Elijah

Countdown

2011-04-27T17:08:00.015-05:00

Elijah asks, "Mama, how many days till I go to Nana's house for my sleepover?"

"Four."

"Yeah, yeah, that's right because yesterday it was five."

The next day Elijah asks, "Mama, how many days till my sleepover at Nana's?"

"Three."

"Oh yeah, that's right. So tomorrow it will be two days, and the next day it will be one day, and then the next day will be MY SLEEPOVER! WOOHOO!"

Mom wonders, "What am I going to do when he learns to count down the hours? I can't handle hourly updates. Okay, okay, I won't tell him until we're driving to Nana's. Whew."

Summer Update

2010-08-03T14:47:00.008-05:00

Summer has been filled with new adventures for Elijah (and Rob & I, too!) The previous seven posts include photos from our recent trip abroad. We are forever grateful for the opportunity and can truly say travel is the best form of education. Elijah may be too young to process it all, but he does comprehend that the world is big but quite manageable and unbelievably varied but familiar. No matter where he goes, people are friendly, hardworking, and family-oriented, and, hey, they love sports! (The latest addition to his ball collection: the rugby ball.) But, best of all, they've got really cool taxis and buses (red double-deckers!) and trains (fast and super fast kinds!) and planes (propeller ones!) and boats and motorcycles.  The tube and black taxis in London topped his list of preferred transportation.

Also a highlight: the Guards and the Beefeaters at the Tower of London. But nothing beats the day he spent at Edinburgh Castle, especially with all those cannons.

As much "boy" as he is, he's still one to stop and smell the roses. Literally. So I can honestly say he appreciated all the beautiful landscape, too; especially with his curiousity these days about God and Nature.  And Ireland provided PLENTY to appreciate! Though, it did help that castles were nestled throughout. : )

A final note, mainly for Rob and I to remember later: Elijah speaks so well, it freaks us out. Aside from maybe the "r" sound, he pronounces words clearly now. And he has a vocabulary that keeps us on our toes. I can't tell you how many times I halt and wonder not only when he learned a certain word but also how he learned to use it effectively...like the word "effectively," for example. LOL Just a few months ago, "last morning" was a common phrase of his to signify any time that has passed. Now, he's learned the difference between yesterday and three days ago. Too bad, because it was so cute. But one thing that still trips him up is the pronoun. "Nana asked me to give this to her. Her needs it to..." So sweet. And he wonders: if the past tense of "walk" is "walked," then why can't the past tense of "run" be "runned." It can be--if you're Huckleberry Finn. Last but not least, Elijah sees no use for the word "am." No extraneous verbs for him; it's simply "I playing right now," or "I not tired."  Puts a new spin on "to be, or not to be." Take that, Shakespeare.

Stay tuned for a new chapter: Elijah starts preschool on August 31st!

~Nasreen

Howth Fishing Village, Ireland

2010-06-28T23:24:00.003-05:00

See previous post for coastal Ireland...

Clare & Galway Coasts, Ireland

2010-06-27T23:00:00.008-05:00

The Cliffs of Moher

The Burren

The River Shannon, Limerick

See previous post for Kilkenny, Ireland...

Kilkenny, Ireland

2010-06-26T21:54:00.002-05:00

See previous post for County Wicklow, Ireland...

County Wicklow, Ireland

2010-06-26T21:36:00.002-05:00

Glendalough

See previous post for Dublin, Ireland...

Dublin, Ireland

2010-06-23T20:57:00.004-05:00

Spire

O'Connell Bridge

Temple Bar

Grafton Street

Merrion Square

Famine

The River Liffey

Doors of Dublin, Merrion Square

St. Stephen's Green

Dame Street

St. Stephen's Green

Garden of Remembrance

See previous post for Edinburgh, Scotland...

Edinburgh, Scotland

2010-06-20T18:51:00.002-05:00

The Royal Mile

Edinburgh Castle

See previous post for London, England...

London, England

2010-06-15T11:32:00.000-05:00

New Orleans Ain't Just For Grown-Ups

2010-02-24T23:23:00.036-06:00

We got back from New Orleans yesterday and I know I'll never get around to developing my photos, so I'm just going to dump them onto this blog here. If you think I uploaded too many, imagine how many photos are still left on my camera. Yes, I probably developed carpal tunnel in my trigger finger.

One of a hundred masks Elijah tried on while in New Orleans:

We ran into the same Harlequin/Jester several times during our trip.

Elijah finally warmed up to him enough to take a photo.

Needless to say, Elijah loves the streetcars.

"Is it comin' yet?"

"Yikes, it's comin'!"

After refusing to so much as look at a beignet last year,

Elijah finally ventured his first bite at Cafe du Monde...

and then proceeded to eat a dozen more during the course of our trip.

Streetcars or Beignets? It's a toss up, as to which is Elijah's favorite.

But notice the glint in his eyes in the right-hand photo below...

and the remnants of powdered sugar:

Day Seven of Beignets and Streetcars:

A beautiful day at Story Land, where fairy tales become life-size:

This year we checked out the Louisiana Childrens Museum, too. It's funny how customized the playland is to the locality...their grocery store is a Winn-Dixie as opposed to a Dominick's, their cafe serves up Creole gumbo instead of Panera Bread sandwiches, and the hands-on exhibits include not just the standard fire trucks and police cars, but also steamboats and shipping cranes. The best part was the section revolving around New Orleans' unique architecture. Rob and I had fun designing our own Creole Cottages and Shotgun Homes...wait, I mean Elijah had fun with it:

And of course no trip to New Orleans is complete without a visit to Audubon Zoo:

...the highlight being, of course, the Cajun cypress swamp.

Crazy, huh?

They've even got albino alligators. Don't ask; I've no clue....

If you've ever been around Elijah during mealtimes, you won't be surprised at all to learn that he insisted on the popcorn and milk diet the last time we were in New Orleans. This year it was the beignet and apple juice diet, with occasional popcorn:

A stroll through Audubon Park to end the day:

Elijah wished he remembered to pack his own horn and sax

as he tuned into the music playing on the streets:

Elijah was spectacular on this trip. Aside from all the kids' stuff, Rob and I got to enjoy New Orleans' history, art, architecture, music--and, last but not least, its cuisine. Thankfully, Elijah was extremely accommodating, allowing us to dine for the customary two hours it takes to savor every meal served in New Orleans~breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Thanks E (but not for the 10 lbs we gained).

Memory Lane, New Orleans, LA

2010-02-24T20:36:00.013-06:00

~ Album of New Orleans, 2010~

Katrina aside, Nola is as enchanting as ever.

Wish we all had an excuse to meet up there again.

Notice the severe lack of hilariously crazy Bourbon Street photos...

Remember the Omni Royal Orleans?...

Preservation Hall:

Yo Mama's!!!...

Bananas Foster...I couldn't stop grinning:

What a colorful town...to say the least.

When the Saints Go Winning

2010-02-07T22:56:00.002-06:00

Congratulations Nola! We luv ya!

Who Dat?

2010-02-07T13:20:00.006-06:00

It's Game Day!!

Who dat say dey gonna beat dem Saints?

Who dat? Who dat?

GO SAINTS!!!!!!!!

The Journey Continues

2010-02-03T15:55:00.010-06:00

Today we registered Elijah for preschool. He won't start until August, but I can't tell you how excited we are for him. Here come the school years! He's definitely ready. He has a natural love for learning and reminds me daily we've got "homework" to do--thank you Kumon and Cary Library! Yep, I've been fulfilling my 4th grade fantasy to be a school teacher just like Mrs. Olivier. Though it's more Romper Room than anything.

I have to say, I expected to feel sad that time passed quickly, but then I did savor every moment, taking to heart the advice from so many. I've had the greatest fortune to stay home with him all these years. (Thanks, Pops, for pulling the extra load! Without working extra hours either!) I'm just as ready as Elijah to welcome a new phase in continuation of his journey.

I was watching him in Coach Paul's class today, giving off one of his typical deep, bellowing laughs, the kind with head thrown back and no signs of stopping. I watched as it became contagious, as it always does--often drawing a good laugh from the coach or teacher who's trying to get him to stop and pay attention. Well, I've been enjoying a million of these laughs. I'm deeply grateful for the solid happiness he's had his first four years. May it carry him through everything life has in store for him.

Love you, little man. ~Mom

Cinnamon Goatee

2010-01-22T19:43:00.004-06:00

Elijah finally made a new addition to his strict little menu: delicious cinnamon toast. After chowing it down, he insisted I take a picture, claiming he had a goatee like Pops now. ~Nasreen

Snow Day

2010-01-19T20:17:00.003-06:00

A Jolly Holiday

2009-12-29T14:58:00.010-06:00

We're having a beautiful holiday season so far. I wish I'd remembered to take photos while family was in town! I was too caught up in all the fun. Hopefully, Grampa Lou will send a few that I can post here.

All Elijah wanted for Christmas was a trumpet. Santa came through, of course (and then some).

Elijah had so much fun creating his very first gingerbread house. He made sure there was enough building materials by refusing to eat any of the candy, but only to discover that his uncles and aunt had less self-control than a four year old.

This Christmas we discovered Elijah can read! Funny enough, the first word we caught him sounding out was "Santa" off of a gift tag. Later, I tested it out with a series of three letter words and, sure enough, with a little help here and there, he really has started to read. We can't believe it! He only just turned four. I swear, I totally underestimated kids until I had one myself.

Here's to new adventures and discoveries in 2010!

Happy Fourth

2009-12-18T13:03:00.008-06:00

Elijah proudly turned four this November 30th. Everything these days is about being a "big boy," doing things for himself, and testing his boundaries on a relentless basis. It's a chess game, that's for sure. And it's easy to forget we're always playing. It takes serious presence of mind to anticipate the different chain reactions one single move on our part can set off. I can barely think straight these days, let alone diagonally or straight and to the left! For example, how'd we get into the habit of having to tell him ten times to do something? We totally dropped the ball on that one. Fortunately, we've been able to undo that mistake and so now we're down to three times before he'll take us seriously. I think it's the best we can get out of him for now.

He's a tricky little guy, but honestly we're so lucky he's not prone to meltdowns (knock-on-wood). Yep, that means no temper tantrums (although I'll confess I've found myself on the verge of one from time-to-time). Rather, he likes to be more subtle with his torture, like pretending to be deaf or saying "yeah, but" a million times a day.

The rest of the time is fun, fun, fun. He's all about using his imagination these days. Here he is pretending to be a racecar driver...

He surprised us one morning by coming downstairs fully dressed:

He's so excited about all the traditions of Christmas this year...well, all except for the part where you watch classics like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, The Year Without a Santa Claus, and Frosty the Snowman. He claims they're "terrible and stressful" and asked us how we can make him watch Frosty melt away. No conflict/resolution for this kid. He does love Charlie Brown, however, and has added the words "stupid" and "blockhead" to his vocabulary. Good grief.

Happy Holidays!! ~Nasreen

Dance Moves

2009-11-24T11:32:00.007-06:00

Every once in a while, Elijah gets inspired to create his own dance moves. "Watch this move" is a somewhat regular announcement from him.

Eight Months Overdue

2009-11-14T21:21:00.040-06:00

Where to begin? Well, I have a new computer that'll actually upload photos from my camera. So I'll just pick up where we last left off. It was April in New Orleans, Elijah's second trip to the city. This year we discovered the greatest music festival ever: The French Quarter Fest. To us, it beats out Jazz Fest by a landslide. No Dave Matthews or Bon Jovi (for heaven's sake, how's that jazz?) Only authentic jazz musicians, stationed in about 17 locations throughout the French Quarter, along with mouthwatering food served up by the city's best chefs. It equated with a daily stroll through heaven. Speaking of heavenly strolls, Elijah discovered Story Land, a little off the beaten path in New Orleans' City Park:

Earlier this summer, Elijah finished off a year of tumbling class:

Another summer spent at Crystal Lake's main beach:

A lot of train rides this year (and his favorite chocolate granola bars):

Taste of Chicago, 2009 (Uncle Nadir was in town!):

A special visit from sweet and sassy cousin Zoe:

At a Cubs game:

A normal day involves some serious dress-up:

A few photos from time spent with his best bud, Tyler (oops, forgot to upload one from their first Cubs game together. Next time.)

Elijah loves Downtown Chicago:

Not sure what inspired this one (tune in next week for more vogue):

Trying his hand at miniature golf. We learned he's quite competitive:

A trip to Salzburg, Austria, in October:

This is their zoo. Set against the Alps. Ridiculous:

And a trip to Vienna:

Halloween was a swashbucklin' good time:

The Pirates of Penzance?

Happy Fall Everyone!!

The Negotiator

2009-02-24T15:58:00.003-06:00

Had to pull out an old bib because Elijah FINALLY let me pour milk into his bowl of cereal one morning. He's still an extremely picky eater and up until recently he insisted on eating his cereal dry, but he's been a little more adventurous lately. I can't complain about his eating habits anymore though, because at least nowadays he sits down and eats all three meals and a snack or two every day. He's not into variety, so basically he eats the exact same things every other day...cereal, pancakes or granola bars for breakfast; breaded chicken, grilled cheese sandwich, spaghetti or macoroni for lunch and dinner; and yogurt, chips, apples, pears, and/or bananas for a snack. Notice there's not a single vegetable listed. We'll keep trying. In the meantime, he loves V8 Fusion which is 100% fruit & vegetable juice and we've got him on these all-natural multi-vitamins.

I swear, every time I look around, Elijah's got his boots on. Stay tune for my next posting...Elijah playing his guitar while wearing ONLY boots.

Before I finish, I just have to mark down the fact that this little guy is a FORCE. He is so opinionated that Rob and I are on our knees, praying it's just a phase. Because if not, then WHOA, Rob and I are heading down a very, very long road. When it's not exasperating, it's hilarious...the kid challenges and negotiates literally everything. I say three more bites, he says one, we settle on two. I say we read one book, he says four, we settle on three (yeah, he's tough.) On and on it goes. He is certainly learning the art of compromise (or I should say that's the lesson he's teaching us.) Of course, there are a few things each day that I won't let him negotiate (like washing his hands or brushing his teeth,) but as long as I give him what he considers to be a rational explanation, he relents. "Because I said so" will never, ever work with a Sagittarius...so I've learned. Luckily, he's a sensible little guy, so a truthful, straightforward answer will suffice. But man, we're mentally exhausted every night. Rob will tell you our daily mantra lately has been: "Serenity! Serenity NOW!" : ) ~Nasreen

For Grandma Jean & Grandpa Lou

2009-02-14T17:06:00.007-06:00

...to remember all the fun we had, UNTIL NEXT YEAR, that is! See you both here this summer. We'll be missing you until then.

Music Appreciation

2009-01-07T14:32:00.004-06:00

Below is just a sample of the expressions Elijah makes while he's busy appreciating a good song, especially one with a heavy guitar riff. We were out eating dinner at the time and the restaurant had a pretty good playlist. Too bad you can't see him head banging in between bites...

Potty Time, Party Time

2008-12-28T16:50:00.011-06:00

Here's Elijah on his very first day of learning how to go potty!

It was two weeks before his third birthday when we first started to teach him. Within two and half weeks, he was fully trained! Even now, it's hard for us to believe. He even stays dry overnight. We think the key for him was his age, getting lots of praise, and staying away from pull-ups. Here he is today taking a game break, safety goggles and all:

The other big milestone for Elijah that coincided with no more diapers was no more crib. It took him a while to learn to stay put in his new bed. We'd catch him fallen asleep at the top of the stairs pretty often, not to mention roaming around upstairs two hours past his bedtime. Fortunately, he's over it now.

My computer got a much needed makeover today, which is why I haven't been able to post on the blog since Halloween! In the meantime, Elijah turned three years old on November 30, 2008.

We took Elijah to Lawry's for a Christmas dinner. Although all he would eat was chocolate cake, we might turn this into an annual tradition. We had a great time there, especially when the carolers sang "Frosty, the Snowman" for him.

Dinner was followed by a trip to Macy's to check out the Christmas storefront windows and FAO Schwartz:

Here's a great picture (except for the glare) of the four Neumeyer cousins at an annual family Christmas gathering:

The morning of Christmas Eve gave us the perfect opportunity to build Elijah's very first snowman:

But first thing's first...a snowball fight! Check out the glint in his eye in the next picture as he sets his sights on me:

Of course, Elijah named him, "Frosty."

Later that evening, we partied it up at Great Grandma's...

What a joy Christmas was this year. Personally, it was my all-time favorite. I relished every moment of filling Elijah in on all the Christmas lore and starting some new traditions. The idea that we were quite possibly creating memories that will last a lifetime for him was very exciting. He seemed to understand everything we told him because he would explain it back to us every day. Before he went to bed on Christmas Eve, he set out cookies and milk for Santa, and even oats for the Reindeer. But Christmas morning he slept in, and when he finally woke up, he just lounged around until I couldn't stand it anymore and had to remind him that Santa may have come last night! Then he tells me, "No, Santa doesn't come for a few more days," which happens to be what we would tell him every time he asked, "Is Santa coming tomorrow?" Needless to say, he was stunned when he saw that Santa actually did come...then he complained, "That's too many gifts." We'll be sure to remind him of that in the years to come. We hope everyone had every bit as much joy this holiday season. Have a Happy New Year! Love, Nasreen, Rob & Elijah

How and Howdy, Trick-or-Treaters!

2008-11-05T16:00:00.003-06:00

...uh, yeah, as you can see, Elijah lagged way behind thanks to the boots. But as most woman will tell you, it's all about the shoes! Besides, what's a cowboy without his boots?

Inventory Time:

The mad sugar-rush kicks in:

...the photo is blurry because he's running and screaming and doing a bobble-head all at once. Needless to say, it was another exciting Halloween. Thank you to the Lausches for such a great time! By the way, what a perfect combo, huh, Cowboy and Indians? Believe it or not, it wasn't planned. ~Nasreen

That Time of Year Again...

2008-10-14T22:20:00.008-05:00

A little bit of "trick" and "treat" there! It's been so cool to go to Goebbert's Farm three years in a row and notice the major differences each year with Elijah. This year the biggest differences were, #1, he marched around like he owns the place, #2, he picked out all of his own pumpkins and gourds, and #3, he ran screaming like a girl away from the haunted house.

The picture above captured one of these expressions that he makes constantly...we call them his "Jack Black Moments." He just starts making these crazy faces when he's excited, especially if he has a guitar in his hands. The next picture is another expression he makes a lot...reminds me of his Uncle Nadir. It's the "lost puppy" look.

Yes!! The Mystery Machine is back on duty at the farm this year...

Elijah likes to count these days. He counts to 12 and then at the end he'll throw in a 38 or a 45 or maybe a 53...not sure how even knows those numbers. He also likes to pretend he knows how to read, which is really sweet to watch. He has a big grin on his face as he moves his fingers across the words and "reads" very studiously...."The sun is yellow," "The flower is red," etc. He joined a tumbling class this fall with his friend Tyler. Wow! Does he love that class, or what? He is Mr. Enthusiasm for the entire class. And we had no idea that he could follow a coach's instructions so well (which only proves he has selective hearing when it comes to following mom and pop's orders.) It's amazing to watch his confidence soar each time he accomplishes something new, like a somersault or a bear crawl. He also really enjoys arts and crafts and recently was very proud to learn how to use scissors. We've been playing board games, too, lately and Elijah started his very first "collection." Of course it involves cars...it's a collection of die cast cars of the characters from his favorite movie, which is, of course, "Cars." Yep, we've entered into a whole new world of fun and games with Elijah. He's growing fast and we're enjoying every moment! ~Nasreen

The Big Road Trip

2008-09-10T17:27:00.008-05:00

YAY! Aunt Michele and Uncle Ray tied the knot! We traveled by car down to Charlotte, North Carolina for the big event. The wedding was a beautiful thing to witness. Lots of love flowing between those two.

From Elijah's point of view, the cake was the best part...

We got to spend a few days in the Smoky Mountains...we'll have to go back when Elijah is old enough to appreciate their beauty.

Here's Elijah, all ready for the big hike at Great Smoky Mountains National Park...

He insisted we stop from time to time to enjoy the view, a reminder to us that a hike is about the journey itself.

We even had time for a puppet show...the next picture was taken at a cool library & theatre school geared towards children and teens in Downtown Charlotte.

We had a great time on this trip...our very first "family road trip," considering the drive was 26 hours roundtrip. Looking forward to many, many more! ~Nasreen

Mr. Chatterbox

2008-08-20T10:40:00.011-05:00

Elijah went right up to this fireman (with no prompting on our part) and asked him if he could drive his fire engine. The fireman got a good laugh out of that.

Where do I begin? Elijah has grown so much in the past two months, I feel like my head is spinning. The first thing that comes to mind is how talkative he is. The only time he's not talking is when he's asleep. If he's not sleeping, he's talking. Heck, he even talks himself to sleep (although I hear that's somewhat common, but for an hour?) One of these days, we'll teach him about the virtues of silence...but for now, we're encouraging all the chatter. He's always excited to see his friends and relatives, especially because it means a fresh set of ears. I've even caught him making new friends on the playground. My favorite was overhearing him addressing a few older boys with, "whatcha guys doin'?" I'm a shy one myself (especially when I was younger), so I'm trying my best to keep that at bay with him because I know firsthand how painful shyness can be. I learned a lot about shyness from research over the years and it could become a challenge to maintain his outgoingness, that's for sure. But from what I gather, it doesn't stem from nature...it stems from not being taught how to handle certain situations. Makes sense. As of now, we're enjoying getting to know him so well! ~Nasreen (P.S. I'm sure you could tell from the pictures above that Elijah will be a firefighter for Halloween this year.)

Elijah's First Hiking Trip

2008-06-24T17:56:00.003-05:00

Elijah is 2 1/2 years old right now, so we thought it might be a nice little adventure to take him downstate for the weekend and do some hiking at Starved Rock State Park. We had no idea how fun it would actually turn out to be! Elijah hiked four separate trails for a total of almost 4 or 5 miles, all in one day! He let us carry him when we needed to jump over streams, but otherwise his little legs hiked up and down through the canyons all by themselves. After we were through with the two morning trails, he caught sight of a bench and said with all seriousness, "Ji-jah tired. I sit down now." Once we set him up with his blanket, he took a power nap and then was ready to go again.

The highlight for us was the last hike into St. Louis Canyon. It had a white sandy beach next to the waterfall, so we got to relax and play there for a good while.

After a full day, we got to enjoy a picnic dinner under the big oak trees along the Illinois River. It was a just a beautiful day. We enjoyed every second of it.

After all that, Elijah still had enough energy to check out a local classic auto show (the serious shopper made sure to investigate all the engines thoroughly) and then he finally ended the day with a swim before bed.

The following day was Father's Day. We enjoyed a breakfast brunch together and then headed for a ferryboat ride along the river. On our way home, we drove through the small town of Mendota and made a pit stop at their Railway Museum. This enormous black steam engine dates back to 1907. When I snapped this picture, I thought Elijah was smiling, but when I zoomed in on the photo later, I see that he was pooping his pants. Luckily, he's still in diapers.

I hope we can do this trip all over again before the summer is up. It sure makes good practice for those big road trips that we plan to take all around the country when he's a little bit older. The way things are going, he may be ready sooner than I expected. ~Nasreen

Postcards from the Edge of France

2008-06-17T17:11:00.004-05:00

(As you can see this post is a long one...mainly for Rob and I because we'd like to remember this trip as best as we can later.)

We finally did it. Rob and I took our first extended trip without Elijah. I remember before we even planned to have Elijah how I used to spout the virtues of parents leaving parenthood behind and enjoying a trip alone from time to time. Having finally done it, I can now say with experience that it is indeed very important. We had a fun, romantic and relaxing time. It basically felt like a second honeymoon. Our batteries are fully recharged.

But let me just say, I was not prepared for the amount of anxiety I would feel about being away from Elijah for almost an entire week. Of course, it sure did help that we were heading to the south of France. But that was also part of the problem...if something (God forbid) happened, we'd be so far away. The fact that he was in my mom's care certainly helped though, especially because she's a nurse. So then the only other problem I had was that, being only 2 1/2 years old, maybe Elijah wouldn't understand why we weren't around anymore and would feel abandoned or something. I know, I know, I was being melodramatic, which is easy for me to say now because I learned after-the-fact that he loved every minute of his time alone with his Nana.

Apparently, we did a darn good job explaining to him beforehand that mama and papa were going on "vacation" (we were careful not to mention that airplanes were involved because then he'd have a fit about coming along. Anytime he sees or hears an airplane it's, "Ji-jah fly airpane, toooo!") We left right before he was about to take a nap. We explained to him that we'd be gone when he woke up. My mom said that when he did finally wake up, he cried a good cry as the vague concept of "vacation" actually sunk in for him. But then that was it. After that, it was all about Nana, Nana, Nana. In fact, when we got back, he called me "Nana" for a few days. I'd say, "I'm not Nana!" And then he'd smile a wicked smile and call me "Papa" instead. Such a jokester. While on our trip, we called him once a day at the same time (okay, so maybe I called twice some days) and he sounded like his normal happy-go-lucky self. That really helped us enjoy our vacation. That, and the fact that we were in Nice, alone, with no toddler-duties.

Needless to say, we were extremely excited on the plane ride back home. It almost reached the level of anticipation we felt when I went into labor, and so without the labor pains, you could just imagine how excited we were to see him. We thought he might be in the middle of his nap when we reached home, but nope, to our great surprise, he was standing in the window waiting for us! There was lots and lots of hooting and hollering and hugging and kissing all around.

He looked and acted older than when we first left. Apparently, he had a crash course in Phonics while we were away. Thanks to being around my mom who didn't quite pick up most of what he was saying at first, he was forced to really pronounce his words. It kinda freaked us out actually. He seemed almost a year older.

Well, it was so beautiful in Nice that I just had to post a few pictures...knowing me, I'll never get around to developing them, so at least this way, there's a mini-album somewhere.

We took a short trip to Monaco as well (see down below.) I never knew it was a country that was nestled in the mountains, much like San Francisco. All the roads are basically switchbacks that zig zag up and down the mountain sides. It's just beautiful and makes for breathtaking views everywhere you look.

Of course, we had to check out Monte Carlo while we were there...

Monaco is insane. Beyond even "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous." Yep, that about sums it up. C'est la vie. ~Nasreen

P.S. I'm finally catching up on some posts that I've been meaning to make on this blog, so in case you haven't seen it yet, scroll down below to my posting from earlier today to see some latest pictures of Elijah...

Zoo Monkey

2008-06-17T13:31:00.003-05:00

This next picture is one of my mom's favorites...he's at the zoo playground trying to slide down a climbing wall. He looks right at us and says, "NOT WORKING!", with this look that says, "who the heck built a stupid slide like this?"

"Ah, now this is what I'm talking about!":

It's not even summer yet and Elijah has been to the zoo about three times already. Actually, these pictures are about a month old now, so we're due for another trip. We'd be there more often except that it's a far drive, unfortunately. Elijah knows the place so well that he's become our personal tour guide. He'll grab the map, point to the dolphins, for example, and say, "This way!", and then march ahead of us. One thing I've noticed about Elijah is that he's true to what they say about Sagittarians...they always walks with a purpose. He rarely takes a leisurely stroll. If we lag behind, he'll turn around and yell, "Come on, buddies!!" Yep, he calls me and Rob, "buddies." Not sure where he got that from, but it's the cutest thing. Now that he's talking more, it's amazing to hear the thoughts that come out of his head.

Speaking of walking with a purpose, Rob and I just got back from taking Elijah on a hiking trip. Whoa! That was one of the best weekend getaways I've ever had. I'll post some pictures of that next with some more details about the trip. Love, Nasreen

Le Bon Temps Roule!

2008-05-06T20:44:00.001-05:00

Well, at least on the surface it appears "The Good Times Roll" in New Orleans again. Rob and I took Elijah on his very first trip (of many more to come, hopefully) to New Orleans, or as Elijah would say, "Norange." The spirits of the people of New Orleans seem to have lifted considerably since our last trip (Rob & I) back in September '07. I read somewhere that many of New Orleans' residents have returned, and we particularly noticed an influx of musicians and artists (including the culinary ones) since our last trip. It was a relief to see people smiling and enjoying life again. It was also a relief that the cajun & creole spices were back to overpowering the stench coming off of Bourbon Street. Much to our delight (especially Elijah's,) music was constantly in the air again. We took him all around the French Quarter (imagine a stroller continuously bouncing off cracked flagstones) and on streetcars (his favorite!) through the Garden District and Uptown to the Audobon Zoo, and then through Mid-City to join in on the city's annual Jazz Festival. We had a wonderful time and encourage anyone and everyone to take a visit, too, if they can. They ask visitors to spread the word because tourism is their livelihood, but aside from that, they quite simply love to share their city.

The donning of the beads!

Elijah even got to join in on a Second Line!

No jambalaya for Elijah, no redbeans & rice, no crawfish etouffe, and HECK no to crawdaddies...not even beignets at Cafe DuMonde! (He's gonna be shocked to hear that one day.) In fact, he insisted on the popcorn and milk diet for the whole week. Drove us nuts...

Here he is waiting for the streetcar to approach (it's there in the distance.) Too bad you can't hear him hooting and hollering as it draws closer...

I can't believe I'm sitting on a streetcar in New Orleans with my son. In fact, it was on this trip to New Orleans that it really hit home for Rob and I that life sure has changed a lot.

On the plane ride back home (with his little toy airplane on his lap)...

Love to all! ~Nasreen

Long Winter's End

2008-04-21T11:14:00.002-05:00

I think we're finally able to pack away Elijah's winter coat and hat. Beautiful weather comes and goes these days, but a warm spring is looking more and more promising. We can't tell if Elijah is trying to channel the sun or Elton John in this next picture...

We got to squeeze in a couple of trips to the zoo already this year...Elijah knows the zoo well enough to think he's our personal tour guide now. I plan to post a few more zoo pictures next time, but here he is, guiding his Uncle Nadeem & Aunt Ayesha around.

And here he is kicking off the baseball season. G-O C-U-B-B-I-E-S ! ! Notice his expression of tentative hope...

With respect to sports, Elijah's first preference seems to be baseball...like father, like son. Watching Elijah play, I can't help but imagine Rob at that age. Elijah has been enjoying his weekend sports class...it's basically romper room for boys. I was actually kind of surprised to see that no one enrolled their daughters because the class is co-ed, but anyway, it's just heaven for kids who love to play ball. On the first day, they set up several stations--basketball, football, volleyball, soccer and field hockey. The kids are too young for any kind of instruction, so it's basically open gym. For Elijah, it was more like a game of hot potato. He'd say "ooh" at the sight of a basketball, pick it up, and in mid-shot, he'd say "ooh" at the sight of a football, drop the basketball, pick up the football, and in mid-toss, he'd say "ooh" at the sight of a soccer ball...and on and on it would go. He was much more focused at the next class, thanks to a new tee-ball station. ~Nasreen

Spring Break

2008-03-19T19:07:00.001-05:00

Elijah has been wearing himself out as usual. He continues to enjoy playing hard, but one thing I didn't think to take a picture of was him doing a puzzle. He loves puzzles! He gets pretty serious. We're surprised by his patience and focus, and it's fun to sit back and just watch his mind work.

Elijah has started up his swimming lessons again, which means, yes, Chicagoland is finally coming out of its winter hibernation. It's been an extremely long winter, and it didn't help that we got snowed out of our trip to Florida this year to visit Grandma Jean & Grandpa Lou (we miss you!)

Next week, Elijah will also start up a weekly sports "program" through the local park district...it's really just a fun hour once a week for tots. There'll be soccer, basketball, football, and tee ball. He's going to freak out! We can't wait!

Other than that, Elijah has been talking a whole lot. He jabbers all day long...most of it I understand. Luckily, he has a lot of that patience I was talking about. He'll repeat a word a dozen times until I finally get it and then his eyes light up and he says "YAAAAAAY!" in a triumphant way that says, "By George, I think she's got it!". ~Nasreen

Dialogue

2008-02-12T13:40:00.001-06:00

This picture cracks me up. Once in a while, Elijah just doesn't see the purpose in wearing pants. And once in a while, we'll catch him just lounging in his chair like some big wig. But to capture both moments at once is priceless.

Here are the pictures I promised of him cooking...

and taste testing...

That's a broom in his hands...uh, I mean, a horse. The next picture is one for the grandparents...

Elijah has been busy learning to put words together to make sentences. We're realizing though that most of his sentences involve ordering us around, like "Mommy, sit down there!" or "Mommy, come and PLAY!" Just to play ball, he orders us where to sit or stand, tells us whose ball is whose, and whether it's "Papa's turn!" or "Mama's turn!" At least I can get him to tack on a "please" here or there, even though it sounds like he means "now!" Rob noted that he'll make a fine director one day.
The one new sentence that I actually dread is, "I don't want it." It's usually spoken during every mealtime. He is such a finicky eater, always has been, and from what I hear, probably always will be. The kid doesn't even like fruit...not bananas, not strawberries, nothing! Maybe, if I'm lucky, he'll chew on a sliver of a pear or apple, or suck on a grape, but afterwards he spits it out. Believe me, I try everyday, but I'm dealing with someone that doesn't even like peanut butter or pizza! I got that cookbook by Jessica Seinfeld, Deceptively Delicious, and thankfully so far I'm 2 for 3. He'll eat sweet potato pancakes and grilled cheese 'n sweet potato sandwiches. I'm moving on to the butternut squash recipes next, especially the mac 'n cheese one, which is the one thing he will eat everyday if he could. Hopefully, he won't notice the squash.
To my dismay, Elijah loves junk food! We've been really good about not feeding him any for the first two years, and even now we hardly give him any, but wow, that stuff is really powerful. He'll have something ONCE and remembers the name and asks for it CONSTANTLY, like "doughnuts," "F Fries" (can't say French yet), "cookies," "chips," and oh gosh, "Reese's" for Reese's Pieces (which began as my brilliant idea to get him to like peanut butter. Nope, didn't work.)
Other than his challenging eating habits, Elijah has remained very easy-going. No tantrums yet. Knock on wood. But don't get me wrong; he hates being told what he can't do. For example, if I catch him trying to draw on the tabletop and remind him to stay on the paper, next thing I know, the crayon is flung to the floor and himself along with it. But suddenly he finds it hilarious and it quickly turns into a game where we each take turns acting mad, sad, and happy. Maybe we have an actor on our hands instead. ~Nasreen

Holiday Fun

2008-01-08T17:34:00.000-06:00

We hope everyone had a wonderful holiday. It was a whirlwind this year! Lots of out-of-town family which was pure joy, especially for Elijah. He had visitors everyday for almost two weeks straight! It was noticeably quiet around here when life went back to normal, well except for the whole new set of toys to play with. We're having some major fun. Lo and behold, Elijah's favorite things are his toy food and pots and pans. He "cooks" all throughout the day. I'll have to get a picture of that up here next time. My favorite Christmas present this year came belatedly...at the start of the new year, Elijah yelled out to me, "I love you, Mama!" for the first time, just clear out of the blue. Here are some random shots from the past month.

A quick rest...

Okay, enough of that, now let's PAINT!...

Monkey see, monkey do...

Elijah actually walked in on his uncles playing with HIS racetrack...

Dance it out, E!...

Here's to more love and happiness in the new year. Happy 2008! ~Nasreen

Terrific Twos

2007-12-06T13:15:00.000-06:00

Our friend Kathy has a ten year old and she just reminded me how we can't help but forget so many of the fun details these first few years provide. She reminded me of how lucky we are to have this blog to refer back to later. With that in mind, from now on I'm going to start listing a few more things that Rob and I would love to remember later. So just skim through if you ever find me rambling. :)

Elijah just turned two years old. I'm being told that he's not a toddler anymore...he's a preschooler. Wait, I was just getting used to the fact that he's not a baby anymore. But I have to give in because this baby is talking now. He knows all the key words to get his point across. What amazes me most is when he says "please," "thank you," or "sorry" at the right time, without any prompting. If I can't find something, I'll ask him to help and he knows exactly what I'm talking about and finds it for me. He's that sponge that everyone talks about. You show him once, and he remembers for good. Like how to pump gas in his new car.

As for being a preschooler, yep, there's no denying it. He knows all his basic colors. My favorite is when he matches up his fruit loops with the colors in his Elmo book. And, he knows his alphabet! He knows them by name, whether they are upper or lower case. How is this possible? I swear all I do is read to him and point things out here and there. We play a lot together, too, and I realize now more than ever what a great teaching tool that is. Needless to say, I'm having F-U-N! ~Nasreen

Hey, It's Scooby!

2007-11-02T20:07:00.000-05:00

Sorry folks, but I just have to put a whole bunch of Scooby shots on here for the grandparents. : )

This year we continued our little tradition of Trick or Treating with Nadia and Bibi in Libertyville. What a blast we all had. Especially Elijah...he partied for four hours straight! It was sweet to watch Elijah slowly grasp the concept of Trick or Treating. The first house he walked up to, he just stood there. When the woman put a treat in his bucket, he was stunned. Towards the end, he was picking out his own treats, dumping them in his bucket, and marching on to the next house (as you probably noticed above.)

Let me tell you, Scooby Doo has got to be the most beloved cartoon character, by adults and kids alike. Kids stopped to give Scooby a hug...adults stopped to take pictures...we'd hear "Hi Scooby!" from all directions. By the end of the night, Elijah must've thought he really was Scooby.

He wore his costume all evening with no problem, even when opening the door for Trick or Treaters. Answering the doorbell was actually his and Nadia's favorite part. I can't tell you how many times the two of them ran up and down the hallway screaming with delight to answer the door. I have video of it on my new camera, so I've got to figure out how to upload it on here.

These last shots are from my weekend road trip, just me and Elijah, to Rochester, MN to visit Uncle Nisar (Rob was away in Michigan.) It was one long slumber party. We didn't have a crib for Elijah and he wouldn't sleep unless I did, so the three of us were all up late watching G movies together. Fun! In between, we hit the kid zone at the Mall of America. ~Nasreen

Pumpkin Pickin'

2007-10-10T21:01:00.000-05:00

Umm, I said "pumpkin" picking, not nose picking. He looks kinda disappointed about that here...

How fun that Scooby and the gang were at the pumpkin patch. Elijah has a stuffed Scooby that's almost as big as Jake was and he LOVES his Scooby. He drags him around from time-to-time and talks or reads to him, and even sometimes tries to feed him. It's bittersweet because it makes us wonder how much fun he would have had with Jake.

Well, I came across what I thought was the perfect Halloween costume for Elijah...yep, Scooby Doo, although when I first tried it on him he HATED it. So I've been making him try it on for a few seconds everyday. Until yesterday, I thought I was traumatizing him, but suddenly he couldn't wait to put it on and he started saying "RUH ROH" just like Scooby. It's hilarious. He hasn't really seen the cartoon, but of course mom and dad are always imitating Scooby around the house...so go figure. Hopefully, he'll agree to keep it on during Trick or Treating and I'll get some good pictures up here.

Elijah couldn't believe his eyes when he walked onto what appeared to be Sesame Street, the one show he just loves to watch. He squealed and squealed, and then kinda wondered what was wrong with everybody when they didn't respond.

Of course, there were pony rides! I've seen kids do the "look mom, no hands" on bicycles, but on ponies, too?

The pumpkin patch was a treasure chest for picture-taking, so I piled them on here to make up for the fact that I've been lagging behind on my posts. As you can see, Elijah has grown a lot. He has a pretty big vocabulary now, but just a few two-to-three word sentences. Everyday there's a new word, which is such a treat. The best is to hear him say "please" and "thank you" (which actually sounds like "cancun," but, hey, it's got a sunny feel to it.) These days, cars have taken a backseat to balls...he loves basketballs, footballs, baseballs, beachballs, etc. His favorite thing to tell me is, "sit down," so that he can throw the ball to me. He's got a pretty good throw, except he insists on making the toss inches from my face. I keep pushing him back a few steps but he thinks that's so he can take a running start. It keeps us laughing, that's for sure...and he's so proud when he can make us laugh. In fact, he must think he's the funniest thing on earth. ~Nasreen

Fun at the park...and his 1st Purdue football game!

2007-09-18T16:32:00.000-05:00

All tuckered out and contemplating life...

He actually made it through the entire game and even had some energy afterwards to throw the football around. Boys!

A Slice of Heaven

2007-09-11T19:25:00.000-05:00

...for Elijah, that would be the local auto museum/classic car dealership, of which we are now official members (duh.) He goes nuts here. From the look on his face, you'd think that he was a serious shopper. I must've taken about 30 pictures and all but two were of the back of his head. He was too busy checking out the rims, wheels, and headlights. And there were so many cars all around that he couldn't keep his head straight for two seconds. At one point, I thought his head would do a full 360.

He'd like to drive this one home...

Hope everyone is enjoying these last few days of summer. ~Nasreen

Summer Fun

2007-08-12T19:24:00.000-05:00

Elijah has been keeping us real busy all summer. One of his favorites is the water table, especially when dad squirts him right in the face!

Elijah is approaching the two-year mark and so far he has been pretty reasonable with his demands. But once in a while he'll have a brief meltdown. One of the funniest things I've seen him do when he doesn't get his way is to throw himself down EVER SO GENTLY on the floor in protest...he's very careful not to risk injury or exert himself too much. We just look away as he does it, and then he shrugs his shoulders and gets back up as if to say to himself, "ah well, it was worth a shot." I wonder what the protocol will be next year! Here's a shot of one of his cute meltdowns (yeah, I can see you parents rolling your eyes at "cute"...I know, I know, "what until next year," right?):

Here's the little man. He's grown a lot since my last post, huh?

Grandpa Lou gave him his first two-wheeler with training wheels! His feet should reach the pedals by next summer. For now, he loves just to sit and balance himself on it.

Another favorite pasttime for him is reading, especially any book with a car in it! He loves to point out all the things he knows, especially, well...cars. ; )

He gets so giddy when he sees his cousins, Joseph, Michael and Julia. Here's cousin Julia reading to him. How sweet!

"Call me!"

Florence & Rome Photo Album Part II

2007-06-20T17:58:00.000-05:00

Well, we've had quite a number of requests for me to post more pictures of beautiful Italy. Unfortunately, most museums would not allow cameras, so I hardly captured any of the vast artwork. But luckily, there are many gems in just the landscape and architecture alone. The posting after this one (Florence & Rome Photo Album Part I) has pictures of Elijah in Italy, for those who haven't seen them yet. ~Nasreen

Florence & Rome Photo Album Part I

2007-06-19T10:59:00.000-05:00

We had an amazing trip to Italy. It was pure heaven for the three of us just to hang out with no worries for almost three weeks. We could've been in Lake Geneva and I would've been happy, but Italy was definitely icing on the cake. We enjoyed every moment, and Elijah was an awesome traveling buddy as always. The Italians LOVE kids...Elijah flourished under all the attention they gave him. He threw a coin in the Trevi Fountain, so I'm sure he'll be returning to Italy one day.

Below is a picture of Elijah's reaction everytime a piazza unfolded before his very eyes. Lots of hand gestures and cheering...it must be the Italian in him. He knew this is when he would get to come out of his stroller.

Can you find the little guy in this next one?

Watching Elijah march around the piazzas was the highlight of our trip. We wish we brought our video camera, but here are some actions shots...

Mmm, we miss that gelato! ~Nasreen

Life is Good

2007-05-24T19:41:00.000-05:00

Last year, Elijah was swimming in this hat. Now it's a perfect fit.

Checking himself out in the T.V.'s reflection...

Time to take it off...

And...it's OFF!!

"Let's see if I could get it back on myself..."

Well, just hope it's not windy out. ~Nasreen

Aaah, Summer is Early

2007-05-08T14:50:00.000-05:00

I know it's not officially summer yet, but the weather in Chicago has been beautiful! 70s and 80s and lots of sunshine all week...just perfect. Elijah has been making quite a number of new friends, thanks to the new playground in our neighborhood. I have to laugh because it feels like all the moms are courting each other in an effort to find playmates for the kids. You know...the friendly smiles, the pickup lines ("do you live around here?"), the phone number exchange, and then, badabing, the plans for a playdate. What a meat market! ; ) ~Nasreen

Come on, Summer!

2007-04-26T12:20:00.000-05:00

The weather keeps teasing us. One day it's 80 degrees, the next it's 50 something. Elijah must be so confused. One day he's wearing a t-shirt, the next he's bundled up in a turtle neck and winter hat. Huh? I can't believe it's been over three weeks since my last post. Here are a few pictures of the latest. Elijah and Uncle Nadeem...what a pair! Both get so excited to see each other. It's adorable.

Rumor has it that Rob used to walk around like Linus, too. Like father, like son...

Elijah has become more open-minded about what foods he'll eat. It's been fun watching him learn to feed himself. Here he is using a FORK! Wow.

I'll try to post a lot sooner next time! ~Nasreen

Hands Free!

2007-04-02T19:37:00.000-05:00

Wow! My head almost hit the ceiling as I jumped for joy at the sight of Elijah walking clear across the room, completely unassisted. He's been giving us teasers here and there, but today is officially the first day where he's been doing it non-stop throughout the day. He, of course, is SO proud of himself. Mom and dad couldn't be any prouder either. Our cheeks are aching from smiling and laughing so much. The best part of this amazing day just took place... Elijah marching around naked after his bath and playing hide-and-go-seek. How fun!! ~Nasreen

15 Month Update

2007-03-23T16:41:00.000-05:00

Here's Elijah at his first basketball game, Purdue vs. Northwestern. His eyes were glued to the court for the entire first half. You could just feel him soaking in all the sights and sounds.

Spaghetti is NUMBER ONE!

It's so much fun to watch him eat his spaghetti. The downside is that it takes me longer to clean up the aftermath than it does for Rob to give Elijah a bath. Ugh.

Here's that picture I promised a while ago of Elijah pushing his high chair around. He's taken his first hands-free steps already! But, he still prefers to cruise furniture. He'll march around if we hold his hand or if he's pushing furniture or a push-toy.

Here he is visiting Uncle Nisar at his new home in Rochester, MN. Yep, sadly, another loved one has moved away.

What a stroke of luck that the hotel room we stayed in overlooked a busy street. We couldn't pry him away from the window sill. He tried in vain to get the cars' and trucks' attention. Of course, he can now say "car" and "truck." No surprise there. But I was astonished one night to hear him say, "night-night," and point up the stairs towards his bedroom. He loves his sleep! Last night, he flipped the pages of his bedtime storybook like a speed-reader, slammed the book shut, handed it to us, gurgled out something that we knew meant, "the end," and then said "night-night." I think he thinks the bedtime story is for us!

...giving new meaning to, "bad hair day."

Have a great weekend everybody! ~Nasreen

Wheels

2007-03-12T17:01:00.000-05:00

I tell ya, Elijah sure has a deep respect for one of mankind's greatest inventions: the wheel. He'll play all day long with anything that has wheels. It's a fascination of his that borders on obsession.

Sorry it took a while to update the blog. We plan to put a few more pictures up shortly with more details on his latest shenanigans, so please stay tuned... ~Nasreen

Winter Break

2007-02-14T10:12:00.000-06:00

We took a break from the freezing cold Chicago winter and visited Elijah's grandparents in sunny Florida. There was warmth all around and I'm not just talking about the weather. Even Great Gram and Uncle Al were in town from Kenosha. Elijah basked in all the attention he got. It was definitely sad to leave. Our hope is to make this an annual trip in February. So far it's helped us really appreciate how much Elijah has grown from the last time we were there. He was only 10 weeks old then. Now he's 14 months and on the verge of walking. He was holding our hands and marching all around grandma and grandpa's house with a smile full of pride. He also got to eat Great Gram's meatballs, delicious! And he enjoyed his very first carnival rides. We'll be missing you, Grandma Jean and Grandpa Lou... ~Nasreen

On the Move

2007-01-29T17:04:00.000-06:00

Just a quick hello from Elijah to all our loved ones. He's been keeping us busy as you can tell by the recent lag in blog posts. He's doing great! He's on the verge of walking on his own. He came up with the idea of pushing his highchair around the house to help him practice. Rob was going through the mail when he suddenly caught sight of the highchair seemingly moving on its own. Then he saw the little guy marching behind. It's a hilarious sight because the chair is twice his size. I'll have to try to capture a picture of that next time--we've got it on video, but I forgot about the camera. ~Nasreen

Another First

2007-01-18T15:21:00.000-06:00

I just realized that every parent has a picture of their kid feeding themselves spaghetti for the first time. It must be considered a milestone along with all the other momentous "firsts," like crawling and walking. It was hilarious watching Elijah eat his spaghetti. At one point, he grabbed two fistfuls of spaghetti and started swinging them around like lassos. Come to think of it, he was sort of heehawing, too. I was peeling spaghetti off the walls for a while. I learned my lesson, hold the ragu! Here he is with some buttered noodles instead...

Here's that cowboy again...

The first two months of his second year have been a blur of activity. I can't even keep track of things in a journal anymore. He's been cruising the furniture, lifting the cover on his toy box, grabbing toys out of it, pushing cars around, pulling levers, pushing buttons, squeezing the right spot on anything that makes noise, flipping through books, going through cabinets and drawers, discovering gravity, turning the TV, DVD and CD players on and off (not to mention reprogramming our remotes,) switching lights off, closing doors, pointing to things in books, jibber jabbering, oh and my favorite, yelling at me to hurry my butt over and take care of something for him, immediately. I think he's old enough now to start learning he is not the boss anymore. He's in for a rude awakening....okay, maybe it's me that's in for the rude awakening. Wish me luck! ~Nasreen

Thank Goodness for Digital Cameras

2007-01-05T13:38:00.000-06:00

Do you ever wonder how we put up with film back in the day? Look how long it took to get a decent picture of Elijah with his uncles (by "decent," I mean with all of them looking at the camera with their eyes open)...

There are actually about 5 more shots on my camera. Of course, I can't delete any of them, although that IS the point of taking so many. I know! Here's one other one where they're all looking into the camera at once...

So, it was worth the trouble. : )

12 Month Portraits

2006-12-30T22:17:00.000-06:00

Gosh, Elijah looks like such a boy in these pictures. He's definitely no longer a baby. He's a full-fledged toddler. We've heard it time and time again from other parents, "Enjoy every moment! It goes so fast." Well, in the midst of enjoying the moment, I'm constantly aware of it slipping past me. How can I "enjoy" the moment while trying to shrug off a slight case of melancholy? It's all bittersweet, that's for sure. Luckily, every new stage offers its own excitment. I think back fondly of all that has passed, but then I look forward to so much more... ~Nasreen

Busy Body

2006-12-20T08:51:00.000-06:00

Elijah has been very busy these days exploring the entire house and playing with his birthday toys. He met Santa Claus for the first time at a family Christmas party and he wasn't quite sure what to make of him. He also got another haircut from his favorite barber, Uncle Al. We'll put up a few more pictures around Christmas time. For now, we wish everyone a wonderful holiday!

Love, Nasreen, Rob & Elijah

The Clapper

2006-12-07T20:05:00.000-06:00

Does anyone have The Clapper on their Xmas List? We know Elijah does. He just started clapping today and he can't seem to stop. Everything makes him want to clap, well except for the four shots he got from the doctor this evening. FOUR! He was not happy. But he got over it pretty quickly. Here he is after we got home...sitting in his big, fat, cozy chair that he got from Great Gram.

"Now if I could just clap on the T.V. or stereo." ; )

I should mention that, at 12 months, Elijah is now 20 1/2 lbs. and 31 inches long. He's officially a toddler now! ~Nasreen

Elijah's 1st Birthday Party!

2006-12-04T14:56:00.000-06:00

2006-12-04T14:38:00.000-06:00

Can you find the little guy in this next one?

It was truly a special experience to celebrate Elijah's first year of life. Birthdays have so much more meaning for us now. Thank you to everyone for helping us celebrate, and of course we missed all our out-of-town family and friends. We know you were here in spirit. Elijah hung in pretty well with all the hooplah. Surprisingly, he didn't care much for his birthday cake, and he became a bit overwhelmed towards the end of the party, but overall he had a great time with all the activity and attention. It's the day after his party and he's been very busy exploring his new toys.

Well, here's to next year! What a wonderful year it will be... ~Nasreen

Hawaii Photo Album - Part I

2006-11-29T01:25:00.000-06:00

Hawaii Photo Album - Part II

2006-11-29T00:57:00.000-06:00

We got back from our trip to Hawaii yesterday and I'm still on Hawaii time, so that explains why I'm up blogging at 2 o'clock in the morning. Obviously, I'm not thinking clearly because I see that I've posted way too many pictures (hence the title, "photo album.")

Well, Elijah has been very busy trying to amaze us. He's totally different from the day we left for Hawaii to the day we got back. He's got his top two teeth in now and he's become VERY mobile. He crawls, stops and sits, crawls, stops and sits--continuously. He climbs to a standing position, which is especially cute when he wakes from his nap and we find him standing in his crib waiting for us to come get him out. And he's now climbing stairs! We're baby-proofing like crazy--there are danger zones I didn't even think of--and we have to watch him like a hawk now. The best is when he reaches the top of the stairs (14 in all) for the third time in a row and looks back at us so proudly. Here's one of those proud moments--this next picture is from the first time he stood up in the crib while on our trip.

Elijah turns ONE tomorrow!! Here is his first birthday present from Grandma Jean and Grandpa Lou. Just received it from Florida today and he LOVES it! Thank you Grandma & Grandpa!

~Nasreen

Brusha, Brusha

2006-11-16T19:04:00.000-06:00

Elijah is so proud of all the things he can do himself, like brushing his teeth, feeding himself, and drinking from a cup. He's been crawling like crazy and pulling up to a sitting and sometimes standing position. We're in for a crazy ride! It's so exciting. How do babies just all of sudden do these things? It's like pure magic. ~Nasreen

Express Yourself

2006-11-11T15:36:00.000-06:00

Happy Halloween

2006-11-02T08:58:00.000-06:00

Instead of BOO, Elijah preferred BUZZ...

Elijah went trick or treating with his cousins Sabina and Nadia.

I love the red eye effect in the next picture...makes her look possessed. Maybe she is, judging by Elijah's expression! ; )

Let's get a close-up on that one...oooooooohhhh.

Here are a couple especially for the grandmas. As they know, Elijah sucks his fingers as soon as he sees a blanket. It's the way he puts himself to sleep every night and every nap time. I can just hear the grandmas "aaaw"ing. : )

Baby's First Cold

2006-10-22T13:52:00.000-05:00

It's a doozie...

This is Elijah every few minutes...

And if we try to cheer him, this is the best he's willing to offer, the patented "laugh cry"...

Grandma Blanche was over earlier in the week. That was a much happier day...

Come back, Grandma! ; )

The Pumpkin Patch

2006-10-15T19:42:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Elijah, we're rediscovering the spirit of Halloween. Honestly, we think we might enjoy it more as parents than we did as kids, and that's saying a lot! We had so much fun picking out the perfect pumpkins, carving them up and roasting the pumpkin seeds. Elijah just watched...I'm sure he was wondering who's the kid here. ~Nasreen

Photos from Grandma Jean

2006-10-09T17:36:00.000-05:00

What cute photos! Grandma Jean captured some wonderful moments...

...our little ladies' man ; )

I wish we could include a sound bite for these pictures so that you could hear him laugh and squeal as we stack the cups. Little did I know, back in the day, how much joy my Mai Tai cup collection from Wrigley Field would bring to our child. Funny! ~Nasreen

Chomp Chomp

2006-09-29T15:03:00.000-05:00

Gone are the days of the gummy smiles. Elijah got his first bottom pair of teeth this week. One sprang up on Monday and the other on Tuesday. Obviously, the little buds have a ways to go, but if you look closely you can see them.

Grandma Jean was in town for the big milestone. She'll be back at Christmas time for more excitement. We'll miss you 'til then!
~Nasreen

Nine Month Portraits

2006-09-27T11:54:00.000-05:00

Few of My Favorite Things

2006-09-20T12:33:00.000-05:00

--my Uncle Nisar...I love when he babysits me

--the outdoors

--ricecakes, especially when my gums are aching

--my cousins, Nadia and Bibi, and our music class...shake, shake, shake

--my swimming lessons

--being naked

--my naps, especially while eating a ricecake!

These are just a FEW of my favorite things...

9 Months Old

2006-09-11T13:29:00.000-05:00

Here are some funny shots. Speaking of shots, Elijah is heading out right now to his 9 month doctor's appointment. You think he looks cranky now, wait 'til he gets his booster shot. Check in later for the update on his weight, height, etc...

Just got back from his appointment and, surprisingly, he didn't even flinch when he got his polio shot today! He hammed it up for Dr. O'Brien. We've come such a long way since his very first appointment with her. We were recalling how little he was that very first day after being out of the hospital...it seems so long ago and yet like it was just yesterday. Nine months later he is now 19 lbs and 27 1/2 inches tall. ~Nasreen

Summer's End

2006-09-01T12:39:00.000-05:00

Elijah has been enjoying the summer, that's for sure, especially thanks to the town of Crystal Lake. Since having a baby, we've really discovered how beautiful this town is and have come to appreciate all that it has to offer. The summer has been filled with festivals, concerts in the park, strolls along tree-lined paths, sunset picnics at the beach, and Elijah's favorite: the swings on the playground. It's his chance to sit back and appreciate nature while he sways in the breeze. You can't even tell if he's enjoying himself because he becomes void of any expression--like he's meditating. But try pulling him out of the swing before he's ready and he'll let you know!

Can't believe it's September already and summer's coming to a close. But it's bittersweet because the fall has its own offerings... ~Nasreen

Va Beach

2006-08-25T18:02:00.000-05:00

Just got back from Virginia Beach where Uncle Nadir is stationed. He hadn't seen Elijah for 4 1/2 months, so you can imagine his shock when he opened his front door and saw Elijah staring back at him. So many changes since last March! Of course, it didn't take long for the shenanigans to begin. Hey, it's what uncles are for...

Elijah loves vacationing. Here he is getting some R&R on a big fat chair...

This next one cracks us up. So glum! I call it his "popeye" impersonation:

Va Beach is gorgeous. It has such a beautiful boardwalk...

Well, it was a great trip although way too short. We missed Nadir as soon as we left. Hopefully, we'll be seeing him again soon, especially since Elijah is literally growing every single day. For example, on Tuesday, he got a new "touch and feel" book from Gramma Joyce and out of nowhere he just started turning the pages and touching and feeling the different characters (whereas before he'd just stare at the pages while we read.) On Wednesday, he raised his arms up for the first time for me to pick him up (my heart is still melted from that.) And then today he grabbed and fed himself some finger puffs for the first time.

What else...oh, I can't tell you how often we find ourselves commenting on how Elijah reminds us so much of Jake! Jake LOVED people. He thought everyone who came near was there to play with him. That's exactly how Elijah thinks. The funniest part of our trip was on the plane ride back. We were sitting up in the 7th row and at one point Elijah caught sight of the sea of faces in back of us. He squealed and squealed as if to say WHAAAAAT'S UUUUUP EVERYONE??!!! LET'S PLAY. If he had a tail, it'd be waggin' nonstop. We miss you, Jake. ~Nasreen

Enjoying the Summer

2006-08-15T10:17:00.000-05:00

Thanks to a helpful tip from an experienced mom, Elijah got a new exersaucer to help him learn to stand. It's amazing how quickly it's helped already. His legs don't buckle as much when he's leaning up against the couch or if I hold him upright by the arms. Besides that, he really enjoys all the new activities. Sorry I haven't been able to post any pictures in a while--been busy enjoying the summer. The weather here in Chicago has been beautiful! Below are a few extra pictures for now. Elijah is pretending to be a card shark. You can see in the last picture that he's being literal about it. : ) ~Nasreen

Water Baby

2006-08-02T10:40:00.000-05:00

We knew that Elijah loves his bath, but we weren't too sure if that meant he'd love the water in general. He started swimming lessons 3 weeks ago. The first lesson started out real well, until one of the other kids started screaming. The screaming became contagious real fast and so the rest of the swim class looked like this:

But that was 3 lessons ago. Now he's a fish, especially if toys are involved. At this age, the lessons are meant only to help him overcome any fear of the water and to teach him important safety rules. And, of course, to have fun. We imagine it will take a few years before he can actually swim on his own. ~Nasreen

Look Who's Standing

2006-07-27T17:42:00.000-05:00

When's dad getting home?

My legs are getting tired...

Yikes!

Elijah can only stand a few minutes at a time. And, nope, he's not getting into the standing position on his own yet. I stood him up against the couch to give him something to look at and was surprised to see just how strong his legs are. ~Nasreen

A New Seat

2006-07-24T13:49:00.000-05:00

Elijah just got his new high chair. He loves being up that high. He's got a long way to go, though, before his feet will reach the foot rest. The chair's colors are a bit wild, but it converts to a toddler table and chair in a snap, which is pretty cool.

Elijah has been SO ACTIVE! He's such a boy. I used to wonder how much could actually be attributed to social conditioning, but it's pretty obvious he's got that Y chromosome! He's got that vigorous energy I remember my brothers having. Oh, and he loves to laugh...deep, hearty laughs and loud squeals, mixed in with lots of giggling. ~Nasreen

Life Is Good

2006-07-14T13:54:00.000-05:00

Independence Day

2006-07-05T12:49:00.000-05:00

How appropriate that Elijah learned to sit up by himself on Independence Day...

Here he is showing off his skills with two fun new friends, Owen & Tiegan...

He only sits if we put him in that position. But soon enough, he'll be pulling himself up to sit.

Hope everyone enjoyed a wonderful 4th of July! ~Nasreen & Rob

New Activities

2006-06-28T21:34:00.000-05:00

Elijah has started chewing on biscuits. He doesn't get very far without any teeth, but he's practicing.

Here he is practicing drinking from a cup. He's getting pretty good!

Here he is practicing sitting up. He's actually sitting up straighter than this already. It's crazy how fast babies' skills improve...sometimes within a matter of hours.

DON'T ASK! I guess I'm creating a monster with all the photos I've been taking. He's "vogue-ing" now. Great. :/ ~Nasreen

A Day of Firsts

2006-06-19T12:26:00.000-05:00

My first Father's Day was a life changing experience. Taking my son to his first Cubs game on my first Father's Day was a dream come true. Nasreen and I were both emotional at certain parts of the day. It is very hard to describe the feelings that I felt when I was there, but I guess proud and rewarding would be close. It was a day that I will never forget. I can't wait to teach him how to keep score, to understand the little nuances of the game, and how to yell at the umpires properly. It is such an exciting time in my life and I am enjoying every second of it.

~Rob

Six Month Portraits

2006-06-12T14:35:00.000-05:00

And, the classic George Costanza pose...

Elijah keeps growing. He's now 16 1/2 lbs and 26 1/2 inches long. He's been practicing sitting up by himself and playing with his toys. He's even trying to drink from a sippy cup. Can you believe it? We're truly realizing what so many have told us, they grow up FAST. ~Nasreen

Six Month Milestones

2006-05-31T11:06:00.000-05:00

Elijah turned six months old yesterday, and overnight he's changed. I don't know if it's the babyfood or what, but he's gained so much strength lately. He's not crawling yet, but he's scooting and squirming around on his back. We'll place him down in one spot and within minutes he's moved a couple of feet away. At one point he had us cracking up because we looked over and he was grabbing the toy bar on his playmat with his hands and feet, just like a little ape. He also started sleeping on his side lately. Sometimes he's even got his arm sprawled across his face...it's funny to see him doing something adult-like. He's also become very flexible as you can see in that last picture. ~Nasreen