How NOT to Hide

I feel like we are going backwards with our hide and seek skills.  On bath nights, after Eli gets undressed, we yell "NAKED BABY!" and then he runs and hides.  We have played this game since he was little.  He used to hide under the dining room table, which at least was a decent hiding spot, although it is not effective to use the same hiding spot each time we play.  However, it at least offers more shelter than his most recent spot:

I feel I have failed as a parent.

Big Boy Bed!

Eli spent his first night in his new room, in his big boy bed, and with no binkies last night!  He was so excited, I think a little too excited to sleep.  He was up until about 10:30, calling for Mommy and Daddy and saying he was afraid of the dark.  That started a few days ago, though, in his old room.  He finally fell asleep and slept through the night!  He never even asked for a binkie!

The alarm on one of his clocks (don't ask why there are multiple...my mom likes to buy him things) went off twice around midnight.  I snuck in to shut it off (and finally unplug it...GRRRR!) and he never even moved.

We are  so proud of our little guy...well, I guess I should say our BIG boy!  We are so spoiled.  If his little brother or sister is half as good as him (and he or she better be after this pregnancy!), then we will be truly blessed.

Baseball Practice with Daddy

We are starting to play baseball now, in the hopes Eli forgets about hockey!

Daddy showed Eli the perfect stance:

It took a while, but Eli got a few hits.  Of course, it didn't help that Reggie kept walking in between Daddy and Eli or just laying down practically on top of him!  Plus, Eli kept stopping the game so he could close up his house and castle against a canine breaking and entering.  Poor Reggie never gets a break!

Mommy got to chill out in a lounge chair and take pictures.  Only a few weeks left, hopefully, then I can play again!

Zoorassic Park

Eli and Daddy headed to the Franklin Park Zoo today for Zoorassic Park, a new exhibit of dinosaurs!

Eli was excited about the dinosaurs (I heard a few scared him a bit) and that Daddy let him go on a few rides!  Looks like he met Bob the Builder and Scoop!

Then, they got to visit the rest of the zoo...among the highlights I heard about when they got home were the T-Rexes (Eli says my stomach is so big he thinks there are 20 T-Rexes in it), the giraffes, the zebras, the gorillas, and the lion!

Of course the giraffes were out - Mama has been to the Franklin Park Zoo with Eli a bunch of times and the giraffes have never been out.  Daddy took a picture for me, though...

I am glad he had a great time with Daddy!

Happy Easter 2012!

Well,  Eli got to have a blast this Easter...but without Mama!  As of this past Thursday, I am on bed rest for the rest of this pregnancy - which isn't supposed to end until July 9!  Oh boy, that's a lot of bed rest!

He woke up and walked right past his basket without even noticing it!

Of course, there was no candy in it.  Mama is a party pooper and just puts organic cheerios in his eggs.  I know - what a terrible Easter surprise!

Even through the disappointment of an Easter morning tainted with a lack of sugar, Eli seemed to enjoy his books and other little treats!

Then, it was off to NH for an Easter Egg Hunt with Daddy, Auntie Heather, Uncle Joe, Jacob, and Jillian!

Looks like my boys survived without me.  I was sad to not be able to go to anything, but know it is for the best!  I know Eli will be fine without me, but I miss being with him for the fun stuff!  

Then, the boys were off to Auntie Heather's for dinner and Easter baskets from Grampy.  Daddy brought Mama back a plate so she could have some yummy food, too!  Eli had a great Easter!

Construction Worker Eli

Daddy had to work on site one weekend, so Mama and Eli packed up and went to visit.  As soon as Eli heard where we were going, he insisted on getting his construction vest and helmet.  He even wore his snow boots instead of sneakers.  Perhaps he is a future OSHA Safety Officer!

He and Daddy got to look at the diggers and cranes on the site in Norwood.

It was a cloudy day, with rain threatening us the whole time.  Eli was really disappointed that the crane had shut down for the day before we got there, but we took a picture in front of it anyway.

Then we had to say goodbye to Daddy so he could get back to work.

Mama and Eli headed home.  Eli refused to take off the helmet and vest - even when we went to the zoo after leaving the site!  We got some weird looks, but most people got a kick out of him.  He did fall on the trails near the wolves and I was pretty grateful he was wearing the helmet as it saved him from hitting his face on a rock.  He is my child for sure!

Cuddly Bear

Eli got to take Cuddly Bear home from school this week!  Every child in his class gets to keep Cuddly Bear for a week and take him everywhere with them, documenting the adventures they get to go on together.  We took Cuddly Bear with us everywhere!

He came with us for the ride to school.

He came to visit Mama at work, even making a new friend with Ashley's bear.

He came shoe shopping with Mama and Eli - he helped us pick out Spider Man sneakers!

He hit up Starbucks with us for an afternoon snack.

He came with us to the zoo.

And finally, he came with us to the playground.

I don't know about Cuddly Bear and Eli, but Mama is exhausted from making sure Cuddly Bear had a good time with us (and making sure he had a good journal entry for when we brought him back to school)!