one the move, well sort of....

eli is slowly but surely moving into becoming a fully mobile creature. freaky. up until now, he has been content with just sitting in one spot but that is slowly changing. he has learned that he has the ability to scoot his little but around in a circle in order to get things in his immediate reach. he also is learning that if he leans forward just enough he can transition onto his belly. (we've had some bumps and bruises but he's getting better and not landing on his face.)and that's the point where it gets a little confusing for him. he so desperately wants objects in front of him that are just out of his reach and when he tries to get to them he only goes scooting backward. it's quite entertaining for us but frustrating for him. also he's scooted himself under beds, chairs, cribs and coffee tables; that is entertaining as well.

part of me is sad that he is moving into mobility, it means he gains more independence and needs us just a little bit less. but i'm excited that he gets to explore another part of his world that he hasn't contacted yet. watching your kid discover new skills, areas of his world, textures etc is a fun experience.

9 thanks for 9 months...

i can't believe that eli is nine months old already. it's crazy to think that he has been out of my belly for the same amount of time he was in my belly. in honor of eli's 9 month birthday i thought i'd write a list of nine things i'm thankful for in these past 9 months.

9. for eli's laugh and smile (who can resist a baby's laugh).

8. joel finding a job so i can stay home with eli.

7. being able to stay at my job and still engage that part of my brain and still work with my patients.

6. our burley. family bike rides are some of the most fun we have on the weekends.

5. that eli is healthy, happy and ohhhh so fun.

4. that we have a home, food in our bellies, health insurance, clothes, a garden, cars that haven't broken in a while...

3. for new friends that have babies.

2. that eli loves to explore and is interested in how things work.

1. our marriage. i'm not sure how we'd do it if we didn't have each other. having a kid really can strengthen your marriage if you're willing to work on staying connected and working through the good and the bad. (sleepless nights and all).

trains

a couple months ago i started my new job at a railroad bridge construction and design company. the first couple months have provided quite the variety. i spent time in north dakota taking measurements on timber bridges, moved sandbags in western south dakota, spent a week on a historic bridge over the st. croix in north wisconsin busting rivets, another week in lanark illinois (booming metropolis) busting concrete, and this past week i've been cruisin down the rail in northern illinois inspecting culverts. i'm always a little nervous of what i'm going to see when i climb down and look inside the culverts out in the middle of nowhere. along with all that, i've spent time in the office working on some design tasks and gone on a shopping spree for supplies (gps, camera, waders, life jackets, the basics) with a company credit card. freight railroad is a whole different world most people never see. like any new job i've had to learn lots of new phrases and words specific to the railroad. for example; EIC - the person in charge of making sure no trains hit you while you're working the rail road or FRN-(pronounced furn) frickin railroad nut. the variety has been the good part of the job and the travel has been the hard part. i miss being at home with shannon and eli at night when i'm gone and hotels and restaurants get old fast. i do like the fact that when i travel it forces me to be more intentional about my time with shannon and eli on the weekends. good and bad, after over a year without a job it's nice to be working again. i still haven't been issued a conductor hat. hopefully someday.

Rub-a-dub-dub, the boy in the tub...

recently, eli has graduated to using the big boy tub and he just love, love, loves it. i think it has to do with being able to splash around and he seems to be fascinated with the drain pull; interesting. i guess videos are better than words so i let this one do some talking.

First Words?

so we've officially entered into the world of talking for better or worse. a few weeks ago, eli started saying "da da" and at first i wasn't sure if i had heard him correctly. but sure enough, after the 100th time it seems as though he's discovered his first "words". one thing we've realized is that he doesn't really say "da da" in reference to anything but sometimes we pretend he's calling joel "dada". we were lucky enough to catch his talking on video, so enjoy!

Road Trip!

we've been busy these past few weeks. joel has been traveling quite a bit for his job lately which means eli and i are holding down the fort. so far it hasn't been too terrible, though i am learning that i need a break from eli at times. so for me, working has been really good. it has provided me some time away from the house and away from eli and i find that i am much happier to see him when i get home. one fun thing about joel's travels is that we have joined him on the road. last week joel was in hudson, wi so eli and i drove up to stay with him. it was quite the road trip for the two of us! on our way through we stopped in eau claire and visited grandma anderson and grandma ruthie drove from duluth to visit. it was wonderful to see both the grandmas dote on eli and give him some well deserved attention (as if he gets none of that at home!). it was also very nice to have a break in driving as i can only listen to so many episodes of this american life.

since we were so close to the cities, we spent thursday at aunt jess and uncle ryan's house and eli tested out their nursery for their little one. eli demonstrated his approval by taking a 2 1/2 nap in their crib! hopefully their little one is okay with sharing his/her bed! it was wonderful to talk with them, eat with them and gush over jess's beautiful belly. i'm so excited that some of our closest friends are having a baby. i just wish we lived closer so our kids could play together more often.

on our way home on friday, eli and i drove through la crosse and had coffee (well soda) with gillian, my best friend from high school. it was so great to sit down and talk with a good friend. every time we get together to time goes by too quickly. hours fly by like minutes and i long for more conversation but realize we have to part at some time. another perk was that the drive was absolutely beautiful, i love that part of wisconsin.

i'm sure you're wondering where joel is in all of this goodness. well, he had to work 12+ hour (more like 13+) days so we only saw him late in the evening and early in the morning. all in all, even though we didn't see him all that much it was good to be with him. we are hoping the travel dies down a bit after july if not, we'll make sure to keep you posted on any other adventures.

Our Daily Bread...

I have always wanted to bake weekly bread. Though, with working and now being a parent I didn't really have any time (or energy) for the endeavor. Now that I am at home more I decided, this week, to give it a good ol' college try. I used a basic whole wheat bread recipe from The Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book. I like this book because it really explains how to bake with whole grains and has simple recipes. Well, I think it turned out all right! The loaves rose and proofed just like described in the book and after baked they don't taste like bricks. Next week I think I will try my hand at making whole wheat oatmeal bread. We'll see how that turns out. I tried to take some pictures of the process but I only managed to take pictures of the very beginning, I think I got too distracted later on to take pictures. (Sorry, no pictures of the final product!)