11.30.06 Wow (Daddy)

This is just too good to pass up. I have to blog about this.
I'm currently in the middle of feeding Elijah his lunch. He is getting some black beans with rice, corn and green beans with carrots and chicken. Elijah has decided that if he doesn't want something he can whine and rub his eyes and pout and he doesn't have to eat it. It is also becoming increasingly clear that he understands where things are coming from and is seeing colors very well. Case-in-point: Elijah saw a spoon full of corn coming toward him. He started rubbing his eyes and whined a little bit. I tried the corn a couple more times and got the same response. I put the corn back and picked up a spoon full of beans with carrots. 'Lijah opened his mouth just fine. Believing I understood what he was doing, I fed him another spoonful of beans. After the second spoonful of beans, I spooned some corn again. As I picked the spoon out of the corn he immediately started to whine and rub his eyes. I put the corn back and got some beans again and he opened his mouth just fine. I am now typing this because I didn't want to forget this moment.

Elijah is also showing some more advanced thinking. A little earlier this morning I was standing in the kitchen, next to the stove and leaning against the counter. 'Lijah crawled over to me and tried to get himself up by grabbing on to my pant legs. He tried 3 times and couldn't get himself standing, he would only slide back down. He took his little but over to my right and stood himself up by using his hands on the glass on the front of the stove. He then cruised himself over to me and grabbed my pant legs. Does that sound like problem solving to anyone?

11.24.06 Turkey Day (Mommy)

In the spirit of the almighty turkey day I have a list of what I am thankful for.
1. My little boy
2. My husband
3. The fact that I have a job
4. My family
5. My new family
6. My friends, few but very good and very loyal
7. I have jeans that fit
8. I have a normal sized chest again
9. My husband's business, which is doing very well, at last
10. Trader Joes frozen vegetables and our food processor
More to come I'm sure as the year progresses.
'Lijah has had his first Thanksgiving now. He did not try the turkey, he did not try the corn, he did not try the yams, he did not try the green beans. What kind of Meyers is he?!! He did try, however, some mashed potatoes with gravy and some cranberries which he enjoyed. Gobble gobble.
We are having a BLAST in Oregon with the Harrison side of the family. There are plenty of people to pass the little boy around to. He gets a little overwhelmed by all of the activity, but he is doing okay.
On Tuesday I had a bit of a shock when I got 'Lijah up in the morning. His little face was all broken out in a red blotchy rash type thing. There were red dots and blotches all over him. There was one that made him look like he had a black eye, and the rest just made him look polka dotted all over his body. I tried very hard to remain calm. Took his temperature and it was 100.2 which was not too terrible. By the time I had got the both of us to June's calm was a thing of the past. By that point I had had a chance to think about all the possibilities; measles, rubella.....etc. Tears on my face, I dropped him off and headed to school to try to get coverage for my class so I would be able to take him to the doctor. It was a very long morning waiting for coverage and the appointment at 2:20. When we did get to the doctor his rash had gotten worse and his whole face was splotchy and red. They sent him back right away. Then the doctors all told me it was nothing and to just give him Benadryl. Hah!
So I took him to Dr. Kelley, our acupuncturist and fairy godmother to our boy. She took a look at him, told me it was excess heat (which made perfect sense with all of his other small symptoms), and gave me a pediatric herbal formula which has worked miracles. After 2 doses, the next day I could literally watch the splotches go away so that by the time we got to Sweet Home they were mostly gone. After another dose before bed he was looking like his normal cute self for Thanksgiving. Thank you Chinese medicine!
In other news, my son can wave. It's about time! All of a sudden he just started waving on the plane. I have been trying to get him to wave for so long to no avail, and all of a sudden he just picks it up and that's all he does now! Sheesh.
He's growing up.

11.20.06 Long Gone (Daddy)

I have been in Portland now since Wednesday of last week. This month's trip is going well but I am REALLY missing my family. Maybe it has something to do with the holidays coming and my being in Portland during the Fall. I love the Fall here. It has been a little rainy, but nothing an Oregonian cannot handle. Most of the weather, including now, is just partly cloudy, about 56deg. and very comfortable. I am actually walking to client's doors without a jacket or fleece, which feels great. I need to be cooled down a little. There are leaves everywhere and signs of winter all over. I would so love to be living here right now, nestled on our leather couch, under a blanket with Becca. Thinking of Elijah pulling himself up on his feet by the ledge of a window and looking outside to see the blowing leaves or the wandering kitties. This thought makes me want to be living here just that much more. Maybe a little too fairy tale, holiday book like, but that is what is on my mind at the moment. Elijah likes warm his apple cider, and there is no better time to drink it.
Vegas is not home, and never really has been for me. Portland feels like home and that feeling will only continue to grow. I have never been a big Christmas Tree person, but I'm finding myself wanting a tree in my house this year. Not in Vegas though, in my home here in Portland, wherever that may be. Guess I'm feeling homesick. Can't wait to see my family, including my grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles and cousins in the next couple of days. I've loved spending the last few evenings with Marylin and Cheri. Has the family gene finally kicked in with me? As you read this you can probably see that my mind is turning and I'm realizing a whole bunch about myself. I'm just sitting in my rental car, ouside a little cafe with free wireless internet, waiting 20 minutes before my next appointment. People are walking all over the place and I just feel settled right now, albeit quite lonely too. Cannot wait to talk to Becca. I got to hear 'Lijah on the phone this morning. He sounded just like he did when I was home, but he actually seemed to say "daddy" this time. My God.

11.13.06 Sicky (Mommy)

More runny diapers. More vomit.
Parenting is so very glamorous.
'Lijah is still sick, but dad is getting better. When I picked my darling boy up from June's today I was informed that he threw up his lunch and had many diaper changes. His poor skin is covered in a nasty diaper rash and he cries when we clean him down. Poor little baby. I feel for him.
Changes have occured though. 'Lijah is crawling- hands and knees traditional crawling. And this just after I said to a friend in front of 'Lijah that he wasn't crawling yet. It's like he wanted to prove me wrong. Ah, he is my child!!

11.12.06 Plane ride part 2(Mommy)

We are on the plane headed back west to the desert place that we don't like to call home. We prefer to think of it as being temporarily displaced. We all had a great long weekend, but alas, all good things must come to an end. And so we head back.
It's been an interesting journey home. Andy is sick with some sort of stomach flu. He has been vomiting and spending a lot of time in the bathroom today and last night. 'Lijah, I fear, has a similar affliction. He just threw up a whole bottle of formula all over himself a few minutes ago. I discovered, yet again, why mom's always have a ton of everything with them, including extra pants and a plastic bag. Resourcefulness was never my thing, but neccessity has changed that.
So here I am with one sick guy in the row behind me, trying desperately to catch a few minutes of sleep, and another little-er guy next to me, playing with the Southwest provided bag o' dried fruit. He doesn't seem to care that he has been making runny diapers and puking all over himself and Dad's jacket. Ah to be young again!
So there are a whole lot of changes to be noted about my aforementioned little guy.

Sitting just isn't for me!
Nope, sitting, apparently, is just SO last season and very uncool for Elijah. If he isn't standing, he isn't happy, it seems. Our little angel is loving the vertical ways of the world, and has been wanting 'up' more and more. Once he's up, he starts cruising along a piece of furniture, or he starts slapping the surface of the said furniture with both hands.

I'm up! I'm up!
Getting 'Lijah up into a standing position is no longer the responsibility of Mom and Dad. 'Lijah is exhibiting an astonishing amount of upper body strength as he pulls himself up from his stomach into a stand. He does not sit up in front of us; (although I'm sure he is able to) he goes right from stomach to feet in seconds flat. Amazing. He thinks himself very cool with this new trick and smiles tremendously upon acomplishing it.

I'm okay!!! I'm okay!!!
With all that standing and cruising and pulling himself up, there are bound to be falls and bumps and the like. I have been trying very hard not to react when this happens because it causes Elijah to think that there is something wrong and he then cries. What we have noticed is that when we aren't really looking and he falls or gets a bump, he doesn't cry or fuss or anything else. Only when he sees me, the mom, does he think that he needs to be comforted and what not. So I have to think very carefully when he falls...... do I want to pick him up and comfort him for me, or for him? More often than not it is an urge to satisfy my own feelings and so I let it be so he can decide for himself if he really is hurting or not. Not an easy task. It is paying off, though. Andy and I have seen Elijah fall and bump his head a number of times and he gets right up like nothing is wrong.

Odo! Odo? OdoOdoOdo!
"Odo" is definitely Elijah's first word. (Trekies rejoice!) Our little boy simply adores both of our cats and has decided, as many children do, that they are both "Odos". Everything is Odo now. At first we weren't sure if 'Lijah was really saying the name of our fatter kitty, but over the past few weeks it is becoming more and more apparent that he is indeed referring to our cat. A few days ago Elijah and I were cuddled up together in his room on the rocking chair before his bedtime. Odo walked in and 'Lijah sat straight up, looked at the cat and said "Odo!" (It sounds more like "uh-duh") He said it a few more times and then turned back to me, still watching the cat. Then, as Odo left the room, 'Lijah sat up again, trying to peer out the door after the cat. He looked up at me and said "Uh-duh?" After hearing him say this word many times prior, I decided that yes, this is my son's first word.

Yeeuch!
As you all know, Andy and I have toiled over making our boy the best food possible from our kitchen with the best ingredients possible. So it pained us, having been away from our food processer, that we couldn't give 'Lijah that good stuff while we were away. "Oh well," we thought. "Surely he can make do with store-bought food for a long weekend."
Apparently not. This child knows good food. He knows good stuff when he sees it or tastes it. So our guy had to make do with store brand food, and he did NOT like it. Sure, he would be good for a minute or two and gamely open his mouth for the jarred stuff, but after a few bites that changed and the mouth closed. Just another victim of good taste.

All in all a good trip for the three of us. More traveling to come; first to Oregon for Thanksgiving, then to Jersey for Christmas. Who knows, by then he may be walking!
(dear lord no.....)

11.11.06 Evolution (Daddy)

You know you are busy when you go from updates every day, or even multiple times a day to updates once a week, if that. That means, however, that there is usually quite a bit to write about. The problem is where do you start?
#1 - We are currently in New Jersey for the long weekend. Elijah did very well on the plane ride over. He entertained himself for a good bit of the time. He spent a while eating some crackers, eating a plastic toy bug and enjoying trying to grab Dad's computer while Dad was working.
#2 - Elijah now responds to "clap". When we say it repeatedly to him he then starts clapping! I'm not kidding here, he actually understands the word and claps and smiles at everyone. The catch happens once everyone else joins in. Elijah will stop and watch everyone else. Of course this happens, everyone is supposed to watch me, not the other way around!!
#3 - Elijah climbs up full flights of stairs now. Rebecca and I spent some time with him him on the grandparents stairs, teasing him with some coins to get him to head up further and further. He went all the way to the top. Teaching him to climb down is a different story. He went down backward on a few, but he wants to turn around most of the time. We'll work on this one. Here is the really cool thing though. I was downstairs and Rebecca was upstairs taking a shower. She finished and after a bit I went upstairs to see how she was doing. I left Elijah downstairs by himself so I could go see Mom. He was safe, I wasn't neglecting him. He had nowhere to go, except upstairs. After about 5 minutes of being upstairs with Mom I headed out of the room, to the loft, to check on him (it was rather quiet). I didn't see him anywhere downstairs. I turned to head downstairs and there was the boy, 3/4 of the way up the stairs on his way to find Mom and Dad. It was just so obvious that he knew where we were and was headed up to find us. I can only imagine how we (and he) would have felt suddenly noticing him upstairs. I think Mom would have been okay, as she wouldn't have known I left him downstairs. I would have needed to change my pants though.
I want to leave some things for Mommy to write about, so TTFN.

11.4.06 Technology these days!(Mommy)

I walked into the house last night after working late grading papers and happened upon my son who was sitting in his high chair facing away from me. I said hello to him and he didn't even move. Now I know I'm no longer the center of his little universe seeing as I am no longer the source of his nutrition, but my presence usually warrants a look over and smile. That evening, however, there was nothing. As I bounded over to tickle his fat little buddah belly in greeting, I noticed he wasn't moving at all. Interesting. And then I saw it. The tell-tale white earphones signature of an ipod. My son was listening to an ipod.
An ipod.
Apparently his dad got a new teeny tiny ipod shuffle for demo purposes and thought it was the perfect size for our little guy. So there was 'Lijah, the shuffle clipped on, listening to Sufjan Stevens (a very eclectic alternative artist), just living it up.
Is it me, or is this just plain ridiculous? My kid has an ipod. I saw this coming, but not nearly this soon. Sheesh. What is this world coming to?

11.1.06 Ouch (Mommy)

It's a bad haircut. Started out as just trimming some wispy pieces that were in Elijah's eyes. Then it was uneven so I had to fix that. Then it just looked short and bad. The pictures will tell. Andy and I think he looks mentally challenged, but maybe we are a bit sensitive. Folks at work who have seen the new do assure me that he doesn't look bad- just as cute as ever. Who knows.... I mean, it will grow, right?
Speaking of growing, have those choppers grown in! Currently my precious bundle is chewing on some ham slices. Yummy. I gave him a small pile of green beans to try and he just looked at them quizzically and went back to the ham. Carnivore. I like it!
'Lijah hasn't been chewing on just ham these days. He has bitten me twice so far. I had marks for a good 3 or 4 hours afterwards. And let me tell you, those teeth are sharp! This is NOT a good habit. When I told him "No" he looked hurt for a second or two and then grinned. Sheesh.
In other news I have been noticing a lot of positive changes in the way Andy is handling Elijah. I'm not supposed to make a big deal of it, but I think it really should be mentioned. As blogged about before, Andy has been wrestling with depression for quite some time now. And once Elijah was born, there seemed to be some very real post partum issues on top of it all. Although he has been working very hard on this for as long as I have known him, the real changes have occured after he started Prozac. It seems so much less difficult for Andy to "deal" with Elijah, and that much easier for him to bond with him and show him his love for him. (The other night Andy let me hear him tell Elijah that he loved him!) This means so much to me. Living with the daily conflict of feeling like I had to "choose" between father or son was absolutely exhusting. Now it has improved one hundred and ten percent. Andy has always been consciencious and hard working when it comes to being a dad, but now the work is actually paying off. Its amazing what a little chemical assistance has done for him. Andy is more relaxed, and Elijah is more in love with his dad than ever before. The decision to start Prozac was not an easy one, nor was it made lightly. I am so proud of Andy for taking the very difficult and painful first steps towards working on healing a medical condition that aflicts millions. It takes a lot of strength and I admire him for it. My family is stronger than ever.
I love you, my Andrew.