How can you not smile at this face ?
This Dino book is a fascinating read!
Who says its impolite to eat your toys?
WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ME?!?
Don’t worry. I got this.
Hang ten!
Ooo. That’s the worst case of bacteriolitis I have ever seen.
You have got to be kidding me!!
What a great way to spend a Saturday morning… Uncle Mike / Godfather Mike and Aunt Lisa came in to visit with us! It was a great visit, from Natalie running to them when she first saw them outside to Aunt Lisa reading her a fav Berenstain Bear book before naptime. They spoiled the kids with stuffed animals, a movie (Frozen!), butterfly wings, a wand and clothes. <Most of the girly stuff was from Aunt Lisa – can you tell that she is a mom of 3 sons???) And they spoiled the kids with – even better – a ton of attention. Uncle Mike didn’t always want to play around with one of Elliott’s fav games – drop-my-stuff-and-see-who-will-pick-it-up, but luckily, Aunt Lisa is a softie. Uncle Mike was also surprised every time his magna tile creations crashed. And, I guess, once a mom, always a mom, b/c Aunt Lisa almost couldn’t help but help me clean up all the kids’ mess. The pics below are: Natalie gratefully showcasing her new movie, Aunt Lisa playing peek-a-boo with Elliott and picture time on the couch.
Thanks for making the 7-hr (Uncle Mike) and 2-hr (Aunt Lisa) trip to see us! We’re lucky.
At the dinner table tonight, while Natalie had just left to cry/scream in her bedroom, Elliott said “Natalie” and looked at her bedroom door. He said it quietly and not super clearly – enough for a mom to understand though. Natalie may be his second word. He says Dada often. Jordan claims he’s heard a Mama directed to me. I’m less sure about that.
The kind little buddy was concerned about why Natalie wasn’t with us and what was wrong. Ironically, she had been saying mean things about him (whenever she gets upset, she takes it out on him), which is why she was in the room.
However, earlier in the day, she was singing his praises, kissing, smooching, and loving all over him (pic above). I am thankful that I don’t think Elliott yet understands much of her tirades.
This is a post I never completed from last fall:
Earlier this week, I complimented Phoebe (our nanny at the time) on her earrings… she said that she got them from her Grandma. Natalie was surprised and excited to hear that Phoebe had a Grandma too. Natalie shared that she had a Grandpa, Nana and Pop. Phoebe said that although she doesn’t have a Nana and a Pop, she had 2 Grandmas and 2 Grandpas. Natalie’s response… “That’s silly!” I love the joy of a 2-year-old. I hope that our kids are always as excited to see and talk about their grandparents as they are now. And I hope my future grandkids (if I am so blessed!) love me even half as much!
Happy 1st Birthday, Elliott!!! (This is also our 400th post!) This little guy is totally awesome. We are so extremely lucky to have him in our lives, and of course, I cannot believe its been a year! He approaches everyday with joy, curiosity and love!
Boy, this is an exhausting day
Mom, I've got things to do.... enough with these pics!
Weight: 24 lbs, 14 oz (90-95th percentile)
Height: 31 inches (75th-90th percentile)
Head Circumference: (98th+ percentile)
Nicknames: E-Man, E-Buddy, Chunk Heavy, Ellio (Eee-Lee-Oh), Little Boo-dee, Bro, Chub Chub (I asked Jordan not to call him that in front of Natalie)
Personality: Joyful. Smiley. Enthusiastic. Curious. Eager. Independent. Agreeable.
It's never too early to start tickling those ivories
Favorite Item: Leopard Lovey. For some reason, he likes it more than the robot (RoRo) lovey that Natalie gave him. Earlier this week, Natalie kindly found his Leopard (twice) and he was so appreciative. She was very happy to be such a good big sister. When he sees Leopard after not seeing him for awhile, he opens his mouth and gnaws all over it.
Favorite Activities: Music (specifically, his sister’s guitar, music class and “wheels on the bus” sung by Mama), Digging through the toy shelf, Playing with his sister’s things (esp. her Tinkerbell music box and guitar) Dancing (even if music isn’t playing), Clapping, Crawling, Pulling up on furniture and people, Taking Baths (with much splashing), “Chasing” anyone up or down the stairs, Playing “Peek a Boo”, Sneezing (always produces a big smile). (He shows no interest in “walking” with assistance from an adult and is really hard to read too, though I keep on trying)
What? I'm not supposed to eat the paint?
Daddy’s Top Activity: <Will fill in soon>
Not a bad place to take a snooze...
Mommy’s Top Activity: My favorite thing is just seeing Elliott smile and clap. I like when Elliott initiates a game of peek-a-boo behind a door. He’ll close the door, open it, flash a big smile and close the door again. You can always hear the scurrying behind the door, as he figures out how to move his legs enough to get the door open. Sometimes, he is sitting, sometimes he is standing. Often, he accidentally closes the door too much and I have to figure out how to open it up again, without knocking him over. Also, its super adorable to see him brush his teeth. He wiggles his toothbrush back and forth, like how you would if you were revving up a motorcycle.
Never miss a chance to hug your Mommy
Least Favorite Activities: Being on the diaper changing table (so squirmy). (This past week, he’s also taken too whining if he isn’t picked up, which isn’t a fav of mine. I’m hoping that he can adjust back to fewer adults around at any given time – it can be tough getting over vaca)
Milestones: Clapping, Crawling, Pulling himself to standing, Smiling
Big sis, where should we row this boat to?
Super Cute Things: Just started to wave good-bye (waved good-bye nanny the other day, with the backward hand – love it), Clapping at almost everything When he is really excited about something, he beats on your chest. I swear I have some bruising. I also get kisses!!
Less Cute Things: Biting. 🙁 Not sure why. I don’t think he does it when he is upset. But his teeth have sunk into me a few times. He also likes to play with the knobs on the stove, so we’re practicing the really simple word – NO – a lot.
Favorite Foods: Fruit – especially blueberries, bananas and strawberries. O’s. Peas. Bread. (He doesn’t seem to like sweet potatoes fries.) As pictures would indicate, he doesn’t miss a meal.
Favorite Books: The “lift the flap” books. His fav is a valentine’s day one from Grandma. As I mentioned though, Elliott is much more into eating, throwing and aggressively flipping through books, as opposed to reading.
How we Celebrated: We had a great birthday bash in Florida, with Kathy’s side of the family. Elliott LOVED being the center of attention.
We feel so blessed to have this little boody in our lives!
Jordan, Natalie, Elliott and I have spent the week thawing in Florida, with Nana & Pop and the rest of the Florida fam. Scroll down or the extensive photo album! Highlights included:
5. Extra Adults Around. From Mammaw and Pappaw to Great Grandma and Great Grandpa to Nana and Pop, seldom is there an extra adult around to “ooo” and “aaahhh” over our two cuties. And listen to Natalie’s stories. (Or bear witness to the extreme mood fluctuations). The biggest incident was a great exercise in supporting Natalie in handling her emotions. Here’s the story: Elliott had a blue pen. Natalie wanted it, so I got her an identical one instead. She insisted that Elliott’s was better, so I said she could ask Elliott if he would trade with her. On her way over, Pop saw Natalie with a blue pen and snatched it from her – thinking that she had snatched it from Elliott. WHAT AN INJUSTICE! Natalie couldn’t believe this happened – came running over to me balling. (I seem to be the permanent referee/lifeguard in her life.) I was able to gather some of the story between sobs, and poor Pop was profusely apologizing, though a bit shell-shocked by all the emotion. She and I went into a different room to calm down and figure things out. I asked her what happened and how she felt. She told the full story, and we came up with a plan on how she would tell Pop how she felt. They had a really good conversation figuring things out, Natalie explaining how her feelings were hurt and Pop saying sorry again (now that Nat was in a state of mind to listen) and explaining his POV. This is clearly a story I’m going to leverage in the future, when she snatches something from her bro. I appreciate that Pop had the patience to work through all the extra emotional problem solving.
4. Just Being Outside. Elliott doesn’t even remember nice weather, so he was enjoying cruising around in his stroller by the beach, to the park, etc. Natalie has enjoyed no mittens and no hat, but we haven’t been able to shake her of her fav boots. This look has resulted in quite a few chuckles from stander-bys… she seems ready for DePaul already.
3. Playing with Issy. Issy probably gained weight while we were here, as Natalie repeatedly requested that she be able to give her a treat. Issy also let Elliott get all up in her grill. As I’ve said before, Issy is the perfect kind of pet for me – one that stays at someone else’s house!
2. Cooling off in the Fountains. Natalie insists that all swim suits are uncomfortable (I have bought them in more sizes than you can count), so playing in the Fountains was a great way to cool off, get wet and not have to wear a swim suit! She and Nana even made up a silly fountain dance, which seemed from afar to depend on shaking your booty. Elliott loved getting wet in the mix too. He has a great beach bod, doesn’t he?
1. Celebrating Elliott’s 1st birthday with the extended fam! (Technically a week early, but on the day – the 12th – that he was originally due) Elliott loved, loved, loved…. having everyone sing and clap for him! (You thought I was going to say cake, didn’t you?) It’s seldom that this guy is the center of attention, and he loved it! He kept clapping and grinning from cake time to bed time. Natalie also loved running around with Devin (age 4) and Brogan (age 9). And tickling “that guy in the red shirt” (aka Cousin/Uncle Matt).
On Friday, we head back to “cold Chicago”. Last night, Pop asked Natalie if she would wake him up in the morning. Her response was something like: “Yes, I can wake you up but I can probably only play for 5 minutes because I need to go back to cold Chicago (insert fake shiver here). I don’t live in warm Florida”.
As for me, my fav things were: spending extra time with the fam, not having to plan dinner and working out everyday!
See you in Cold Chicago in a few weeks, N&P!
“Elliott, what should we cook Mom and Dad for dinner???”
Elliott’s rockin’ his big sisters tshirt. And eating O’s (hence the funny face). Next up: cheese curds.
Natalie was this week’s learning hero at her preschool…. they wrote:
What happens when you wake up at 5:30am??
You are so tired that when it comes to nap time:
A. You fall asleep with a limb sticking out of your crib
B. You sleep 2hours
C. Your mom has trouble waking you up, despite purposefully being noisy in your room
D. All of the above
Parents, suggestions please!! We would much prefer he sleep in Til 630/7 and take an hour or so nap!
