We're Heading East

We've been busy out here in Colorado, getting ready for our foray back East to TN and NC. It's amazing how much stuff there is to pack for an 11-week-old (not that we've started, really) and how many things there are to think about. We can barely keep up with things enough to make sure the diaper bag is well-stocked when we go to the grocery store; we don't know how we're going to fare with 2 1/2 weeks to plan for. It might not matter anyway; 2 1/2 weeks is long enough that he'll outgrow clothes while he's there, and we'll have to get new ones. Or he'll poop on them (more on that later).

Jessa has been frantically getting pottery orders shipped (the first pottery made since Eli was born), and Eric has been frantically trying to get things organized for the spring at the church. Eli has been frantically drooling.

So we're off to TN tomorrow and then NC later in the week. Wish us luck on the flight. Here are some recent photos to help you wait these last few days:

Obadiah is the only kitty who will really get near Eli. REALLY near him. Here, Ober keeps Eli's feet warm while Eli eats.
Traumatic event of the week: the 2-month pediatrician checkup. All is well. For those into stats, Eli is right on target for all of them. As you can see if you zoom into the photo, he's tipping the scales at a whopping 12+ pounds now. He's a handful to carry around. The WORST part of the day, of course, was the shots. There is an enormous array of shots that infants get these days. We elected to split the 2-month shots up into two groups, instead of doing them all at once, but even with only half of them, it was pretty bad. Actually, Eli cried for 20 seconds and was over it. Mom and dad are still shaken.
Eli has started riding face-out in the front-pack/Jeep carrier. He likes this, as he gets a good view of what's going on in the world.
Friday night we went to Carrabba's to celebrate Eric's birthday (thanks J&C!) and since Eli was asleep, we decided to get creative and make him a little pallet on the table. It was pretty cute, and we think innovative, but as you might imagine it didn't last too long.
The obligatory and ubiquitous poop-up-the-back shot. It's a shame, too; this is one of his cutest holiday outfits.
Another of Eli's cutest holiday outfits: the red ski vest. Here, it's paired with a white long-sleeved t-shirt, but when paired with the green (see below), look out. So festive, and so Coloradan.
A few of the youth were kind enough to snap some photos of our little family at church yesterday. Eli wasn't interested in cooperating (he was very sleepy all day for some reason, and not interested in social interaction or propriety), but we still like the photo.
This was taken just a few hours ago. Eli decided that it would be an early morning, so dad and Eli got up to play. This is his new sit-and-play toy (thanks again, J&C!). He's not quite old enough for it yet, so he slumps a little and his feet don't reach the ground, but he still loves it. He can push some of the buttons and loves the music, sound, and lights. He played in this for about 20 minutes, and then prompty fell back asleep. Story of his life.