Elijah, My Love

I am well overdue in writing an Elijah Update.  The kid keeps growing and moving and shaking like nobody's business and we keep being astounded.  Despite the loads of bumps and bruises, the teething, and the learning-of-opinion-expression, there is the calling us by name ("Mama" and "DA!", not Kate or Keith... yet), the inhalation of many foods, the self-dependence and the acrobatics.  Let's recount, shall we?




Elijah's favorite foods: olives, raisins, carmelized onions, edamame, grapes, lentils.  After our repeated pleas of, "We don't throw food on the floor, we simply push it away when we're done!" he's finally got it, and will often push his plate towards us - a bit forceful at times - when he's done.  A welcome change from the staring us in the eye and opening his hand to release its contents downward (which, if you didn't know, is baby sign language for "you sucker").

Acrobatics: Elijah's newest antic is to climb up on chairs by himself.  This probably started because I began bringing him up on a chair in the kitchen with me to help me cook, as he was so interested in what I was always doing up there on the counter.  He did really well with that for a while, but I've stopped since he's taken to plummeting to the ground more often than I find acceptable (which is actually a fair amount).  He also loves stairs, and while he learned how to scoot down them backwards on his own, he now much prefers to take our finger and go down them like we do, one foot in front of the other.

Language: Elijah isn't saying much yet beyond "mama" and "da". In the mornings, Keith gets up before we do, and when Elijah wakes up he looks to the other side of the bed, and shouts Da!  Keith hears him on the monitor comes up to give me a few precious minutes of solitude.  Elijah loves to babble, though, and I am still hearing so many things that sound like words or even phrases.  So, if he says something that sounds like it makes sense contextually, I'll repeat it back to him correctly to -hopefully- emphasize whatever it is we both think he's saying.  We've just started talking about body parts, especially while nursing.  His favorite is "nose" - particularly my nose - followed oh-so-closely by "bellybutton".  He understands most of what we say to him in terms of simple questions or commands or suggestions, and he is extremely observant.  We have a bag of chips in a cupboard quite high up in the kitchen (out of sight, out of mind, at least in theory) and Keith will get a couple here and there.  One day Elijah came and stood in front of the cabinet and it was very clear that he wanted something.  I had no idea what, but Keith figured out he wanted those chips.

Playing: Each week we go to several playgroup-type times, both structured and unstructured.  Elijah definitely prefers less structure, and loves interacting with kids that interact back.  Today he and two other boys ran around playing chase and all three shrieked in delight as one would turn around and catch another.  It was very endearing to watch.  We are slowly getting out of the "everything is a telephone" phase, although if he spots my iphone he goes nuts.  He's also gotten really into keys lately, which I totally didn't mind him playing with until he remote-started the car, twice, once while we were perusing a 2nd-hand store for longer than just a few minutes.  Elijah love to be outside which is great because I'm just starting to do some things in the garden.  I think I found rabbit poop in his mouth once so I'll have to watch that, but otherwise I love that he's getting into everything out there.

Teeth:  Elijah has been in a nursing-constantly-during-the-night phase for the past week or so, and I didn't know why.  Today I discovered that he's got two molars coming through his upper gums which explains everything.  These are his ninth and tenth teeth, and I must say I'm excited they're here.  I think he's going to enjoy eating a whole new world of things once he can chew properly.

Sickness/Injury: Man, oh man, has a whole new world opened up for us.  I think we've been to the doctor three times for Elijah since January, and had too-many-to-count colds, coughs, fevers, and what-nots in between visits.  We are not used to this madness!  Add to that the many cuts and bruises, and it's been rough ride for my baby.  Currently, Elijah's nose is cut-up from a trip against the piano stand, and he has an actual hole in his forehead from where he whacked a rack corner in a store yesterday.  His shins are constantly bruised from we know not what, but nothing seems to bother him beyond a five-minute upset that's easily cured with a little nurse.

In a pretty big nutshell, that's what's happening in Elijah World.  He is such a dear sweetheart, and and constantly remark to Keith that he is simply delightful.  I love when we have special moments when we are really connecting, like when he looks me in the eyes with a huge smile and babbles about something before bursting into laughter about it.  I can't help but join him.  During the daytime is such a big boy, reading and climbing and running around, but at night when he's all curled up to me, exhaling in dreamy glory, he's my tiny baby who just wants to be close.  Don't mind if I do!