The Big 3-0!

Happy 30th Birthday, Ian!!

Lately...

Lately, Eli has been busy...

...taking every single book off the shelves.

...playing peek-a-boo.

...enjoying a cupcake with chocolate frosting...

...and making a big mess.

...listening and dancing to AJ's new songs.

(He really liked his own personal concert.)

...discovering his shadow.  (Can you see the resemblance to Ian in his profile?!)

...going for wagon rides in the yard.

...and doing lots and lots of walking.  I think crawling is now a thing of the past.

 

 A couple of weeks ago when I picked Eli up from daycare, the lady that watches him mentioned that he had said "night night" after they were done singing to him before he laid down for his nap.  I thought maybe he had just said the "na-na" sound, but when we got home later that day, he said "night night" quite clearly.  Aside from mama and dada, this was his first real word, although I am a little sad it happened at daycare:(  Now, he only seems to say it when he is really ready for bed.  

He is able to stack the rings on one of his toys, and instead of throwing the blocks out of his shape sorter, he will put them back in the bucket without the lid.  He is able to put the circles in with the lid on top, but we are still working on the other shapes.  

Eli can identify his ears and nose (the book must have worked, Jamie).  Looking at books is still among his favorite things to do, especially books with flaps, which he has worn out on most of them.  If the book he picks up is backwards or upside down, he will turn it around so it is the right side up before opening it.  He loves to look at family pictures, too.  

On the other hand, he has started to throw little tantrums when he does not get his way or is mad about something.  He makes it very clear when he is frustrated or angry.  Diverting his attention or just ignoring him until he calms down seems to help, at least for now.

Eli keeps growing and changing every day.  He is transitioning between babyhood and becoming a toddler quite quickly. 

A Trip to the Farm

While Ian traveled to Chicago for the big football game this past weekend, Eli and I headed to my parents' house.  Eli first enjoyed checking out all our toys we had as kids, especially the kitchen set. 

I think he liked it:)  This horse was a gift from my dad that he picked out for me for my first Christmas.

Then, it was time for a tractor ride. 

 ...and time to feed the calves.  My dad just got a new set of calves, and he was really excited to show them to Eli. 

He is pointing at everything these days.

Reading the new book from Aunt Jamie

It was a fun weekend.  Ian and AJ made it back home safe and sound as well:)

A Mini Vacation

Yesterday, we took Eli for his first overnight hotel stay at the Grand Harbor in Dubuque.  We wanted to take him to the water park there and the Mississippi River Museum, which we did today.  When we first arrived at the hotel, I pointed out that there was a window washer on the very top floor rappelling down the side of the building.  I had only seen it done this way on an episode of Dirty Jobs, so I thought that was neat to see it in person (I don't get out much...).  When I mentioned to Ian that I wondered if we would see him clean the windows for our room when we got in, he said he sure hoped we weren't up that high.  Sure enough, when we checked in, we were on the very top, the 7th floor. 

The guy working at the front desk also mentioned that it looked like our room was upgraded, so I was really excited about that.  Since we were on the top floor and our room ended up being at the very end of the hallway, I was really expecting this fabulous suite, but we were a bit disappointed when we walked in since it didn't look any different from what I was expecting.  When I asked about it, they said the king bed was upgraded to a "junior king," which is 30% bigger...wow. 

 

Nonetheless, Eli loved exploring and checking out the view from the window.  I didn't even bring any of his toys or books along since I knew we would be busy.  The first thing he discovered was the phone book, which kept him entertained.  

The view from our room

 

 

He loved the water park!

 

Remember the window washer I mentioned earlier?  While we were taking a break from the water park and eating supper, Ian first noticed the cables that appeared outside our window with the guy soon following behind.  

 The next morning, we enjoyed breakfast at Tony Roma's next door.  The drink/dessert menu kept Eli occupied while we waited for our food.

Then, it was time for the museum.  Eli's favorite part was the huge aquarium.  He also liked the interactive exhibits with buttons to push and puzzle pieces to move around.  There was a really neat Amazon exhibit featured when we were there.    

Even though we didn't travel very far, 

it was a nice little getaway for a couple of days.  

First Steps

Niabi Zoo from A to Z

Today, we took Eli to visit the zoo for his first time.  He loved taking in all the sights.  His favorite part seemed to be the petting zoo since the animals were up close and at his level.  He also enjoyed the train ride.  Here are the highlights of our trip from A to Z:

This area featured lots of animals native to Australia from kangaroos to different species of birds.

Speaking of birds, the zoo had a lot of noisy ones in their aviary.

Check out this camel who appears to be posing for the camera.

Dad and Eli on the train

(End of the ride)

(I love his little hand hanging on to the back of the seat.)

An eagle (from the backside) and an example of an eagle's nest below:

False alarm...At first, I thought this would be the only picture I would be able to get of an elephant...

...until they decided to mosey outside.

The giraffes were inside.  Along with the elephants, these were probably my favorite animals to see.

Although he got cut off from the picture, this hippo served as a good prop.

Ironic...While at the PETTING zoo, we came across this pig with a sign that read, "This animal may bite."

Just hanging out...

Kangaroo

Lazy lions

Mischievous monkeys

Niabi Zoo Entrance

Ostrich

Petting Zoo...Eli's favorite part!

A quirky type of sheep that apparently likes to climb...

Reptile House

Snakes!

The train ride, which gave us a tour of the entire zoo...Eli's other favorite part of the day.

Most unique animal of the day

Vegetables...getting eaten by a porcupine

W is for weather, which was perfect!  Temperatures in the high 70s/low 80s, cloudy and overcast without the intense sun, and low humidity.  

X-tra special little boy who we had a lot of fun with today:)

Y is for yawns, which there were a lot of on the way home, and it didn't take long for Eli to fall asleep for a nice nap.

An alphabetical zoo list would not be complete without Z for zebra.