Climber

Eli is our most active child. He gets into everything possible and climbs everywhere, which is why all small chairs, tables and stools have been put away,. Now he has taken to climbing on the bar stools and up on the island. He also likes to climb up onto the bar-height table and chairs and wreak havoc there. He has fallen a few times, but that doesn't seem to stop him. If he can climb it, he will, especially to flick those "ights ot and on." Yep, words are starting to come. His favorites are "ot" (hot) and "ights." He can say, out, Ollie, hi, bye and some other words, but they aren't as frequent. Still a lot of pointing and grunting fo what he wants. Booger!

Rotten

Eli slept with me last night and was fine most of the night. He got up in a terrible mood, demanding that Huts hold him the entire time. We had to get ready for work, of course, so he got put down several times. He wailed and wailed and wailed about it. Somehow we got through it all and got him into the car. He calmed down and was quiet most of the way. Huts and ,. on the other hand, are frazzled. We are tired from 19 months of no sleep and fed up with our whiny children from this morning. Hopefully, those children have disappeared and happy ones are now in their place.

Night Owl

Eli has been staying up late these days, until 10 or later. He jabbers away as he rolls all over the couch and onto us. He tosses around toys, squishes cats and has a great time all around. He seems to know that his brother and sister are in bed, and he got to stay up later than they did, and enjoys it. Last night, I gave up and put him in bed with me. He fell asleep half an hour later after some patting on the back and the butt. That seems to put him to sleep. We'll see how late he stays up tonight.

Update: He was crabby and out by 8:30, by 10 he was moaning. It was his teeth's fault. He slept with his Daddy and I think Eli got more sleep than his Dad.

Humming Right Along

Eli went in for his 18 month check-up recently. He's continuing on his same growth path. 75% in height, 25% in weight and 50% noggin size. He only tried to escape the room once, but realized he had no where to go once he got to the door. Once the exam began he had me hold him the entire time. He didn't scream or cry, he just wouldn't budge from me. He was able to get his complete checkup without much fuss. He only got a little scared when she checked his hip movement and he couldn't hold onto me as tight as he wanted. After the exam he was ready to go and had fun with the paper on the exam table while I got him dressed. After that we picked up Mama and Christian and headed home for the night.

He's starting saying a few things like 'hot' and 'light', though they come out like 'ot' and 'ight'. He's been making new sounds as well. Hopefully he begins talking more instead of pointing and screaming for things...that gets on your nerves! Tonight is haircuts and Eli may get his first trim. The hair over his ears is getting a bit long!

Hurtin' Again

I just got 4 molars all the way out and I decided to give my parents 2 full nights of sleep. Then my mouth decided it wasn't done and had to force my eye teeth out 2 at a time. Right now the tips are poking through my top gums, but the whole tooth isn't out yet. I may look like a vampire for awhile. I'm definitely feeling it cause I'm crabby and not a pleasure to sleep with. Yes, I said sleep with. You see, this here pain is excruciating and makes it difficult for me to sleep. So I wake up and force my parents to sleep with me. Then I keep them up by head butting them, smacking them in the face with a flying hand while trying to get comfortable in the middle of the night. Next time you see my parents, they may be black and blue...someone has to feel my pain!

Ha-Ha I Tricked You

Hey, folks, Eli here. As you all know, I'm a lousy sleeper like my brother and sister were. I am almost 17 months old, but I rarely sleep through the night. I gave Mom and Dad a break this week and slept through Sunday and Monday night, and then, I gave them a run for their money, staying up most of the night on Tuesday and Wednesday. I went to bed at a reasonable hour, but I fussed in the middle of the night and landed in their bed. Then I tossed and turned and moaned the rest of the night. This morning, I woke up at 5 with Mom, and after some medicine, I was quite the rounder. Mom and Dad thought I would fall asleep in the car, but I didn't. Dad called me a booger! Stay tuned for what I do tonight.

Paper Boy

Eli likes all of his toys, but pulling off the paper was the best part for him. He loved ripping into the presents and running off with the paper. The toys came later, and his favorite comes from Uncle Sam, a wooden bench with blocks to hammer through. He likes beating things, and that toy was right up his alley. it helps that Tori plays assistant and flips over the toy when he is done so he can start the beating all over again.

Out of Whack

Eli is getting his molars, which is making him crabby. He tosses and turns all night in his sleep and chews on everything possible. He is a bear right now, and tonight is my turn to sleep with him. Monday night he slept with both of us and kept us up most of the night. Last night, Huts took him. Tonight it's my turn. Oh, how we will all be glad when this is over.

One Step Forward, One Burnt Foot

Wednesday night was not a good night for Eli. After cooking dinner he was playing on the island counter top and stepped on a still warm burner! He screamed in pain and was inconsolable for the next hour or so. He got Tylenol and we tried aloe vera. He wouldn't hold still long enough for us to cool his foot off with water or ice. He screamed during his bath because it made his foot hurt. Luckily he calmed down and fell asleep at 6:30. At 7 I tried to put him down, but he woke up again. So we went back downstairs until 7:30 when he was out.

At 10 he awoke crying, he got more medicine and tried sleeping with his Mama in our bed. That didn't work, so he slept with me in the bed in his room. He made it from 11 to 4 am without much stirring. Then at 4 he started thrashing around, so he got more medicine and slept until 5:15 which is close to the time for us to get up. He played the day away without a problem with his foot. It is a bit blistered now, but it is much better and he is on the mend.




In other Eli news, he's joined in the wrestling sessions with the other kids. He grabs onto your leg until you pick him up and tickle him. He still gets a bit jealous when I'm tossing the other kids around, but at least I can play with all 3 of them instead of having to pick up Eli because he is screaming and doesn't understand.

He's also getting his molars finally. 2 on the bottom are on the way out, 2 on the top haven't completely poked through, but there on the way. Only 8 more teeth to go and he'll have his full set of baby teeth. That will allow him to eat more things like the peanuts and chips he currently doesn't chew all the way (see below post). We are hopeful that he'll also start sleeping through the night once his teeth are all in.

Lastly, he's beginning to speak a bit more. He wakes his brother up with "Hi, Hi, Hi, Hi" every morning. He'll say bye on occasion and will occasionally get out another word, like Elmo. He also is starting to watch TV cartoons/sesame street. If we are lucky that'll translate his screaming for things into words soon.

Eli The Hider

Sharon borrowed Eli's car seat today. I saw the worst mess I've ever seen underneath his seat. It's like the black hole of trash! We'll had to wash his seat too, I think it got a little barf from the peanuts on it yesterday that I missed (he choked on peanut M & M's). I also found 3 of Tori's babies (the black baby and twins) plus a cookie jar, dog, cat and a couple more doll house pieces just from taking Eli's car seat out for the day. I bet there's a million dollars in there somewhere!

Molar

Eli is finally getting a molar and moans and thrashes in his sleep because of it. He is in pain, and the medication helps, but not completely. Poor little guy! It's tough to be a baby. We working on getting him to talk. He can say, mama, dada, bye, hi, but those are few and far between. He does babble a lot, however, and screams and grunts to no end. Wait until he discovers how much easier it would be to say milk than grunt at the fridge.

Eli The Sock Monkey

Eli wore his costume for half a clock and went trick-or-treating. He watched in amazement as doors opened and candy went into his bag. he seemed to have a good time but I brought him home when his cheeks and nose turned red. He came to the door a few times to see what all of the fuss was about, but he never got excited about all of the goblins at the door. Didn't faze him. He was just having fun running around and stuffing his face with chocolate.

All went well, and we ended up with a huge bowl of candy, plus I sent home a huge sack with Annie and Dale. This does not bode well for a week from now when the Fanny May candy arrives from school. We better get rid of the other by then, or we're all going to get fat!

Little Helper

Sharon needed the day off yesterday, so Eli and Tori stayed home with me. We cleaned house. I wasn't sure Eli would cooperate, but he did, following me from task to task, playing along the way. He finally tuckered out at 1:30 and was not pleased to be woken up at 4:30. He went to bed at 10 and slept with his dad from 3 to 5 this morning. Tonight is my turn to sleep with him, unless he fools us and stays in his bed all night.

Must Move

Eli must move. At dinner time he gets in his chair, eats (with a fork or spoon now) and gets down. There is no waiting around for him. He is so eager to move that as soon as his tray is removed from his chair, he turns around and climbs higher into the chair. Unfortunately, this continues through meals out as well. Most of the time his Mom doesn't get to eat her food because currently she's his favorite and HE HAS TO MOVE! We've never strapped a kid in a grocery cart. Guess what happens to Eli...STRAPPED! He doesn't fight this one extremely hard, but he still gets out.


He's also become king of the mountain. He'll climb on the kid sized chairs and stand on them, grinning and screaming to get our attention. He thinks he's so big and cool. He'll also climb on the chalkboard table to play. Then he'll scream at you to get off the table because he doesn't want to do it himself. He's almost tall enough to climb onto the couch, but just can't get his leg on top of the cushion to get himself up. He yells at you to help him. Once up, he's not done, Oh No! He climbs over the cushion and onto the sofa table behind the couch. This is a great place to play because he gets to pull the light chain, throw small objects off, then scream that he can't reach them. So he climbs down the couch (sometimes he falls on purpose) and retrieves what he threw, then repeats the cycle until it gets old. The boy never stops, he just must move.

A Thing For The Ladies

Apparently, Eli is rather attached not only to me but to the sitter. He sits beside her when she watches TV and whimpers when she leaves the room. Eli sure likes the ladies, except for my sister Annie. He isn't too keen on her, at least not yet. That should change, just like it did with the other two.