Updates on Elijah James Cole

Martha is off doing one of her Scentsy parties so Elijah and I are chilling at home.

Funny thing that I’ve learned… the boy seem to like to poop in clean diapers. After he had his yogurt and applesauce, I took him to change his very wet diaper. 10 minutes later, he was standing by the couch on his tiptoes with a certain gleam in his eye. (Then, not long after, a scent of his own.)

Before yogurt, I opted to give him some puffs. Martha has stopped feeding them to him because he’d start to choke on them and then share the contents of his stomach with who ever was is closest. My thought, give them to him on an empty stomach and then “worst case” becomes partially digested airborne puffs. My gamble paid off and he had seconds.

I think I forgot to mention in an earlier blog that all we have to do with Elijah’s bottle is, when he’s sitting his his highchair, put it in front of him. He’ll take it and feed himself. It helps that we use the “Drop-Ins” bottles. They’re the ones with the plastic liner so, when he sucks on it, it acts like one of those juice drinks that come in plastic pouches.

If I had one concern right now about Elijah, I’d have to say that I’m worried about his sleep. Quite regularly, he’ll wake up in the middle of the night with a full fledged cry and then go back to sleep. I don’t know if he’s having nightmares or was awakened by something else and simply upset.

Eli has never really been into his pacifier. Right now, he’s using one as a teething ring and chewing on the backside of it.

Still no walking. He’ll pull himself up and he’ll stand free and clear of whatever he’s next to, but no steps. He’ll pull himself along the couch , crib, or pack-and-play without issue. Sometimes, he’ll even look at me as if to say “Look what I did!”

We’re getting adjusted to life in Washington. The move was draining, but God has been smiling on us nearly every step of the way. It’s nearly impossible to list all the things that could have gone wrong with everything, only to have them work out. This is not to say that it has been easy. My take-home pay has been cut by $10K a year, so that smarts and until we get settled and pay back everyone we owe, we’re going to budget down to the last penny.

We’re also not forgetting to budget for some R&R. We’ve been to a few square dances (though not as many as we’d like as there are lots of people to see) and next September marks our 5th wedding anniversary, so I’d like to plan a trip to celebrate. Hmmmm… I wonder where we might go.

Still, it’s great to be back in Washington. I absolutely love being a full time teacher. It’s a lot of work. Teacher prep, test prep, student issues, tenure issues, and homework considerations seem constant. (I’ve been told that the second year is easier. You not only get into a rhythm, you can recycle some of those materials from the first year.)

I can’t believe that Thanksgiving is a month away. Next thing you know, it’ll be Christmas and then 2011. Christmas will be on the small side, and that’s okay with me. These days I’m much more about “experiences” than “stuff.” I’m sure we’ll find some small toys for Elijah. My guess is that he’ll be happy playing in a large cardboard box.

Though, I do wish I could get him a large wooden rocking chair. My parents had one that they rocked me and my siblings in. We don’t have tons of room for one, but I’d keep it in Eli’s room and rock him when he needs it. Were we in PA, I’d head down to Amish country and find a craftsman to make me a handmade one. (Made by hand always trumps made by machine. In China.)

Well, it is 8:20 and someone looks really tired. I’m going to change his diaper, put a 12 hour one on him and then sit with him until he falls asleep.

Have a great weekend and Happy Halloween!