8 Month Old Mess Maker

Eli turned 8 months old yesterday. The month of December was a busy learning month for him. At the end of November he was starting to sit up by himself. By mid December he was starting to properly crawl (His previous way was belly flop style). And before Christmas he started to pull himself up on furniture. Now he is making a lot of messes around the house, and too young to pick up after himself yet. The past couple of days he is standing more upright and starting to let go of things. It won't be long before he is walking. He is extremely proud of himself, as he has been with all of his new accomplishments. He loves going into his sister's bright pink bedroom and pulling down the magnets and blocks. With all of Eli's new activity his cute rolls are starting to diminish. He has been holding steady at 24 lbs for the past month and half.

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve was a lot of fun for us. We went to our church's 4:00p.m. service and then stayed afterward for our kids to participate in the 6:30 p.m. call to worship. This year the call to worship was a living nativity done by the kids with carols woven in to tell the story. Isaac was a shepherd and Prema signed "Silent Night". We had spent weeks going to church teaching some of the kids how to sign the song. There was a dress rehearsal for Isaac to practice being a shepherd. But no matter how much preparation, you never know what you are going to get until the big moment.

Isaac came out first, totally adorable. He is fascinated with Mary right now, so when he saw the little girl dressed as Mary with a real baby he tried to walk up to see her. There was a whole row of poinsettias in-between he and her, so one plant was crushed in the process. Then when it was time for Prema to start signing, Isaac walked to spot where he could see and started to try and sign himself. Prema knows the signing really well, but didn't keep up with the rest of us during the performance because she was too busy watching the people.

Isaac seeing Mary for the first time. What excitement.

Prema signing "from" in the verse "Glories stream from heaven afar." The others are at the part "afar".

Isaac signing too!

Forever Indian

You can take one out of India but you can't take the Indian out of them. This is Prema dancing (Indian style) in her dress up clothes ending in true Indian style staring at the camera.

Garbage Days

We have our garbage collected twice a week here in Florida. It was strange to me at first being a Northern girl; I didn't realize the need. After a few very warm summers I now appreciate the routine. Isaac likes it for another reason. Almost every Wednesday and Saturday when we hear the garbage truck approaching our house, Isaac runs to the driveway to meet it. While he was potty training or playing in the mud at his construction sight Isaac often greeted them in his birthday suit (naked). The men began to wonder who this kid was, energetic, cute and naked. One day we told the men his name and since then the garbage men seem to love seeing Isaac and he the same. Now every visit begins with the driver honking the horn and the other man jumping off to give Isaac a high five. The last two times they have both gotten down from the truck and given Isaac a can of soda (thankfully caffeine free). A few months ago Isaac's Grandma Cullum took a picture of Isaac meeting the garbage truck and sent a letter with the photo to someone in the promo department. In response they sent Isaac his own model garbage truck complete with mini garbage cans. The truck is meant to sit on a shelf and not be played with by a 2 year old so some parts have fallen off. It still works as Isaac's truck and my weed collector.

Happy Holidays

love the Cullums

Dentist Bans the Nuks

Today we took Isaac and Prema to the dentist. It was Isaac's first time going to the dentist and he did great. He had x rays, teeth polished and a flouride treatment. When the dentist came in to check his teeth, she said "he is still using a pacifier or thumb, right?" Yes that is true, Isaac is a nuk fanatic. When he was about 7 months old he started using 3 nuks at once; one in each hand for stroking, and one in his mouth. When he started talking we only allowed him to use them in his room during nap time, bed time, in the car, and when he needed to calm down. There have been some occassional times when he has been allowed to use them when we cuddle and read stories or when he would sneak them out of his room and we wouldn't enforce the rule. But since our return from the dentist, Isaac has quit cold turkey. The dentist said to wean him off of the nuks soon because he is sucking them so hard that his top teeth are moving in his mouth more starting to cause an under bite. If we stop now it can self correct itself and there is less likely he will need braces for that problem in the future. I explained to Isaac that Dr. Staves said he couldn't use the nuks any more because they were hurting his teeth. In the past when I have said he can't have more medicine or drink milk at night because Dr. Gadea has said so, he takes it very well and goes with it. So I figured with Isaac's new fascination with the dentist and taking care of his teeth ( he flossed the entire ride home) that he should just try quiting cold turkey. So we came home and threw all the nuks in the garbage. It worked for naptime and now he is doing it for bedtime. It takes him a little longer to fall asleep but I am really proud of him. I knew it had to come some day. We thought about doing it when he started talking but with Eli's arrival we put it off in hopes of making that transition smoother.

Hats off to Shriners

Yesterday we took Prema to Shriners Hospital in Tampa for an orthopedic evaluation. This has been our third visit to a local children's hospital for something with Prema. Our Shriners visit was awesome. The place doesn't feel, look or smell like a hospital. The staff is very nice, efficient, knowledgeable and happy to work with you. And in just one visit we Prema had an x ray taken, examined by a PT and nurse practitioner, and molded for shoe inserts in 2 1/2 hours for free. We go back at the end of the month to pick up the inserts and then again in 6 months for follow up. It was recommended that Prema has private PT for the next 6 months in addition to the PT she is receiving at school in order to build up her strength and balance more. Thank you Shriners!

Back and Running

We got our computer back today and its awesome. Apple not only repaired the computer (something to do with the heat sink, but also installed an entirely new keyboard and screen casing. It feels new, it looks new and all for no charge; our extended warranty coverd the cost (yes I am aware that we paid for the extended warranty but that was cheaper than what it would have cost us for the repair). Its late so I'll have to post some pictures another day.

Technical Difficulty

We started having some problems with our computer last week. We took it to the Apple store in Tampa on Saturday and they have it for the next 5-7 days for repairs. Hopefully its not related to water and then our warranty will cover the cost. Until then we thankfully have a laptop we can borrow from Kyle's parents so that I am still in touch with the world.

All my photos are on our computer so I'll have to wait to post those next week...but here are some updates without the photos

Eli has been sitting up or a week now. He sat up himself last week Saturday for the first time himself in front of all of us. Now he is a pro and trying to get the hang of the crawling. He does a lot of forward belly flops and is pretty fast at moving that way. Now he is also trying to pull himself up on things. He seems to get his back end confused between crawling and standing up at times.

Isaac is still entertaining us with football and his half time shows. He has been attending the Largo HS football championship games the last few Fridays. He comes home with a hoarse voice. He still loves the mascot the most. He is also into learning different Christmas songs. His favorite is the Little Drummer Boy. He wears his own drum and beats it while the song plays. It is very cute.

Last night Prema bought her first Christmas presents for Isaac and Kyle. I showed her some options in her price range $4 and then she chose the items and paid for them herself with her extra chores money. Afterward she was confused thinking that we had the money in our pockets and not that the store kept it in exchange for the gifts. Now she has to work some more for Eli and my gift. She likes working for money but doesn't want to do her family chores for free first. (we require daily family chores be done first and then extra chores can be done for money if she wants). Last week I also started pulling out of school a bit. I sit outside Prema's classroom while she works 1:1 with her teacher. She has been worried and has come to check to see if I am still there every day. It is quite the adjustment for her.

We have our Christmas tree and are making fun Christmas projects off and on. So far snowflakes and garland for the kids' windows. We may tackle a gingerbread house, but I'm not sure yet.