New Things

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A Very Tempel Christmas

We had a grand time at the Tempels this year. Eli really enjoyed his first Christmas with his Grandma and Grandpa Tempel, Aunt Katie and Uncle Ed and his Uncle Kevin (not to mention Mom and Dad)! The following are some photos of his FIRST Christmas...thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Tempel for feeding us lots of food, giving us lots of gifts, but most of all, for letting us spend time with them in Waterloo, Iowa.

Big Gift

We bought Eli his big gift for this year - a used Burley trailer and we couldn't be more excited. We can't figure out if his expression of trepedation is from being put in this large trailer or the elf sitting next to him. We can only hope that he loves biking as much as his parents and the Tempel clan.

Santa Baby

I wanted to share a couple of photos of Eli with the Santa at Bass Pro Shops in Springfield. These photos were taken over Thanksgiving. Eli seems to have this strange fascination with Santa(s). I think it's the beard.



Note the death grip on Santa's beard.



"No kidding?!? Eight tiny reindeer...you have got to let me know how you do that..."

Bone Doc

So we call Dr. Price our bone doc because I never know how to spell orthopedic surgeon, and it's simplified...bone doc...two syllables. It will be easy for Eli to learn later in life.

Anyway, we went to see the bone doc today and everything is looking great with Eli. There is a small curvature to his lower spine and his legs are slightly bowed, but this is characteristic of his condition. Dr. Price was happy enough with Eli's status that we didn't even have to get the regular skeletal scan. Further good news is that we don't have to see the bone doc for another eight months. Perhaps Eli will be walking by then.

As parents, we are always slightly nervous about these "extra" doctor appointments, so it was great that it went well.

9 Month Photos

Okay, it's time for the regular month photo. I love doing these as I can see how much Eli has grown.



This time, I had the "genius" idea to use his favorite toy as an enticement to smile. Why in the world did we not do this eight months ago?



The faux hawk hair...



And a reward for the smiles...



It's hard to believe that 9 months ago (or thereabouts) we met our amazing son.

Christmas Program Video

Last night was Eli's first ever Christmas Program. This Christmas Program was organized by the Lee Ann Britain Infant Development Center where Eli goes to class and has a series of different therapies every week.

Eli has three classmates that we get the privilege of seeing every week. Alayna, LC and Ian are his fellow actors in the performance.

Special thanks to Grandma Wagner for attending and helping us get Eli prepared for his big debut. We had a wonderful time and he had a great time chatting with people and performing.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Wagner Christmas Photos

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with the Wagner clan. Amidst crazy cousins and an ever crazier Grandpa, we were able to take family photos. The following are a few that we wanted to share with you.



Eli is his Santa suit (yes, I know that he will give us a really hard time when he gets older for dressing him up like this).



First Ever Family Christmas Photo



Eli with his cousins Natalie and Logan. He enjoys being strangled!



The entire Wagner family!

Aunt Katie and Uncle Ed - Engagement Photos

We are so excited about the upcoming wedding for Aunt Katie and Uncle Ed in Half Moon Bay, California. Katie just shared some of their engagement photos and we are in awe!



Check out more photos on the website of the very talented Sara Boutros at http://saraboutros.wordpress.com/

Thankful

This is the time of year that I usually reflect and feel good about what is going on in life. This year, I have decided to focus less on the tangible aspects of life and more on the gifts that we receive from the important people in our lives. The following is a list (albeit non-comprehensive) of the gifts we receive from the people in our lives. Our family is so grateful for the people who surround us.

As for the list, I apologize in advance for any cliches or cheesiness.

Thankful List
1. Eli’s smile and belly laugh. I am also thankful for his difference because it has changed the way I see the world…for the better.
2. Darin’s inappropriate sense of humor. At times it’s good to remember what it’s like to be in seventh grade.
3. Natalie and Logan’s sense of fun and their imaginations. They make you remember what it’s like to be young.
4. My brother’s peaceful nature and sensitivity to animals and children.
5. My sister’s uncanny ability to light everyone around her with the youthful energy she carries.
6. Chris and Becky’s parenting advice and the knowledge that there is a light at the end of the tunnel of parenting.
7. In-laws that I not only like, but love. And I am not just writing that because they will read this.
8. My dad’s survival of a heart attack and prostate cancer. And his appreciation for a second (and third) chance at life.
9. My mom’s love of God and her spirituality.

IDC School Photos

Recently, Eli had his first school pictures taken at the Infant Development Center. The following are a couple of our favorite poses.





A future in baby modeling? I think so.

First Sign of Independence

Okay, to a lot of people, a baby holding a bottle is not a big deal. To us, this is a monumental breakthrough in Eli's journey to independence. Darin has been asking since week two, "so when will he start to hold his own bottle?" As of this past weekend, little man is able to hold his own and can now chug down his own bottle at a voracious pace. We are loving it!

Recovery

Eli is getting over being sick last week with some sort of respiratory infection. He is now on the mend and in great spirits. It's hard to believe that he is already 8 months old. Below are some photos in celebration of another month.

Dwarfism Facts

I thought that I would share some facts about dwarfism:

• There are over 200 distinct forms of dwarfism and skeletal dysplasias.
• People with dwarfism are generally not taller than 4' 10" at adult height. The typical height range is 2'8" to 4'5".
• Eighty percent of people with dwarfism have average-height parents and siblings.
• There are an estimated 30,000 people in the United States and 651,000 internationally with a type of dwarfism.
• In July 2009 the word "midget" was declared inappropriate and offensive. Preferable terms are: having dwarfism, short stature, little person, lp, and the medical terminology use of dwarf. A person's name is always the most preferred.
• LPA has registered a complaint with the FCC over the use of the "m" word. The goal is to raise awareness around the offensive impact of the word in order to eliminate its use in media, popular culture and in everyday language.
• LPA has 6500 members across the United States and includes 70 chapters active in all 50 states.
• Skeletal Dysplasias affect bone growth, but generally do not affect cognitive abilities.

The Ball

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Fun at Grandpa and Grandma's House

Eli was so lucky this past weekend. He spent time with Grandpa and Grandma Wagner AND Grandpa and Grandma Tempel. Can you say SPOILED??? Our family got together with both sets of grandparents at Grandpa and Grandma Wagner's house in Springfield, Missouri.

One of the highlights was seeing all of his grandparents on segways in Branson. They looked awesome.







We had so much fun! Eli has also developed a taste for Darin's drink of choice...just kidding, but he does has a fascination with brown glass bottles.



Thank you so much to our family for a wonderful extended weekend!

Road Warrior

Sorry for the lack of posts this past week. Eli has been on the road. First, it was an eight-hour trek north to Arlington to visit Great-Grandma Luepke for the first time. Eli was a traveling champ - no meltdowns and a lot of sleeping and talking to toys in the backseat. Great-Grandma Luepke was so excited to finally meet him. And, of course, Eli was enamored with his great-grandma.



We also met up with Great Aunt Diane, Cousin Ann and Eli's second cousins - Brielle and Adria. While they as different as night and day, they were so much fun to be around.



After Minnesota, it was on south to Waterloo to see Grandpa and Grandma Tempel for a few days. Eli also really enjoyed their dog Lilly as you will see from the following video. We have never seen him laugh out loud at a person, animal or toy quite like he did when he saw Lilly.

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Afterwards, we traveled south to West Point, Iowa to celebrate Great-Grandpa Fedler's 80th birthday. It was a busy week filled with about 20 hours total in the car, but we had a great time.

The Phantom Pacifier

Okay, again, playing with One True Media. I have wanted to catch Eli on video sucking his phantom pacifier for a while. It is just too funny and the audio is pretty cute. Sorry for the dark room - he is down for a late-morning nap today. More videos and pics to come. We have to prepare the house for Darin's Aunt Molly and cousins Grace and Mikayla, who are visiting us this weekend.

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Eli's Montage

Okay - Just playing around with One True Media. A friend of mine has put together some amazing videos and montages, so I put this one together for Eli. It is almost 5 minutes, so for those of you with a short attention span, consider yourself warned.

Grandma and Grandpa Wagner AND Grandma and Grandpa Tempel, eat your heart out!

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Jeffrey White and Nick Vedros Photography

Thanks to Jeffrey White for letting us tag along to Nick Vedros Studio today. Eli picked up some tips on how to become a professional gnome. It was fascinating to see the inner-workings of this awesome photography company right here in KC. Nick showed us ads done for FedEx-Kinkos, Maybelline and some amazing gnome photography featuring our friend Jeffrey.

The following is one of the photos that Jeff is featured in.

Visit http://www.vedros.com/, click on Portfolio, and then Gnomes. Prepare to be blown away.

Welcome to Eli's Escapades!

A few of our friends have inspired me to start a blog about Eli's life. I know, the title is a little more than cheesy. The word escapades conjures up that song by Paula Abdul and going to the ICEcapades as a child, but you know how much we love alliteration. This blog was established to keep family and friends updated on the day-to-day, from mundane to extraordinary...it just depends on the day.

It's hard to believe that Eli is already 7 months old. Throughout his life, we have taken photos with a sign displaying his age every month. This month's photos proved to be a bit more difficult as Eli is now on the move, rolling to get from place to place. This coupled with his new-found obsession with paper (one track mind of "must tear, eat and turn paper into mush") has made our photos much more exciting and much less "perfect."

Eli has also learned on the existence of a cat in our house. Noah (our first "baby") also has a fascination with paper. He likes to sit on it.