A little bit of Eli to end your week...

Needless to say, Eli has developed an affinity for remote controls, Wii controllers, and iPhones. And he is willing to sacrifice his body in order to obtain them!

Josh found this convenient spot to stash Eli one day

while we were getting ready to head out the door.

Is there anything cuter than a naked baby in a tub?

"Please, sir, can I have some more?"

I know you are all giddy with anticipation of Eli's 6 month picture next week... so I thought I would let you know that we are kissing the arm chair goodbye for this month's shot as we are headed to the BEACH next week! Watch for a really cute, really cubby boy in swim trunks who will be celebrating reaching the 1/2 year mark!

Bits of my weekend - volume 6

Lots and lots going on in Lauer-land right now... so blogging about the weekend has fallen a little by the wayside.

So here is the fast and dirty review of my weekend!

THURSDAY

Major milestone passed by our little man - Eli's new convertible car seat arrived just in time for our trip to the beach next weekend. He had already surpassed the weight limit on our infant carrier and was getting a little cramped. This is new territory for us as Noah never got big enough to need a new car seat... his "little" brother isn't so little!

FRIDAY

Friday afternoon we loaded Eli in the car, picked up Josh's parents, and headed to the Alabama softball game. The team opened NCAA regional play against Alcorn State with a convincing win. It was pretty sticky outside but we enjoyed the action. At one point, when Eli was getting restless, Josh's mom took him for a walk in his stroller around the stadium. She told us that a woman took one look at Eli and said: "Isn't he purdy? We need to have Brother Saban call him up for the football team!" Too funny.

(I forgot my camera so I borrowed this picture from a local sports blog. The pic is courtesy of Alex Gilbert... who I know and hope he doesn't mind!)

SATURDAY

On Saturday, I left my boys behind, got on a plane and flew to St. Louis.

The trip was a big, big secret.

You see, one of my favorite people in the world is retiring from teaching this year and a surprise party was being thrown in her honor. At a Cardinals game no less! How could I say no?

So I hustled up to the STL on Saturday afternoon and awaited the festivities on Sunday.

SUNDAY

The morning found me at our old church where I got to hear an awesome sermon on providence (very timely) and reconnect with many friends.

I changed from church clothes into my Cardinals gear and headed downtown.

The throngs of the Cardinal faithful had already begun to gather and I couldn't help but stop to snap a few pictures of the new Busch Stadium.

The surprise went off without a hitch. Pat was first shocked to realize that the party suite was filled with people she knew... then saw that her son was there from California... then saw that I was there from Alabama. It was truly a perfect moment.

There were a few posters on the wall documenting Pat's career... we taught together for six years so you may catch a glimpse of the younger me in some of the pictures.

Here is me, Pat, and Pat's daughter Heather...

Oh, and there was actually a baseball game played during our celebration! Here is Albert Pujols at the plate. Cardinals came from behind to win the game in extra innings.

After the game, I headed back to my home for the weekend (Cory & Nicole's house) to end the weekend in style... the LOST series finale and monkey bread. Does it get any better?

MONDAY

I won't go into too much detail about Monday... suffice it to say that it involved delivering wedding bell cookies to Pat at school (long story), a lunch and a coffee with sweet friends, a FIVE HOUR delay at the airport before my trip home, and a monsoon in Birmingham upon my arrival.

It was a fantastic weekend but I missed my boys and I am glad to be home.

For more "bits" of other people's weekends, check out Michelle's post here.

Bits of my weekend - volume 5

May is a very slow month in the volleyball world.

Which means Josh is home more than usual.

So, truthfully, I get a little confused as to when the weekend is actually the weekend.

At least that is the excuse I am using for not posting my "Bits" from last weekend and my tardiness in posting this weekend!

The weekend really started on Friday with a date with Russell Crowe.

Eli spent a little quality time with Grammy while we headed to the theater.

Very enjoyable flick. Loved Cate Blanchett as Marion and we all knew Russell Crowe would bring a little Gladiator grit to the well-worn role of Robin.

But can someone please tell me what was up with Robin's hammer and the mini horses in the final battle?

Saturday was budget day. Ugh. We spent a lot of time working on our finances, setting some financial goals, and and trying to anticipate major expenses through the rest of 2010. Not much fun and not very photo worthy... so let's move on!

Every weekend involves some quality Eli time...

Eli has recently decided that chewing on his pacifier is

often more satisfying that sucking on it!

Eli's piano that he inherited from his older brother

(and a sweet present from the Holleys) has been a favorite toy of late

Josh left Sunday for Austin where he was the keynote speaker for Austin Performance VBC end of year banquet... leaving me and Eli to fend for ourselves in rainy Tuscaloosa. Let's just say we hung out in our PJs all day and leave it at that!

With a serious lack of pictures from the weekend, let me end with more shots of our chunky monkey... There is a great park in Tuscaloosa that is designed to be accessible to kids of all abilities... there is even a swing onto which you can roll a wheelchair! We thought it would be a fun way to get a little fresh air and went to check it out...

We started by playing in front of the fun house mirror - Eli loves to look at himself in the mirror but I am not sure he recognized himself in this one!

Then we headed over to the swings. Several of the swings have really high backs that were perfect for stabilizing the little man.

Not really sure what kind of contraption this is...

Ok, Dad, I'm ready!

Wheeeeee!

As always, for more "bits" visit Six in the City!

Wordless Wednesday

If you like to talk to tomatoes...

Eli hates tummy time.

But he loves looking at my laptop.

Especially when Veggie Tales is playing on it.

Score one for technology!

(I realized that this a picture of three of my favorite things... Eli, my laptop, and a cup of Starbucks coffee. Bliss. And don't miss the fact that Eli plays on a towel. Why? See the previous post!)

Ugh

I tried to come up with some sort of clever spit-up alliteration for the title of this post... but in the end decided that the word "ugh" summed up the situation best. Fair warning: if you get queasy easy, you may want to avoid close inspection of the pictures below... although they barely capture what happens on a daily basis.

You see, this adorable little man:

has a great deal of trouble keeping the contents of his stomach IN his stomach. You'd never know it based on his girth and his chunky thighs. But take one look at the amount of laundry I do in a week and the truth would be known.

The exersaucer, which Eli LOVES, is a spit-up machine. But don't be fooled. He will spit up just chilling in his recliner seat. Or in the high chair. Or in the car seat. Or lying on the living room floor. It could be 10 min after his bottle or four hours. His tummy doesn't discriminate.

His weight hasn't suffered from all the "reverse digestion", so our pediatrician is not overly concerned. But this mama saw a lot of spit up with her sweet first born little boy ... and so she worries. And worries some more.

Eli is learning how to eat from the spoon in the hopes that "heavier" foods will be less likely to make the trip back up and out. He's not convinced, though, that this sweet, sticky stuff that is not in a bottle is really food... he eats it but requires some degree of coaxing and fusses along the way. We've been putting rice cereal in his bottles forever to thicken up his formula... with only moderate success.

I find it frustrating when Eli spits up on me... but downright embarrassing when he loses his lunch on someone else.

And my poor little man... it can't taste good, right? I know the reflux meds we are giving him helps with the burning in his throat, but it still has to taste nasty.

Sigh.

Better go get the clean bibs and burp clothes out of the dryer.

Bits of my weekend - volume 4

Our weekend was filled with celebrations of Josh's birthday.

In our family we like to refer to the days leading up to and following a birthday as the "birthday zone"... Josh's actual birthday was on Saturday but our observance of this special occasion began Friday night at Judy's house. She and Pav hosted a BBQ in honor of Josh and BJ (the vb trainer whose birthday was also this weekend). We gathered on the party patio for good food and good conversation. (I didn't bring my camera, so these pics are courtesy of Kim!)

The gang on the deck

Kevin wearing one of his favorite shirts

A pic of myself that I am actually willing to post

Me and my "small fry"

(try not to get distracted by my 10 chins)

Jess & Amy

The festivities on Saturday were low key... we slept in a little, visited with Josh's parents, and had a leisurely afternoon.

Josh and Eli managed to sneak a nap in on the couch... a special treat for Josh's birthday as Eli isn't usually the snuggling sort. I couldn't resist snapping a pic of my boys as they snoozed.

Eli has been exploring the world of solid foods... he gets a little impatient as his belly doesn't fill up as fast as when he is drinking from his bottle, but otherwise is well on his way to mastering this skill. He has tried and liked apples, pears, bananas, and sweet potatoes. He is not a fan of peaches and the jury is still out on peas.

After Eli's belly was full (no small task), Judy and Pavlina came over to hang with the E-man while Josh and I headed out for his birthday dinner. This dinner was an adventure in itself as we went to a hole-in-the-wall restaurant called "Nick's Filet House". We had heard many tales of this place but had no idea what to expect. A Tuscaloosa institution, we knew we needed to visit before our time at the University of Alabama is done.

The small sign that is the only identifying markings on the

outside of the building.

Dollar bills stapled to the ceiling.

I have to say, Nick's was MUCH cleaner on the inside than I expected and the wait staff was great. My steak was a little over cooked but the food was good. And the price was right... we both had filets, potatoes, and salad for $28!

We ended the evening by indulging in Josh's favorite brownies... I was given the recipe by one of the women Josh worked with in the lab at Wash U back in the day. She told me it was a sure fire way to his heart. Delicious.

The birthday zone will continue for a while as my present to Josh is a trip to Huntsville this summer to see the Star Wars exhibit at the US Space and Rocket Center!

Check out other people's weekend activities by visiting the original "Bits of My Weekend" over on Michelle's blog...

Watch me grow... five months