Dear Eliot: 17 Months

Dear Eliot,

We are getting mighty close to a year and a half!  One more month!  It is crazy to think that you are growing closer to two years.  Time speeds by so fast.  I try to grab on to each day because I know I can't slow it all down.

Your speech and communication continues to grow.  You are really great at repeating complex words back to us, like "panda," which you say "--anda," but that is pretty awesome!  So many of your words are animals words, like cat, dog, fish, and bird.  One of my favorite things to do with you is to visit a pet store.  You run from cage to cage, pointing at the animals and calling them by their right names.  It is so cute to see you get excited again and again, as if you didn't expect there to be even more birds as you move down the line of cages.

Eliot boy, you.are.tall.  I never even realize how much of a giant you are until I look at pictures of us together.  You were once my little baby, but now you are a giant boy!  Everyone who meets you for the first time says they thought you were older because you are so tall.

I hope this continues for your benefit because you are getting even better at basketball.  When your Robinson grandparents gave you that basketball goal for Christmas, I surely thought it'd be another year before you could use it, but you've been dunking since you could stand.  We've raised it a notch on you and you keep up!  And you're getting better!  Instead of just dunking the ball in, you've started throwing it up from a distance, which certainly takes more skill.  Sometimes, you stand by the hearth and throw the ball from there.  You walk your little toes up to the edge of the line, like you are making free throws.  We didn't show you this; I really think you picked it up from watching basketball on TV.  And another thing that I love is that you clap when people make baskets on TV.  You're so precious.

This month, you ran your first race!  Your dad ran the Elizabeth River 10k and you ran a little 100 yard dash afterward with his help.  You came in second place (out of three)!  I know you won't remember it, but we thought it'd be fun for the pictures and maybe somehow instill some love for running.  A few days later while wearing your shirt from the race, you slipped into your dad's running shoes and shuffled around the house.  I think it worked.  I hope that you grow to love running with your dad and that you two can share many special runs together.  I have tried to run, but I'm so bad at it; there is hope for you and I know your dad hopes to show you all of his runs.  It doesn't matter how fast you go or how far--he just wants to experience it all with you.

Eliot, summer is my favorite time of year because we can play outside in the water.  I am so happy to share it all with you being more aware this year, and we re-introduced you to natural water.  You love love love the lake, but were unsure of the bay.  OK, you were terrified of the bay, but then you were fine with it once we took you past the waves.

Lately, you picked up a couple of just adorable tricks.  You give Eskimo kisses when we ask for them.  You thought it was so funny that you started giving everything Eskimo kisses (your toy ball, your books...), but it stopped once you gave an Eskimo kiss to one of the dogs.  Wet noses!  Also, you play peek-a-boo with your hands when I start asking, "Where is Eliot?"  In addition to your monkey impression and blowing kisses, you have certainly developed quite a few very cute tricks.

You are becoming such a big boy and doing big kid things.  We took you to your first movie at the theater recently.  I kind of worried that we were nuts, but you really watch movies (especially CGI ones) with great interest, so we figured it was worth a shot.  We went to see Madagascar 3 and you sat.through.the.whole.thing.  You were great!  During the last fifteen minutes, you grew a little restless and wanted to stand or go sit in your dad's lap, but, man, I never thought we could take you to a movie this early.  The funniest part was probably during the previews....  When each preview would end and the screen would go black before the next one began, you would point at the screen as if to ask for the show to come back on.  It was precious.

Eliot, you want to do all of the things that we do.  You mimic us and try to be like us.  Everything from helping me weed to walking the dogs to drinking coffee--you want to grow up fast and experience it all.  You take face wipes out of my diaper bag and wipe the mouths of your stuffed animals.  Then you get angry if we don't let you take part in adult things, like driving.  Don't grow up too fast, boy!  I love having you little!

I love to watch you grow, learn, explore, and become your own individual.  This summer, we have had so much fun going to the creek and watching you throw rocks.

Eliot boy, I love you with everything I have.  I think of you all day, hoping to give you the best and be the best I can be for you.  I am simply mesmerized by you.  I never dreamed I'd have such a handsome, sweet, smart little boy.  I think you are the most amazing [big], little thing.