Updates on Elijah James Cole

Somehow, it happened. I have a 1 year old son.

Elijah spent his first birthday on a whirlwind tour of western Pennsylvania. I have hundreds of photos. I’ll try to pick out a few to share over the next week or so.

We flew out of Phoenix on Saturday evening. We got lucky as the flight was not full and Elijah got a seat of his own. If a flight is not full, many airlines will let you have a seat for an infant. This was one of those times. He still enjoys flying. So far, he’s not like his dad in that his ears don’t give him troubles as they pressurize the cabin. He also flirts with nearly every woman that walks by. Men are hit or miss but he sure smiles at the ladies.

We were met at the airport by my brother and his family. My favorite sister-in-law, Becky, met us at baggage claim telling us that the rented van was larger than expected but the hotel room was much smaller. (As sizes go, this was preferred.) Once our baggage arrived, we met Chris and the boys, Zander and Ezekial (who, quite frequently, refer to each other as brother) for the trip back to the hotel.

Sunday was a day of relaxation and acclimation to the time zone change. Ugh. After shaking off the sleepiness, we headed over to PNC Park to enjoy a Pirates game. (They played the Astros.) PNC Park is beautiful. It is much more elegant than Three Rivers Stadium ever was. However, the HUGE downside is that there is nearly ZERO shade. This is great if you only go to evening games, but knowing this, if I lived in Pittsburgh, it is reason to stay away. I was very, very disappointed.

Needless to say, it was a hot day. Thankfully, the Pirates played a spectacular game and won. With one home run, we even got to see some fireworks.

Monday, we headed the city where Chris and I grew up, Titusville. It is a city in the legal sense of the word. It got it’s charter in the mid 1800s during the oil discovery boom and, once a place becomes a city, it doesn’t lose the designation. It’s not the smallest city in Pennsylvania, but it is working its way there. In many ways, it was the same city that I remember. However, in more ways, it has changed, and not for the better.

This was Elijah’s actual birthday, so we chose to celebrate… at Perkins Family Restaurant. (Don’t laugh. Okay, you can laugh. It is one of the nicest restaurants in town.) We were met for dinner by one of our former neighbors Tammy Bryan (nee Kaster) and her husband, Bruce. It was FANTASTIC seeing them. They were also incredibly thoughtful and brought gifts for all three boys. Thank you so much for the Build-a-Bears. There were three bears, named by Tammy/Bruce’s son. The bears names’ are Nutter, Butter, and Cocoa. Quite clever, I must say.

Tuesday, we went to Clarion to visit my dad and step-mother. They both looked good. (Though, Norma, my step-mother, has been through more than her fair share of health scares lately.) We had a fabulous visit and dad got to meet not only Elijah for the first time, but also Zander and Ezekial.

Wednesday, we took Elijah and his cousins (and our spouses) to Cook Forest to be somewhat touristy. It was full of memories. (Titusville was full of memories too, mind you, but these were different.) So much of the park seems unchanged. (In an age of budget cuts, it is surprising.)

Thursday, we took the long way back to Pittsburgh. We took the family to State College to see where my brother, Chris, went to school. (We took time to have ice cream at The Creamery. It was fabulous!) I also got to see one of my fellow (I don’t like to use the word “old”) IUP alumni friends that is teaching at Penn State. (Hi Julie!) I’m glad I caught her, she’d just given her 2 week notice to the university.

Speaking of IUP, we then traveled to Indiana, PA to visit my alma mater. It’s not that I’m not proud of where I went to school, I am. I’m also quite proud that I graduated. It’s just so hard to explain to people that I didn’t go to school in the state of Indiana. I went to school in the city of Indiana which is in Pennsylvania. (Seriously, did NO ONE think of this when they named the school?)

We got back to Pittsburgh late Thursday night.

Friday, we went to the zoo. It was fun. Elijah took in most of the sights with wide eyes.

Saturday, we bid Pittsburgh, the City of Champions (as well as the Pirates) farewell.

So, that was our week. Elijah was a trooper through all of it. He really enjoyed spending time with his cousins. They played with him and made him laugh. A lot.

It was funny, after this week, Elijah has a new facial expression that I think he learned from one (or both) of his cousins. He get’s this big toothy grin (if you can call 8 teeth, “toothy”) and just beams.

This week, Martha is taking Eli to his pediatrician for his 1 year checkup. I’ll probably not make that one, as much as I’d like to. However, when it is time to revisit the barrage of doctors that saw him in the NICU for his annual checkup, I’ll probably be there for them. (Mostly just to be a proud papa.)

We’re probably going to look into having some family photos taken (or at least some portraits of Eli) to commemorate his first trip around the sun. Wow. It still amazes me to think that I’ve got a 12 month old child.

It was a busy week, but things should quiet down a bit now. My next update will be more Eli-centric, I promise.

Blessings to you and your loved ones!

Last weekend, over the 4th of July holiday weekend, Martha and I went to see Toy Story 3. (4 out of 4 stars, I think.) For Eli, it meant that he was going to spend a couple of hours with friends of ours, Jessica, Josh, and their son Joshua. It is a weird feeling, leaving your child with someone else. Hard to describe. In a way it was the same feeling I get when I leave for work in the the morning but magnified ten times because Martha was with me. We enjoyed the movie, but I have to admit that I was happy to be home and with him again.

There’s a sense of security, I think, being at home. It’s increased more so by having one or both of us watching Eli. I expect it is an imagined feeling. It’s as if I can will the bad things away.

Eight days from today Elijah will have his first birthday. We’re headed to Pennsylvania to visit Grandpa Doug and Grandma Norma. (His paternal grandparents, for those that don’t know.) They live in Clarion, but we’ll be making some day trips to my hometown of Titusville, State College, and Indiana. (Yes, there’s a city in Pennsylvania named Indiana. It’s where I went to college.) I’m not sure of our plans each day. It will be nice to see some old sights as well as some old friends. (So, I better let people know we’re coming.)

Not much to report, development-wise. Eli is growing stronger every day. He is crawling faster and faster and has been figuring out how to go under, over, and around things. It is an amazing thing to watch him look at something, consider the options and then move. Chronologically, he’s almost a year old, but we still adjust for being premature when we look at the window of his development. He’s either on or in front of all his targets.

He’s also been perfecting his standing actions. Not only standing, but also moving from standing to sitting. He’s figured out that it’s not enough to stand up, but one he’s up he needs to learn to get down. It isn’t always graceful, but he’s fun to watch.

Every now and again, he’ll also take a step or two while holding on to something. (Sometimes, his parents.) Someone told me that, as learners, girls, in general, will be a little more fearless than boys. That girls will take a step to try it while boys (again, in general) will wait until they’re sure they ready.

We’re introducing more and more foods into his diet. We’re up to “Stage 3” foods which have lots of combinations as well as textures. We let him feed himself these rice “puffs.” It’s like a dry rice cereal that has some extra flavors. He’s working at the whole chewing action, but slowly but surely, he’s getting it.

Finally, concerning my own development as a parent, I don’t really listen to pop radio much any more. The truth is, for me, there’s not much that really worth listening to. Elijah’s room has public radio (a classical music station) playing nearly 24/7. When he came home from the hospital, we wanted something that would, in its own way, mimic the sounds of the NICU. Other than that, the only reason I listen to the radio is when I’m trying to get an update on traffic or trying to wake up in the a.m.

This week, when the alarm went off, I don’t know what the song that was playing when I hit snooze, but the lyrics I heard were “you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone.” The reason that statement is true, I think, is because in the middle of something, of nearly any event, it is hard to find perspective. It is hard put things into context. One of the funny things about being a parent is that it is putting my own childhood into perspective. It’s an odd thing, really.

It puts my own behavior as well as the behavior of my parents into a new light. I’ve not always understood my folks, but I do appreciate more of what they went through. Martha was an only child, my parents had three kids to corral. I expect it was like herding cats.

Happy Independence Day!

Hard to believe that Elijah is going to be 1 year old in just 2 short weeks. Crazy!

For those that might be inclined to give to the hospital that took care of Elijah in honor of his birthday, here is a link to their foundation information: Banner Desert Medical Center

If you feel like sending Eli present, he can always use toys, clothes, and books. (Thanks to our brothers and sisters at Puddletown Squares, we have a nice start on a library.) He’s wearing 18 month clothes now so sizes 18 to 24 months are best.

I also mentioned, a couple of posts back, that Eli will stick his tongue out (like I do) when he’s sitting and looking at things. It is a habit of mind that I wasn’t really aware of until I watched him mimic me. Here he is doing it:

Yes, before you ask, I am worried about him biting his tongue. So, I’m trying to make a conscious effort to not do this any more. It’s much harder than it sounds. I’m making progress with the other habit that he mimics; clearing my throat. I’m sure that it isn’t a pretty sound when I do it. It is much worse when a baby does it.

Eli is having an easier time every day going from a sitting to a standing position. No more attempts at steps. (We’re in no hurry there.) He’s crawling on all fours nearly all the time. He’s even leaned how to go over, around, and under some obstacles.

The apartment is child-proofed in the loosest sense of the word. Dangerous things are out of reach. However, there’s a lot of mischief an 11 month old boy can get into. So, we’ve got some laundry baskets and storage tubs upside down on the floor in the living room. They serve dual purposes. They block him from going to get a CD off a shelf and they distract him by giving him a reason to practice standing. Win/win, I think.

Finally, the only other funny thing to report is a reflection on the time right after Elijah was born. He had such issues with his GI tract and we were praying for “poopy diapers.” We were warned that there would come a time that the opposite would be true. For Martha, this was last week. She’s had to deal with several days where there were 2 poopy diapers and one day where, shall we say, his “cup runneth over.”

Still, Elijah remains a happy and healthy baby. We are truly blessed.