7 Months Old

It is hard to believe that we are on the downward slide to the 1-year mark! On Thursday, Eli will be 7 months old. I am posting a few days early because we will be leaving tomorrow for our trip to Florida, and I do not want to miss taking his monthly photos. My little assistant and I had trouble getting Eli to sit still, but I think these photos capture our joyful, playful 7-month E-Guy!

At 7 months, Eli likes jumping in his exersaucer, gripping on to toys, and cuddling with Mommy. He also likes watching his big sister, scooting around the room on his back, and grabbing at anything within reach. Boomer and I think that Eli may be our destructive child. We have noticed that he likes banging his hands on the table and making noises with different objects. We may have to actually baby-proof our house this time around. Eli is all boy, with loud burps and sweaty feet. He is an enthusiastic eater and will quickly finish his bowl of rice cereal or baby food. He continues to like bathtime, which we do about twice a week, usually on Mondays and Fridays. 

He also likes playing with his feet...

...and sucking on his fingers. 

Now that Eli has completely mastered rolling over, he has started to sleep on his tummy some. It surprised me the first time I found him like that in his crib. The saying "back is best" is true in the infant stage, but now that Eli is strong enough to roll back over, I let him sleep however he chooses.

Eli's legs are getting stronger and stronger. He doesn't need any help from Daddy when he is standing in his crib...

...and he is so very proud of himself!

Eli is still in size 2 diapers and is wearing 6 month clothes. He has two teeth on the bottom that came through a few weeks ago, but so far no signs of any others. Bedtime is around 7:30PM, and he generally sleeps until 6:30AM. There are not too many things that Eli dislikes. Besides green beans (our third vegetable which produced a lot of gagging and funny faces), the only thing that comes to mind is that he does not like to be left alone. He will let out little cries if he does not have someone in sight at all times. Our social butterfly likes being around people. He is our laidback, easy-to-please Eli, Bee-lie, Boop-de-boo! 

A Day in the Life

We are settling in to the days of summer. And I love it! Boomer proclaims that he loves "Summer Lindsey" too! Over the last two weeks, we have developed a routine that seems to be working for our crew. There is a rhythm to the days during the week and then adventures during the weekends. A typical weekday looks like this: 

6:30AM - 9:30AM: Eli is usually my alarm clock in the morning. I faintly hear Boomer's phone go off at 6:15AM, but I doze until I hear Eli making his noises in the nursery. He greets me with the sweetest smiles, and I nurse him in the rocking chair in his room. Then I bring him down the hall to our bedroom while I pump. I am still pumping twice a day, once in the morning and once before bed. I generally get 3-5 extra ounces with each pumping, which I then use throughout the day for rice cereal or an extra bottle. After I am done pumping, sometimes Eli and I will snuggle a little bit in Mommy and Daddy's bed until we hear big sister Emmy making noises in her room. It is around 8AM, and it is time to get on with the day. After everyone is dressed, we head downstairs for Emmy to have her breakfast while Eli jumps in his exersaucer. I have both kids in sight while I am either at the sink washing up my pump parts or at the counter packing our lunches for the day. Eli will generally still be full from eating earlier, but I will nurse him again around 9:30AM before we head out the door for the day's adventure.   

10:00AM - 12:30PM: I have found that 10AM is a good time for scheduling an activity or meeting up with friends. While I am sure Eli prefers the days that we are at home and he can peacefully nap in his crib, he is usually flexible for having his morning nap in the car or in the stroller. Last Monday, our outing was a visit to Great Grandma's. Emmy asks "Are we going inside or seeing her at her window?" to which the answer is still "at her window." I am not sure how much longer restrictions will be in place at senior communities and nursing homes, but we continue to be cautious. Luckily Great Grandma has a first-floor apartment, so we talk to her on the phone while standing outside of the window. The weather this past week was in the mid-80s, and we enjoyed other outings to the park. We met Katie, Grant, Elle, Emily, Sawyer, and Carrie at Reynolda on Wednesday for a walk and donuts. Then on Thursday, we met Michelle and her two boys Levi and Cooper at Tanglewood. Eli stays in the stroller typically the whole time, while Emmy will usually walk and then ride on her tricycle. Everyone is a bit sweaty and ready for some AC after about two hours, so we finish up our lunch and head back home. 

1:00PM - 4:00PM: I try to quickly unpack the car and move everyone upstairs for naptime. I warm up a few extra ounces of milk for Eli, and after nursing him and giving him the bottle, I put him down first. Then Emmy and I read a book together, and she lays down, too. Naps for Emmy are pretty inconsistent these days. I'm lucky if she naps one day a week! But she is doing a great job staying in her bed or at least in her room. She will not leave her room until I come for her. (Knock on wood!) Even if she does not fall asleep, the rest time is critical - especially for Mommy! With the time in the afternoons, I will sometimes pop in a workout DVD or grab a book to read outside. One afternoon this week, I used naptime to go through three huge bins of clothing that I received from my sister and her sister-in-law. There were boy clothes everywhere! We are so thankful for the hand-me-downs, and after getting everything organized, I stored the bins in our garage until Eli is ready for them. Always during this time, I keep the monitor close by and have my ear tuned in to any noises. Nap time soon ends, and it is back to Mommy duty!

4:00PM - 6:00PM: Once there is movement and noise coming from both rooms, I get the kids up. If Emmy is still content playing and reading, then I nurse Eli first before going into Emmy's room. He is at the stage now where he is easily distracted, and his singing, dancing, energetic sister proves to be a big distraction most times. We wait for Daddy to get home, which is usually around 5:30PM. One afternoon, he was greeted by Princess Elsa herself! I let Emmy put on her Elsa dress from Aunt Megan, and she loved twirling around...and terrorizing her brother!

6:00PM - 7:30PM: For dinner, we alternate cooking at home and having take-out. While cooking is easier now that I am not working, I still look forward to the evenings when Boomer comes through the door with our food. Our favorites right now are Chipotle, Cookout, and Zaxby's. If we are doing something a little pricier, we like Cracker Barrel, Big Burger Spot, or Olive Garden. It is such a treat to not have to prep or clean-up. Eli is now joining us at the table in his Bumbo seat for his own dinner. We are using the Gerber First Foods, and he has had sweet potatoes and carrots so far. He much prefers sweet potatoes - there are a lot of funny faces when he has carrots. Next on deck is green beans, and then we will try some fruits! After dinner is done, and if it isn't too hot outside, we may go for a walk or hang out in the cul-de-sac. Emmy got a balance bike from her cousins, and we gave it a try last week. The first attempt was so-so; she tended to walk upright while straddling the bike, instead of sitting down on the seat. We have some work to do, but hopefully we will have good results with the balance bike!

7:30PM - 8:30PM: The evenings end with the choreographed routine for bedtime. While I nurse Eli, Boomer gets Emmy ready for bed (bath, teeth, hair), and then we trade off so the girls have storytime while the boys finish off with a bottle. Both kids fall asleep pretty quickly. The fresh air and the day's activities tend to mean a good night's sleep for everyone. After the kids are asleep, Boomer and I usually hang out in the sun room, him on his computer and me reading a book. Since Boomer is missing sports right now, we will sometimes watch a 30-for-30 documentary. We also enjoyed the McMillions series and the Michael Jordan "Last Dance." The day ends will me pumping one more time around 10PM. It's close to 11PM when dishes are done and everything is complete. Whew! Another successful summer day of mommying! 

AND THEN THE WEEKEND!

With Boomer home on the weekends, he is an extra set of hands for meal time, car loading, diaper changes, and snack requests. We love when Daddy is home! We have been using the weekend to accomplish our Summer To-Do List, and this weekend, we checked off one more thing: the lake! It is a standing item each summer, and we plan to go a few more times in July and August. None of the other cousins were there this time, so Emmy and Eli got a lot of attention from Granny and Paw Paw. Both took turns being first mate on the boat, and much like Emmy at that age, Eli fell right to sleep on his first boat ride. He looked so much like Emmy in the pink infant life jacket - I had flashbacks to three summers ago! The day ended with ribeye steaks on the grill before we made the drive back to Kernersville. 

On Saturday, Boomer and I had a double date with the Joneses to Sanders Ridge Vineyard and Winery in Boonville, followed by dinner at the Cody Creek Depot in Dobson. We had so much fun catching up and living "real life" again. After three months of limited social interactions, we enjoyed the time with friends and eating in a restaurant again. We continue to take precautions, like wearing masks when necessary and avoiding large indoor gatherings; but it feels good to do some normal things again. While we were on our date, Grammy watched the kids and even found time to do some special crafts with them. It was a sweet surprise to have some new artwork for our fridge. Grammy managed the whole bedtime routine with no problems. It was the first time that I have not been there to put Eli in his crib, but he seemed pretty unaffected - he slept through the night as usual. Hopefully it is a sign that Boomer and I will have another date night soon! 

Kicking off Summer

We are one week into summer, and we have already checked off TWO of our to-do list items. Last Sunday, we picked up lunch for a picnic and headed to Quarry Park to explore. The weather was perfect for being outdoors, and with the paved path, we were able to easily maneuver with Eli in the stroller. There is a large metal structure that gives a beautiful view of the quarry and the water below. Quarry Park: check!

Boomer has four-day work weeks during the month of June, and with his day off on Friday, we went to Luna's Trail, another to-do list item. Luna's Trail is a farm and event center in Westfield, and the property is open to the public. We parked near the main venue building and walked along the trail to a covered bridge and another small bridge over a creek bed. Emmy loved throwing rocks into the water. After exploring for a bit, we finished off our outing with lunch at the restaurant on the property, called Big Creek Lodge. We ate on the outdoor patio, and it was our first time eating at a restaurant since March! The pimento cheese BLT was delicious; I'd also recommend the pizza, based on the bites I had of Boomer's :)  Luna's Trail: check! 

Although it was not on the Kennedy Summer To-Do List, we fit in another fun adventure on Saturday when we went strawberry picking at Hedgecock Farms, a farm just over the Davidson County line. Not knowing that strawberry season started in April, we went on the very last day that they were open to the public. There was still a good amount of strawberries, which Boomer and Emmy picked while Eli and I supervised. Once we got home, Emmy helped me make a cobbler with our just-picked strawberries. Next year we will know to go earlier so that we can have fresh strawberries throughout the spring. 

During the weekdays, I am still mostly solo with the kids. Our time at home together during COVID-19 has polished up my efficiency during meals and my multitasking during other busy moments of the day. However, we have rarely gone anywhere, so it is still relatively new territory to go on an outing when I am outnumbered. Twice this week, I am happy to report that we managed to get loaded in the car and off to our destination - and on time, might I add! One outing was a playdate with our friends Stephanie and Lyla. We enjoyed a walk at Reynolda Gardens, with some excitement seeing a turtle and then Lyla going off-course on her bike down a pretty steep hill. A tree stopped her, and luckily there were only minor bumps and bruises and then a rash that popped up from the plants that caught her fall. Thank goodness she was wearing her helmet! Hopefully our next outing with the Beuters will be less eventful!

When Boomer arrives home in the evenings, we love telling him about our day. Emmy has become quite a storyteller. She will sometimes look to me to fill in any gaps, but she can otherwise carry the conversation while Boomer and I stifle our laughter. She certainly keeps us entertained. After dinner, we have been getting outdoors for our neighborhood walks. We have also done chalk in the driveway or bubbles in the backyard. Emmy especially loved the evening we went over to her cousins' house to play in their splash pad. Aunt Megan had thoughtfully bought Emmy her own water gun so that she could keep up with the boys. They have the funnest things at the Houston house! On another evening, we met the Houstons and the Williamses for dinner at 4th of July Park where all the kiddos had fun playing in the creek. 

Just as soon as I wrote that Eli was not rolling over yet, he finally did. And unfortunately, we missed it! Boomer, Emmy, and I were nearby in the kitchen when we looked over to find Eli on his belly, when he was previously on his back. I snapped this photo after the fact. You'll have to excuse the mess of his big sister - although Eli is quite motivated to reach her toys as he now rolls from back to front and front to back. He is getting stronger each day and able to balance sitting for longer periods. Eli also tried his first baby food: sweet potatoes! He made a few funny faces when swallowing, but he otherwise was very interested. What a big boy! We also had our first discussion this week about the differences between boys and girls. During one of Eli's diaper changes, Emmy was watching closely, and the conversation went something like this: 

Emmy: "What is that?"

Me: "What is what?"

Emmy: "What is that....piece?" 

The only thing I could come up with in the moment was "Well, that is what makes Eli a boy." She seemed satisfied with that answer, which is ironic because she is definitely in the "Why?" stage right now. I am preparing myself for more conversations to come in the future!

While little brother Eli is trying new foods and rolling over, Emmy got a new helmet from Grammy and Grandpa! Soon we plan to try out the balance bike from her cousins, and if we learned anything from Lyla's incident this week, a helmet is necessary. Thank you, Grammy and Grandpa!