Eli Lately

I've been meaning to do this post for awhile. Eli is doing so many cute and fun things. In some ways he's still my baby boy, but in so many other ways he's becoming my big boy! I can't believe how fast he's growing and learning. I want to freeze time, or at least engrave these days into my memory.

*Eli loves to read! One of his favorites is the Auburn counting book. He opens it to the page with Aubie and starts shaking his fist (insert shaker) and waits for one of us to sing War Eagle or Glory.

*Eli also loves music. He has recently learned Itsy Bitsy Spider and does the spider, rain, and sun motions. He still loves baby bumble bee. He shakes his head no at every verse until you get to the "wiping off the baby bumble bee". That's his favorite. He smiles so big as he "wipes the bee" off of his shirt!  He also likes when I switch it up and sing about bringing home a baby dinosaur.

*Wesley has taught Eli to hold his arms up and show his muscles on command.  It's cute.

*Eli has learned to say "no, no" and shakes his finger as he says it. I guess he's picked this up at daycare because we don't say "no , no" or shake our finger at him, ha!  We try to redirect instead of always telling him no.

*Eli has now learned to flush the toilet.  He loves to watch the water go down and then waves and says, "bye, bye!" to it.  He did this so many times as I was getting ready one morning the toilet nearly overflowed.  Thankfully, he hasn't tried to flush anything down.

*We gave Eli an "ELI" puzzle for Christmas.  He loves to play with it, but frequently gets frustrated because he struggles to get the E in.

*Eli says HOT if we have a fire going and when we put in/take out anything from the oven or microwave.  He usually asks if something is hot before he eats, too.

*If the sun is in his eyes or if all the lights are on in the living room (we usually just do the lamps) he says "BITE! BITE!" (bright!)

*Eli is still very shy.  He goes into his classroom each day just fine, and his smiling and playing when I pick him up each afternoon.  However, he gets very quiet and clingy around new people, unfamiliar situations.  He cries A LOT when he goes to the nursery at church.  I guess because he doesn't go daily, and isn't really in there long enough to establish a routine.  He's calmed down when we pick him up, but is still breathing/hiccuping like he's been crying hard.

*Eli has gotten to be a pro at unzipping and taking his jacket off.  He does this by himself when we get home, or get to his classroom, and gives it to me to hang up.  When they go to the playground, his daycare teachers have had to start putting his jacket on him backwards - hood in the front, zipper in the back - because he constantly takes it off.  He apparently has made some good friends though, because now the other kids come by and unzip it from the back for him!  : )

*Eli doesn't have a favored blanket, stuffed animal, lovie, or anything like that.  However, here lately, he's become very attached to his sippy cups.  Not any particular one, but when he has one, he keeps a death grip on it and looks it to stay in the crook of his arm.  He pitches a big fit if you try to take it away, or put it on the counter.  We've even had to start taking a cup with us to daycare every morning, and then I switch it with his daycare cup once we get there.

These days are so much fun.  Eli is learning new things each day and his personality is really becoming very developed!