Oh, just stuff

Hello there members of the Elliot fan club, we have some new updates:

We finally went to the eye specialist to check Elliot's eyes which were occasionally looking a little crossed, but it turns out it's perfectly fine and due to the fact that he's got a big nose! Well, it's a tiny nose for now, but the bridge is wide enough to slightly distort his vision. As his face grows and changes his eyes will look perfectly normal.

He's starting to show his 5th tooth! And those two front teeth are really coming out now and he's starting to move food around with his tongue and smash it between his gums too like he's learning how to chew. And when it comes to eating, I'm not exaggerating, the kid eats almost regular adult sized portions these days! I have to prepare twice the amount of food for him on a daily basis as I used to. He's still getting milk 3 times a day, in the morning, before bed, and once during the day and in a few weeks I'll stop the daytime feeding so it'll just be morning and night for another month or so.  I still enjoy the nursing but the whole pumping thing is getting old and I'm tired of my boobs being in need of so much maintenance too. In other mama news, I'm back down to my pre-baby size, I'm wearing small's and size 6's again - which is actually annoying because I went on a shopping spree a few months ago and now all that stuff is too big. But I got my first 'oh, you're so skinny' comment the other day which made me yearn for my plump and rotund days. 

Elliot is getting so close to saying his first real word with actual intention, sure he's said mama and some other maybe-words but he's vocalizing all sorts of letter sounds these days and making different sounds when he's happy, excited, curious, or sad. We've been a little lazy with the sign language but we do still do it for some of the more common signs but he hasn't shown us any yet.
He just keeps growing and growing, most days I'm used to being a mom now but sometimes I still look at him and think 'wow, this is really happening, I had a little bubbie and he's all cute and perfect and I'm his momma!'

Our little minnow

We had a little New Hampshire getaway recently and while we mostly lounged, shopped, and cooked, the highlight was definitely going down a snowy hill with Elliot in a toboggan.

It was hard to tell whether he truly enjoyed it because he didn't have a major reaction when we reached the bottom, he just looked kind of rosy-cheeked and stunned. We realized, when his cheeks were still rosy hours later, that actually the cold wind rushing at his face might not have been the most fun experience because it sort of gave him a wind burn. But it made him look very wintry and cute and he got over it so it's ok.

Oh and an update on the sick day thing, the next day he was completely fine and happy as can be and at the end of the week his top two teeth started to break out so that explains it. You can really see them now and they're looking pretty large, with a little gap in between, so soon he'll actually be able to chew things... like a little chipmunk! He's eight months now and it's incredible how much this kid can eat! I keep adding more and more to his servings and sometimes I make what I think will last him for two meals or at least one and a half, but the more I make the more he'll eat, down the hatch it goes, the question 'he ate that whole thing?' is one that's frequently uttered in this household. Not only that but he's developing quite a sophisticated taste, he likes roasted peppers, chamomile and green tea, quinoa, pasta, hummus, and usually whatever we're eating. I am still nursing but only in the morning and night during the work week, and also once during the day on the weekends. Pretty soon I think I'll cut it down to just morning and night, the best way to wean is to slowly give my ducts the signal that they should produce less, so I'm not planning on stopping cold turkey, I'll cut out feedings gradually over the next couple of months, probably mornings will remain as the last boobytime until I stop completely. But we'll see how it goes, right now I think the combo of breastmilk and solids is in just the right balance.

We are also taking a weekly swim class! Josh and I are alternating being the pool parent and we've only had one turn each so far. The first class was pretty good, mostly content with just a few whimpers. But the second class was a cry fest, he just was not having it. I think it'll take a few classes to get used to it and there was a combination of factors that added up to cranky this week. The pool room is pretty warm but the water is surprisingly cold so he shivered a little bit, plus he didn't nap on the way so he was tired. The class mostly involves singing songs and guiding the baby in swimming motions, bouncing up and down and spinning, and moving his legs in a kicking motion. They have all sorts of rubber toys in the water and that definitely helps to distract, if you show him a toy floating in front of him he'll instantly stop crying and reach out for the toy. It's a good motivator, just keep pushing the toy further and further so he'll swim towards it without even knowing he's swimming! I think in a few more weeks he'll be a natural :)