The Spottswoods

Just wanted to let everyone know my blog has moved. I sent out e-mails (to everyones that I knew) to tell you the new website address. If you have not gotten an e-mail from me and you think you should have, then send me an e-mail at jenspottswood@gmail.com.

Goodbye old blog!! I will not miss paying for you!

I promised my Momma awhile back that I would upload a video of Eli singing the “E-I-E-I-O” part from “Old McDonald,” and now finally here it is! I haven’t been able to get him to do it for awhile, so this video I believe is from August, he wasn’t even walking yet!

Please ignore my “mommy voice” and my terrible singing! Focus on the cute little boy. :-)

Too bad he won’t do it anymore. We need to start practicing again! Now he has shortened it and can say “E-I” for his name! Too cute!

We miss you Mom-Mom! Can’t wait for you to come visit soon!

I’m sorry I still haven’t decided on a name for my new blog. I’m afraid to name it something with “The Boro” or Tennessee in the name, in case we ever move, it’d bug me. I have until December to decide anyway though, since that is when we’d have to pay for this site to be renewed. Thanks for all your help, let me know if you have any more ideas!

I’m at work right now, so I’m sorry I didn’t bring my camera to upload any new pictures for you, but Eli is 16 months old today! I can’t believe just 2 short (and long) years ago, I found out I was pregnant with him and now he’s a toddler! So much has happened in the past 2 years, seems like a lifetime ago! And now whenever the season of fall rolls around, I think back to that time, I guess since it was the most life-changing time I’ve had in my life so far. Just the whole season reminds me of then!

Anyways, as of right now, we have a busy month ahead of us. Every weekend is booked with something. I’m working tonight to make up for when I go to Memphis to visit my brother-in-law & sister-in-law & their new baby the weekend of the 24th-26th. I’m looking forward to having a full family weekend and not having to work then! And next weekend, I have a bridal shower to go to and then we’re going to the pumpkin patch with my sister and her husband. And don’t forget Halloween! Eli is going to be Pooh Bear, we already tried the costume on him and he looks cute and he likes it! It was funny to see him waddling around! Those are just a few things that we are looking forward to!

And in the midst of this busy time, I’m beginning to realize I may need to get another part-time job after all. Our grocery bill seems to keep going up even with my coupon cutting and store brand buying I’ve been doing. Eli does waste a lot of food though, which isn’t helping. He wouldn’t eat his favorite dinner tonight, so he went to bed without eating anything (his choice, not mine) and then Reid called me to tell me, he woke up crying, hungry, of course! I don’t know what to do about this pickiness if he won’t even eat his favorite foods sometimes. Obviously, it’s not all his fault, but it gets frustrating throwing perfectly good food away (when I’ve been eating Ramen noodles..lol) since I’ve already reheated it more times that I probably should to reoffer it to him. It adds up.

We just keep on having these unexpected expenses, like we just got new health insurance, the bill was OVER a hundred dollars MORE than they said it would be! They said it was because I asked to be insurance ASAP, so they charged me for extra days. It was effective October 1st, so I thought since it was the start of a new month, it’d be one monthly payment, but apparently, they are weird and their monthly coverage period starts on the 10th. I did NOT budget for this! Every month has been some unexpected expense and this is this month’s, and we’re trying to put money into savings and pay down debt…it’s just not working out!

So I’ve thought of maybe watching another toddler in our home, but I only have like 1 reference from awhile back. I’d have to make some investments like another crib, and I’d also be a bit nervous about just putting a random ad out there. I’d be picky about the family I pick…so I’m nervous to make the commitment to do something like that in case I find out it’s not a good fit, while with a retail job, if I don’t like it, it’s nothing personal, I’d just quit. In the ideal world, I’d find a nice family with a nice little toddler and Eli and him/her would be great friends and we’d do crafts and go on field trips and have tons of fun! Or I could be stuck with a family that doesn’t discipline their child, the kid breaks our stuff, and his family forgets to pick him/her up.  LOL. All I know is, we need more money somehow and I need to hurry up and find a way to make that happen.

So that’s what is up around here. A little stressful, and a bit busy. But we’ll make it through, we always do somehow! Prayers and suggestions welcomed, also any extra decisiveness and/or confidence you have laying around would be great.

Hopefully I’ll be posting a new video and/or pictures soon!

Ok, well I’ll be honest, I’m lacking creativity lately (or maybe always) and I need help thinking of a name for my new blog! So if you happen to think of one for me, I’d be much appreciative if you share it with me! I’ll be sure to give credit where it is due! My only criteria is I don’t want my last name in it!

Not much is new around here. Autumn is here and that is quite exciting since I love fall, but with that, my busy season of summer is over and that means there isn’t as much to blog about. Sorry. But I guess that means I should tell you all the cute things Eli is doing lately (as he is the only one doing things worthy of blogging about around here) and how much I love him! :)

Today, for example, he was pretending to go “night, night” on a pillow and then later on a blanket we had put on the living room floor. He just laid his head down on it and said “night, night.” So sweet.

Whenever he gets in trouble, he gets a big smile on his face and says “Hi!” It’s so hard not to smile when he does that!

Going outside or going “Bye Byes” is the most exciting thing ever to him! He loves to go on errands with me or go for a walk in the stroller or just walk around outside. We go on walks around the neighborhood twice a day, pretty much everyday. What am I going to do in the winter? I have a feeling the mall just won’t be the same to him!

I love the way he sits in front of the tv. He sits up straight and he looks like a little man. I love this picture of him with his daddy.

He’s still really picky. He doesn’t like protein very much. Lately, he hasn’t wanted the pasta pickups or meat sticks, which were his main source of protein in his meals. He loves fruit though…and I think that’s about all I can definitely count on for him to eat! It changes from day to day with everything else! And by the way, he doesn’t like, birthday cake, ice cream, cookies, or cinnamon rolls. Interesting, isn’t it?! But I guess it’s a good thing!

He’s turning into my “snuggle-bunny” as I like to call him. He’ll be playing or watching a video and he’ll walk up to where I’m sitting and want to sit with me. Sometimes he even says “Me! Me!” with his arms outstretched. It’s too cute. So I grab him and put him in my lap, he’ll lay there about a minute, and then he’s off again! I remember having to rock him to sleep every night for hours on end, and now these brief seconds are all the snuggle time I get! He’s becoming less baby and more little boy everyday now, *sniff* *sniff*. Time is going by too fast lately!!!

Oh, and I can’t forget, he loves his “Nannie.” Yes, he loves his great grandmother, Nannie, but also his blanket which he named, on his own, “Nannie,” also sometimes called “Nonnie.” Reid and I think it came from the word “Night Night” somehow, since he says those together. I really need to find a duplicate blanket for him, so if you recognize it somewhere, let me know! It’s Winnie the Pooh and Piglet holding hands on the front and all yellow silkyness on the back! I haven’t been able to find it!

So last, but not least, here he is with his beloved blankie, “Nannie.”

I’ve officially decided I’m going to move my blog for many reasons. I mainly would just like our last name to be taken out of the web address, so I can have more control over who accesses our blog without having to make it password protected. I am also looking forward to changing the look of my blog, without having to have Reid do it. There’s many more reasons, but there’s the gist of it.

I haven’t decided where I will be moving my blog to or when I am doing it, but I will be sure to contact all of my regular readers, that I know of, and let them know. If you don’t think I know that you read my blog, please leave your e-mail or a link to your blog so that I may contact you. I will NOT be posting the new address on here, for that would defeat the purpose until we take down this website. This is the reason I am giving a warning, so that I may communicate with all you before I move!

Other than that, not much is new around here. My camera’s memory card is full, so that is why I haven’t any new pictures for you. I need to take care of that. I was on a roll for awhile there!

I worked a lot last week, which is rare, so I am so thankful this week to be reminded of how blessed I am to be a stay-at-home mom. (If you are confused, I fill in for people at a radio station, so most of the time, I work about 6 hours a week) It’s always good to be reminded of your blessings. I think I mentioned before that I thought I was going to have to get another part-time job, but I ended up being able to get more hours at this job recently (such as last week), so now I don’t have to! I may have already told you that, but I couldn’t remember!

Well I’m up way too late, so I should go to bed! Hopefully I will have more pictures and interesting things to write about soon!

I keep telling everyone I’m older than I look…so here’s my yearbook photo to prove it!

That’s me in 1972! Haha. Just kidding. Can you tell that I’m bored at work?

If you would like to do your own yearbook photo, go to this website.

Eli took his first unassisted steps on August 13th. It took him awhile, but now he is starting to be brave enough to let go and walk on a regular basis. He still prefers to crawl, but he is walking more everyday!

Here is a video of him earlier this week!

Eli would not cooperate when we tried to get 1 year photos about a month ago. So today, we tried again and we were successful! We bribed him with snacks this time! Here are his photos!

It’s getting harder to get photos of him as he gets older, so I’m glad we got some good ones! Although I wish I had brought his swimsuit for the beach scene..I didn’t know they had one! Maybe next year!

Ann tagged me to write 7 random facts about myself. Let’s see if I can think of some new ones for you (not that I remember what I’ve written before).

1. I don’t care about the olympics much. Sometimes it’ll get my interest, but I’m just not a big sports person. It drives my husband crazy!

2. I am currently looking for a part-time job. I’m a little sad about it, but it must be done to rebuild our savings. I have no idea what I want to do either, nothing to do with food though. I still work at the radio station, but it’s an every once in awhile thing, I need something with more hours. I am currently without a car though, so I have to wait until I get mine back. See below.

3. I have VERY bad luck with cars. For example, I had a Dodge neon in high school that broke down on me multiple times (not to mention the speedometer & gas gauge didn’t work). My graduation night it died on the interstate in bumper to bumper traffic, I hydroplaned in my Cobalt a month after getting it..it was badly damaged and was in the shop for over a month, I got a flat tire on the way to Knoxville when I was alone with Eli (a state trooper had to come find where I was b/c I didn’t know), the check engine light turned on while I was in Knoxville & once my husband got it back-the light turned off magically (it’s me!! I know it’s me!!), and most recently, the pathfinder won’t start. We think it needs a new starter. So it was towed today.  I am car-less.

4. I was once a huge Britney Spears and Backstreet Boys fan. Go ahead and laugh. I was ten years old. But, I got to meet them both. Twice.

5. I tried out multiple hobbies when I was growing up. I danced for a few years, even competitively, I tried out for cheerleading once (and cried when I didn’t make it), and I tried out for dance team once (didn’t care so much when I didn’t make it then). I played the violin for a couple years, sang in the choir at school & church (anybody was allowed in, I can’t sing well) and even almost ran track (I went to the meeting with my mom and changed my mind. Good choice!) I never found my “hidden talent.”

6. Reid thinks I’m a perfectionist and slightly OCD. Thanks honey. I wasn’t this way when I was younger, but as I get older, I think I’m heading that way. I wouldn’t call myself either though.

7. I have no desire to ever leave the country to travel abroad. I would be too scared the whole time, especially during the plane ride. I was pretty much holding onto Reid for dear life coming back from Meg’s wedding in Oklahoma. I’m getting more of a worry-wart as I get older. I used to love flying!

I may have said some of those before, but I don’t remember.

So I’m tagging….Katie, Kat, Bridget, & Nora. Write 7 random things about yourself on your blog! It’s harder than it looks!

Also, Eli got his 1 year photos done today (finally!). I will post those soon!

I think turning 1 has been the magic age for Eli. I feel like he’s been so much happier, maybe it’s his ability to crawl, or our new house has more space for him to play, or maybe we’ve just been doing more outside of the house lately, or maybe all of it, but he’s definitely happier, so I’m happier. I really love this age! It’s so much fun to see his little personality develop, he’s so funny.

Since Eli has turned 1, his vocabulary has expanded so much. I think he started saying “Hi” around his first birthday, and it is definitely his new favorite word. He says it to everyone, especially in the grocery store. People laugh at us since he says it over & over again! It’s really sweet. He says “Buh-bye” and waves, he says “Mama” and he even said, “Hi Mama” last week, but he hasn’t said it since. And of course, he says “dada.” Then theres “na-na” (bananas/food), JJ, Pop, cheese, go go!, juice, up (new this week), book, and lots of words that sound correct, but we can’t be sure..lol. So it’s so exciting to hear him say all these new words! Makes it easier to know what he wants!

We also took him to church on Sunday, because we finally are starting to go back again (hopefully on a regular basis this time). I was nervous about putting him in the nursery since on Mother’s Day this year (which was the last time he was there), he did awful and I had to come get him. Well, he did great this past Sunday! He only cried when they changed his diaper and it was time to go anyway! They said he kept saying “Eee-yi-ee-yi-ooh!” from the Old McDonald song. It’s so cute, he even knows how to say it on cue when I sing the song to him. I need to get that on video. It’s funny what they pick up on their own.

I’m sorry we still haven’t been able to get one year pictures of him. I may have mentioned this, but we tried to take him one day a few weeks ago and he was either crying or crawling out of the scene. Eli was born to move, and now that he can, he never stops, even for a picture. We may eventually get photos, if we’re lucky, but they’ll be like 14 or 15 month photos. lol. It saddens me that I may not get 1 year photos to complete the really wonderful sequence of professional photos I already have of him. But oh well.

Right now, Eli is in the middle of a very obvious growth spurt. He kept eating a ton all day long yesterday and then he took a 4 hour nap! He slept all night too! And right now, we’re in the middle of his nap, which so far has been almost 3 hours! He never eats like this or sleeps like this, so I’m enjoying it! He’s definitely getting bigger though, I think he’s gained around 5 pounds since his one year appointment last month!! Well here are some pictures of our boy!
Crawling

His sweet face close up

Drinking from his sippy on his own! He usually prefers for me to hold it…lazy kid!

Trying to walk with his walker and bring his blanket along. It’s hard work!

He crawled into the kitchen yesterday while I was in the living room, he was awfully quiet, so I went in to check on him and found him like this up against the door. He could walk if he wanted to! In the picture he had begun to clap his hands, he’s so proud of himself!

Well there’s your Eli update! Hope you enjoyed it!