EiOt

Eliot writes his name... uhm... twice!

Doodlebops

So we went to the Doodlebops concert last Saturday. Daddy stayed home to watch the Iron Bowl, so Aunt Gaines took his ticket. Eliot couldn't wait to get to his seat. When we got there I asked if he wanted anything – a souvenir of some sort. He said he didn't, so I figured I should just count myself lucky. We found our seats and settled in. The show was at the Civic Center, and practically sold out, so the crowd was formidable. Eliot was very excited until the lights went out and the sound started. When the Doodlebops took the stage he quickly stopped jumping around and crawled into my lap. He refused to dance or sing along or anything, and he didn't want US to sing and dance, either. During Moe's "I like to be LOOOUD" song, he even covered his ears. He watched the whole show, hardly blinking – completely overwhelmed and totally in awe of the whole situation. At first I couldn't decide how he was feeling; if he was enjoying himself or if he was frightened. But at the end of the show it was pretty evident that he had a great time. At that point he was ready for a souvenir. Actually, he wanted ALL of the souvenirs: a wig, a doll, a flashlight. He even wanted things that were NOT souvenirs – like people and props from the show. Finally he settled on a little light-up whirligig contraption. He cried when we had to leave, "I want to see the Doodlebops again!" So all in all I think a fine time was had by all!

Get back in bed!

I do realize that we should consider ourselves lucky, but... until very recently Eliot didn't realize he had the ability to get out of bed. Of course, he knew how to climb in and out by himself, but he had no idea that it was within his power to actually GET UP once he was "put to bed". We have explained that we do not particularly like this behavior, but I guess he just can’t help himself.

It all started one morning when we heard his bedroom door open very quietly, then the soft pitter-patter of bare feet across the hallway. I opened an eye. Eliot stood before the bed grinning like he'd just won the Nobel Prize. "Hello Mommy. Can I snuggle?" I knew right then that our lives were changing.

This activity quickly progressed to naps and bedtimes. The worst part is how quiet he is. You'll be obliviously washing dishes. You turn around for some soap, and BAM! There's a little boy standing right behind you, smirking and clutching his Bear-Bear.

It only took a couple of those frights before a gate was installed at the top of the stairs. This acted as a great deterrent for several weeks. When Eliot got out of bed, he'd get to the gate and, with nowhere to go, he'd trudge back off to bed. HAHA! Aren't we smart? Being grown-up parents and all!?

Last night we good-nighted Eliot, locked the gate, and, confident in our trickiness, went to the deck to do some grilling. Brian needed a plate, so I turned toward the door. BAM! Who was standing there?! A very happy, very proud young master Eliot. "Hello Mommy."

"Eliot! Did you open the gate?!"

"No, I was pretending to be a cat."

As I carried him back up the stairs I saw what he meant. There are small openings between the rails on the landing. I didn't realize that one was a smidge bigger than the others. He had found the weak spot in our plan and had leveraged it. And I'm not letting the cats off the hook - I'm sure they were accomplices.

After that we decided to just ditch the gate. I figure we'll just take the hit on the nighttime routine. After all, that's what we get for thinking we could outsmart that little thinker.

Signs of Growth

Our little boy is really growing up. He's absorbing things like a little sponge. I know it's typical, but it's still just amazing to watch it in action. For example, he knows how to spell his name. He can write the "E", "I", "O" and "T", but we're still working on the "L".

He surprises me every day with new words that he's trying to incorporate into his vocabulary. ("Mommy – you need to avoid that puddle." "I'm not mad, Mommy, I'm just frustrated.")

I have to be very careful if I use new phrase on him. They are quickly turned around on me. (Mommy: Okay, Eliot, it's time to get out of the tub. Eliot: But I'm still playing. How 'bout THEM apples?)

The little learning gears are turning in his head and I love watching him organizing all of these little bits of knowledge to create his view of the world. (Eliot doesn't want to get in the bed. Daddy's patience is wearing thin. Daddy: Eliot, BE NICE! Eliot: But why you're not nice to me? Daddy: Because I'm the Daddy and you'’re my son and I'm trying to teach you to be a good person. Eliot: So Santa will bring me candy? Daddy: yes, among other things.)

The best thing of all, though, is that he just gets it these days. I don't even have any examples. There's a certain understanding in his eye and in his voice when you talk to him. There's more confidence and independence in his behavior.

Now, if we could just get this potty thing going!

yet again, I stand corrected

Mom: Okay, Eliot, it's 7:15. You know what that means?
Eliot: Time for candy?!?!
Mom: No, time for bath.
Eliot (pointing at the clock): No, Mommy. See that? It says seven FOURTEEN! See that? (pointing vigorously) That's a clock. It says seven FOURTEEN.

Grocery Store Games

Eliot has been going through a learning spurt lately. He's gotten very interested in language. All of his favorite games revolve around words. Sometimes we'll drive all the way to school thinking up rhyming words, and talking about rhymes. Usually this game coalesces in a word-for-word recital of Green Eggs and Ham. He'll play the part of Sam-I-Am, and I play "That other guy who should not be standing up in the car! SIT DOWN GUY! IT'S DANGEROUS!"
We also play a game where we come up with words that start with a random letter. Most of the time he starts off by saying, "MONSTER starts with the letter 'M'. What else?" I'll say, "What about ‘Mommy’?" And he'll counter with the next word and so forth until one of us gets tired of "M" and we move on to another letter.
I’ve dubbed these types of games "Grocery Store Games" because if I can keep up my end of the game (which can be more difficult than you might imagine), we can get through a whole shopping trip with no fussing, crying or whining. It's been pretty interesting to watch the Grocer Store Games evolve from the Yes or No game. I can't wait to see what the next version is!