We love the Car Seat!

I've recently discovered how much Elijah loves his car seat! For some reason, whenever I put him in there, he instantly gets happier.  Maybe it's because he thinks we are getting in the car, but he can go from fussy to giggly in a matter of seconds with his seat.  Whatever works!  Today I put him in there and he was just all smiles.  Unfortunately, it's hard to catch him in a full smile with the camera because he usually stops smiling when he sees it.  But I was still able to get some good shots!

Good idea with the car seat, mom!

There's a little smile :).

Elijah is definitely starting to find his voice and trying his hardest to force little words out.  His favorite word right now is "Agoo".  I think it means "Mom is awesome."

Let's talk, mom!

I'm cute and I know it!

And this last picture is Elijah watching Barney and Friends.  I really wonder what goes through his mind when he watches these shows with such engaged interest!

Chicagoland Trip!

What a great, full weekend we had! We have been wanting to head up to Chicagoland since Elijah was born because there are just so many people there to love him! We were waiting until Mason Brooke was born (Kirk's roommate from college, Jeff's son) and wanting to give them a few weeks before we overwhelmed them with our presence.  So, we chose this weekend and got to see so many people and introduced Elijah to a lot of important people.  Unfortunately, I neglected to take a few pictures of some people, but here is what I did get :).

I did not get any pictures of Uncle Keith and Aunt Teresa with Elijah, but I did get one of Tim, their son-in-law with him.  I guess I just feel a connection to the other in-law in the family!! We were especially happy that Tim and his wife Kim could meet Elijah because they are moving to the Philippines in July to teach!

On Saturday afternoon we got the chance to introduce Elijah to his Great Grandpa Duncan! Grandpa was so happy to meet him and we had a really nice time hanging out with him for a few hours.  He was very proud of Elijah and showed him off to the other residents in his building!

Elijah really enjoyed sitting with Great Grandpa for a while.

It was so cute watching Elijah stare at Grandpa.  He was so intrigued by him!

On Saturday evening we headed over to the Brookes and got to meet their new little guy Mason! He is just four weeks old  and Kirk and I were bursting at the seams to visit with the new (and improved!) Brooke family.  We are so excited to have sons so close in age.  Mason is so sweet.  He is a very expressive little guy and makes all kinds of cute faces and noises.  Congrats, Jeff and Rach...he is a precious little man!

Mason looks just like his daddy!

The babies first meeting.  I'm sure they'll look back on this some day and not be able to understand why they weren't more interested in each other (the coloring was weird in the picture, so I made it black and white). 

Kirk and I with the two little guys.  We had so much fun hanging out with Mason!

Nate took a turn with Elijah.

Diepstra brought his girlfriend Amy to hang out with all of us. We had a great time meeting her and she was a blast to hang out with!

Jeff, Nate, Kirk, Paul, Diepstra.  A great group!

On Sunday afternoon we got the chance to see Joe and Rachel.  We called them kind of last minute and were so glad that they were around.  We only had about 40 minutes with them, but it was great to catch up with them briefly (next time, we'll definitely stay longer!).  

Rachel and Elijah.

And Joe takes a turn :).

Sea Tunes for Kids

Yesterday, Elijah was a little restless while I was trying to get some things done around the house.  I was looking for anything that would keep his attention when I spotted this DVD, "Sea Tunes for Kids" that Mom and Dad Duncan gave Elijah when we were in North Carolina.  I have to say, I have never seen Elijah so attentive to something for so long as he was with this dvd! He literally sat there for 30 minutes, eyes fixed on the television, and did not make a sound! The video is basically footage of sea animals with little kid songs playing. Thank you, Mom and Dad, for keeping him occupied while I do work around the house!! This thing is a life saver.  I snapped a few pictures while he watched.

Completely engaged in the film.

Don't bother me.  This is interesting.

A few times it was so exciting that he waved his arms and legs frantically.

Who knew it could be so interesting to watch sea creatures on a screen?

Kelly's Shower

Yesterday I went to my friend Kelly's baby shower.  She and her husband Brad are expecting a baby boy in June! We can't wait for him to arrive.  The shower was really nice and it was fun to see Kelly (since she lives an hour away we don't see each other too often!).

Opening presents!

Looking cute at 30 weeks pregnant!

Elijah enjoyed the shower even though he was the only boy there.

I snuck in for a shot too!

Congrats, Kelly and Brad! We can't wait for that little man to get here!

Grillin Out

It was absolutely beautiful here on Saturday and it was so nice to be able to be outside a little bit! Our friends Brad and Aubree invited us over for some kabobs on the grill and we had a great time hanging out and playing games.  Their two girls, Evie and Lily are a blast and Elijah really enjoyed hanging out with them! 

Lily did a great job holding Elijah.

And so did Evie! They are both practicing for their new baby brother who is coming in July!

Aubree and me (and Baby Owen!)

The boys.

Thanks for having us over guys! We had a really good time :).

Some new touches in the baby's room

I made a few updates to Elijah's room today.  While Steph was here last week, she went with me to buy these block letters that spell out Elijah's name.  I painted them green (the same green we have on one of the walls in Elijah's room and put them up on the plant shelf in his room with some of his stuffed animals.  Sidenote: the colors are different from how they appear in the pictures.  I know the brown looks kind of gross in the picture, but it's really a nice color in person! Anyway, I'm happy with how it looks!

The vaulted ceilings are one of my favorite features in the top floor of our house.

I was asking Elijah what he thinks.  I think he's pleased.

But just in case, he brought in his giraffe for a second opinion.  He has a lot of stuffed giraffes!

I'm 3 months old today!

Today is my 3 month birthday! No one can believe I've already been in the world that long.  I am doing great.  Mommy and Daddy love watching me every day and seeing how I get bigger and stronger.  

I can hold my head up pretty well these days, especially when I have the boppy pillow under me for support.

Mommy thinks I look like such a big boy!

But my head does get tired every once in a while!

I'm a very tall boy for my age!

This is my little half smile that everyone loves.

I like to sit up while holding on to mommy or daddy's hands, but usually this is what happens. Mommy and Daddy think it's so funny because I don't even whine when this happens!

Generally speaking, I'm just a very happy boy!

Mommy loves my big blue eyes.

Elijah Meets Vanessa

This past weekend my friend from college Vanessa was in town from southern California! I'm so glad she and Elijah had the chance to meet! Thanks for coming, Vans, and thanks for the cute gifts! Can't wait until Elijah fits in them :).

Happy Easter from the Duncans!

It's beautiful outside today (even though it's a little chilly) so we took a few quick pictures outside after church.  I love it when Easter is bright and sunny because it is a day that reminds us we no longer have to live in darkness! Jesus conquered the grave.  Jesus took care of our sin.  Jesus paid it all.  We are so thankful to have victory in Him!

Daddy and Elijah.

This is pretty standard for Elijah these days.  His mouth is almost always open because he is trying to stick whatever he can in it!

Mommy and Elijah.

My first Easter!

Son, I pray that you will someday understand and accept the significance of this day in your heart.  Jesus loves you and paid the price for you!