Public Service Announcement

Recently I have attended a few social gatherings with just Elias (Matt has been sick or busy). It is no simple task to entertain your child at someone else's house or in a public place that isn't childproof and preferably padded on all sides. I always come prepared with toys and food, but inevitably Elias loves to get into those things that are not for kids. This is no new thing, it happens at home too. The trouble is, I go to a party because I would like to talk with people, eat and enjoy myself. I have noticed that at events, if I have to constantly watch and play with Elias, no one comes and talks to me. I tried to talk to a friend at the last party, but he wouldn't follow me around and talk as I chased after Elias. So, I write this as a public service announcement. The next time you are at a party and there is someone there with child in tow, follow her (or him) around and play with their child, talk to them and make them feel like it was worth it to come out. Even if you don't have all that much to say, just think how much more conversation it will be than the last time they were at a party.

Missed Post

As I was checking my posts, I realized earlier this month I was planing on writing about getting Elias off of the bottle, but never finished it. So this is about a month behind, but Elias is using a sippy cup. Hurray!

I decided one day (and who knows where I get these crazy ideas) that Elias should transition from using a bottle to the sippy cup. I actually think we may have waited too long because it was a bit of a struggle. Elias takes a while to warm up to change (don't we all), so for a while, he just wasn't drinking milk anymore (this made Matt worry, of course). I knew he could use both kinds of cups we had because he drinks water out of them at school. One day they told me he drank a cup and a half of water out of the sippy cup, so it became a battle of the wills. After about a week, he started using one particular kind of cup pretty well, so I deemed him off the bottle. He still doesn't drink quite as much milk as he used to, but I think it is because he is eating more. That Elias just keeps on growing up!

Highchairs are Gross

We were lucky enough to get a used highchair from a co-worker and it worked really well for feeding Elias. I have just recently returned it to her as her daughter is having a baby. I'm sure you have seen it in the many pictures I have posted here. The thing is highchairs are really gross. They get food stuck everywhere and are impossible to clean. This particular highchair had tons and tons of nooks and crannies, screws an seams. Icky!

To take its place, we got one of those restaurant highchairs on Craig's list. It has far few pieces to clean and pulls right up to the dinning room table. I like it sooooo much better. I've decided when babies are small, getting a highchair that hooks onto a chair is the way to go. When they get to be toddlers, the restaurant style chair works great. Just a little tip for those of you yet to experience the sticky god-awful smell of days old food caked onto a traditional highchair. Hope this helps.

Conferences

Elias had his second parent/teacher conference at daycare last week. To summarize:

Elias doesn't put up much of a fuss and can be easily overlooked at school. He often entertains himself, and always has a smile for the teachers. He is slow to try new things and will let you know when he isn't interested. He loves music, being outside, books, puzzles, and stacking cups. He will participate in art projects, but doesn't like getting messy. The goals for Elias are to try and get him to interract more with the other kids.

When I told Matt, he was a bit disappointed. He doesn't want Elias to be quite so much like him, and would rather him be a little bit more like me. I must say I'm not surprised he is a lot like Matt. Just look at him for goodness sakes.

And it is Still Snowing

We've gotten well over a foot of snow in the last two days. Elias, Matt and I went out to play in it for a short while this afternoon (no work!). My favorite moment was when Elias leaned on a big pile of snow and went head first into it. Wasn't quite as solid as he thought. I found it hilarious...Elias, not so much. It is supposed to be sunny and 40 tomorrow. Gotta love Colorado.

Cruddy

Everyone seems to be feeling cruddy these days. Elias got a cold with wheezing (as always) and was just too tired to go to school for a few days. Once he seemed better rested, he quit eating and started crying non-stop. That can only mean one thing...ear infection. Luckily we have some drops from last time that relieve the pain, but it still entails a trip to the nurse practitioner, a couple more days out of school and ten days of medicine. One would think with all of the time off of work I could have gotten a lot done at home, but no such luck. Now Matt and I have sore throats, and strep was going around my office. Ugh. Wonder how much I'll get done if I have to take off for that.

A Busy Boy

Elias gets into everything. Almost everyone describes him by saying, "Elias sure is a busy boy." A few weeks ago he pushed his toy table over to the kitchen counter, stood up on it and was trying to get something down that I'm sure wasn't meant for him. Busy.....hmmmm. I tend to say "trouble", but to each their own.