Thursday, September 30, 2004
Please Pardon Our Dust
This is a note to all of you who check our site regularly to stay current on our lives.
www.AJandKellie.com might not be updated as much as it has been- especially the photos page due to current circumstances- AKA- selling our house and moving. As soon as life slows down and we are settled again look for new content daily as you have come to expect.
As most know this is a season of transition for us now. We decided to move to Miami, FL. AJ got a really good job offer from one of his old bosses, well he's not an old guy just a previous boss :) Anyway we prayed about it and actually flew down to Miami to see what we thought about the place and have now decided to pick up and move- AGAIN!!! We sure are getting good at this. This will be our 3rd house since we were married and the 4th place AJ has lived if you include the time we were dating too. Yeah we already know we are crazy you don't need to tell us. But all that aside we are sure this is the right thing for us and our family.
We don't regret coming up here one bit either and we are confident that it was God's will for us to be here as long as we have been. We have grown so much as individuals and in our marriage. God has taught us that he is truly sovereign and that he is faithful. He has provided for us even in the tightest and dimmest situations. He is truly a mighty God. Our God is Jehovah!!!
It has been a great season of rest away from all the commitments that were wearing us out in Jacksonville. Also IJM has been such a great place for AJ to work, he has grown spiritually from working in such a genuine Godly environment with Godly people. The people there are all awesome and we will miss them- but it was always hard to hang out with them since we lived so far from work and where they all lived. That leads me to one of the biggest reasons we are leaving, and that is, to live closer to work.
AJ's commute is on average 1 1/2 to 2 hours each way, that is very long. It just wasn't doable for us to live closer with a family. We thought we would manage the long commute and early mornings and late dinners but especially now that we have a baby we realize how hard it is to be apart so long. AJ really misses us during the day and we miss him just as much. We want to keep family a priority over work. Having a shorter commute will give AJ 15-20 more hours a week home with us. That is significant. We already found an apartment in Miami and AJ will only have to commute 3 1/2 miles. That should be ten minutes or less. That will be very nice for us and our family, AJ will be close enough that he will even be able to come home for lunch- we'd all love that.
Another good thing about Miami is the warm weather year round and the beaches. I am a Florida native and just the short part of winter I experienced here was SO COLD!!! I definitely prefer the warmth and the beach- sorry George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.
In addition AJ will be starting off in a leadership position at his new job. He will be "Group Leader of Interactive Services" that is his official title. The company certainly shows a lot of promise for the future and its success which would in turn be AJ's success.
We are very excited about this opportunity and to be able to be closer to each other during the day. We have really enjoyed DC but for us it just wasn't a good fit. Work was great- the cause was great- it was just a bit to far to foster a good family life at home, and in the end that is what matters most. If we don't have each other we don't have much at all.
Monday, September 27, 2004
Are you Sleeping? Smiling?
As Eli and I venture out people often come up and talk to us. Babies are such great conversation starters and ice breakers. It is amazing to me how different it is out in public with a baby. People I have never met will come up and just start talking to me and telling me about there own grand children or children. People generally are very nice- many offer to help when they see my hands are full with the baby and I am trying to shop as well, or change a diaper in a crowded bathroom, or bag groceries. But with all this friendly conversation what are the two questions, besides his age, that I get asked most often: How is he sleeping? Is he smiling yet?
How is he sleeping?
Well Eli is amazing us every night these days. For about the past 3 weeks now he has been sleeping a solid 7 1/2 - 9 hours a night. Most nights he eats around 9:30 pm and goes down around 10:00 pm to sleep and then wakes up at 6:30 am in the morning to eat again. It is so nice to have him sleeping through the night. I think all 3 of us are happier because of it- we aren't sleep deprived any more!! Eli rarely wakes up during the night to cry anymore and if he does he will settle himself back down to sleep in less than 10 minutes. It is so great to have all of our hard work pay off. Those days when we had to just let him cry it out with seemingly no progress have all paid off because now we have a baby who sleeps through the night and takes great naps during the day and who knows how to get to sleep on his own with out any sleep props. It is a blessing- Thanks Katie McDonnell for recommending Babywise to us- it has been so great!! It really does work.
Is he smiling yet?
Well, I know Eli is very happy. But, I think he is a little confused on how to smile. When he plays with his new toy or with daddy or me he gets really excited and makes high pitched coos and breathes heavy to show his excitement. But instead of flashing us his gummy grin he sticks out his tongue- a lot. I think he thinks sticking out his tongue is the way to show he is happy, and he sure does that a lot. AJ and I know he is really happy, but he just isn't ready to smile yet. He is just taking his time and he will smile when he is good and ready to show us that smile of his. But I am so excited for him to be ready- any day now Mr. Eli, we love you smiles or no smiles, we love you and you are the biggest blessing in our lives.
Classical Chorus Gym
Eli got his first toy today. After doing extensive research on the best toys for Eli's age, AJ and I decided to get the Fisher-Price Classical Chorus Gym. So today I went to Babies R US and purchased this while Eli was sleeping in the shopping cart with little knowledge of the fact that he was getting his very first toy.
We didn't get Eli any toys because we felt we needed the absolute essentials to having a baby first and after we got those things there was little left for purchasing toys. We also didn't register for toys for the same reason. But now Eli is at the age where he is really awake and alert and curious to learn and try new things. It was evident he was ready for a toy that would spark his senses even more.
We didn't just want to waste our money on a toy that he'd grow out of or wouldn't be interested in for long, so we did research and read a lot of reviews about a lot of different toys. This toy received the best reviews over all and it can be played with during 3 stages: infants (lying on back), 5 months+ (sitting up), and 9 months+ (standing/walking). I liked how long this toy was useful, it is so versatile. It was also a steal for only $34.99, even our budget could afford this toy. With it receiving so many great accolades from so many moms, we decided to give it a try.
The results:
Eli absolutely loved it!! He had a ball of a time playing with it. I put it down by his feet first and he just kicked and kicked and then kicked even harder getting so excited with each kick in the correct spot rewarding him with music and lights. He was squealing with excitement and if he had the ability to smile already then I am sure he would have been (we're still working on that skill, but I know it is going to be any day now.) Then I moved the toy up by his arms and head and he was batting away at the toys. He was getting so excited from the music and light reward that he was breathing heavy and moving every part of his body to try to keep the rewards going. I have never seen him so active or excited. It was so much fun for me to watch and I know so much fun for him to play with as well.
I am so excited to watch Eli continue to learn and play with his new toy. It was so worth the money and I am so glad he has something fun to do now. I felt like he was getting bored because he really didn't have anything fun and entertaining to play with- but now this isn't so anymore. It will be fun for Christmas to come so we can introduce even more toys to him. Toys are so good because while he thinks he is only playing he is really learning so much about his body's capabilities and the world around him. It is such a good thing for his development. AJ and I are committed to doing all we can to foster good learning and development for Mr. Eli Jones.
:) It was a good day today.
Tuesday, September 14, 2004
Special moments - The father/son bond
Yesterday as I was nursing Eli a very precious thing happend between Eli and his daddy. You see Eli is usually asleep when AJ leaves in the morning and asleep when he comes home at night. We often purposefully wake him up so AJ can get some time with him.
Last night AJ had to do some work at home so I was just going to feed Eli and put him to sleep while daddy worked. Aj finished his work early and came upstairs to see Eli while he was eating. When Eli eats he is so into the whole process- he shuts his eyes and focuses on the great meal his is enjoying and eats with his whole body. He is quite hard to distract while he is eating. Last night was an exception to this rule.
AJ came upstairs and sat on the bed next to us and began talking to Eli and immediately Eli's whole face lit up and his eyes opened wide and he looked up at his dad. It was so special because you could tell how excited he was to hear and see his daddy. It was evident that Eli knows and loves AJ, his dad. This was special for his dad to see as well. It was very rewarding. It is nice to be someone's hero, even if that someone is 23 1/2 inches tall and only weighs 11 lbs 14 oz!!!
Wednesday, September 08, 2004
Strange things happen when the diapers come off!!!!
Eli and I enjoy taking baths together these days. We take it in the big jacuzzi tub in AJ and I's bathroom.
Ever since I stopped bathing him in his own plastic baby tub he has loved taking baths. He used to be all awkward in his little tub and seemed very uncomfortable. He also would often hit his head on the hard sides of the tub. Those things should come with inflatable headrests. I would try to hold Eli so he would be comfortable and not hit his head but he was always so wet an squirmy that it was hard. The other downside to his own little tub was how small it was. It couldn't hold much water so he never was really submerged in the warmth of the water. Because of that he would get cold really fast and I'd have to rush through bathtime so it would be over quickly and he could get warm and dry.
As is probably very evident by now to you- taking a bath in the big tub is much nicer. I can hold him so he is comfortable, he stays under a lot more of the water so he is warm, he doesn't hit his head, and he can kick and splash in the water which he also enjoys.
All that being said to convince you of the convenience of bathing a baby with you in a big tub--- there is one slighty large downfall that you should beware of: The baby is not wearing a diaper because he is taking a bath and strange things happen when babies aren't wearing diapers.
Eli was sweetly and innocently enjoying his bath with me today just kicking and playing when all of the sudden I heard a loud mmbbbllluuuueerrmmrrpppp!!!! I looked down and discovered the bathwater was now turning orange! Eli had pooped in the tub- a lot! It was so gross. I immediately stood up in the tub and was kinda at a loss for what to do next. We were both dirty and poopy now- gross. So I turned on the shower and rinsed us both off. It was Eli's first time in the shower and he didn't like it at all. He couldn't figure out that he needed to close his eyes and shut his mouth to stop the water from getting in and bothering him. Oh well, we'll work on that one later. So our nice bathtime was strangely interrupted and cut short because strange things happen when babies diapers come off!!!!
