Turkey Lurkey Dee...

Happy Thanksgiving!! The kids have had quite a day already. Eli and Maddux hung out with Daddy while I went to the gym and then we all ate breakfast together. We finally removed one of the many 1970-style radio boxes attached to the walls in our house. Eli was very interested in 'pixing' the radio once we pulled it off the wall. He pulled out his tools and went to work. Maddux got a little fussy around that time, but once we put her in the bumbo so she could watch her brother, she was fine.

A little while later, Eli and I watched the (tivoed) Macy's Parade (totally an annual tradition for me). In between the balloons, tubas, trumpets and drums, we made a Thanksgiving wreath out of cut-out Eli hands. Then I asked him what he was thankful for and I wrote his answer on each hand. Lehr and I did not prompt at all, except to say "What or Who are you thankful for?" And I didn't repeat items/names, even when Eli did. (Let's be honest: had I done that Eli would have a wreath with nothing but "Gappa Jib" on it.) His 'thanks' are as follows:
- corn
- hamburgers
- body
- Grandpa Jim
- Grandma Cathie
- books
- Treis
- football game
- pumpkins
- Mommy
- Daddy
- pictures
- CC
- D

For The Love Of The Game

As I've posted several times, Eli is a baseball nut. He loves to watch it, he loves to play it, he loves to talk about it.... I thought we'd covered all of the basics with him, but he picked up two new tricks last week when he saw a softball game. Now when we play catch, Eli squats down to catch and throw the ball, like the catcher does. I tried to tell him that he can stand up to throw the ball, but he insists on squatting to catch and throw. He also started yelling, "Hey batter batter!!" when he hits. That's right, when he hits. I guess he's trying to psych himself up?

We had a really good day on Monday, which I forgot to mention. After Eli's nap we played outside while Maddux snoozed. She woke up before Lehr got home, so I tried to kill thirty minutes before I fed her (in the hopes Lehr would be present to entertain the lad). I put Maddux in the single BOB and told Eli we were going to walk to the top of the street so he could run down. We live at the end of a cul-de-sac with a lot of kids on our street, so cars go slower than usual. Plus I always keep Eli in front of me (coming down the street), so any incoming cars would have to hit me before they got to him. (That was a joke.) Eli is really good about running to the gutter when he hears a car; he even does this when he hears a car several streets away. That being said, he loves to run down the street because he's 'free' of the stroller and Mommy's hand. On Monday he started up the street very excitedly. Then about halfway up, he stopped and held out his hand to me: "Hold-ya?" I grabbed his little hand and he continued on walking. My heart skipped a dozen beats! What a sweet gesture from a usually non-touchy-feely boy! He did this again last night when we repeated the time-wasting walk. On the run back down the street, he turned around three or four times and waved to us saying, "Hi Baby!!!". He does love his baby sister!

My Boy Is A Pin-Up!

A few months back a calendar was put together by a group known as "Ponseti's Angels" to raise money for the Ponseti International Association. As soon as they became available I ordered one, if for nothing else, to throw some money their way. We received the calendar this week; low and behold, Eli is in there! At one point I do remember them asking for permission from a few of us on one of the message boards, but that was months ago, so I forgot. The calendar contains pictures of babies and kids in various stages of treatment (Eli's picture is of his corrected feet, from about six months ago) and lots of useful information about the treatment of clubfeet. The pictures are not all high quality, but the information included is absolutely wonderful. I'm really impressed by how they managed to give some great insight without overwhelming with too many words. If you know anyone with a clubfoot child or if you just want to support the cause, here is the link to order. (This would be a REALLY great gift for someone expecting a clubfoot child, through pregnancy or adoption. There are a lot of tips on how to deal with casts and the shoes/bar inside.)

An Everexpanding Vocabulary

It's not as if he didn't pick up new words before, but now Eli repeats them seconds after he hears them! After Eli's nap this afternoon, we played with Maddux for about five minutes before I put her down for a nap. Eli played in the hall while I placed Maddux in her crib. I said, "Good night, sweet-pea." to Maddux before I walked away from her crib. As soon as I walked out and closed her door, Eli looked at me and said, "goodniiigh tee-pee".

Last night as the four of us ate dinner, we saw another bug in the house (I'm almost immune at this point). Lehr, shocked by the size, responded with a "Holy Moly". Eli said, "Oh-lee Moe-ee" all night.

Eli was reminded of his pleasant pool visits when we visited the pool house last night. This morning he told me over and over that he wanted to "jumppp" off the "dy-bing bohd" into the "kee-dee pool".

Sunday Wrap Up

After their naps yesterday afternoon, we took the kids to a neighborhood chili cook-off. There was a fire truck and plenty of games to be played. Eli impressed by the big red truck, but not as much as I would have thought. He did enjoy the bouncy castle though. Especially since when we first got there only one other 'older' kid was inside. And he (maybe 8 or 9 years old) was GREAT with Eli. He would lift him up to dunk the ball, or fly him around the inside like Superman.

On our way to the event, Eli kept the (real) pliers with him in the car. We had them out in the house for some repairs this week, and Eli is quite obsessed with real tools. He even said "pie-ers. cheese." when I pulled out the camera.

After dinner, Eli and Lehr ran to the store while I bathed Maddux. When they got home, Eli came right upstairs to Maddux's room to greet us (as I was feeding her). He came in and said, "HI!" and then ran into the computer room. He returned a minute later with a tiny stuffed animal I'd been using with Maddux recently. He gave it to me and said, "Tis-ser. Toy." (sister. toy). Then he went back and got another and said, "Here-go, baby!" Of course he wanted to kiss her head before he left for good. On his way out he turned around and said, "Bye-bye, Mommy." as he closed the door behind him. His 'bye-bye' is so cute: he says it as he opens and closes his palm, in a wave. It's quite a good impression of how I do it to him, but 1000-times cuter.

Donation Corner: World Vision

The holidays are fast approaching which means everyone is hitting you up for charitable donations. And then when they're done, their kids come and ask for more money/food/gifts. Please do not view my Donation Corner in that light. I am not asking any of you for any contributions. I am simply providing information on charities that I deem worthy and in need, should you be looking for a place to contribute.

This month I'm highlighting a charity that is unique, in my opinion. It allows you to contribute money to specific parts of the world and to specific needs. World Vision gives you a breakdown of exactly what your contribution will provide. For example, you can donate $25 to be used to purchase two chickens for a family. They can eat the eggs as well as sell them for income. Or you can donate $16 and purchase two soccer balls for impoverished kids.

That's it. I'm not going to hit you over the head with it...World Vision is there if you choose to use it.

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday

I don't remember when Eli started waking up happy, at least happy enough to play in his crib until someone came to gather him. For the past week, Maddux has been doing this after her morning nap. I will hear what I think is her, but when I put my ear to the monitor there is silence. Then a minute or so later, I'll hear her shriek again. Eventually I realize that she is making noises, but they are happy, playing noises. This morning Maddux woke up and played in her crib for ten minutes before 'requesting' I come in to feed her. That was a first; I knew she had to be starving having not eaten since 8PM last night. Yet she still hung out for a while and entertained herself.

Also, Maddie is really enjoying the exersaucer. She gets to explore its possibilities at least once each day, and so far she's not been disappointed. She is grabbing objects with much more success in the last week, and she runs in place like Eli did when he was this age too.

Eli woke up quite lethargic this morning. We heard his aquarium turn on around 8:45, but we usually give him 15 minutes or so to wake up on his own. (He is not a happy camper if you rush his awakening process.) In that time we didn't hear any other (talking, etc.) noises. When Lehr finally brought Eli downstairs, he informed me that something was 'weird'. He said Eli fell asleep on his shoulder while they read a book and he was very lifeless. I reached out and took Eli in my arms to investigate for myself. He didn't seem to have a fever or any other obvious ailment, so thoughts of keeping him with me during the church service ran through my mind. As I put him in his high chair I realized what the problem was. Eli ate next to nothing for dinner last night, so his blood-sugar was most likely at an all-time low. This kid eats a LOT, so missing a meal could cause serious havoc. He did not enjoy the dinner I made, so he only picked at a few bites of apple and raisin from the salad portion. In our house we don't cater to the kids: they're at healthy enough weights that I know they aren't undernourished. The choice is what we are eating or a big bowl of nothing. There was no struggle or fight, but last night Eli chose nothing. After 'dinner', Eli and Lehr went to the nearby softball field to watch a few minutes of the softball games. When they returned home Eli was a mad-man: running around the upstairs imitating the base-running and ball-catching. Any calories he might have had during dinner were definitely burned in the 15 minutes before his bath. After breakfast he seemed to be himself again, so we're pretty confident that's all it was. Since Eli is never quiet and cuddly like he was this morning, it almost made me wish he'd skip a meal once a week so I could spend 'down time' with him. That's something that is reserved only for before-bed-books, which Lehr usually handles.

Even though I know this post is already too long, there is one last thing. Eli seems to have found his Lex Luthor (or his Superman, depending on which character Eli might be). There is a little boy who in in the same Sunday school class at church, even though he's about six months older than Eli. A month or so back, this little boy's dad told us that he (the boy) had hit Eli during Sunday School, but that he did apologize. We joked about how it would most likely be Eli hitting him (the boy) next time. That may have happened today (and every Sunday, for all I know). On the ride home, Eli said "I 'tarry, (boy's name)." We asked him if he had to apologize today and he said 'uh huh'. When we asked him why, Eli said, "Hit. (Boy's name)." On the other hand, Eli incorporates this little boy's name into a lot of conversation around our house, even though he only sees him for a few hours on Sunday. I think they tend to play together a bunch in that time, which of course means they end up butting heads a lot. I just hope Eli really did apologize! (I know who worked in Eli's classroom today, so I will be asking for more details soon :)

Random Updates

Eli helped Lehr clear the leaves off the back porch this morning. We've had a lot of rain and cooler temps this week, so our yard, driveway, and deck are unrecognizable. Eli and I have raked for the past two days, but Eli's version of raking includes Mommy raking leaves into a pile and Eli raking them out of the pile. He was also little help to Lehr on the back deck. Instead of a rake, it was a broom, but a very similar process.

Last night we went to our bi-weekly small group dinner. We get together with several other couples, most of whom have small kids, so it's usually semi-organized chaos. In the midst of it, Eli picked up a new skill: hugging. Until now, Eli has not wanted to put forth the effort of contributing to a hug. He'd receive or he'd kiss you, but he would not put out his arms and squeeze. As we were leaving he finally decided to do it, and then we could not get him to stop. In fact, he hugged one little girl so much that she finally said, "He's squishing me!" To which Eli laughed and repeated "Skish-me!" over and over. Maddux pulled an 'all-nighter' by not nodding off the entire three hours we were there. Not to mention the 30 minute drive on either end of the visit. She was exhausted when we got home; I think she was actually mad at me for putting her pjs on before I put her in the crib!

While I ran to the store this afternoon, Lehr put Maddux in the backpack carrier. No pictures yet (since I was not home at the time), but he said she enjoyed it for almost an hour while he cleaned the garage.

Laughingstock

I gave Maddie some zerberts (sp?) today while Eli was napping. She couldn't get enough!!! This is my first time using blogger's video....let me know if you prefer it to YouTube (what I normally use).

Trip to the Doctor

Maddux had her four-month well-check this morning. I decided to have Eli get his flu shot at the same time, to save a trip. Before the visit I guessed Maddie would weigh in at 15 pounds, considering how much my back aches when I put her in the bjorn these days. I wasn't far off: she tipped the scale at 14lb. 10oz!! That put her in the 75% for weight, and at 25 1/2" long, she is in the 95% for height. We have a big girl on our hands! Eli did very well during the appointment. I brought along his Spiderman camera (a favorite these days) and Fox In Sox, which kept him pretty entertained while we waited for the nurse to come in with the shots. Eli got his first and he barely flinched when she stuck him. Maddux gave a very, VERY sad cry when she got her immunizations, however.

For those of you with kids who sign(ed), did they forget signs as they started to use words? Yesterday I had my mouth full, so I told Eli to "drink. milk" with sign language. He looked at me like I was nuts. So I then reminded him of all the signs he used to use. Especially "please" and "thank you" and "more", which he still uses at the same time he says the words some times. Even those seemed to baffle him, which makes me think he doesn't realize he's using those hand gestures: it's just a reflex. Just tonight, when he finished his dinner, Eli shook his hands and said, "All done." which he does every time he says those words. But if you ask him to 'sign' it, he doesn't have a clue.

Give It A Try!

Lehr sent me the link to a fun online game. The great thing is, the better you do, the more people benefit. Teamed up with United Nations, freerice.com donates 10 grains of rice for every word you match correctly. You can practice your vocabulary skills while simultaneously helping end world hunger. Give it a try!

Like A Weed

Here is a quick video of Maddux in her exersaucer from this weekend. There's not a whole lot going on in the video, but it shows just how big she is!

The Storm Has Passed?

I hope!! Eli has had a rough two weeks. His two-year-old 'tude and defiance was present and accounted for almost every second of the last ten to fourteen days. Add that to his teething (yes, it is an on-going process that never ends, so I should just stop mentioning it) and you get one very tired, very frustrated, very overwhelmed Mommy!

I am so happy to report that this day has been 100% wonderful so far. We've had no time-outs, no chastising, no tantrums and only a few 'reminders' regarding obedience. Eli, Maddux and I spent the whole morning at the house, which is normally a recipe for disaster with Eli, as his attention span is limited. We all got up and had breakfast, then played with Maddux for about ten minutes before she took her first nap. Eli and I proceeded to play in the front yard with everything: rakes, baseball and bats, Eli's push-car, golf clubs. Then we moved to the back-yard and blew some bubbles before coloring a few leaf pictures for the refrigerator. Maddux woke up and Eli had blanket time for 20 minutes (which went PERFECTLY). We followed that by lunch (apple pancakes in the shape of letters: E and C today) and stories before his nap. I cannot tell you how happy this makes me! And I know it made Eli happy to regain rights to his sports equipment today. I am so excited to have my crazy, spunky, happy, mostly-obedient Eli back...I hope he's here to stay!

This weekend I counted with Eli every time we read the monkey book. I touch each monkey as we count them, and after 1, 2, and 3, Eli usually counts the rest on his own (with me still touching the monkeys). Yesterday I saw him reading the book with Lehr and Eli was the one touching the monkeys as he said, "doo, tee, fouu, pie-ve.." (two, three, four, five) When we colored on the back deck this morning, Eli touched each pumpkin and counted, though not always using the correct numbers.

Time Flies!

Maddux is growing up so fast. We put her in the exersaucer this weekend for the first time. She seemed to like it ok, even though she's not pushing herself around yet. Of course when Eli came over and played with the toys, she giggled uncontrollably. I really need to keep the video camera strapped to me for those occasions!! Maddie is a true yoga baby; she practices "happy baby pose" all of the time now. She grabs her toes and coos. That's another thing we missed out on with Eli: foot play when he was a young baby. By the time he was out of his bar enough to play with his feet, he'd moved on to bigger and better things.

Our big girl is fully in size 6-12month clothing and size 3 diapers now. Did I mention she just turned 4-months last week? She outweighs all other like-aged babies we know, and she is only one size behind her brother in diapers. One size behind her two-year old brother. She must have very sticky bones because she still does not eat a whole lot, nor very often. She will be starting 'solid' foods around Christmas - that snuck up on me! It really hit me this week that I need to be sure and soak all of these little baby milestones up. I've always told myself two kids - no more. If that is the reality, this is my *last* chance to experience all of these baby gems. That has definitely caused me to stop in my tracks.

Eager to Please

Even through the issues we've been having recently with Eli's behavior, one thing remains fairly constant. Eli is a true first born and he loves to please Mommy. This is evident in little things he does daily. When he is in an obeying kind of mood, he will obey all the way, which includes putting toys away in their correct place, even when he's excited about moving on to another activity or room. And our rule is his 'special' blanket has to stay in his crib all the time. From time to time he will go into his room and pull it through the slats. Tonight he did this right before his bath, but quickly returned to his room when I told him 'no'. He was in his room for about five minutes before I went in to see what the hold up was. He was trying very hard to make sure it got back into his crib, which is quite difficult considering the height of his crib walls. He has to ball it up and toss it over the top. Quite a feat for a two year old.

Eli's new word/phrase ability really hit me this morning. About a month ago we were in the habit of reading "Eight Silly Monkeys", one of Eli's favorite books. When I asked him what the doctor said, he would reply: "No, no." He found that book again last night and when I asked him this morning what the doctor said, his response was "No more monkeys jumpin!!" In just a month he went from a one-word answer to a full sentence. So cool! He also loves to ask where things/people are: "Daddy is?" "Truck is?"

Sorry for the lack of pictures this week; we got new carpet and the installers had our upstairs blocked off for two days. Between that and the preparation and clean-up afterwards, my camera hasn't been touched.

Name?

That's Eli's newest question de jour. He will see something (or someone) in a book or on the street and ask, "Name?" This 'game' can go on as long as I keep answering him because, depending on his mood, Eli will continue to ask even after I've given him the answer. He also asks to hear "Eli Tong" (Eli song) at least 100 times each day. The song he's referring to is "Eli's Coming" by Three Dog Night. The chorus is easy enough for me to sing as the words are simple (Eli's Coming), but if I sang every time he asked, my voice would be gone by 11AM.

Update

Sorry I haven't posted this week. We got new carpet installed upstairs and Eli has been 'difficult', so my free time has been very limited. Not much new to report re: Eli's misbehavior and hitting. He's lost rights to all of his sports equipment this week due to hitting/swatting. He did really well on Tuesday, so he was able to play with the soccer ball Tyler brought to the mountain yesterday, but ten minutes after we started playing, Eli swatted Ty's back. Then he swatted at Lehr in Target last night. Bye-bye sports again!! Eli does get it though. While we were walking with Tyler and his mommy yesterday morning, Eli told her, "Soccer goal. Time-out."

Maddux is growing up so fast!! I had her in the nursery with me while I worked at MOPS this week and she was the biggest baby. The only one that was similar in size was a 9-month old. WOW! My baby is a linebacker! This week she discovered that her hand can open and close. It's so much fun to see her stare at her fingers as she makes and releases her fist. Mad Dog is also in love with her brother. Eli had her giggling so hard last night, and it was right before her bath when she's normally exhausted and irritable. In Maddie's eyes, Eli can do no wrong. Both kids love to lie in Eli's crib while I read them stories. I try to read Maddux a book or two while Eli is sleeping each day; she touches the pages, but doesn't get too excited. When she's in his crib and I'm reading, she smiles and coos up a storm, mainly because she is watching Eli.

What a Day!

Today started much better than yesterday; Eli had a wonderful morning! After breakfast we drove over to Cooper's house to hang out for a bit. Eli and Cooper battled over a few toys, but Eli didn't lose his temper until it came to the oh-so-cool tricycle upstairs. Eli wanted to use it and he wanted to use it BAD. We were all playing in the downstairs playroom at the time though, so it wasn't an option. Eli was not happy with the situation, so he went downstairs willingly with me, but then ran over to the table and threw one of Cooper's crayons across the room. I took him to a separate staircase for a timeout. He sat, but refused to apologize to Cooper when he was done, which meant he had to stay in time-out. Then he cried and flailed and carried on. Finally I brought him to the car so I could put him in his car seat to have his tantrum. I buckled his seat belt and told him I was going to close the door for one minute so he could finish his time-out. After sixty seconds I opened the door and Eli started swatting the air and saying, "NO!" right away, so I told him we were going home. He cried and cried while I loaded Maddux up. Once we got on the highway, his tears stopped and he said, "I 'tarry, Cooper! I 'tarry Coopey! I 'tarry Mommy!" I thanked him for apologizing, and I informed him that when we got home he could apologize to me face-to-face and we would then call Cooper to apologize. But we were still going home. He cried again, but it didn't last long. He was very apologetic the rest of the morning, even going so far to say "I 'tarry Cooper's toys." Stay the course.... (Eli did lose the privilege of his soccer goal and ball during this tantrum when he swatted at me. He has already asked for it a dozen times and each time I've reminded him why the answer is no.)

For the last few weeks, we've been talking about Bible verses with Eli. His Sunday School class often sends home a worksheet or craft containing a verse. Usually during breakfast and lunch, I'll say to Eli "Time for our Bible verse!", and I'll recite the words. This week's verse was a great one because the wording hit home with the issues we're having.

Acts 3:19: Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord

So I read the verse to Eli this afternoon, and then I said, "Do you know what repent means?" I proceeded to explain (using the best 2-year old words I could) that it meant you apologize for doing something bad, but also that you feel bad about it so much that you don't want to do it (the bad thing) anymore. We moved on to other conversation and five minutes later Eli blew me away so much I had to call Lehr immediately afterwards. Eli looked at me and said "Turn God?" I asked him to repeat himself because I could not believe my ears. He said the same thing again and then followed up with, "Feel bad." WOW!! I know this could be just regurgitation, but still....how amazing is it to hear your child recite scripture back to you at such a young age?! I will be the first to tell you that I don't have many 'memory verses'. In fact, I probably couldn't correctly recite and quote two. This gives me hope. For so many things!!!

Donation Corner: Charity Navigator

Isn't it neat when something just clicks. When connections are made in your life that make you say, 'WOW'. Yesterday our pastor talked about ways to give during the holiday season. Specifically, he talked about how you might ask the people in your life to consider donating instead of or in addition to buying you a gift. I'm happy to say that God had already been working in my heart on this particular matter. In the past month Lehr and I have had more than one conversation about this very thing. It is our wish that instead of buying us more 'stuff', friends and family choose a charity, or pick from one of our 'favorites', to donate to. We honestly don't need anything (though I am asking Santa for a bug-free, rodent-free house, at least for the holidays), and it seriously would make me more happy to know money is going towards someone who truly has a need.

If you feel led to give this year, or if you were considering purchasing a gift for your favorite babbling blogger, I have a link of previous Donation Corner spotlights to the right of my posts. If none of those are in line with where your heart or head are right now, check out the Charity Navigator to find one that suits you. This month I'm going to leave it to you to find your own Donation Corner. Please let me know if you find one you find worthy of a spotlight!!

Death Wish

Seriously. That is what Eli woke up with today. He is teething his two-year molars, but that can't possibly possess someone to act out in such a horrendous manner (nor does it justify it)! We were awake at the house for about 90 minutes before leaving for church. Eli seriously spent about 60 of those minutes in time-outs. Good Gravy! It wasn't 50 occurrences either: he really only got placed into a time-out two or three times (which is still a lot, in my opinion). The problem was he continually failed to get out of his prison (it was the time-out stool, but he was moved to his crib since he wouldn't stay in his designated area). Lehr and I require that Eli do three things before he can re-enter the world: show self-control (sitting with hands folded), apologize to the offended, and give a hug or kiss to the parent who placed him there. This morning he fought the self-control for a long time. Then he would get there only to refuse apologies. I felt like I was hitting my head on the wall!! Then when he apologized, it would only be half way (he wouldn't identify the offense). Some of you might be reading this thinking, "Come on!! He's only two!!! He can't be expected to do all of that!" But I assure you he can and he does on a regular basis. We've been doing this type of repentance for almost six months now, and he totally gets it. Today he just chose not to. I'm pretty sure he was tolerable during church, as he was fine when I picked him up from his classroom even though I warned the teacher in his room that he might be a handful, so paging me during the service was expected.

Things weren't better after his nap. He continued down a bad road until our dinner guests arrived. I think he honestly thought, "No matter what they say, I will do the opposite today." Eli was a wild-man while our company was here, but nothing to warrant removal. I spent a LOT of time thinking about this today and starting tomorrow morning we are upping the stakes where his main offense is concerned. When Eli gets in a frustrated/angry mood and swats at one of us (something that is totally unacceptable in my book, and also something that is becoming too frequent with Eli), he will still be placed in time-out, but also one of his favorite sports toys will be in a day-long time-out. Eli is obsessed with all things sports: baseball, soccer, basketball, tennis, golf.... He has all of the gear and he uses them on an hourly basis while we're at home. My justification is that he is showing a great deal of immaturity and lack of self-control. In order to enjoy the great gifts people (including us) have given him, he needs to respect the world he lives in. (And we are a big part of his world!!) I'm hoping it will hit close to home for him. One of the obstacles for me right now (and other parents of toddlers, I'm sure), is kids this age will test limits continually regardless of the consequence because that's their job. They are figuring out the world right now and that includes constantly checking the boundaries. So sometimes you don't know if the punishment works for quite some time. How's that for making life more difficult?!

On a side note, I am still confident the time-outs are working for Eli. (Just not today!!) He usually apologizes before I even ask him to, and he often cries when I put him in isolation. Therefore, we're not giving up on them yet!

Cheers and jeers, folks. Bring 'em!

What Could Have Been A Rough Night....

I was alone with the kids last night, so I tried to be creative with ways to kill the time between nap/dinner/bedtime. (This is a witching 'hour' for both of them.) After Eli's nap, the three of us went to Sope Creek to hike a bit in an effort to have some fun and wear Eli out simultaneously. We walked all the way around the big pond (maybe 3/4 mile?) before coming back to the dock to throw sticks and stones in the water. Or at least, what is left of the water...the drought has left it quite low!

I am happy to report that Eli had a great time! He hiked with me, stopping once in a while to pick up a new stick or rock, or to point out something in the scenery: a squirrel, a fallen tree, etc. When we walk at home, we allow Eli to get out of his stroller at the top of our street and walk (or 'DUN!', as Eli tells it) the rest of the way. He knows that if he hears a car, he is to quickly move to the gutter on the side of the street. He applied this practice to our hike also: when he heard a trail runner approaching, he moved out of the way and stopped our progress so he could watch them pass. I was so proud!

Another great moment for me was our time at the dock. About five minutes before we got to the dock, I told Eli that he could throw rocks and sticks in the water, but he had to sit down first. I had Maddux strapped to my front in the Bjorn, and due to the force Eli uses to throw, I did not want to make a trip into the water. (Remember this?) So we approach the dock and before I can remind Eli, he runs to the edge, sits down, and starts chucking his rocks. Wow. I was speechless. SO, so proud. Of course, minutes later we were walking back to the car and he had a meltdown so I had to carry him up the hill to the parking lot. Keep in mind that I still had Maddie strapped to my front. Oh yeah, Proud Mommy got put in her place!!

We returned home to make a quick dinner and get ready for bed. Luckily Maddux went down for a 30 minute nap while Eli and I ate. We were even able to play with some magic bubbles on the back porch before bath time. Eli had a blast when he was able to 'catch' one without popping it. His bath and story time went great, even though Maddux woke up right after the bubbles. She managed to hold it together until I put him to sleep, which meant I did not have to simultaneously give two baths. (Have I mentioned how excited I am for Maddux to be able to share a bath with her brother soon?!) Eli didn't cry at all when I left the room. In fact, during the last song, he said "Mommy. Dark. Peeez?" Love it.

Of course, things don't always go smoothly. Once I put Eli down, I gave Maddux a bath and nursed her. After 20 minutes she was done. I put her in her crib and left only to have her wake up ten minutes later screaming. I went back in after about five, and nursed her again. Apparently she had not finished before. This meant I was 'on-duty' until 9:40PM. And Eli was in his room with the lights out at 8PM. Something is wrong with that picture. Oh well...at least she slept till 7:30AM! All in all, a GREAT night considering I was pulling double duty.

Today we had a play-date with Eli's friend, Gracie. He woke up the morning and said "Gay-see" first thing - he was excited! The two played well together, but Eli's teeth did cause a few small meltdowns. He did great in the car though, which is huge considering it's an hour drive (each way).

My "Other" Child

Sometimes I feel like Maddux gets neglected, at least on this blog, due to her brother's "bigger and better" accomplishments. I'll try to make up for that! Here is some video of the little lassie talking. She alternates between these mumblings and high-pitched shrieks. Lucky for you, this video only contains mumbles.

Eli's First Yearbook

Eli's teachers put together a class book that goes home with a different student each night. The pages include facts about the kids (according to the kids) and a picture taken at school. Eli's page says his favorite color is red (news to me!!) and his favorite food is bananas. We got the book for the first time this week and Eli had such a great time going through the pages and naming the kids and teachers.

Trick-Or-Treat!

Eli absolutely loved practicing that all week! He learned how to say "tick-oh-teet" and "pank ou" (after he received a treat). We loaded the kids up in the stroller and went to the start of the neighborhood parade at 5PM. Of course, Eli opted to ride in BOB, rather than walk with the other kids. He also found a leftover granola bar in his BOB pocket, so he snacked while we walked. Maddux rode right along side of him in the stroller, sporting the frog costume her brother wore his first year. When we finished the parade (at the pool house), there was pizza and drinks for everyone. Eli enjoyed two pieces of pizza (yes...even though he had just eaten a granola bar! Remember what his teacher said!) We then drove the kids back to house to light the jack-o-lanterns (gack-oh-lee-ners) and put out the candy before we started our trick-or-treat adventure. Eli was oh-so excited to light the gack-oh-leen-ers, for which he chose the faces for me to carve ('cwy' faces, according to him).

Our first stop was the retired couple next door. They've taken quite a liking to the kids, and Eli likes them right back. Even more so now because they bought him a special bag of colored goldfish crackers (his favorite 'treat'). We then went to a few more houses, one being our other next door neighbor. Their beagle was outside and Eli sought her out immediately. She is very easy-going and tolerant of kids, which is good because Eli took quite some time petting her and pointing out her facial features (ears, mouth, nose). He then stood up and said "all done doggie", which meant he was done with this game: time to move on to the next house.

We pushed the double BOB as we walked, since Eli often preferred getting a ride in between the houses. After every trick-or-treat I'd ask him if he wanted to go back in the BOB to go home or if he wanted to go to another house to trick-or-treat. His response was "house" every time. We finally pulled the plug around 7:50, as it was getting late and we'd avoided meltdowns from both kids so far (Maddux was still awake and happy); we didn't want to push our luck. Eli honestly had no interest in the candy other than looking at the wrappers and packaging, much like last year. So one more Halloween down with no candy consumed: Victory!!

It's A Bird! It's A Plane!

Some video of Eli's favorite activity while we were in Watercolor earlier this month:

Eli's Search

I couldn't have scripted this better if I tried (and I swear I didn't!). Eli has been very interested in Maddux's Toddler Bible (a gift at her Church Dedication). He loves to read the stories and point out Jesus. So earlier this week he found my Bible and recognized it as such, but was confused by the lack of pictures. I had the camera on Maddux (she was 'talking'), but moved over to Eli quickly as he started to say "pine. Zhee-jhuh." (Find Jesus)

School Halloween Party

Eli's class celebrated Halloween today, as he doesn't have school tomorrow. Since I'm a room-mom, I had to participate (not that I didn't want to!), by bringing a snack, plates et all, and designing a craft/activity for the kids. We did hand print ghosts (the fingers are the bottom) made out of white foam 'paper' with googly eyes glued to them. It was difficult to get all the kids to complete the craft (with our help), but they turned out pretty cute. The kids also got a goody bag from the other room mom. Treats inside included popcorn ball, ghost suckers, paint, play-dough, and a Halloween ball. Eli honed in on the popcorn ball immediately (as you can see in the picture). We actually stayed after all the other kids left so he could finish eating it. (Come to think of it, I believe this was his first popcorn experience.)

I arrived a little ahead of schedule, so I was able to see the class walking to the playground in their single-file line (Eli is in the green hoodie.). It amazes me how well they follow instructions at this age! One of my favorite parts of today was chatting with Eli's teacher. She told me how much Eli loves sports, and how she's not seen a kid that into it before. When another little boy arrived today wearing a baseball player's uniform (his costume), Eli immediately started saying all of his baseball words: baseball, bat, ball, hit, home run, pitchers mound, strike out, home plate.... She also told me that I have quite an eater on my hands. (Like I didn't know already!) She said the little girl that sits next to Eli is the opposite, so he often eats her snack too. Sounds like a great match!

Product Review: Blurb

Unlike my last product review, I unfortunately did not receive any free 'incentive' to post my opinion this time. However, I cannot help myself because I am sold on this product: hook, line and sinker! Also, since many of my readers are bloggers and parents, this will hopefully be a post that will benefit others. (And hey, if Blurb decides to throw a free publication or two my way, it wouldn't be the end of the world!)

Last week I commented how much I've grown to love blogging for its memory-keeping purposes. ele5.com, then Confessions of Eli's Mom, and now The Tales of Eli & Maddux are what I rely on more than baby books to keep record of milestones. More importantly, my blogs provide the little details and corresponding pictures so I can remember these early days when my kids are grown. When Eli was younger (back in the ele5.com days), I had a hard time finding a publication service that was user-friendly for bloggers. Luckily blogging has taken off in the last year or so and publication companies have noticed. For the time being, I've chosen Blurb to print out my blogs. Not only do they have an easy-to-use website with free download-able software so your blog can be copied directly into your working 'document', but they print in color and allow pictures!! This is a huge plus for me since I love to include pictures (in case you hadn't noticed). You can choose from a wide selection of covers, which are color (even though I chose b&w) and pretty 'customizable'. The cost depends on your book size as well as number of pages. I've published two books so far, and even my larger one (all of 2006 and I blog LOTS) wasn't too expensive (less than $50).

To sum up, I'm posting this product review to inform those of you who blog that this service does exist and it's a great way to preserve your writing. Especially if you blog about your families.....unless you don't want them to know what you've been saying about them, of course.

Halloween or Girls Night Out?

This article brings up concerns I've had for the last few years, but particularly this year, since I've been in more of the costume stores. I was totally shocked when Lehr and I took Eli to a Halloween store only to find the KIDS' isles loaded with 'hot witch' costumes and 'sexy nurse' get-ups. We are not even talking about teen-age costumes here. The sizes marked were 7-9years and 11-13years. Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with women, even older teens playing 'dress-up', especially in the spirit of feeling good about oneself. In my college days I went out on a weekly basis and 'dressed up'. I did not do that when I was 8 years old. Or even 12 years old. I had parents who, though I didn't like it at the time, put limits on me and what I wore. I can't imagine letting Maddux wear even half of the costumes I have seen at Target or Halloween stores in the last month.

I'm curious about your thoughts...especially if you're a parent of a girl. I've heard the defense that dressing this way helps boost girls' self-esteem, but I think it does the opposite. IMO, it teaches girls (right in line with so much of the television/movie/music scene) that their body is their #1 asset, and it needs to be showcased at every opportunity. As Pink said (in one of my favorite songs), "What happened to the dreams of a girl president?"

Sunday: Family Fun Day

After church this morning, we rushed home so Eli could go right down for a nap. We'd planned to attend a neighborhood "pumpkin carving" party at 3, when Eli was usually snoozing. Of course that backfired, as it always does. Eli did not get quiet in his crib until 2:30. Thirty minutes of nap would not a happy child make. I swear he gets too excited to nap sometimes...he did the same thing when Gappa Jib last visited. He stayed in his crib playing for almost two hours before I finally went in and told him that if he didn't take a nap, Gappa Jib wouldn't come until the following day. (It worked that time.)

(Speaking of no sleep. Maddux refused to sleep at church today also. She had a quick nap at the house before we left, but not long enough to justify staying up for three straight hours! I guess she's trying to follow in Eli's footsteps where sleep is concerned after all!)

So I go into Eli's room at 3:15 and he is lying down, but his eyes shoot open and he says, "Cut pumpkins??" At least he was in an ok mood!! The party was great; they had a few jumpy-castles for the kids, stations set up to carve or paint pumpkins, food galore (and we're talking creative food too), and a backyard playground set. Eli got a little moody during one or two of the jump sessions he had, but that's what happens when you get 1 1/2 hours LESS sleep than usual. Since I had Maddux strapped to my front in the bjorn, and since we were busy talking to people and watching Eli, we opted to wait and carve our pumpkin when we got home.

After dinner we put Maddux down for a quick nap (she had missed a lot of sleep this weekend also) and the three of us carved one of our pumpkins. Eli requested a "c-wy face" (cry face...I assumed it meant sad), but we were short on time, so I went for a standard smiley face. Eli was quite excited to see me cut and make the punkin a jack-ou-lee-ner. We lit a candle in it at the end and his eyes got really big.

One thing I forgot to mention from yesterday: Eli helped Lehr put up our bedroom wall lamps. He was oh-so excited to help Daddy with the real drill, but he did go downstairs a few times to get his tools (courtesy of Sesame Street).

Pumpkin Picking

Today we went to a nearby pumpkin patch to pick out some Halloween vegetables to carve. Normally we head to North Georgia for one of the bigger patches, but we were a little short on time this year. Not that the kids noticed at all.... Eli was so excited when we arrived at the patch two miles from our house; he ran over to the pumpkins yelling, "PUNKINS! PUNKINS!" He tried to pick them up, but deemed them 'he-bee' (heavy), so he made his way over to the miniature ones. We picked out two larger ones to carve and two smaller ones (one for each person) to round out our front porch display.

Halloween Is Almost Here!

We almost didn't make it to see the scarecrows this year!! Each year since we moved here I've gone to see the display of scarecrows at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens to see the assorted scarecrows. Due to weather and travel this year, I almost missed them! Carissa, Cooper & Finley met me and the kids there this morning. We had to dodge a few raindrops, but we were able to see the Children's Gardens. Both boys were not really 'feeling' it, so we only hung out for an hour or so. It's funny to think how small they were last year at this time; Eli wasn't even walking! Here is a picture of Eli (with Gamma Capppy) the year before that - he was just two months old.

Last night, the whole Eliason family went to Eli's school for an open-house. Eli was so excited to see Ms. Jane (his teacher), and he loved showing his room to Lehr and I. His older friend made an appearance, which totally made Eli's day. One of the many art projects hanging in the classroom was footprint-ghosts. On Tuesday one of the teachers took each kids' shoes and socks off, painted one of their feet, and stamped it on some black paper to make a ghost. I knew nothing of this before I entered the room last night, but Tuesday afternoon Eli did tell me, "Paint. Peet. (feet) Kool. (school)". I just thought he dropped a paint brush on his foot or something. Obviously he was trying to fill me in on his activities that day.

School Pictures

Eli had school pictures last week:

And The Little One Said, "Roll Over. Roll Over."

Maddux rolled over today for the first time! She's been threatening to for a while, but she had me convinced she was going to roll from back to front first, like Eli did. When she first did it, I thought it might have been a fluke, so I put her back on her stomach and watched as she repeated her new skill. Three times!

While Eli was at school, the two of us went for our twice-a-week hike at Kennesaw. Maddux obviously missed the hike (it's been raining for the last week) because she barely slept at all; she couldn't stop looking around at the trees and the sky. And she's been oh-so vocal all day, using her lips to create a humming noise that coincides with her foaming-at-the-mouth trick. (She loves to blow bubbles with her spit. She's a lady!)

Eli's Babydoll

I forgot to mention my favorite part about Saturday's visit with Cooper's sister (with the exception of meeting Finley, of course). Cooper received the gift of a doll and umbrella stroller, in honor of his sister. Eli loved pushing the stroller around and at some point Lehr thought it would be a good idea to put Maddux in the stroller. I didn't realize this until Eli came zooming towards me with Maddux, looking scared to death, in tow. It seriously took my brain a few seconds to process what it was seeing, as Maddie very much resembled a doll, frozen in fear. I wish I'd had a camera, because once I realized what was happening, it was quite cute. And Eli was pretty gentle with his sister (a first), following Daddy's instructions to "Go slow".

The Count

Eli and I count to ten in English, Spanish and French all the time, but usually he'll just say 'two' or repeat the French or Spanish numbers after I say them. Today he finally counted on his own!! Since it's raining again (a mixed blessing), we went to Kangazoom for an hour before lunch so Eli could let off some steam. We were at the top of one of the slides and I asked him to count to three and then say "GO" for Mommy. We counted "one, two, three" and then he went on with "four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten". No lie!! I couldn't believe it since I hadn't 'checked in' with his ability in that area for a while. I'm sure they count at school and that's why he's all smarty-smart now. Of course he won't count for me now that I ask....

Last night I bought Eli a monkey costume from Old Navy ($12!!!). He has already tried it on twice and seems to not mind the hat/hood part at all. He even knows to say "tick-o-teet" and "pank ou!" when we make our way around the neighborhood next week.

On a side note, I did not mean to throw Lehr under the bus with my disclaimer the other day. I know he appreciates my ramblings; he just tries to keep me in check so that I don't bore you all to tears. Thank you all for the supportive comments though!

Disclaimer

When I started this blog, before Eli was born, it was with the intent to keep family and friends who live in other cities 'in the loop'. Since then I've discovered that my incessant writing serves as a journal also. I find it to be better than any baby book, and since my memory is not the greatest these days, I often find myself going back and reading about specific events that I've forgotten. So now the purpose is to keep a record of Eli and Maddux's accomplishments, words, firsts, etc.

*I though it might be a good idea to post this since Lehr reminds me almost daily that I get long-winded and 'boring' sometimes. I'll be the first to admit that sometimes I force myself to write about something, even when I have no energy to put forth wit or good pictures. So pick and choose...no need to read all of my ramblings!!

She's My Dawg! (Mad Dog, that is)

Since I wrote one for your brother, I figured now was as good a time as any to tell you just how special you are (and simultaneously send my readership into sugar shock due to all this sicky-sweetness).

Since your dad and I didn't find out your gender before you were born, we didn't have a name picked out until the day you came into our lives. I worried that because it didn't have time to grow on me, you might not 'fit' your name. Boy have you proved me wrong! You are the femininity of "Maddie", while still the strength and determination of "Mad Dog", all the while being a laid-back, likable "Maddux".

You are such a social being. Your #1 goal every minute of every day is to make eye contact with the people around you so you can 'flirt'. It doesn't matter if it's Mommy or the clerk at Publix or Eli's teacher leaning in to get him out of the car.....You're always the first to smile. You light up when Daddy comes home each night and greets you. When I'm feeding your brother his breakfast, you squeal to make me look at you, only so you can smile at me with your eyes. You're quite a prankster, making me think something is wrong when all you really wanted was my attention. And you constantly follow your brother around the room with your eyes!! Although I know sometimes it must be because you know you need to be aware of his whereabouts, should he decide to 'love' you roughly. But most of the time they shine when Eli looks back at you as he attempting to make you smile or laugh, which isn't difficult.

Though you don't nap very long during the day, you've been sleeping through the night for over a month now, which makes me oh-so-happy. And you don't nurse very long either, but you've grown very quickly; you're ahead of your size in clothing already!

You are so much more vocal than I can express. You are constantly cooing and singing and letting out little 'yelps' all the time...just to hear yourself! Your laugh is contagious too, and it's straight from the belly. Maddux, you have completed this family in a way we didn't know we needed to be completed; we love you!

Ode To Eli

With the exception of your first birthday 'letter', I don't think I've written you directly to tell you how much you add to my life. I'd like to take the time to do that now....

You amaze me daily with your ever-expanding vocabulary and your memory/recall skills. At least once a week you bring up something that happened weeks or months ago, and you 'tell' me about it. I also love how you randomly take note of anything and everything in a given room some days. You take great pride in looking around and naming any object you can see: chair, light, table, oven, door, etc.

You've only been in 'school' for a month now, but already you've won over your teachers' hearts as well. Just today one of them told me how good you are. It amazes her because you are the youngest in the class, yet you're often 'the best'. It warms my heart more than you know that you display your good behavior for other people, even (and often especially) when your dad and I are not present. We get similar reports from Sunday School, which makes me so proud.

I love that you are starting to care for Maddux more and more. You often try to make her laugh by mimicking the sounds I make when I'm changing her: goo-goo, etc. Just yesterday you asked for your sister to lie in your crib with you after your nap: a first! Then this morning you asked for the same thing. You seemed so excited to have her in there, both of you wearing your sleep 'capes', while I read you stories. And when Maddie sneezes, you always say, "Bess ou, Baby".

Last, but most definitely not least, you are so eager to please me. Even though you have your moments when you disobey, and even when you try to hit me, most of the time you are happy to "oh-bey Mommy", and you take pride in receiving praise for your behavior.

Eli, your dad and I are so thankful to have you in our lives and you are a constant source of joy for us. I love you!

Survival of The Fittest

The gauntlet has been thrown down. Mommy vs. Mad Dog. Only one will prevail....

So Maddux is sticking to her vow to 'win' and sleep for only 40-minute naps during the day. In my opinion, Mommy ultimately wins because she is still sleeping 10-12 hours each night. However, this 40-minute thing has got to go. Not only does it make it difficult to get anything done around the house while she's cat-napping, but it throws her sleep-eat-wake schedule into a whirlwind and I'm forced to pick between routine and the clock. (Not that I follow the clock, but her napping schedule begs for a 2-hour window between feedings....not exactly what we should be doing at 3-months.) It frustrates me to no end because she normally goes down for a nap without a problem. Oh, she'll squawk for a moment or two, which is really amusing considering she the lack of effort she puts into her protest. But Maddux has the last laugh because 39 1/2 minutes after her last outburst, she's awake again.

Weekend Update

Another busy, yet accomplishment-free weekend. It seems like Lehr and I have so many 'to-do's around the house these days, yet when the weekend comes, it's all about downtime with the kids. Not that it's a bad thing, but the house definitely suffers!

Friday night we ordered pizza and ate on the back deck, which Eli loved. He kept saying, "Biiiiig. Pee-tah." (BIG pizza) Then we went back to Target to try and find a costume that Eli felt a connection with, but we left empty-handed. He showed the most interest in a monkey costume, but after wearing it for about two minutes, he wanted out. Now.

On Saturday we went to Cooper's house to meet his baby sister, Finley. On the ride over, Eli kept repeating, "Happ. Burt-day. Pin-ley.... Cooper tiss-sir." (Happy Birthday, Finley. Cooper's sister.) He didn't care much about seeing her when we arrived however. He had free reign over Cooper's toys for the first 30 minutes or so, as Cooper was not home. After Eli's nap, we all went down to the Little 5 Points parade, an annual tradition for us. Luckily Eli is still not phased by 'scary' costumes, as there were plenty. We were concerned the loud noises coming from the motorcycles ('choppers') would frighten him, as loud noises do these days, but he was fine. Eli especially enjoyed the bands, which featured tuba, trombones, drums, and trumpets (all of which Eli can say). He also liked seeing the horses.

Maddux continued her nap strike until Sunday afternoon. For the last three weeks now, she refuses to nap longer than 40 minutes. She'll nap 20 or 30 sometimes, but just when you think she's going to break her cycle, in the 39th minute when you're patting yourself on the back, she wakes up. She will go down fine, but she will not stay asleep. After church on Sunday, she napped for two full hours. Hallelujah!!

Speaking of church, Lehr and I were last minute replacements for Eli's classroom (the 2-3 year olds). Wow. That is a busy classroom. And at the 1 1/2 hour mark it becomes the scary classroom. Combine the need for lunches and naps and we found ourselves with twelve unhappy kids at 12:15! Luckily the 'scary' portion only lasted five minutes or so. The rest of the time was chaotic and challenging, but overall not too bad. Eli liked having us in the room, but it made him a bit more aggressive than usual. I didn't see him hit or push any kids, but he felt like any toy was rightfully his as long as he wanted it, so I saw a lot of taking, which I'm told he normally doesn't do. Also, Eli really enjoys the snacks. We had goldfish today, which he only gets at church. He finished his and found some others that had been left behind by his classmates. I think he handed me three different (empty) cups throughout the snack time, all finished by him. That was not a behavior brought on by our presence; Eli often eats the leftovers when other parents are teaching too.

We finished the weekend with a hike at Sope Creek. Eli has been much more interested in hiking recently, and it was absolutely gorgeous weather in Atlanta today, so after his nap we tackled the trails. Eli actually hiked all the way to the creek without any assistance! After the excitement of throwing rocks and sticks in the water, however, he rode on Lehr's shoulders for half of the return trip. Maddux, as usual, slept through most of the hike.

Ramble, Ramble

Today I took the kids to Target so we could pick out gifts for the Christmas Child boxes. I really wanted Eli to be involved this year, in the spirit of teaching him how we can give to those less fortunate than us. I explained the concept to him yesterday and even though he knew we were going to Target to buy toys, each time I asked him who we were going to buy for, he told me "udder key-ds" (other kids). Eli picked out small tennis balls, playing cards, stuffed animals, tee-shirts, and flashlights ("pash-lie-tts") for the boxes. When we returned home, the two of us assembled the boxes; Eli was a great little helped throughout the whole thing.

On a separate note, yesterday was an outstanding day for Eli. It was one that I need to hold in my memory when times get tough. We had NO time-outs and no whining with the exception of about 30-minutes of almost whining after Lehr got home. He was seriously the personification of good behavior through and through. Today he has only had one time out, but it was for hitting me while he was having a tantrum (brought on by teeth pain, but unacceptable nonetheless). The good news about it is that he totally understood. Thirty minutes later while I was changing his diaper before his nap he said, "Time Out". I said, "Who was in time out?" Eli responded, "E-I. Time Out." I asked him why and he said, "Hit. Mommy. I tarry, Mommy." So at least my constant stream of telling him why he's in a time out is getting through to him. If nothing else, it's getting through enough so he can regurgitate it, right?

I know I post a lot of these lists, but Eli's vocabulary is expanding so quickly I can't believe it. Other new words and phrases today and yesterday are:
- "gurl" (girl)
- "boy"
- "key-ds" (kids)
- "udder" (other)
- "mmm. good" (in response to lunch I served him today)
- "good tot, mommy" (good shot - while we were playing hoops outside)
- "bess ooou" (bless you - after a sneeze)

Talky Talkerson(s)

Both kids are turning out to be of the L-OW-D (as Eli would say) variety. Maddux has definitely found her vocal chords in the last few weeks. Now she squeals and lets out little baby exclamations during most, if not all, of her wake time. And of course the beach trip has her refusing to nap for any extended period, but looking back at Eli's sleep patterns at this age, he was the same. Maddie can also hold her head up fairly well which means she enjoys tummy-time more these days. She can also grab at some of the dangling toys which makes her day much more interesting and entertaining.

Eli has not seen his older Chinese friend at school for a few weeks now. I'm not sure if he's moved on to an elementary school or what, but he's been MIA in Eli's life and Eli is sad about that. It has not stopped him from becoming a leader in his class though. When I went to pick him up on Tuesday, the leading teacher had moved back in the line to help another child, which left the front of the line 'un-manned'. Eli was at the front and he led the whole class down the breeze-way by himself. That's a first-born for ya!

Eli is filling in the blanks during songs a lot more too: he will still fill in letters when we sing our ABC's, and he will sing the missing words in "You Are My Sunshine" and "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" every time. He asks for both songs by name: Tun-tine and "Take. Ballgame." He also tells me about "Ha-weeen" when he sees pumpkins. (I think they briefed him at school this week which always gets through more to him than when Mommy talks about things.)

We met Eli's friends, Tyler and Noah, at a park yesterday and I witnessed something new for Eli: sympathy. Tyler walked under one of the structures and bumped his head, as kids this age do since they get taller each day, without warning. He cried and Eli came over and patted his (Eli's) head and frowned. Then a few minutes later while Tyler's mom was comforting him, Eli said "I tarry Ty-Ty."

Sleep

Eli and Maddux sleep the same. We broke Maddux of the swaddle a few weeks back, well, because she was breaking herself of it. Shocker, because Eli was swaddled almost a full year in some fashion. But besides that, they sleep the same (at least the way Eli slept when he was a baby). They both sleep with hands over head. They both sleep in sleep sac. And they both fight naps like crazy!