Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween from my little gnome! 

(Who was surprisingly okay with wearing this beard, by the way.)

typical sunday.

My boys.

(all three of them)

grooming fails and baby grins

So...I took Simon to get groomed at Petsmart today.  This has been his first grooming since becoming our dog, mind you.

It didn't really work out.

They called me after his bath and nail trimming, that when they were trying to trim the hair around face he basically had the dog equivalent of a nervous breakdown.  He was showing signs of "major stress" so I went and picked him up.  He's super clean, but still a bit shaggy.  His face is a little more groomed but now uneven..ha.

Look at that face!  Little chubby cheeks is giving me a smooshed little grin.  I have been trying very hard to get a photo of him smiling but every. single. time. I hold the camera up when he starts smiling he goes straight-faced.  Rude.

So...that little photo above is the closest I have :)

scattered thoughts for [wednesday]

+ I used to want to buy too many things for myself.  If I saw something wanted to wear or put in our home, I would buy it.  Good news: I no longer do that!  Bad news: It's because I've focused my consumerism on Eli. Gosh, baby stuff is too cute, and I kind of want all of it.

+ This morning Eli and I ventured over to Rookwood Commons, to Joseph Beth Booksellers, where I often took little girl (of my previous nanny job).  Monday/Wednesday/Friday at 10:30 is story time at the bookstore and while I did not take Eli to story time (yet...I will when he's old enough!), he got to meet Miss Audrey, who is my favorite story time lady :)

+ It has been really warm this past few days in southern Ohio/northern Kentucky which has been really nice for drying clothes outside!

+ Rob bought me my first domain!! If you recall I once said long ago that I desired to turn this into a *real*-ish blog, with more of a purpose and less random.  That hasn't happened for two years, and as soon as I come up with a blog layout, Rob is going to put it together for me!  We'll see when I get around to that...

+ There are so many projects and crafts I have floating around in my head but I just can't find the time/energy to execute them.

+ For lunch I am eating soup from a can.  I frequently eat soup from a can.

+ It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown is playing in our DVD player right now.  Eli doesn't care, though.  He fell asleep in his swing.

+ While I really love fall and all fall-type things, I am really looking forward to the Christmas season.  Christmas is my favorite.

+ Soon I will be joining the smartphone community!  I have an iPhone 5 coming my way! (Hopefully, eventually).  We ordered it last month but because it was on back order and it may not ship out until November 2.  Ridiculous.

+ I just realized my child has the same hair as Linus Van Pelt.

well...

Intense.

These are just some photos we took on Eli's 2 month marker :)

shots, shots, and more shots.

Photo taken last October.

Thursday, Eli had his checkup and round of shots.  Friday, it was Simon's turn.  What I initially thought was going to be a physical exam and a rabies shot (he was due in the beginning of September...oops) turned out to be three different shots, some blood drawn for a heart worm test, and I have to bring back a stool sample  some time in the next ten days (fun).  So what I thought was going to be a $50 vet bill turned into a $150 vet bill.  Oh well, it's the least we can do for the little guy.

I also found out Simon weighs 18.2 pounds.  Eli will probably surpass him by his 4 month check up, which both amuses and disgusts me.  Why do babies grow so fast (...especially, it seems, my baby)?  Our vet also said Simon is two years old.  Up to this point we were unsure, as he was a stray before he went to the shelter, although that is what the shelter guessed his age to be around.

Anyway...hey!  I [kind of] made a post about something other than Eli! Ha.

2 months!

Today my baby is 2 months old!  Eli weighs 14 pounds and 3 ounces, and is 24 3/4 inches long.  He is so, so big!  At this point he is already wearing some 6 month clothing!  He is looking healthy all around and had to get two shots today, one in each leg.  The first shot he recovered from quickly, but with the second one he cried and cried! There were even little tears coming out of his eyes :( It was a pretty rough morning and he has been pretty sleepy ever since.  

Also: I have really relaxed on the whole BabyWise thing.  I just wasn't getting the hang of it.  I know I probably didn't give it long enough but scheduling and organization is not my forte.  I am still using the principle of eat/wake/sleep but not rigidly.  He has been going to bed around the same time every night, but the first feeding comes at different times every day (a BabyWise no-no) and he goes anywhere from an hour and a half to three hours between feedings so there is obviously no schedule there.  I do think he's discerning a bit from night and day now as his naps during the day are pretty short and he sleeps for longer chunks at night, but as a general rule he still wants to be fed twice at night.  A couple nights ago he slept for 5 1/2 hours straight and I thought I hit the jackpot!

Some of Eli's favorite things at 2 months:

Baths

Being talked/sung to

Tummy time in his activity gym

Pacifier 

Bouncy seat

Looking at light (we call him moth boy)

Stroller rides

Being outdoors

Car rides

Being held by someone standing up

(apparently this is way, way more desirable than being held by someone sitting down)

He is such a sweetheart and so mild mannered!  He hardly ever has temper tantrums and when he cries out it's almost scary because it happens so rarely.  He's more of a 'yeller'.  He kind of yelps and calls out when he wants something or doesn't want something (ex: going to bed).  It is crazy to think how we ever lived before Eli was here!  We love him so much!