On the 5th - 7th days of staycation...

The past three days have been fun-filled with quality family time.  On Wednesday, we ran errands and laid kind of low getting things done around the house.  On Thursday, we spent the morning at My Urban Toddler in Saline where Elijah played with another little boy his age named Reese.  I think he had a good time because when we got in the car to come home, he crashed!  On Friday, today, we had my family down to celebrate the holidays.  We had Aunt Janice, Uncle Dave, Candice, Grandma and Grandpa Beard, Derek, Clark, Uncle Joe, Aunt Wendy, Madison and Mackenzie over to a later lunch.  We had a wonderful time and I think Elijah was very worn out when everyone left.  Pictures and video's to follow!

On the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th days of staycation...

On the second day of staycation, we celebrated Christmas Eve with Nana and Grandpa D in Battle Creek.  We had a beautiful drive out and back and Eli slept mostly both ways!  We had a fantastic lasagna courtesy of chef Ben and enjoyed exchanging presents with family near and far:)  Thanks to his Nana, Grandpa D, Great Grandpa Tom, Ann, Aunt Monica, Uncle John, Ada, Aunt Monica and Uncle Ed for all of the wonderful presents!  (The meerkat sleepsack, song book, stuffed monkey we call Bo, marine onesies, stuffed giraffe to be named still, first baseball set, peek-a-boo pop up, pop blocks, windup car.....to name a few things!)

On the third day of Christmas, we spent the morning at home opening presents from Santa, Mom and Dad.  Santa brought Eli all kinds of toys including an activity cube and books.  And.....thanks to his father, Elijah is now a proud owner of the Green Bay Packers (yep, Elijah has a share of his own and now makes decisions on the fate of the Green Bay Packers!).  After opening presents at home, we drove up to Owosso for more Christmas!  First stop was to my brother's house to celebrate with Grandpa Strauss, Uncle Joe, Aunt Wendy, and cousins Madison and Mackenzie!  We had a wonderful time spending the morning watching the kids play.  We have to thank everyone for all of the wonderful presents Eli was given!  (Ball popping push toy, basketball set, Baby Einstein music table and a hanging toy for his pack and play!)  The last stop was to my mom's house where we celebrated with Grandma and Grandpa Beard, Derek, Clark, Joey, Wendy, Madison and Mackenzie.  We had a great time opening presents and were again blessed with more toys, clothes and books!  (LOTS of books, onesies, IKEA wooden toys just to name a few!).  After dinner, Elijah was ready to be home in his own house.  He had an awful lot of stimulation and car rides in a short amount of time.  He was definitely a trooper though;)!

 Eli and his stock certificate for the Green Bay Packers......next up, Eli sits down with Dan Gilbert to discuss who to root for when the team you own plays your home team:)  (For those of you who don't know, Dan Gilbert owns the Cavaliers and Quicken in Detroit)

On the 4th day of staycation, we hung around the house and had a trip to Jungle Java so Eli could play with his friend Grant and we could play with our friends Michael and Lea! 

Needless to say, we have had nothing less than action packed days.  And, did I mention Eli is really cruising now?  Yep, we're focused on baby-proofing!  Enjoy the photo's and video's!

On the first day of staycation....

Today kicked off a nice 11 day vacation for both Ben and I....or as we're calling it "a staycation!"  I think this is the first time ever that we are taking time off and not going anywhere.  We're going to just focus on spending time with little Eli and get some stuff around the house done. 

On the first day of staycation.....we went to the Laurel Park Mall in Livonia to visit Santa Clause.  As we waited in a line filled with so many excited little boys, I realized that I may have been just as excited as they were.  It's been a long time since I've been to see him.  Elijah, per the usual, made many friends while we waited.  He would smile and shake his legs while in the baby carrier when anyone paid him attention.  It's not uncommon for older folks to take a liking to him and today was no different.  When we made it up to see Santa, Elijah smiled so big for his picture!  I have to scan it in and post it here.  We were so excited for our little baby boy's first trip to the mall to see Santa Clause. 

We spent the rest of the day hanging out at home.....and what did we do at home you ask?  Well, the majority of the time was spent with Elijah pointing out all of the things that we will be baby-proofing over the break.  Now that he has realized he's mobile, he's decided to take an interest in things he never has before.  Particularly the nutcrackers on the floor in front of the fire place (again, picture to follow). 

I promise, pictures and video's to follow.....stay tuned for further updates from the Stubbs Family Staycation!

Just for Fun

Just for fun, I'm posting some pictures and a video of Eli.  Yesterday I got him this toy from someone who was selling it at work.....I think he likes the ball.  I'm amazed by his ability to grab the ball and put it in his mouth, it will just be a matter of time before he starts throwing a curve ball!

Giggles and Smiles

This past weekend was so much fun.  Ben and I attended the Quicken Loans Holiday Party on Friday night while Aubrey and Dustin watched Eli.  We had a blast and I think Eli did as well!  It was nice to get out, but so much nicer to come home and cuddle with my babyJ  Saturday morning, we were up and at it early.  We had Christmas shopping to do, so we headed downtown Plymouth.  It was a wonderful morning.  Downtown Plymouth was decorated so nicely and there was a light snow.  Eli hung out in the stroller and even took a little snooze.  Don’t worry, we didn’t buy any presents for him, Santa is doing all that! 

Most of the rest of the weekend was just relaxing and playing with our baby boy.  This hilarious video below is our favorite.  Elijah has come into the laughing and giggling portion of his milestone development.  I could listen to his high-pitched little squeal forever!

Sunday night, we headed to Aubree’s in Depot Town (Ypsilanti) with Aubrey for her birthday!  Aubrey, Dustin, Ben, Eli and I had an awesome time!  The first portion was dedicated to celebrating Aubrey’s birthday and the second was to celebrate Christmas. 

We’re so looking forward to some time off beginning this Friday, so plan on lots of updates from us! 

Interacting with Santa and the Detroit Lions

Elijah met Santa for the first time on Saturday at the Cherry Hill Village Christmas party!  I figured he'd look at Santa and scream or cry, but instead he gave him a huge smile and proceeded to eat his beard. While there were lots of crafts to make and cookies to decorate, Elijah was most interested in the fish tank.  He'd find a fish and follow it as it swam all over.  He'd touch the glass as if he wanted to pet the fish, like he is now able to do with Riley.  I think if Elijah squeezed a fish like he does Riley's tail, the fish would die.....IF he was able to catch it!  Either way, we had a wonderful time. 

Saturday night, we took Elijah over to the Seidelman/Potters for the annual Christmas party until he was ready to go to bed.  We had a wonderful time hanging out, while Nana stayed at the house watching Elijah.

Sunday, we took Elijah to his first Detroit Lions game...and probably the last for a long time.  It's certainly nothing like taking him to the Detroit Tiger games!  The stadium is so loud, we under estimated the impact it would have on little Elijah's ears.  We made it to half time and then cruised home.  He slept the whole way!  It was a lot of stimulation for one precious little boy!  The Lions did beat the Vikings and we were home in time for the 4th quarter! 

And.....as an added bonus, some video footage!

6 Months and on the Move

Last night, Ben and I were laying on the ground watching our adorable little Eli and he did the darnedest thing.....he was on his tummy and basically spun himself around 180 degrees so he could get what he wanted.  This brought a tear to my eye:(  Where has the last 6 months gone?  It seems like time has flown by and my baby is growing up way too quick.  I often find myself so focused on researching what comes next, what things to teach him and what not in order to ensure he's on track for a wonderful life....and BAM!  He's laying on his tummy and spinning around and reaching for things!  It seems like just yesterday I would turn on Bob Marley and dance around the house with him in order to calm him down.  We'd listen to "Is this Love" and "No Woman No Cry" (substituting Woman for Eli) and just sway for hours.  I'd even turn on my phone to reggae during our daily neighborhood walks in order to keep him calm.  Now, he's listening to Toddler Tunes and rolling all over like a crazy man!  It seemed like just last week, Eli would eat every three hours and often every two and a half hours...and now?  He's eating solid food!  Well, as solid as a six month old can eat!  We're talking things like squash, apples, pears, sweet potato, mango, carrots, peas, green beans, bananas, avocados.....YIKES!  Why not give the kid a fillet, right? Any way, Eli is now just over six months old and I'm going to have to learn to just live in the moment and enjoy every waking second with my baby!

What you have all been waiting for, I'm sure, is Eli's six month pictures taken on his half birthday (November 22nd).  Aubrey (Aubrey Couture Photography....look her up on Facebook!) took some amazing shots of our little man!  Enjoy!
If you need a photographer, look her up! http://www.onlinepictureproof.com/aubreycouturephotography/gallery2/24893/

Cry it Out?

Who needs to cry it out when you baby babbles it out:)  Eli did this for about an hour before he fell asleep, as he does in the middle of the night, middle of the day....you get the picture!

Where did November go?

I can't believe it's already December, where exactly did November go?  In the last month, we've been very busy, but it's hard to remember doing what exactly!  There was Elijah's half birthday on November 22, Thanksgiving for 20 at our house, eating more solids, surviving our first cold and meeting some milestones! 

Here are the stats on Eli at 6 months: 27 inches long, 15.13 pounds (although he's more like 15.9 since he ate 4 ounces in the waiting room).  He's 66% in height and 16% in weight.  I hope he enjoys being tall while he can!  Unfortunately, at that visit, we also determined Eli was catching is first cold EVER.  It was a challenge because Ben and I both had the cold as well, so the usual stay in bed and take Nyquil trick wouldn't work when you have a baby who is also experiencing uncomfortable symptoms.  We made it through, however I shielded him from the world and hoped that Aubrey didn't become the next unfortunate victim.  But, we survived and we're all almost better!

Now, for Thanksgiving.....we had 18 adults and 2 children at our house and despite the pressure to cook a good meal for that many people, based on reviews....I ROCKED IT!  The turkey turned out perfect, even though it was still frozen the night before!  It was wonderful having so many family members in our house at one time.  I was even more wonderful that we fit all the people in our dining room!  Here are some fun photo's from the holiday!

Guess what?  Turkey Butt!

                                                              That turkey is a REAL turkey!

 Grandpa D: Turkey Carver

 Eli and Aunt Linda

20 people in the dining room

 Stuffed little bird!

Some of the delicious food

All in all, the past month has been amazing.  Eli could crawl at any time and he's saying more and more "words" every day.  We've started sign language and he gets the sign "milk" and can make it, however it's usually when he's grabbing my hair!

I'll try not to wait so long for my next post and keep you all informed of what Eli's up to!