Recent videos

Here are some videos I've captured of Eli's talking, signing, and playing. It's harder than you think!

This is Eli saying ball:


Here's Eli walking behind his truck and also calling for Dada:


This is Eli doing the sign for flower and all done:


Eli says bird "buh" and does the sign for bird (watch his right hand):


And here he is waiting for the trash truck:

Road Trip

Eli and I went to Dallas this week to visit my family, and we had lots of fun! Eli is learning so many words these days that I had to write them down while we were there. He's learned about 10 words and 3 signs since Monday when we got there. Here are some pictures of our trip. It was so fun to spend time with family. I wish we lived closer so we could see each other more!

This is bathtime with cousins Grayson and Garrett. They had lots of fun being boys and sticking their faces in the water and blowing bubbles for Eli. Eli even said "buh buh".




Eli wanted to go in the pool, but quickly discovered that he did not like the cold water! Grandpa was a sport and got in with the boys. Eli said "ba" for splash, or he might have been trying to say pool, I couldn't quite tell. He would point or look at the pool and say it, so he had the association. Watching his cousins splash in the pool was lots of fun for Eli!


We also took a trip to the Owens farm and saw lots of animals. We fed the goats, sheep, ducks, and longhorn. Eli loved the goats and was laughing at them. We also got to go on a hayride that was pulled by a tractor. Eli was amazed by the tractor the whole ride. We also got to see turkeys, chickens and horses. Eli said two new words at the farm: duck and tractor. Too cute! Unfortunately, I forgot my camera, so I don't have pictures right now. My sister took some, so I'll post those later.

Mommy

I know I'm a mom when:
~my days are scheduled around nap time
~I look forward to trash day b/c of the TRASH TRUCK!
~I start to get excited and point out the trucks when I'm in the car by myself
~I begin to cut my food into little pieces before I eat it
~I sign or repeat everything I see
~I have the songs from Eli's toys in my head
~I wave bye-bye to another adult

These are just some of the things that I've done that remind me that I'm a mom...yes, I still have to have a reality check sometimes!

Here are some pictures of my mothers day at the park. We had fun playing and riding the train. John barely fit!

13 months old

Eli is officially 13 months old today. He's still very active and curious as ever. He's into everything and is still crawling everywhere...he's quick! He's started bear-crawling on his hands and feet with his bottom up in the air. That takes some skill! He's also a little sponge, taking in language like crazy. Eli says about 15 words now and signs about 13. It seems like lately he's been learning a new word each day. I love it! He's still very into trucks. "Tuh" is the word we hear most often. He now says "trash truck", which sounds something like "ta tuh". His words usually have the beginning sound and the correct vowel sound for sure, so they're somewhat recognizable. I love seeing him recognize things, realize that they have a name, and then sign or say the words. Maybe it's the speech pathologist in me, I don't know, but it's so fun to see! Another word Eli has learned is "no". Whenever I've told him no, he'll go back to what he was doing (usually climbing on top of the fireplace hearth), and before he gets into trouble, he'll say "na na" and look at me...he knows! I've taken so many videos lately, so I can't post them all. I'll have to post some later. It's hard to keep the blog updated with all Eli's doing!
Here are some of his favorite activities: playing in Boone's bed, riding in our friend Stephanie's truck, playing with "his" pots and pans, and looking outside for trucks.