Eli got lots of toys from Santa Claus (who was assisted this year by his North Carolina grandparents). His favorite is this rattle, which he has already suceeded in grabbing and putting in his mouth multiple times. Hey, we've all got to be good at something!

Eli had a good time at Christmas with Grumpy and Grandmere. Grandmere bought Eli a cake pan shaped like a train. A strange gift for a baby, but a great gift for his mom who loves to bake. The little one will love train cakes soon enough.

Oh, my.

We spent a little tummy time in a sunbeam. Our friend Mary Kay gave us this blanket, perfect since we call Eli "Turtle". He was digging the sunshine. So much so that he decided it was time to prop up on his elbows! Way to go, little Turtle!

The Christmas holidays have provided us with both LOTS of things to do and lots of fun free time to hang out. MY friend Sharon came home to the ATL from the west coast and got to meet His Lordship for the first time. Sharon confirmed it: Eli is darn cute.

But then, so is Sharon.

It's that time of year! Merry Christmas, faithful readers!

In honor of the new Rocky movie, Eli has decided to start boxing. Here he is on his way to a workout. (sorry, I can't get this one upright.)

What's up, duck?

I know that bath pictures must be getting old, but I've got to share these. Here's Eli taking a bath at his grandparents' house in North Carolina-- in the sink!

We churchy types aren't really all that excited about the mall Santa Claus. We do, however, like old Saint Nicholas of Myra, the guy who started it all. Tonight at the church, we had the annual St. Nicholas Supper, a big party for the kids with an appearence by St. Nick, who tells his story to all the children and then leaves chocolate in their shoes.
Eli was so good during the whole shebang, he even slept for part of it. Unfortunatly, he slept through this picture. St. Nick was a good sport, though.

When I married him 3 and a half years ago, I had no idea that Kevin was such a great poet. Then today, in a fit of silliness inspired by the similarities between Eli's head and his own, Kevin penned this marvelous work. Enjoy!










Look! A melon, a globe, a ball!
No, no, no, It’s not that at all.
Must be one of those ostrich eggs.
But wait! A neck and arms, and legs.
A head, it is, I do declare!
Avert your eyes, please don’t stare.
It’s slick and smooth and full of shine,
His hair no longer has a line.
No there’s nothing where there should be hair,
Not a sprig or sprout of hair up there.

They say, “his head is prone to freeze,
He’ll catch a cold and cough and sneeze.”
But quick, a scarf, a hood, a hat
And we can cease to fret ‘bout that.
Now being balds not so bad
Even for such a youthful lad.
Cause with no hair to fluff and tease
There’s no room for lice or fleas.
No tick nor dander can make a home
If there’s nothing left to comb.

No perms, no curls, no stylish wave,
Not even stubble left to shave.
No bangs no tails, no rows of corn,
No GI cut that’s neatly shorn.
No dyes, no spikes no mullet threat,
There’s nothing there to hold the sweat.
No need to worry about banker’s cost
Since being bald means nothing’s lost.
No product, no spritz, no need for gel,
He need not worry how to style his shell.
So wear with pride that marvelous dome
And give thanks to God there’s nothing to comb.

To make up for the dearth of pictures in recent weeks, here are just a few random ones that I like.

I've been keeping a little secret from you, my faithful readers.
ELI HAS BEEN SLEEPING!!!
Yes, you heard it here first. For the last five nights, he has gone to bed at 9 p.m. and woken up at 7 a.m. with only two short breaks for nursing.
AND what's even better, he's been sleeping in his own little bed, the co-sleeper next to our big bed.
We are not calling this a habit, only celebrating each night, one at a time, so that we don't get disappointed, but holy moly it feels good to get a few hours of sleep in a row!
Here's a picture of Eli, swaddled and with the radio on in his co-sleeper, fast asleep.

Eli is a man of many hats. His favorite three, though, are the ones his friend Ingrid made. Now, Eli has never met Ingrid, but he knows for a fact she's a great knitter, as evidenced by these hats that he wears over his little bald head. His mother's favorite is the rainbow one. It gets lots of compliments when Eli is out on the town. Eli feels like hot stuff when he wears the grey one, so he has to look tough.

The other day, I put Eli down on the couch wide awake for just a second to change my shirt. The minute he hit the couch, he fell fast asleep. He sort of takes after his daddy in that way.

I'm not usually all that fond of pictures of myself, but I really love this one.

More pictures are coming soon, I promise.

In the mean time, I wanted to share a comment recently read. Our Saturday Morning Run/Walk group leader, Steve, writes a reflection every week after our morning adventure. This week, he said this:

"As we waited to get started this morning, I think the temperature dropped a full ten degrees! It was like we were experiencing a year's worth of seasons over a short, 24-hour period--from spring to summer to fall to winter. And by the appearance of Eli York-Simmons, the change of seasons was confirmed indeed: That boy has grown another inch and put on another coat of childhood--all in a week. Amazing. He's got this sweet, twinkling smile that infers a wisdom beyond his years. Watching Eli's "becoming" is a joy."

That's our little guy!