The Smith Family Adventures

Elias and Daddy having fun at the park.

Yesterday we got to get out and enjoy the wonderful weather as most people around here probably did. We took Elias to Commonwealth Park to go for a walk, talk to some ducks, play in the grass, and swing. It was so nice to sit in the sun! It was a little nerve-wracking, though, to put sunscreen on Elias for the first time. I kept spraying his arms…not knowing if it would be enough until Nathan finally put a stop to it. He didn’t end up getting sunburned so that is good.

In other news, Elias is seven months old now! It is amazing how fast time is going! I can’t believe he is closer to one year old than to birth. This picture wasn’t taken on the day he turned seven months, but it was like the day before or something. You can see his big smile and if you click on the picture to make it larger, you can catch a glimpse of his tooth:

Elias at seven months old.

This morning when I was trying to do chores, Elias cried every time I went out of his sight. I put him in the laundry basket with a couple blocks and brought him around the house with me as I did some dishes and laundry. He happily played in there and watched me. I thought it was very cute.

Here I caught Elias unaware.

Happy boy! Happy to be near mommy.

The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Our family at the altar after the church service.

It was the first time we got to celebrate Easter with Elias. He had a great day and so did we! Nathan had to get up extra early to be at church by 6:45 a.m. to play in the bell choir. Elias and I joined him at church around 8:45. Elias got to try the nursery for the first time. I have to say I was very nervous to leave him with strangers. (Strangers to him anyway). He actually did fine, though. When I went to pick him up during the offeratory, he was asleep.

After church, Elias got his Easter basket, and then we went for a wonderful dinner at my Uncle Jim and Auntie Jeani’s house. Here are some pictures from the day:

Elias and his Easter basket. He got lots of books, some cds, bubbles, a mango, and a banana.

Daddy shows Elias his bubbles. Elias is more interested in his Elmo book. Olive comes to inspect the goods.

Mommy having fun with the bubbles.

Elias and Uncle Greg playing before dinner. You can see the fish teether from Uncle Jim and Auntie Jeani as well as the fun balls from Grandma Smith and the books from Grandpa and Grandma Bartle. Elias was a lucky boy.

Elias got to be held by Uncle Jim for the first time ever!

We had some time to enjoy the sun today in the Smith household. It seems like we haven’t had a normal Saturday in months. We were thankful for some family time. Here are two pictures that are so cute I just had to share them.

First: The Fresh Prince of Beaverton

Elias...Fresh Prince of Beaverton. We brought Elias' baseball cap to the park with us and it turned sideways when he moved around. It reminded us of Will Smith and the old tv show.....

Next: True Dodger Fans

Grandma Smith sent Nathan an Easter gift in the mail.....I mean....it was for Elias. The men in the family enjoyed reading that book together today.

Elias swinging for the first time at the park!

Yesterday Elias and I did not have much on our schedule and it was reasonably good weather so I decided to walk to Autumn Ridge Park which is not too far from our home. I thought it was time that Elias try out the swings for the first time. He can sit up on his own now, and his neck is very strong so I thought he’d be able to handle the swing just fine. I never realized how large those baby swings are compared to the size of the baby. I guess they have to fit for toddlers too. Elias had a lot of fun swinging. He also enjoyed watching the bigger kids who didn’t have school yesterday and were playing tag in the field. I can’t believe Elias will probably be one of them in just a few years.

Elias playing at the park.

After the swings, we walked around the park and Elias got to feel tree bark and grass for the first time. He also had a moth land on his arm which scared me, but I’m not sure that he even noticed.

After an hour or so, the sky started turning dark so I decided to start heading home. The walk took about 15 or 20 minutes and I didn’t have any rain gear! Luckily I left when I did because shortly before I got home it started hailing! So much for the nice weather. Oh well….it’s good we took advantage of the sun while it was around.

Elias

You can even see the sun in this picture! Elias liked pulling the grass.

This morning after I finished feeding Elias some rice cereal, he had some of it on his face, bib, hands…..you get the picture. For some reason, I decided that I could just bring him quickly into the bedroom because I had to change his diaper and get him dressed for the day anyway….I thought I’d just clean up his face and hands at the same time rather than using two different cloths.

During the walk from the high chair to the changing table I got rice cereal on my cheek, in my hair, up my nose, and on my shirt.

How could I resist his cute hugs and kisses? (Even if he had rice cereal all over his hands and face) Next time I’ll clean him up before moving him….that is the last time I’ll make that rookie mistake.

Elias showing off his new books

Nathan and I went to a workshop for parents about early literacy skills for babies age 0-2. It was free at the Cedar Mill Library, and we thought it was a good idea to go and see what we could learn. It was definitely worth the time. They talked about some of the brain research that has been done as well as six skills we can work on now to help him prepare for reading later in life. Skills such as same and different, learning vocabulary, and more.

Elias playing.

One thing that really struck me was that babies need to have a positive experience reading, not a long experience. As a teacher, I had envisioned myself sitting with my child in a warm cozy chair, sharing a story with him. It didn’t turn out that way. Elias is more interested in feeling, tasting, etc. the books. We had some board books, but I would often read Elias my favorite stories (which aren’t board books) and I’d be worried about him tearing the pages. I believe I was guilty of occasionally creating stressful situations for Elias rather than positive ones. I want Elias to love reading, and there is plenty of time to build his stamina. For now, thirty seconds is a long time for him and that would be fine. Lots of short periods throughout the day is what I will go for. In the mean time, he can chew and play with the books.

Showing off his animals book

As I was browsing at Costco today, I saw many books that will be great for Elias. I got a couple to put in his Easter basket, but I also got some for him to play with today. They were cloth books, and he loves them! Now we can both enjoy reading together.

Haystack Rock

Last weekend we took Elias to the coast to see the ocean for the first time. He had been to Tillamook in December, but we didn’t actually make it to the ocean even though we were very close. We planned to go with Grandma Judith to Cannon beach and stay for the weekend. We found the Tolovanna Inn a nice place to stay, and the Lazy Susan Cafe was good for breakfast. We had some great fun.

Daddy and Elias on the beach. Elias is bundled up for his first beach trip.

Saturday ended up being really nice…the sun even showed its face! Sunday was really rainy so we felt really lucky that Saturday had been so nice. Elias got to feel the sand with his fingers….and rub it on his face. Luckily it wasn’t too hard to clean up, and none got in his eyes. He enjoyed watching the water come in and recede…especially because there was lots of foam to look at.

Even though it was a nice day, we still had to get bundled up to go to the beach. (Typical Oregon beach trip). Elias looked very cute in his warm winter jacket on the beach towel playing.

Elias was intrigued by the foamy water coming in and out.

Elias sitting with Grandma Judith on some logs at Cannon Beach

Here is Elias...happy after the meal.

Last night I tried making baby food puree for the first time. We decided to start with sweet potatoes. I’m pretty sure it turns out he actually had yams….I couldn’t tell at Winco which was which. After looking at pictures of yams and sweet potatoes online….I think I bought a yam. But…a yam is just a type of sweet potato anyway so it doesn’t matter.

Anyway….I peeled, washed, and diced the sweet potato…and proceeded to try to steam it. I accidentally burned it. Nathan claims I set the house on fire, but it was more like a stinky burn smell with a little haze of smoke. The smoke detectors didn’t even go off so it wasn’t that bad. I had to start over.

This is actually what Elias looked like for most of the meal. When he was actually eating the stuff he had an intensely furrowed brow but we never captured that in a photo.

It turns out that making baby food took a lot longer than I had planned. I made seven servings worth of sweet potatoes by the end of the evening. I think I will need one of those miracle dicers or whatever they are called from Pampered Chef as well as a food processor to mash the food since mashing it by hand also took awhile.

So tonight Elias got to try my creation for the first time. He definitely ate some. I don’t think he hated it…but he eats so little from the spoon right now it is hard to tell. He opened his mouth for more a couple of times so I’ll call it a success.

In a few days he’ll get to try zucchini….at least that is what I’m thinking now.