2 1/2 Years Old

The days sometimes seem long, but the years go by so quickly. It's hard to believe that my little boy is already 2 1/2 years old and that I'm only 6 months away from planning his 3rd birthday party. This entire school year has flown by so quickly for Eli and for me as well. We have been so pleased with the program at his school, and we are so impressed with all the things Eli learned this year. His language skills have exploded and his social skills have really blossomed. He is such a chatterbox now too! I love hearing stories about his days at school and daycare with his friends. I'm looking forward to spending this summer with him. We have big plans to do lots of fun things and I know its going to be lots of fun!

Weight: 28 lbs. You're still very much a featherweight :)

Height: 35 1/2 inches

Shoe Size: 7 in most shoes

Clothes: 2T in tops and bottoms, but we always try to find bottoms that have the adjustable waist band because you're such a skinny minny

Activities/Toys/Games You Love Right Now:

-playing outside

-puzzles

-cars

-Mr. Potato Head

-Toy Story characters

-baseball

-tools

-golf

-painting

-helping Momma cook

-playing dinosaurs

-reading with your Tag Junior

-singing songs

-Curious George, Mickey Mouse, Little Einsteins cartoons

Funny Things You Do:

-You like to walk around the house wearing my oven mitts. It almost looks like you're prepping for major surgery.

-You use the tongs to catch "bad guys" and then you throw them in the trash can.

-You put on your cowboy hat and you instantly become Woody. You like riding your stick horse, Bullseye.

-You insist on wearing sunglasses in the car and you always want the window down.

-You like to sit on the washing machine during the spin cycle.

Sweet/Funny Things You Say:

-When you get an idea of something you want to do, you stop wherever you are, put your pointer finger in the air and shout, "Wait, I got an idea!"

-When you make a mess even just on accident, you immediately say "I sorry."

-When asked how much you love us, you spread your arms out wide and say, "Dis much and more!"

Things We're Looking Forward to:

-Uncle Caleb's graduation

-going to visit Dan, Nick, Jonah, and Micah

-zoo trips with the Atkins family

-finishing our new house :)

We love you sweet boy and we are so excited about all the wonderful things that God is going to do in you and through you! You make our hearts smile!

28 Months Old

Dear Eli,

You are growing up so quickly right before our very eyes. Every day with you is a treasure; one I cherish with all my heart. I love watching you grow and learn and become more of a little boy each and every day. I am so excited that I get a front row seat to watch you grow and become the man God wants you to be one day. Lately, you have had boundless energy. Where does that come from?! You are so much fun, sweetie! Your Daddy and I love spending time with you, playing with you, and talking to you. Each month just keeps getting better and better!

Physically: You're still a lightweight compared to some of your friends, but you're starting to get so tall. I haven't measured you, but all your pants are high-waters now, which means it's time to go shopping :) We weighed you the other day and you weighed around 27 lbs. You're such a skinny minny! You need 24 month or 2T pants and shirts now. You still wear a size 7 shoe. You're little face doesn't have much baby fat left on it making you look more and more like a little boy. Jumping is your favorite activity these days. You jump from any height, great or small. You're also a really good climber. In the new house, I have to keep a step ladder handy because some of the shelves are too high for your 5'5" Momma to reach. I have to make sure that I put the ladder away every time because you're definitely not against climbing it by yourself. We think you're definitely going to be right handed. Those dreams your Daddy had of you getting a full paid college scholarship for being a left-handed pitcher are gone but now more dreams and aspirations have taken their place.

Verbally: You are a chatterbox! I love listening to you talk, and conversations with you these days are so much fun. Every day I pick you up from Mrs. G's house and ask you about what you did there or what you ate, your answer is always the same. You always have great days and you always eat beans at her house, at least that's what you tell me :) "My do it myself!" and "Let my do it!" are common phrases these days around our house. You are Mr. Independent! You love to assert yourself, which is frustrating sometimes now, but it's a quality we are going to love when you get older. You still have trouble producing the correct sounds for some of your letters, but we're working on it.

Potty Training Update: You do very well for us at home and when you are at Mrs. G's house, but for some reason you are TERRIFIED of going on the potty at school. We wonder if it's because it's a teeny tiny toilet and you're used to going on the normal sized one. Let's hope you get over this fear of teeny tiny toilets though because your classroom next year has one as well. We started off giving you jellybeans as a reward for when you used the potty, then moved on to M&M's, and now we're currently using stickers. You seem to really enjoy the stickers so we'll probably keep that up. I bought some big boy underwear for you and you really enjoy wearing them. I've only put you in them 3 days so far and 2 of the 3 days you stayed dry and without an accident. I planned on using my spring break to do some intense potty training, but you and I did not have coinciding breaks this year. We still have 5 1/2 months before school starts, so I'm hoping that this summer will be the breakthrough for you.

Eating: No change. You still have good days and bad days. You are the only 2 year old I know though that loves hummus and guacamole. You spit out mac-n-cheese, but scrap your bowl clean when I serve you hummus or guacamole...go figure.

Sleeping: When we moved into the rent house, we only put your toddler bed in your room. We figured new house, new room...might as well have a new bed as well. You have done SO well with this. You are even taking naps in it! You still manage to wake up around 3-4 in the morning and make your way to our bed, but we enjoy the cuddles. You're not going to be little forever, so I'm going to enjoy these moments to their fullest! We have realized recently that you talk in your sleep. The other night you were talking about eating pizza. Your Daddy got a kick out of that one!

Games/Activities/Toys/Movies: You love painting with Momma. You can now ride your tricycle. You've actually been able to do this for awhile now, but I haven't posted any of the videos or pictures I've taken yet. You still love all sports-baseball, football, soccer, basketball, and golf. You've got a MEAN swing. Your Daddy is going to have so much fun playing with you this summer. You enjoy puzzles and you love the Shapes and Colors Quiz app I have on my iPhone. You are really adept at finding that app, too. You can work my phone better than some adults I know! You love your Toy Story friends and you sleep with Bullseye every night. You also love Curious George, The Little Einsteins, and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse at this moment. You'll sit down and watch any of those shows completely entranced.

Activities We're Looking Forward to:
-Grant and Addi's first birthday parties
-SUMMER!
-Swimming lessons
-Visiting Grammy, Pop, and Uncle Caleb
-Visiting Grandpa E
-Going to the zoo!
-Watching our NEW HOUSE be built!!

The Toddler Months: 26 Months Old

Dear Eli,

It's hard to believe that it's already been 2 months since your 2nd birthday, but here I am again writing a detailed account of what you're doing these days. I was thinking the other day about various school projects you'll have when you get older, and I'm hoping that your teachers will accept the response, "See my blog" when you have to write about your life growing up :) I've made it pretty easy for you kiddo :) All kidding aside though, this blog is such a wonderful outlet for me personally. I love that anytime someone asks me a question about something you did when you were an infant, I can just go pull up a blog post and find a detailed account of everything I could possibly want to know. I also love blogging because even though you're only 2 right now, one day you might read this and think, "Wow, I'm glad my mom did this for me." Ultimately, sweetie, this blog is for you and for our family. These are precious moments in our lives that I want to remember and savor and never let go of...this blog keeps all those memories alive.

Physically: Kicking, running, climbing, jumping, riding your motorcycle, riding your scooter...these are just a few of your favorite things right now. You love to be moving-something that has been the same since you were in my tummy! We're working on getting you to stand on one leg right now and it's pretty funny. You're clumsy like your mother, bless your little heart, so I'm hoping you get your equilibrium before sports become really important to you. Otherwise, there's going to be a lot of extra practices in your future :) You wear mostly 24 month clothes, but can wear some 2T. You weigh about 27 lbs. right now, which isn't saying much because your 8 month old cousin, Grant, weighs 23 lbs. You're a skinny minny and he's a fatty fat, but we still love you both to pieces :)

Verbally: Your language is just exploding and you're adding more words to your vocabulary everyday. You speak in 5 word sentences consistently and love to ask the question, "What's that?" You repeat everything we say. You love to sing songs. Your favorites are "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse," "Old McDonald," "Twinkle, Twinkle," and "Wheels on the Bus." You usually give your Daddy and me an instrument and we all play and sing together. It's lots of fun! You can carry on conversations now, which is LOTS of fun. I love picking you up in the afternoons and getting to hear about your day. You do lots of imaginative play now with Buzz Lightyear and Woody. It's so fun to see your imagination just take off!

Eating: You still have good days and bad days, but we expect that. You love pizza, lima beans, peas, hot dogs, frosted mini wheats, raisins, blueberries, bananas, cheese, veggie sausages, and milk. We have discovered that if we tell you how many bites of something you have to eat, you'll actually eat the required number without a fight. I wish I could just tell you to eat everything on your plate, but that would NEVER happen. I try to guess how many bites it would take you to finish whatever is on your plate so you will end up eating most of what's there and not realize it. Yeah, I'm sneaky like that :)

Sleeping: Dr. R mentioned that as long as you're not climbing out of your crib to not worry about moving you to anything else right now, so we haven't. You go down without a fight by 7:30-8:00 pm, usually wake up early in the morning 4-5 am to come snuggle some with us, and wake up completely by 7 am in the best mood. We are going to work on moving you to a toddler bed soon and also will work on you staying in your bed all night; although, I will miss those snuggle sessions. I love them :)

Activities/Games/Toys: You love to ride your motorcycle around the street in the afternoons when we get home. I thought about just letting your ride to the nearest stop sign, but you wanted to keep going, so we did. We ended up going about 1/2 a mile. I couldn't believe it! You still love being outside, and I'm ready for spring just so you can run and play like you want to do. You love any kind of art (like your Mama), so we paint and color a lot. Like I said previously, you love singing and music, so your musical instruments have become a favorite activity now. You love your new Elefun butterfly game, but you have yet to play it correctly. You like your color words puzzle, number puzzle, and shape puzzle. You love your Leap Frog Tag Junior books, and we read those every single day. You love playing with your trains, blocks, cars, and, of course, Buzz and Woody.

Skills We're Working On:

-Potty training, but you have shown ZERO interest in this, so I'm probably going to delay going hard core until summer when I can focus on this more.

-Identifying letters and numbers

-Riding your tricycle

-Taking off your shirt

*I figure I don't need to bombard you with lessons right now, so we're just kind of taking it easy and letting you be the guide. You have a quick memory and soak things up so easily, so when a teachable moment presents itself, we make sure to use it.

Skills You've Mastered:

Everything mentioned in previous posts, plus...

-Counting to 10 on your own

-Taking off shoes, socks, and pants

-Knowing all your colors

-Knowing all your basic shapes-circle, triangle, rectangle, square, diamond, star, heart, oval

*There are SO MANY more, but these are the ones that stand out to me right now.

Eli, I love everything about you. You are such a wonderful gift from God, and we are so thankful to him for allowing us to be your Mommy and Daddy. You are so very precious to us, and I can't wait to see how God is going to use you for his kingdom. I can't wait to celebrate many more precious moments with you :)

24 Months Old

Dear Eli,

The time has come for our monthly updates to end. I have really enjoyed writing about all the things you have done over the past two years, and I still plan on updating your growth and development, just not as often. I feel so blessed to be a part of your life, to be the one who gets to help mold and shape you into the young man you are going to be. You are an absolute treasure. In case you don't know, I LOVE YOU! You are such a gift from God! Your Daddy and I didn't know life could be so much fun before you came. We feel so honored to have been chosen to be your parents. We love your fun-loving independent spirit, your relentless energy, your ear-to-ear smile, your sweet little voice, and everything else that makes you special. I look forward to all the years ahead and all the sweet moments we are going to have together :)

Physically: We went to your 2 year check-up with Dr. R (no pictures because I was trying to contain you in a small waiting room) and everything was great, well, except for the fact that you were scared to death to stand on the big boy scale. I have no idea what was up with that. Then you wouldn't stand next to the wall so the nurse could measure how tall you were. I guess you were just in a bad mood that day. We eventually managed to get your weight and height, but both are probably off just a little. You weighed 26 pounds and you were 34 inches tall, we think. I do know that whatever it is you weigh, after a few minutes of holding you, it feels like A LOT! Your weight still is in the 25th percentile, which is nothing new for you. You've been there ever since you became mobile. Dr. R said your height was normal, so I'm assuming that would be the 5oth percentile. Your head measurement was 50th percentile, as well. You won't go back for another well visit until your 3 years old. WOW! That's a long time away. Hopefully by then you'll have put on a little bit more weight and you won't have issues with the scale or the height chart. We'll see though.... As far as clothes, you are mostly wearing 24 month clothes. You can wear some 2T shirts. You wear a 6 1/2-7 in shoes. One word that would describe you is the word that I have used to describe you since you were inside my tummy...ACTIVE! You aren't wild or crazy, but you are constantly on the go looking for something to do. You barely take the time to sit still. In fact, the only time we CAN get you to sit still is to put on Toy Story or Little Einsteins. That's usually what I do when I need to cook, because otherwise you would be crawling up my leg to "help" me in the kitchen :)

Verbally: Your language has just exploded! You say 4-5 word sentences consistently and most of it is understandable :) You repeat everything we say. You even use the word "too" appropriately. My favorite is when you say, "I wuv you, too, Mama!" It just melts my heart to pieces. You got several LeapFrog Tag Junior books for your birthday and you haven't shown much interest in them yet, but I'm hoping you will soon. I really really want you to become a reader, so I'm doing my best to instill a love of reading in you while I can. You love letting me read to you at night, but you usually pick the same 3 books over and over. You enjoy singing songs-Old McDonald, Twinkle, Twinkle and The Wheels on the Bus are your favorites. You can count to 10. You know all your basic colors-black, white, green, blue, purple, red, yellow, pink, orange, purple, brown. We are working on silver, gold, and gray right now. You know most of your shapes-circle, oval, heart, star, rectangle, square, triangle.

Eating: No change from the previous month. You are still what I would call a picky eater. You don't care that much about food at home, but Mrs. G and your teachers at school always say you eat well there. I guess you need other kids to be around in order for you to eat. You still love snacks more than anything. You have also turned into a big time milk drinker. I know we were supposed to switch you to reduced fat milk, but your Daddy and I figure you can use the extra calories. You like the taste of reduced fat milk though and will drink it just fine, which is the important part. Eventually, we'll switch you over, but just not now. Your favorite foods at this moment would be: yogurt, cheese, mandarin oranges, peaches, cereal, Welch's fruit snacks, popcorn, hotdogs, grapes, spaghetti, chicken pot pie, and most of all PIZZA. You take after your mama there :)

Sleeping: You still do the exact same thing as before. We actually bought you a toddler bed a few months ago, but you never really showed interest in switching to it. In fact when we asked you which one you wanted to go to sleep in, you said "kib" (crib). We figured we'll stick with the crib until you figure out you can climb out of it, which is crazy that you haven't done that yet as much as you climb everything else. You're still sleeping pretty much all night, some nights better than others. You still want a pacifier at night when you are at home, but we found out from Mrs. G that you never use a pacifier at her house. Hmmmm, it might be time for the pacifier to make it's disappearance. I might try that over Christmas break this year. It won't be fun, but it'll be a good thing once you're off it for good, even though that pacifier has been wonderful to have these past 2 years :)

Your favorite toys/things to do:

-Toy Story (1, 2, and 3) You LOVE them all! Buzz Lightyear is your absolute favorite character.

-Cars

-any type of sports ball

-blocks

-playing outside

-any type of art project, especially painting and coloring

-cars

-musical instruments

I'll be posting again at your 26th month. Until then, I can't wait to see all the fun stuff you're going to be doing!

23 Months

This second year with you has gone by so fast! I can't believe that it's already October and next month we will be celebrating your 2nd birthday. You are so incredibly fun right now. Not that you haven't been fun the previous 22 months, but you are SOOOO fun right now! Here are some of the things you are doing right now :)

Physically: You are still wearing 18-24 month pants and mostly 24 month shirts. Some 2T shirts do fit you, too. You love to climb, run, jump, climb, skip, walk backwards, flip, and climb. Did I say climb enough? You've just started climbing on the chairs in the dining room. You've never done that before because they are so high off the ground, but you're not scared anymore. Your Daddy and I have to watch you like a hawk. We know that when we hear silence, something is happening and we better find you quickly! You still use both hands to write and eat, but you seem to be favoring your right more now. I guess it's still too soon to tell which one you'll end up using one day.

Verbally: You have been combining words for several months now. I am very impressed at how much you know and understand right now. You still leave out a lot of sounds when you say certain words, but I'm a good translator so I almost always know what you're saying. Some days you are very chatty and I love that we are beginning to be able to have conversations with each other.

Eating: Eating lately has been a REAL chore for us. You eat very well at Mrs. G's house and at school, but not so well at home. I guess having other kids around you eating makes you want to eat. Maybe I need to hire some kids to come sit with us at dinner every night so you'll eat. We've tried everything we know, but you simply don't care. Food isn't something you think about a lot, obviously. We know you're getting enough of what you need over the course of a week, but sometimes it's hard to not worry. I'm trying my best to not to though, and I think I'm getting better.

Sleeping: We still do our same nightly routine and it works beautifully. After your bath and we brush your teeth, you and I sit down and read 3 books before saying your prayers and going to sleep. I lay you down in your crib, give you your "bay-bay" (blanket), and turn on Praise Baby Lullabies. Some nights you go right to sleep and there is no need for me to sit with you and other nights you need to know I'm nearby. Before the first song is over, you are in dreamland and usually sleep until around 5 o'clock in the morning, at which point, you wake up and I just put you in my bed so I can get at least another 45-60 minutes of sleep :)

Favorite Things to Do:

1. "Drive" cars-play cars, real cars, make believe cars. You love pushing buttons, turning on the air, turning on lights, turning the wheel, buckling your seatbelt and so much more. It's an addiction, really!

2. Play hide and go seek. You prefer for someone to hide with you and you usually come out before we can find you, but it's the best thing in the world to you.

3. Paint and color. If you see me painting, you HAVE to paint as well. Your works of art are already adorning our kitchen walls everywhere you look :)

4. Watch Toy Story or Cars. If I ever need to do something-cook dinner, for example- one of these two movies is what you want to watch. You love them both a lot!

5. Be outside. It's getting colder so we can't do that as much right now though.

Favorite Books:

1. Toy Story

2. Sleepy Time ABC

3. Little Sheep's Big Scare and the Shepherd's Great Care

4. Little Golden Books, "Cars" and "Toy Story"

Favorite Toys:

1. Wheely Bug

2. Any type of sports ball

3. Duplo blocks

4. Coloring Books

In just one month you will be 2 and that is so hard for me to believe. I can't wait to see what you're doing then!

22 Months Old

Is it that time again already? Has another month already come and gone? We're one month closer to your second birthday-Eeek!-and I'm not prepared for that at all! How is it possible that my sweet little baby has become a two year old so soon? This month has been a big month of changes for you, but you seem to be handling them really well. I'm so happy that you're happy because just thinking about how you would react to all the changes caused your Daddy and I lots of hours of worry (well, maybe it was mostly just me). Like I said before though you're handing everything great and are continuing to grow up and change right before our very eyes.

Physically: You are still my skinny minny :) You mostly wear 18-24 month clothes, but there are some 2T t-shirts that fit you. You're skinny little booty can still wear a 12 month in shorts, but since fall and eventually winter is approaching I've been buying you 18-24 month sizes for the length. We may have to tack up the waist a little, but at least you won't be wearing high waters :) You're foot has grown this summer. You're now wearing a size 7. You're probably more like a size 6 1/2 but we bought 7's for all your new shoes so you'll have some growing room. Your favorite way to move these days is by jumping. You jump ALL the time! At first your feet barely cleared the floor, but now you're actually getting some height to your jumps. You've also discovered that it's lots of fun to jump off of things. Oh dear, oh dear! Just remember the "Five Little Monkeys" song...especially the part, "one fell off and bumped their head." Yeah, let's skip that part, okay? Your Daddy is convinced that you need a balance band on your arm since you continually bump into things when you walk. I'm not going to lie, you get that honestly, but it's not from your Daddy's side. There's a reason my middle name IS NOT Grace :) You still love running. That's how I usually convince you to take a bath every night. You and I have a little race to the tub; you always win, of course :) You're also a GREAT climber. You are the reason I just spent $65 coloring my hair. My hairdresser thanks you, my son, but my wallet does not.

Verbally: You understand everything and your Daddy and I have reached the spelling stage. You know, the stage where you spell certain words like O-U-T-S-I-D-E and P-O-P-S-I-C-L-E and T-O-Y S-T-O-R-Y. We're good until you get in kindergarten and learn how to spell those words. Your speech is still sometimes unclear to people except for family, but normally if we can't understand you we ask you to show us what you want and you usually can. You sing and do motions to songs. I guess your favorite songs right now would be "If you're happy and you know it," "The Hotdog Song," "The Wheels on the Bus," and "Twinkle, Twinkle." If the song has motions you know them really well (my personal favorite would be "The Wheels on the Bus") and you're actually able to finish the last line of all those songs when we sing them together.

Eating: Mostly unchanged, but being at daycare has helped make you eat better at home. Yay! You have become a pretty good eater and I'm so thankful for that; however, getting you to sit still to eat a meal is what we're working on now. You like to graze instead of eating your meal all at once. You are super independent when it comes to eating now and only let me help you with yogurt or cereal now. Everything else you want to do on your own. If I even try to help, you look at me and say, "I do!" I love that you're stretching your little wings and wanting to do things more on your own :)

Sleeping: You're still getting around 10-11 hours of sleep a night and our system of me laying you down and then sitting in the rocking chair for a few minutes is still working great. You are almost always asleep by the end of the first song. You're such a BIG BOY! You still wake up in the pre-dawn hours of the day though to get some snuggles from Momma. We're going to have to work on that soon, but I'm going to choose my battles and I'm not ready for that one just yet.

Big Changes: You start pre-school this month!!! WOW! The preschool you're going to go to comes HIGHLY recommended. Your Daddy and I went to meet your teachers and see your classroom the other night and we think you're going to LOVE it, too! You have adjusted to going to Mrs. G's house in the mornings, but you still wake up and say, "No go. Tay (stay) home," every morning :( Breaks my heart, but you're just a homebody, and once you get where you need to be you do great.

We love you sweet man and can't wait to see what the next two months have in store for us :)

21 Months

Dear Eli,

This summer together has been one of my favorite summers ever! You are so much fun and I have LOVED spending every single day with you watching you play, learn and grow right before my eyes. I look back at pictures of you when school ended and compare them to the way you look now and it's hard to believe that you could grow up and change so much in just three short months, but you have! It's all happening quite too fast in my opinion, but I feel so incredibly blessed to be able to watch you and be a witness to all the wonderful things you are doing. You make my heart smile so big!

In three short months, we'll be celebrating your 2nd birthday! WHAT? How did that happen? The first year flew by quite fast, but the second one went at lightning speed. I can't believe that my baby is now a toddler full of smiles, laughs, and giggles that melt my heart. You are so sweet and so precious to be around. I love being able to experience things all over again through your eyes. Here's how you're growing!

Eating: You still weigh around the same, but your eating habits have gotten SO MUCH BETTER! You love fresh fruit, green vegetables, mashed potatoes, chicken nuggets, hot dogs, cereal, cheese, yogurt, peanut butter, Nutella, crackers, waffles, pancakes, cinnamon rolls, and popsicles. We usually leave you alone at meal time because you want to do it all by yourself, or as you always say, "Aw-wah do!" (You still have yet to say your name the right way. I guess Molly's way sounds so much better.) You are even getting much more accurate with your spoon and fork at meal times. You like milk and drink it without any hesitation. I still give you one Pedia-sure drink every day and if you do have chocolate milk, I mix it with Ovaltine. Hey, a few more vitamins and minerals can't hurt and it really does taste the same as the Nestle stuff.

Sleeping: You still love to wake Mommy up in the middle of the night some nights, but you are going to bed so much easier now. You actually WANT to get in your crib and go to sleep at the end of the day and you don't fight it anymore. PRAISE GOD!!!! Our routine has stayed pretty much the same. You eat your dinner, get a bath, get your jammies on, read a couple of books, say our night night prayers, and then you get into your crib. I turn off the lights, turn on your Praise Baby Sleepytime Lullabies CD and sit in the chair for about one song before leaving the room. The first time I did this you kept saying, "Ma-ma sit cair?" (Momma, sit in chair?). It took you about 4 or 5 songs before you would go to sleep on your own, but now you're out before the first song ends. Lately you've actually skipped the books and gone straight to bed after your bath. I don't argue with you at all. I'm just thrilled that you're going to sleep on your own without having to be rocked! We bought you a toddler bed (we would have gone to a twin, but you are a WILD sleeper and I have enough gray hairs for now, thank you very much!) but since you're doing so well in your crib, we don't see any reason to upset that routine right now. We'll have the toddler bed on stand-by if we need it now :)

Physically: You mostly wear 18 month clothes, but some 2T shirts fit you. Your little waist and booty are so small though that you probably won't be in a 2T short/pant for a long time and if you do reach it soon it'll be because you need the length. Everyone that knew your Daddy when he was a little boy said you are built exactly like him...long torso and skinny everywhere else. I think you look small but when you get around other children your age you are actually quite average in height. Your latest thing is jumping. You want to jump off anything and everything you can. You don't just jump off things either, jumping from the floor is fine with you, too. You barely clear the floor, but you make a BIG show of it. It's the cutest thing I've ever seen! You absolutely think you're jumping super high every time and we all act like you do, too! You don't walk anywhere anymore. You run, jump, or do some weird skip-hop thing you created. Walking is so overrated anyway :) To get you to go places with us we usually challenge you to a running race and it works magically every time. You are getting much better at hitting the ball off the tee, shooting the basketball, kicking a soccer ball, and hitting a golf ball. YOU ARE ALL BOY!

Temperament: You are so determined. Yesterday, you tried to walk across those concrete boulder things (the things that are in parking spaces to let you know when you're close enough) about 100 times. I was so worried that you were going to fall and bust your head open, knock your teeth out, get a concussion, or all the above, but every time I tried to help you, you'd push my hands away and tell me, "No, Ma-ma, go sit." Yeah, you were sidelining me already. You're not even 2 and you're doing that; what am I going to do with you when you're a teenager??? Not that I listened to you...I'm still the Mommy, after all! You finally walked across them by yourself-with Mommy nearby-and you were so proud of yourself. Keep that determination, my sweet boy. You will need that drive to help you achieve your goals one day. You're also very short tempered (you don't get that from me). We have now reached the point in your little toddler life where if something isn't working out to your liking you chunk it across the room. I can't tell you how many times you have been to time out because you've thrown something in anger. We're trying our hardest to work on this but I have a feeling it's going to take a lot more time outs. You're an outdoor lover. You could stay outside in the 100+ heat and it would be perfectly fine with you. That's one of the things that's been the hardest about this summer is that you want to be outside all the time, but you have a hard time understanding why you can't. This is why we've spent so much time at the pool. If I'm going to be outside, I at least want to be near a body of water! I've also let you play on your own on the back patio and to you it was the greatest thing ever. You played your little heart drawing on the concrete with your chalk, playing with Maggie, mowing the grass with your mower, and playing with your toys. I watched you from the window and every time I asked you if you wanted to come in you'd shake your head back and forth saying, "No tank-do, Ma-ma." (No, thank you, Momma). You are also very happy. You are always giggling, laughing, and smiling about something. No matter what your moods though, like the book we always read, I love you through and through!

Verbally: You completely understand everything we say in normal conversation and usually repeat our words still like a mockingbird. You know so many words now and I love hearing you talk. I can't wait until we can start having full conversations with each other. I know you have so much going on in that little head of yours :) and I'd love to hear all about it!

New Changes: Since the beginning of August, you've been going to a new daycare. It's a home daycare and the lady there came highly recommended. The first few times you went there it was kind of rough...mostly because you were in a new place, with new kids, and a lady that was not your Mommy. With time it's gotten much better. You don't cry when I leave you there anymore, which makes leaving you much easier. Mrs. G says you nap with the other kids just like you're supposed to now (for the first 2 weeks you napped on the couch in her living room) and you're eating really well. You do music, crafts, and even Your Baby Can Read. I love that you're getting so much socialization and making lots of friends-friends you'll probably have for a very long time! You brought home two papers the other day that you "colored" during craft time the other day and I completely goobed out and put them on the refrigerator immediately. It was your first piece of "work" ever! I wonder what I'm going to do when you start pre-school in a couple of weeks and you bring home your first "work" there :)

20 Months Old

It's sad to think that right now I'm googling second birthday party ideas and scouring hundreds of pictures of cakes, decorations, and invitations. Where did this past year go? Didn't you just turn 1? It's so hard for your Daddy and me to believe that you are going to be 2 years old in just a few short months. I thought the first year went by fast, but it's no comparison to this second year.

Sweet boy, you are growing and learning so much. I love being your Mommy! It is a job that isn't easy, but it's the most rewarding job I've ever had. I have thoroughly enjoyed these two months home with you. I wouldn't trade my job for all the money in the world. I am so thankful that I have two solid months to play with you, take you places, and love on you. It's been the best summer ever! I know the next few months are going to get so busy for me with school starting, planning your second birthday party, and then getting ready for the holiday season, so I want to soak up as much time with you as I can.

Here is how you have grown and changed over the past month:

Physically: You still weigh around 25 lbs and are about 33 1/2 inches tall. I worry most days that you aren't getting enough to eat or drink because eating requires you to sit still and you don't do much of that these days, but you are happy and healthy so I try not to worry too much. I rely on Dr. R's advice and trust that within a week you get everything your little body needs. (It's not for lack of trying on my part, I assure you!) You love to run everywhere, climb all the furniture, jump off things, scoot around on your Wheely Bug, and jump on your bed. We have found you in some pretty precarious spots lately, so your Daddy and I have to stay on our toes and watch you like hawks. You are a sports fanatic and love playing golf, baseball, basketball, and football. You hit like a champ off your Little Tikes baseball tee already and you are still a switch hitter, but you seem to favor left handed. Grammy and E are going to be so excited if that turns out to be true!

Verbally: You understand normal conversation and pick up on SO MUCH! You are a little mockingbird and repeat everything we say. Your favorite words by far are "Mone, Mama/Dada!" and "Get up/down, Mama/Dada!" You say these two phrases about one hundred times a day. You now can sing the last word to every verse in "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star." You also love singing "The Wheels on the Bus" and "Jesus Loves Me." It's so sweet to hear your little voice singing. You count to three. This is an improvement because just a week ago you counted like this, "Two, two, two." You can also spell your name now :) Anytime you pick up a crayon you immediately say, "E..." and try to write your name like Mommy always does.

Your eating and sleeping habits remain the same. One day you are a great eater and the next you will only eat goldfish. One night you'll sleep all night in your crib and the next you wake up three times. Your Daddy and I have learned to just roll with the punches :)

Playing: You love Mickey Mouse right now. You wake up in the morning and when we walk into the living room the first thing you usually say is, "Mi-mey?" (Mickey) Your Daddy and I limit how much "Mi-mey" you watch because we think you'd watch episode after episode if you could. You also love Toy Story. "Wu-Wu" (Woody) and "Buh" (Buzz) are easily recognizable for you now, especially in the toy section of stores :) Luckily, your perfectly fine with watching the movies and not necessarily having the toys. You are starting to pretend so much more. The other night you made a meal for your daddy to eat and you two sat and ate it together pretending the entire time. You talk to Mo the monkey all time and usually he answers any question you ask him with a "Uh huh!" You are so good at puzzles. The other night in the nursery you were showing the older kids where to put the shapes in the shape sorter. Smart boy!

There is so much more I could write because you amaze us so much. We love you, sweet man, and can't wait to see all the incredible things you're going to do one day!

18 Months Old

I hope this isn't a sign of things to come, but you are almost 19 months old and I am just now posting your 18 month updates. I will say this is only the second time that I've been late posting a monthly update on you, so overall I've done pretty well :)

Eli you are a joy to be around! I thank God every day for placing you in our care. You are so sweet, so rambunctious, so energetic, so funny! You make every day better just by being in it! I love this stage that you are in right now. I can see your little wheels in your brain turning all the time. You are soaking new information up like a little sponge. This summer together is probably going to be one of my favorites of all time.

Personality: You like to be in control. Your favorite word now is "No!". In fact, you will say "No" to just about anything someone asks you, even when you really mean "Yes". I guess it's your way of asserting some control over your little life. You are still a very very happy child. You love to play and you are constantly on the go. You remind us of the Energizer bunny because you keep going and going and going and going....You definitely keep us on our toes! You are very independent. You want to do things on your own now without help from your Daddy and me; yet another sign that you're growing up!

Likes:
1.) Your favorite activity in the whole entire world is to be outside. Sweet boy, I think you could live outside the rest of your life and you would be completely fine. Every afternoon when I pick you up from Mrs. Dara's house, you turn your little head to the side and say "Side? Pop-pop?" It's the sweetest thing ever! And 9 times out of 10 I indulge your little wish and we go outside until the mosquitoes start swarming, which living where we do isn't very long! You don't seem to mind though. Any time you get to spend outside is better than none at all.

2.) Spending time with family members. You love your Mamaw Chandler, Grammy, Pop, and Zue-Zue so much! In fact, you have now spent the night wth Mamaw Chandler and Grammy and Pop on your own. I was so surprised when it happened the first time. I couldn't believe that my little boy was already going to a sleepover! I love watching you interact with your family. They love and adore you and will do anything for you. You usually grab them by the hand and lead them exactly where you want to go, which is usually outside :)

3.) You love playing with any kind of ball-baseball, basketball, golf, soccer. I think you're probably going to play them all! I can already tell that my Mom's Activity Calendar is mostly going to be filled with ball practices and games. I can't wait to see you in those precious little uniforms :) Oh, and to the delight of your Grammy, Grandpa E, and your Daddy, who is thinking college scholarship one day, you do everything left-handed. We haven't had a lefty in the family for a very long time, maybe it's going to be you!

4.) You love being around Molly. You two have been playmates for about 8 months now and I think you're going to miss her this summer. Good thing she lives just down the street! We'll still be seeing her a lot even if it won't be at her house.

5.) You love watching old videos of yourself. If I need you to sit still for a few minutes, I can always find an old video of you as a little baby and you will sit and watch it so entranced. I think I need to put them all on a DVD so it will be easier to play them for you.

6.) You love eating pop-pops (popsicles). Most of the time you don't even eat the entire thing, but you love to hold onto it. I only buy the sugar free ones since you love them so much. We'd like you to keep your teeth for awhile :)

7.) You love wearing other people's shoes. You've done this for awhile, but now you even know whose shoes belong to who. You're good at matching pairs of shoes, too! You can bring Daddy one of his shoes and he'll ask you to go get the other one and you'll pull the right one out of the basket the majority of the time.

8.) You like to pretend everything is a car or a phone. The other day you were talking to your Papaw with your package of instant oatmeal. It was pretty funny! You also take any random object and zoom it around the floor or up the side of furniture and make a vroom-vroom noise.

9.) You like dirt and water. Your favorite thing is to drink water out of the hose outside. Your Daddy showed you how to do this once and now it's the only thing you want to do when you see a water hose. Your Daddy and I are thinking of getting you a dirt pile for the backyard soon, too. Anytime you play in dirt, you like to pick it up in your hands and rub it into your skin. You're our own Little Pigpen!

10.) You love playing hide and go seek. You, Grammy, and Pop played this alot last weekend in Shreveport. You cheat though :) You don't keep your hands over your eyes the entire time, but it's kind of cute so no one says anything. This week you've been playing hide and go seek with your Daddy. I love hearing your sweet little laugh every time you find Daddy hiding somewhere. It's precious!

Dislikes:
1.) Having to come inside after being outside all day.

2.) Having to stop playing to eat.

3.) Sometimes you fuss when you have to get dressed or get your diaper change, but mst of the time you're a happy camper.

Eating: Your eating habits haven't really changed that much. Your daily diet looks something like this:
Breakfast: Cup of milk, package of instant oatmeal or a scrambled egg
Snack: Cup of cereal or a Yo-Baby yogurt
Lunch: Gerber Graduate meal, string cheese, fruit cup, milk
Snack: Goldfish, fruit snacks, or a popsicle
Dinner:Whatever we're eating usually. If it's too spicy for him though, I'll fix him a Gerber graduate meal or some chicken nuggets.

Here are some other things you like to eat: turkey dogs, mashed potatoes, green beans (LOVE these, which is odd because you always hated green bean baby food), lima beans, peanut butter and jelly, all fruit, all cheese, chocolate milk, cereal bars, pudding.

Sleeping: I wish you would sleep through the night, but for some reason you wake up all by yourself and you feel the need to let Mama know about it. I can usually pat you back to sleep, but especially during the school year it was sometimes just easier to put you in the big bed. Oh well, my mom said I slept in the bed with them and eventually learned to sleep by myself. I'm sure you will, too. In fact, I plan to work really hard on your sleeping issues this summer. You only take 1 nap a day now, but it's usually for at least 2 hours. Sometimes you'll even go 2 1/2 hours! WOO HOO! All in all I think you're getting about 10 hours of sleep at night and about 2 during the day. You obviously are getting enough because you're always in a GREAT mood when you wake up in the morning.

I can't believe that you're now closer to 2 years old than you are to 1 year old. I can't wait to spend my summer with you. I know we're going to have so much fun!