Just A Few Photos From Around The House

How lucky are we that neighbors of my in-laws were getting several trees removed this week? Needless to say, we had a very happy little boy!

This is Eliot (with Eeyore) staring out the window at the crane and chippers:

Speaking of Eeyore: Eliot & Eeyore, each with their own bowl of Lucky Charms Cereal:
(He has a bandage (i.e. paper towel) wrapped around his belly because he has boo-boo's (i.e. small tears).


Uncle Paul reading to Eliot:

Audrey and Maddie dressed in their special dresses before going into Boston to see The Rockettes perform with all the girls from the family:

Right now, I am just waiting for Eliot to wake up and join the Christmas Eve festivities here at my in-laws house. Ted and I snuck away for a wonderful 5th wedding anniversary celebration last night (again thanks to the in-laws) so he's pretty tired from watching TV with my Mother-in-Law from midnight until 2:30 AM.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE!!!

Our (Slightly Different) Christmas

It was looking more and more like we wouldn't be in our home for Christmas, so I decided to make Christmas here, at my in-laws, just for the three of us to share together. We cleaned out a little bit of the downstairs rec room and cleared a space perfect for a Christmas tree and it was even the first year we were able to hang our stockings on a mantel. It might not be what we had in mind for Christmas 2011, but it truly is very homey and lovely.


Alas, about a week after we set up for Christmas in Reading, we got approval on our loan. Woohoo! We close on our new house on Monday (the 19th). We are just so excited (and a little nervous). It looks like we will be staying here for Christmas (we've already set up-- and how do you move a decorated Christmas Tree after all?) and will be moving in just after the New Year. What a perfect way to start of 2012!

Onto cuter, lighter things. About a month ago, Eliot witnessed an excavator tearing down a house that had some snow damage from last Christmas. Just a few days later, he began working on his own project; a demolition and renovation of the "Jesus House" at Grandma's house.

Notice the cement (aka white play doh in the dump truck)
The only way he would let me take a photo of him is if I offered him my camera and let him take a photo of me. So here it is, the debut shot of Eliot Baker Photography:

Baby Jesus and his family had to temporarily move into the doll house until renovation would be complete (completion date is still unknown-- we are told we are getting closer, but not sure if it will be done by Christmas. Grandma would like it done by Christmas).



Eliot cracks me up lately. He says the FUNNIEST things, which of course, now that I am writing I can't remember. He's attached himself to a little stuffed Eeyore that he won at a fair on his 3rd birthday. Eeyore pretty much goes everywhere with us these days. One time, Eliot even blamed a mess on Eeyore.

His favorite words lately are "actually" and "otherwise" and comes up with logical explanations for most things. He's pretty smart.

This is the first year we had a visit from the Elf on The Shelf (of course named Digger). When he first got it, he asked if we could throw him in the trash, but now he's come to love Digger. He has a lot of fun searching for him every morning (as he comes back from the North Pole and lands in a new spot in the house every night). I think it will be sad saying goodbye to Digger on Christmas Eve.

We had a lot of fun at Nana's Christmas party last weekend. He was in disbelief that not every present for him was a truck (boy, is he going to have a rude awakening on Christmas!). He was a good boy though, despite being a less-than-helpful elf and throwing presents at people when asked to pass them out.



Oh, one funny thing about Eliot is that he hates to see people's bellies. In the middle of the night if he sees Ted without his shirt on, he'll ask him to put his shirt on "I don't want to see your belly." Apparently, the same thing happened with my niece about a week ago; she lifted up her shirt and Eliot told her he didn't want to see her belly. I asked him last night why he didn't like bellies and he said he didn't like the "knot." I am thinking he meant belly button?

On that same note, Ted started going to Weight Watchers with me a few weeks ago. We told Eliot we were going to our diet meeting so that Daddy could lose his belly. The first time we came back, Eliot asked Ted why he still had his belly. (Of course this makes sense in the mind of a 3 year old, but it's still hysterical to me).

He's in this phase right now we call the 'save for later' phase. He wants to 'save' everything for later that he doesn't finish; lolipops, sandwiches, pasta, peppers, pickles, etc. Usually, he doesn't touch it again, but in his head, he is convinced it will, in fact, be saved for 'later,'

He also doesn't like bathrobes. He has to line the stool up with the tile in the bathroom before he gets on it to wipe his hands, and he has me hold onto the little metal fixtures that hold the railing beam to the wall whenever we go downstairs (instead of holding onto the railing itself). I'm starting to worry that he might be picking up some OCD tendancies. He's also shown a little anxiety about swimming class. I think they moved him up a level too quickly and he doesn't like jumping in. Still, I notice these things and worry about them because I never want him to go through what I go through in terms of anxiety and OCD.

Well that's about all. Hopefully, I'll be back with photos of the new house soon!

November In A Nutshell

So we made the move to my in-laws for what was supposed to be a total stay of 4 weeks. Things do not always go as planned. Just today we found out that we will be here through at LEAST the beginning of January. Good thing we've made ourselves comfy here. We've hit a little speed bump (OK, a big one) with our loan and hope that after we request an extension from the sellers, we can get it figured out and end up in the house that we feel is meant to be ours.

We've had lots of fun at Grandma and Grandpa's house so far. Eliot's been a little camera shy, but here's just one example of the fun I'm talking about:


He turned Beatrice's highchair into a 'utility truck'. He buckled himself in, and made sure to store, dust pan, broom, and big broom in back.

Then it was time to get the branches down.


Have I mentioned how much I love his imagination?

A few days ago, we met Katie, Kevin & Russell for a photo session. Ted & Eliot came along with me because we were going up to New Hampshire right after to help my grandparents set up for Christmas. Aside from helping to make Russell look at the camera and smile (Ted and Eliot did some funny things both in back of me and TO me), Eliot's imagination was once again, in play. He found a large tree branch and called it his tractor. He dragged that branch back and forth throughout the whole area and explained that he was spreading manure.


Since we've been having a rather mild November, and today was particularly nice out, I asked my other grandparents if they'd like to meet us at the zoo for a stroll and I was so happy that they agreed. My grandparents usually walk the mall for exercise and they mentioned how much more fun this was than the mall and how it has been years and years since they'd been to the zoo. I am so glad they came!



In other news, Eliot was hospitalized again last week for his asthma. We spent two full days there this time. It was the worst (and scariest) that it's ever been. He bounced back quickly though, and just today he told me he doesn't mind if he gets sick again because "that hospital is fun." Oy...

Our Thanksgiving was nice (minus a tantrum or two) (and we were all exhausted by the end of the day). We split the day between my in-law's house and my grandmother's house.

Speaking of tantrums, we've been having a bit of a struggle with Eliot lately. With all the changes to his every day life paired with the fact that he was sick and on lots of medications (steroids), he has been acting out, testing limits, and trying to be very independent. Ted & I get frustrated at times, but we try to remember what he's been through lately and how hard it must be to be three years old. That said, I hope this passes quickly!

I'll leave this post on a very happy and cute note. Eliot (and Milo) were stellar models for me as I tried to get some shots for our 2011 Christmas Card (to be mailed sometime in December-- everything is behind this year!)

Moving On Up; Part I

This past week has been nothing short of crazy. We had to be out of our condo by 9:00AM on Friday, October 4th. Ted thought it would be best if I took Eliot and went to my Nana's house for a couple of days, leaving him extra time (without distraction) to pack up our things.

I recruited my awesome sister to come with us to Nana's and we had a nice stay. Because of Eliot's egg allergy, he's not accustomed to having pancakes, although we did find out the last time we stayed over Nana's house that you can substitute bananas for eggs and they turn out just as fluffy and delicious. Remembering this, Eliot asked Nana to make him pancakes at least SIX (if not seven) times in the 48 hours that we were there. He had pancakes for almost every meal... and sometimes he had them just because, or as a second breakfast. Poor Nana was pancaked out by the time we left on Thursday night!

Reading his catalog; "I do love catalogs," he says.

When we got back on Thursday night, most of our things were gone (obviously), but a lot still remained to be done. I was nervous about meeting deadlines. Still, I went to bed exhausted, and trusted that Ted would turn into Super-Ted after I was asleep (as he often does). When we woke up Friday morning, I was still a little weary of how the rest was going to get done before 9am. Good thing I woke up at 5:45! It was an even BETTER thing that BOTH of my inlaws came over at 7:30 to help. They were cleaning, scrubbing, sweeping and wrangling Eliot while Ted & I packed up all four of our cars! We literally made it by the skin of our teeth. As I was walking out with the last box, our realtor and buyer were walking in. BUT, we made it! Thanks to some very awesome people (Ted, Janice, Uncle John, Ryan, My Mom & Dad who helped in different way.. and of course my Ted).

Arriving at my in laws was pretty much what you'd expect; a lot of running around, uloading, unpacking, etc. It didn't help that I had to work (in Boston) that afternoon either, but c'est la vie! (I actually had a wonderful session with a wonderful family so no complaining there-- seriously!).

Milo found the move a bit disturbing. At first, he wouldn't come out of his carrier. Then,he spent the next day hidden under a chair. Finally, he started to come around and come out while we were down there, but still, every time that door opens, he runs and hides. He's SO lonely too. We try to get down there (he is sequestered to the basement due to my Father-in-law's allergies), but with so much else going on, he's lacking some serious attention. Poor thing, I can just hear his loneliness in his meow.

What struck me most with the move is Eliot. I try to always be up front with him and tell him what's going on and we explained the move to him in every possible detail so he would know what to expect. His biggest concern was that the moving truck would forget to take some of his books and toys. It's funny, though, as soon as we got to Grandma's house, he started playing with the dollhouse that my Ted's step-grandfather built. He took out all the furniture and people and put them in a pile in the hallway. He just wanted to leave them there, but I suggested maybe a "storage box" would be more appropriate for the furniture. He told me the family was moving. So after two days of the furniture staying in the 'storage box,' Eliot started unpacking and putting the furniture in the 'moving truck' and he told me that the family was moving in with their Grandma. My heart melted. I am just so blessed to have the sweetest little boy alive.

Happy Halloweeeeen!

I was pretty sure that I had the best costume idea ever for Eliot this Halloween, which truly is something new because Halloween's past have been less than notable.

A little back-story.

(I think I may have mentioned this first one before, but it's worth mentioning again anyhow). A few months ago, we were going to my in-laws house in Reading from our home in Woburn. Eliot INSISTED that we go the backroads (so we could pass the farm stand on which they are doing construction). Ted & I both explained to Eliot that we didn't know the way. Eliot told us he did.

"Are you sure?"

"Mmmhmm."

I told Ted "let's try it and see." We did. Eliot pointed out every turn. Even when we were sure he was wrong, he was right. He got us there-- a way neither one of us had ever been (or would ever think to go). We were STUNNED!

The stories could go on and on and on, but I'll just post about a couple more. A couple of weeks ago, we were stuck in traffic (Eliot & I) and I was just looking for any way out of the mess. I finally came upon a street that I was familiar with and quickly turned down it. Without missing a beat, Eliot said "Mama, you're going the wrong way." I assured him that I was NOT going the wrong way. About half way (and a mile) down the street, I realized, Eliot was right; I was going the wrong way.

A few days ago, we were headed to my grandmother's house in Melrose. I continued to go the way I would only think to go. I was at a set of lights, taking a right when Eliot said "Mama, you could go that way" (Pointing to what would have been straight). I thought about it for a minute and realized that totally would have been a better way to go.

His sense of direction is STELLAR and mine, well,.... is not. I'm so proud of my little GPS soooo...

He was a Garmin Nuvi for Halloween... and let me tell you... we got SO many compliments! People gave him FIST-FULLS of candy based on how awesome his costume was. Everyone commented on the little GPS and Eliot loved being the center of attention :)

Here is a picture of my sister and Eliot while we Trick-or-Treated in downtown Melrose:


I was so sure we would have the best costume at the family Halloween get together this year, but alas, we were challenged once again. My ever-creative sister-in-law came up with some great ones:

Everyone donned cardboard this year. We had the GPS, Mac The truck from CARS, and of course, Thomas.

Not photoed are my sister in law and brother in law in their peanut butter and jelly costumes (VERY creative!)

And of course, not to be outdone by anyone, is my father in law, as a 70's dancer. We are still unsure if this was actually a costume or just some old clothing he had laying around:



(Disclaimer; bottom two photos taken with my iphone-- can you believe I forgot my camera on HALLOWEEN!?)

Jack-O-Lantern- Eliot Style!

Of course I remember doing jack-o-lanterns when I was younger with my Mom and Sister, but I'm quite sure I never actually carved my own. This year was the perfect year to do this 'craft' with my best bud, Eliot. The pumpkin we used was actually grown BY Eliot. My brother in law gave out pumpkin seeds and instructions at my nieces first birthday back in March as party favors. Eliot took pumpkin growing very seriously. We watered it daily and kept it in the most sunlit space we could find. Soon (VERY soon) Eliot was growing a NUMBER of pumpkins! We had to keep changing out pots. Soon, they were just too big-- some were dying off because of lack of space and others just kept growing so we decided it was time to take them to Uncle Colm's garden to be planted for the rest of the Summer.

We went back in September to see our, --err-- Eliot's pumpkin, and were just delighted! A beautiful, round, healthy pumpkin! We picked it (with some help from Auntie Carolyn) and took it home. It sat on our counter in our kitchen since.. until yesterday when it was time to make our--err-- ELIOT'S pumpkin into something more; a jack-o-lantern!

Eliot was quite excited when I told him what was in store for the afternoon. He quickly ran to get his diggers because, well, surely THEY would be better for carving a pumpkin than a knife and spoon. We worked together and came up with a beautiful jack-0-lantern that we are both very proud of.


And here is just a picture 'just because' of Eliot in his 'working gear'

And because this blog IS about Eliot I just have to document the cutest thing (and I've learned when you have a young child, there are about a billion 'cutest things,') but it's so funny-- whenever you tell him something he doesn't want to hear ("Eliot, you HAVE to use the potty before you go to Linda's" "Eliot, you have to pick up your trucks before we can play Thomas tracks", etc) he comes back (in an angry tone) "Don't you be kiddin' me!" Oh my gosh, it gets me every time! I think I'll use that the next time someone tells me to do something I don't want to do.

Day Out With Thomas 2011

Last year was Eliot's first experience at a Day Out With Thomas at Edaville Station in Carver. We went as part of his birthday gift. We spent the whole morning there, then came home to nap. As soon as he woke up from his nap, he asked to go back... and he's been asking to go back to "Thoma" ever since.

Edaville looked like it wasn't going to open at all this year, but finally, it was sold and they were quick to put up DOWT dates. We were keeping a close eye and ordered tickets just as soon as we could. we were so excited for Eliot.

We woke up Saturday and I whispered to Eliot that TODAY was the day we were going to see Thomas. His eyes LIT up as he said "TODAY?!" It was priceless.

This year, my Sister-in-law, Carolyn, planned to go at the same time so Eliot had even more fun with his two cousins-- both on Thomas, and on all the other rides and structures. Eliot kept going back to an antique (play) fire engine and we three (as a family) had some laughs and fun on a see-saw.

It looked like it was going to rain (and at time, it did drizzle), but all in all, we were very happy with the weather and the way the day turned out; Eliot especially.