Fun before Bedtime

Eli is playing with his cool new toy by doing laps with it through his bedroom. This is only a few of the many many loops he did.

Eli meets Jack

This captures the moment when we introduced

Eli and Jack. If you watch Eli's face you can see

his reaction. We don't know how to describe it,

but he is definitely curious.

Eli dances, Jack eats & we all enjoy.

The nights get better & better as we start

congealing into a full blown family. And, with

Grandmother being here we all can rest a

little easier and have that much more fun.

Heeere's JACK!

Yes, he is finally here!! Jack is just about 1 day old. We're still in the hospital. He just got back from a

hearing test and is sneezy and tired.

Eli on the big slide!

Eli was happily and quietly going down

the biggest slide at the 9th Street playground

all by himself. That is a new activity for Eli to

do solo. I finally thought to film it, but of

course by then he had stopped giggling each

time and was taking it all in stride.

Eli says 1st of 10 million "No's"!

Eli was in the bath tonight and starting answering

questions with a very clear "No". We know that it's

the first of millions of "No's" to come, but what can

you do, it's our first one and we just had to share it!

Eli Chasing Jonah

Eli and I were lucky enough to hang out with

Nancy and Jonah around the neighborhood on Thursday.

Jonah is really fast, and Eli probably didn't have

much hope of catching him, but he always gave it his best

and loved the chase.

Eli Definitely Spanish!

For those of you not in on the joke...

Q: How many Spanish people does it take to do a job?

A: Five. One to do the work and 4 to watch and comment.

I'm proud to say that Eli seems to be carrying on

this fine "observational" trait from his Spanish heritage.

Not a bad place for a nap

Eli & Aidan Playing Piano

Eli and I were able to take Aidan to his dance class at Variations in Huntington on Monday.

Afterwards we discussed art, drank sherry and

twiddled on the piano.

Enjoy...

Eli Feeding Himself

One of our more "typical" videos of a toddler feeding himself and making a grand mess of it all. But, he's our little guy so it's the cutest little video ever!

Oh, by the way... he's eating apple sauce with blueberrys mixed in.

Eli at The Roses

Eli at The Roses, originally uploaded by 53Skadoo.

A blurry little picture of Eli that I think Jasper took.
I found it on my iPhone after I returned home.

Eli Chasing Aidan

More cousin fun! Aidan was doing little laps at Grandmother and Abuelo's cottage and Eli thought it was hilarious and tried to keep up with his speedy cousin Aidan, chirping with joy all along.

Eli Knocks Himself Out!

After watching his big cousin Jasper pretend to knock himself silly. Eli had to do his own version.

Chillin' in beautiful South Hampton

Eli and I had the opportunity to stay at a beautiful home in South Hampton for an extended weekend. It was a generous offer that we thoroughly enjoyed. We just walked out of the house and on to the beach - simple and wonderful.

Eli say "Chhh!"

There we were taking a bath and one of us sort of guffahed making a "chhh" sound and then Eli repeated it back. It was just too funny, we couldn't stop laughing so we had to capture a quick video. Enjoy!

Eli and Mom (and little Brother too)

A sweet little photo of Eli hugging Mom's big belly.

Little does Eli know a a baby brother waits inside.

Eli climbs in his drawer

Dyker came and asked me about a towel for the park.

As we walked back towards the kitchen, she told me that Eli had climbed into his lower drawer and sat in there.

When I got to his room he was out, but then he saw me, so he pulled open the drawer and climbed back in.

The whole time with a big silly "aren't I hilarious" smile on his face.

Dyker then suggested I take a pic quickly...

Great idea, yes?

Visit with the Starks

On our way back to Brooklyn today we stopped in at

Josh, Margot and Jameson's house.

We played drums, drank iced tea and then

walked up and down Main Street in Beacon...

a really good Sunday visit.

Eli doing "loops" solo!

Eli likes to do "loops" before bed by going through his room, through our room, down the hall, back in to his room where it starts all over again. Well now he does it without any help from Mom or Dad. He just walks and walks all by himself or solo!

Eli Eats a whole banana in 3 bites!

Ok, we didn't get the camera quick enough to film the first bite, but you can see the last 2 mouth stuffing bites in all their glory...

Enjoy!

Eli walks - No Really!

Ok, we've posted an "Eli Walking" video before, but this time he is really doing it!

He was going a few steps from me to his chair in his room and then I left him to quickly go check on dinner. I was interrupted because Eli was standing behind me in the kitchen!! That's right - he had walked from his room down the hall and into the kitchen.

I was VERY surprised and excited to say the least.

Lisa came home to us doing laps in the kitchen - hence the video.

Hopefully they'll be longer and more challenging walks to follow ;-)

P & E Tour ENDS - Brooklyn

It all ended well in Mommy's arms.
Eli enjoyed seeing everbody. Thanks so much for your warm welcomes.
See y'all later.

- Mom & Dad, sorry that we missed getting a photo of you both with Eli
for the blog.

P & E Tour Day 7 - beach break

We just had to stop at Cedar Beach after being so patient in the car.
Ahh Long Island Sound always relieves the anxious mind - touring,
dude, it can be exhausting

P & E Tour Day 7 - parking lot picnic

We stopped at Target on the way out East and had a picnic in the
parking lot of Target. Then we filled the little space left in our car
with All-American MEGA-Sized packages of all the stuff we needed for
home.

P & E Tour Day 7 - Huntington

After a nice nap in the car, we arrived at the Lopez house which was
unusually quiet. Uncle John showed Eli how to go down stairs easily,
the girls came home from a "mani-pedi" and we hung out in the kitchen.
The night was a fun one watching "So You Think You Can Dance". That's
why Eli won't look towards the camera in the photo - he just can't
tear his eyes away from that show.

P & E Tour Day 6 -Flushing

A visit to Aunt Rosalie, Uncle Beaky, Aunt Teddy, Uncle Vic with
surprise guests Auntie Virginia, Aidan and Chlöe was a blast! A tea
party with Rosalie, playing on the terrace and a delicious lunch with
Teddy... What more could you want!

P & E Tour Day 4 - Ireena, Lela, Stuart uptown

Lela and Eli napped as IreeG and I strolled through Morningside Park.
This waterfall was surprisingly big and beautiful, Ireena threw some
gang signs (you know... living "uptown") so I stopped to snap a photo.
We also visited St. John's Cathedral, saw some very frisky
peacocks, but mostly spent some time with friends we hadn't seen for
way too long.

P & E Tour Day 4 - Saitz visit

We got there a little early and stayed a little late and had fun the
whole time. The Saitz boys were very nice to Eli, and included him in
their "reindeer games". Eli came home exhausted from so much fun, that
the minute he hit the bed he rolled over and passed out. A sign of a
day well spent:-)

P & E Tour Day 3 - u.w.s. baseball

As promised, a Rose visit. In particular a baseball game with Jasper
who pitched 2 innings, played 3rd base and was catcher for 1 inning.
Phew!

P & E Tour Day 3 - struttin' in the AM

Cruising the neighborhood in the morning, before the heat of the day
gets on us. We have a big day planned with the Roses. Yehaaaw
(don't worry this tour will break out soon!)

P & E Tour Day 2 - farmer's market

Farm fresh apples - Yum !
Lisa giving little bites to Eli. Great way to start the weekend - and
- much better weather than Day 1 of the tour :-)

P & E Tour Day 2 - morning coffee

We're on our way... But of course a quick stop at Starbucks helps kick
start the day!

P&E Tour Day 1 - sleepin' late

We start our tour like real rock stars and wake up whenever we feel
like it!
(Eli us still sleeping as I type this!)

Eli walks, well almost.

We had just finished dinner and Eli and I were playing for a moment in the hall. Suddenly he was standing, all by himself, for almost 30 seconds. Then he took some steps towards me, again unassisted! We tried it again and it worked!

So, we did it again and again... he was so excited and so proud. We all laughed it was a grand time.

--

One small step for Eli.

One giant leap for the Schlopez Family

Eli & Mom play catch - 1st time ever!

Last night while I was putting the final touches on another gourmet dinner here at the Schlopez Foundation (we fry only the finest Bologna), I heard Lisa and Eli having a grand time in his room. Lisa called out telling me, "I had to see this!"

I sneaked in, cam in hand and capture Eli's first official game of catch with his Mom, on video.

Ahhh... that was a fun 8 minutes

Sometimes Lisa and I let Eli pull stuff off the pantry door shelf to keep himself occupied while he sits in his high chair. Well, this one morning Lisa and I were both running around trying to get out of the house and kept him in his chair a while letting him throw anything he wanted. At one point he beckoned me over and pulled the belt right off my pants - you can see it on the floor mixed in with everything else. He thought that was hilarious. So I snapped a quick shot before we cleaned up, pulled him out and made a run for it.

Who doesn't love Sushi!?!

Ok, we've had a lot of fun lately and I have a lot of pictures and videos to post, but until I get around to it here's some news...

Eli likes Sushi! Maki or rolls in particular.

As you can see he just takes the whole roll at once and tries to fit it into his mouth. It makes a big mess, but he gets through most of it with a happy smile on his face, hungry for the next one.

Very late thanks for Eli's Birthday

I wanted to post all the pics from all the various celebrations Eli had for his first Birthday, but it's just never going to happen and too much time is passing. So...

THANK YOU EVERYBODY!! (Abuelo, Grandmother, Poppy Phil, Grandma Evelyn, Lenore, Aunt Cynthia, Patty and the Webers, The Albermans, Dyker, Jasper, Carla, Steve, Jesse, Nancy, Jonah, Harris, Aidan, Chloe and Virginia) for all of your cake, cupcakes, gifts, cards, singing and well wishes!! Eli loved all of it and had an "Aunt Joanie-esque" weekend long birthday celebration.

We love you and can't wait for the next party.

xxxoooo - Peter, Lisa & Eli

Eli eating with a a fork

He kept wanting to eat off our forks, but they were too long. Then we had dinner at Nancy, Jesse and Jonah's (The Reisners) house and Jonah had this great little fork that Eli thought was amazing. The next day we purchased that same exact fork and presto! Eli is feeding himself with a fork.

Shopping at Fairway in Red Hook

We love to go shopping down in Red Hook. They have a giant Fairway market there and it's right on the water, which makes for a pretty deluxe setting for grocery shopping.

Eli sat in the shopping cart for the first time and was over the moon about it.

Of course, no matter how we tried to stop him, he managed to get his mouth around the shopping cart handle and lick and suck away... it was so gross. I guess that means he'll be immune to the next flu that comes around.

Another "comfortable" sleeping position

Lisa said it looks like someone just dropped him in the crib. So I had to snap a photo.

Eli checking inventory

Almost everyday now Eli stands himself up by holding onto the shelves on the back of the pantry closet door. From that vantage point he can go through about 1/3 of the items there and make sure we have enough of everything.

One thing he checks regularly is our garbage bag count (see the Glad bags in the photo). He pulls out each and every bag and makes a pile all around himself. When his work is complete he crawls away leaving a trail of bags in his wake. He leaves the unimportant work, of putting the bags back in the box, to me or Lisa.

Eli getting more formal

The older he gets, the more serious he becomes.

Hence the tie.

;-)

Eli with Abuelo and Aidan

This was a while ago, Easter to be exact, but I came across it on my
iPhone and it just made me smile. Everyone looks good and Eli just
can't get over how great his Cousin Aidan is. Also, I wanted to test
to see if you all get an email about this latest entry;-)

Eli's new sleeping position

Eli has found a new classic way to sleep...

Face down and Butt up!

Doesn't that look comfy?

Eli with his "Alligator Walker"

This is short because it's difficult to film. Once he sees the camera out, he stops and comes after it. It's rough, but capturing his joy as he "click-clacks" around with his Alligator Walker is priceless. He is now able to steer where he goes, so when he gets stuck against the wall or in a corner he can usually pull back and get himself unstuck. I'll try to capture that exciting development soon, but until then this will have to do.

Eli home in the afternoon

Just before I got home Lisa was filming Eli trying to put on his shoes by himself. This is longer than our usual videos, but it's late and I don't feel like editing and it nicely captures the quiet little fun we're always having with him as he scoots and babbles around the house.

I come home from work near the end and am greeted by some clapping (not too shabby).

I also walk right by Eli, but I came back and gave a big hug just after the shooting ended, I promise.

Eli in a box

We just purchased a new toaster oven (I know... very sexy) and Eli helped me unpack it. After that Dyker surprised me by putting him in the box. I turned around to see him enjoying that very much and Dyker and I thought he was hilarious. I couldn't capture that laugh with this pic, but it showed the whole scene pretty well.

Eli loves the fridge

Eli just can't get enough of how "cool" the fridge is. If he is watching you as you go over to the fridge you're in trouble. The moment the door opens he makes a break for it. If he gets there before you can close it, he wins! You'll be trying to pry him off for the next few minutes and trying to stop him from pulling everything out. And, if you dare try to close it by pulling him out of the way, get ready for a the lovely Eli to turn bright red and show you his disapproval, as only a 1 year old can.

Brooklyn Botanical - under the Cherry Blossoms

Carla and Jasper made the trip out to Brooklyn today (Sunday) and we went to the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens. The Cherry Blossoms had passed their prime, but it was still pretty incredible. We walked around the big Coy Pond and laid in the grass under the Cherry trees. I wanted to show how he gets around in non-scootable environments. This isn't a great example of that, but the setting was so lovely I just had to share.

Hopefully they'll be new Eli crawling videos and pics soon. And, I don't want to spoil any surprises here, but there may even been some Eli walking videos and pics coming soon too! Assisted walking... you'll see, but walking.

Great day at the park

Eli and friends (Jøsh, Juli, Ollie, Foxy, Fancy and Jonah) had a great time in the park yesterday. It was a beautiful day, one of the first of the season, and we just had to get out and play around in Prospect Park. It was such a simple good time, the best kind. Thanks Saitzes for making the effort to come out to Brooklyn.

Eli playing Hide n' Seek

This just started all by itself. Lisa and I were cleaning up after Dinner and handed Eli a paper bag to keep him busy for a few minutes. Then he started playing Hide n' Seek with it. It was fun for everyone and we just wanted to share it with y'all.

Springtime in Park Slope

This long Winter is finally giving way to Spring.

All the trees are blooming and we don't want to miss a thing.

Magnolias usually only have 1 week a year of looking their best and I think we caught one on the way to the Park last weekend. If you look in the background you can see Lisa and Eli on the sidewalk waiting for me to snap some photos of someone's beautiful Magnolia.

Eli taking "Big Boy" baths

First it was the sink, then it was a little tub that fit in the sink, then it was a bigger tub that we put in the bathroom tub, then it was a little chair that securely attached to the floor of the tub, NOW it's all tub all the time. The normal tub that you and I use to take baths ourselves.

At first he was nervous and feeling a bit apprehensive as he moved slowly out from one corner of the tub towards the other side. Once he had completed a full loop however... it was on! Sliding around on his butt or belly, touching all the walls and faucet, it was a bubble bath bugaloo.

The best part was when he bent his face down into some bubble and made a little bubble goatee, causing me to laugh and therefore him to repeat it. Upon his 3rd repeat, however, he decided to start sipping the tub water and liked it. The next time he did it, he started to really start slurping down the bath water and we had to quickly distract him with something else.

Fortunately, since then he doesn't seem to remember how great the bath water tasted and has not repeated that again.

Eli gets a haircut.

Yes, his shagginess has finally been trimmed down to size. We went to Lulu's here in Park Slope and it was great. Jennifer cut Eli's hair without as much as a wimper. He was just so stunned by the whole place. You get your own little TV to watch from inside a little fire engine... what's not to love!?!

That place knows what they're doing, we ended up buying 2 toys and they give you document stating Eli's 1st official haircut and date with lock of his hair attached in a clear little envelope. A racket I have no problem playing the "john" in.

So much other stuff happened this weekend, but it's late and this is all I can do right now.

New teeth hurt :-(

Eli's week ended up getting worse and worse...

As far as we can tell he has 6, that's right 6, teeth coming all in at once!

When they start hurting, nothing can really fix it. We distract him and look at winodow and walk around the neighborhood and act very silly and bounce around to music and give him hard or chewy things to naw on, but really they are just a brief relief from the ongoing saga of teeth pushing into place.

He's asleep and hopefully dreaming of eating anything he wants with his mighty new teeth.

Ninja Foot Rescue

It all happened in a moment. We were all in the kitchen and I wanted to show Lisa how Eli was taking a few steps towards me. I would put him at arms length away from me while kneeling on the floor in front of him and have him take the 2 or 3 steps towards me.

Well, I put him down to walk towards me, but as I pulled my arms back, he started falling backwards. Somehow, Lisa, (who was standing above us watching) using just one foot was able to catch and hold him by the small of his back and lower him to a sitting position. He had no idea how close he came to a total "nestea plunge" backwards onto the linoleum floor, which would have gave him a good head knocking for sure.

Who would think that those romantic looking, sandy feet could be so agile and powerful?

Lisa and her ninja-like foot saved the day!

Eli's 1st word!

Ok, it happened, the moment we've all been waiting for, Eli's first word! And the word is:

"DYKER"

That's right, he looked at this picture of him and Dyker that we have on the fridge, gave a big smile, pointed to it and said "Dyker". We were excited and sad all at once. Don't get me wrong, we LOVE Dyker, but saying Dyker's name before Mamma or Dadda sort broke our hearts a bit. Sadly, she sees him more than we do, and it makes total sense, but the fact that she sees him more than we do feels just ridiculous sometimes.

Eli is now officially pointing

After a full weekend of Passover and Easter, that was a Cousin filled fun house for Eli... he has learned a new trick!

Full credit goes to Eli's Uncle John.

Lisa said she noticed John giving him lessons and explaining how useful pointing could be, both to non-speakers (like Eli) and speakers alike.

Lisa noted that at first Eli was barely getting it, but by the end of the day he had sort of a weak point going on.

- think, Adam in "God Giving Life to Adam", Sistine Chapel

Then this morning, he was pointing strongly and with authority at everything he wanted and everywhere he wanted to go!

- think, God in "God Giving Life to Adam" ala the Sistine Chapel

Pictures to follow...