Little Eli Guy: Months 24 - 26

Hey Scholars,

Today, Eli is 27 Months-Old. I haven't posted since Eli's birthday back in March, so this post will have my favorite pictures of Eli from the last 3 months.

In the last 3 months Eli:

• Has taken an interest in music. He loves to play the guitar and sing, play the recorder, and dance to whatever music he hears (even if it's just a commercial or a ringtone on my cellphone).
  
  

  

  Eli plays the guitar before bed
  

  
  

  
  
• Has learned to work various electronics. 
• Eli can use the VCR. (Yes, we still own a working one. We own two actually. No DVD players in the Thomas home.)
• Eli can play music on my cellphone.
• He can call his father (based on the picture associated with the number).
• He can use the DirecTv remote to play his DVR recordings
• And, Eli can pause and play various streaming services on the computer by using the spacebar.
• Has become one with nature
• Eli love playing outside in the backyard
• Wants to play in dirt and is interested in plant life
• Loves going for walks through the neighborhood
  
  

  

  Blowing bubbles with Mommy

  
  
• Has learned more words and the items associated with them
• Has learned to dress and undress himself
• Eli can put on/take off his socks and shoes (velcro shoes only)
• Eli can take off his pants, diapers, and training pants
• Eli can unzip his jacket/hoodie and take it off

Eli has learned to do quite a bit in the last few months. He hasn't had much structured learning. I like to let him decide what he is interested in doing and then, as long as it isn't dangerous, I encourage him in his actions, comfort him when he fails, and praise him when he succeeds. It has been working very well for us.

Eli has become so much more defiant since his brother, Leo, was born. He is sometimes very hard to deal with and it can be overwhelming, but I am doing my best to make sure Eli feels loved, supported, and included. I hope that his behavior improves in time.

Here are a few more pictures of Eli from the last three months:

Thank you so much for reading this post. I hope you enjoyed all of the pictures that I posted. Come back in August for another update!

I Spy...

Eli recently discovered magnifying glasses.

He is in love with it. He takes it with him everywhere.

I hope to take him outside to our yard so he can look at the flowers and bugs more closely.

Check back in a few days for more picture posts!

Little Eli Guy #6: Months 18 - 23

Hey Scholars,
Today marks the last day of Eli's 2nd year of life and it has been an amazing journey to witness so far. Eli has become his own person and I'm blessed to have been able to watch him grow thus far.
 Some of the highlights of Eli's life the last 6 months have been:

• Speaking in full sentences
• Running
• Recognizing letters and repeating them
• Interest in playing the guitar (and singing)
• Interest in reading books
• Grooming himself (brushing and combing his hair, washing his face and hands, putting on and taking off his clothes, etc.)
• Potty Training!

Eli has become such smart little boy. He's very tech savvy for a toddler. He can navigate Android interfaces better than even I can. He'll watch you do something and can usually mimic it very closely. I really enjoy watching him go about his day as I work from home.
 Even though Eli has been developing amazingly the past six months, things have not been perfect. Eli had a slight run in with his G6PD a few months ago. It left his legs scarred and his body covered in rashes and hives. We visited the ER and he was given steroids that cleared up his condition within the first 48 hours. Since then, I've been a lot more conscious about what I feed him. No beans whatsoever, I give him as much fresh fruit and veggies as possible, and I read the ingredients on EVERYTHING. I have also limited or completely cut out most soy products and I make a lot of his meals myself instead of buying them prepackaged. Eli has had very little breakouts since I've started following these rules. I'd like to keep it that way.
 Goals I have for the next six months:

• Document Eli's life more often through writing and pictures
• Teaching him to count to 10
• Teach Eli the first 10 letters of the alphabet and have him recognize the letters
• Let Eli explore nature more often
• Have Eli play with other children more often

 Picture Time!

Potty Training Time!

~ Until next time friends ~
 ♥ Domonique & Eli ♥

The Faces of Laughter

Hello There!

I haven't had time to queue a proper post, but I've been taking plenty of pictures and messing around on Blogger Mobile. here are my favorite photos of the last few days.

Enjoy and look forward to the third post in my Mental Health Awareness series later this week!

Eli & His Favorite Chair

Hello Friends! In our living room there's a chair that sits in the far corner of the room. It's beat up from years of wear and tear, but very comfy and a great place to read a book with a cup of tea in the evening when Eli is asleep.
Lately, Eli's become tall enough to climb on the matching ottoman and wiggle himself into the chair. He loves the way it rocks when he moves around and he giggles and smiles the entire time he sits in it, however long that may be. This chair is no longer fair domain, it belongs to Eli now.

Chair: Purchased by my Grandmother | Shirt: Hand Me Down | Overalls: Oshkosh |
Sneakers: The Children's Place

~ Domo ~ Facebook | Twitter

Little Eli Guy #5: Major Picture Update Post | Months 13 - 17

It's been a while since I've done one of these posts, so this is going to be a huge picture post! What is Little Eli Guy Doing Now?
As I'm typing this, Eli is asleep nearby. He's snoring loudly and rolling around, waking up briefly to make sure I'm still in the room. In the past few months since my last LEG (Little Eli Guy) post, we have had so many adventures together and reached all his milestones. Since the last LEG post, Eli has:

Visited Historical Landmarks in the city.

Little Eli Guy #4: Up We Go!

What's Little Eli Guy Doing Now?

This week Eli has managed to pull himself up on  e v e r y t h i n g.  I have no idea what to do with him! He pulls up on tables, chairs, his stroller, the media center where the TV sits, me, and even on people we don't know, if you're not watching him closely enough!

After finding him in the bathroom trying to play in the toilet, I decided it's time to baby-proof my house. My house isn't child-proof and never has been. In fact it's barely adult-proof! There are so many hazards and small things that Eli can get to since he is mobile, things I never worried about before. Where do I start? I'm a duck tape kind of girl, but I don't think that duck-taping my house is the solution.

Besides that, in physical therapy, Eli has been doing so well. Learning to clap, stand up, and trust someone besides Mommy has been a struggle, but we're here and it feels great to make progress. I am anxiously awaiting and dreading his first steps. I don't think my nerves can handle Eli actually walking around unassisted.

And that is what Little Eli Guy did this week.

How Am I Managing This Week?

This week I started working out again and finally managed to sleep well because Eli is sleeping on a schedule. Sleep feels like making love. I want to crawl into my bed, slide between the cool sheets, and hug my pillow until I can't stand it anymore, then I fall asleep. I think I'm cheating with my mattress at this point. Now that Eli is mobile, sleep is my new lover and I'm happy to see Sleep every night.

What Are My Plans for Next Week?

The weather won't be horrible so I think I'd like to go running and maybe take Eli to the park. He's never been to a park before and I think he would be excited to see other kids and a real swing.

I also think a trip to Target for baby-proofing supplies and time with my friends might also be in the cards. It would be awesome to see someone who isn't a toddler. If I'm lucky, maybe I'll go out on a date without Eli.

We shall see about the last one. That's wishful thinking at best. I'd be just as happy if he slept through the date and the place we went to had Long Island Iced Tea.

Until next time friends, peace, love, and green tea <3

~ Domo ~

Little Eli Guy #3 - First Birthday! Eli has leveled up from Noob to Lvl 1

Yesterday Eli leveled up from Noob to Level 1.

It has been an amazing journey to this day. There were many sleepless nights, cans of Redbull, last-minute essays written, poop-up-the-back, and tears, but we've made it a year!

My top ten favorite moments from this past year are:

1. Eli was born.
   
   
2. Eli left the NICU.
   
    
   
3. Eli said Mama first!!!
   
   
   
   
   
   
4. Eli rolled over.
   
   
   
   
   
5. Eli smiled at me for the first time.
   
   
   
   
   
6. Eli could hold his own bottle.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
7. Eli pulled himself up.
   
   
   
   
   
8. Eli and I spent my birthday cuddling.
   
   
   
   
   
9. Eli laughed for the first time.
   
   
   
   
   
10. Eli learned to feed himself.
    
    
    
    
    

I'm looking forward to the next year!

Until next time friends, peace, love, and green tea <3

~ Domo ~

Little Eli Guy #2 - He Can Stand By Himself!!!

What's Little Eli Guy Doing Now?

Eli had physical therapy recently and with his shoes on he managed to stand and squat down without falling over. Of course, he was distracted by the TV, so he wasn't worried about falling. I think Eli will be taking his first steps in no time!

Next Tuesday is Eli's birthday. Little Eli Guy will be One Year Old! I'm not having a birthday party for him though. Instead, I'm taking him out for the day along with his father and great-grandmother. I'm so excited for Eli to reach this milestone. He was born prematurely because of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and stayed in the NICU for twenty days before he came home weighing three pounds, five ounces.

Here is a comparison of then and now.

 

There will be a special birthday post on Tuesday of next week with photos from his special day. Please stay tuned for that!

How Am I Managing This Week?

This week has been hectic. Eli has been sick with a fever and cough since Saturday and his sleep pattern is completely off now, so I've been sleep deprived for a while. I haven't gotten a chance to get anything done around the house nor our laundry because I've been sleeping when I should be up.

I'm going to do my best to get Eli to start sleeping normally again and regain some of my sanity from not sleeping for thirty-six hours at a time. I will update you all on how that goes!

I also think I am going to try to write my posts ahead of time and plan out what I will post using post-its.

What Are My Plans for Next Week?

Next week I'm going to be celebrating Eli's birthday on the nineteenth, so I will be busy making sure anyone that wants to meet us there knows the details of the day. I'm going to try to workout three days next week using Fitocracy to level up to level 8. I am also going to figure out where the hell my refund check is from the IRS since I mailed it in more than five weeks ago! I would really like to buy that jogging stroller and some warm workout clothing soon.

Please let me know what you thought of this post and what I can improve on. Also, let me know if you think I should make corresponding videos for my Youtube Channel.

Until next time friends, peace, love, and green tea <3

~ Domo ~