Deadbeat Blogger...

oh, boy it's been a loooong time in blogger terms. lots has been going on. it's getting warmer and we got outside many times per day. we got a pool and i can't think of any living things that could have more fun in a pool than two young brothers. there was more squealing and laughing than i thought possible...i was in heaven watching them! as an alternative we got a sprinkler, too. it's not quite as fun as the pool, but it makes hot afternoons bearable.

elliot has been talking more. he still has trouble making a variety of sounds, but he's getting the concept. he excitedly points out fish, airplanes, birds, the moon, balls, squirrels, dogs, and several other things. he also is starting (FINALLY) to understand the concept behind "easy! elliot, easy!" which we tend to say over & over when he's slapping someone in the face. he'll dial it down a little and pat their cheek but if we stop saying "easy" he starts hitting again. ...and not one bit of malaice in those smacks, by the way, he thinks people like to be abused. ahhhh.... he's also finally learning not to throw things from his highchair, which is so nice.

unfortunatley eli has discovered climbing and and we are hard pressed to keep him off elevated surfaces. all our dining room chairs are lying on the floor unless in use. looks pretty weird, but keeps him out of danger for the most part. of course we can't very well lay the big furniture on it's side, so he can still do crazy things, but he can't inadvertently tip over the couch, so he's a little safer on the big furniture. sad to say, tho, that he has bonked his head a record time over the past couple of weeks.

well, i'm being summoned outside...gavin needs a playmate b/c elliot is napping. more soon...

--emily

Lucky 13

It's been a busy month! I'm 13 months old! hope all of you are enjoying 2007 as much as I am! I was thinking about decreasing the frequency of my updates to every quarter or something like that, but way too much went on this month not to give you the latest.

My vocabulary has exploded which leads to greater communication with the big people, but also great frustration/annoyance when they just can't get it. Apparently they don't always understand my sophisticated pronunciation of words. I mean, ball, bear, bye bye, bath, blanket, balloon and bite all start with the 'b' sound, so just b/c I say 'ba' doesn't mean that I want a ball EVERY time! One handy tool is my index finger: if I point and say "diss!" they get it! :o) I also say thank you, juice, milk, down, more and a few other things. They have been trying to teach me how to say pea, because I'm always happy to devour as many as they give me, but, really, they look just like balls, so why confuse the issue with extraneous words!? I've even said something resembling I love you once, but my preferred method of communicating affection is still the full-contact tackle.

Well the big news this month is that I no longer have the soothing company of my precious nunu (pacifier). I guess it got tired of me because it started to sprout holes...and then one day the entire end fell off! (I think mommy had something to do with those developments.) Anyway, a nunu with a hole just doesn't do the trick, so I decided to send it off to nunu paradise (with an indignant sound & a shove). I admit, my attitude wasn't always the best, but hey, it was a big sacrifice! Sleeping was tough for about a week, which made pretty much the whole day rough b/c I was tired & cranky. Anyway, glad that's over. I'm completely back to my normal self now except that I take only one nap each day instead of two.

So my latest feats of superhuman abilities include climbing up everything. I get down safe and sound most of the time, but believe me, it isn't as easy as it looks to climb the furniture. I'm thinking about getting some ropes and special foot wear to give me an edge out there. Do they make climbing harnesses for 25-30 pounders?

And now for the injury report: I had a lot of head bumps this month, many due to climbing adventures. The most dramatic wound came in a battle with my play house. I was attempting an especially gutsy move when I lost my grip and busted my lip open. I handled it with class (normal amount of crying), but mommy freaked out and rather than comforting me (hellOO? that's what mommies do!) she starting making frantic phone calls: first daddy then the doctor then daddy again. All the while there was this weird taste in my mouth. Anyway, very mysterious behavior, but when she ascertained that the bleeding had stopped she calmed down considerably. I had a fat lip for a day; that was pretty cool; one can always be proud of battle wounds :o}.

So I play on my own a lot, b/c mommy has stuff to do during the day. Most of the time she can hear me playing, so even if I'm in the other room she knows that I'm okay. My favorite noisy toys play music. :o) However, I think most moms know that when it gets quiet it's time to get worried. Most kids would be prying open the peanut butter or testing the electric sockets with a paper clip, right? Not me! It never fails: I get quiet, mommy jumps up to check on me ... only to find me snuggled in my room reading my books. Okay, okay, before you peg me as a nerd...remember the battle wounds! I've got brawn AND brains!!

Well, I have a couple more teeth...molars. It's tough to show them off b/c they are so far into my mouth. The work great for eating!

I guess that's about it. Talk to all y'all soon!

g