He's been riding his tricylcle everywhere, but can't push the pedals quite yet, so I've been pushing him all around the neighborhood. This is exactly why I got the tricycle with the nice push handle that we'll remove once he gets the hang of it. Then instead of pushing, I'll be chasing! Eli also likes his helmet and enjoys wearing it around the house. It's cool because it's like Daddy's helmet!
He's also still working on potty training, which is a slow process, but we're making progress. We've been doing potty training drills outside (and inside) lately, which means bare-bottomed outside with potty ready. The warm December weather has been nice for this. He's been taking off clothes with no problem, and getting dressed by himself for the most part. This is very entertaining for John and I as you can see in the pictures.
Eli's gotten pretty good at brushing his teeth now as well. He continues to help around the house, like feeding Boone, putting things away, picking up his messes, finding things for us, telling me when he's hungry, thirsty, etc. There are several things like this that he's been doing for awhile now, but now I'm noticing that he continues to master these skills, and that he really can do these by himself and doesn't really need my help. This is to be expected, I know. His vocabulary and verbal communication is taking off as well. I know that he's always been listening and storing up words for later, but now they're coming out! All of a sudden he'll point out something and tell me about it and tell me what it is. I get so excited when this happens! I should also mention that his favorite phrase lately is "No, mine!" I'm not too excited about that one!
As you can see in these pictures at the computer, Eli thinks he's a big boy! There was nothing on the screen, but he pretends he's working and knows exactly what to do. I don't know what that face is all about in the first picture!
It sure is fun to watch the things he does and how he goes about doing things. I can see his mind working and problem solving. He thinks he can do it all himself and his way, but we know that's not exactly how it works. I guess that comes with the territory. It's so fun to watch all this growing and learning, but it's bittersweet.
