9 Months

Age: 9 Months

Weight: 21lbs

Height: 31in

Size Clothes: 12-18 months

New Trick(s): Saying "baby" at himself, pulling up on everything, and practicing walking!

Hours Sleeping at Night: 11-12

So, first of all, trying to get a picture of this goober sitting still is nearly impossible these days! Oh and, he hates changing clothes so we decided jammies would just have to suffice for his pictures. He's adorable either way. lol

SPRING IS HERE!!!!  We cannot even contain our excitement about it! Winter was so ridiculous this year and, now that we're finally in a place where we can really enjoy it, the onset of spring has just made us all so HAPPY!!

Much like his take-off into crawling, this boy is already trying to walk. He can pull up on everything and he does his best to move around. He has a little lion toy with wheels that he loves to push around and walk with. At first, he would push too hard and fall to his knees, but now he's got it down-pat! He can walk all the way across the living room with that thing!

He is also staring to put words together with their meaning now! He looks at himself in the mirror and says, "bebe" because we always say, "Look at the baby!" When he wants me to pick him up, he crawls over to my feet and cries "mom mom" until I give in. He also looks at the dogs and says "de de!" because we always say "dogie." And, of course, "da da" is his favorite word ever! When Joshua walks through the door, he just goes crazy!

Elijah started daycare this month! He was a little confused at first because he really hasn't had much interaction with other babies. When one of them would start crying, he would just bawl. lol Now he is more acclimated to it and enjoys playing with the other kids! Along with the social interaction daycare has brought, Elijah has also gained the sickness. He has gotten a cold from one of the kids there and he just can't seem to shake it. This is his first time really being sick, so it's all new for Mommy and Daddy too. But, despite the fact that he obviously doesn't feel good, he is still determined to move around and play as much as his little body will allow.

We also welcomed 7 baby chicks into the BlantonAter household! We have them in a brooder box in the house right now, but they are getting big so fast! It won't be long before they are ready to be outside in a coop!

8 Months

Age: 8 Months

Weight: 20lbs

Height: 30in

Size Clothes: 12-18 months

New Trick(s): CRAWLING!!! 

Hours Sleeping at Night: 11-12

Huston... We have lift off. This child went from not being able move forwards one day and getting incredibly frustrated because of it, to shooting across the room like it was no big deal in just one day. Literally, he couldn't crawl one day and he could the next. Bada-boom, bada-bing. Done. Our dogs were not prepared to have this little, immobile, squishy being all of the sudden coming after them full-force, and neither were Mom and Dad! We had to seriously baby-proof the house! 

Speaking of houses, WE MOVED! Our new place is on a big farm where we can look out our back door and see all kinds of wildlife, including turkeys, deer, groundhogs, red tail hawks, coyotes, and we've even seen a fox! We have to be really careful about Fender with the hawks and coyotes lurking about, but Lakota is in doggy heaven. lol 

Joshua has started a new job managing a 600 acre farm for King's Country Outfitters so he is incredibly busy and we don't get to see him very often. But, he is on a day-shift schedule now and we get to see him every night, at least for a few minutes before bed, so we are definitely thankful for that! Mommy is now basically a stay-at-home mom and I'm loving it! It does get a little lonely out here because I don't really know anyone just yet, but I'm sure we will acclimate to the area fairly quickly. 

This is right next to our house!

Every pretty day (which has been few and far between this ghastly winter) we spend outside exploring what nature has to offer. Elijah and Mommy have been on plenty of walks through the woods and, on really pretty days, Elijah even gets to sit in the grass and put things in his mouth that don't need to go there. lol Mommy and Daddy are both looking forward to spring and they have big plans for a garden and chickens and Daddy is even going to be putting green houses in our back yard! This new way of life is going to be an adventure for the whole family!

7 months

Age: 7 Months

Weight: 19lbs

Height: 29in

Size Clothes: 12-18 months

New Trick(s): Saying "Baba," scooting backwards, smacking my lips, reaching for Momma and Daddy, bouncing to music

Hours Sleeping at Night: 10-12

I cannot believe how much my little munchkin has changed in just a month! As you can see by the "new tricks" section above, he has learned SO MANY new things! He is trying so hard to crawl, but he just can't quite figure out how to move forwards. He has been reaching for Momma and Daddy and showing his preference for them, for sure. He giggles and laughs all of the time and he is absolutely LOVING him some solids. Sweet potatoes, carrots and bananas are his favorites! He also really likes avocados. And, although he is perfectly capable of holding his own bottle and will, on occasion, do it by himself, he is mostly lazy and would rather Mom and Dad just hold it for him.

He has discovered Momma's hair and Daddy's beard which he thinks are just the absolute best things ever. So, if I am bald by age 30, you will all understand why. lol Another new "trick" is that he has started crying as soon as you leave his eyesight unless he is busy with something else. I have to keep him distracted in order to change his diaper, otherwise he is trying his best to roll his naked butt away from me. He has also decided that going to sleep without being rocked and sang to is just really not something he enjoys, so we are now forced to sing him to sleep at night. At least he conks out relatively quickly because after bottle, bath and story time, he's kaput.  

This kid is going to be a musician, or a singer, or a rock star...or something. He LOVES music! If he pushes a button on one of his toys and it starts to play music, he just grins so big! Or if I start singing to him he will smile and laugh at me (granted, he may just think I sound hilarious which may not be such a good thing for Momma)! And if he is really upset and you start singing to him, it's like flipping a switch and all of the sudden everything that was so terrible in the world isn't so bad after all.

Those big grins and squeals just make my heart melt!

We thought the husky hat would be an appropriate look since we've had so much snow recently!

We have wonderful news! We are moving...again! But this time, instead of inhabiting the big city of Louisville, we will be moving out into the middle of nowhere...and that's just the way Mommy and Daddy like it! We both decided we wanted our son to be raised in an environment where he would learn responsibility and an intense appreciation for nature. My parents raised me in the country and I am thankful every day for that upbringing. It taught me to depend less on "things" for my entertainment and to let my imagination and God's earth be my soul source of amusement. This is what we want for our son.

Mommy has gone a little crazy with the whole "semi-homesteader" lifestyle we are going to be taking on. I am trying to transition our family to a chemical-free, all-natural way of life which should be an interesting adjustment in the world we live in today. Elijah may not know much about video games when he is older (and if Mommy had her way, he wouldn't know about them at all), but he will definitely know about hunting, raising animals, and gardening! I'm going to try and post my "adventures" in all-natural transitioning on my other blog, Earth, Body, & Soul.

Future Brandon Boyd

These two are absolutely best friends! They love each other!

6 Months - Merry Christmas!

*Merry Christmas!*

 

Age: 6 Months

Weight: 17lbs

Height: 28in

Size Clothes: 9-12 months

New Trick: Saying "Dada"

Hours Sleeping at Night: 10-12

I cannot believe our little stinker is half a year old! Time really does fly! It just seems so incredible that it has already been six months since we brought this little tyke home from the hospital. And, even more incredible is how much he has changed over that period of time! He is sitting up all by himself and he has started rocked on his hands and knees like he wants to crawl. He gets so frustrated when he can't get to something he wants and he generally just scoots himself around in circles and cries because of it. lol He really is a little stinker.

 

We had a WONDERFUL Christmas and Elijah is so lucky to have such amazing family! His favorite gift of all has to be his jump-a-roo! We hang it in the door frame and that kid will literally just stand there and jump for as long as you will let him! I don't know how he isn't sore the next day from all of that jumping! Then, once you take him out, he will still try to jump in your arms!

Unfortunately, I had to work on Christmas Day, but Eli got some quality daddy-time with Josh and his family at least! After Christmas we were able to spend a few days with my family and we went and visited Josh's mom where Elijah got to meet his cousins Joey and Bella for the very first time!

Papaw Eddie is starting him young!

Eli meeting his aunt Shannon and cousins, Joey and Bella, for the first time!

Big cousin Bella is going to have her hands full with all these little boys!

 

5 Months - Happy Thanksgiving!

~Happy Thanksgiving~

Age: 5 Months

Weight: 15lbs

Height: 26in

Size Clothes: 6-9 months

New Trick: Sucking on his toes

Hours Sleeping at Night: 10-12

Look who is 5 months old!! My baby boy is getting so big, so fast! Time really does fly with these little guys! I know I just added some Q&A's about Elijah to my blog, but I wanted to keep track of a few things so I will actually go back and add those questions into my old posts so I don't forget!

So many things have happened this month! With the Holidays fast approaching we have been getting family pictures done and spending plenty of time with grandmas and grandpas! Elijah has started sucking on his toes all of the time (which is actually incredibly impressive...I wish I was that flexible!). He gets mad when I take them out of his mouth to change his clothes or his diaper!

Getting mad when we take stuff away from him is also a new thing. Before, he was pretty content no matter what but now he's getting a little temper (it came from his father, of course lol). He is also trying to hold his own bottle! He can definitely hold onto the bottle, and sometimes he can even maneuver it into his mouth (albeit, it may not be the right end), but he just doesn't know how to keep it there! He just pushes it away every time, so mommy has been letting him practice with empty bottles so he doesn't make a mess. :-) 

In the spirit of Thanksgiving and thankfulness, I would just love to say how thankful I am for my baby's sleeping habits! For any new parents who are struggling with getting their babies to sleep through the night, I will suggest reading the book  "On Becoming Baby Wise: Giving Your Child the Gift of Nightime Sleep". Right now Eli is sleeping anywhere from 10-12 hours at night consistently, but he has been sleeping at least 8 hours at night since he was a little less than 3 months old! Mommy and Daddy have definitely been thankful for this. Granted, we haven't followed the book verbatim, but by following sort of an "ish" version of the schedule lined out in the book, we have been extremely successful! I would definitely recommend it to any mother who is freaking out because their baby only sleeps 2 hours at a time!

 

 

 

 

He is such a little stinker!

This Thanksgiving we also got to spend time with lots of family and Eli was able to meet many of them for the very first time!

 

Aunt Tina

 

Cousin Erington

4 Months - Happy Halloween!

 

Age: 4 Months

Weight: 14lbs

Height: 25in

Size Clothes: 3-6 months

New Trick:Grabbing and reaching

Hours Sleeping at Night:8-10

Elijah is now 4 months old! He has started "talking" all of the time and he can almost sit up on his own! He giggles when Mommy blows on his tummy and he loves watching football with Daddy. :-) His little grins and giggles are absolutely precious and they make each new day an adventure. He has started reaching for his toys and trying to get them into his mouth...anything that gets in his hands goes immediately to his mouth and he will drool ALL OVER it. His hands are, by far, his favorite thing to chew on right now. He is still teething but none have actually cut through yet. He is dealing with those awful fevers though. 

His preference for Mommy and Daddy is becoming more and more apparent, which we would rather get away from. This little guy isn't going to be allowed to freak out when he stays with other people. He is just going to have to be a people-person. haha!

I love watching his little mind work.  You can just see the wheels turning as he picks up something new and tries to figure out how in the world he is going to maneuver this thing into his mouth, or the frustration and yelling that happens when he can't figure out how to get it there! He's a silly little boy and I have no idea how I lived before we had him!

 

 

 

Examples of how everything ends up in his mouth...

 

3 Months

Age: 3 Months

Weight: 13lbs

Height: 24in

Size Clothes: 3-6 months

New Trick: Giggling, sucking on everything, "talking"

Hours Sleeping at Night:5-8

 And finally, we are UP-TO-DATE!!! Elijah is currently 3 months old and he is the sweetest little boy on earth (yes, I am bias)! He smiles and coos and I swear he'll be talking by the time he's 7 months old! He even laughs now! It's kind of an explosive, so excited he squeals laugh, but it's super-cute! He weighs 15lbs, the little chunk, and loves to "talk" to himself and his little light-up seahorse.

He is FINALLY getting over the colic, which Mommy and Daddy are so incredibly happy about. He is so sweet and happy most of the time...unless he's hot or tired...he hates being hot or tired.  He can completely hold his head up on his own now and will even stand on his own while he holds onto our fingers! He is teething now and loves to chew on his hands. He has complete control over them too and no longer just flails his arms around aimlessly...they have a purpose to their movement now and it's generally headed in the direction of his mouth.

He absolutely loves the dogs. He will be crying and catch sight of them and just start "talking" and cooing at them. He will even laugh at them while they play!

Of course, he's daddy's little man.

He is so un-impressed with my selfies.

He loves his Deedee!

Like father, like son. This kid loves him some football!