sweet boy

Tonight Elliot put his arms around me and said, "I'm holding you."

Then, the came up next to me, laid down and said, "hello my Darling."

Is he a charmer or what?!

--

Each day we make time for "dance party."

It is as it sounds--about 30mins to an hour of sheer silly dancing and running around. It is a thrill for both of us and it is the BEST way to start the day!

Oh, I must make a note that on Friday, Elliot had his first night with a babysitter! James and I attended the wedding of my dear friend, Erin. Elliot stayed with Amanda (who had come over that week to meet and play).

He had a blast and we couldn't love Amanda more! Yay for Elliot! Yay for mom and dad!

sweet

Today when E got home from school, he ran to the Christmas tree yelling, "Mom! Mom! Turn on the Christmas tree!!!! The Christmas tree is sad!

I turn it on

E "Yes, thank you. Now we have a happy Christmas tree!"

--

Got home from work tonight. E always make me feel SOO missed and loved. Whenever I return home, he runs over to me yelling ,"Mommy! Mommy! I see you! Mommy's home!

Then he runs all over the house and spreads the good cheer!

---

Tonight as I ate a late dinner (E has been staying up late quite often) he squeezed in beside me on the couch and we shared the food.
He put his arm around my shoulders and whispered, "Hi sweetheart."

Lately

These pics are of E with his favorite blocks. He has made so many ASTONISHING creations that I am bewildered thinking there is some little block gnome living in the couch cushions coming out and assisting this child!
--
Elliot is asking so many questions. Sometimes the things he says sound like a little adult is speaking to me.

Today he grabbed my arms and hugged them tightly, lowering his head to them and saying,
"I love your arms and I love your hands."

Then he listed other parts of me that he "loved": face, shoulders, legs, etc.

Oh man--my heart is split open.

Before we went to HEB (H Heee Beee) tonight, Elliot was frustrated with something.
He called out, "BOND!"

I asked him, "Like James Bond?"

Elliot, "no, not like James Bond. Bond is what Elliot says when Elliot is angry. You can say bond whenever you feel nervous or angry."

I said that I understood as I held back laughter. What 2 year old says, "nervous"???

I didn't even know he knew the word--especially since he rarely gets nervous about anything!
---
I put up the Christmas tree tonight (just with the lights). Tomorrow E will wake up and see it all lit up and ready for us to decorate! He kept saying how excited he was for "decorating."

Poor James has been at work with a deadline since about 5am. It's 9:43pm and he's still there. We miss him and are so proud. Makes me think of how fortunate we are to be together as so many families aren't during the holidays (and the rest of the year).

God bless us all.

roommates

Tonight E is under the weather. I put his elephant shaped humidifier in his room and introduced E to "him" so that E would feel comfortable with the new occupant in the room.
I explained that Elephant was Mommy's special helper and that both Elephant and Mommy wanted to take extra special care of Elliot and make sure to put some magical mist in the air so that the air was clean and moist to make the "sicky bugs" go away.
E turned to his Elephant as if it were living and breathing,
"Thank you for taking care of me Mr. Elephant. Listen to Mommy sing us a song, this is going to be a really cool song. I love you, Mr. elephant."

yep.

P.S. Photo above is at Elliot's school October Festival (as E calls "Bestival!!!")
He was the ONLY child dancing in front of the band. He kept looking at us with his, "can you believe how great this is?" face.
I have to say, I couldn't be more proud...the dancing gene passed right through. ;)

baby house

Tonight: family time.

I asked Elliot where he lived when he was a baby and before he was born.

E: "I used to live in an itty bitty house in Mommy's belly (he comes over and puts his itty bitty finger on my tummy) and then I popped out!"

I immediately wrote it down. Stuff that good needs to be put in writing.

gushing, remembering.

Just left Elliot's room after a LONG goodnight :). As I stood up to put E down, the rocking chair rocked too far back and hit the wall, making a little bang. Elliot gasped, and in a tiny, high pitched voice (so it's much funnier if you're actually hearing it from him) "What the heck? Mommy, what the heck was that sound?"
I tried my best not to laugh (unsuccessfully).
I guess when they are this age, most everything that comes out of their mouth is cute/funny. Here are some things I want to remember that he said recently:

-when he put on his button down Hawaiian shirt:

"I'm not Elliot, I'm James!"

-Talking about kids at school:

"Jonah wouldn't listen to Paloma and he moved that way (he points). Teachers told us do NOT touch the ants or we will get very itchy!"

-As I am leaving his room at night:

Mama, tomorrow we can put on our jackets and go talk to the birds. We can put our jackets on and walk up and down the hills and talk to the birds.'

-As I bring a balloon home from Central Market (he REMEMBERS that they have only 2 colors there):

"Mommy bought me this balloon from Central Market and it's green, not purple.

-I ask him, "why does Mommy love you so much?"

"because I am savoring my ice cream."'

E loves to sing. He likes all kinds of songs--from simple Baa Baa Blacksheep, to Sweet Baby James (he calls this the "horse song"--if you know the lyrics, it mentions horse and cattle.
He knows EVERY word and because the words are more mature, they are so funny when he sings them.

And...for about three days E was asking me to sing the , "sculpture song." Took me a bit to realize that this is Your Song by Elton John...

the words E was referring to:

"If I were a sculptor, but then again, no--or a man, who makes potions in a traveling show--
I know it's not much but it's the best I can do...my gift is my song and--this one's for you.
And you can tell everybody, this is your song.
It may be quite simple but, now that it's done-
I hope you don't mind,
I hope you don't mind,
that I put down in the words--
HOW WONDERFUL LIFE IS, WHILE YOU'RE IN THE WORLD.

Elliot, I sing this to you because the world is actually the most wonderful it could ever be because you are a part of it. I love you endlessly. I get a frog in my throat thinking of you growing up.
You are simply angelic.

Just keeping sweet records

Elliot has said lately:

"mama, you are my favorite girl."

"Daddy loves Mommy and Daddy and Mommy say I love you."

"Daddy is Mommy's boy."

"Mama, Nana is kind of like a bunny and Grandpa is kind of like a fishy."

"Someone's having a birthday tonight and it's Uncle Chris" (who, by the way is in Dallas and who's b-day isn't until March :)

instead of, I am two YEARS old:

"I am two AND old."

when Linus, our crazy dog was wining incessantly:

"I think he needs some space."

when he begins a story:

"Once upon a day..."

as he was humming in the car:

"Mama, I'm a humming bird"

"Mama, I'm so impressed with you."

These are here so I remember them, I have already forgotten so many things he has said and they happened this month!

stories

E has been telling stories that start with, "then..."

"Then the baby went inside the rasberry. He was teeny tiny."

"Then the piggie was on my foot."

"Then the doggie was dirty and made footprints."

They are endless. They are usually off the cuff, and always a joy to me.

IMAGINATION.

observe and sing

For the last week Elliot has been such an angel, such a charmer, I nearly forget he has
the ability to access the "terrible twos."
Now that I've said that I'll probably become acquainted with them really soon!

E is so observant, much like my mom has described me as being. Mom always remarks at how I always comment on things that other people might not notice--knick-knacks in a room, a unique ceiling, etc.
There are too many things to list. But one that occurred today for E was that he looked to a very high arch in our ceiling and said.
"I can't reach it."
I said, "what can't you reach?"
He said, "the pink dot."

I thought I was the only one! That "pink dot" is actually a tack left over from when I hung baby shower decor for my best friend's shin-dig here. I could barely push it in with the tip of my finger and now, even on a ladder, I am too short to take it out!

That tack has been bothering me for months and I keep forgetting to ask my hubby to get it.

Thank goodness for E's skills of observation or it might be there until he graduates high school! :)

Tonight as we were rocking, E was singing another of his made up songs. These lyrics are not copy written yet, so please don't steal:

And then
and then
and thennnnnnnnn
and then theyyyyy...
ate.

P.S. the pic is of E engulfed in the parachute ball that his Great Aunt Patty brought to the family reunion this past Aug. E, no fear, continuously ran--time after time careening into the ball and falling to his tummy in sheer giant ball bliss. He is made of Rubber and Boy.

Favorite question

Imagine going about your day with a tiny voice asking repeatedly,

"How can that be?"

;)

These days

E talks our ears off
He asks LOTS of questions
He wears underwear except for at night
He is still the love of our lives.

A few nights ago:

I am singing as we are rocking before bed, his head on my chest.

I stop singing and just rock.

E waits about a minute, lifts his head and says:

"TALK."

he looks at me for another few seconds

"PLEASE."

I laughed so much! He said it the way you would ask someone to have a seat if they were visiting your home, "Sit; Please."

Anyhow, he is much more interested in my singing and dancing these days. He makes up his own songs and goes all out especially when he thinks no one is listening/watching.

He loves to dance in my arms and though my back doesn't dig it, my heart sure does.

One thing said a few weeks ago that, at the time was his longest run-on sentence:

"Mama, I don't have my swim shoes that Daddy got at Target and cut the tag off."

:)

back seat driving

I am driving E home from school...

E: Go faster!

Me: What honey?

E: Go faster, Mama!

Because I was only going about 25 mph at the time, I had to speed up as we got away from school, so yes, naturally I began to drive faster.

E: There you go Mama. Thanks.

I'm partial to this kid

As Elliot slides across the kitchen floor on his tummy tonight, he tells me, "I'm pretending!"
Imagination has really taken a huge leap into his life and he "pretends" all the time now.

One morning he rattled off a list of what he was:

Mama! I'm a fish! I'm a bird, I'm a zebra, I'm a deer, I'm a froggie, I'm a doggie, I'm a bear, I'm a GIANT turtle! The list goes on and on and is quite extensive.

Then, as he winds down, he pauses, looks at me and says,
Mama, I'm a man.
I'm a person.

I laughed so hard and told him he could be anything he ever wanted!

He is amazing me with how much love, affection, coordination, smarts, and MEMORY that he shows. Today he walked over to me and leaned down to kiss my big toe! He kisses my eyes, ears, cheeks, and now my head too. He has a whole sequence of kissing. What a sweetheart.

Today we were on the way to the pediatrician and E looked out the window and saw Best Buy.
He exclaimed,
Robin Hood's House!

About 2 months ago, James took him here and purchased the cartoon Robin Hood DVD. The kid's mind is a steel trap!

talk

So because this blog is primarily so that I can remember all the little things E did a a child when he's 20+, and also so he can share in the love, the funny, the pride I've had for him since day one...some people who read it might not care about all the things I am posting that E is saying.

So much is lost in writing. His pronunciation, inflection, and the fact that it's all said in a tiny two year old voice, makes it such a tremendous hoot!

When E is finished with something, or doesn't want anymore:

"No thank you, Mama. I'm good."

Tonight he asked,

"What's your name, Mama?"

I laughed, and before I responded, he so aptly told me it was,

"Mama Books"

He said that he also knew, "Daddy Books" and Doggie Books" and that he was of course,

"Eyut Books."

We're still working on "L" ;)

I think it's right on the money that my new name would have "books" in it. E loves to read.


Then

young love

Elliot and his love, Emalina.
February babies.
February wedding?

cute and fuuny phrases from E

E tells all of us these things regularly:

"Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you, Linus" (the dog)
"Nice to meet you Daddy and Mommy"

(I believe we've met :)

"That's okay, Mommy"
"That's okay, Doggies"

(this is always said very reassuringly :) think he picked it up from me when he has some sort of accident.)

"See you later, okay?"

"Handsome boy."

"I like mangoes, Linus."

(he tells the dog, just in case he wasn't sure) This is something learned from Grandpa--minus telling it to the dog.

Tonight he said something that I think was really smart and sweet:

"The sun is tired and it's getting darker and darker."

xoxo E, I love your voice and mind.

More sweets

E called me into his room because he was thirsty.

He asked for a "drink please"

He drank half the cup and told me, "all done, thank you."

I kissed him and told him good night and sweet dreams.

As I left he said,

"Sweet dreams, mom. Have a good day, okay?"

It's 11pm--he just made my whole day :).

what a lover!

I always check on E before I go to bed. It's more for me than him...I love to watch his sweet little sleeping face and body.
Last night I went in and was too loud--accidentally waking him up...barely.
E rustled around and re-situated. Then, in a teeny-tiny voice he said what I thought was
"giz wibs"
-what honey?
"gis wips"
-what sweetheart?
He lifts his little body onto his forearms and his tired head bobbles, unstable as he locks eyes with me and says,
"kiss lips, Mama. Kiss lips."

I am a pile of mush.
You bet I gave that angel a big smooch-er-00.

Is there a sweeter being on earth who when awakened in the middle of slumber has one request and that is to kiss lips?

He is such a lover. I am beside myself once again.

sentences

I have yet to mention in blog form that Elliot has been speaking sentences for quite some time. I noticed in my last blog that it appeared as if he was only saying the one word--not the case.
E has said the most adorable sentences and I have to begin to write them immediately down so as not to forget.
BUT, just for the sake of looking back at milestones, E talks a blue streak and it is evolving each day.
Things that are funny and I need to recall when I am old:
Elliot told the doggies to go to "time out."
He also recently held me close, kissing my eyes (his favorite thing to do with many people he loves),
"Kiss Mommy's eyes." "Elliot kiss mommy's eyes five times." (he counts to ten now on his own).
I told him I loved him and he laid his head on my chest.
Then I asked, "Who's my favorite boy?"
He waited a moment, and then looked up at me and responded,
"Jonah."
Yes, Jonah, Elliot's best friend at school...who I have met once.
I laughed until I cried.
Elliot laughed so hard as if he knew all along that was the joke...

E knows all colors, shapes, numbers almost to 20, and most of the alphabet. I'm not saying he's a genius or anything--but I am telling you that he LOVES to learn and he's sharp as a tack. I am, of course, his mother--so he's amazing in all the ways all children should be in the eyes of their loved ones.

For those of you reading my blog, please know that my intention is not to compare E to anyone, but to write when and how he is doing new things so that he has that record when he is older. I am not keeping a record anywhere else--so thank goodness that once you publish something on the internet, it's not going anywhere! ;)

There are so many things to write even on an hourly basis.

One last thing-

James painted the front room today while I was at an all day yoga workshop. Earlier in the day, James had lovingly referred to E as his, "buddy."

After James was looking at the end result of his hard work, James' mom said that James did a good job. Elliot turned to James and said, "good job, buddy."

We're really watching our mouths these days as E repeats EVERYTHING as all two year olds do. It really put s a mirror to you in a whole new way. What a great opportunity for us to speak and act more positively.

Making mental notes

I seem to have amnesia. I need to just write down all of the cute things E says so that I can write them here when I have time to sit down to the blog.
I did want to mention that Elliot is observant to an unbelievable degree. I can't get ANYTHING past him. There's no slight of hand for this little fellow--no way.
Today I took one of his MANY stuffed animals out of his bed before he went in for a nap. I took it out because it is a bear that has a hood that can be taken on and off. E will lay in bed requesting for me to take bear's hat on and then off over and over. He only does this every so often and he hadn't asked in a while so I figured he was over it.
Today when I put E in to bed, he laid down and then abruptly shot up saying, "bear?" SOOooooo, I went to the closet and in to bed bear went. Hat on, and then hat off...

When Elliot is inside he tells me all the time what he is hearing and paying attention to, outside. He always gets the sound correct.
For instance, he will tell me:

"truck"
"car"
"airplane"
"rain"
"thunder"
"man"
"kids"
"doggy"


It's not so much that he is naming them, but more so that no matter how engaged he is in activity inside--the softest of sounds outside gets his attention. He is so aware.

After his naps (which we often work VERY hard for) E has been hugging close to me for a lengthy time before he is ready to play again. I really enjoy this time--his head on my chest. Today he came and said, "Mommy, Elliot, snuggle-hug."
Did you hear that? That was the sound of my heart melting! Then he hugged me tight around the neck and said, "squeeze" and I have to tell you--he hugged me so hard and long that it rivaled the strength of most adult hugs!
I know one day on his way out the door for a date, E will rush out the door and maybe just yell, "bye mom!" over his shoulder...
How do I suspend time ? :)

So much--such a long time since last post

I have not posted for some time--n0t because Elliot isn't doing anything blog-worthy, but because we are having video/computer issues that are preventing uploading the videos or pics we take.
I hope James can get it figured out soon. I thought though, that because I know I can't remember it all (even in the past couple of months) that I will write some funny, poignant things down about our beloved Mr. E.
Elliot talks our ears off. Most of the time I can figure out what he's saying. Sometimes I just have to nod and say, "Yes, Ohhh, Uh huh, very cool!" He seems satisfied with this for now :).
He is saying 3 words at a time--occasionally more. Some words that I find totally wonderful that come out of his mouth are:

gorgeous
organized
awesome
pentagon (and yes, he says it when actually referring to a PENTAGON!)
important

He is sharp as a tack and knows almost all colors, shapes, and numbers 1-10. He is recognizing letters as well. He shows me his name written on things. "Eyut Brook" he states proudly.

School remains a great place for him. He adores it. I have started jogging him to school in the stroller and walking the empty stroller home. It totals about 2 miles. I enjoy being with him early in the morning and taking that time before school begins (4 hours, 3 days a week).

He says "Weeeeeee" as we run and he says, "wind, wind!"

Funny things:

Elliot looked at my ear lobes without earrings in--he noted the holes of the piercings. He told me, "Mommy boo boo ear. Mommy ear splinters" and "mommy ears, tiny holes." This kid is SOOO observant.

He constantly refers to family members and friends he has met. Sometimes he just tells me that "Grandpa, Nana are coming. Grandpa, Nana sleeping. Grandpa, Nana home."
Then he repeats these things for his "PK" (his grandmother--James' mom), His Aunt Courtney and Uncle Chris. And my best friend, Tori.
Tori recently had a baby (Nimue). Elliot has met the baby one time but yesterday was whispering, "baby Nimue." in his car seat. His pronunciation is getting so much better.
He understands so many concepts that I thought would take longer:
up
down
heavy
on top
under
behind
two
over
after
fix

Anyhow, there is so much more, but my time is limited for writing for now.
We are having such fun and know there is more in store in that department.

Water bug

Grandpa's magic trick!

Is there anything more amusing than a champagne cork and a table with the right size hole in it? Add Grandpa to most anything and you get great results!

Some videos that are old and new with (silent films)

Can't get the sound to work on these! They are sweet nonetheless. Just wish you could hear his laughter and all of his words! UPDATE--WORDS!

Words From the Wise

Today Elliot let loose on so many words I cannot list them.
He is using many 2 word sentences too.
The highlights:
"Please"
"thank you"
"Elliot Brooks"
"night-night Mama"

Again, there are so many words. He pretty much says everything he wants to. He counts to 3 and he names shapes. WOW, what a big boy!

Accessorizing

winnie the...

pooh. Yes, pooh, but today--the other pooh...POO. In the potty!
Some people don't write about this on a blog. Those people are not me.
This is big news in our home. Elliot has taken potty training to a whole new level! Yay, Little One! Yay.

two

Today, my dear Elliot, you are two whole years full of life. There is nothing that I would change about you. You are a boy who feels, and loves, and knows things in your little head that are at times beyond what I, as an adult can grasp.
You are the earth to me, the heavens, you are my heart grown.
I have love for you in every cell of my body, every wrinkle on my face--especially the lines of my smile.
I will tell God each day the joy he has brought. The world is yours. I am yours. Daddy is yours. We have more than the word love for you. You are better than we could ever imagine.
Our son.
Happy Birthday.

Yay for MEEEEE!!!

Just wanted to mention that as of a week home from Louisiana, Elliot is back (and pretty committed) to doing all his pee-pee on the potty!!!! We are so proud of him!

Almost 2!

My little baby is now a toddler. We've got the most loving, affectionate little man I could ever imagine. We also have a tough cookie who like a true toddler is testing his limits. Each day is joy and struggle, joy and struggle. Joy for all the running, laughing, playing, joking, kissing, hugging, and my favorite--the resting on Mama.
Lately he's been hugging Mama and Dada's Legs. Just randomly he'll walk over and give a big hug to one of our legs. It is absolutely wonderful. It takes me back to when I hugged my mom and dad on the legs. My dad used to let us stand and sit on his feet and we'd ride as he walked.
That won't be far off for Elliot.
The limit testing takes the shape of crying, screaming, hitting, and demanding. We have a lot of ways to deal with these things, but have yet to find a way to avoid them completely! :) James and I find ourselves much more exhausted these days due to the conflict resolution.
On a bright note, Elliot recently went with us to visit his PK in Baton Rouge. For the most part, he did great on the plane rides. We had such a good time and Elliot proved once again that he can go with the flow and adapt when he needs to. He is my little trooper.
We went to the zoo, the mall playground, the carousel, and to play with two amazing kiddos, William and Suzanne. Needless to say, Elliot had a fantastic time and we have to thank Pam and David for such lovely hospitality. We really enjoyed ourselves.
I must write about what happened at the zoo:
Elliot had already seen all types of birds, giraffes, goats, zebras...you name it. He was a bit tired so he wasn't as enthusiastic as we have seen before--UNTIL...
the OTTERS!
That's right, we were nearly done with the zoo experience when we went into a small room in which one wall is all glass--making up part of the otter's outdoor pond. There was about 2 feet of glass where the visitors could see the otters swimming under water.
The minute the otters dove in to catch their lunch (fish) Elliot began exclaiming, "Ma-moes! Ma-moes!" He was literally running back and forth following the "Ma-moes" and yelling with unadulterated joy. "Maaaa--Mooooeeessss!"'
Everyone in the room had a good laugh.
Later that night at dinner, I looked at Elliot and said, "Did you have fun seeing the otters today?"
Elliot looked me dead in the eyes and actually seemed to CORRECT me by saying,
"Maaa-moes!"
We laughed so hard!
I told Pam that I figured he had seen something that reminded him of otters and that it must have a name similar to "ma-moe."
**sorry, the rest of the post is in a weird font that the blog won't let me change!**
A few days after we got home it was time for Elliot to get sleepy for his nap so I turned on a movie.
Elliot immediately yelled out, "MAAAAA-MOOOOEEEEEE!"
The movie: Finding NEMO.
So apparently "Nemo" is fondly referred to as "Mamoe" by Elliot. I think when he saw the big underwater world and the animals swimming in it, there was only one thing to draw from. Where else has he seen the underwater world from the side, rather than from above? Finding Nemo.
The funny thing is that he knows what a fish is, and knows it's different than an otter (Mamoe). He doesn't call fish, Mamoes--he calls them something I can't pronounce that sounds faintly like "fish."
I've never seen all of Finding Nemo, but maybe there's a cameo of an otter--in the completely wrong waters :) Ha! Or maybe in my child's mind, there is a Mamoe, that looks like an otter, and is unmistakeably, obviously a MAMOE, and we adults are just clueless.

Down Dog!

Elliot yells, "down dog" and takes position. It's enough to melt his yoga mama's heart.

P.S. notice what's on TV--yikes!

finally getting videos up