Snow Days and Blueberry Waffles

Growing up in Arkansas we would see snow a few times a winter and it nearly always meant a day out of school. With few salt trucks and plows we would simply have to wait until the snow melted before returning back to school. So the weatherman was a very important person to me as a school aged girl. When he would predict 3-4 inches of snow I would cling to those words and go to bed dreaming of a snow. It was always VERY disappointing to wake up the next morning and see only a dusting on the ground and have to get ready for school. So, all that to say I never get too excited about weather predictions any more. I suppose I had too many let downs in my early years. :) Well, I guess the weatherman got this one right...



The winds around here blow the snow a lot causing it to drift and make it hard to tell the exact amount of snowfall. I think our yard has around 3-4 inches and some parts of our city have 5 inches according to the news. We may get another inch or so as the day goes on. The sad part about all this is that my family had planned to come and visit this weekend. Arkansas and Oklahoma had some freezing rain and sleet before the snow started fallling making the roads even more difficult for travel. I had to break the news to Eli this morning that his grandparents, aunt, and uncle-to-be would not be coming to visit (and therefore not bringing the rest of his Christmas presents that we couldn't fit in our car last time). This was his reaction...


Just kidding mom and dad, it was just time for his morning nap. :) We are going to miss you guys though! Stay warm!


So in anticipation of the snow, last night I had Marc drop me off at Target after dinner to get a few things. My experiences with snow growing up were being trapped inside for days and you only left your house if you HAD to. Marc's experiences with snow in Illinois were that life goes on as usual and when you need milk or eggs from the store you just drive out to get them. I don't think they really "stock up" in Illinois for a few inches of snow. :) As I was shopping in Target the panic quickly set in and all the "what ifs" starting running through my head and my small list became a 30 minute shopping trip. When I finally got back out to the car I asked Marc if he thought we should get any bottled water (in case we lost our water supply of course!). His look clearly gave me the answer so we headed for home. :)

When I was at Target I ran across Smucker's blueberry syrup (yummy!) and decided that this morning I would make some blueberry waffles. I got this recipe from my roommate Rebecca in college and have enjoyed making it ever since.

Blueberry Waffles1 cup Bisquick
2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup fresh blueberries

Mix all these ingredients together. Spray your waffle maker with non-stick spray and then pour it in. We have a 4 square Belgian waffle maker and this makes 4 waffles for us. I don't like maple syrup so I always use Smucker's blueberry syrup but you can use whatever you like! Enjoy!

Moving On Up

At Eli's doctor's appointment last week Dr. W encouraged me to start trying Eli on some finger/table food to get him used to the texture and to improve his fine motor skills. We have been doing puffs some at dinner with him, but we hadn't tried much else until this past weekend. Eli loves his baby food green beans and Dr. W said it is a great first finger food to start with. So, I tried a FEW green bean bites with him on Saturday but was very hesitant since Eli didn't chew it so well (and was gagging some!). On Sunday, I left for the grocery store and gave Marc the task of attempting some green beans again with Eli. He took these pictures during his dinner (which he clearly had been enjoying since it was all over his face! :) )

Eli, meet green beans.

A look of uncertainty...

And it's a success! Hopefully, Eli will start getting some teeth over the next month or two (we REALLY think he is finally teething) which will help him out with the biting/chewing thing. Isn't it funny how big the smallest task can be when you do it for the first time???

I have noticed lately at work that I have been enjoying seeing first time moms with their babies so much more since having Eli. I never really understood ALL the questions and concerns parents have until having a baby myself. No one teaches you in school about all the simple questions that come with babies, (my baby sneezes all the time... why does my baby hiccup so much... my baby didn't poop today... etc. etc.) but it feels great now to be able to relate more to my patients because of my own experiences. There is just so much learning to be done in the first year of life for baby and parent (and Baby 411 is a wonderful book for first time parents)!

I brought home a measuring tape yesterday from work to re-check Eli's height from his visit last week. They told me he was measuring 29 1/2 inches and in the 90th percentile for height which seemed a little off for my 50th percentile baby! Marc and I wrestled him to the ground last night and re-measured him. Wouldn't you know he had shrunk a whole inch from Friday! So, he is actually 28 1/2 inches and measures right at 60th percentile for his height. I always tell my dad he is "average" when I call to give them his stats because he is always around 50th percentiles, but he quickly states that his grandson is not "average" at all... he is just perfect. And that he is. :)

Busy Boy

We had Eli's 9 month check-up today and he did great. He weighed in at 20 lb. 4oz. which is around 50th percentile. I was SO glad that he didn't need any shots today! When we got back from the doctor's office he took a long nap allowing me to enjoy a little bit of my Friday off. I had plans to get going on some house cleaning but decided that it can wait till tomorrow. I am excited that we are having some visitors next weekend but need to clean the house a bit before they arrive. :) Eli is requiring full-on attention these days and it keeps me very busy when he is up. Here are some pictures I took of him this afternoon getting into EVERYTHING.

As you can tell, we haven't baby-proofed the cabinets yet!

This is a look that says, "I know I'm not supposed to get in here."

Eli roams the hall often so I try to keep all the bedroom and bathroom doors closed to keep him out of trouble!

He loves playing with his cups and trying to drink out of them so I am hoping he won't be hard to break from his bottles in a few months.

We are taking Eli tomorrow morning to get some 9 month pictures made from Portrait Innovations. You just can't beat their $9.95 package! We usually buy an additional pose or two but still find it so affordable that we have taken him every 3 months since he was born. It is so fun! Well, Eli is sound asleep and Marc is on his way home with a movie. I think I am going to make some hot chocolate and settle in for a relaxing night! Have a great weekend. :)

A Walk in the Park

I love it when Marc has the weekend off to spend with us. It is SO much better than when he is away for call at the hospital (like tonight!). We miss him lots when he is gone! We took Eli to the park near our house on Sunday since it got up to 50 degrees. I think we were overly excited about the temperature because when we got out it wasn't quite as warm as we had anticipated, but we still had a good time. Eli has a super warm blanket that zips around him when he is in his stroller so I don't think he minded the cold either (although he doesn't look so happy here. Ha!).

We tried the slide a few times for fun!

Does he look like his daddy?

Miss Lily at daycare told me today that Eli stood all by himself for about 5 seconds. She said he couldn't figure out what to do next so then he just sat down. He just brings so much joy to our lives and we love watching him reach these milestones. He turned 9 months yesterday and has his well child check this Friday!

Happy 9 months Eli!