First Time to Eat with a Spoon!

On December 23 we used a spoon for the first time and Elijah enjoyed some delicious rice cereal!

Elijah's First Christmas: Morning Report

Elijah spent part of Christmas morning playing in his Baby Einstein play set and activity center. For more Elijah photos and to get the entire scoop on Elijah's first Christmas check out my other blog: http://coachsam.blogspot.com

Elijah awakened around 8 AM this morning with a big smile on his face. He played for awhile and watched Dr Charles Stanley on TV with Mom and Dad and then took his morning nap around 10:15 AM... To be continued...

More Christmas Photos

Here's Connor and Elijah hanging out on the couch

Elijah and Mom open more Christmas presents from Grandma and Grandpa Ohlemacher

Santa Suit

Previously I didn't think Elijah Red was his color, but... Elijah looks pretty good in his Santa Suit!

Elijah Chadwell: The Christmas Photo Series

Warning: We took 44 pictures of Elijah and Connor opening Christmas presents yesterday. I'll be posting Christmas photos every day from here on out the remainder of the holiday!


Here's one of the cutest ones if I do say so myself... Elijah's Santa Outfit was a present from Grandma Judy and Grandpa Arno...

Elijah just loves his new baby Einstein activity center that his aunt Becky gave him!

Elijah will be stylin' in his new genuine leather bomber jacket! (another gift from Arno and Judy)

Feeding The Baby

Here's a photo of Elijah drinking a bottle of pedialite. He's wearing a red jumper in honor of Christmas time. You can see Hobbes snoozing on the kitchen table in the background....

Here's the Proud Poppa feeding his son....! By the way, I changed diapers number 41 and 42 yesterday. And we think Elijah's teeth are starting to come in....!

Playing With My Connor...!

Here's three great Photos of Elijah and Connor. In these photos Connor has given Elijah a Head-Dress with a pair of Elijah's pants. For more photos of Connor check out my new blog: Connor's Corner...!

Presenting Elijah...!

This photo was taken shortly before we moved from Houston to West Columbia. Elijah's eyes look a little bit dark because I over did it with the photo shop tools. Previously Elijah's eye's were too red from the flash of the camera. He really has very beautiful eyes. At four and a half months they are momma's bright blue with a touch of daddy's green around the iris...! Elijah is not his usual smiley self in this photo. I think he's just about ready for a nap....

Cute Baby Contest Winner

Should I enter this guy in a baby beauty~talent contest or what...? He really loves to have his photo taken. He's starting to really use his vocal cords alot now, too. Saturday night at church he was singing with the worship band...! Of course, it's just chattering right now... But I love to listen to him. He's a great baby. Oh, and for those of you keeping track of the baby diaper change statistics I changed diaper number forty this morning...! Ten more and I'll have my 'Golden Diaper'

Thanksgiving Photo

Connor, Elijah, and I were hanging out in the back yard on Thanksgiving day cooking the Turkey! It was Elijah's first Thanksgiving. We cooked up a perfect recipe for a successful holiday: Family, Food, and Fun...!

Looking Back to July 28, 2005...!

Dear Elijah,

I was just thinking back to the day you were born. That was quite a day...! On that day your mom's life and my life changed irrevocably for the better...! You have brought such joy into everyone's life. We thank God every day for You. You are truly a blessing.

We can't believe how strong you are for your age. You are already starting to pull yourself up. (Which most babies don't do for several more months.) We think it's because of all the attention you get. You're pretty much never alone and someone always wants to hold you. Your mom hardly ever puts you down. And I try to hold you every chance I get.

Here are a few things you should know about what you were like at 4 and a half months old:

• You still are the smiley-est baby I've ever seen...!
• You love to watch us eat and try to grab our food, plates, glasses, anything you can get your hands on...
• You love to watch the fire in the fireplace.
• You love to fall asleep on Daddy's stomach.
• You like to watch Sesame Street.
• You are a big fan of the Bryan Brothers. (World #1 ranked doubles team)
• You think Mommy is the greatest Mommy in the world. (And she is...)

That's about it for now. I just wanted you to know that I was thinking about you and that your Daddy loves you very much...!

Love Always,

Dad

Elijah Loves Pro Tennis!

Here's one more photo of Elijah and Monica sitting in the front row of the south boxes at the Pro Doubles Exhibition held at River Oaks Country Club December 4. The featured mtaches included the number one world ranked Bryan Brothers.

Elijah Loves Pro Tennis!

Here's one more photo of Elijah and Monica sitting in the front row of the south boxes at the Pro Doubles Exhibition held at River Oaks Country Club December 4. The featured mtaches included the number one world ranked Bryan Brothers.

Elijah's First Pro Tennis Event

Elijah recently attended the Save Doubles Event at River Oaks Country Club featuring the Number One World Ranked Team of Bob and Mike Bryan. In this photo he and mom are standing outside the River Oaks Tennis Pro Shop watching Coach Wayne Bryan give a clinic. I'm jealous. I didn't get to see my first pro tennis event until I was about 17 years old...!

Daddy and Son

This is my new favorite photo...! Elijah is four months and one week old in this picture. He is the sweetest baby I've ever seen... (of course my perspective might be a little biased)

Starting to Sit Up...!

This photo is from our old house in Houston right before we moved. Elijah is about 3 and a half months old in this photo. He likes it when we prop him up like that and He's trying to sit up himself but is not able to yet. But we can tell he's getting stronger every day doing his baby crunches!

Uncle Eddie and Elijah

Here's a nice photo of Elijah and my good friend Eddie Clayworth. He'll be known as 'Uncle Eddie' to Elijah... Elijah is about 2 and a half months old in this photo...

Three Generations

Elijah recently met his Great Grandmother 'Mimi' for the first time a few weeks ago. Mimi is my grandmother from my father's side of the family. Mimi lives in Bay City Texas, about 25 miles from West Columbia. Mimi is well into her 90's and going strong...!

Already Four Months Old...!

Dear Elijah,

You are four months and one day old today...! I thought I'd just write you a quick note to tell you how much everyone loves you. Your smile just lights up evey room. You are a very good baby...!

Here is a picture of you with a pacifier, but for the record, so far you don't really like the pacifier. Maybe when you get older you'll like it. At four months you weigh 12 pounds and four ounces. You feel alot heavier when I carry you around for a length of time.

Oh, by the way... We moved out to the country a few weeks ago, and daddy's been very sick with pneumonia, but I'm doing better now.

Between moving and me being sick, your mom and I have been very busy this past month and that's why I haven't posted in your journal for awhile. But I do want to make a routine of posting daily so you have a great chronicle of your life for when you get older and want to know what your growing up years were like..

You're good at turning over now and are also gripping well with your hands. You don't like grape pedialite but you do like the unflavored variety.

As soon as you start walking we'll give you your first tennis lesson!

That's it for now...

Love always, Daddy

Looking back on that first week...

Here's Elijah sleeping on my chest when he was about a couple of weeks old. He's almost 4 months old now and considerably bigger (and heavier). I'll be downloading a bunch of photos from our digital camera soon and will have lots to publish over the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned...!

Eleven Weeks Old Today...!

Here's another photo of our precious little baby... He's sound asleep, safe in Momma's lap. It's hard to believe that Elijah's almost 3 months old now...! He's doing great...! I love to hold him every chance I can get. It's so much fun just sitting there watching him smile. He's one of the most smiling baby's I've ever seen. (Although I have to confess I haven't paid much attention to babies before now...)

Oh by the way: I haven't had to change a diaper in a long, long time but I finally changed number 23 on Monday. Oh My Heavens, it was the poopiest diaper in the world...! It really should have counted for two diapers in the diaper count.

Here's Elijah at the Home Inspection

This photo was taken Thursday, October 13 when we had the Columbia Lakes property inspected. We are in the master-bathroom in this photo. Elijah is trying to pull out my chest hair as I carry him around... Ouch...! His grip is getting stronger and stronger!

My Two Sweeties...!

Here's Elijah and Mom back when Elijah was a little over a month old... He's much bigger now. And he's much more talkative than before. He still doesn't speak English yet. It's all just baby talk right now... I can't wait until he and I can start having a real conversation...!

Enjoying The Berber...

Here's a photo of Elijah just after he had his diaper changed...! There's nothing quite like the feeling of a clean diaper, eh Elijah? This photo was taken at the House on Invernes Lane in Columbia Lakes.

Sleeping Just Like Daddy...!

Baby Elijah sleeps just like I do... Except he doesn't snore...! It's so cute that when he stretches out his arms they don't even reach above his head... Oh, he's such a sweet baby...!

Another Smiley Baby Photo

Elijah's doing well...! He slept good last night. He's smiling all the time. He's just a happy baby! And we recently discovered that he enjoys classical music... So he's a man after my own heart. Maybe he'll grow up to play the tuba or trombone...!

Note to Elijah From Dad

Hi Son,

I don't know when You'll be reading this. But I hope and pray that one day You'll look over this labor of love and have nothing but fond memories of your childhood. I want you to know how much Your mom and I and Connor love You and what a joy it's been raising you these past 10 weeks....! You've been a very good baby. It's truly been a blessing to our lives to have You.

You are such a sweet, smiley baby. I know that the joy of the Lord is in Your little baby heart...! I lifted you up in prayer today. (As I do every day) I prayed for Your future. I have no idea what kind of world it will be like when you get to be a young man. But whatever is out there I promise to get You ready to face any circumstance. I can tell you a little secret that has worked for me and has carried me through many trials: And that's to trust and love in the Lord Your God with all Your heart, mind, soul, and strength.

Elijah, I pray that you come to have a close, personal relationship with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It's the key to a happy life. And I hope that life You see me living out models that sentiment. I love You very much and I want you to know that I am proud, grateful, and honored to be Your Father.

Love Always,

Dad

My New Favorite Photo...!

This is such a 'Smiley baby'...! And he appears to love having his photo taken...! This photo was taken by me the day I played with him on the baby Einstein set and he grabbed my hair. I enlarged the picture and cropped myself out. You can just barely see a little of my hair in the upper left hand corner. He's a handsome fellow, isn't he...?

Let's See If I Can Pull Daddy's Hair Out...!

Monica left me in charge of Elijah for awhile while she was out of the house and he started crying. I laid myself down on the Einstein play-set to try to keep him company and although he did stop crying, he also grabbed my hair and would not let go... It took quite a long time to get myself out of that jam. Luckily I had the camera right next to me to record the event.

Elijah's already got a pretty strong grip...! He's also really good at pulling out chest hair...!

How About Another Baby in the Boppy Photo...?

This is a photo of Elijah when he was just about 3 weeks old. He's changed a bunch in the past 5 weeks, but this was one photo that I thought should be published. He's nestled inside his beloved boppy pillow and tucked into his home made baby quilt. I have many new photos but just haven't had time lately to download them from the camera.

Elijah and Granpa Arno....

Here's a photo of Elijah and his Grandfather. (Monica's Dad) Arno and Judy will be coming for another visit towards the end of October and will be staying through Thanksgiving. This will be Elijah's First Thanksgiving. I'm excited at the prospect of having the entire family together for the holiday...!

Happy 2 Month Birthday Elijah!

Here's another Baby Einstein Play Set Photo. Boy, we sure use that alot. Elijah just loves it...! By the way, today is Elijah's 8 week birthday...! And I'm still at diaper # 22 in the diaper changing statistics department. Monica has been handling most of the diaper duties lately...! (Yea!)

The Baby Dome...

This is what's called a Baby Bouncer. It vibrates, or bounces at various speeds to keep the baby calm. It's light-weight and portable. And a really neat feature is the see-through mesh that keeps mosquitos out. We used the baby bouncer during the US Open on evenings when we went out to play after watching matches on tv. It worked pretty good. I nick-named it the Baby-Dome because the mesh cover rounded it out. The Baby-Dome was a gift we got at our home-school baby shower.

As I look over this picture a second time I just noticed that it sort of resembles an astronaught's helment on wheels. (Do you see that, or is it just my imagination working overtime again...?)

Another Connor and the Baby Sling Photo

Here's a nice photo of Connor and Elijah. Elijah rode out the Hurricane just fine. He even handled a 12 hour aborted evacuation with ease in spite of driving at least 8 of the 12 hours without air conditioning in order to conserve gasoline. He hardly cried at all...! What a good baby!

Resting on Mommies' Shoulder

I think Elijah really likes having his photo taken. He's a good and happy baby. And He slept well last night...! That's good news for Mommy...!

Sleepy Little Baby Face

Elijah was asleep when I was about to snap this photo but he was just waking up as I pressed the button. He's getting close to two months old now...!

Baby In Denim

It was casual Day at the Chadwell House last Thursday and Elijah wore his Denim Overalls for the first Time...

The Denim Overalls were a present from his beloved Aunt Becky...!

A Rear View and Bad Hair Day Part II

I thought Elijah had an interesting look on his face in this photo... I can't really read his emotion here... Any suggestions...? I do think the title: 'A Rear View' is appropriate, though...!


Once again, Sorry Elijah... When You're old enough to read this blog You'll be mad at me. I know the girls are going to give you a hard time about your first born hair style, but hey buddy... We Chadwell men really like to let our hang down every now and then. Yours just hangs straight up at the moment!

Two Photos to Catch You Up...!

Sorry I've missed a few days... I took Sunday off. I was extremely busy Monday and Tuesday I was extremely sick... I must of slept for something like 15 hours on Tuesday.... Wednesday I worked at Columbia Lakes all day and the dial up networking is not condusive to uploading pictures... But, Here's two cute photos... -Enjoy!


Baby Elijah is really enjoying the Rocking Chair... He says Thanks Grandpa Arno and Granma Judy...! (They gave the rocker as a birthday gift to Elijah when he was born!)


Connor thought he would try out the baby sling... Elijah says... Hey what's going on here...? You won't see the baby sling on Coach Sam until I lose a little more weight...!

Baby in the Bed Part II

Here's another photo from the 'baby in the bed' series. And for those of you keeping up with the diaper changing statistics I changed diaper number 22 today. Elijah is 6 and 1/2 weeks now and he's doing very well.

Having Some Playtime...

Here's Elijah enjoying his Baby Einstein Play set.

He is such a happy, sweet baby...! What a joy!