Hoop Dreams

Hello! So, in the extremely long absence since my last post (sorry about that), I have developed quite the love of bap-a-ball, it's a game where you dribble around a ball and throw it through a hoop. It's a crazy amount of fun. When I was a little baby, I used to have a tiny hoop set but now that I am a huge toddler, I dwarf the entire system and I can throw the tiny bap-a-balls like nobody's business. My love of that set did lead me to be a Mizzou bap-a-ball player for Halloween. Then they got Michael Porter Jr. Coincidence? I think not.

For the third year in a row, (for the purposes of this blog) I was really into the NCAA tourney and once again filled out a bracket. I am learning to count, but can only seem to say the numbers 2, 3, and 8 which I repeat over and over while counting to 10. While this drives Mommy and the tall man crazy, it helped a lot with the bracket because I just picked all 2's, 3's and 8's! I didn't too bad either, I finished right in the middle of the pool, which I'm not allowed to swim to yet, but is ok for gambling. It was a pool for DaDa's (the tall man) work. He finished tied for 1st place. If GoneSagga would have won, he would have won fair and square and MaMa would have taken 4th: not a bad haul for the Fox Family!

My love of sports balls and my ability to say Bap-a-ball has led me to call every ball I see Bap-a-ball, even polka dots and the sun. For Christmas, Nana and PaPa gave me a bigger hoop set and with the weather being nice, I broke it out this weekend. How did I do? Well, take a look at the video below and tell me I don't look like Mike. Now, I'm so obsessed with my new set, I constantly want to go outside and play with it. Hopefully, it stays nice so I'm not freezing my bap-a-balls off. I'm learning some of the other sports names, like Base-ba-ball and Golf-ba-ball because the tall man can't stop watching them on t.v. but for now, bap-a-ball is my jam.

Summer (went by in a) Breeze

Holy cow has the summer flown by. I had a birthday, went to a 'Cardinals' game and watched things esplode at the ocean. Now, as I prepare to go back to Miss Lawrie's house next week, I thought I would peruse my memory banks and give you a nice little synopsis of the last two months. (that word-a-day calendar is really paying off, eh?)

Since I last talked to you, I turned one year old. People came over to our house and gave me all kinds of presents and I got to bury my face in a big cake! Actually, Creepy Uncle Cooper helped me out with that a little bit. I got all kinds of cool toys, books, puzzles and even clothes that I could get into, literally and figuratively. I've tried to play with everything but I really enjoy my gyrating crab and Royals/Cardinals Bat/Ball from the Tall Man's shorter friend and a dumb truck from Uncle Brian and Aunt Jen that I like to ride around in.

Fourth of July with Nana and Papa was cool for me in more ways than one. I'm told the temperature was lower than normal and even though I was around for last year's holiday, I was like a month old so I'll have to take their word for it. I also got to see strange men and women set things on fire and make them go boom. Which was awesome! If this is what it means to be Merican, count me in. Unfortunately because of the weather we didn't get to travel the seven seas, but I plan to go out on the ship later this month.

Then last weekend I got to hang out with Grandma Fox and crazy Aunt Suzy (and of course Mom and the Tall Man) as we went to Springfield to watch the Baby Cardinals play baseball. Even though they were babies like me, they use biggers bats and balls than I use at home. There was good food and drinks and I did my best to boogie down to the seventh inning stretch. I can't wait until we see an Adult Cardinals game.

Mom and the Tall Man want to see me take steps to get where I'm going but I don't really understand why. I get around really well by crawling and cruising along the furniture and walls. They also want me to start talking like them. I think they should learn how to talk like me! They are supposed to be the intelligent ones. Perhaps I'll start walking and talking at Lawrie's...that'll show em!

I Was On a Boat!

Guess what you guys? I've almost been out and about in the world for a whole year! I feel like the Tall Man - old. More on my birfday in a later blog. Today, I thought I would tell you about the week I had leading up to it. It's been the first week where I haven't been at Miss Lawree's. Mom's been real busy trying to get me to stop doing things.

Over the weekend, we celebrated Muhmorial Day by going to Nana and Papa's house at the ocean. The first day we were there, I got to go out on their ship in the ocean for the first time. I had a blast! I really love the wind in my face so Papa going full-throttle was really exciting. I had trouble finding a life-jacket that was snug enough for me to be the proverbial bug in a rug. I think I pulled it off though.

That same day, the Tall Man was completely embarrassed by the rest of the family in a little neighborhood wasyurs tournament. After that though, he lifted me up so I could dunk a basketball on what seemed like a 20 foot rim, but my perspective may have been off. The next day, the rest of the family went out with the ship again and I stayed at the ocean house with Nana for some quality time.

Speaking of quality time, Grandma Fox came over Monday and we went out to eat barbeeque, which I was told was what you do on Muhmorial Day. The rest of the week Mom and the tall man, mostly Mom have been getting things ready for my party. It's going to be a Cardinals theme, but the Tall Man's shorter friend Crabtree thinks I still have time to be a Royals fan, of all things. He even got me a Royals bat and ball set to go with a Cardinals bat and ball. He also got me a shifty crab that shuffles around on the ground: I've been obsessed with it. I can't wait to see what else I get for my birfday. And I can't wait to let you know after this weekend!

Not Once, Not Twice, But Thrice

Life is rough, y'all. I have a multitude of rashes happening. The doctors are nice and baffled. Some say eggzima, some say a virus, some say I just can't keep the drool off my skin. I'm worried it may be all of the above. I have always had some kind of rash on my lower face: you know, my chin, my other chin, my double chin. So, that's just parfer the course. But it's not the main course.

That would be the little spots all over me. They washed over me two weeks Lawree ago. The 'doctor' said it was a virus like in a computer but it never went away and I went back this week and my doc, Dr. Wielder, said it's eggzima, (eggzima, Gross!) but I also have Hand, Foot, Mouth, Hoof, Diaper disease. Strike Two, Nothing ever materialized with that, so I pretty much just have the eggzima, which is better than several virusi.

Dr. Wielder did say eggzima is usually chronic when I'm this young...soooo, I'll be battling it for about a year before we can truly get a handle on it. Awesome right? I'm a hot mess. But, you know me: I'm still very happy-go-lucky and I'll get through this and be as adorable as always. Humble too :). Here's a stupid picture of me with my hair in the tail of a pony. I think I need another haircut. What do you think?

Bunnies, Eggs and Opening Day

Your boy Eli is knocking through his firsts: I had my first Easter, which included my first Easter egg hunt, my first full week with Nana and PaPa, and my first Opening Day. But, before I get to those things I thought I would update you on the happy-haps...In the Tall Man's office pool for his talkie show, I didn't do as good as I would have liked. The team I picked to win it all was Kansas and they lost before getting to the final four. The Tall Man was really happy when that happened, but it made me sad. I didn't come in last though, so that's something. Not bad for a guy that picked using Cheerios and Puffs.

Spring Fever and My First (Solo) Bracket

Welp, I've now made it in the outside world as long as I was in the womb. As of my last doctor visit I am in a much lower percentile in weight and a much higher percentile in length. Also, I'm working on popping out my eighth (!) tooth. And for the first time in my short life, I'm dealing with a fever. The Tall Man says the only prescription is more cowbell, but the nurse says fevers are healthy at my age to chase away the bad stuff. Good thing too, because I have no idea what a cowbell is.

Last March I talked about how the Tall Man was all atwitter about March Madness. This year, I filled out my own bracket (with the help of Cheerios, Puffs and blind luck). I picked Kansas to win it all which I thought was pretty solid...you should have seen the Tall Man blow his top. But now I know why he's insane. Have you seen these games? THEY'RE CRAZY. Even Taller men making baskets, beating buzzers and kissing cheerleaders. I may have to become a basketball player. Wink.

Speaking of becoming things, I am becoming quite the army crawler, puller upper and stander. Mom thinks I am close to actual crawling, but she's been saying that for about a third of my life. Has it really been since New Year's since I've done a blog? Holy cow. I am now at a new Day Care. It's over at Miss Loreez house. I have made an incredible amount of friends. I can't count but there must be a hunred of em. They are very encouraging when I pop a tooth or stand up on my own or make a mess everywhere. I'm usually doing one of the three.  In the looks department, you may notice I am now much sleeker. I got my third (!) haircut recently.

Now that I have myself a nice little routine down, I will definitely try to do this more often, especially after my first Easter. I'm really looking forward to that, because it will be nice to know what Easter means. I hope there are Peeps involved. Eli, out.

New Year, Same Loaded Diaper

Hey Ya'll. It's officially been a year of me bending your ear telling you about my journey into and through this crazy world. Thank you for staying with me through birth, the naming process, rolling over, getting my first haircut and enjoying my first Halloween, Thanksgiving, Yom Kippur, Columbus Day...and I think there's several others that I'm forgetting.

Speaking of which, last week I enjoyed my first Christmas...what a dog-and-pony show that is. I was very fortunate to get toys, clothes, books, but I never get what I really want...real estate (Charlie Brown Christmas shout-out!). Seriously though, the rappeling paper and the boxes are enough for me. Have you seen that stuff, you can tear and rip it and if you get tired, you can just watch it twinkle. It's amazing! So, I must have been on Tall Man Claus' Nice List to get not only that, but such cool items also.

Then we had the festivities yesterday night: I went to bed in 2015 and woke up next year. Well, I woke up several times in between too because Mom, the tall man, Aunt Suz and Grandma were raising hell downstairs. The nerve! I forgave them pretty quickly though.

One thing that will change in 2016 is that I don't get to hang out with the Letter K every day anymore. I thought maybe she was tired of me, but she said I could come back and visit any time. So, once I get a hold of the tall man's keys, I'll cruise on over there. In the meantime, I will now be hanging out with Lori, Man of the House. Word on the street is that there will be other little humans there and I don't know how I feel about that. Hopefully they smell better than the dog...nailed it!

A Goodbye to Grandpa

First of all, sorry I haven't done a blog in a while. We have missed some milestones including my first Hollow ween and Giving Thanks Day. There are some photos included at the bottom of the page of both including me dressed in what's called a costume: I'm dressed like Dad (or Tall Man or Jake(?)) from Planet State Farm. It was a lot of fun. I have included a photo of me hanging out with my cousins Jet and Turbo as well. I also hung out with Nana and PaPa on both occasions and with them last week for a reason that didn't involve a holiday.

It seems my Grandpa Fox has gone to Heaven to see the Tall Man's Mema and Papa so I won't get to see him anymore and that makes me sad. It also makes me sad to see Mom and the tall man so sad...I can tell they loved Grandpa almost as much as they love me. But, I got to see Grandpa a few times before he made the trip and he always made me smile, and I could tell that I made him smile too. He always called me Buddy or Bosco. How rude to call someone by something other than their name.

I always like to look at the positives in life. That's why I was happy to see so many people support the tall man, Aunt Suzy Q and Grandma Fox. At Visiting Time, I got passed around like a hot potato between Grandma's sisters, Grandpa's friends and Nana and PaPa. I got to know a lot of people who I'm sure will be in my life for a long time. The best part is they are full of memories of how great Grandpa was and they can pass those down and his memory can live with me forever. And that makes me feel good.

Haircuts and Hayrides

Well, the Missouri Tigers tried pretty hard on Saturday to keep me from becoming a fan. But before that, I had a pretty eventful day. First, I went to a place called the Groom Room and got the fuzzy patch on my head shortened. I'm only four and a half months old, which everybody made a big deal about because I guess it's early. Everybody also made a bid deal about how happy I was to be having the procedure done. But I tend to be happy when most things are going on, so I don't know what all the fuss was about. I mean, there were movies on and she put something in my hair that made it stick straight up like Jimmy Neutron...who wouldn't love that?

After I got my slick new 'do, Mom and the tall man took me to the land south of Columbia, where we spent the afternoon at a patch for pumpkins. There were animals that made the dog look boring, a corn maze and what I think was just a big high chair. Then came the best part: I got wrapped in a blanket and a tractor took us to the patch where I got to pick out a pumpkin. We pretty much picked out the first one we saw because my wussy parents wanted to get back to the car where it was warm. But that's o.k. We got what we came for.

On the way home, the parents got hot chocolates to rub it in that I didn't have my bottle. Then we got home and I watched the first of two football games for the weekend. First, during the Mizzou game, the tall man used language that was new and exciting. I will totally be using it, you know, when I can talk. Then, on Sunday, we watched the Chiefs where there seemed to be more positive vibes flowing. I think I may be able to like them - almost as much as I like haircuts and hayrides!

Bath Time Just Got Weird

Well, there goes my Original Sin. Whoosh. Last Sunday, I done got baptized and not a moment too soon...I could feel sin bubbling up inside me. Everyone was there: Nana, Papa, Grandma and Grandpa Fox, Jet and Turbo, a man in a beard and a robe, The tall man's shorter friend, whom I'm told is my Godfather, and probably others...if I could count, there would be too many to count. Here's an adorable picture of me in my church clothes, not that I'm bragging.

3 Months and Counting!

Today we are celebrating Labor Day, which I thought was all about me because it has now been three months since my mom went into labor.  We went on a fabulous vacation this weekend where I once again got to hang out with my parents and my grandparents: all while the dog was on vacation at Boarding School! What a great weekend...

10 Weeks Old!

Welp, here we are 70 days into the life of me, Elijah James Fox. It's been a pretty good ride. I've been very busy learning how to be a functioning human, so that's why I haven't written in a while. Sorry you had to read that nonsense from the dog. Mom got to hang out with me a lot over the first 70 days, but now she has to go hang out with other people's kids all day, even though she seems not to like other people's kids.

Guest Author!

Hello it's me, the dog. Charles M. Barkley Fox III. Charlie for short. The baby has been shirking his duties and not blogging so I get chance to shine. You need to hear from me for a change. I get a bad rap...everybody blames everything on the dog: the odor in the house, nobody getting any sleep, not being able to hold the baby downstairs. First of all, I love the baby. I keep trying to introduce myself formally by licking him and sniffing his butt. That's what we dogs do. Feel free to bring him downstairs! We're brothers, it's fine.

As for those other things, I'm pretty sure the baby is emitting both noises and stenches, so let's pump the brakes. As a result of being blamed for things/the baby being the flavor of the month, I'm left downstairs by myself. I get lonely, so I chew things occasionally. So, yes, I can be blamed for 'ruining' some things out of boredom, but my biggest crime is loving my family so much that I want to hang out with them! I'm the one being abandoned here.

On a positive note, The humans: Aggressive Tennis Ball Thrower and Accordian Woman, have started letting me out my crate (deathcage) at night, so I am free to lounge on the furniture. Feel free to peruse the photos below. Overall, I hope to be friends with the boy and, truth be told, it really is a good, little family I've stumbled into...but don't tell any of them I said that.

Those Aren't Pillows!

Being in the real world makes you hungry! Since being born a little over two weeks ago, I just always feel famished. Poor Mom...she has to be there every time I eat for some reason, so I've gotten really good at verbally letting her and the tall man - Dad, his name is Dad - know it's time to feed. The system seems to work pretty well: I project my concerns and I get rewarded with food, except when they try to 'console' me by putting me in the swing or putting the pacifier in - Let's go people, we're wasting time.

By the way, happy Father's Day to all the tall men out there. I bought my pops a whole bag of colored candy treats...and he didn't even have to cry to get them. Come to think of it, I'm not sure what he did to deserve it. At any rate, he can taste the rainbow while I hit the bottle: that would make a good country song.

So, my relationship with the parents is good. My relationship with the dog is still a little touch-and-go. He does seem to have lightened up a bit. The family has gone on a couple of family walks now that the new vehicle seat and stroll contraption have arrived. Even though it's very strange for me to be rolling around looking at the world from a chair inside a vehicle, I often find myself just nodding off to sleep. But then as soon as we get back, I'm ready to eat again! Speaking of which, I gotta go...

Hellllooooo! La La La

What an eventful week...where to begin...

First of all, I was born. My official name is Elijah James Fox, but you can call me Eli - nice to meet you. Mom and the tall man (whom I'm told is called 'dad', but that's going to take some getting used to) went to the hospital in the middle of the night on Friday. I was not messing around; I came out at a little after 7am Saturday morning. Mom didn't get any of her 'feel better' medicine in time for me to come out but she doesn't seem mad at me.

There were very nice people at the building where I was born, especially Nurse Katina and Nurse Laura who helped my parents keep it together for two days. I'll tell you who was not nice though: Dr. Wheeler, who should have been called Dr. Wielder, the way he was coming at me with a knife. I don't know what was wrong with my dingus before, but it better be more efficient now.

The road home was a little bumpy. They tried to put me in my car seat and the straps wouldn't adjust and go all the way around my body. As if I didn't have body weight issues before! They even had to send the tall man, er Dad, out to get a new seat, but Mom saved the day as usual and fixed it.

I finally met my brother, the dog, who is known as Charlie, Charles, Char Dog, Chuckles and words that I'm not supposed to know yet, so I don't know what his actual name is. So far, we are very leery of each other but I'm sure we'll at least grow to tolerate each other. So, the gang is finally all together and now the real fun can start, right? I've included some photos from my first few days on Planet Earth. Mom says I look like the tall man and the tall man says I look like the dog.  Judge for yourself