Flashback Saturday: Elliott's Firsts

As I was looking through my blog files I found pictures for a post on Elliott's firsts that I had started awhile back, but never finished or published.  As I sat trying to convince myself to wait until next Friday to share these in a "Flashback Friday" post, my impatience got the better of me (many of you know, patience has never been one of my strengths).  So here you go - pics and stories of my baby from way back when he really was a baby, in no specific order...

First Hipster Moment: We met my parents in San Luis Obispo mid-October to help my dad celebrate his birthday.  Before dinner we grabbed a cup of coffee at a local hipster hangout.  Look at him rocking the beanie with Grandma Starla.

First Swaddle: Even though we practiced swaddling on dolls in our birth class, we were all thumbs when we brought Elliott home from the hospital, and couldn't figure out how to swaddle a live, moving human being.  Tina, our teacher, would not have been proud.

First Cheat:  Thankfully they make velcro swaddle blankets, which are super effective for immobilizing the fussy/active/very sleepy newborn.  They are also easy to use for newbies like us.

First Manicure: For some reason the hospital was all out of nail files when Elliott was born, and by day 2 he had sharp nails.  My mom ran home to grab an emery board, and then she and Steve got down to the business of grooming the little guy.  Not so easy when using an adult sized emery board on finger nails that are so tiny you can barely see them.

First Outdoor Play Session: From the very beginning Elliott has loved being outside.  Of course these days he doesn't stay in one place, and eats a lot more grass and leaves than he used to.

First Playmate: Here's Elliott with his buddy Delilah (she is one day older than him) at about 4 weeks.  Back in those days they mostly slept through their play dates.

First cool guy moment: No description needed.

First Time Walking the Dog:  Reese was so excited for more company on his daily walks, and Elliott was sweet, snuggly and content to relax in the Moby wrap back then.  I'm looking forward to the day that Elliott can walk Reese on his own:)

First Ride in the Stroller: My parents got us an awesome jogging stroller, and here's Elliott and Steve taking it out for a spin around our living room.

First Time we saw Elliott's Belly Button: The crusty dried up umbilical cord fell off when Elliott was about 10 days old.

First Reusable Diaper:  We had planned to use these Grovia diapers all through Elliott's babyhood since they are one-size fits all.  They were about half his size back in the newborn days, but now they fit him perfectly, and are super absorbent to get him through the night.  We totally appreciate all of you who pitched in and stocked us up with these at the baby shower.

First Reusable Diaper that Fit: Being slightly vain, I didn't want my cute tiny baby to have a ridiculously large rear end, so we started him off using the much more trim G-diaper.  Their motto is, "One cute bum".   I totally agree.

First Bout of Acne: At about 3 weeks old Elliott developed baby acne.  It was like I was living with a teenager already - he even burped, farted, and was obsessed with boobs.  It seemed like the acne would never go away, but it cleared up around the time he was 3 months old.

First Happy Hour:  Steve's college roommate Mike and his girlfriend Naomi visited us from Hawaii when Elliott was about 2 weeks old.  We took them to our favorite beachside bar, The Boathouse, for drinks and afternoon sun.  Elliott slept through most of it.

First Wedding: When Elliott was 3 weeks old my college roommate Christine got married in Ventura. We wouldn't have missed it for the world, and brought Elliott in tow.  He slept through most of that too.  

First Beach Visit: When Steve's brother Jason and his wife Lori and daughter Miranda came to visit us last October, we took a nice long walk along the bluffs over looking Sands beach.

First Push-Up: We were so proud of Elliott when he started being able to support his own body weight.  Looking back, it seems like such a small milestone now that he is so active, and all over the place, but it was a huge step for a little guy who was building up his muscles from scratch.

I hope you all enjoyed the stroll down memory lane as much as I did.  It's hard to believe that Elliott is not even a year old yet, but has already gone through so many changes.  I was in love with him from the moment I saw him, and couldn't imagine life getting any better.  I wanted him to stay that small newborn forever.  But each stage since has been more fun than the one before.  I can't describe how amazing it is to watch his sweet little personality begin to develop and shine through, or explain how much more in love I am with him now, when my heart was already filled to the max when he was born.  Parenthood is one amazing adventure:)