Nude Man Walking

What a difference a day makes!

Just yesterday Taryn and I saw Eli take his 1st steps (and because the girls at Day Care were surprised to hear that this morning, we know for a fact that we really did see it for the 1st time ourselves!). But Eli already seems to be getting pretty comfortable - and bold! He's now letting go and attempting to walk across the room for everything from our prompting, to just wanting his favorite toys. Every time one of us leaves the room, we hear the other scream in excitement as Eli makes another leap. Here's the kiddo walking from the coffee table to the ottoman.

What a champ!

Getting Close ...Scratch that...Eli WALKS!!!!!

Alright guys, we're getting really close over here.

Eli has been standing up for a while now, and doing so pretty comfortably holding on to almost anything. He's even been using a single hand for balance, and has been walking around the house with Taryn and me using just a single hand to hold onto one of our fingers. And he can walk for a pretty good distance without tripping or losing balance. He's been getting more and more bold, and in the last couple days, he's been making moves to take his first unaided steps.

Although there are still plenty of mishaps along the way ...

Biddles vs. the Balloon

Yesterday (Sunday), Taryn and I were out and about picking up things for Eli's 1st Birthday party. We went to a few different stores for cake stuff and frosting stuff and banner stuff and plate stuff and streamer stuff - a lot of stuff. In one of the stores (with the smallest ailes I have ever seen and plenty of clutter to make it that much more claustrophobic), Eli got his hands on a balloon. Now, Eli has never experienced a balloon before. At first he found it thrilling and hilarious. Then he found it threatening and creepy. Watch the progression for yourself.

Big Boy Bath

Eli has always been a water baby. Ever since his 2nd bath experience (certainly not his 1st, we've all seen those pictures - and if you haven't, they're in our Blog archive) he's been a big fan of the water. He splashes around and generally causes a ruckus. Last summer when he was really little, we even got him a blow-up pool for our back yard and put him in a floaty (you can reference those pictures in our archive too). He loved it. Recently, Taryn and I have done away with the plastic tub that Eli had been using for his baths, letting him instead sit in the big tub. We spread his toys out and stick his foamy stuff on the walls. He splashes around and generally causes a ruckus. But we thought it would be fun to show everyone just how excited he gets for bathtime.

Let's hope this continues as he gets older. especially since today he came home from Day Care smelling like puppies (they have a tiny little poodle named Teddy).

(P.S. This is not child porn, so hold the jokes.)

Biddles vs. Johnnie 5 2.0

Here's another good video of the kiddo attacking our Roomba.

No Disassemble!

A while ago, Taryn went out and bought a Roomba for the house. Because I'm a neat freak and borderline OCD (apparently), and because I have a tendency to vacuum at least every other day, she felt that having a machine that could do this for me would be helpful, and potentially less annoying. It's very sweet of her, even in spite of calling me borderline OCD.

Enter Johnnie 5. Yes, we named our vacuum. And not only did we name him, but we call him Johnnie 5 (Short Circuit, anybody?). Unfortunately, because the cats have been locked in our bedroom so that they can't destroy our townhouse, Johnnie has been couped-up in there too - charged with ensuring that no kitty funk is left about.

But recently we brought Johnnie downstairs to do some work, and Eli had a field day! Eli has always been fascinated with our vacuums (as a baby he would sleep through me vacuuming right next to him, and has since done everything possible to be as close as he can get to watch them while in action). But the last few times we put Johnnie 5 to work, Eli started chasing him. We've even caught the kid trying to stand on him.

It's just hilarious. To have such a good time playing chase with a vacuum. Priceless. And literally at no cost to us! Fantastic!

Here's a video I captured on my iPhone of Eli following Johnnie around and playing a bit of chase. I'll try to get a better one where he's trying to ride the poor machine, but this works for now. Enjoy!

The Park

We finally had a couple of days without clouds, wind and rain, so we decided to take advantage of it all and go to the park! Eli had been to the Sycamore Valley park twice (once when he was very little and not really able to appreciate it, and another when it was so cold and wet he couldn't get out of the stroller). But none of us had been to the park right across the street from our townhouse.

From the street it looks like a large park with a baseball field, soccer field, basketball and tennis courts, and even a beach volleyball court. Taryn and I never realized that they also had playgrounds and whatnot. But we took a drive through, made the discovery, then spent the afternoon partying with the Biddles out in the sunshine. Now we know we have a great place to play just a short walk away.

Here we are getting out of the car, with Eli in the sunglasses his Aunt & Uncle got him. He wasn't too sure of them at first, ripped them off twice, then finally accepted them, but felt the need to stick his hand out in front of his face to test reality through this new perspective.

He came to grips and eventually seemed pretty comfortable in them.

We set the kiddo down and the first thing he did was sit immobile on the grass. Since our backyard is a grassless brick patio with potted plants, he'd never really had the experience. I think he was pretty stunned and confused. We're talking about some thick, lush grass here, none of that kid stuff. Within a few seconds he was ready to be picked up again. So instead, we propped him up against a little cement wall, and back in his comfort zone, he went crazy. He loves to stand and is so close to walking unaided that it's almost scary.

Here's Taryn coaxing him towards her.

Which of course he did happily.
(Don't worry, by the end of the day I had him chasing me through the grass!)

This wall is a 3 quarters circle around what in the summer is a water filled pool at the top of a hill. The water trickles down a winding path shaped like a big snake and empties into another pool at the bottom of the hill. Very cool. Looks like it should be in Disneyland.

I played peek-a-boo with him on the other side of the wall, and he loved it.

Best face ever!

Here he is watching the bigger kids playing.

Soon enough kiddo ...

We took him onto one of the smaller playsets and let him mess around. He was hesitant to crawl through the tubes. Not sure why ...

Maybe it's the static effect.

He eventually made it through and was very proud of himself.

Afterwards, we took him to the swings since he loves the movement so much. Really, this is the bounciest kid ever. Again, he was a bit hesitant at first.

But he got into the swing of things soon enough.

Ah, puns. America loves 'em.

Stay tuned for some fun videos.

It's been a rough couple of weeks for the Bacons.

3 weeks ago now, Eli was diagnosed with an ear infection. We caught it early (meaning minimal sleepless nights), and Doc Mullen put the kiddo on a new antibiotic (his second, since he had an allergic reaction to a previous antibiotic, which manifested in hives). That was on a Monday. By that Thursday Eli had developed a horrible diaper rash. He had frequent loose stool (sorry kiddo, saving it for posterity!) which caused blisters and bleeding. It looked like a second degree burn between the cheeks it was so bad. He would scream bloody murder every time we tried to change his diaper. We made multiple calls to our healthcare provider, and were in & out of the clinic multiple times over the next week. We went through 3 different treatments. We started with an anti-fungal ointment, changed to a cortizone cream, then changed again to baking soda baths and an A & D ointment. We were told that the rash and loose stool were from the antibiotic given for the ear infection (a second allergy!). But when things continued to not improve, that theory went out the window.

Instead, last Sunday afternoon, Eli spiked a temperature of over 102. His face was beet red and his entire body felt like it was burning. And for a kid who has more energy than should be legally allowed, he was limp and listless, and his eyes were rolling in a way that could have given a sailor sea sickness. It was the most frightening thing I've ever seen, and the worst experience I think of my entire life. We called our Advice Nurse, and she instructed us to go to the ER immediately, even saying that if we didn't think Eli was going to make it, to pull over and call 911 from the road. Holy Shit, right?!

We left immediately, got to the ER in 15 minutes and then stood in line for a half hour. A call was supposed to have been made on our behalf so that we could be taken back immediately, but I guess that call was lost. While we were waiting, Eli (who hadn't been making any noise or movement) suddenly vomited, and it went everywhere - covering Taryn's left side, soaking both of my feet and shoes, and leaving a large puddle in the ER entry way. We were flipping out.

Thankfully the people in front of us let us through before them and we were brought back to be seen - only to wait an additional hour! Am I the only one who didn't realize that the ER (the sole function of which is to provide immediate medical care) has waiting rooms after their waiting rooms? Ridiculous. Eli, all the while, was still limp and and burning up. I could have killed someone (maybe that would have sped things up a bit). When we were called into an exam room, guess what? That's right, we sat waiting for a Dr. for another 40 minutes. And when the Dr. finally showed up, all he did was take a cursory glance at our baby, then prescribe tylenol and motrin. Again, I could have killed somebody (hint: the Dr.).

All told we were in the ER for 6 hours, and to know that we could have stayed home instead and fed our kid tylenol and motrin (which we have in vast quantities as a rule) almost caused by bladder to burst.

But wait, there's more. That night we called the Advice Nurse again, specifically because the type of distress cry that Eli was making was obviously due to some physical pain, and he had developed a rash on his hands and legs. I made an appointment to see our regular Pediatrician the next afternoon (our 6th visit in 12 days). As soon as we walked through the door that afternoon, our Ped said he knew exactly what the problem was. He gave the kiddo a very thorough once over, and when he was finished announced that he was right, and that if what we wanted was an answer and a solution, he had it for us.

Answer: Hand/Foot&Mouth Disease. Apparently a fairly common virus which causes fever, skin rash and blisering, loose stool, stomach pain and vomiting. Everything.

Solution: Nothing. Because it's a virus there is no medication for it, it simply has to work it's way through the system and out.

Great. Awesome.

But the icing on the cake is that as soon as Eli started feeling better and showing signs of improvement, that's exactly when Taryn, Me and Kendall (who came up to help watch the kiddo since he couldn't go to daycare) started showing signs of illness ourselves. We each spiked a fever of over 101.5 (Taryn had it worst at 104 on Wednesday night). It was a hot mess. Literally.

But everyone is feeling much better. Eli goes back into daycare tomorrow. Taryn and I are feeling fine, just a bit exhausted (but we're not sure if it's more physical or emotional).

Here's a shot of the kiddo with his ER bracelet in the 2nd waiting room of the day.

Dave's iPhone

I had been wanting an iPhone so bad for so long, that when my Palm Centro kicked the bucket, rather than yell and cry, I couldn't have been happier. Then At&t told me that my contract wasn't up for another 6 months, and that a new iPhone would cost me upwards of $400. No Bueno. Then Mom & Dad and Cathy & Jim decided to surprise me for my birthday (using a different contract so as not to pay the crazy $400 pricetag thank Jeebus). And what can I say? This thing is wicked awesome.

I lost all of the photos kept on my Palm Centro, so I've been working to replace them.

Here's a handful ...

1st, here's Eli in his second favorite sleeping position. This is on Taryn's lap, and it's the only way to get the kiddo to fall asleep quickly and without any fuss.

(cool pj's, right?)

And here's Eli in his favorite sleeping position: face planted in the matress, arms tucked underneath, legs tucked underneath and butt up in the air. Whatever works is our motto. Except for the couple ear infections and illnesses, Eli's been sleeping soundly through the night since his third month.

Eli was so proud when he worked out how to stand up.
Look at the sparkle in his eyes.

It took quite some time to get the Biddles to enjoy his solids. We fought long and hard, and he was certainly a worthy opponent, but in the end butternut squash won out. But almost as soon as he started eating as well as his cousin James, he became more interested in the food that Taryn and I were eating. So we let him try a few things, and sure enough, he moved almost directly from formula to finger foods. His favorite's now are pancakes for breakfast with toast, grilled cheese for lunch and pizza or raviolis for dinner. The kid eats better than I do now.

Here he is trying his first quesadilla, which he loved. He also tried his first refried beans (which Mommy & Daddy paid for severely over the next three days).

Here he is enjoying wheat toast and jam at breakfast.

His favorite jellies are raspberry and strawberry.

And here he is having raviolis for his second time. They were from the italian place just across the street (an authentic family-owned place that has been there since the 1930's).

He obviously loved them.

I love this pic. And yes, he got himself into that box. Notice how the sides, which are supposed to be firm, are bent and floppy. We have 5 of these toy boxes, and all 5 look as bad as this one.

My Dad went through his garage recently and found our old Radio Flyer wagon. He took it apart and refurbished it piece by piece. It looks great. He's taken Eli on a few outings, which the kiddo really enjoys. He likes leaning over the side and watching the cracks in the sidewalk fly past. And it's good excersize for Dad.

And finally, maybe my favorite picture yet. Doesn't he look innocent?

He's not.

Don't let him fool you like he's tried fooling us.

I have a feeling we'll be seeing a lot of this face as the years progress.

(also, check out the bear - it's freakin huge!)