Baby It's Cold Outside

-It's really really winter now. Lots of snow and ice and horrid winds. I know I was complaining about the heat wave, but come back warm weather!
-All my Christmas shopping is done. Way earlier than I've ever finished before. Go ME!
-I still have to wrap and am, for the record, the worst wrapper in the world. Boo.

Eli going over his list to Santa. He's been very good and knows he'll get everything he wants.
Dressed up for our ill-fated Christmas card photo shoot. No pictures in the cards and I had to buy a $65 charger. Felt pretty merry about that.

Eating his dinner last night and showing me how to get the plate really clean. Right after this he threw it onto the floor and made Adelaide's day. Thank God I have a dog.

This Christmas

I know it's kind of obnoxious to admit this but I love Christmas. I love Christmas carols, Christmas movies, Christmas cookies, Christmas shopping, eggnog, mistletoe, Santa and all his reindeer. Sometimes when I am doing something festive I get a tingly feeling. I'm lame. Jason is not Mr. Merry. So, I annoy him and my fear is that Eli will grow up to be a Humbug as well. The only way to prevent this is to make all of his childhood Christmas' spectacular, starting with this one. In this spirit I put up my tiny tree Tuesday night and it is babies first Christmas themed (this is my first themed tree, and a worthy theme it is). Below are pictures.

Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree!
Do not be fooled by Hazel's seeming disinterest, she is the tree's foe. The first year we had her she knocked the tree over 4 times!
Rocking horse ornament that I find charming.
Pacifier ornament, also charming.

The tree is pretty much the extent of my decorating, besides a candy cane candle, a wreath and a Rudolph toy that sings. Next year I'll do more, the plan is to hit the after Christmas sales for cheap decorations. Prices will be slashed! SLASHED!!!

My shopping is still only mostly done, but I'm pretty sure I'll get it done next week and then I can start wrapping. Can't wait to watch Eli rip into presents.

-The great move is over and we're all settled in (well for the most part). Jason and I love love love the new house and exclaim over the most mundane things "Babe the fridge is keeping the milk cold!" or "I'm going to do a load of laundry...in our house!!". We're pretty much overcome with joy. Baby, dog and cat seem to be enjoying the added space as well. I let Adelaide frolic in the snow unleashed and it was the happiest I've ever seen her. And when my dog's happy, I'm happy.
-I'm doing OK with the Christmas shopping, though I still have more than I'd like that has to get done, and the mail is being slower than I'd like. I completely cancelled my k-mart layaway because they vexed me. But it means Eli's getting the bounce and spin zebra that I wanted initially so it's actually a blessing. Can't wait to give it to him.
-My friend Adrienne lent me her Heroes season 1 DVD set and now Jason's hooked too, I knew he would be. When we first got together we used to have long conversations about what super power we'd like to have. We're dorks, I know.
-Eli's so grown up! It breaks my heart. He looks like a toddler and half the time when I pick him up he's squirming to be let down. Why couldn't he just stay a baby for a little longer?

Here's the little guy at the new house trying to figure out the gate that separates the living room from the dining room. I need about 4 more gates.
We took the little guy to see Santa he was apprehensive. At least he isn't wailing, that would have made for a memorable photo.
The futon mattress was laying on the living room floor and daddy and Eli took advantage of that for nap time.
He decided to help me unpack. Doesn't he look grown up?
In the laundry basket, he was having a pretty good time in there, and Adelaide seemed to like that he was contained.

-Eli had a very pleasant first Thanksgiving. First we went to my mom's restaurant where she gives out free Thanksgiving dinner. It was crowded and fun and all the patrons and helpers were in great moods. Then we went home for a nap (well Eli napped) before heading to my mom's house for actual dinner where my friends Suzanne and Doug joined us. Eli ate turkey, sweet potatoes, and mashed potatoes and was generally fawned over.
-It's exactly one week til moving day and I could not be more excited, I've been picking out decor on ETSY and planning parties-my favorite party idea is for a potluck where everyone brings their favorite dish and their dog.
-Saturday was mini game night at Jen's where lots of delicious cheese filled food was eaten and Adrienne and Suz beat our pants off at trivia. I feel shamed. Jen also got ludicrously drunk and broke her glasses. Christina got drunk and set her purse on fire in the bathroom. Also Christina and I bonded and I have to say she's my favorite of Brian's recent string of girlfriend's.
-Now pictures with helpful captions Here is Eli with daddy before dinner looking somewhere beyond cranky.
Eating and making a mess, he loves feeding himself, at the new place I'm going to have to invest in a heavy duty splat mat to protect the floors.

Pies made and donated by hippies.
Me, Doug and Suz at my mom's after dinner. My mom would happily feed the world if she could afford it.
Eli's foe doll, Mahesh, named after Suz's ex-boyfriend. I bought it at this awesome store about a block from my house called Divertido. A lot of great stuff that I plan on going back and buying after Christmas/Moving.
Sometimes Eli makes this face. It's charming.
Eli eats sharks for breakfast.

So, I've been a bad blogger lately and haven't had picture time for awhile, we'll play catch up after all pertinent business is discussed
-Jason and I signed a lease for a new house on Saturday. This place is like 100x nicer than where we currently hang our hats and I've got all appendages crossed that nothing goes wrong this time. I know I've said I was moving like a gazillion times this fall, really starting to feel like the bot who cried wolf.
-I have triumphantly begun Christmas shopping! I never start this early. Usually I like to wait til the Eve and then run around the mall in a flurry and go home for serious wrapping and tagging. But I don't have the energy for that this year, I also can't imagine dragging a baby to the mall on Christmas Eve. My stroller's so large it wouldn't leave much room for other harried shoppers in some stores.
-I'm obsessed with freerice.com, I get to practice my vocabulary and help hungry children
-FlexCar has come to Pittsburgh and I'm really excited about using those instead of purchasing a car. It's good for the environment, good for my wallet and would force me to continue to walk places when a car really isn't necessary.
-If I use FlexCar I can use my tax refund for new living room furniture! The futon we were using as a couch met it's sad end the other night and will be relegated to Jason's basement lair at the new house. His basement lair which also has a bathroom complete with shower. I may never find razor stubble in my sink again : ) Bliss.
-Eli's newest trick is to sing back when you sing to him, this work's especially well with the lalalala part on the Minnie Riperton song Loving You.

Now Pictures of the boy.
This is his Christmas diaper from his "Aunt" Jenna, so cute I couldn't wait til Christmas to put him in it.
Rocking his wool shortie diaper cover, it's like an afghan for his butt, I love it and want to buy a bunch more.
His other diaper from his Aunt Jenna sock monkeys! We love sock monkeys you know.
And his Thanksgiving dipe : ) Gobble Gobble. To celebrate Thanksgiving I think I'm going to give him his first white potatoes.
It's cold enough here now to use the bundle me on his stroller, it's so snug and warm that he generally goes right to sleep when we put him in here.

He's so good at standing up and "cruising" and his balance is improving so that now when he falls he usually lands on his butt.
I bought a mei tei carrier, which we both love. In this picture (which I took myself in the bathroom mirror obviously) we had just come back from a nice long walk during which he fell asleep. I really wish I'd had this when he was smaller and incapable of entertaining himself.
Daddy taught Eli how to take the lid off his cereal puffs! Thanks daddy.
Here he is trying to get to the av cords in the front of the TV, possibly that new living room furniture should include an entertainment center with doors.
This is Eli when he first realized that he could pull himself up to stand. Watching him learn new things is so amazing.

Random Facts

My friend Bonnie http://bonnkyee.blogspot.com/ has tagged me to blog 8 random things about myself, so here goes.

1. I once worked at Bath and Body Works for 1 night, be nice to those girls they work a lot harder than you think.

2. I love dogs feet. Seriously I love their little pink padded paws and every dog I've ever owned has gotten to experience me falling asleep holding onto one of their paws.

3. My shopping addiction is probably every bit as bad as any drug addiction you can imagine.

4. I can write my name with my toes.

5. I was a girl scout and because of that I love mountain pies and singalongs.

6. Sometimes I eat side dishes on their own for dinner : mashed potatoes and peas and nothing else.

7. One of the drawers in my desk at work holds only shoes.

8. I'm scared of the dark.

I hope that was informative for everyone. On a different note last night Eli was asleep in his bed and I was in my bed reading, he stirred, whined a bit and groped around in his bed until he found Dangles. Then clutching his stuffed monkey he went right back to sleep. The amount of love I feel for that kid cracks my heart open.

Minutia

-I was given some mascara. It is everything I've ever wanted in a tube of mascara. It makes my lashes darker and longer without weird clumps or spider effect.

-Eli is really really mobile all of a sudden. He learned how to pull up and it would seem that now there is no stopping him. I've been crash babyproofing, I had to dismantle my rotating dvd rack monday night in order to ensure that he will continue to dwell on this earth.

-It's really cold. It snowed yesterday and hailed today. I know I was complaining about the weather, but now I'm cold. Bah.

-I found a new favorite place for online shopping, everyone can expect magnificent X-Mas gifts.

-I hate the word X-Mas and an really ashamed of myself for using it.

-I've become resigned to the fact that I live where I live and that for at least the remainder of this year I will continue to live there. It sucks, a lot, but that's how it is. I am zen in regards to my housing situation.
-It's finally started to get cold, Pittsburgh feels like Pittsburgh again.
-Eli had his first Halloween.


This is my friend Suz and I at Jen's party last weekend, we are Ike and Tina Turner. Being Ike Turner is something I've been preparing for for years with repeated viewings of What's Love Got to Do With It.

I was absolutely determined to get Eli to the pumpkin patch, even though I knew he'd have no idea what was going on, I'm a photo-op nut since he was born. So here's Jason and I with the little one on his first hayride on Sunday. See how I'm wearing a short sleeve shirt? I was freezing. My lips turned blue. You can generally count on me to be improperly dressed for most occasions.

Halloween day my sister-in-law and I brought the kiddies into the office in their costumes. Eli's a monkey and Providence is a duck. Cute little guys huh?
Eli after trick or treat, we went to about 6 houses, got a bunch of candy he's not allowed to have (what will I do with it?), and spent the night at Grandma's.

-Last night Jason talked to his mother and she told him they're coming up for Thanksgiving. In fact they're driving up and towing their trailer, which they will be parking and staying in. So, I'm pretty excited that they're not staying with me, but also left with the distinct impression that they're planning on staying for awhile. Pittsburgh is my safe place, I don't want disturbances and unwanted parenting advice in my safe place.

-I'm tired. Stayed up way to late last night to read Empire Falls, which was really really good and ended up someplace I never thought it would at the beginning, but now I'm craving a nap and knowing it's not going to happen. I'll settle for a quiet evening and an early bedtime.

On not moving

I'm really behind on pictures, because blogger was refusing to let me upload. And I'm behind on news because things change so quickly. We did not move after all. When I went to sign the lease for the new place the landlord started writing in new rules on the lease, literally writing them on in pen. The one that I took the most offense with was that my dog couldn't go to the bathroom in the backyard, ever, or we'd be evicted. So, we're still in the apt I hate, but I'm dealing with it very gracefully. Here are a bunch of pics.

Here's Eli taking a nap on the futon, he sleeps face down like that now. I used to worry that he'd suffocate but I've since learned that if he's happily sleeping moving him is a dumb idea.

Being cute, he sits up so well now! he hardly ever tumbles over and I know he'll be walking in no time. Definitely time to invest in some baby gates.

Here he is playing with his little tool bench from Auntie Rhonda. He loves this thing! He will crawl across the living room to get to it and then pull on it til it topples over on him. Don't worry it's really lightweight and he thinks it's hilarious.

Here I am at Dee's with Suzanne on Friday night, after I realized I'd still be living in my current apartment. I needed a drink.
Jen at the Woman of the Year festivities earlier that evening, she's a winner! That's her major award that she's holding. The best part of the evening was Dr. Kim the keynote speaker. I advise you to go to Dr.Kimspeaks.com. You won't be disappointed.

Eli sleeping in his stroller last week after a very long walk around the park on the first nice crisp fall day. This is my favorite time of the year and I'm delighted that summer is finally over! Anyone who doesn't believe in global warming is an idiot after the weather we had the past two months.

Eli before said walk, wearing shoes for the first time ( he wasn't impressed, but aren't they cute?) and about to be licked by Adelaide. He loves his doggy.

Laughing at mommy, the funniest person in the world thank you very much. He's such a delightful little guy. Charming and funny and curious. Every age is my favorite age so far.

Fall, almost

This has to be the warmest fall ever, and that's counting the years I spent in Vegas. I've been looking forward to sweaters and crisp walks, instead I'm stuck with tank tops and sweaty heads. If this keeps up we're going to have to cut the sleeves off Eli's monkey costume. Sleeveless monkey, so Miami. I'm really hating global warming.

Eli after his first Steeler's loss. He's doing ok, young as he is he seems to understand that you win some you lose some, you always love your team.

Daddy took this picture while I was at work, Eli looks sullen. Probably because he missed me. Poor buddy.
And look I got that haircut and eyebrow waxing! I feel (and I think look) a whole lot better. It was really a necessity since I'm going to be one of Jen's dates to the woman of the year banquet.

And lastly I promised Suzanne that I'd blog about how much Eli adores her, believe me he does. Tuesday night when she was over for the biggest loser he chose to snuggle with her instead of me. Sigh.

Crawling

Eli has finally started crawling! I was really starting to think it wasn't going to happen then Monday evening he just wiggled his butt and went right across the livingroom floor. Now he wants to be down all the time, makes me miss my little baby who always wanted me to hold him. I know I swore I'd never say that. He turned 8 months old yesterday, just 4 months shy of a year and I'm constantly marveling at how fast it's gone. I feel like I'm going to blink and he'll be heading out the door to college. Not calling or visiting, only coming home to do laundry and grocery shop out of the kitchen cupboards.

The big news on the Dukes/Witcher home front is that we're moving in less than 2 weeks time. I know I've said we were moving before, but this time is for real. The new apartment is literally four blocks from the old one (which makes renting a truck seem like a giant, though unfortunately necessary, waste of money) has two bedrooms, a small fenced in yard, and a covered deck. Eli is really excited about finally having that nursery his parents have been promising him, and his Aunt Jenny is excited that we're going to put her shower gift to good use. Me too, Bubba's monkey business bedding is just about the cutest thing ever. It will also be nice to not have Adelaide wake him up every night when Jason comes home from work with the growling and the barking. So, that's exciting and the afore-mentioned Aunt Jenny and I are planning a grown-up scavenger hunt. Which is looking like it's going to be a lot of fun and will have fabulous prizes for the winners i.e. candy, liquor, and trophies. Also it will be kind of a housewarming party for the new place.

This is Eli at 9:30 on Sunday night, showing no inclination what-so-ever to go to bed. Lately he has had the kind of energy that I find unfathomable.

Here he is chewing daddy's wallet, which is probably unsanitary but...

Pizza crust! He was looking at the pizza so longingly that I caved and gave him a piece of crust, he gnawed it til it was pretty soggy and gross and then held it over the side of the high chair for Adelaide to munch on. They've got a good thing going on.

Eli being Eli-exuberant, charming, and adorable.
We breed our football fans. Then we in doctrine them from birth. If we do a good job Eli will be loyal to the black and gold his whole life.

I'm particularly fond of this picture and of the monster shirt that his grandma bought for him. We're sliding into Eli's first Halloween, he will be a monkey (of course). And we'll be taking him here http://www.triplebfarms.com/pumpkin.html to get his pumpkin, it's where my mom always took us. The rule was that we could have any pumpkin we could carry out and back to the car. Holidays with Eli are something I'm really looking forward to.