Dear Eliot: 21 Months

Dear Eliot,

I try to never take anything for granted.  I try to always be aware of my blessings and always be thankful.  Life is fleeting; if you don't make an effort to embrace the beauty around you, you'll miss it. I know I can't always be conscious of it all, but I try.  You make it easier with your bright, wide eyes always watching me.

We've been holding on to the last bits of summer.  Fall is settling in a little late, so we've had fun outside in the warm weather while the season tries to make up its mind.  On walks, you are excited to pave your own path.  You love climbing on rocks and running through tall grass--boy, you are begging for chiggers.

Here are the things you love (in this order): cats, cars, playing ball, dogs, racing, choo choos, bath time, berries, and chips.  Throw Momma and Dada in there somewhere.

Here are the things you hate:  chocolate, sticky hands, diaper rash, leaving a ball behind, and milk in a sippy cup.

You have always been a big fan of sports.  Lately, your dad has been trying to help you understand the differences between them.  You were calling most balls a foot ball, so your dad lined up your football, soccer ball, and basket ball.  He told you the different names of each ball twice.  Ever since, you have been able to bring us the correct ball when we ask for one.  You get it right every time!  I think that is pretty impressive.

 

It has been about three months since I tried to list all of your words.  Well, here is an attempt at listing all of the new words since the last list.  I did not include words that you mimic (you repeat almost everything back), only those words that you generally use the correct context for.

Animals:  hiss (horse), foo-foo (Mr. Rufus, our rabbit), bear, frof (frog), tootle (turtle), fish, owl, Boone (the pig next door, so all pigs are Boone to you). Objects:  boat, hat, food, fire, block, button, truck, shoes, cup, food, cheese (Cheerios), tea, juice, cracker, ode mill (oat meal), foot, feet, eye, nose, ear, teeth, butt ball or fffff-butt ball or footfall (foot ball), boon (moon), thane (plane), bubble. Directions:  out (usually outside), hello, hi, bye-bye, peese (please), go.  Sounds:  beep beep, tire screeching for car, boom boom boom (for dinosaurs walking), maaah for goat, moo for cow, baa for sheep, roar for dinosaurs, lions, tigers, and bears.  Other words:  cool, aight, hot, yum, ew, uh oh, ow, baby.

You are such a talkative little guy, especially in the car or when seeing a friend or family member that you haven't seen in a while.  You show people the things you love around the house, saying, "Choo choo.  Car.  Good dog.  Foo foo.  Car.  Ball.  Football."  You go on and on.  It's so sweet.

Everything out of place is "ew" to you.  Whether the dogs spill a little water from their bowl, a stick is found on the rug, or you get your hands slightly messy, you are ready to call out my house-keeping inadequacies by shouting, "Ewwwww!  Ew!  Ew!"  Hilarious.

We have had some fall weather around here, and we are getting excited for sweater weather.  Your dad has kept it interesting and has taken you to so many different sports games.  You seem to like them all, but get so excited when we drive on campus and you see the football stadium.  You yell, "Footfall!"

Food-wise, you're doing pretty OK.  I think your appetite is picking up since your canines broke through and are coming in.  You used to love rice, so I could work in a lot of veggies.  Now you are more of a pasta guy, so I mix in veggies that way.  Also, you love beans, which is another way to get nutrition in you.  Every morning, you still enjoy a smoothie of some kind with spinach (sometimes fruit, sometimes "green," sometimes protein).  You have grown to appreciate sweets, but absolutely no chocolate.  You think you like chocolate sometimes, but you ALWAYS spit it out.  Oreos?  Forget it.  Even a chocolate chip cookie?  Won't make it by you.  Boy, you and I are one and the same on this issue.  We have had a tough time this month with teething, though.  You have only had it this rough one time before when you were getting in your first set of molars.  Well, now here comes all four canines and some of your two-year molars at the same time.  You manage pretty good during the day, but they seem to bother you so much at night.

Sometimes you really surprise me how much you are paying attention.  There are times when I call your name over and over, but you don't always respond.  I start to worry, but then if I talk about something else (not even to you), you start repeating words I am saying.  So you are ignoring me.

You really seem to hone in on babies.  I'm not sure if you realize that you are one....  When you hear the baby crying next door, you ask, "Baby?"  On your box of wipes, there was a sticky label with a baby on it.  You tore it off and carried it around for a couple of days, saying, "Baby!"  At our weekly play group, you call all the little ones babies even though you aren't much older.  In fact, a few times you have pointed to my stomach and said, "baby," but this baby hotel is vacant as far as I know.  I really do wish you had a brother or sister to run around in the backyard with.  Maybe soon.

Eliot, you fill my heart up in everything you do.  I love how you get so excited to see the moon at night and call it a ball; then you correct yourself and say, "Booooon!"  I love how you stomp your feet and clap and laugh hysterically when you get a new car.  I love how I can get you to at least try to repeat everything I say, including telling your dad that his feet stink.  I love how you dance by throwing your fists into the air when a song comes on with a fast beat.  I love how after I change your diaper, you look at it and every time you say, "Ewwww!"  I love how you accept kisses from me, but push your dad away (it's probably the facial hair).  I constantly find little rocks in my diaper bag pockets--rocks that you put there.  I love those little reminders of you, even when I'm tripping over your toys in the dining room.  Those toys are there because my little boy left them there, and that is something to celebrate.  You are full of so much personality and keep my heart laughing and melting.  I'm so proud that you're my boy.