Progressing towards crawling!

It got way too busy right before we left for Argentina to post Eli's inch worm and 1/2 inch 1/2 crawl maneuvering...so here is the full progression!

In the beginning it was so hard to even move forward...



Then, I figured out how to inch!



And then I sort of figured out how to make the arms work with the knees - but only sometimes!



But then, I pretty much got it!



And after we got back from Argentina I was a pro...I could even crawl in fleece pants on the hardwood floors!! Grandma and Grandpa call me, "The Salamander" because I lift my arms so high. Mom thinks it's funny how I slap the ground so hard.

Playtime

Just hangin' out in the living room...

Giggles and more giggles!!!

It is so much fun listening to Eli giggle!! Some might think I torment the little guy...but it's all for a good laugh! :-)

What's Eli up to?

Here are some random videos of our days together! Now that he's crawling he is busier than ever and exploring everything. A few things remain...he LOVES his cat, he loves eating dirt and he LOVES bath time!

Poor kid, trying to figure out his sippy cup...



The indecision...do I stop the mess before it happens, or take a video of him making the mess!!



And...bath time! He LOVES to splash...but he is easily distracted by mom with the video camera!

First Playground!

Now that Eli is so mobile I take every chance I get to go to the park! I was so surprised with how well he did going up and down the stairs of the jungle gym...we don't have stairs in the house for him to practice - but he just went straight at it and didn't even tumble!!

I wish I had a video of this well-mannered little girl we met - she taught me how I should teach Eli how to play well with others. It went like this: The little girl was playing with a school bus, she left it at the bottom of the slide and proceeded to run up the jungle gym to slide down. Eli noticed the bus and crawled over and started playing with it. The girl arrives at the bottom of the slide, looks at Eli, then looks at the bus and says, "I was playing with that!" in a very calm voice. Of course, Eli didn't even notice her, he was far more into the bus. So she runs off and comes back with a fire truck...and she left with her bus!

Bay Area Discovery Museum

My mamas group ventured to Sausalito, on the north side of the Golden Gate Bridge, to the Bay Area Discovery Museum. They have an entire building devoted to crawlers!! So Eli and his buddies had a great time!

One room explored the life of a frog - the babies could climb on ponds with lily pads (water beds) and crawl through a waterfall (a plexiglass tunnel with water splashing around it).

Another room had more of a tundra theme with vinyl padded hills for the babies to crawl up, stuffed animals and costumes.

I tried to dress Eli up as a skunk, but he wasn't a fan!

They had a shape sorting table...but Eli was more interested in the underside and pulling the blocks through.

New shoes!

Eli got his first pair of new shoes. His favorite thing to do is chew on them...



and when he's in the stroller he kicks away!

Argentina!

About a year and a half ago my dad and I got excited about a hike in Patagonia. It was a pipe dream then, but finally I decided that if we didn't go soon it would be too difficult. Fortunately the summer season corresponded with Eli being at just about the perfect age (7-8 months)...just old enough to be interactive and engaged and LOVE the outdoors, but also not quite mobile enough to manage being carried for a few hours at a time.

It took 35 hours to get to our cabin in El Chalten, Patagonia. The following day we began our trek for 4-days. After the trek we spent 6-days in El Chalten staying in a cabin and doing daily excursions to explore the glaciers and the other trails in the area. We then transferred to El Calafate to see the Perito Moreno glacier and finally to Buenos Aires for a week.

Here is a slide show with some captions of our entire trip!

Eli's 1st Early Christmas!

Since we were leaving for Argentina at the beginning of December we decided not to decorate. So sad! for Eli's first Christmas!!! So, to get in the spirit, some mama friends and I went to the local shopping mall and took pictures next to the big holiday tree!

Aunty Peggy, Uncle Paul and Cousin Z sent Eli his Christmas presents early, so Mike and I decided to give him our present at the same time! Eli tends to distract pretty easily...so that's why he's in his high chair for present opening!!!