they're everywhere

As Brian got out of bed this morning, I couldn't help giggling a little, as I noticed a Cheerio clinging imperturbably to the rear of his pajama bottoms. I guess this brave little soldier was trying to make a getaway!

birthday pictures

I have been way too busy to put up the birthday pictures on Eliot's gallery, but Uncle Phillip has some really cute ones over on his gallery. I promise I'll get mine up this weekend.

international

Tonight Eliot and I went to Bruno's. As I'm a threat to do, I picked up some California Rolls from their Sushi section. It was just a snack, but they sounded really good to me, so they wound up in my basket. For those of you not familiar with California rolls, it's avacado, cucumber and crab (most likely imitation) wrapped in rice and seaweed. Plus, there were a few sesame seeds thrown in. After Eliot was finished with his dinner, I opened my delicious snack and had a roll. Eliot saw me and immediately dove for one of his own. Well, OK I thought, I'll let him try some. I am here to tell you that he ate ALL of my California rolls hand over fist until they were gone, and then cried for more. This was AFTER dinner, mind you. I broke them apart for him so he could eat the pieces one at a time, but he devoured every bit. I did get a few bites of rice, but he ate ALL of the crab, ALL of the avacado and ALL of the cucumnber. And most of the rice and seaweed to boot! We'll save the wasabi until he's a little older, I think.

bathtub fun picture roundup

I toiled over this decision. I swore I'd never put little naked pictures of Eliot on-line. But after reviewing these, I just flat out couldn't resist! I defy any one of you to look at the tiny tush on the gallery and come to a different conclusion!

bathtub fun - update

Just a little update to the bathtub situation, in case anyone was concerned. Eliot has learned to sit in the bathtub. He doesn't try to stand up much anymore. Every now and then he tries, but I'll say, "Eliot, sit" and he'll sit right back down without any lip action. I will let him get on his knees to get his toys out of the net, but that's about all he does - no feet. His newest bathtub trick is to put his whole body in the water. He'll lay on his tummy, stretch his arms out as far as they'll go and kick his legs. He knows not to put his face in, but soon I'm going to start teaching him to blow bubbles. He's just like his Mommy - a little fish.

bathtub fun

We have had to remove the bathtub ring from the bathtub. Eliot knows how to crawl out of it, and I'd rather have him crawling freely around the bathtub than accidentally falling over the edge of the ring. This opens a whole new area of discipline and perseverance on our parts. Every night we must repeat our mantra, "sit in the tub, don't stand in the tub, sit down on your bottom, quit standing..." And inevitably, nightly, Eliot slips and goes sliding into the water. Now that we're used to this, we know how to catch him before he hits his head. Plus, we have little duckies suction-cupped to the bottom of the tub. But, nevertheless, he sticks out his bottom lip and lets out a little, "eh-heh-heh-heee", then looks at me and pokes his bottom lip out just as faaaaar as it'll reach - so far, that his top lip will be completely buried beneath the fullness of the bottom one, and little pleats extending to the bottom of his nose are all that remain to be seen of it. This, by the way, is his typical modus operandi. It never works, although sometimes I just can't help letting out a little laugh, which makes that lip poke out even further. I'm sure that once he learns to cross his arms in front of his chest, that maneuver will be added to this little behavioral gem.

Well, anyway, Sunday night he was in the tub and, despite the two baskets full of toys that he had in there with him, he wanted the soap. He YEARNED for the soap. He LOOONGED for the soap. So finally, I said, "fine, here. Take the soap." What's the first thing he did? Stuck it in his mouth. (He has to poke and prod the broccoli, but noooo! Soap goes right in). Well, he looked at me and smacked his mouth disgustedly a couple of times. I kinda chuckled, and, stealing a line from my friend Steph, said, "See? That's why we don't eat soap." That made him whine a bit. But with the soap in his mouth, every noise blew a little bubble from his lips. Brian and I couldn't help it, we just watched him blow soap bubbles for a few minutes, laughing. Presently, he was too distracted by the soap bubbles to go on with the crying. So the whining slowly turned into sort of a "mmmnnnnaaa" noise as he closed his lips and slowly opened them, crossing his eyes to see the bubble extruding from his mouth. Within seconds he was back to giggling.

the great orator

For a while now Eliot will sorta make like he's saying something, and we have been counting that as talking. Like he'll say, "dudududu" while he's holding a duck and we'll be all, "oh, look! He's saying duck!" or one of his favorites is "heyda" and we always count that as "Hey, Dad". But this morning when we got out of the car, there was a little girl in front of us that dropped a toy and said, "uh oh." Then, just as clear as the day is long, Eliot comes out with "UH-OH!" I was shocked and amazed! I mean, I knew Eliot was smart, but I didn't realize he was a GENIUS!

helping around the house

Eliot is a big helper around the house. He organizes the Tupperware, cleans up his toys, networks the computers, takes messages, scrubs the stove, and unloads the dishwasher. I just don't know what we did without his help! How on earth did we get everything done?!

a discerning palate

If you've ever believed that one-year-olds were incapable of clear communication, you should have been at my house Saturday night. I've been trying to expand Eliot's menu as he gets older. He has four and two-half teeth now, it's time to start eating more than just lima beans. I love all kinds of veggies, broccoli being one of my favorites. While lima beans and sweet potatoes (is that a veggie?) remain his favorite vegetables, he has grown to be less-than-fond of green beans and a little tired of carrots. So Saturday I decided to offer him some things that were, well, different. He tried the yellow squash, and, while not impressed with it, tolerated the one bite I gave him. Then I gave him a bite of broccoli. He stared at the bushy little tid-bit for a second; looked at me and back at the tray a couple of times. First he poked it with his thumb, as he does with all new items. "First order of business," he thinks, "how's the pokability?" Next, he picked it up and turned it around and around between his little pointer finger and thumb. Then decided it was, indeed, a food item and put it gingerly in his mouth. I would have given up broccoli forever if I could just go back in time and get a camera handy for the face that he made when the taste of the broccoli hit his tongue. His face elongated as he formed a giant "O" with his mouth, simultaneously scrunching up his nose. His eyes fluttered vigorously and started watering. With his eyes squeezed tightly shut and tears running down his face, he stuck out his tongue and made little "ka-ka-ka-ka" noises, like he was trying to cough up a hairball. Finally the broccoli came up and out onto the tray. He looked at me as if I had betrayed his every trust. Without breaking eye contact, he started grabbing pieces of squash and broccoli and throwing them over his shoulders, alternating left then right. I have never been more sure of what was being communicated to me, and without a single word. I decided to save the cauliflower for another day.

Fuzzy Fuzzy Fuzzy

Yesterday we were reading Fuzzy Fuzzy Fuzzy, which is one of Eliot's favorite books. On each page, it has a section that has some sort of texture - hence the name, Fuzzy Fuzzy Fuzzy. The "Incredibly Soft" page has a picture of a duck with a furry white tummy. Whenever we got to that page, Eliot would put his head down on the book and snuggle the tiny white tuft. Also, I learned that he knows how to turn the pages himself, which is really his favorite part of reading books.