Eli: One Year Update

I was trying to get a cute picture with their Christmas hats on...Jay didn't understand where to look, obviously

So cute in his Santa hat!

Now Jay's giving us the fake smile and Eli's jabbering about something else.

What a cheezer!

Waiting to see Santa. "Now Eli, you need to be nice and sit his this man's lap."

Jay can't wait!

"Hey Santa! I want a Batman and fire mask!"

And now time for Santa....Eli is not a fan!  The picture turned out blurry because I was laughing so hard but it's still cute. Jay was oblivious to his brother's woes. Eli was completely betrayed by his father who forced him to sit with this scary man!

"it's okay, Santa, I love you!"

Such a good one!

Eating Popsicle and watching cartoons during a rainy afternoon

Eli needed no instructions on how to man handle that snack

Jay took the next few pictures....Eli is giving him a smirk here!

And he apparently blinded poor Eli with this close up

Poking Kitty

Kitty's giving me the "let me outside NOW" look

Yep, she's putting Eli in his place

He's starting to second guess the decision to mess with this fuzzy being

Nope, he will just give it back to her.

Well Eli is no longer a baby...he is one year old! I cannot believe how fast this year has gone. He is growing into his own little person. His personality is so clear and he is starting to have a little attitude which I'm sure will only increase the closer he gets to two. As for specifics:

- He had a great well check last week. He weighs 21.5 lbs (50th percentile) and also 50th for his height although I can't seem to find the exact amount right now. Head circ was also 50th.

- He is cruising like a pro, walks with push toys, and crawls so fast. He also walks with me holding his hands but hasn't ventured into the real "first steps" yet. Jay was 13 months when he officially walked and Eli seems to be on the same track.

- He says "mama", "dada", "hey", and "uh-oh". He just learned "uh-oh" last week and says it all day long. He is so proud of himself. He has a specific sound for Jay that I can't seem to type out to sound right but it's definitely his version of "Jay" and is always said with a bossy tone!  We are working on "Jake" and "dog" but he just gets confused about the two words since we go back and forth. He will probably go with Jay's method and just call him "ruff ruff" for the next year or so.

- He is Wes through and through. He is calm, logical, and easy-going. But can throw some ridiculous tantrums once he's had enough. I thought it was so funny (and appropriate) that Eli's first word was "hey" while Jay's first word was "uh-oh."

- I feel like he prefers Wes over me and Jay. Wes says it's only because he's with me all day and he is someone new. I say it's because he can sense Wes' calm, soothing spirit while my spirit (as well as Jay's) is a little too hostile for him. Every day when Wes walks in he probably thinks, "oh finally, someone else who isn't crazy and loud is home. Now I can relax." 

- He loves to clap and does it every time he hears anyone say, "good job!"

- He loves to wave too. It is so adorable!  He waves when we say "bye-bye" and to every car we pass walking into the grocery store. I seriously can't see why every person who sees him do this doesn't stop and awe over what a precious little baby he is!

- He enjoys nursery at church and hasn't started with the screaming meltdowns when we drop him off. In fact, he starts pushing off of me before I can say hey to his teachers. This is his only consistent playtime with other babies and I think it's a welcomed change to the normal abuse he endures at home every day thanks to his rough brother.

- Speaking of that, he and Jay are so good together. Eli wants to be where ever he is and is starting to mimic every thing Jay does. It is really cute. This morning he was trying so hard to write on the chalkboard until Jay got mad that Eli was messing up his picture. I cannot get Jay to understand that Eli is just trying to play with him because he loves him. Jay couldn't wait for his baby brother to get big enough to play with and now all he does is tell him to go away!  So sad. But it doesn't phase Eli and he just keeps on doing his thing.

- On the other hand, they have so much fun together when they are in good moods. I love sitting back and watching as they laugh, scream, and talk back and forth. They get so tickled that they both end up with the hiccups and then laugh because of that. It really it such a sweet sound to hear!

- His favorite thing to play with are balls. He can throw hard and far, already. And loves to roll balls back and forth to us. Jay was always into trucks and never spent a lot of time with balls but Eli is the opposite. Unfortunately, we have a house full of trucks so I am slowly building up our ball collection in order to keep this future pitcher happy! 

- He also loves music. He bobs his head up and down instantly to the music. He has just started to wave his hands in the air but can't to both at the same time so he just alternates. And he loves it when I dance him in my arms. The more I twirl and throw him around, the more he laughs. The problem is that he won't let me stop once I get started so I usually just let him dance solo in order to avoid complete exhaustion.

- He has six teeth!  Four on top and two on bottom. Most have come through easily, however his fourth tooth was a nightmare!  He was irritable for over a week and woke up every night screaming. I was so happy when that finally ended. The hard thing with Eli is that when he cries, it is for a reason and, logical boy that he is, he will not stop until the problem is resolved. I can't just hold and rock him to get him to calm down. He couldn't care less about being pampered, he just wants his tooth to stop hurting!  Luckily, Tylenol and Ibuprofen work well with him so it was just a matter of waiting for the meds to kick in. But at midnight, 20minutes of screaming seems like an eternity! 

- Now that he has more teeth is loves table food. His favorites are PB&J, goldfish, pineapple, pears, yogurt, and chicken. He is picky about veggies, it's really just hit or miss with anything green. He does eat carrots and corn but only if they are his only option. He will drink water and juice but really prefers whole milk. And he has his Daddy's sweet tooth! Cakes, cookies, and pies must be out of sight if I want him to eat anything of worth. He would survive on cupcakes if we let him!

- When he eats he makes sure to store it beside him in the chair. He almost always makes a little pile and then goes back for it later in the meal. He may be a little pack rat!

- He loves working with his pointer finger and will very carefully mash every single pea/bean/etc while he's eating. It is so funny to watch him do this. It is just like Wes would do- thoughtful, meticulous, and accurate.  He points to things he wants and if we don't give in, he lets us have it! He will also jab that little finger in your mouth, nose, eyes, or ear in a second and will not give up, no matter how many times you pull his hand away!

- He shakes his head (with conviction, I might add!) when he's done eating or even just ready to do something else. The other day we were in Publix and he decided he was ready to get out of the cart so he shook his head constantly as we walked up and down the aisles. He didn't stop until we were checking out. I bet people wondered what kind of weird tick my poor baby had! 

- He loves when I sing "the itsy-bitsy spider" and "patty cake", and his really trying to figure out how to do the spider motion with his hands. And is very close to getting it right!

- He has learned to hit when he's mad. He will hit Jay in a heartbeat. And hits anything within reach if Jay's unavailable. I think we will have trouble when he gets big enough to really hurt...Jay is not going to put up with that and, you know Jay, there will be a few wrestling matches to referee!

- Jake is his new buddy. When Eli's done eating, I bring Jake in for clean up. Eli loves to feed him and then loves to crawl all over him when I take him out of his chair. He has poked Jake in the eye a few times with that pointy finger but that sweet dog just groans and walks away. He is such a perfect fit with these boys. Eli also loves to chase Kitty around but she's not as good a sport as Jake, as you saw from the pictures, but Eli doesn't care. He's pretty sure she is there simply for his amusement....poor Kitty.

That's about all I can come up with. I can't wait for us to spend Christmas with family!  We are leaving at the end of the week and will get to spend several days with each side. And Christmas morning will be so much fun with Jay as he has been eagerly awaiting Santa's visit this year!