Holidays in Colorado

We just got back from spending the holidays in Colorado. Elliot was able to see all his extended family. First we had my grandpa's funeral which was a nice way to say goodbye to a very honorable man. Then we spent Christmas Eve in Ouray with the Mayers, and Christmas Day in Montrose with the Bauers and Bradshaws. Elliot received many nice gifts from his family, including a zebra he can ride, a Tickle Me Elmo, a big boy car seat, and his first Radio Flyer tricycle.

Drew and I took Elliot for his first sled ride in Ouray. He didn't have much of an expression on his face, but we think he liked it. We also got to meet our nephew Alexander who was born a preemie this summer. He is a small, chubby, smiley thing and very sweet. Sophia is now 5-1/2 years old and had fun chasing Elliot around and giving him plenty of kisses.

Somehow Drew and I picked up the stomach flu and spent 24 hours in bed just after Christmas. We were in Ouray so Deedee and Christina took care of Elliot. Luckily he never caught it, but most of our families did. It passed quickly though and by New Year's we were all feeling normal again.

Elliot was a champ on the plane despite some lousy flights, and slept most of the way. On top of a 3-hour flight home, we had a 3-hour layover in Salt Lake City and didn't get home until very late. But Elliot surprises us with his adaptability, and at midnight he was giggling at strangers at baggage claim in Austin.

He is now pulling himself up to standing all the time, and he can get himself back down without crashing too often. He also started clapping this week. He did it with his Nana after she kept playing patty cake with him. Little lights are going off in his head everyday. It is fun to watch him go because he is always on the move. He has fallen into a pattern of taking a very long nap around noon -- sometimes for three hours. I guess all the moving makes him sleepy. He has a hard time taking another nap later in the afternoon though and is usually pretty tired by bedtime. Those top two teeth that were supposed to debut "any day now" have still not come through, so those bottom choppers are his only means of chewing his new favorite snack, Goldfish.

A few other quick notes...

• We will do a new post this week with photos of Elliot with all his grandparents, just need to get those photos together.
• Many people have told us how much they enjoyed our Christmas card this year. We had some photos taken of Elliot in October which is what we used for the card. If you want to see all the photos from the shoot, visit the photographer's web site at: http://www.alisoneden.com. Just click on "clients" and enter "elliot" as the password.
• The pregnancy is going great. I got over the morning sickness the week before we left for Colorado (thank you God) and am feeling really good now that I'm in the second trimester. I have a small pot belly and should be feeling the baby move in the next month or so. So far this pregnancy has been identical to Elliot's. Easy peasy. Although I don't think about it nearly as often because I'm chasing after a baby!
• Drew picked Abby up at Dogboys this afternoon and she has been asleep ever since. We know she is tired because the remains of Elliot's teething biscuits are still on the dining room floor, and her run leader said she laid down in her bath today -- two things that never happen!

Happy New Year!