Wordless Wednesday 12/31/08

Awards, Tags, & the longest post EVER!

So with the holidays and having a newborn mommy brain, things have been hectic! But I didn't forget about all of you! I feel so bad, I didn't even get to post the wonderful awards two of my mommy friends gave me in the last month. So without further ado:

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I'm SO excited! I received my 1st blog award!

Tonya - of A Day in My Life gave me this and made my day! She is so sweet and amazingly talented. Visit her other two blogs as well - Currently Crafting & Munchkins And Mayhem for some of the most beautiful creative crafts you've ever seen & the neatest & tastiest Party treats! I can't wait to use some of her Halloween Party ideas for Elijah's birthday!

the award- upon receipt, the recipient is to list six things that make her/him happy before subsequently passing forward the glee to others. So here goes:

• My Family - My Son - He's so amazing & perfect. He is growing & learning everyday! My Honey - He's the best Hubby & Father ever imaginable.

Photo Taken by Jen Pyle

• SHOES!

Dave bought me these right before I got preg and I just got to wear them for the first time at Thanksgiving! Woo Hoo!

• Vintage Dishes, Kitchenware & Aprons!

I was too lazy to take a photo... haha

• Video games

I heart my playstation. and we just got a wii for xmas. thank you SO much beth!

• Scrap booking/ Crafting

eli's birth page

• Blogs & Blogging

you're on my blog so you know what this picture is... lolz

6 BLOGS RECEIVING THIS AWARD

• First of all I don't know the rules on this, but I want to give Tonya the award back for all three of her blogs! I cannot get enough of her photos, crafts, ideas and the bloggy love she always leaves me! A Day in My LifeCurrently Crafting & Munchkins And Mayhem

• Corin @ Notes of Complicated Simplicity - A newborn momma. A sweetheart. A fellow late night feeding twitter talker. A diva. She's so creative and I can't get enough of her posts! I even won a bebe bottle sling from one of her blog review/giveaways.

• Tara @ Feels like Home - Is so kind over twitter! Has the neatest posts. And her recipes... mmm mmm mmm makes me hungry just thinking about READING one, let alone actually cooking one! haha
  

• Kim @ Crafty Mama of 4 - So honest, caring, and generous! How she is such a good mommy to her 4 kids and still has time to do product reviews and keep such a great blog I'll never know!

• Beth @ Plus Size Mommy - Also a Mommy to 4 kids that still seems to keep her blog and sanity in tact! I really want to know how these ladies do it. I can't even write a whole post without having to stop 30 times for one baby!

• Alicia @ Our Little Guy - She's due on March 4th with a sweet boy, Cayden. She always has a new cute blog header and is leaving me the sweetest comments. I can't wait to see the photos of the little blessing she has inside her when he makes his debut. He is going to be so lucky to have such a caring, kind, wonderful mommy.
  

Yay! Hugs to all!

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Now on top of that Corin @ Notes of Complicated Simplicity was so sweet to give me this

Lemonade Award

The purpose of this award is to give it to someone who is showing gratitude or a good attitude

"if life hands you lemons, made lemonade"

within their life or blog: put the logo on your blog, nominate at least 10 blogs that show great attitude and/or gratitude, link to your nominees, let them know they have received the award by commenting on their blog, and share the love and link to the person from whom you received your award.

I wanted to give this award to SSSSOOOO many blog friends! But there are a few of you that truly stick out in my mind:

1. Tonya - @A Day in My Life is definitely on the top of my list for a great attitude. She has quite a few bad days in the last few months and some how comes out the other side shining even brighter and smiling even bigger. What an inspiration.

2. Tara - @ Family Traditions has more than gratitude and I have TONS and TONS of THANKS owed to her. During GNO,(now Mom It Forward), on Twitter a few weeks before Christmas we were discussing Random Acts of Kindness, and I happened to tweet jokingly that someone could give/buy me a baby sling for Christmas as their RAK... well low and behold Tara actually responded and offered me one her friend handmade her! Talk about a great attitude. This has got to be the sweetest, most generous, random act of kindness I have ever been the recipient of! She really deserves more than just a little award, but I figured I would start here!

3. Joe - @ A Joe Review Husband to the most wonderful friend and inspiration I could have ever found over the computer. His wife, Betty, kept my spirits high while on bed rest. This sweetheart of a husband took care of Betty when she was on bed rest with her son and that was just one of the amazing things he has done for their family. You would think being such a great husband and father that life would be giving him tons of kudos, but we all know it doesn't work that way. Through the bad and the good, he has really been working hard on his blog, and it shows. So at least I can give him an award for his hard work and tell all of you to please visit A Joe Review so you can enjoy it too!

Now no offense to the remainder of the award recipients, but my fingers are getting tired. So HUGS all around! Readers, Please Visit their blogs! I'm sure you will enjoy them all!

4. Carissa & Jly @ Mom It Forward
5. Kristin @ The Sassy Mom
6. Rachel @ Touch'd
7. DJane @ Blogging Momma
8. Pamela @ PMKU
9. Annette @ Musings

and last but not least... of course I couldn't leave him out... it involving lemon's and all. Actually, I will have to make him a special award: When life gives you lemons: Make lemon cookies & dew ♥
10. My good friend and neighborhood superhero: Mister Perturbed's ENTROPY

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Now if all of that isn't enough fun... one last thing! (I know this is long enough already... haha) EVERYBODY I AWARDED TODAY, I am tagging you! My sister in law tagged me on facebook and I thought it would be fun to bring it to my blog! So here goes:

Rules: Once you’ve been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 16 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 16 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it’s because I want to know more about you.

16 Random Facts about me!

1. I love my life, no matter the obstacles that get in the way. "I believe that everything happens for a reason. People change so that you can learn to let go. Things go wrong so that you appreciate them when they're right. You believe lies so that you learn to eventually trust no one but yourself. And some times good things fall apart, so even better things can fall together." Marilyn Monroe

2. I come up from a very strange split & interesting family. I love everyone with unconditional love, despite the way they treat me. Your family is still your family no matter what. Even if I have to remind myself this at times.

3. No matter how old I get, I love video games. My absolute favorites are the entire Silent Hill series for Playstation & Diablo 2 for the computer. The silent hill love had grew into more of an obsession when the second one came out. Then by the time 4 came out & then the movie I had Dave obsessed as well. He will sit and watch me beat them. We used to sit in bed and I would play every night (pre baby) for HOURS at a time. We also played Final Fantasy X & X2 as well as I whipped out the SNES & N64 for some classic Zelda action. :) Oh yeah and I'm currently playing DDR on my PS2 to loose that baby weight. WOOHOO!

4. We don't have cable. We watch only a few hours of tv a week at best. We buy the shows we really like on DVD & we buy movies. We goto the library and they have a HUGE selection of dvds you can get out for free. We will probably never have cable because we dont care. People have told us, well you know you should get it for Elijah. Why? Wouldnt they rather him grow up reading and playing outside?

5. I love my blog & blogging. From Son Up to Son Down. This is my second blog, just started when Elijah was born because I felt I needed a clean slate to start this new chapter of my life. I know I need to put even more into my blog. Dave jokes I spent too much time on here now! But I always get sidetracked reading everybody else's... haha

6. I love Twitter. If I am on the computer I am tweeting. I love my Tweeples! I tweet so much I sometimes screw up and have schizoTWITphrenia, and end up tweeting myself. If you dont know what any of these means then you need to become a twitizen of twitterville too and get a Twitter! My tweets also update my status on facebook, which is why at times it appears Im talking about something totally random.

7. I don't trust very many people. I DO TRUST Dave more than anyone I have ever trusted. I trust Beth next. After that I trust my sister's husband Bob. He & I were best friends since we were like 12. Thats how they met & fell in love. I included a photo of Dave, Bob, & Me from right after Eli was born in our downstairs living room. Bob knows my oldest, deepest & darkest secrets and I know his. We know stuff about each other I am 99999% positive no one else knows. I also trust Tonya for some reason, even though I have never met her in person. She just is very trustworthy.

Dave, Bob & I a few days after Eli was born.

8. I write so much freakin <center></span><wbr><span class="word_break"></span>ter>< barf="<a href=" onmousedown="'UntrustedLink.bootstrap($(this)," target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.link</a> to whatever.com" haha>< src="picture of whatever.jpg" border="1" width="125"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color:orange;"><b>text</b><s> about</s><i>what</i><u>ever</u><span>.. more images... other stuff.</span></span><wbr><span class="word_break"></span>> HTML & CSS that I can code in my sleep.

9. I am a really bad friend when it comes to the phone. I never answer the phone. I hate the phone. I will talk on here for hours and then wont answer when you tell me ON HERE, your currently calling my phone. I apologize if that pisses you off. I will probably never change.

10. The friend I've known the longest (not counting family) on my facebook is Matt. He also lives the closest to us, only 2 minutes away! He used to drive me to school before I got my car in high school! He is such a great guy and even though we may go months without talking he is one of the few people I consider a true friend. Who has always taken me for who I am, never judged me and is friends with me unconditionally, not because he wants anything out of it. It thrills me to death that his son is 17 months, bobs son is a little over a year and Eli will be less than a year younger than him. So they can grow up friends & skateboard together like Matt, Bob & I did. YAY!

11. The friend I've known the shortest on my facebook is Tonya. When I was on bed rest, depressed, lonely and pregnant, somehow she found my blog...(how did you do that? through twittermoms?) anyway. She left me a comment. and for SOME reason it was like the sweetest thing I had ever read. So I started reading her blogs too. She has 3. I loved her craft & party ideas on two of her blogs and reading on her personal blog about her 3 kids. Especially her twins, they are adorable! [Their pictures are of toddler model quality, seriously the cutest kids ever.] Pretty soon we were commenting back & forth regularly then twittering. She really makes me feel good with her comments and helped make the bed rest not seem so bad. If she didn't live in CA I would host a fancy tea party in her honor to celebrate how much I appreciate her thoughts & friendship! Dave even knows her name & her kids names from me talking about her.

I also have another friend online that helped me get through my pregnancy named Betty. She was on bedrest with her preg so she was very understanding & sympathetic. Dave knows all about her as well. He is so glad I had Tonya & Betty to chat with!

12. I now have 11 brothers and sisters. and 3 possiblys.
1 brother Neil [19]- We share the same Mom & Dad. My only TRUE FULL BROTHER & my favorite!!!
1 half brother Liam [5]- We share the same Dad.
1 step sister Jordan [13] - my step mother's daughter. No blood but looks JUST LIKE ME. go figure.
3 cousins but we grew up in the same house, so we consider each other siblings Amber [22] Trish [19] Stevie [18]
1 best friend Bob who should have been my brother, and luckily married Amber so now he is [24]
2 sister in laws Cathi & Jen (Dave's sisters)
1 brother in law Cathi's husband Mike
1 god sister Beth. She is Eli's god mother & grew up with Dave, basically like another sister to him.
I also have 2 ALMOST sisters. Stevie's Fiancee Shayna, and if i can convince Neil to marry her [LOL] his girl friend Rachel. and one possibly brother in law, Trish's fiance, Alex. sweet. that would make 14. sweet.

13. I am a HUGE dork. I love to play video games, read comics, play card games like Magic the gathering and YES even though i dont get the chance any more, to table top role play. NO that is not a sex game. LOL its games like Dungeons & Dragons. If I could convince Dave to play with me, I would probably still play. Although he did want to help me write a D20 Modern game, he played when he was a kid and didnt like it. I still dream of being a dungeon master and still carry a D20 with me. You never know when you need to roll a will save or whatnot. Just hope I dont critically fail.

14. I collect things. lots of things. here are so examples: I collect coke reward points. You know the codes under the caps & on the boxes. If you give me your codes I will love you forever. I have collected over 1000 points so far. To give you a scale of what that really means bottles are only 3 points apiece and the can boxes are only 10 each. I redeemed about 300 for 3 different magazine subscriptions so far but nothing else. I also collect pampers grow points towards free diapers and disney reward points that are in new disney DVDS towards Disney stuff.
I also collect tangible items. My favorite things are vintage (80's & earlier) kitchenware (dishes, cookware, china, glass, etc.) and Aprons. I also collect SHOES! I &hearts them. I have a good sized shot glass collection as well. and matchbox hearses.
I used to collect Barbies. I have some worth over $750. I also used to collect unicorns.
Dave collects Hot wheels/Matchbook police cars. I buy him everyone I see. In 2005 alone I spent over $300 on cars just at christmas replacing his collection from when he had as a kid. He showed me a photo of his collection from childhood (it was stolen YEARS ago) and I used that photo on ebay and was able to replace all but a few. He now has over 600+ police cars 30+ police helicopters and 30+ police motorcycles. He even has a blimp, some boats and a few other strange vehicles. All 1:72 Matchbox scale.

15. I love Dave. I know this is far from a secret and definitely a KNOWN fact. But I thought everyone should hear it again. LOL. He by far the strongest, smartest, most loving & caring person I have ever met. We have had our problems, but who hasnt? Now we have our home, a baby, and each other and it is by far, better than I could have ever imagined my life to be. He is the best father and the best partner imaginable. Do you know he will work all night then stay up and play with elijah for hours, on his nights off he will let me sleep and take care of Elijah for hours. He supports me in any decision, He loves me for who I am, and he takes care of me. We cook together and clean together and both give 50/50 to making our lives together the best possible. After the last 5 years I now truly believe that if you are meant to be with someone you will be with them. No matter what. I would do anything for him in the world. I love him more than anything in the world.

16. I am massively forgetful and am at times, up to 80% deaf in my left ear 10% in my right (due to ear drum damage from standing next to a rocket car as a kid when it started I took off my ear plugs ), am blind as a bat with out my glasses and right now seriously need new ones because your eyes change with pregnancy. Makes for fun times! Seriously makes me frustrated and upset at times. Especially when dave says something and I say "what?" he gets SO mad because he doesnt think I was listening so he says forget it and walks away, even though the doctor has told him I cant hear.

ok that was fun. Now your turn!

Before I go I will give you a BONUS random fact.

I am OCD organized in some ways. Example I have a Kitchen Management binder. It has everything from recipes, to use & care of my kitchen items, to inventory, conversion charts, etc. It even has a blue print I drafted of my kitchen, complete with electrical. Each cabinet, counter, drawer is also numbered on the blue print and color coded. Then there is a master inventory that goes with it listing EVERY item in or on that number.

I have a home management binder as well but i dont want to blow your mind any further with my insanity...

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Ok now that this post is longer than 5 posts and you probably stopped reading 3 hours ago, I am going to end now. Look for 2 reviews and giveaways starting Jan 1st and Jan 3rd! Thanks for reading! ~Erin

Top Toys to Grow with your Newborn

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Since Elijah's birthday and Christmas are so close together I wanted to pick things for Christmas that are going to be good for him for more than a few months. That's a hard thing to determine with so many things out there these days. After hours upon hours of browsing online suddenly it was already days before Christmas and I was out of time for shipping. I know... bad mommy. BUT I did find so many great things I want to get I may need that extra money we get for Christmas, or a small bank loan! My favorite ideas came from Jamie:

Top Toys to Grow With Your Newborn
A child is deeply influenced by the environment surrounding them on a day-to-day basis and it’s important that as caretakers for our children, we choose the best activities for them. Children as young as one year of age can begin to learn language so why not get started on developing useful skills through educational toys and games? When choosing the most beneficial toys for your baby whether it be a dollhouse or musical play table, consider which skills each toy will develop your child’s character as well as if they can use it on a regular basis for years to come. Here are a few top toys to get you off to a great start when determining which activities will influence your children’s growth in the best way possible:

Anatex Deluxe Mini Play Cube Activity Toy will occupy your children’s afternoon for hours on end. The Play Cube is filled with vibrant colors and unique shapes and patterns that offer a problem-solving lesson for your children. Young kids will be able to learn letters, count numbers, and strengthen hand-eye coordination with vibrantly colored gears and maze-like beaded games.

Chicco Music ‘N Play Table is the ultimate toy for your baby as it provides a variety of building block and musical activities that will keep your child engaged every time they play. When choosing an educational toy, music is key. Not only will your baby learn to press buttons that signal different sounds and colorful lights but they will also develop their hand-eye coordination, cognitive, visual, and musical skills.

Step2 Scribble Center Chalkboard Easel provides your young children with the perfect space for them to creatively draw pictures or practice their alphabet. We all know what happens when we give our children chalk and an open driveway space outside! Offer your kids an area to express themselves on the chalkboard or on a sheet of paper. Once paper pads are attached by the chalkboard clip, you can watch your kids design their own creations!

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Those are some GREAT ideas right? I want to play with the cube myself! I LOVED those in my doctor's office when I was a kid! It would be so neat to have one at home!
I hope this helps other new parents to get on the right toy track! I'll be back after Christmas with lots of photos and tell you about Elijah's Christmas presents!
Merry Christmas Everyone!

Daddy's Boy

Ever since the day Elijah was born he and Daddy have had a special bond. There are times when Eli will SCREAM for no reason when I'm holding him. Dave will walk over and pick him up and its like someone flipped a switch. Suddenly he's relaxo baby!

I don't know what it is that makes baby's like each parent in different ways, but it is truly interesting. For example if he has gas. I can walk with him, talk with him, dance with him, prance with him, I can pat his back, I can... Well you get the picture. Dave comes over, picks him up and does the EXACT same thing I tried and it works. EVERY TIME!

NO. I am not jelous. Infact there are things Elijah does with me that he doesn't do with Dave. Like snuggle on our sides, with our foreheads and noses touching and fall asleep. I think it is WONDERFUL to see this remarkable Baby & Daddy relationship.

I grew up where my father was in the Army overseas when I was born, then worked nonstop even when my brother Neil was born, then my parents divorced. So I never saw this beautiful bond that occurs first hand. I was however very close with my grandfather, My Popma as I called him and suspect that our bond was very similar to this.

It melts my heart and brings tears of joy to see my little guy's eyes light up at the mere sight of his Daddy. I love to hear them in the morning. Elijah starts to cry and before I can even open my eyes Dave is by his crib side. Picking him up, kissing and hugging him, checking his diaper, putting his bib on and giving him his bottle. Then after Elijah is done eating or changing they lay on the twin bed in Elijah's room and Eli will "talk" to him and they will play for at least an hour, every morning! Eli gets seriously upset if this routine is not followed! If I go in to get him in the morning because Dave isnt up or is at work, sheesh, you would think I was some horrible mean person the way he screams! He's ok after a minute. I guess when he realizes Dave isnt here and I'm all hes got.

He has done many of his "firsts" with Dave and does more every day. You can read the firsts post here.

A few more things with Daddy First:

• 12/11 Had 1st "Coo-versation"
• 12/16 Dave went to get him out of his seat. Eli reached his arms up and grabbed Dave's sleeves to hold on, then "pushed off" with his legs.
• 12/17 Full scale giggled at him when he was making his stuffed lizard "Lizzy" dance in front of him
• 12/21 Was screaming in his playpen. Dave walked over and was standing above him and he stopped crying and looked up and starting smiling right away and then laughing. Then he put a hand up to be picked up. (This is a first because even though he smiles at Dave when he comes to pick him up in the morning this was a far distance from the playpen to Daves face. Probably about 5 feet at least, which means he is seeing that far! He never stopped crying before from the playpen until Dave picked him up.)

I'm so blessed to have the most adorable perfect little Son I could have ever imagined and that he has a father that is FAR more perfect than I ever could have imagined!

Wordless Wednesday 12/17/08

Elijah at 3 1/2 weeks - Bath time

Notable Newness - Freebies

Calculator: http://www.alterigopartners.com/promotion/pop_up.html

Subscription to Wondertime Magazine: http://www.rewardsgold.com/mags/wondertime_em/sg_wonder_pg1.htm

Free Magazines: http://www.valuemags.com/freeoffer/thankyoumain.asp

My Precious Kid

Our most cherished in life is our children!
But with them you never know what could happen, and you can never be too safe, or too prepared! That's where My Precious Kid comes in! My Precious Kid sells wonderful child safety gear that protects and identifies your child.

Is your child wearing ID at all times? 90% of missing pets have ID. Only 2% of missing kids have ID. Please ID your children today! CHILD SAFETY PRODUCTS - Child ID Cards, Kids Shoe Tags, childrens ID shoe stickers, ID bracelets - all help protect your children.

I received one of the luggage tags and was so thrilled to put it on Elijah's car seat. It gives me the peace of mind to know the tag can say what Elijah cannot in case of emergency. The tags are on sale right now only $7.50 for 4 of them. I would love to put one on each of his diaper bags, stroller and extra car seat. In case of emergency or accident the id card gives emergency personnel everything they need to treat your child immediately including: his name, address, photo, medical conditions, medical release signature, height & weight, doctor info, emergency contacts and more!

Since there is so much more you will want after looking at the store get the Child Safety Product Pack. It includes 8 products to make your child safer for under $20!!!

1 - Child ID Card 1 - Child Car Seat ID Card 1 - Medical Release Card 1 - Child Luggage Tag ID Card 2 - Shoe ID Stickers 1 - Disposable Child ID bracelet 1 - Child DNA Fingerprint Kit Optional Waterproof pen is available

And there also is a Child Safety Pack Plus that includes even more for just a few dollars more!

Make sure to head over to My Precious Kid now and check out all the items! It is 5 minutes well spent to browse around her shop and a life time of rewards to do everything we can to protect our children in any way we can! So why not start here?

My Precious Kid is owned by Kay, whom I have had the pleasure of chatting with on Twitter. She has four children and a granddaughter, and I believe is expecting twin grandchildren as well. So with all her wonderful experience you know she is a business you can trust!

Thanks For Reading! ~Erin

SHEESH!

No, I have not fell off the end of the Earth, though it did feel like it. Since I was AWOL for so many days I will just do a segmented update. And since I haven't uploaded the camera yet, I will have to do a post later with all the pictures from each day!

Sunday~ We went to a Christmas party with our best friend Beth. She is also Elijah's god mother. Her church has a dinner at our favorite restaurant, Friendly Farms, every year. It was nice. We got to have good food and all hang out.We got Elijah his first photo with Santa and also got our first family photo. (Some how we always keep failing to get Dave, Eli & I in photos...)

Beth has another god child, Mekenzie, who is turning 8. She doesn't have any other brothers or sisters and asked Beth if since her and Elijah are both her god children if she could be Eli's god sister since she has never had any siblings. We thought this was great! Tammy & John, Mekenzie's parents agreed and of course Dave & I did. So Mekenzie got to meet Elijah for the first time on Sunday at the dinner and was so excited to meet her god brother! She got him the cutest little lizard from Hallmark. He makes the funniest noise when you squeeze his foot! But Elijah doesn't want to let his Lizzy out of his sight, He LOVES it! He sits and looks at it and snuggles it to his face and holds its little hand. It is SSSOOO adorable!

Monday~ I had to go to the doctor for my 6 week check up. Got all the way there and they had to reschedule! I WAS SO MAD! But anyway after I cussed and cried in the car [apparently horrormones are rampant again...] we stopped at my mom's store so she could see Elijah and then Dave suggested while we were there we go to Damon's Restaurant as a early birthday dinner even though my birthday wasn't until Wednesday. Damon's is in the same shopping plaza as my mom so it wasn't out of the way and Eli was getting tired from playing with his Nana & Pop, so we went over. That was our first Restaurant trip since Eli was born and he was SO good!

Tuesday~ I had to take Elijah to the doctor for his 1 month shot :( He was such a good boy thought! He now weighs 10.8 pounds and is 22.5 inches long. The doctor told us he is perfectly proportionate but is a big baby! Considering he is wearing mostly 3 month clothes, and seems to grow every night, he definitely is big for his age!

After the doctor we went to the cemetery, which conveniently enough is around the corner. I made a nice Christmas floral arrangement for the urn in my pop's headstone, which is a really pretty marble/granite bench. We didn't stay long, just long enough to put everything together for him and tell him I love him. It was too cold to stay for "small talk." haha but that's ok. He doesn't stay there either, he is here in the house I'm sure. That's another story.

After that we ran to the dollar store and walmart. At walmart I got a special edition of Batman - Dark Knight. It has a limited edition two-face coin prop from the movie and a comic! I was so excited. So that was my first birthday present. When we came home we made grilled cheese, tomato soup and watched it! Only thing that I don't like is that since it was the limited edition with the coin, the DVD didn't have any special features. Oh well. I rather have the coin & comic. I didn't make it through watching the whole thing though. I was SO exhausted. I went upstairs and got in bed and passed out. Dave took care of Eli's feedings until 7am the next morning.

Wednesday~ Yesterday was my birthday! YAY! I got up and fed Elijah at 7 and laid in bed for a while. Then I went out to the upstairs living room to work on my Christmas trees.

Around 11 Granny came down with my great grandmother, great aunt & her boyfriend in the morning. They visited with Dave, Elijah and I for a few hours. They brought me a ice cream cake! [my favorite] and they sung to me! Granny also brought me flowers & cards and they gave me $ to pick my own present :) It was a very nice visit.

It was the first time Betty Boop [that's what i named my great grandmother when i learned to talk because her name is Betty and i loved Betty Boop cartoons. funny thing is it stuck all these years! She is 85 this year and most people who know her call her Betty Boop!] got to see & hold Elijah. He was so happy and smiling. She went upstairs to look at his bed room with me and he was cooing as if to tell her all about his room! hehe

My great aunt dot got to meet Eli as well, but sadly she has Alzheimer's, so she probably wont remember it. She said a few things that led me to believe she remembers a tiny bit still, but mostly she is in the last stage of alz and its only a matter of time until the inevitable. Its sad, but there is nothing anyone can do. She has had it for a long time and has already beaten the odds by living as long as she has and believe it or not she still walks, eats and dresses with no help!

Granny & Mrs. Mary made Eli a beautiful diaper cake! Lots of useful things for him he needed now! Like more paci's, another set of baby nail clippers, toys, little fishys that squirt water in the bath, really good smelling bedtime bath soap. All kinds of stuff. He already was bathed with the soap and fell right asleep after so it must be as calming as they say! and daddy squirted him with his fishys and he seemed to really like them. The only thing he cant use right now is the diapers, she used size 3, so he has a way to grow.

Later Dave made me spaghetti for my birthday and then I got on the computer for about 20 minutes and realized I was exhausted and went back to sleep. That was about it. Then I went to bed.

Sunday we are going to Mom's. My Mom, my step dad, and my brother are having birthday dinner for me!

So that's all that's exciting here. I am still going to do a few giveaways for Christmas, but sadly do not think I will be able to have as many as I wanted. With the DSL acting up, being so busy, and people not getting back to me when they should, it's not looking as bright. OH well! I should have some neat stuff coming up though that you wont/haven't seen anywhere else! So keep following along! Don't give up on me yet!

Alright time to eat! till later ~Erin

Daddy's Deserve 12 Days of Christmas TOO!

I am currently getting sponsors together for my Christmas Giveaway,

Daddy's Deserve 12 Days of Christmas Too!

All the contests us Moms enter to win stuff for ourselves and our children, but I cannot recall a single one for the men! The more I thought about this, I started looking around, and sure enough I could not even find one that I thought my hubby would like. So then it dawned on me, do it myself! I would love to reward the big strong handsome hardworking husbands /daddys! Not just mine, but all of yours as well!

I know its going to be cutting it close to Christmas... darn these last minute ideas. But hey, Its the thought that counts at Christmas... right?

Ok Ladies and any gentlemen readers especially! Make sure to click the link on the left to follow my blog, subscribe to the feed, or email so that you get notified as soon as I announce the giveaways. And besides a little elf told me it may be a good idea for an extra entry :)

Any shop owners that want to participate in the giveaway please let me know as well!

Keep an eye out for the announcement and get ready to win a few things for the men we love!

&hearts ERIN

Wordless Wednesday

First meeting of the cousins.

They met, touched each others arms and became the best of friends. Litterly wordless! hehe

(thats my mom holding Elijah on the right)

A Month of Changes

~*It's a Boy!*~
ELIJAH JOHN

Elijah was born on Halloween! October 31st, 2008, weighing 8 pounds even and 20 inches long! We were discharged from the hospital Sunday November 2nd and so much has already changed since then! Every day Elijah is doing something new and constantly amazing us. You would never know he is only 1 month old today!

Changes so far:

• * Started out weighing 8lbs even and 20" long ~ Now weighs over 10lbs we're sure. Was 9lbs 4oz at his last doctor visit on 11/21 and is definitely heavier than that. We measured him Wednesday and he is 23" long when squirming!
• * Started out drinking 1 ounce every 2 hours ~ Now drinking between 4 to 5 ounces every 3 to 4 hours! Attempts to hold the bottle. Just 2 days ago looked up at Dave when he was done while simultaneously pushing the bottle from his mouth as to tell him, "I'm full Daddy. No more please."
• * Started out sleeping constantly, waking only to eat every 2 hours, and then to return to sleep ~ Now sleeping anywhere from 2 to 5 hours at a time, waking not only to eat, but to play, and he does not care what time of day or night it is! Does tend to sleep the long intervals during the day. We are not sure if its because of Dave's backwards schedule.
• * Started out crying very minimally. A slight "uh" if he wanted food, a quick "wah" if he had a wet diaper, and a small alarm "aaaahhhh" if he had a dirty diaper ~ Now cries mostly at night, sometimes for no reason at all. Still has a "uh" for food, the quick pee "wah" and the alarm "aaaahhhh" but now has added a very sad and pitiful sounding cry because he gets very painfully bad gas pains, a small and cute cry for hold me / play with me / snuggle with me / love me, and a loud but very random cry that we think is just a bored "to hear myself roar" cry.
• * Started 8 pounds in 0 -3 month size clothing, most newborn onesies were already too snug ~ Now wearing 0-3 month clothing and some 3-6 month, depends on the cut.
• * Started in 0-3 shoes & socks, Newborn shoes were way too small for him. The nurses that took his foot print said they had never seen a baby fill up the entire card! Kicks off at least 1 sock within 30 seconds of putting them on him. ~ Now still wears 0-3 shoes and socks, some 3-6 month socks. Still always ends up kicking at least one off in 30 seconds of putting them on him but now has figured out how to kick with gusto so we can't locate it for at least one week and when we do it is in the most obscure location.

Firsts so far are:

• * Belch - 10/31 (15 minutes after birth)
• * Sneeze - 10/31
• * Shots - Vitamin K 10/31, Hepatitis 11/1
• * Cough - 11/1
• * Lifts Head - 11/1
• * Rolls to his side - 11/1
• * Pass Gas - 11/1
• * Smile - 11/2
• * Bath - Sponge 11/3, Tub 11/14
• * Sucks thumb - 11/4
• * Pediatrician Visit - 11/5
• * Stares at our faces - 11/6
• * "Real" Smile - While looking at Erin - 11/7. While looking at Dave - 11/14
• * "Talks" - 11/7
• * Realized he has hands - 11/9
• * Eyes follow us and toys in front of him - 11/10
• * Looks at toys on his seat - 11/11
• * Tries to bat at his toys while looking at them and "talking" - 11/13
• * Realized he has a tongue - 11/14
• * We removed toys from his seat. He then looked for toys when Dave sat him in it and he realized they weren't there - 11/14
• * Coo - 11/17
• * Looked at Dave & put arms out to be picked up - 11/21
• * Eyes follow our movements and voices from across the room - 11/22
• * Sees he has feet - 11/23
• * Wants to play - 11/24
• * Sticks out tongue when Dave sticks his tongue out at him - 11/26
• * Laugh - 11/26
• * Grabs & Holds his toy duck - 11/29
  

The one thing we never expected to change so fast is how much love we have for him. We love him more and more each day and he seems to do the same. Dave was the first one to hold him and Elijah bonded to him immediately. He would "crawl" and push his way to the top of Dave's chest and push his little head as hard as he could into his chin and neck. Snuggling on his chest is still one of his very favorite places to be. He's definitely a Daddy's boy!

...it feels like its going too fast already!

Elijah's 1st Day - Now At 1 Month

Sssooo cute!

Cyber Baby Shower Time!

Sarah over at SassyFrazz is having baby #4! Yay!

So to help welcome this precious bundle of joy Pamela Kramer of Happy Panda Baby is hosting her a cyber baby shower! To get in on the fun make sure to click the banner above!


& Now for the games! (make sure if you want to participate you vist the above link and start your own party post!)

The first game is: Post Daddy's first picture with their new baby. This can be a picture right at the hospital/in home birth, or just a few days/weeks old of the baby.

Of course EVERY photo is the sweetest, cutest, most wonderful to me, but hopefully you think this photo is the sweetest to you too. This was taken at the hospital less than 24 hours after Elijah was born. Daddy is still his favorite snuggler!

and if that wasnt cute enough for you i figured i would add a few more of their 1st photos together just for fun!

The Second Game is: The person who guesses the correct birth weight of Sarah's second child, Caleb, who is now 3 1/2 years old. He was 3 days overdue, and I was induced with him. Those are the only clues I will give you. :)

My guess is: 8lbs Even. Thats what Elijah weighed at birth, so maybe it's lucky... hehe!

The Final Game: (3 winners!) The prize will go to the most creative creation of a baby and/or a pregnant Mom made out of play-doh. That's right...time to get creative, regress to your childhood days, and have a blast making your masterpiece. Yes, you can ask your kids to help with this one. I am all about having fun with your kids!

Well thats all the fun for now! Thanks for inviting me to the party! Remember to head over to Sassy Frazz To spread the love & join in the party!

Best Wishes Sarah on your new blessing!
♥ Erin & Elijah