waiting for dada

Every night mama tells me that dada is coming home and I get very excited and run to the door to see him. I make the sign for dada by touching the side of my head (either side will do). If dada does not come through the door right away I get very impatient because I have been stuck with mama all day and I really need to see dada bad. When he comes in I get very excited and do a little jig and give him a big hug.

Love, Elijah

sling baby

one month, four months, six months, twelve months, fifteen months

treasures

I love to bring mama and dada treasures that I find around the house. So far today I have brought mama a banana peel, a block, my firetruck shoes, my chicken puppet that sings songs, a picture frame, the cat's toy, my yellow plastic bucket, an unopened box of cat litter bags, mama's lipstick, three dvds, my phone, and a dried up piece of toast I found on the couch. Mama was not asking me for any of these things but I know she was very glad to have all of them. Of course these treasures are all in addition to the numerous books that I have brought to her to read to me today.

Mama and dada are always very excited by my gifts and they say thank you and I know they appreciate them very much so I always offer them with a big smile on my face and my arm outstretched as far as I can make it.

Love, Elijah

getting better

Yesterday my rash got worse, it was all over my legs and arms and face. But today it is going away and hopefully it will be gone in a day or two. I was pretty grumpy yesterday too, today has been a lot better.

Yesterday I was helping mama with her makeup. My job was to take her lipsticks one by one over to the bed. I would take one over to the bed, then take another one, then bring the first one back to the bathroom drawer. I busied myself with this task until mama said it was time to go. I surprised her by going into the living room and getting my jacket and bringing it to her in the bathroom. She had just been telling me that I would need my jacket if we were going to go so I don't know why she was so surprised. She took me to the park and it was the first time that I didn't want to get in the swing. Why swing when there are so many things to walk around and look at? I had very much fun and was very mad when mama made me leave.

Love, Elijah

roseola

This morning mama took off my pjs and discovered I had a rash on my tummy and my back, so off to the doctor we went. Mama and dada were afraid it was a reaction to my medicine, but the doctor said it was probably roseola. I am happy and the rash doesn't bother me, so I am doing okay.

While we were waiting for the doctor I heard a baby crying and I didn't understand what the noise was so we went over to see and found a really tiny baby crying. Mama told me that it was a baby and showed me the sign for baby. Then later I heard the baby again and mama was all surprised when I made the sign for baby. Mama does not understand why I pick up some signs so easily and yet still refuse to do the sign for num-nums even though she has shown me a thousand times. The truth is I just like to keep mama guessing, I can't make everything easy for her!

Love, Elijah

my first fever

Friday night in the middle of the night I came down with my first fever. Mama was always worried that I would have a fever and she would not be able to tell, but she knew right away. I woke up to nurse and was really warm. My temperature was almost 102. Mama and dada took off my pajamas and let me keep sleeping. They kept taking my temperature and it stayed the same. The next day I was happily playing even though I had a fever. I wasn't that interested in eating but I had lots of water and lots of num-nums and an extra nap. That night I got cranky so they gave me some tylenol and my fever dropped and I was happy again. But later that night and the next day my fever crept back up. I was still happily playing so mama and dada let me hang out with my fever and eventually it broke and now my temperature is normal.

My first fever also led to my first diarrhea but I will spare you the details. Dada was the lucky one who got to change my first ever diarrhea diaper. He was very thrilled, especially since I was in one of my cloth diapers so he got to clean it all up. Don't worry, I saved one for mama too.

Mama was worried because I am already on antibiotics for my ear infection and I already had a snotty nose and then I had a fever on top of it all! The good news is that my snotty nose seems to have gone away with my fever. What a weekend!

Love, Elijah

my favorite books

Here is a picture of my favorite books. I make mama and dada read these books to me many times a day. Mama really gets to enjoy them because I can get her to read them to me all day long. My very favoritist book is the ladybug book, you can see me reading it below. (I don't know what happened to my sleeve but I figured out how to take my arm out of it.) I was mad because mama was taking pictures of me instead of reading me the book. Yesterday mama took me to the bookstore and I discovered that they have my book too. So I made mama read me the book at the bookstore.

Sometimes I find my favorite books in the strangest places like underneath the couch or hiding behind all of my other books. I don't know how this happens. It's like someone is hiding them from me. I don't know why because they are really good books and I must have them read to me at least ten times a day. Each. Everyday. Many times in a row.

Love, Elijah

bad mama

I went to the doctor for a checkup yesterday. The doctor told mama I have an ear infection. It is a bad one and now I am taking medicine to make it all better. The doctor said that on a scale of one to ten it is an eight. I tried to tell mama that my ear hurt but between the snotty nose and the cutting two molars she just didn't get it.

I weigh 23 lbs 10 oz and I'm 32 inches tall. I got a shot and I didn't even flinch. Then I walked with mama all the way to the pharmacy on the other side of the building. I am very big.

Love, Elijah

the vacuum

The other night while I was in the bath dada used the vacuum. I am very scared of the vacuum so I immediately wanted out of the bath. Mama dried me off and then I went to inspect things. At first I stayed on the other side of the room and cried. Then I decided that because dada was sitting next to the vacuum and it wasn't eating him or anything that maybe I could move closer. After about half an hour I was brave enough to touch the vacuum. I would run up to it, touch it, and then run the other way. I kept up quite a commentary so that mama and dada would know exactly where the vacuum was and where I was in case the vacuum decided to come get me.

The vacuum lives in the hall closet. Now several times a day I point at the hall closet and talk about the vacuum. Sometimes I can get mama or dada to open the door and then I can point at the vacuum and talk about it some more. Mama got it out yesterday and I laughed while she used it. Not-so-scary-vacuum after all.

Love, Elijah

growing

one week, five months, fifteen months

my jobs

I have two Very Important Jobs around the house. One is Pushing the Button and the other is Turning Out the Light.

My first job is very exciting. Everytime we go somewhere my job is to Push the Button and the garage door opens. I know it is time to leave because mama or dada will put my jacket on me. Then I head for the garage because I know it is time to do my job. When we come home if mama and dada put me down to walk to the door by myself I will wait there and point at the button and talk about how it is my job to push it so that they will not forget. Then I Push the Button and come inside. I love to Push the Button because the garage door is very loud and I love it when it makes all that noise.

My other job is Turning Out the Lights. I concentrate very hard and push the light switch down to turn out the lights. This is not easy because I have to hold my finger very still and hit the light switch just right. I turn out lights all over the house. One day my job will also be Turning On the Light but I have not quite figured that one out yet.

I don't know how mama and dada ever survived without me.

Love, Elijah

my own keyboard

Mama and dada finally got smart and gave me my own keyboard. Now when they are typing on the computer I can type too. Last night dada was busy on the computer so I sat down next to him and pulled my keyboard onto my lap and typed away. Just wait until they find out all the things I am typing about them.

Tonight I enjoyed a rousing game of Throw the Cup in the Bathtub. It was lots of fun. I would throw the cup in and it made a great noise. Then I would sign "more" and mama would get it out for me and I would throw it in all over again. Sometimes I would miss and the cup would go behind me instead.

Love, Elijah

at the lake

This weekend I went to the lake with dada. I rode around behind him in the bike trailer and then we got out to look at the ducks. I gave dada rocks to throw in the lake. I practiced walking on grass which is not easy because it is bumpy. I had lots of fun at the lake.

Love, Elijah

hanging out

Here are some pictures of me hanging out in my new orange shirt. In the picture where I am standing in front of the chair I am dancing, but it is hard to tell. I am quite the dancer and I dance all the time. Sometimes I start dancing and mama and dada didn't even notice there was any music. I also dance while I am sitting down.

Love, Elijah

firetruck

This is me in my firetruck shoes and my firetruck shirt playing with my firetruck. Mama thought it was cute. I found out that I can push buttons on the side of the firetruck and it will light up and make noises, so now I press the buttons all the time. Mama and dada are thrilled beyond words.

Love, Elijah

books

I love to read. I have a special table where all my books are kept in the living room. I like to read all of them one right after the other. Especially if mama is trying to put them all away. That is when it is funnest to read them because I can sit next to the table and pull them all out around me and be surrounded by my books. Recently I have discovered that I can bring mama and dada a book and hold it up to them and they will pick me up and put me in their lap and read the book to me. This is one of my new favorite things to do, I bring mama and dada books all the time.

Love, Elijah

cousins

Awhile ago I went to visit my cousin. He is two. We played the piano, read books, played peekaboo, and then dada dumped leaves on us. It was very much fun.

Love, Elijah

gamma & me

Mama and dada went out to a movie and when they came back I was sound asleep in gamma's lap. It was very nice and snuggly there. I don't know why mama and dada would want to go to a movie when they could just watch me.

Love, Elijah

in the backyard

swimming lessons

Once a week I go to swimming lessons. I love to swim. There is a mean lady there who comes over and makes me swim under the water to mama. I don't like her very much but I am not afraid at all of putting my head in the water. She always counts to three and then dunks me under. At first I cry but by the time she gets to three I stop and have my head down towards the water because I know what is coming next! I love to kick in the water because it makes big splashes. My favorite part is when mama spins me around really fast.

Love, Elijah

more christmas

At Christmas my gamma and gampa and aunties came to visit. I had lots of fun with them.

Love, Elijah