I think Eli took the name of this book a little too literally…

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Jenna here.  That means lots of words!

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Well, it’s a semi-cool morning here in Chucktown, and Eli and I are just doin’ our thing.  I often have friends, family, and clients ask what we do all day, so I thought I would do a little “Day in the life of Eli and Mom” post.

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Our morning usually starts at 7 am, barring any wet clothing due to leakage, which results in a 5 am wake-up call.  Not cool!  (We’ll take care of that with a bigger diaper at night!)  Anyway, after E wakes up he has a 6 oz bottle, followed by breakfast about 30 minutes later.  During that 30 minutes I turn on the Morning Show and pour myself a cup of coffee as if I’m going to sit and enjoy both.  Ha!  Matt always laughs when he finds my full coffee cups throughout the house.  I guess at least pouring the coffee like I’m going to enjoy it gives me enough energy and satisfaction, even if I don’t get to drink it because I’m chasing our cute little munchkin all over the house!  After breakfast we play, take Kelsey for a walk, or go for a jog (usually one of the first two) until about 9:30.  Eli naps from 9:30ish-11.  While he naps I shower, edit, write MDP blog posts, respond to emails from brides, catch up with my mom on the phone, etc.  It always goes by too quickly!  At 11 E gets another 6 oz bottle, followed by lunch about 30 minutes later.  This is usually when we run any errands we have on our list.  Once we get home, Eli takes an afternoon nap from about 2-3:30.  This nap is followed by a 6 oz bottle and dinner about an hour later.  Matt gets home around 4, which is typically the most exciting part of our day!  Eli, Kelsey, and I often meet him in the driveway.  Everyone barks, growls, and wags (yes, all three of us)!  Matt and I try to take a few minutes to sit together and catch up while Eli wrestles Kelsey to the floor.  Then we all cook dinner together or I cook while Matt and E play.  After dinner we often go on a family stroll, in hopes of keeping Eli up a little later than 6:45, which is his preferred bedtime.  Then it’s on to our bedtime routine, which consists of Eli’s bath, an 8 oz bottle, medicine, and sometimes a book.  [sigh]  Matt and I try to designate our post-E part of the evening as either M & J nights or MDP nights.  So depending on our current work load, we either crash or crank out some work.  So for those of you who have asked, that’s a recap of a typical day around here!  I’m sure I lost most of you at the first 6 oz bottle, but thanks for humoring me if you’re still reading!

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I hope you’re all having a happy morning!  I know I am.  I got a phone call asking me to look for something in the driveway that Matt “thought” he dropped, only to find a red Starbucks cup filled with a Pumpkin Spice Latte (Sidenote-The red cup is back!  I’ve always said that a red cup is good for the soul.  My sweet friend Katie even gave me an awesome red coffee cup that I use every morning.  Love it!).  Eli was napping, so you better believe I enjoyed every last drop!  Life is good.  :)

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Below are some pictures I took during our post breakfast playtime this morning.  Eli does lots of running around, dragging giant toys and ottomans, slamming things onto the tile floor, dumping blocks out, harassing Kelsey (Don’t worry.  She loves it and is extremely gentle and patient with him!), etc.  I thought you would like a peek into the action!

Mom, are you sure you don't want me to stand on top of this thing?

If I can just get this one foot up there...

Will you help me? Pretty please?

Crawling under Kelsey is a new interest. ???

Eli + cutting 3 teeth = lots o' drool

That's Kelsey's pillow that Eli is wallowing all over. mmm. Lovely.

Good times. At least he's not trying to give her a kiss this time!

Blocks seem to be boring, but an empty blocks bucket? That's what I'm talking about!

Mom, are you in there?

This smile always makes my day!

It’s hard to believe how fast time goes by sometimes.  In a couple days Eli will be 11 months old, and in a month he’ll be a year old.  That’s crazy.  We’ve been running around a lot recently and too often we forget to pause and take notice of how fast time is going by.  I’ve been thinking a lot about perspective recently – how important it is to view your days in the perspective of your story, His story.  After all, in the end, how do you want to your story to read?  It’s easy to get caught up in the moment, forgetting the big picture.  I know I do it.  But in reality, as time goes by, those moments, while still meaningful, become less and less dramatic.  Andy Stanley puts it this way: “Regardless of what you’re going through now, and no matter how big or small it is, it will eventually become just a part of your story.”  So how do you want your moments to add up?

Live the story you want to tell.

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Thanks for humoring me with the depth.  Perspective…living in light of how I want my/our story to read…is something I’ve been thinking about recently.  For more thoughts, check out Your Move: The Story of Your Life.

This weekend Jenna and I are escaping to the mountains for some hangout time.  I’m excited to be able to spend time with Jenna, to sit back, think about all that’s gone on and is going on, and simply smile at how blessed we are.  Being blessed…I don’t mean that everything’s perfect, because we have and have had our share of difficult moments and hard choices, but in the scheme of it all, in light of our “story”, we are blessed.  So I’m excited to go reflect on us for a few days, sip coffee in the early morning mountain fog, and possibly venture down some trails.  It should be fun!

- MD

I’m aware that every parent thinks their kid is a child prodigy, model, and/or future sports superstar.  With that said, just humor me.  K?

Quite a few people (some that we know and some complete strangers) have suggested that we push Eli into modeling.  ha!  The thought of our child being a model just cracks me up!  First of all, I can just imagine Eli at a photo shoot wreaking havoc on everything in sight!  I’m pretty sure he would be fired on the spot!  It’s not that he’s out of control or misbehaved–he’s just ALL BOY!  So since “modeling” isn’t realistic, we decided to enter him in the Gap Casting Call, along with every other parent in America!  We’re not going to do the Fan Favorite part of the contest.  It’s one of those things where you get people to vote every day so you can win money and a vacation or something like that.  I’m openly acknowledging that I’m too competitive to stay focused on the actual point of the whole thing, so it would just stress me out to no end!  This little photo shoot also gave Eli a chance to show off his handsome outfit (Thank you Mulvaney’s!) and his sweet new kicks!

He’s pretty darn cute, if I do say so myself!

Four years ago today, I proposed to Jenna…and it’s been awesome ever since!  But…how things have changed…

October 1, 2005

4 years later…

October 1, 2009

I love you more than ever, JD, and the family that we’ve become!!

Well people, this changes everything.  Eli is WALKING!  He’s been “stepping” for several weeks, but he really took off a couple of days ago.  He’s 10 months old today, and he just seems like such a big boy all of a sudden.  Tear… Smile… Tear…

This video will give you a little insight into what a few minutes in our house looks like.  Keep in mind that Kelsey is also usually in the middle of the chaos!  We put her away because she always gets between the camera and Eli.  Just watching this almost makes my head spin!  And I wonder why I’m so tired!

**Disclaimer – Please don’t judge our parenting ability or methods by Eli’s outfit.  His shorts fit fine and actually stayed on a couple of weeks ago!  I put them on him quickly today as we were heading out the door and then realized that the poor baby’s shorts were sagging lower than the teenage boy’s pants walking in front of us in Target!  These shorts will look much cuter in a couple of months when they actually fit, paired with an oxford shirt, sweater, and Converse!  I just had to throw that out there, because I know what you were thinking!  :)

I wanted to post a few random pictures from the past month or so that I thought were fun and post worthy.  Enjoy!

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A few weeks ago we drove up to Georgetown and met my old college roommate Lex at the Hunble Crumb for some pizza and a chance to catch up for a bit.  It was a fun night…great to see Lex and fun to show off my boy!

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bath time! always an adventure!

My parents official leave Brittle Road next week.  So last weekend we all met at Brittle one last time – to help move a little, but to mostly soak in the experience and reminisce all the good times we’ve had there.  It was a great weekend, and I’ll miss many of the great qualities that Brittle possesses, but the house was never what made “coming home” special.  The truly special aspects will carry with Mom and Dad wherever they go.  This new opportunity will open so many doors for them, and I’m excited!

Mom and Dad…know, home is where we all gather to make noise and love being with each other!  And that’ll be at any house!  I’m excited for when we all get to break it in!  Love you guys!

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e's first trip on a plane

intrigued...or worried?

e with his favorite aunts

not sure what to do...

group shot!

best backyard ever!

e & pops

never forgotten

madison

blake & erin

where's the pitch fork when ya need it?

in front of the Alder tree

Baby Boy,

Has it really been 9 months?  Although it doesn’t seem possible, it feels as if we’ve always known you!  I have put off writing this letter for weeks, because I don’t feel that I’m capable of putting the feelings your daddy and I have for you into words.  I just want you to know that whatever I’m able to communicate in the paragraphs that follow is nowhere close to what I feel for you in my heart!

You are the absolute joy of our lives here on earth!  Your joyful spirit radiates to everyone who comes in contact with you!  Whether we’re at the park or walking through the grocery store, you beam your sweet smile to everyone who passes.  Strangers constantly comment about the way you smile and how seeing you made their day brighter.  The only way to describe it is that you smile with your whole being.  Seeing that contagious smile makes the toughest of days seem like a breeze!

The relationship that you have with your daddy is one of the most precious things I’ve ever seen!  He gets you up each morning before he goes to work and does such a great job balancing taking care of and playing with you.  As he starts gathering his things for work, you crawl over to him as fast as your little legs can take you, pull up by his pants legs, and go up on your tippy toes over and over trying to reach him so he’ll pick you up.  It absolutely melts my heart!  And at the end of the day, you get so excited when you hear the door knob.  You automatically light up and start doing your cute little grunting laugh that you only do to Daddy.  And of course, your first word was da da.  Ma ma is no where in sight!  But I’m okay with that.  I love watching the two of you interact!

You have changed so much over the past several months!  You now recognize Daddy and I as your parents.  You look to us if you’re unsure and cling to us if you’re afraid, which has to be one of the most fulfilling things I’ve ever experienced.  You started sitting up the week before your 6 month birthday (mid May), and within 3 weeks you were crawling and pulling up to standing!  Soon after those huge milestones you were staying overnight without us, holding your own bottle, eating finger food, riding in a big boy carseat, standing alone, and dancing!  In a matter of 3 months, you’ve gone from an infant who was laying under his jungle play mat to a babbling little boy who is overflowing with personality and has taken his first steps!  That blows my mind!  At your 9 month check-up a couple of weeks ago, you weighed 21 lbs. 7 oz. (60%) and measured 32 in. (99%) long.  You’re the length of an average 15 month old!  Although that seems crazy, we weren’t really surprised, considering your daddy’s height and the way you LOVE to eat!  You will eat absolutely anything and everything we put in front of you!  Even if you don’t like the taste of what you’re eating, you kind of fuss as you take bites until your bowl is empty.  Everyone tells us that you’ll become a picky eater one day, but right now that’s tough to imagine!

With all of your recent development and mobility has come a whole new world of challenges.  A few of the “no no’s” that you constantly go after are Kelsey’s bowl and toys, night lights, remotes, cell phones, the scanner, and the book case.  Although you usually require a firm NO, redirection, AND removal from the situation, you’re very tender hearted and usually cry when I use a stern voice with you.  Also, you’re the most determined child I’ve ever known!  I knew this when I was carrying you, but now I see it play out on a daily basis.  You try with all of your might to accomplish whatever you’ve set your mind to, even if it’s something that’s a “no no.”  We’ve made quite a scene several times, like the day that you and I were shopping in a fancy baby boutique for your new friend Jack Elder.  You wanted me to pick you up out of your stroller, but I needed to focus on picking out a gift.  When your whining didn’t work you started reaching out of your stroller and grabbing things off of the racks, screaming, and then sliding out of the stroller.  I finally decided to pick you up so we could accomplish our goal and get out of the store.  When I picked you up, your diaper bag caused the stroller to flip backwards and my coffee spilled all into the diaper bag and onto the gift we were purchasing!  I can’t imagine the challenges we’ll face once you’re a little older and actually KNOW how to throw a tantrum!  Your dad and I just try to keep the attitude that each new day with you brings new joys and new challenges!  And finally, you think you can swim!  You absolutely LOVE the water and purposefully dunk your head under and try to swallow the pool, ocean, or bath water.  We hold you close to the water so you can feel like you’re swimming, but it’s challenging because you’ll suddenly submerge your head under water at any given time!  Whether you’re flashing your precious smile or desperately trying to splash around in Kelsey’s bowl, you always keep us on our toes and laughing!

Eli Jackson, you are more than we ever could have asked for and certainly more perfect than we deserve.  The love we have for you makes me realize that the love our Heavenly Father has for you is more than our human minds could ever comprehend.  Never forget that you were created in His image.  God carefully fit together every detail of your little body, your heart, and your giant personality.  I know He has great big plans for you!

The nine months we’ve had with you make us so excited for the next months and years that we’re blessed to live life as your parents! We love you, sweet baby boy!

Your Mommy

I often wonder what goes on around the house during the day while I’m at work.  And tonight, I sat down to edit some pictures from a recent bridal shoot but when I opened Lightroom I was met by something totally different…

This…is…awesome!

Jenna filled this thing up with frozen blueberries for Eli to gnaw on and help his teething gums.  I saw these and died laughing.  I love my family!

- MD