Eli at 20ish Months

Dear Eli,

I kept close records of all your milestones and accomplishments, big and small, during your first year of life. I haven't done as good of a job at keeping records of all these things during this second year, though. But there are things about you that I never want to forget- how you are right now, right this second, right at this age. So here's a little summary of some of my favorite things about you at 20ish months. (And just for the record, I could go on and on and on with things I love about you!)

-You have started to pretend. You play "nigh-nigh" with your animals and with any person who will play with you, and you pretend to pick imaginary food up and feed it to yourself and others. I love watching your imagination begin to grow.

-You "fix things" with your tools. Uncle Steve and Aunt Autumn gave you "Handy Manny" for Christmas, complete with his very own tiny tool kit. You get out the screwdrivers, flip over your little tricycle, and work on it with your tools. It's adorable! But the thing that is most impressive is that Daddy and I never showed you how to do this- it's something that you came up with all on your own! You love tools, and you love watching your Daddy use tools- "fixing your bike" has come naturally to you!

-Your vocabulary is growing. You know tons of words and will use them clearly and appropriately from time to time, but I really think that you just don't care much about talking! :) You use the word "dee-dee" for a host of things- I think it's just your go-to for words you don't want to try to pronounce. You have just recently started repeating most of what we ask you to repeat, and when you decide you want to say a word right, your pronounciation is right on. But most of the time you just don't care much about words, so you babble with a made-up language all your own. You also know a lot of signs, which helps us when we can't quite figure out which "dee-dee" you want. :) You are just beginning to put two words together, too.

-You loooooooove to be outside. This has been true of you since you were just a baby. You love to take long walks, pick up sticks, throw rocks, and climb over anything you can find. We try to spend as much time as we can outside, both because you love it so much and because you have plenty of energy you need to burn off!

-You adore your Daddy. "Dadda" is the first word out of your mouth in the morning and the last word out of your mouth at night. You wake up, get out of your crib, and immediately begin to search the house for Daddy. Sometimes, when my words, "Daddy is at work" finally sink in, you get so sad that you cry! The two of you have a really special relationship, and I can't wait to see it continue to grow as you get older.

-You are a climber. You are strong and tough, and you love to climb up on anything you possibly can.

-You are a neat-freak! This is probably built into your genetic code, since both Daddy and me are super neat freaks. And I guess it's just natural for you to want to keep things clean, since you've seen your parents always try to do the same. But it's hilarious for us to watch you search for missing pieces to toys, throw away trash, and wipe up spilled juice- not because anyone tells you to, but because you just want to! :)

-You sing and dance! We love to watch you dance and "sing along" with songs that you hear. Yo Gabba Gabba is your favorite video right now (You call it "Babba."), and you dance your way right through it!

-You are a true joy. In all honesty, I couldn't ask for a better kid! You are mellow, compliant, eager to please, helpful, and so happy. You are, 99 days out of 100, a breeze! You have your moments, of course, but you are truly the joy of our hearts. You have a personality that is like sunshine- bright, clear, happy, warm. What a blessing it is to get to spend every day with you!

I love you, my sweet boy! I can't believe that you will be two years old in just a few short months. Time is flying by too quickly. But no matter how old you get, you will always, always be my baby.

WIth a heart full of love,
Mommy.

Nigh-Nigh

One of the few words Eli repeats is "nigh-nigh" (night-night). He has recently started playing "nigh-nigh," lying down and pretending to sleep (with his eyes open, ironically) and then suddenly popping up and laughing hysterically. He'll go "nigh-nigh" in his high chair, on the bathroom floor, anywhere the mood strikes him.

He will also, at any time, point to any person near him and command, "NIGH-NIGH," meaning that you must lay your head down, close your eyes, and pretend to snore until he tugs your hair to "wake you up," at which point he laughs for a bit and then chooses his next victim. It's adorable. I love seeing him begin to "pretend" like this.

At the zoo this week he got a little stuffed giraffe. (He calls it "AAAAAAAHHHHHH," which is essentially a loud, prolonged growl used to signify giraffes, lions, tigers, and bears. Great vocabulary, I know. :) ) This morning he was sitting on the floor of my bathroom with his beloved blanket and the giraffe, waiting for me to get ready for work. I looked down when I heard him say, "nigh-nigh," and I watched as he laid his giraffe down on the floor, covered him up with his blanket, and then gave him a kiss. My heart melted! How cute is that? Of course, the giraffe was then rudely awakened by being flung into the air by little toddler hands, but I'm positive that he enjoyed being put to bed by the sweetest little boy I know. The boy who makes sure to give kisses before going to sleep. Oh, how I love him!

Synopsis

I have been totally absent from the blogging world lately! And now that I look at this blog again and realize it's been quite a while since I've posted, I realize that I still don't have much of interest to report. :)

What have we been up to lately?
-Youth group retreat: I went last weekend to help with the church's youth retreat at Pine Cove. Though tiring, for sure, we all had a great time, and I'm really impressed with these kids!

-NFL Playoffs: This has been a great draw of attention, especially for Eric. :) After Sunday's slaughter, though, my interest has waned.

-Zoo: Eli and I took a trip to the zoo yesterday with Sarah and the kids. We all had a blast.

-Burgers: This is seemingly inconsequential, but let me just say that the Kobe burger at Cheesecake Factory is the best thing that you will ever put in your mouth. Eat one.

-Walking: Long walks are Eli's absolute favorite activity in the entire world. We take a good many walks during the week, and I don't even need to bring a stroller any more. Eli just walks along, picking up sticks as he goes, and burning off all kinds of energy. It's heavenly, especially in this warm January weather that we've been having lately!

-Colds: Can I just say that I strongly dislike cold/flu season? My kid needs a break!

-Trying to grow: Eli has had some trouble gaining weight lately. He actually lost a few ounces last month, which is always difficult for me to hear. With one cold after another, he just has trouble keeping his appetite up, and all the coughing makes him throw up a lot, too. Plus he's super-active, running around every minute that he's awake. And he has a tiny appetite to begin with! All that adds up to difficulties gaining weight. And that means a Mommy who is worried about her child's growth and the ever-looming possibility of a feeding tube. :( Eli is healthy and strong, just small, and we just continue to pray that his appetite increases and he hits some sort of growth spurt! We would LOVE to see some progress in this area, and we would appreciate all the prayer we can get!

I'm going to try to be a little more frequent with updates, so until the next one, have a great week!

2010 Begins

I, for one, loooooove a clean slate, which is why I love the New Year! I love packing away Christmas and seeing how neat and tidy my house looks after everything is back in its place. I love getting back into a normal routine and normal eating habits after weeks on end of get-togethers and parties and eating vast quantities of extremely unhealthy things. :) I love how crisp and cold January typically is, and I love looking forward to spring, to the bulbs under the soil just waiting to come up, to the camping trips in warm weather and the trees starting to bud again. I love a New Year!

On New Year's Eve we were extremely wild and crazy. We went to my parents' house along with my sisters and brothers-in-law, ate a variety of yummy snacks, and talked until 11pm, when we celebrated the ball drop on Eastern time and then promptly went home to bed. I told you we were wild and crazy! :)

On New Year's Day we went to a big family gathering at Uncle Albert and Aunt Kathy's house (Eric's side of the family). They always cook a huge Japanese feast and play games and eat and laugh all day long. It was so much fun!!! Fresh, homemade california rolls, suki yaki, a vast assortment of Japanese snacks and candies, and mochi with sweet sauce for good luck- it was heavenly! Eli loved being there, too. He had a blast playing with the kids and Uncle Albert while Eric and I just enjoyed talking with everyone and eating the awesome food. We had such a great day!

We spent much of Saturday with our dear friends Nick and Sarah, celebrating a joint birthday for Sarah and me. We ate at one of our favorite places, Istanbul Cafe, and talked forever. It was such a treat to be kid-free (thanks, grandparents, for the babysitting!) and have a long, leisurely lunch with great friends.

We went to church this morning and then came home and finished packing up all the Christmas stuff while Eli napped. Our house is super-clean from top to bottom- the only time it will be this clean all year. :) And this afternoon we watched the Cowboys beat the Eagles in a shut-out game! It was the perfect way to end the holiday weekend. :)

I hope that you are all having a great start to 2010. May we all learn much from the Lord this year and listen closely to His voice in any and every path on which He leads us.

Happy New Year!