Laughing at Big Brother

Eli has been laughing for a few weeks now. My dad was the first to make him laugh which is no surprise as my day loves babies (he loves toddlers and big kids too, but he is really silly with babies). Anyway, the other day I was on the computer with Eli on the bed beside me and Caleb jumping all around the room (including the bed). All of a sudden I noticed Eli making a noise and upon paying a little closer attention, I realized he was laughing at his big brother as Caleb was falling on the bed. It was one of those moments where your heart goes "click" and you take an emotional picture (Angie Smith talks about this on her blog). So much came into my heart and mind at that moment. I realized just what it means for my boys to be brothers! Isn't it true that no one in the world can quite make you laugh like your siblings? Get my brothers and sister and myself together and there will definitely be laughter (occasionally disagreements, tears, put-downs, and other not so positive communication occurs, but we usually always laugh). My siblings have been making me laugh for most of my life now and I hope I have brought some laughter into their lives as well. Think about the history you share with your siblings. They, more than anyone else, have seen you- the real you. I have heard it said that sibling relationships are the longest relationships a person will have and when you think about how true that is, it really makes you appreciate your siblings and it also makes you desire to have good relationships with them. I am so very blessed in the sibling department. While my brothers and sister and I don't always see eye to eye, there are really few other people in the world I would trust as much as them. It is amazing to me to see that brother-brother relationship already emerging between Caleb and Eli with them still so little, but Eli already has the adoring eyes turned toward Caleb and Caleb has already taken on the somewhat rough big brother routine as well as caretaker with his younger brother. It was so funny to Jeremy and I the other day in the car when Caleb told us to stop talking because baby brother was asleep. I have also heard that people who have good sibling relationships tend to live longer. Sorry I have no source to credit this with, but it would make sense. If you can feel "connected" to something at an early age (a sibling) and that connectedness lasts throughout your lifetime, think how good that is for your general well-being. I pray and hope Caleb and Eli have a bright future to look forward to together as brothers.

First day of Mother's Day Out

This is Caleb right before we left to take him to his first day of Mother's Day Out. He was not unhappy, just somewhat sullen and shy. As usual, we do things in a crazy way. Jeremy had to run out that morning to buy him a mat for nap time as when I had stopped at Target the day before, they were sold out (yes, I know, you shouldn't wait until the last minute to purchase these things, but honestly we had just signed him up for the program a few days ago! I've always been such a procrastinator!). Jeremy said he got the very last mat Wal-mart had and he also bought him a backpack- I had already taken care of the lunchbox. Spiderman was the only cool one they had for boys. What happened to Batman and Superman anyway? Not that I have anything against Spiderman, but that's just all they had.
So here's Caleb when we arrived at the church. He was in a much better mood and seemed excited about "school." We went inside and met his teacher and the program director who were both super nice. He only cried for a minute when we left. My biggest worry with Caleb going to Mother's Day Out is the fact that he might grab something from somebody else's lunch to eat that he is allergic to. So far that has not been a problem. Guess what Caleb carried in his lunch box? Cut up ham (allergen free), a bag of grapes and cup up cucumber, 2 allergen free cookies, a small bag of Lays potato chips and an apple juice box. Wonder how many 2 year olds carry cucumbers in their lunch box? The only thing Caleb said about school was that he had to go out in the hallway. Of course, Jeremy and I are immediately wondering if we have the troublemaker child, but then we also thought that he was a little young to be punished by being "sent to the hall." We found out on his second day of school from his teacher that yes, he had indeed had to go out to the hall, but it was during naptime and not because he was in trouble, but because he was kicking the wall (I guess that's not a punishable offense yet) and would not settle down and go to sleep. And his teacher did accompany him and she said he went right to sleep when he laid down on his mat in the hallway.
Here's Eli loving some tummy time! It's so great to see him becoming such a little person and showing such interest in the world around him! He is getting so very big too. Hard to believe he is almost 3 months! He has shown some patches of eczema, but his pediatrician isn't overly concerned- just encouraged lotioning twice a day and steroid cream as needed.

Trip to NC

My mom, sister, Eli and myself recently attended my cousin Ben's wedding in NC. It was a beautiful wedding and a very fun trip for all of us. We were able to see numerous aunts, uncles and cousins. We didn't take Caleb with us as it would not have made for a fun trip for him (be still baby, no whining Caleb, stop Caleb, don't touch Caleb, etc.), so he spent the night with Granddaddy on Friday night as Jeremy had to work and then spent Saturday with Jeremy. Granddaddy said he and Caleb had a good time- they took a 3 hour nap that afternoon but then Caleb didn't go to bed until 11 that night. I believe he was up at his usual 6 am the next morning! He and Jeremy then went to the zoo on Saturday and church on Sunday. No pictures from their weekend as I had the camera, so here's a look at what momma and Eli were up to.My Aunt Bonnie and Uncle Buzz who hosted us for the weekend

My cousin Anna and her adorable son Asher

Eli after a good night's sleep

Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Beam

My mom and her sisters and sister-in-law

My cousin Mandie (the maid of honor)

Eli was not shy of attention!

My sister and cousins

What a great girls weekend!

Eli on the way home- we had both been missing Caleb and Daddy too!

This Ain't My Momma!

We like to do laundry and we like to play

For some reason Caleb really enjoys folding washcloths and burp cloths. He starts folding them before I can even sit the basket down. It is so funny, but he actually does a really good job! Wonder what he'll think of laundry in 10 years or so?

Eli is such a sweet baby. He loves to be around people and is usually quite content if he has a human face to look at nearby. Caleb enjoys bringing him toys and stuffed animals and gives him plenty of wet kisses right on the mouth.