Full Speed Ahead!

I guess I now officially have a toddler. I've held off calling him a toddler for as long as possible, but now that he's walking I guess I have no choice. His still my baby though!



Eli is practically doing laps around the house all day. This means trouble for our dog, Boone. Eli has always loved messing with Boone, but Boone has been able to get away quickly before now. Now that Eli can go after him, Boone's in trouble! Eli loves the game of "chasing" Boone and trying to give him things. Boone gets very annoyed, which worries us a little. So we might have to figure out another game, or teach them how to play nicely. Eli's excitement when he "plays" with Boone is pretty funny, though.

Don't worry, Eli's okay after his fall at the end of the video.


Here's Eli and Boone playing Hide and Seek:

Problem Solving

Eli figured out how to pick up his food without letting go of the balls. Impressive!

Backyard Fun

I thought it was going to be fun this summer hanging out in the backyard with Eli in the kiddie pool. Well it is fun hanging out in the backyard, but the interest in the kiddie pool only lasts maybe 5 minutes. Now that Eli is walking and able to explore, he wants to go see everything in and around the yard. So I spend my time following him around, talking about what he discovers, telling him not to put it in his mouth, and then dipping him in the pool to clean him off. Not exactly a relaxing time in the pool but still fun. I guess that's my life now...chasing my toddler around!




These pictures are from a playgroup we had in our backyard. One of the moms brought this cool play mat that shoots water up. Eli sat right in the middle of it and loved it!

14 months old

Another month has quickly flown by, and my baby is now 14 months old. As you saw on the last post, he's now walking. He's still testing the waters in that area because his preferred mode of transportation is still crawling...as of today. I know that will change quickly! He is becoming such a little person with a big personality. His latest thing now is scrunching his nose and smiling at the ladies to make them laugh and think he's real cute. What a flirt!

He is still learning words and signs like crazy. I can't keep up anymore. We're to the point where we have to be careful what we say around Eli because he'll try to repeat it. For example, we were in the car today and John said "shoot" and we heard "shuh" from the back seat. Eli's favorite thing to say lately is "bi tuh" for big truck. He says it over and over like "bi tuh bi tuh". He'll also say a list of the kinds of trucks, which I don't always understand, but every other word is "tuh"...so cute!


Golf balls are also a hit. He's fallen asleep holding his golf ball a couple times. I guess they're the perfect size for his little hands to hold. We also started a music class called "I Hear the World Singing". It's a class for toddlers where we get to sing songs, dance, and play instruments. We've had one class so far, and Eli loved it. He was giving his shakers to everyone...a little social butterfly!



Eli is also working on his molars coming in. I discovered the two little sharp molars on his upper gums a couple nights ago after he wouldn't go back to sleep for 4 hours! It took me awhile to figure it out, but after a little Tylenol, he was out and relieved! We also had a little red flag when Eli broke out in a rash all around his mouth and all over his body after I gave him a tiny bit of peanut butter cookie. So, no peanuts for him probably for a few years. I'm hoping he'll outgrow that and not have a peanut allergy.

Other than that, life is good! We're having lots of fun! I love this stage in Eli's life. Why does it have to go by so fast?

A Step in the Right Direction

This past Sunday Eli thought he'd see what walking might be like. He took a few steps on his own, and John and I looked at each other like "Did we just see that?". Ever since then, Eli's been practicing and perfecting this skill off and on. He's not walking across the room yet, just taking some steps and trying it out for now. His face is so cute when he's walking because you can tell he's so excited and proud!

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.

TRUCKS

Eli has been all about trucks lately. It seems like all I hear is "tuh" all day long, it's great. He likes to practice saying it all the time...as soon as he wakes up, when he's eating, when he's playing, and also when he actually sees or hears a truck, too. He recognizes all types now and knows what they sound like. As I mentioned before, car trips are very fun because there are alot of trucks to spot, and pickups count, so they're everywhere! I think Mammy is the one who taught Eli about trucks when she was here for his birthday and was sitting with him in the backseat pointing out all the trucks. I think that's when he started saying "tuh". The highlight of his week is when the trash truck comes. This week when we went outside to watch the trash truck, he was in awe. He just stared with wide eyes, mouth hanging open, and completely silent. Eli's cousin Grayson also loved trash trucks when he was about the same age. So cute! I hope you can hear him say it in the video...you have to listen closely.

Makeover

Since it is the second year of Eli's blog, I thought it would be appropriate and refreshing to update it a bit and change the look of it. I'm not very computer-savvy, so this took me FOREVER, WAY too long! After I was very frustrated and thought I'd messed it all up and lost everything, John came to the rescue and fixed it. My hero! I hope you like it because I don't want to try to change it back. Change is good!

Big Time

For Eli's birthday, I turned his car seat around to face forward. This is a big milestone for him...well maybe more for me. He's been in his "big boy" carseat since he was 6 months because he outgrew the baby carrier that was supposed to last until he was one. The car seat has had to face backwards, but now that he's one he can turn around and see the road and everything around him from a new perspective! How exciting! He absolutely loved it. Trucks are much easier to spot now. All I heard from the backseat was "tuh" and giggles. Eighteen wheelers are very exciting! I got some pictures, but don't worry, John was driving when I took them.

Birthday Zoo Trip

Eli and I took a trip to the Austin zoo for his birthday. It was his first time to go to the zoo, and he loved it! To him, the trees were just as amazing as the tigers! He kept trying to tell me what he saw by lifting his hand up and saying "duh". I think his favorite animals were the goats. As soon as he saw them he started mooing, which is what he does when he sees a cow. They're similar to cows, right? He loved it when the goats talked back! It was a fun birthday for both of us. I hope to continue the special Mommy/Eli time for his birthdays to come. I'm thankful for times like those.

Eli is 1 year old today!!

Can you believe it? I can't! He's so much fun right now...now that the teething has subsided! He's on the move...crawling and content with that for now. His language is taking off, and he's becoming quite the communicator. He's trying to repeat alot of words, and they actually sound recognizable. The most recent favorites are: truck, book, and Boone. He's still signing, too. I love when he is babbling in long "sentences" while looking strait at me with wide eyes like I'm supposed to know exactly what he's telling me. I of coarse I act like I know and have a conversation with him.






We had Eli's birthday party this past Saturday, which was supposed to be at the park...ha! We had to move it to my house due to the weather. I can't believe it was sleeting that day!! We had the party with Ellaiden, our friend who was born the day after Eli. We had about 40 people at the party, and it was so fun.


The best part was watching the two kiddos smear cake all over their faces. Well, Ellaiden wasn't too into the cake, but Eli had chocolate cake all over him. He loved it! He was overwhelmed with all the people in his house at first and was a little clingy to me, but after he got his cupcake, he was happy! He was attached to my hairbrush that day, so I let him have it for comfort since he was overwhelmed. Therefore, most of the pictures at his party, he has his brush. I'll be explaining that to him when he's older and looking at the pictures. Thanks to all who came to the party inspite of the weather and for all the fun gifts!

We also had a baby dedication at our church's Easter service. Eli and his three best friends (Ellaiden, Cash, and Naomi) all were dedicated together. It was very special and meaningful. I'm very thankful that we have them and their parents as friends. Thanks for being our friends!

Dancin' Machine

This is hilarious!

Signs and Books

Eli is now signing and trying to say words. He signs more, drink, dog, light, and all done. If he wants to sign something but doesn't know how, he just moves around his hand in a circle. He says 'deh' when he's happy or thinks something is funny, says dada to John, and says 'buh' for book and Boone. Sometimes he says mama to me, but only after I say it, so I think he's just repeating. He also loves books right now. He likes to turn the pages, touch things in the books, and is content sitting in our laps listening to us read. That is, as long as it's the book he wants to read!
He'll pick up the books he likes and hand them to us, it's great. I hope the interest in books lasts. He's also into cows lately. He'll point to a picture of a cow and say "hmmmmm", like it's mooing. I love to see him make the connections. It'll be fun to hear him talk!

This video demonstrates his side-stepping abilities. The motivation is to get the books!

Giggles

Honestly, it's been a rough couple of weeks. Eli has continued the teething and has another tooth. We also found out that he has eczema, which is basically dry skin that causes a very itchy rash. So, both of these things have resulted in fussy days and sleepless nights. Poor little guy, he can't help it. Thank God for Eli's contagious laugh and cuteness! Only John can tickle Eli and make him laugh like this. It makes my day!

11 months old

Eli is now 11 months old as of Saturday. I can't believe it's gone by so fast. I know I say that every month, but it's true. Not much has changed since last month. He's still 24 lbs. according to our scale, and I don't think he's grown in length. He's perfected his ability to pull up and crawl. He's still not walking or talking, but that's fine by me. I'm still Eli-proofing, it seems, and telling him "no touch" alot. He's a pro at exploring and getting into things. Oh, and he also got another tooth...on the top to the right of the big one...I think it's technically the lateral incisor or something like that. I'm pretty sure he's working on the one on the top left now. I'm not looking forward to when the molars come in b/c these teeth have been painful for all of us already! So, we'll see what this month has in store!

Mommy and Me

Spring Time!

We've been spending alot of time at the park in this beautiful weather. Here are some pictures of Kite Day at Zilker Park and also Eli in the swing a couple days ago.