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.
