Easter and Preparing for Baby #2

This past week we have been making progress on preparing for a new baby. We hadn't done a thing with the nursery because we are both busy with work and all our free time goes to Elliot. But this past weekend we decided to start getting organized. The nursery was a catch-all room for everything Elliot has outgrown or is still too small for, so I started by boxing up his little clothes. Elliot was happy to "help." (Drew put them in the attic just in case we decide there will be a baby #3 someday and it happens to be a boy.) Elliot then helped me sort through the girl clothes we have already received from Nana, Grandee and cousin Sophia. Our girl already has quite a little wardrobe.

My mom is coming at the end of the month to help with painting the room, and we will make a pilgrimage to the Pottery Barn Outlet in San Marcos to pick up some final touches. The big stuff we already have -- bassinet, baby swing, bouncy seats, bathtub and other newborn items. But we are having to double up on some practical things since Elliot is still a baby himself. We bought another crib and need to put together another changing table. This is when using Fuzzi Bunz pays off as the new baby will use the set Elliot outgrew at about 5 months.

As for the baby herself, I see Dr. Polon next week. I was supposed to see him this week but a family emergency sent him home to South Africa for a few days. Good thing I am not due anytime soon or I would be in a panic. I can't imagine anyone but Dr. P delivering our baby. We are hoping he can tell us if she has turned. As of the last appointment she was still breech. Elliot had turned by now so I'm hoping she will do the same very soon. As of today we have only 67 days until the due date of June 18th.

Meanwhile, the Elliot update...

• His ant bites dried up and are nearly healed. They didn't seem to bother him too much after the initial attack but the sores looked terrible for about a week.
• I guess you can say he is getting closer to walking and did in fact take some steps this past weekend when we tricked him into it. But he is not very interested and prefers to crawl everywhere because it is faster and safer. He has terrific balance though so we don't think it will be more than another month or two. He just needs to gain the courage.
• We are starting to think about weaning him from the bottle. Not ready to do it yet but it is coming. We give it to him before his nap and before bedtime which is what Baby Whisperer said not to do but we did it anyway, and now we have to undo it. The good news is he is starting to take to the sippy cup. And, we are giving him milk now instead of formula. We were doing whole milk for the past two weeks, but he has had seasonal allergies/runny nose since then so this week we are trying fortified soy milk to see if it helps with the allergies. If not, we might go back to whole milk since it has more fat and protein (but less iron).
• He is going to Gymboree class every Tuesday morning and really enjoys it. The teacher is trying to get the kids to be more social and play together. Some kids go for it but Elliot still prefers to do his own thing which usually means chasing after balls or climbing through the tube tents.
• His fascination with wheels continues and he has discovered that all kinds of things have them, including the UPS truck and dad's bike in the garage. He would rather turn his Radio Flyer trike upside down and spin the wheels than ride it.
• For Easter, Drew and I gave him a colorful pinwheel that we put out on the deck and he watches it from the living room windows. We also gave him some sandbox/garden tools that he can take to the park.
• He has figured out exactly which button opens the drive on Dad's new DVD player. It goes like this: Elliot crawls up to the DVD player and his little index finger pushes the button. Dad says, "Elliot! NO TOUCH!" Elliot immediately crawls away with a smile on his face. What a twerp.