Sweet Boy

19 months

Another month flew by! The past few weeks have been rough because Eli has been getting his canine teeth all at once. This means that he doesn't sleep well and is also grumpy, but I don't blame him because that's gotta hurt! It's just a challenge for all of us. He's got one more canine tooth to pop through...then we wait for the two year molars!


In the last month, Eli has become a little artist! He discovered the fun of markers while we were at cousins Grayson and Garrett's house. He has to try them out on his skin before coloring the paper. Crayons are also fun, but Eli likes to eat them while he colors. We're also working on coloring only on the paper. Oh, it's so fun to color on the walls! I love washable makers and crayons!














Speaking of colors, Eli has learned some colors. He knows blue, red, yellow, green, orange, and brown. He can sign them correctly most of the time, but he doesn't always say the correct name of the color. He'll usually say blue ("boo") for most things, but sign the correct color, then he'll say the right color after I say it. I love seeing this whole learning process!
He is still a little copy cat. He is getting really good at it, too. This comes in handy for getting him to brush his teeth, put on his shoes, or help out. He's been giving us kisses lately by saying "mmmwah". I didn't realise we did that until he started doing it. He loves when Mama and Dada kiss each other, too! Eli has also been giving other kids hugs, but it turns into more of a tackle. You can see him hugging/tackling in action on the Halloween post.

It's cute except when he tries to hug smaller kids or babies! I guess we'll work on giving gentle hugs. Eli's giving his "cousin" Reese a kiss in this picture...or maybe it's the other way around.
So much learning going on! I think I have a little big boy now.

Halloween Festivities

Eli was dressed up as a soccer ball for Halloween. I bought an Elmo costume, but Eli refused to wear it, so we resorted to the soccer ball costume that Aunt Brynn made for Garrett when he was Eli's age. There were several people who thought Eli was a cow or Dalmatian because his hat didn't stay on for long, but that's okay! We went to a festival during the day with our friends and then thhat night we ended up going trick-or-treating in our neighborhood. It was a huge challenge for Eli to be still long enough with his hat on for a good picture, but I guess we did okay.

The festival where Eli got to see a real firetruck and even got inside!






Here's Eli wrestling with Cash the Turtle and Ellaiden the Cowgirl.






The soccer ball himself:

Pumpkin Patch

We went to a pumkin patch/fall festival a few weeks ago with Uncle Dan and Aunt Lisa. This was before the weather got cooler, so the only pumkin patch picture I have of Eli is him in his shorts and short sleeves. It doesn't quite look right. Thanks to Aunt Lisa for the pictures!

Tractor!

This tractor has been sitting outside at the grocery store "hauling" pumpkins, and last week Eli finally got to sit on it. He was very excited about it!

Talk about a chip on your shoulder, more like...

Hmmm, maybe Eli had a few too many at happy hour that night. Grandpa came to visit, and we had lots of fun! Eli loved putting on a show for Grandpa and making him laugh. I guess the cheese, chip, and guacamole in his hair was worth it!

18 months

Wow, Eli is 1 and a half years old! Part of me feels like it went by really fast, but part of me also feels like he's always been a part of my life. This sure is a fun age. I love seeing things click in his mind. His curious little mind makes for a busy little body. The preferred mode of transportation is running! He definitely still keeps me on my toes.
Eli continues to talk more and more each day. He's even started putting two words together. He'll say "more cheese" or "Dada shoe" or "Mama snack", for example. He's also become quite a little helper. Two fun activities lately are for him to put the paper in the recycle bin and to feed Boone. He looks so proud when he gets to help.
Eli is also blooming into a social butterfly. He says HI to everyone and everything. The way he says it is pretty funny. For some reason, he has a nasal voice and kind of whines "hah-eeee". Do I say HI like that, does John? I dont't think so. Don't know where he got that!


I like this age because Eli is more and more interactive. He tries to make us laugh all the time, it seems, and it usually works! It's fun to make him laugh, too. He's good at making funny faces (as you saw in the "Mirror Faces" post) and making funny sounds. The way he imitates everything we do is funny and really cute, too...so far. When he imitates us so well, it's kind of scary because it reminds us that we need to be good examples for him to follow.


Oh and I almost forgot, we made a big purchase...the potty chair! Eli has shown absolutely no interest in using the potty, but I thought we'd put it out and let him sit on it and get used to it for now. Maybe it'll spark some interest.
On to the next adventure!

Car Wash

Eli had a blast "helping" John wash the car on Sunday. Spraying the water hose was his favorite part. He did pretty good at actually spraying the car, but of coarse other things were sprayed, too, including John and I. Fun times!

Eli's friends (updated)

Some of you might remember Eli's friends from our church. They were all born within 3 months of each other. This picture was taken when Eli was 3 months old. From left to right: Eli, Ellaiden, Cash, and Naomi.


Here they are today: Naomi, Eli, Ellaiden, and Cash. We love our friends!

Mirror Faces

Headbands

For some odd reason, Eli thinks it's really fun to get my headbands out of my drawer, put them on, and wear them around the house. He also will go to the mirror with them on and dance or make faces at himself. A few days ago, we were leaving to go to Target and he had his headband on, and he did not want to take it off. I almost let him wear it into Target, but I just couldn't do it. I had to distract him with the keys and then take it off real quick and shut the car door. I don't know what it is about the headbands. I think Eli wears them more than I do! These are some pictures to show future girlfriends! I wish they showed up better in the pictures.

Mammy

Mammy, my mom, came for a short visit last weekend. She came Sunday morning and left Monday afternoon. She said she was having Eli withdraws. Eli and Mammy love each other like crazy and have so much fun playing together. I love watching both of them. When she's around, Eli's all about Mammy, and I take full advantage! John and I actually got to go out and see a movie! Thanks, Mammy! However, the leaving part is really hard. Mammy left when Eli was napping, so when he woke up and was calling out for Mammy and she was gone, he was so upset! It was pitiful. He cried and cried and kept saying "Mammy?", and after I told her she went home he'd start crying more. So, of coarse I had to get a picture to show Mammy. We miss you and love you, Mammy! Wish you lived closer!