milk carton

Every morning we have breakfast as a family. Elijah, actually, eats first. It's easier that way :) Once he is done, Ryan and I sit down to a bowl of oatmeal with raisins and some milk. Since Elijah is usually very calm and rested in the morning, he quietly plays with whatever toy we give him until we are done and ready to start the day.

Not so during dinner. He is at the end of his day and the end of his rope. He demands attention. No toy satisfies him. Then one day we stumbled upon an ... empty Organic Valley milk carton. I guess it doesn't really matter that it was Organic Valley milk, but the milk is good, so why not mention the brand? Elijah usually wants to get a hold of whatever is on the table, and that time it was the milk carton. A milk carton is not a knife, not a fork, nor Daddy's tea, nor Mommy's Russian salami, so we didn't really mind him playing with it. And what a find it was! It's big enough to keep Elijah's attention, hard enough to grab to keep it challenging, and parts of it are easy to suck on. Best of all, he loves it! We've had a number of peaceful dinners since.

koala kare bear

Turns out, Elijah only likes his changing table, and he is not fooled when he has to be changed on one of those Koala Kare Bear changing stations in public restrooms. We learned it the hard way.

Since we are moving to a new apartment (and what now feels like a new life) early July, we have been making it a point to spend some time with friends living on the north side of Chicago (we are moving to the south side). Tonight we went to Chipotle with my co-worker Bob. While en route, Elijah was making sounds of what seemed like hard straining. We had a guess of what he was doing, and we were right. It wasn't just the diaper, it was his clothes and the car seat that got dirty as well. Chipotle, to my surprise, did not have a changing station, so I had to take Elijah to a Corner Bakery next door.

This was our very first time changing the diaper in a public restroom. The moment I laid him down, he started screaming so loud, I was afraid people were going to come to check out what was going on. My (what I considered to be) comforting whispers had no effect, and I was a little too self-conscious to sing him my Russian cartoon songs. I ended up having to hold the naked screaming child with one arm and clean him with my free hand, all the way hoping he wouldn't pee on me. After all, I still hadn't had dinner at that point. I also learned that those changing station aren't big enough to lay the dirty diaper and wipes out of baby's reach. The thought of other people's diapers getting turned over by their baby's kicking was enough to give Elijah a soap bath.

My dinner, but the way, was delicious. Thanks Bob!

six months checkup

Weight: 19 lb 12 oz
Height: 26.5 inches (according to the doctor's records, Elijah only grew 0.5 inches in the last time, but we all agreed that there's a good chance one of the previous measurements was off).
Head circumference: can't remember (those mind-erasing pregnancy hormones are not all gone yet :-))

We can't wait till Elijah is over 20 lbs, so that we can legally turn his car seat and face it forward. The poor kid doesn't fit in it any more facing backwards. His legs are bent and his feed are pushing against the back seat.

He's been sleeping and eating like crazy in the last couple of days, so we are guessing he is growing. At this rate he'll probably hit 20 lbs before the week is over!

Elijah's first "bonk"

I knew it was going to happen sooner or later. My little baby was going to get hurt one way or another. And so he did. He was practicing sitting on the floor (he is getting quite good at it) and was doing so well. I was right there watching him like a hawk, making sure I'd catch him if he lost his balance. But he didn't need my help. He was busy chewing and shaking his toys. Then, for a few short seconds, I looked away to answer Ryan. The next thing I saw was Elijah's head heading for the floor, and then "bonk!" and a scream. Oh, no! My child will be brain damaged for life!

He cried for less than 2 minutes, and was once again a happy baby sucking his thumb. And it looks like he is going to be just fine.

P.S. Come to think of it, this wasn't the first time he was hurt. A few weeks ago he got pinched by a high chair buckle.

official picture

Help us choose the official six months old picture. Which one should it be: the tongue or the smile? Cast your vote by leaving a comment!

six months old

Elijah turned 6 months today! To celebrate the event, North Park Covenant Church threw a block party complete with food, games, and other attractions! (OK, the party was planned independently of Elijah's big day and just happened to be today, so what?) We spent almost three hours outside - the longest he's ever been outside in one stretch. The activity all around kept our curious boy awake for a while, but he finally crashed in his new backpack carrier (thanks Jim and Norma!)

He also learned how to sit by himself in the last few days with a lot of help from Daddy and hours of practice. He is not always entirely stable yet, but he's getting there. I'll try to post a picture when I get one. Stay tuned!

watch your watch

If you have a watch, you'd better watch it. Elijah loves watches. If he sees one on your wrist, he will work hard to get it, because he just absolutely must have it! It doesn't matter if it's a fancy watch or not, expensive or cheap, as long as it's within reach.