Good Pictures

Eli's puttin' the moves on his friend Bailey. This was just after they danced on stage and he helped her down the stairs.

Caught in the act...

Silly Face

Say Cheeeeeese!

Front-end loader, or as Eli says, "fruh lo"...or is it a bulldozer ("boo doh")? Eli could tell you, but I get those mixed up.

A Message from Eli...

Here's how he really feels about it...




Here was my reaction...



Yes, it's true! Eli is going to be a big brother! I'm due at the end of September. I'm still getting used to the idea of having two kids...still an overwhelming thought and kind of scary, but I guess I've got time for it to sink in. John's excited and Eli has no clue.

We had our first doctor's appointment today, and I guess this is for real! We got to see the baby and the heartbeat, which made it more real and exciting. It's healthy and big...a whole 3 centimeters! My family has requested to see the sonogram pictures, so here they are. The head is at the bottom and then you can also see two arm buds and the body, but you can't see the legs in the picture. I had to take pictures of the pictures, so they're not the best quality.



I'll have more updates on the blog. I guess we'll have to change the name of the blog since Eli will be sharing the blog with his sibling...among many other things. We're going to be a family of four, wow!

Foomie

22 months old

Okay, this is a week overdue but that's okay. I really like to do these monthly updates on Eli for me anyway. So, as of last Sunday, Eli turned 22 months old. John is already telling people Eli's 2 whenever they ask, which is not okay! I don't want him to grow up faster than he already is! 22 months IS close to 2, but it's not 2 yet.
This really is a fun stage. Eli's our little parrott lately. Even when John and I are having a conversation with each other, we'll hear certain words we've said being repeated in the background by Eli. He's able to say all kinds of things now and he's trying to repeat some difficult words to say, which is funny. One very convenient thing that he's got the hang of now is saying "yes" and/or nodding his head. This is so nice when he actually answers 'yes' to a question and means it instead of saying 'no' to everything. Eli's also able to say his own name now, and he loves saying it, too. He even made up a song, and the only word in it is Eli. He also likes saying other people's names. He knows names of family, his friends, his friends on Sesame Street, and others, too. It's also fun to hear how he says things. I've noticed that Eli likes the /f/ sound. A lot of his words start with /f/, like "foomy" for smoothie, "fime out" for time out, "fleez" for please, and others. It's just fun that he's talking so much and even more fun to hear how he says things and how the words sound when he attempts to say them.
I've noticed him being able to climb better. I always get a little nervous at playgrounds, but now I'm a little more confident in his abilities. I don't feel like I have to be there to help him up or down as much anymore. It's fun to see him do it. And of coarse, he wants to try it all by himself, too!
We're still working on potty training, but casually. He goes on the potty when we think to put him there, but he just doesn't know to go before it's happened. When the weather gets warmer, we'll try going diperless outdoors so that maybe he'll recognize the sensation. I expected this to be a long process.
Eli also loves to be our helper. He especially loves to help Dada and be like Dada. He'll copy everything John does. Eli has been really good about following directions...when it's something fun, of coarse! For example, he'll go get his socks and shoes for us from his room when it's time to go outside or in the car. Or, he'll go get my bag for me so that I can get a snack out for him. His favorite thing to help with is feeding the animals (Boone and the chickens). Eli will also put himself in time out sometimes, which is helpful, too!
I guess that's about it. Like I said, this is a fun stage because if all Eli's talking and seeing his sense of humor come out. He makes us laugh all the time!

This is a video of Eli saying "blueberry". As you'll hear, he also says "cheeeese" whenever I get out the camera now.

Dreams

Apparently Eli knows what a dream is and he remembers his own dreams. The other day, Eli woke up from his nap, sat up and said and signed 'goat' and then 'sheep'. So, I asked him if he was dreaming about the goats and sheep we had seen that morning at the zoo. Then he started naming some other animals we saw at the zoo. So, I just thought he must have been remembering the zoo trip. Then a couple mornings ago, John asked Eli what he dreamed about after he woke up that morning. Eli said, "Bobo, Ninny, Grandpa" without hesitation. (This is my Dad, Cindy my stepmom, and their dog, Bobo.) Eli had the same answer when John asked him again. We just thought, aw, how sweet, he's thinking about them and missing them. So, this morning I asked Eli what he dreamed about last night, and without hesitation again, he said "Hello", which is what he calls his music class since that's a song we sing there each time. John asked Eli later that morning what he dreamed about last night and again Eli says "Hello". At first I thought it was coincidence, but it seems to me that Eli remembers his dreams. This is pretty amazing to me that Eli knows what a dream is and that he remembers what he dreams about! I always wonder what he's thinking about, and now I feel like I have a tiny glimpse into his little mind.
Hmmm...what could he be thinking about in this picture?