map completely I guess they don't get concerned, but I have to admit I was a little disappointed with the weight gain, especially since he has been eating like crazy - oh well! As long as he stays happy and keeps developing like he has I guess I should not worry! Once again, Eli got his vaccinations which I think were harder on Ashtyn then him - she started crying right before the nurse gave them and cried "Don't give my baby brother shots - please!" I had to not only comfort Eli, but Ashtyn as well - Maybe next time Ashtyn will stay at Grandmas!

EATING: Eli improved a ton this month with his eating schedule - although his weight is still low he eats a 4 ounce bottle every 2 hours for a total of 30 ounces in a day! We've tried giving him 6 ounces, but he prefers to eat smaller amounts more frequently - I have learned with him that he likes to be on his own schedule so I just go with the flow at the moment. The doctor cleared us for cereal, fruits and vegetables so we may start those soon - anything to fatten this boy up!


SLEEPING: Still a great sleeper! He also put himself on a sleeping schedule this month as well - I know, crazy! Basically, he wakes up around 7:00 has a bottle, plays for 45 minutes, naps for 45 mintues and repeat until around 6:30 when he get a bit fussy. So I throw him in the bath right after dinner - which he LOVES - feed him a bottle and then off to bed around 7:30 or 8:00! I have to admit it is great to have a child whom puts themselves on their own schedule - I never was so lucky with Ashtyn, so he makes it very easy on us, for now anyways.


HABITS and TRICKS: Eli's adorable personality continues to shine through every day and I am so loving it! He is still smiling all the time - and now full on giggles, especially when I change his diaper - who knows what that's about, but apparently he loves to have his diaper off (I am sure only a man can relate to this) He is starting to scream all the time now when he is excited - which is so nice when you are at a restaurant or shopping in Target! He grabs his feet all the time and tries to put them in his mouth. Loves to suck on his hands and is getting better at holding toys and then moving them into his mouth. He has started playing on the floor a little bit, but gets bored quick! He has officially rolled over - both ways - but does not like to be on his stomach at all. He wants so bad to be able to sit up by himself - I think so he can see what Ashtyn is doing all the time and gets so frustrated when he can't do it - so we have him in the Bumbo a lot so he can see the world around him. Lately he has started acting like he wants to hold his bottle - so cute - and at the end I let him play as he takes the nipple in and out of his mouth while dripping milk all over his face!

We had our first head cold this past month, which was a bit rough, but I am sure it was one of many we are going to experience. He also is constantly drooling, so I am thinking teething is on it's way - oh yeah! There is definitely something special between a mother and her son. Eli constantly looks at me with his big brown eyes that just melt my heart every time. And when I come home after work or if he hears my voice on the phone he gets a HUGE smile on his face and kicks his legs - I am so loved! I guess I do have a little mama's boy, but I am quite alright with that.

Robbie came to visit...

On Wednesday my sweet nephew Robbie came to visit while Ariana had a couple hours to herself to be pampered! We had tons of fun - and it was so nice to get some time with him. Robbie is so fascinated by Ashtyn - he just watches her!

I am sure next year at this time these 2 little boys will no longer be sitting here quite like this - I see a lot of running around and tackling in the future! Can't wait to watch them play... We also made cookies, which is something Ashtyn and I do almost every Wednesday, so we had Robbie join us. He did great - sat on the counter sucking on the spatula or banging the measuring cups on the countertop!



Thank you Robbie for coming to visit - we LOVED having you. You are such a sweet, cuddly little boy, Auntie loves you so much! Come visit us soon...

The BIG 3-0 - SURPRISE!

SURPRISE! We celebrated Matt's 3oth Birthday last weekend - CRAZY! I am an amazing wife - not only did I take him to a concert to celebrate his big day, I also showered him with presents and love AND I also threw him a SURPRISE party - you would think he would just LOVE me! Well, Matt hates parties and specifically asked me not to throw one - but how could we possibly pass by his 30th birthday without a huge bash! Well, it wasn't a huge bash, but it definitely was fun - Thanks to my mom for all her wonderful help we threw a Surprise BBQ party with all of our family and friends at my parents house. It was so fun, although Matt did find out about the surprise beforehand - he is a detective and all, but I think he was still shocked by the excitement and all the balloons - another little joke we have - you see Matt and I got in a big fight on Ashtyn's 2nd birthday because I wanted like 100 balloons for her party and Matt refused - so I told him when I threw his next party the house would be filled with balloons, just to be spiteful! - so for his 3oth birthday it was "balloon" themed!

Thank you to all our family and wonderful friends for helping celebrate Matt's 30th!

The fun did not stop there - Matt loves guns - any kind of gun does not matter and lately he has introduced Ashtyn to Nerf guns and they play all the time - Well, I decided for his birthday, from the kids, We would buy him the biggest, best Nerf gun there was on the market and Tah DAH!

He LOVED it and of course so did Ashtyn! She was so excited for him to open it! It has been quite the little toy as everyone who comes over - mainly adults - play with the thing and thinks it is just the coolest thing EVER- nothing like a toy to help you not feel so old on your 30th!

Matt also got some shiny new rims and new tires for his truck - not quite what I would pick for my present - but let's just say he is in LOVE with these! He spent weeks trying to pick out the perfect set and I do say the look very nice! He has been shining them everyday since...

Happy Birthday Babe! I hope the past 30 years have been everything you wanted and dreamed of - job, wife, house, babies - not bad! And I hope the next 30 are even better! I love you so much - you old fart!