How big is he?

 Year old stats...

Weight: 30lbs...99%

Height: 33.5in...99%

Head: 19...92%

He is tall and weighs alot but he isn't fat. Luckily the height balances it all out. Our new doctor is really impressed with him. She said he is more at a 15 month level developmentally.That made me happy that he is ahead of the curve. Typical mom pride.

Lij is such a bright spot in our lives. He is learning so fast now. He can mimic some sounds and actions. We had him saying "uh oh" the other day. He will give kisses, roll his arms with patty cake, wave hi, puts his arms up for "ta da", folds arms when asked and still dances to music. He is still a great eater although the last few days he has been testing the waters to see what he can get away with. Lij is a teaser. He knows when he is pesting you or knows when he is not supposed to have something. Usually if he finds something that he is not supposed to have he will hide it behind his back and giggle as he walks away. He loves it when you chase him and sometimes he will get a little jog in his step before he crashes or we catch him. He has 8 front teeth(top and bottom) and now 4 molars just within the last week. Teething molars is a beast! I can't wait til he starts using actual words and can fully express himself. I think we will have some fun little conversations.

Lij is a handful some days and I think to myself, "I can't even handle him how will I ever sanely take care of 5 more?" Then I think, "Luckily they come one at a time(hopefully)." If the Duggar mom can do 18 and still want more than I can do 6, right?

When they are this stinkin cute I can do anything...

The Vampire Family

For Halloween this year we really wanted to make Elijah a zombie because of the way he walked. By time Halloween came around he had mastered the art of walking so we had to rethink our costume idea. Lij was a biter so we thought a little Dracula would fit him. I didn't want to spend a ton of money on a costume so instead I made the cape and bow tie. Everything else we had.

Isn't he cute?

Big Dracula and mini Dracula

He was enjoying the trunk-or-treat with a sucker

Uh Oh!!

We had a great time at our ward's trunk-or-treat and dinner. This is the first year since we have been married that we have actually dressed up. It was fun to go and be part of the crowd. We got to taste some really good chilis for the chili contest and we even won "Best Trunk". When we got home I couldn't wait to get Elijah bathed and cleaned up. Note to self...never spray a baby's hair with black hairspray.  Later that night we watched the final Star Wars with our friend Alvin.  It was a great Halloween and we can't wait til next year to think of a new family themed costume idea.

You Only Turn 1 Once!

Can't believe it. It has happened and the little guy is already one year old!

Time sure does fly when you are busy with a little one

We had a great time and I really think Elijah knew it was his special day. Both sets of our parents were able to make it out to celebrate with us. They all got in on Friday so we were able to spend

 time talking and catching up.

Saturday the 24th was Elijah's big day. Dillon and I were both excited and could not believe our baby is now 1! Lij woke up so happy and energetic. We started out with pancakes and eggs which are some of his favorites. I made his cake and I let him lick the spatula. Boy did he enjoy that! Then we just played until Lij went down for a nap. Once he woke up we had some lunch and then opened his first present which happened to be the shoes. We needed them for the zoo so we opened them early.

Family shot with Lij waving "Hi"

this is delicious

lions-hyenas-polar bear-snow leopard

our favorites-the monkeys - little big ear foxes - the crazy seal

the seal just sat there like this for so long like he was posing or basking in the...wind

dad and Lij just walking together

he wanted to do it by himself, but wasn't quite comfortable with the shoes

looking at the camels - attacking an innocent bunny

The Zoo was awesome and I think he really enjoyed it. He loved the monkeys and giraffes. The Denver Zoo is alot bigger than we thought. We were all worn out by the end and plus the wind kicked in and was blowing so hard. We haven't had wind like that since good old Rexburg.

Once we were home we had him open presents which he was instantly a pro at. Something about tearing and destroying that just somes natural to this boy. He scored big! Overall he got a new truck, hammer and whack the ball toy, shoes, new outfit, baby song cd and key chain and a vtech helicopter. He is so fascinated by things that sings songs so the grandparents scored big with their gifts.

first shoes - just tearing away

new truck - hammer and balls

helicopter - dvd & key chain

Next came the tradition of the first birthday cake. As you can see in the first picture he was so excited! At first he was hesitant to dig in but Dillon gave him a little taste for encouragement and then he was all in. I never thought he would mind the sticky but it bugged him a little. He kept wiping it off as much as his sticky hands would let him.

so excited - blowing out the candle

thumbs up - yahoo

sharing with dad - sticky little man

before-during-after

 murky bath water -  happy one year old - sleeping after an exhausting day

Bath time and fresh pjs were next in line and he welcomed them. To finish off we had some chicken alfredo and garlic bread another favorite of Elijah. The day was a great day! He was so tired that night he slept through us all talking and then through the rest of the night. We are so lucky to be blessed with this little boy. He is the joy of our lives and we look forward to another year of growth and changes with him. We love you Elijah James!

Out with the OLD...

In with the NEW...

Finally something much bigger and dependable.

No more awkward reaching to put Lij in or take him out.

YAHOO!!

Walking...

Elijah started to walk on Aug 26, but I don't have a very good video of that. All are blurry or require you to crank your head to the side. Like everyone else he went in stages...

He did the staggered few steps until he fell some direction...

Then he was walking like this...

After he was up and going he must have had a few good spills because he reverted to this method or mode of transportation....

I've heard many a time that big babies won't start walking until after a year old, but this started about two weeks ago, a good week before his bithday...

Like everyone kept telling me "You think he is busy now(crawling), just wait until he figures out how to walk". Boy were they right. The only complications we are having is its cold so I want socks on his feet. But we have hardwood floors. If anyone knows where I could get socks with traction that actually stay on his feet the suggestions would be really helpful.

What is going on?!

I came on here to do some much need posting with pictures and videos but all my options are gone. I can't add a picture or video. I have checked my settings and I should be able to but here I am asking for tips and advice. Has anyone had this happen to them, and if so what have you done to fix it? So frusterating...I finally get a quiet moment to update the blog and now I can't make it complete the way I want it. Please help!!

11 months young

This is almost a month late again, but I still want to post it once again.

Our little man is almost a year and neither of us can believe it. It was just a year ago all the girls that were due the same time as me were all having their babies early and I was wondering when I would be next. Little did I know what Heavenly Father had in store for our family.

Elijah is so much fun and everyday he has new likes and reaches new milestones. He is fully attempting to walk and is probably not far from just taking off. Our favorite thing that he does is walks on his knees. He is pretty fast and can get places easily. He is starting to understand that we have names. He of course says dada the most though. Its only mama when he is sad or needs something. Although most of the time he will just grunt at us. Lij's favorite foods are: string cheese, hot dogs, toast, yogurt, noodles and pizza. He still loves his bottle but is starting to prefer a sippy cup or big boy cup. We are weening him off formula and going to whole milk and so far he doesn't seem to mind it. Elijah does not like to be left alone even if I'm just stepping outside for a quick second. It freaks him out and he cries hysterically. I don't know why because we have never left him alone. He is a big "helper" and insists on helping with everything I am doing. We love him to death even though we call him our destroyer. It is simply amazing the messes that he can create. They are sometimes bigger than he is. He officially hate his car seat. I don't know how trips home will be now. Lij still loves the outdoors and going for walks. He cries whenever I bring the stroller in and shut the door. He knows that is the end of being outside for a little bit. Elijah is really good at making the fish face by sucking his lips together and sometimes we are lucky enough to get kisses like that. We are just fully in love with this little boy and he has us wrapped around his chubby little finger. We do everything he wants. He figures things out so quick and knows that he can get his way with a little perseverance. So now we are doing better.

So in a week or so I will post about his 1ST BIRTHDAY!! Can't believe it. Time to start planning for the next one. No I'm not pregnant just planning for when I will be again.