9.30.06 Motion (Daddy)

Mommy is going to be very upset. Elijah, for the first time this morning, went from a full sitting-up position to a crawling position. He then took off under the dining room table. He can't yet get himself back to a sitting position, but this new motion is just another step toward . . . craziness.

In other news, I think Elijah said another word this morning, "Change." I say "change" to him nearly every time I change his diaper. I occasionally make the sign, but either say "I'm changing your diaper" or simply "change." Nothing that comes out of his mouth is completely clear, but close enough that you kinda get it. Right after he said "change" I repeated it and he just smiled. That just about confirmed it for me. I acknowledged his word and he knew it. The words are so few and far between right now. Rebecca thinks that at his age there are moments of clarity, like this morning and then moments of . . . well, baby. Those moments of clarity will get more and more frequent and then the backtalk will really begin. To date, in order, these are the words I believe I've heard Elijah say:
a. Dookie
b. Odo
c. All Done
d. Change

9.28.06 Wearing a Hat (Daddy)

The boy is in a very cute, everyone loves him stage. I took him to Trader Joes with me today. He was very well behaved and loved smiling at the women who talked to him. I had actually placed a baseball cap on his head before going to the store. He just dripped cute and everyone noticed. He sat in the grocery cart, eating his little stuffed animals, hat on, occasionally grabbing for the things on the shelves. Elijah and I have been in Trader Joes enough now that most of the regular workers recognize us. Makes us feel good and strange at the same time. Nice to be noticed, but we should be, we're there about 3 times a week!!

We can now officiallly say that Elijah is 8 months old. Congratulations to Rebecca, Elijah and myself. . . we have made it 8 months into this new life. Only an undefined number of years left to go. ;-)

Rebecca is back at school full time and life has changed once again. We had lost both of our baby sitters from last year. One of them is pregant now and unable to sit. The other is, well, just not wanting to baby sit Elijah. Why? We have no clue. 'Lijah's new sitter said that he was absolutely the best behaved baby she had ever had. He was content to play with his own toys and if you sat next to him and played with him he was even better. She said he never cried once. He whined a little, but no tears. So we don't know why the other sitter didn't want him. Oh well, she was REALLY expensive anyway.

9.28.06 Raspberries (Mommy)

You know you're a parent when you go to kiss your gorgeous wife and you end up giving her a raspberry on the cheek instead. This is what Andy did to me when I went to kiss him hello this evening after work. He was horrified when he realized, mid raspberry, what he was doing. Laughter ensued.
'Lijah has a new sitter and she absolutely adores him. She declared that he was the best baby that she had watched.... and she has 7 children! Well, I can't argue with that. He IS awesome. She was amazed that he was so well behaved and didn't cry. Apparently he was just content to crawl around and play with his toys. this is my son- perfect. Wonderfully perfect.

9.25.06 Quiet (Daddy)

Elijah was abnormally quiet today. Actually he was really quiet yesterday too. Rebecca noticed it yesterday and said that maybe he's in a new phase where he's just observing. I don't know. Today I had a hard time getting a smile out of him. Most of you who have seen him, or seen pictures, know that it isn't hard to get our boy to smile. He's smiling in nearly every photo, and has been since he was a couple of months old. I did the normal things; singing, dancing, flapping my arms, saying "Dookie", playing with him on the floor, reading him a book and a bunch of other things I can't quite remember (or want to). He really didn't smile much! What I think was different today was the absence of his Mommy. Mom had been home all weekend and suddenly she wasn't here. I think he felt a little bit out-of-place. He was well behaved (for the most part) and didn't get upset over much, so I don't know what else it could be. It is currently 7:43pm and Mom still isn't home. She had a late afternoon training to go to and isn't back yet. Actually, I haven't heard from her all day. I've got burgers waiting to hit the grill when I finally hear the garage door open. Elijah is finishing his evening nap and he'll be happy to see his mom too.

9.24.06 Shameless Begging (Mommy)

So if anyone wants to help out the youngest Harrison we do have a few needs. Namely, MORE DIAPERS! We are doing a load now every other day or so and it is getting to us a bit. I think 6 more would help alot. Plus, 'Lijah's booty is getting bigger and we need bigger diaper covers (size large). Our one size diapers can be found on mother-ease.com, if anyone is interested in donating diapers to our son's cause.

9.24.06 Heightened Parenting Skills (Daddy)

You know you are in the parenting groove when you can stand in the kitchen and write songs about your child. Creativity has hit a new high and taste has hit a new low. The following is a song I wrote yesterday for Elijah after the 8th or 9th diaper change. Now presenting "Poop in My Diaper". ©2006, Andrew Harrison
--
I have poop in my diaper
its no fun you see

I have poop in my diaper
smell it? yep, its me

I have poop in my diaper
its no friend of mine

I have poop in my diaper
straight from my behind

I have poop in my diaper
cause I eat a lot

I have poop in my diaper
its like the trots

I have poop in my diaper
it is really brown

I have poop in my diaper
and it makes me frown

I have poop in my diaper
its uncomfortable please

I have poop in my diaper
can you please change me?

9.24.06 Big Boy (Mommy)

Andy made pumpkin muffins. They are yummy, and are the consistency of biscuits, sort of. Elijah needed a piece of that action so I let him have one. After a couple precursory nibbles, sucks and drools on it, over it and around it, he shoved it in his mouth and took the biggest bite I have ever seen. 5 minutes later the muffin was still in there, stuck to the roof of his mouth and a pathetic "Help me, Mommy" look on his face. Little dribbles of pumpkin colored drool escaped the corners of his tightly closed mouth as our son tried to deal with this foreign invader. The lure of applesauce finally got him to spit out the rest of the muffin on to his white shirt.
Did he learn anything? Not sure. He was still trying to figure out his muffin, but he hasn't stuck so much in his mouth again.
Elijah is currently crawling around on the floor. As he sticks out his hand to touch the computer cord, I tell him "No" in my sternest mommy voice. He retracts his hand and mutters "Doorrt!!!" He tries again. I tell him "No" yet again and he replies a second time with "Doorrt!!!" I guess that means something like "Darn it". This is weird. He has his own little language.
Parenthood is perpetually interesting.

9.22.06 Magic (Mommy)

A few weeks ago 'Lijah started having a little trouble getting to sleep. He used to just go down beautifully, no fuusing really, unless we were somewhere unfamiliar. (ie. not his crib) Then Andy went to Portland on his monthly trip. First off, you need to realize that our boy had been very used to having his dad around. The last time Andy went to Porland and left me and Elijah in Vegas, it was June, and I'm pretty sure the little guy doesn't remember that. Besides, that was the joyous pre-object permanence period. Anyway, I'm getting off track...
So 'Lijah was a good little sleeper until his dad was away. All of a sudden he did not want to be left alone in his room. No naps, no bedtime; he just wailed at me. It was most pathetic, and broke my heart at times. When Andy returned I thought this behavior would dissapate. How wrong I was! 'Lijah was just as picky and moody about sleeping as ever. And then I tried something. My Grandma has knitted 'Lijah a blanket. One night, as I attempted to wrangle my son into his zippy-up feety pajamas, I spied the blanket hanging over the back of my rocker. Inspired, I drew it over 'Lijah's little body as I laid him down in the crib. You should have seen the expression on his face! No more tears. And ever since I have used the blanket he has been fine going to bed. He doesn't usually keep it on him, but for some reason he likes to have it on him when I put him down and leave the room. It must be magic.
Little boy is growing so fast. I can't believe it. This Tuesday he will be 8 months. Can you believe it?
Sheesh.

9.22.06 Cat (Daddy)

I may have been hearing things this morning, but if it was coincidence it was awfully good. I headed upstairs with Elijah to change him. One of our cats, Odo was at the top of the stairs. When Elijah saw Odo I could have sworn he said Uhduh. Nothing more came from Elijah's mouth, but I then repeated "Odo? Did you see Odo?" Elijah has his Ds and Os down, as he says "doooie, doooie, doooie", so I wouldn't think Odo would be that difficult. When Mom reads this she's going to flip. Of course, I may have been wrong. I'll be listening now though.

9.21.06 No?(Daddy)

The number one word in my vocabulary = no!

Anxiously awaiting the backtalk = why?

9.20.06 Butthead! (Daddy)

Elijah has me on a rope, I'm walking it right now and about ready to fall off it. Jeebus he is being a pain in the butt right now. I love you 'Liijah, but come on!! I brought him down from his nap around 4:30. He yelled at me for about 30 minutes. So, I took him back upstairs to nap some more. He did, which I guess was what he wanted all along. He'd already slept for over 2hrs though, so he really shouldn't have slept any more. I went back up to him about 35 minutes later and brought him down with me again. This time I sat him in his high chair, gave him his milk and tried to leave him be while I did some dishes. He sat there just fine, having dropped his milk numerous times. He seemed content to just sit there. . . for a little bit. He then started to fuss again. So I started to prepare some food for him. I prepared an avocado for him. He started eating it just fine and then decided he wanted to help. I began to let him help feed himself, but he wanted to just play with the avocado with both hands. Since he was mad that he wasn't eating I began moving his hands away each time he would reach out for the spoon. He little guy growled at me when I moved his hands away so I could put the spoon in his mouth!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

He is currently sitting in the living room, in his high chair, by himself. I said nothing to him, only moved him out of my sight. He isn't making a noise - most likely because he knows he's in trouble. Again I say - Jeebus.

9.17.06 Floor bunny (Mommy)

'Lijah is officially a rugrat. (Except that we have wood floors...details!) As I write this, my little bundle of perfection is stomach down on the floor, scooting around like an old pro. It's the end of an era. I must face facts: My baby isn't a "baby" anymore. Technically he is, but he is quickly moving to toddlerhood. Pretty soon he will be talking. I can't wait to hear him call me "Mommy".
Andy thinks it's hilariously funny and cute that Elijah seems to be trying to say "dookie". Yes, it's a laugh a minute. It sure will make for an interesting story someday.
Right now Elijah has crawled under the table to get the cat and started to touch the computer cord. He stopped when I told him "no". (He usually growls at us when we tell him "no") When I commented that we needed to find him something to play with, Dad offered him a butterknife.
There is too much testosterone in this house!

9.16.06 Crawling...sorta (Mommy)

It's bad enough I have to work. I feel so god-awful guilty about leaving my son and my husband to go "bring home the bacon"... I wish I could be around to see everything happen and be there at those crucial moments. So when I had to work on a Saturday I felt doubly awful. Then the fatal blow hit.... I came home to a crawling baby. Yes, you heard me, crawling. My son, the wonder that he is, can now move himself across the floor on his own accord. Andy had video taped it. I cried. Pathetic.
So yes, my baby is moving about. He is not yet doing the traditional hands and knees crawling, but he is scooching across the floor on his belly by pushing off with his toes and pulling with his arms. It is terribly cute. Apparently he likes his rubber ducky so much that he will fetch it when we throw it out on the floor. Well, not really "fetch" since he can't pick it up and bring it back, but he will scooch after it. You know what this means. We need to keep the floor uber-clean, and we need to, gasp, babyproof. Joy. I have dreaded this moment from the moment I saw the pink lines on the test. Life as we know it is over. We now have a child who can officially "get into things".
Andy tells me that he can't count the amount of times I have said "Life as we know it is over." Blah.
I AM proud of my little guy. I've been rooting for him to get a handle on this for a while now, and he finally has. He looks very proud of himself when he scoots across that floor.
In other news, 'Lijah loves to make those /d/ sounds. This is great, but if his first word turns out to be "Dookie", then Andy is in for it. It was not my idea to nickname our son after poop. Andy keeps saying "Dookie" to him, over and over, and then 'Lijah tries to mimic him. This might be amusing in 15 to 20 years, but it is not right now.
Oh, and then there's the slapping. 'Lijah loves to slap everything. Andy encouraged this by helping him "play drums" with an empty formula can today. It is very weird to watch my little baby randomly slap his tray, the floor, his legs, anything that is in the vicinity of his lap. Hey, at least he's having fun! (And that's without greasing up the floor!)

9.16.06 Scooch (Daddy)

This little boy is so close to crawling. I couldn't help myself here, I had to blog about this. Our son is on the kitchen floor, pulling himself around by his hands, turning himself with his feet and arching his back to get his knees underneath him. I layed him in the center of the kitchen, about 4 feet away from me. He 'crawled' all the way to my feet, where I was standing doing dishes. He decided he wanted to play with my toes. Guess they can be fun for someone, eh?

I have never seen him move this much. He is going all over the place in a 4 foot circle. He is even eating the floor, much to my dismay. Mom said last night "good thing I cleaned the floor the other day". Guess the last few days of traffic and drool doesn't matter (wink). It is strange to see him moving as much as he is. Makes me wonder what will be happening next week. We're too far away from family - everyone needs to be closer so they can experience Elijah's changes for themselves. Pretty cool.

Random thought - "I wonder if I grease the floor if he'd have more fun?"

9.14.06 ddddddd (Elijah)

d d dddddd ddd d d dddddd dddddddddddd ddddd ddd d
Download the audio version

9.14.06 Babbling (Daddy)

Elijah is babbling quite a lot now. He is all D sounds, with a few Ls thrown in for good measure. His head grew larger while I was gone for a week. This kid is going to topple at any time. At least his brain is large. He's also starting to rock back on to his knees a little more. I've observed this behavior a couple of times now and it is pretty cool. I'm sure he'll get up there and stay up there before long - then he'll be off and running.

We just know that he's trying to communicate with us. He looks at us and just starts talking. Nonsensical stuff, of course, but at least he isn't just sitting there starting at you. He's actually trying to tell you something. I may be able to record his babbling and post it here. I know everyone would love that.

My September trip to Portland was nice. The weather was gorgeous. I got to look at some homes, most of which were garbage, and found one that I'm really really drooling over. It is slightly above our price cap, but doesn't that always happen? I'm just hopeful that the seller is desperate enough to sell it that he'll take a reasonable offer from us. This is a house that we could grow in to and work on a little. The basement is completely usable and ready to be finished - that just takes a little bit of money. The kitchen is large, and there is a formal dining room and large living space. Would be perfect for cooking, entertaining and sipping a glass of wine. I'm imagining Elijah running through the kitchen too, he's pretty cute in my mind. The only drawback of this place is the size of the yard - not as much as we had hoped for. Anyway, it is on my mind.

Elijah is currently unhappy about being placed in his crib. He does not want to nap. Tuff tiddlywinks though, he needs to relax and close his eyes. If he'd stop grabbing the strings that tie his bumper to the crib he may actually be able to go to sleep. He just loves eating those ties. He'll relive the torture when he's an adolescent. It is good to be back with my family again. The weather in Vegas is beginning to cool.

9.9.06 Whatcha Talkin' About?(Mommy)

"Dih dih dih dih..." goes 'Lijah. All. Day. Long.
He is delighted with this new consonant he can make. And as he should be; the speech therapist at my school informed me that the /d/ sound is a difficult one for kids and that he is advanced. Oooooh, I love to hear that, I really do.
We're kind of lonely here in Vegas without Dad around to annoy and drive crazy. It's something we both ('Lijah and I) love to do. I think he's bored without his Daddy around.
I think he has learned to whine. Not too sure about that one, but my son does a pretty good job with making his discontent known. He is becoming more and more intrigued with the fact that he can make noises. He may be starting to realize that it's a form of communication.
He's still not crawling. I think he just doesn't care about it too much. He is okay with being on his tummy as long as he has ample things to play with and the parents are in eyesight, but he doesn't seem to be interested in going anywhere. Hell breaks loose if Andy or I disappear for a mere second. I rather enjoy it though, since I know that day will come when he will lock himself in his room and not want to be seen within a 100 feet of me or Andy. It is very gratifying and heartwarming to see him literally jump up and down in his exersaucer when I enter the room. His face lights up and you can see the twinkle in his eyes a mile away. He's a happy boy.

9.5.06 Growls (Daddy)

I was gone all day today and I'm beat. Something that happened just before I left this morning, however, kept me thinking most of the day. Here is the quick story (I seem to be known for these).
--
It is Elijah's morning breakfast time. He's fussing with holding his cup, but he is doing really well at turning it around the way it is supposed to go. He still likes to move his head toward the mouthpiece vs. moving the mouthpiece toward his mouth, but you learn as you go, right? Anyhoo, he gets it in his mouth and is holding it just like he should. I then come by and I say "hi" to him, pat him on the head and ask him if he's pooped again (he is doing that a lot). Elijah gets distracted and drops his cup. He immediately looks down and clearly CLEARLY growls, just like you would hear a dog growl, except he's a human. Mom and I just stopped dead in our tracks and looked at one another. We didn't know if we should smile, run away scared or tell him not to growl at Mom like that (joke). We just kind of said "okay, here comes trouble in xyz timeframe." I then headed out the door.

Elijah has a little bit of a cold. His nose has been running a little more than normal and he sounded a tad stuffy this morning in his crib. Maybe that was what precipitated his growl, but we're now wondering what is in store for us.

Just a quick update on me, for those who are interested, and for history sake, I'm now on Prozac (generic). My Papa is also on it, and I think that speaks to genes. Life has been stressful over the last couple of years. Between my heart surgery and resulting sudden heart health, divorce, new baby, new town, new wife, new shoes, my head needs a little additional help catching up with the rest of me. I think I'm doing pretty well now. Thanks Eli Lilly :-)
I'm headed off to Portland again tomorrow and I have a really really full schedule. I actually have a waiting list this month, which has happened before, but it is exceptionally long this time. I get to see a whole bunch of my favorite people in 6 exhausting days. I'll see you in a few days Elijah! Love you.

9.5.06 No Hurry (Mommy)

Our little boy is a little boy now. I put 'Lijah down for a nap today and he was my little baby. He woke up and something some how had changed. He looked so much like a little boy. 2 minutes later it was confirmed by my husband who came in and commented on how much of a little boy our son looked like. I am sad. He is growing up. Before I know it he will tower over his mom and it will be a lot harder to get him to eat his vegetables.
This evening Andy spent a good amount of time just playing with 'Lijah. With his depression he hasn't been doing that as much. Tonight was filled with Dad just fooling around with his son and the little boy hysterical with laughter. And I do mean hysterical. I think 'Lijah was laughing non-stop for 10 minutes or so. That little guy loves his dad so much. His face lights up when Andy enters the room.
'Lijah is still not crawling much. He does have going backwards down, ass well at turning. He can turn himself like a pro, and roll over to boot. But crawling remains out of his reach. I'm in no hurry since I know that his crawling will only wreak havoc on our lives. I'm not looking forward to baby proofing the house.