9 months

Ian and I can not even believe that our little baby boy is now 9 months old. Time has flown by so much faster than we could have ever imagined! Words could never begin to express how much love we have for Elijah. He is such a beautiful part of our lives, God has richly RICHLY blessed us with this precious life. We feel so privelaged to have been given the gift of raising him. Eli has such an amazing little (big, really!) personality! We can't wait to see what it is like as he gets older! If it is anything like it is now, we are all in for a treat!

We did have a bit of a scare this week. Eli woke up on Tuesday morning with a couple red spots on his back and forehead. We had been outside the night before, so we just thought it was bug bites. Wednesday, he woke up with a couple more, and Thursday he woke up with even MORE! We were convinced they just had to be chicken pox, so we made an appt with the doctor. Fortunately they were indeed bug bites. We get bugs called "no-see-ums" really bad this time of year, and the doctor said that it is common for them to not show up all at the same time, and to be really red on babies. PHEW we were SO relieved! He had been around his cousin Isaiah, and we were SO afraid that he would get it too! Thankfully, the bites haven't seemed to bother Eli, and they are going away. We did find out that he weighs 18 pounds and 14 ounces. Such a biggie boy! We go in to the doctor for his 9 month appt. soon and he will be getting his first shot. I am very nervous about this so please pray for peace and reassurance that we are doing the right thing. Also pray that Eli does not get any adverse side effects from the shot. Thank you- we covet your prayers.

Eli does have some new tricks;) He has pushed himself to a standing position all by himself, with no help from anyone or any furniture, a couple of times. Eli loves to dance! Anytime there is music, he loves to shake his booty;) It is way too cute! We have several videos of his dancing....we just can't help but laugh and laugh! This isn't a new trick, but Eli loves his cousin, Isaiah! It seems like recently both boys have really loved playing with each other not just near each other. It is so precious to see them interact with one another- absolutely priceless. Although they can get a little rough....Isaiah tends to go for Eli's eyes, and Eli tends to go for Isaiah's hair. They haven't quite learned how to be "gentle" yet;). Eli has a facination with things that he can push (ie. boxes, cars, books....), if the object is a car, or something with wheels, he checks out the wheels first to make sure they spin....it's like he really understands. He also loves balls- he laughs so hard whenever we bounce the ball! He has mastered the word "da da", and we are working on "ma ma"- he has said mama just a couple times. His hair is getting so long....not quite as long as his cousins, but we are getting there;) Overall, he is just growing and developing so fast. Sometimes we wish that we could push a "slow-mo" button so we can take it all in. Thank you, Jesus, for my precious son.

The more Eli grows and his personality blossoms, the more I see Ian in him. I absolutely love it! What an awesome thing to see our child have the tendencies of the person you love. I know I've said it before, but Ian is just an incredible father. Not many wives can say that their husbands know their children. Ian knows Eli. I feel so blessed to have a husband who desires to know his children inside and out....their dislikes and likes, their moods, their personalit....everything. What an honor for Eli to have a dad like Ian. Thank you, Jesus for my husband.

I love you all more than you know, thank you for your love and your prayers.

In His Grasp,

Leah Noel