SIX years old

Oh Eli, 

It’s happening. You’re turning into a little kid. No longer a toddler or a little boy, but a KID. Today you say in your chair reading books on Pokémon quietly to yourself while the girls played. And it dawned on me your interest in reading and learning is so strong. Far surpassing that if your sister who could care LESS about picking up a book just to learn out of curiousity. You received your first trimester kindergarten grades yesterday from school, not one minus or one 2/3, only all 3’s and positive things from your teacher. She speaks of how you are the leader in class, setting the example for all the other. This brings joy to my mommy heart because without even trying, you have became a boy of honor and integrity. You love so hard. You make good choices , you throw HUGE ass tantrums over doing your kumon, but you hold two silver medals in both reading and math at kumon, far surpassing many other kids in your age bracket. I am giddy to think of your future and where you will be in twenty years from today. What you will show a passion for in life .. for now you enjoy wrestling, bike riding, Pokémon, super Mario games, school, riding scooters and just being outdoors. You dressed up as MARIO on an inflatable yoshi for Halloween as well at thanks from Avengers. You still have not lost a tooth or gotten a cavity. You make many friends in school (mostly all the asians because you’re super smart I’m convinced) . Your favorite color is yellow and silver. You still sneak in mom and dads bed for cuddles a lot. You love roller coasters at Disneyland . You love donuts and sausage for breakfast, you can eat like no other. You weigh 60 pounds (the same as debs and she’s two years older than you). You know how to show love and affection in a way that just blows my mind. You still love playing with your nipples, an indicator for dad and I that it’s time for bed. You have had the same haircut since you were two and it suits you. Thank you for being born and being you Eli Donald alexander, you truly are one of my life’s biggest a joys . Xoxox 

The mighty mighty FIVE

holy smokes it’s been a long time. You JUST turned five a few weeks ago. You weigh FIFTY THREE  pounds (yes, you read that right, you are a TANK). You are 44” tall and you wear a size 6/7 in clothing. This year we threw you a giant #5 party at the house, with a photo booth, face painter and a bounce house. The theme was “HULK” . You LOVE all things hulk, all things green because of hulk, and the great Wolf lodge. Every time anyone asks you what to get for a gift you say Disneyland or great wolf. Papa took you to great wolf overnight as a present for your 5th birthday. You were y’all enough this time to go one all but two rides. You loved it (and Deb happened to have lost her 6th tooth in the lazy river ).
You are currently in TK at grapeland elementary, and let me tell you, you SOAR. There are times i think you have been in this world before, maybe even a few lifetimes. You are just so damn smart and so damn giving. I wonder How me and your father will teach you ANYTHING because it seems you are the one teaching us all about life and love. Your grandma Mimi has always said you have an “old soul” , she’s right, you just get it. Everything comes natural to you; school, friendships, snuggles, love. Man would your grandma Debbie love you. I often think about how much she would love to watch you all grow, especially around these days of her passing. If only she would have hung on a little longer, you and your sisters would have fulfilled her life’s dreams of granparenting. You and Deborah are currently in an after school program called KUMON, it focuses on math and reading; and MAN are you competitive. You just can’t stand being behind Deborah. You try and beat her at EVERYTHING. If she is reading a book and uncertain of a word you try to say it faster than she. Your teacher Mrs. Smith speaks so highly of you, mentioning you are top of the class and often the one most others follow and look up to. I just love yo hear it, to know that you are kicking ass and taking names .
You love a lot of things, but bike riding seems to be one of your favorites. You love to race at the bike track and also excel at that as well (surprise surprise). You win trophies and when it’s just a medal necklace you get disappointed. Dad has taken you to state races even to support your hobby (sometimes i think he loves it more than you do). You also love swimming, playing with your cousin Jacob and your best pal Tyler .
You are super independent, love to do things on your own (brush your teeth, get dressed, make your bed, clean your room. You hate other people making a mess of your room (especially your little sister and your little cousin Nathan). You have a short temper. You get MADDDDDD when you are mad. You are stubborn. It’s hard to talk you off a ledge once you are on it. I cannot Convince you of ANYTHING. You just believe what you believe and that’s it, no room for argument.
You have still never had a cavity (Deborah has). . You still have alll your baby teeth (tell one to come out already). Your hair is almost brown , your eyes are green. Your feet are HUGE.
You HATE the mornings, being woken up early , taking naps, being told no, eating broccoli or any veggie at that (your favorite is asparagus) , you don’t like shrimp (Deb and iris do). You can take down an 8 oz fillet faster than i can. You love hot dogs and Mac n cheese. Everything is a negotiation, “if i eat all my chicken can i have Desert?”. You are an awesome big brother , you often will even let iris or Deb smack you and you won’t smack back. You humble me, make me see how precious this life is. I  always thought a boy wasn’t my jam, you have proven that to be wrong. You were sent to me for a purpose, to remind me of the greatness of the unknown and unexpected (i always Wanted girls).  You come into my and daddy’s bed nearly EVERY NIGHT for love and snuggles and sleep and i dont Get mad one bit. One day you won’t want to and man does that already make me wanna year up. Thank you for another year of love, of life and joy. I love You Eli

Alexander

THREE sweet sweet really fast years

Eli,  holy smokes dude you are THREE!!! Right before my eyes you have become an absolute angel, like something I never knew I needed but received. I always wished for girl babies, thinking it would fill the void of my mothers loss, rekindle a relationship I longed for that was missing since your grandmother passed TEN years ago this Christmas Eve. But I couldn't be more wrong. I NEEDED a little man in my life, change, growth, love that I had never experienced. And I can tell you that you came and have me that. You have loved me HARD, made me feel whole when parts of me were missing. I thank you for being that rowdy, crazy, rambunctious little boy I never thought I would have. This last year you have gotten staples from Deborah pushing you off the block wall and dermabond to your right eyebrow ( I honestly can't remember from what). You CONSTANTLY having me questioning my nursing abilities, always thinking I need to RUSH you to the ER for head injuries. But I guess that's part of being a BOY, because your big sister has NEVER given me the worry you do. You LOVE monster trucks, motorcycles, any marvel character (particularly iron man Batman and spiderman) . Your favorite thing to say is, " you know that?" When you feel like you are not being heard you will grab my face and turn it to look you in the eyes while you speak. You love KISSES, Disneyland ( your favorite ride is star tours)  you are dressing up as darth vadar for Halloween and your 3rd birthday party will be CARS themed with a snow cone truck instead of cake and ice cream. You enjoy school, have started a sport all class after school on Wednesday with sister.  You love riding your bike, riding your jeep in the backyard, spraying the hose, going in the spa at night, watching cars DVD and turtles episodes. I have loved every minute of watching you grow and love this world you are living in!!! HAPPY 3 ELI Alexander  

 

  

1st day of pre-k

My sweet little man, you started pre-k. And at the young age of 2, you were begging. Every day we dropped Deborah off and picked her up you wanted to stay. You sat at her table and ate lunch with her, pretending to be one of the big kids. So your father and I decided to look into a montessori school, so you and Deborah could be in the same class and the same school. I dropped you off and had SO many doubts. I called the school and they said you were crying, asking for your mommy. I must have called daddy 10 times that day, asking if we had made the right decision putting you in school instead of letting you stay at home. But you are sooo wise beyond your years. You are too smart to sit at home and play baby with me and Iris. And you know what, we were right. Montessori says you ROCK!!! That you are so determined and focused on learning. That you don't even need direction, you just do it on your own. I see such great things in your future Eli. I just know you are destined for greatness. Sky is the limit little man . 

STAPLES

IOh sweet boy, your sister pushed you into the bed of rocks and you got yourself some staples this week. You got up and said "mommy, owie" blood all over, I panicked and called your dad. Put you in the shower with me to visualize how big the wound was and mom and dad decided you could just use some staples

from home instead of an ER visit. 

So two staples it was ( you could have used 3 and moms aim was kind of off on the second) . A Popsicle later and you forgot all about it. Every time someone asks to see your owie you say "DJ push me, I got owie" . You're the sweetest boy ever at 2.5 yrs old. You love talking, ask almost everyday to go to the park or Disneyland. You were tall enough yesterday to ride on soaring over California with daddy and sister while mom and iris stayed back. 

You love riding your bike, playing with turtles and Spider-Man, jumping on the trampoline, going in the spa at night, dressing yourself, riding keeps in the backyard and eating lots of Popsicles . You are an absolute joy and I love every minute of you. 

28 months

You are 28 months and the smartest toddler I know. You LOVE to learn. You can identify letters and count to 3 on your hand. You are in the process of potty training with very few potty accidents but quite a bit of poop accidents. You are OBSESSED with toy cars, monster trucks, ninja turtles, darth vadar & MILK. Any kind of milk, chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, regular, you LOVE it all. You and Deb play soooo good together, often in the backyard on your jeeps or in the trampoline. You guys love being outside, looking for Rollie pollies, watering the plants, painting, playing with rakes and brooms, picking up patches poop. You name it, if it's outdoors you are all over it. You also love swords, play guns, balls, anything that can be used as a weapon🤔🤔🤔. This last week you became a BIG brother to baby Iris and you are a little confused and taken aback by her presence. You love shoving the pacifier in her mouth and taking the swaddles off her while she's sleeping. You hate that she takes away your mommy time. These infant weeks are hard on you but I just know you will make the best brother ever . Can't wait to watch you grow more

My love xoxoxo

22 sweet sweet months

The You are am the cutest boy in the WHOLE world. BUT, you remain to be the worlds worst sleeper ever. We began to sleep train you after a few camping trips this summer. You starting crying it out for almost an hour and a half for two straight nights. Some nights you still cry for close to 30 minutes and it's gut wrenching for mommy, but boy you REALLY need to start sleeping through the night. I bring you in my room when I feel extra sad and emotional but then you think it's awake time at 0500 and you won't go back down to sleep. You don't show any signs for toilet training just yet. You pull your diaper off after you pee but when you are on the potty you just flush the toilet a thousand times and play with the toilet paper. You hate changing your clothes. You still hate getting into your car seat. You are beginning to string three words together. You can say "I want that" "this way" "no no DJ" "go patches" "milk" "outside" "pool" and many other words. You have the coolest haircut in all of the lbs. you weigh 33 pounds and are 36" tall. You absolutely adore your sister. We drop her off for school and you run back in her classroom to get her because you want her with you. You guys are always holding hands and playing together. You always steal her toys, she's not too happy about that. Your hair is blonde, eyes are hazel green, size 5 diapers and size 2-3T clothes. 

17 sweet sweet months

you are the BEST. I will say it time and time again, you are SO ahead of your time. You try solo hard to keep up with your sister. Your face lightens up when she enters the room. You wake up from sleep the SECOND you hear her voice. You want WHATEVER she has. You love trying on her dress up shoes (hahahha). You pull of your diapers yourself, you LOVE playing with the hose outside and watering down patches till she's waterlogged. You have quite the vocabulary, you can say: mommy, daddy, dog, iscle (popsicle) , no, pool, ball, car, more. you follow directions solo well. I call you a brainiac, I PROMISE you are destined for greatness in this world.

15 sweet sweet months

You're becoming such a big boy. Full of smiles and babbling up a storm. You are getting quite the vocabulary. You can say daddy, mommy, dog, ball, (attempt) balloon, night night, hi, and bye. 

You have such a temper on you. Throwing MAJOR fits when things don't go your way. You HATE getting in your car seat, diaper changes, cleaning your face, getting things taken away from you. 

You LOVE suckers, patches, sister, playing ball, holding one end of a jump rope and running through the house with sister, riding the jeep in the backyard with debs, Popsicles, fruit snacks, yogurt, milk, mommy milk, cuddles, NOT sleeping through the night, screaming bloody murder at 02:30 EVERY SINGLE NIGHT for mommy, standing on the block wall in the backyard, going down slides, going up stairs, building blocks, reding books, the song slippery fish & twinkle twinkle little star. 

These past few moths have flown by and your achievements have grown so much. I love watching you grow and love your world. Can't wait to see what's in store for you 

14 months old

These past few months have been crazy busy with the holidays so I haven't been able to update the blog like intended. You are starting to say more words. Dog, night/night, boo, momma. Not sure how much you weigh but you are still in size 5 diapers and wearing 12-18 or 18/24 months clothes. You still hate getting in your car seat and napping. You wake up in the middle of the night several times, I usually get you about 2-3:30 am and let you snuggle until the morning time when devil deb comes in and wakes us all up. You love playing with patches and following your sister around the house. You adore the outdoors, cry whenever I shut the door. You hate diaper changes, pull off your diaper. You are a good eater, but hate baby food. No chance you will ever eat a food pouch. Your favorite thing is mac n cheese, hot dogs, fruit snacks and suckers (when deb goes poop) . You also love frozen go gurts. You love books, your favorite toy is pretend mop & broom. When you get something taken away from you, you freak out and arch your back while kicking and screaming. You LOVE TO CLIMB on everything, throw your shoes off all the time. You are still breastfed mostly for naps and sleep.  You give kisses and wave hi & bye. Your hair is blonde your eyes are green/blue. You are such a joy & breath of fresh air. Except when you're sleepy 

FIRST WORD

On December 17th, 2014 you said your first word. At almost 14 months your first word wasn't mom, wasn't dad... It was........ DOG!!!!! You are absolutely smitten with patches. You love waking up and opening her cage, jumping all over her, pulling her tail, tugging at her ears. But most of all you love to hug on her and laugh with her. She takes it like a big sister though, never nips at you or barks at you, just lets you sit there and torture her. You have also started to "blink" when  mommy says eyes, point to your nose when asked where your nose is, you wave bye-bye. You crawl on EVERYTHING!!! Your latest thing is getting on the toilet and standing in it to get to the bathroom sink so you can play with the water. Yes, at 13.5 months you are using the toilet, proving yourself on the counter and turning the sink water on to play .. Crazy right? You are always keeping me on my toes, reminding me that boys really are hell on wheels!!! 

11 sweet sweet months

Holy gaucamole my son, you are almost a year old!!! You have mastered the walking game down to a tee!!! You even try to run, which scares the hell outta mom. You try so so hard to catch up to sister and do everything she does. You STILL ARENT SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT!!!! Yup that's right, 11 months old and not sleeping through the night. I will say you are getting better. I don't know if it's the essential oils or you are just better at self soothing but there have been a few 9-5 and mostly 9-3 am. And I'm such a sucker that I actually miss you and sometimes am guilty of waking you up for snuggle sessions. Because well, you're the best snuggle buddy I have ever had. You are still breastfed, wearing mostly 18-24 months& 2T clothes. Size 5 diapers, lots of blowouts. You love to climb everything!! Daddy and I find you in all kinds of places, inside of boxes, inside of shelves, on top of desks, in the dog crate, you every go up the ladder on our swingset outside and scare the hell pitta mommy. 

You are all boy, bruises EVERYWHERE, though I will admit about 50% of them are brought on by Deb. You and dj still nap with me in the afternoon, I soak it all in because I know these days are short and oh so sweet. Soon you won't want to nap with me and be held all day. For now I will take all the cuddles I can get. You started Gymboree classes, you love an obstacle & all the song and dance there. I will admit though that you are kinda lost without sister in class. You are timid and shy, not smiley and loud. It's interesting to watch your change in demeanor when she is not around. You can see how much you love her, you just sparkle around her. Every morning she wakes up earlier than you and we bring her into bed. Deb & I watch cartoons until you wake up, all giggly the second you see her face. 

I remember the day I found out you would be a boy, I was scared. Scared you & her wouldn't get along. Scared that I wouldn't love you as much as her. But I will admit I was soooooo wrong. You have brought this family such joy and content. You really complete us all. Mom won't lie she also wasn't excited about dressing a boy, but someone I have managed to love it. These past eleven month have been pure joy with you. You are so easy going and relaxed. Such a breath of fresh air. I love you to the moon and back Eli Donald Alexander 

Steps steps steps

You starting taking independent steps today. This is a picture of you and sister pushing a grocery cart outside. At only 9.5 sweet months you're already on your way to walking .. Love you to piece Eli Donald Alexander 

9 sweet sweet months

Yup, you are 9 months old already and so full of life.. Easily temperamental when you are sleepy or tired but overall such a happy happy man. You are always smiling and going with the flow. You always take all your sister bullying with little To no tears. You have mad the two children transition a lot smoother because of your demeanor. You love to walk with a walker. The other day you crawled into the living room and put yourself in the trampoline and started jumping all by yourself. Can't say I know many 9 month olds getting into that much trouble all on their own. 

You have started to take your first steps, still have t quite mastered it yet but you are oh SO close. Your hair is blonde, your eyes are changing to a more greenish color. You are still 24 pounds and 31" tall. You just had an ear infection over the 4th of July and man were you a BEAR. Your temperature went as high as 104 rectally and I had a small panic attack. Your sister never ran fevers on me when she was sick. I was so worried you might have a seizure that you slept in bed so restless and uneasy all night with me and daddy. 

You still remain to be a crappy night sleeper. I have created a total monster . You fall asleep around 9 and wake up about 1-2 in the morning. If I let you cry it out you can go as long as an hour before you give up and fall back asleep. I feel so awful letting you cry for that long. It hurst my gut to see you sad and just wanting some snuggles so of course I cave most of the time. 

You enjoy the outdoors and any you you can get your hands on that Deborah won't steal from you. You LOVE to eat anything mom dad & sister are eating. You also love drinking water straight from a cup. You're not that into sippy cups or bottles. You are still breastfed. You wear size 4&5 diapers and are in 18/24 months clothes. 

You are a total lady killer. You smile most of the time and shut down hard and fast when you're sleepy. You are so opposite of deb, so mellow and relaxed, easygoing and attentive. Your grandma Mary says you have "an old soul" it's like you have been on earth and lived a long life before. You seem to have an ease about everything, like it's been conquered by you in some past life. I often think about how much my mother would have eaten you up, how much love you could have shown her and given to her. I wish she could have met you and you the same. Although you have lots of grandparents I am certain she would have been your favorite if she were around. You bring our family such a calm & go with the flow emotion. I am so grateful to call you mine and watch you grow. Happy 9 months sweet boy!!! 

Eli's first 4th of July

We had our first Fourth of July at the Tilden house this year. Can't say you had the best of times. You and deb BOTH have ear infections and a sinus cold. You're even having a tough time eating because you're so congested. I had to rock you back to sleep this morning instead of breastfeeding, which is totally out of your routine. Breaks my heart to see you in a bad mood, you always have such a mellow and happy demeanor about you but these past two days you have been cranky and Whiney, refusing sleep even MORE than you already do. You go a long stretch from about 9:00-1:00 then you wake up and cry for close to a half hour, fall back asleep and wake up two hours later. Moms almost at her wits end, thinking about trying essential oils to see if it will help your sleeping. This weekend mommy and daddy are going to San fransisco and leaving you and deb . You will be staying with grandpa David and grandma Kathleen while deb is going camping with December  & the kids. You really are such a joy, watching your smile and happiness.. You giggle often at your sister, she truely makes you the happiest. Can't wait to watch you guys grow up together 

8 months old

Wow, eight short short but oh so sweet months have passed already!!! You are such a great baby, never making a peep unless you're hungry or sleepy!! 

Still breastfeeding, mommy never thought we would make it this long, but you love it so so much. You still SUCK at sleeping at night. We put you down about 9-10 pm and you wake like clockwork about 1 to 3 am and cry cry cry sometimes a full hour before going back down. Often I give up and put you in bed with me but you snack on me alllllll morning long and I get no rest. It's exhausting but rewarding. You are such a chunky baby, wearing size 4 diapers and 18-24 months clothe.. You are getting talker so less round but still a chunk. You crawl alllll over the place. You love pulling yourself up and creeping along the furniture . You are chomping at the bit to start walking. You love being outside , usually have to put you in your walker because you want to get into EVERYTHING 

7 months old

My my my boy, you are NOT one for sleeping. You pretty much catnap throughout the day, maybe get an hour out of you if I'm lucky. You like to be nursed to sleep, sometimes rocked if I get lucky. You are currently 23.6 pounds and 30inches tall. You are crawling barely, taking a few forwards movements and then crying when you don't take off as quickly as you'd like to. You grab everything your sister has in her hands. Likewise, she grabs everything in your hands. You two are gonna have a hard time sharing with one another. You are growing up so fast. The time seems to be going by so much more quickly with you than with your sister, perhaps because the days are so fast chasing after the both of you. 

You enjoy being outdoors, watching your sister, laughing when patches barks or when sister laughs, you love raspberry kisses, you like the bathtub or shower , you fall asleep on most car rides. 

You continue to drool but still no teeth yet, wish they would make an appearance already. You wear size 4 diapers, 18-24 months clothes, and size 4 shoes. You are almost as big as your sister. 

You love being carried in a sling or back carry and prefer it over a stroller ride . You enjoy being in the pool with sister and daddy. Your favorite foods are butternut squash, avacado and sweet potatoes. 

6 sweet sweet months

My boy, you have made strides this month. You started to roll on you back to your belly on April 12th.. And on April 26th you started to crawl backwards.. You are seriously soooo ready to be on the move. Such a strong boy you always want to be standing or jumping in your jumper.. I just know you are going to keep me on my toes. 

Your tooth continues to bother you but has still not cut in quite yet.. You're a crappy sleeper, never really take good naps, just catnaps throughout the day. You still don't sleep through the night, that makes mommy sAd. But I won't lie I still

Love the snuggle time and bonding time with just you and I those early mornings with your warm little baby body against my skin.. I love knowing I can comfort you and love on you.. One day you won't want anything to do with me so for now I will take all the time and attention I can get. 

5 months old

You have the sweetest smile I have ever seen, such a happy little baby you are . You still love milk, mommy spends all day and night nursing you.. You found your fett and started rolling over from back to belly. You get on all fours already.. It's

Looking like you will crawl by 6 or 7 months for sure. Your legs are so strong, all day long you love to jump either in your jumper or on someone's lap. You continue to wear 12-18 months clothes and are in size 4 diapers. You're not a good sleeper or napper, unless mommy and sister are napping with you. You love your jumper, tummy time, eating, watching tv (bad mommy) , bath time and the mobile in your crib. 

You hate your car seat, mommy picking your boogers out of your nose, a bottle , and to mommy it seems you hate sleep