5 days and nights without Eli

I simultaneously want to cry, get drunk,


look at pictures of him, go out dancing,


call to see how he's doing, go karaoke-ing!!!,


stand in his room and sigh while I look at his crib, take a long shower,


think about him, run around the house screaming after his bedtime,


talk about him, pay attention to my husband, etc...


Also, he now gives kisses.

Following in Daddy's footsteps (with picture added)

Eli just had his 15 month appointment, and the stats are in:

He weighs in at 28 1/2 lbs (between the 90th and 95th percentile).
He is 34 1/2 inches tall (way off the charts).

I was getting a little worried about the amount of cheese/crackers/etc. he's been eating (as in, this kid has been putting away A LOT of cheese), but apparently, he is slightly slim for his height...sounds like someone else I know...

Peanut, peanut butter, and Eli!

Warning: I just re-read this and realized it is a ridiculously long story, so no need to read the whole thing (though I refuse to delete it). The gist: Though I was scared to give Eli peanut butter, his Pop-pop gave him some one day without me knowing. Now he likes peanut butter. Look how cute he is eating it (or playing with cups in the middle of eating peanut butter):


Full story: I had been deathly afraid of feeding Eli peanut butter. He had some food issues early on, as you may recall (or food issues via breastmilk), so I've been kind of worried as he's moved on to solid foods generally. But peanut allergies seem, to me, to be at this whole other scary level. I feel like every new parent is told to BEWARE of peanuts. So even though there is really no reason to expect Eli to have peanut issues (neither Josh nor I have them), I was still WAY nervous.

But Eli isn't a huge fan of a lot of protein sources (he eats LOTS of cheese, which results in really gross poops), so I really wanted to explore our option. I had the idea that I'd eventually give him peanut butter some weekday when Josh was home from work (so he could call 911/the pediatrician while I soothed Eli) and the car was gassed up and ready for a run to the emergency room.

Enter the grandparents...or, more specifically, Pop-pop: So we were at the outlets with the grandparents, and Pop-pop took Eli into Harry and David...Later we were eating lunch and I brought up how I was scared to give Eli peanut butter, and Pop-pop said, "Oh. I just gave him a sample of some kind of peanut-buttery something or other at Harry and David. I figured if it's out there for the whole world to consume, there can't be anything wrong with it." Of course. Anyway, Eli didn't die. He didn't have any allergic reaction whatsoever.

So now I thought, yay, new protein source. But then, Eli didn't like it. Argh. So I tried and tried again, and finally, yesterday, he ate (and seemingly enjoyed) peanut butter. I feel like he's a real little kid now! So here he is, happy after having eaten his peanut butter. And how the heck did I make this the longest story in the world?

Eli hearts sweeping

Eli has many obsessions. One of them is brooms/swiffers/anything that sweeps. I've spent the last few months sweeping up our porch - particularly from the hours of 5am to 7am (ugh, kid, sleep later!). And it actually sometimes seems like he says something along the lines of "boom, boom, boom" to mean "broom." 9Though I don't think that's his first word. His first word was either "Dada" or "la, la, la, la, la" to mean "light," another MAJOR obsession of his - the kid can spot a light/lamp/what have you from a mile away.) Today, however, was something new. Today we took the broom for a walk. This is how it worked: in one of Eli's hands was my hand and in the other was a broom (which I was holding on to at the top). We took about the longest walk he's ever done. And, to go with the sweeping theme, a street sweeper was driving through our neighborhood at the same time. So much sweeping! Eli was in heaven.

Eli walks

I tried to upload this video, but it took FOREVER! So, just go to youtube. Unless I can figure out how to embed a youtube video here in the next 30 seconds...



Did I do it?

YES!!

First steps!

And, no, we have no photographic or video evidence (I actually haven't taken any pictures in a shamefully long tmie). You'll just have to take our word for it.

You know what feels a little ironic(al)?

Looking for articles on parenting/parent-child relationships while your kid is screaming his head off with the (perfectly wonderful) babysitter.

Also, I may make this blog private now that I have a real job. Or I may just hardly ever blog. Or both.

OMFG

I got an offer!!!

Interview

I had an interview at a nearby liberal arts college yesterday for a one-year visiting asst. prof. position. And all I can say is: PLEASE give it to me! It seems like a really nice place. The other profs were really cool. The pay is fantastic (relatively-speaking, of course). There is on-site child care. It is exactly the kind of job (I think) I want - except that it's not tenure-track (I actually applied for a tt position there and didn't get it...a little awkward...so I guess they think that they may like me enough for a year but not enough for forever). Please cross your fingers, say your prayers, work your voodoo magic for me.


I mean, who wouldn't want this little face bopping around their campus, right?