reflecting on the day...

...and eating the couch

what's wrong with this picture? episode #2

Ok, remember how this works? I'll show you a picture and you have to guess what is happening or about to happen. Click on the picture to uncover the full & detailed story.

how to drink from a sippy cup

Elliott is here today to properly demonstrate the use of a sippy cup. Most babies find the transition from a bottle to a sippy cup somewhat daunting which is why when first tackling a sippy cup, it is important to show no fear. Sporting a Mr. T attitude and haircut will help you on your way to mastering the art of drinking from a sippy cup. I pity the fool that still drinks from a bottle!

It is always important to first inspect your cup to make sure there are no leaks and its contents are desirable to you.

Make sure you know which end to suck on in order to extract the liquid from the cup as Elliott demonstrates here

and here.

Proper hand position and grip are essential in making your drink experience a pleasurable & comfortable one. In the following figures, Elliott demonstrates the best way to hold and drink from a sippy cup.

It is also important to know how to properly set down your cup to minimize spillage.


Next week: How to suck on a pacifier

sharing a refreshing beverage

This pic was taken on Mother's Day. No better way to spend the day than with the boys.

you are my sunshine

When Elliott was younger, we would spend many hours at night and in the wee hours of the morning rocking him to sleep. Actually, now that I think about it, a very significant part of my day was spent in the rocker, too. In fact, you could call the rocker where we went to "work." The number of hours the average person spends at work was about how much time Elliott & I spent in the rocker. Usually when he would begin a crying jag, you immediately set off for the rocker. However, if this trip was not planned carefully (which was usually the case), it was easy to find yourself trapped with a sleeping Elliott in your arms and nothing to do but cycle thru the thoughts in your head. On occasion, in order to keep my mind occupied, I would reinvent lyrics to some of the children's songs I would sing to him. They usually revolved around the two most precious parts of my life at the time: Elliott & sleep. Dan came in at a close third. I did actually make up a song that has Dan in it, but that is for another time. The song I would like to share with you today is to the tune, "You Are My Sunshine." It is called, "You Are My Baby."

You are my baby, my only baby,
And I love you, with all my heart.
But I wish that, you would sleep more,
So that I, can get, some rest.

The other night E. while you were sleeping,
I dreamt you slept all, thru the night.
But then you woke me, at three-thirty,
And I held, my head, and cried.

You are my baby, my only baby,
And I love you, with all my heart.
But I wish that, you would sleep more,
So that I, can get, some rest.

Mothers of the world, I give you permission to sing this song to your babies if you like, but just a warning, it probably won't help to get them to sleep more. It definitely did not work for me. And if you were wondering, neither did gripe water, heated sheets, white noise, or chloroform. And I certainly will not be held responsible if it causes them to sleep less. And Jeanette, tell Ken I'll teach him how to play it on the guitar if he teaches me how to play, "Row, Row, Row Your Boat." And thank you, Iwona, for the pic of Elliott.

what's wrong with this picture? episode #1

I'm introducing a series of photos that I've snapped of Elliott doing things that he probably shouldn't have been doing at the time. I've been tossing around a few titles for this series, such as, "Why I'm not fit to be a mother," "Oh God No! Elliott Stop!," & "Woman, why are you getting out your camera when you should be doing something about what you see?" For now, I have settled on "What's wrong with this picture?" If you have any other suggestions for the title of this series, please feel free to post them in the comments section. So the way this series works is, I will post a photo and you have to guess what is happening, or happens directly after it was shot. It would be really fun if people would post in the comments section what they thought was happening before they found out what the actual answer was. To find out what really went down, click on the photo. OK, ready? Let's begin with episode #1:


So what's Elliott going to do next? Once you think you know, click on the photo to find out the answer!

are you gonna eat that?

E: BAH BAH BAH JA JIA NA BAH JA!
S: Elliott, I don't care how many times you pray to the Food God, you're not going to get to eat cake today.
(pause)
E: DA DA DA DA DA DADA!
S: That's nice, but your Father isn't here right now, and even if he was, he wouldn't give you cake either.
(pause)
S: So are you going to eat the rest of this banana or what?
(pause)
E: Ba.

he's just that cool

Everyone thinks I got Elliott's hair cut so that he has the perfect mohawk, but no, that's just the way his hair is. He's that awesome that his hair just naturally grows in a way that makes him very trendy. All the girlies love him for it. And with just a bit of aquaphor, he looks like a budding rock star. Thank you, Jeanette, for the photo.

i have just achieved greatness

Today, I have reached a new level of motherhood. I have achieved what every mother dreams of, but few are able to accomplish. No, I'm not talking about giving birth without an epidural (why did I ever think that was a good idea?) or getting Elliott to eat every veggie on his plate (he actually does like his veggies though). No, what I have achieved will make every mother that reads this gasp in awe: Today, I was succesfully able to re-nap Elliott from the car to the crib. Not once, but TWICE. While it was raining out both times. AND he woke up both times, but went back to sleep upon putting him in the crib. AND without him crying or fussing at all. AND after putting him in the crib he slept for over an hour for each of those naps. If you don't understand, you must not have children.

so sweet

Usually when they are together, Victoria & Elliott are screaming at one another and running amock while Iwona & I scramble to keep up. We caught this tender moment on a walk we all took when Iwona & I were both at our wits ends.

why make a blog now? he's already 9 months old!

So, I've been struggling with trying to find a good way to record my observations about Elliott as he gets older, and also about life in general. I think it is also important to share these observations with friends and family, since many of you are so far away. I tried to do the whole website thing on my own, but soon realized I don't really have the time or energy to figure out web design programs, so the site ended up looking pretty crappy (but you have to admit, the videos on it are fucking adorable). Blogging seemed more efficient and aesthetically pleasing. My goal is to log at least one pic and one observation per day. OK, maybe that is a bit ambitious. I'm sure my blogging friends are laughing at me right now. How about at least three times a week? Hopefully you guys can all help hold me to it.