Growing like a Weed!

Eli is now 5 months old. He is about 26 inches tall and 17.5 pounds. He looks a lot like Ted for the most part. At this point, it looks like he is going to have my dad's eyes. Right now he is jabbering away. He makes a lot more sounds than Margie did. He actually does a pretty good job mimicking sounds that we make. Like his Uncle Morris he is already trying to say a few words. A few weeks ago (at about 4 1/2 months) He woke up from a nap crying. When I walked up to his crib I said "Eli open your eyes I am right here". He opened his eyes, smiled, and said "mama." So sweet! While he had said mama a few times before I didn't really believe he knew what he was saying until then. Last week when Ted was changing him, he grabbed his arm and said "dada." So it looks like we are going to have a talker on our hands! Eli is rolling over some. But more than that he uses his feet to push his self where he wants to go. He is also trying to sit up but doesn't quite have the balance down to sit up on his own for very long. I think he is so long and so heavy that it is just hard for him not to fall over. He enjoys playing on his activity mat kicking the toys hanging about. He LOVES playing with Mr. Moose or his Eric Carle caterpillar. Eli also enjoys taping on the piano keys on one of his baby toys. He is still not sleeping through the night but if I am lucky he will sleep about 4 or 5 hours. In hopes to get him to sleep longer, we started giving him cereal about a week ago even though I had really intended to wait until he was about 6 months. Once he got the eating thing down he seems to really like it. However, it is not really helping to improve his sleep time right now. I am reading the book "No Cry Sleep Solutions" that a friend recommended. Hopefully by next month I can report a full night sleep for all!

Funny Faces from Our Pumpkin

My Little Bear

Eli looks so cute in his bear hoodie! There is something about bears..my first stuffed animal(that I remember) was a teddy bear my grandma got all her grandkids...the first book I memorized as a child was the Berenstain Bear's Spookie Old Tree...the first ornament I got Margaret was of a papa bear dancing with his baby bear. I guess part of the connection for me is that I was called Bear more than Ted growing up(and my mom still calls me Bear at times). Ted, Teddy, and Bear I answered to equally(and still do depending on the groups of people I am with). I feel blessed to have my own little bear....but I think He'll be Eli most of the time(though My Little ChubbaWabba is my fav. nickname for him at the moment! ha ha)

WOW...3 months and counting!

It's been three months since Eli arrived. He is growing like a weed weighing in around 15 pounds and almost popping out of his 6 month clothes. While he still likes to sleep more than the average baby, he is becoming more alert. In recent weeks, he has decided it is fun to sit on our knees and look around. He also enjoys playing with his Eric Carl Caterpiller and Mr. Moose. He is smiling a lot these days. Sometimes he even laughs especially if you stick out your tongue at him. We have also discovered that he is quite ticklish. I am constantly amazed at how he puts up with Margie's touchiness and loudness toward him. He seems to really enjoy when she sings to him. Such precious moments. I hope that they grow up with a close bond. I am so grateful for the chance to stay home with these sweet babies. They bring such unbelievable joy to my heart!

Hangin' With Her Bro!

Eli puts up with Margaret for the most part. He lets us know when he's had enough of his sister's "love". Margaret however...when she's had enough...pushes Eli off of her! Thank goodness we are always setting beside the two of them!! ha ha Don't they look so sweet together!!! I pray they will always be there for one another...and that Margaret will look out for her little brother until he is no longer the "little" brother(which could be any day now for our chubba wabba!!!)...and that he'll look out for her!

Our Funny Girl

We are not a family that plops our child in front of the TV as a baby sitter. We let her watch PBS in the morning, but other than that...we try to not have her setting in front of the TV. However, as a family we watch Wipe Out. MARGARET LOVES IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As I have said on Facebook, our little girl has a wicked sense of humor!!

I think someone just tried to run across the Big Balls, and didn't make it!

She loves a good fall!!!!

I just wanted to put this random picture up to say....SHE GETS THIS FROM SHANA'S SIDE!!!!

The Edingers have never been able to get their foot up that far off the ground!!! :) Ha Ha Ha

Smiley Boy!

Eli has such a sweet smile! Though at times...he looks like Joey from Friends, "How you doin'?" We might need to watch that as he gets older!!! ha ha

BIG GIRL BED

Daddy & Aunt Janet put it together!

Mommy makes it pretty!

Picture Perfect!

Margaret seems extremely excited about her big girl bed!!!
(She thought it was cool at this point!)

So sweet! If mommy only knew what was to come...she might not be smiling!!! ha ha

So it was time to get Margaret into a big girl bed. She's 2 1/2 and pretty long...the crib was just looking tight as of late. Not that Margaret seemed to mind. She had never tried to get out of her crib...instead just screaming at the top of her lungs till someone came and got her out. Still though, we thought it was time. We repainted an old bed of Shana's so it would be a nice bright white like the other furnature in her room. Shana had been looking(hunting) for bedding for awhile, and found some great stuff at a great price that works really well in Margaret's room. Then we bought a new mattress(which was placed upside down..so the bed was extra hard for a couple nights! ha ha). Then Aunt Janet came over and helped me(daddy) put it together. The last time I put it together myself in our old house....I think I deleted all those pictures!! ha ha Much easier with a friend(Aunt Janet helps us put lots of stuff together!!). Now..all we needed was a little girl to jump in & drift off to sleep. Still looking for that little girl. The first night there was a thunder storm. Margaret is not a fan of loud noises. So I ended up sleeping on the floor beside her bed holding her hand. The next night we began the "Super Nanny" way of training a child to stay in their bed. Pretty much...you do your normal "thang", but when the child gets out of the bed...you lovingly put them back reminding them it is bed time & that they must stay in bed.....THE FIRST TIME! The next million times they get out of bed...you pick them up and put them back without saying a word. That went on for about an hour and a half the first night. The next night it was an hour(would have been less, but at one point Margaret walked into the bed post and fell down...so I needed to hold her for a bit and calm her down). The third night it took around a half hour, but she was staying longer stretches before getting out of bed to find me. Hopefully she will continue to get use to her bed...and it will soon be a place she loves to be.

2 Months Old!!!

Our sweet boy is 2 months old & growing like a weed!

At his check up he weighed in at 13 lbs & measured 23 inches long! When he

was born he weighed 9.7 but dropped to 8.6(maybe less) that first week.

We also think he may already be teething!!! OH MY! NOT YET!!

We are getting more and more smiles...and he is very responsive to

voices he knows! Of coarse mamma is his fav....but I'm ok with that(for now! ha ha).

Play Time With Sister!

To say Margaret loves her little brother would be an understatement! Though sometimes a 2 yr old's love looks a lot like tackle football!! It is a joy to see her wanting to spend time with Eli(play time...cuddle time)...trying to take care of Eli(getting his paci..blanket..etc)....and talking about Eli! I hope & pray that they will remain close....and will always be there for one another! I know there will be rough spots along the way....but it seems there is an amazing foundation of love already set!

STRETCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love seeing him stretch!

More Love

Our Little Foodie

Margaret loves to be in the midst of anything in the kitchen! Usually in hopes of finding something to eat! Into the pantry she goes & comes out with her apron and chef hat on! I still need to get a picture of that!

LOVE!

Margaret loves her little brother! We had concerns about the transition...and though it has only been a few days....so far so good! She always want to help(making sure he has his luvie and paci), loves to hold him on her lap, and always wants to know where he is & what he is doing!! This picture is nothin' but love!!!!!!!

ELI EDWARD EDINGER

OUR BIG BOY IS HERE!!

9 LBS 7 OZ 21 3/4 INCHES LONG

Kisses for Eli

Margaret loves to give her little brother hugs & kisses(well..at least mommy's belly). Eli likes to kick the fire out of Margaret(when she's laying on Shana's belly..Eli starts kickin'!!). It sure will be interesting when he's on the outside. That won't be a long wait either!!!! The doctor said he could come any day, but if he doesn't come before....she'll enduce on June 30th. His due date is actually July 8th, but...like Margaret...he's big. A month before his due date...he was measuring at 6 lbs 7 oz(that's a normal size birth weight for a lot of people) That was pretty much on track with Margaret(she was 6 lbs 11 oz at that point...and was 8lbs 6 oz at birth two weeks early).

Beautiful Girl

Our dear friend Terra took some amazing pictures of Margie(even though she is a wiggle worm and did not really want her pictures taken). If you are in the Nashville Metro area, you should give Terra a call for your photography needs!

http://www.takenbyterra.com/

Part Kitty

I have a feeling Margaret is part kitty. She loves being in baskets & boxes!! She'll dump all her toys out so she can climb into the basket!! Sometimes she'll dance in the basket. Sometimes she just sits in the basket. Other times she likes to look at her books in the basket. If she ever takes a nap in it...then I know for sure she's part kitty!!

Playing at Dragon Park

We are really enjoying time at the parks in the Nashville area. Dragon Park(don't think it is the real name of the park...it's near Vandy & 21st) is an amazing place! As you can tell....Margaret LOVED IT!

Margaret's BFF

It amazes me how a child's personality comes out so early! Margaret use to yell across the parking lot at strangers & get upset when they wouldn't talk back to her. She loves to snuggle, hug, talk, and be with people. That's right...she is a people person(wonder where she gets that?). It should be no surprise that she already has a best friend. Sophia is about 4 months younger than Margaret, and is the daughter of our close friends from church. Margaret loves Sophia. She greets her with a hug and gives her a kiss goodbye. Now..as with all 2 yr olds..they have their issues(sharing is not always easy for them), but it is such a beautiful thing to see a pure friendship like theirs. We look forward to seeing their friendship grow over the years!

The other day Margaret fell asleep on the way home from Target. Shana noticed Margaret look like she was sleeping, but she was smiling and laughing. At first she thought she was trying to play a trick, but realized she really was sleeping. All of the suddent Margaret burst out laughing and yells Cia(what she calls Sophia). I don't know what they were doing in her dream, but I'm glad they were having fun!

EGG HUNT 2011

Today was the Egg Hunt at our church. What a great event! Margaret had so much fun with all of her friends. How blessed are we to be at a place that loves children so much!