Feasting Eli Style

So, I started sprouting teeth not too long ago and so mommy thought perhaps I'd be ready for a little texture in my grub. She tried a bunch of different things and got the expected icky-face response, and then I'd start gagging and usually ended up throwing up all over the place. Well, it didn't take her long to wise up and try the texture first so that I wouldn't throw up a whole meal each time, but I still wasn't tolerating any texture, not to mention solids. She started to think that maybe I was just not going to be as easy as Gavin in the whole eating arena.

Then one fair evening a couple weeks ago she got the notion to put some peas on my highchair tray just to see what I would do. You are a genius mommy! Nobody likes to eat peas all ground up; they are perfectly packaged for tiny fingers to grab and tiny throats to swallow. Now, that's not to say one hasn't caught me by surprise and caused a little gagging, but they were a big hit.

It did take some practice to actually get them to my mouth. I'd say I was swingin' at about 2% that first day. And yes, I realize that means 98 out of every 100 ended up in my highchair rather than my mouth. We persevered tho, and within a couple days it was 50/50 and I'm happy to say that I'm now getting about 80% in my mouth--gotta leave SOMEthing for mom to clean up; she sweeps three times per day!

So, the end result of all this work? I ate exactly what everyone else ate tonight: creamy chicken soup with yummy veggies and barley. Mmmmm!

Latest Gavinism

"kumbaYAWN": kumbayah

'Nuf said, but makes it funny to know that Gavin was singing this at the top of his lungs while we were eating outside at the Central Market (nice, but slightly stuffy store near Highland Village in Houston).

Hurrication

Here are some pictures from our hurrication as they are calling it now. They are roughly chronological.

Guadalupe State Park


Playing in Andy & Aubrey's yard


They have rockin' trees.




Daddy made me a swing.


Fredricksburg

Nice romantic bathroom in the cottage...cool rug.
Our cottage was on a working ranch; these Elk are part of the "working" part. We couldn't touch them, but they were very close much of the time.
Elliot in the cottage.
Gavin looking at goldfish in town (Fredricksburg).
Elk are cool.

Labor Day Weekend - Family Time

Meant to post these pics weeks ago. Guess we got all in a tizzy over the hurricane. Anyway, we did some cool stuff over Labor Day.

We checked out Brazos Bend State park. It was a sweltering hot day, but I hiked over 2 miles on my own two feet. There was lots o' sweat and a little bit of whining toward the end of the hike, but I made it and mommy didn't have to carry me. Instead she challenged me to count my step; that distracted me enough to finish the last 250 steps or so.

Next we went to Lake Houston. There is a pretty neat park there and even tho it was still sweltering hot there was a stiff breeze coming off the lake to make it bearable. Did a little walking there, but not nearly as much. ...Oh, and where was Elliot amidst all this walking??? As you'll notice he's riding high in the sky in the backpack carrier. I know! I think mom & dad are slipping with him. He's gonna expect the world on a silver platter now...

Elliot Videos

Some cute Elliot videos

The truck the Briggs gave Gavin for his first Christmas is now a favorite of the smaller Malden manchild.



Here I am making my newest sound. It's longish and of course I don't say much til the end of the shoot.

Mike and Gust

Can't remember if I told you, but I got two fish a few weeks ago. I finally named them...well it was a team effort with mom. She thought we could name them Mike and Gus sort of in honor of the two storms (Ike and Gustav) that have recently effected our lives. So mom mentioned the names to me and I said "YEAH! Let's call 'em Mike and GusT." No matter how many times I try to say Gus it comes out Gust; so Gust it is.

Footnote: Hurricane Ike actually saved Mike and Gust's lives b/c we were having some issues balancing the chemistry of their tank and somehow with 16 days of no interference from us they got it all figured out, so thanks hurricane Ike for saving my fish!

Stump Garden In Honor of Hurricane Ike

So daddy had a great post-Ike idea. He's been collecting stumps for my stump garden. Check it out.
~Gavin

Quiet time with mom

I got up early to hang out with mommy this morning. She thought she'd get some quiet time. We couldn't know what was about to happen...

Everything was fine till she wanted to write an email and I stuck stickers all over her (thanks Nana!!)

...Then she morphed into the sticker monster!!!

As you can see she was very aggressive and dangerous: this shows her in the full attack posture. But don't worry, I contained the situation: a sticker monster w/o her stickers is gentle as a kitten.

~Gavin the fearless monster-tamer

Just a rainy October day

The joy of teething biscuits. What a mess. Yes, he was placed directly into the bathtub.


And this is a moment that mommy hopes will get more & more common as we get older: I'm not teasing Elliot, imagine that.

Classic

We are two studious little boys.

Adventures with Cheerios - Elliot

I got a formal introduction to Cheerios last night. Here is some evidence. Half the pictures came about because mom was trying to capture a good shot of my current crazy dental situation. Check out the chompers...you know you're jealous!!!!

Elliot

Blog News from Emily

Well, I've posted everything back to Gavin's first birthday post and I plan to get the rest on here soon (tho I'm not sure anyone will really care to read that far back...). Anyway, they will all be in one place, pictures and all, so people can glance back if they want. Hopefully I can post a little less content a little more often in this format. For those of you who don't know this all started as emails to friends and family each month and I just recently decided a blog format would work better than jamming mailboxes with pictures and lengthy emails.

Can you tell who's who?

Church anxiety

So, we've been going to our new church for a few months now and everyone seems so nice and there are several kids for me to play with and a super cool play area and very cool blocks and toys and lots of nice people and pretty windows and nice paintings on the walls and nice music and ... can you tell I'm avoiding something? Well, I have this little problem: I'm not so crazy about going in the nursery on my own.

The first few times I as just a wreck: crying & clinging, then screaming & clinging. I felt pretty silly for making such a scene, but it was pretty scary stuff. Of course once I got over the initial separation I had a really good time playing and learning. After a few visits I progressed to doing all that freaking out before we left home and mommy thought we'd have a really terrible time getting me into my class then, but apparently I got much of my anxiety out before we got out of the car, so that meant I didn't cry as much at church, but I sure did have the
I'm-trying-to-be-brave-but-this-is-really-scary look on my face (complete with very sad chin-quivering).

Today I didn't do any crying, but I spent much of the morning at home very quietly hiding under my blanket reassuring myself that I would have lots of fun playing with all my new friends. So I guess I'm making progress, but it really is tough to go out on one's own at first.

Of course mom always comes back to get me and we both enjoy a very big hug and then I show her all the fun stuff I've been doing while she was singing or learning or studying. ...For the record Elliot has never cried once at being left in nursery...but then again he's not to that age yet. We are hoping he has an easier time than I do.

~Gavin

A couple of Pumpkin Patch Pix

Crawling, and teeth, and sticks--OH MY!

Oh, dear, it's been a long time hasn't it? Well, we've been a little tied up. What with the 16 day hurrication and all... We did fine through the storm because we weren't here (doubt we would have slept much if we had been). Our carport collapsed and our power was out for just over 2 weeks, but no major damage. Our neighbors who stayed apparently had a wild time tho, because we lost about 10 trees on our street--we live on a very short street!! Most of them were sizable oaks, so that may shed some understanding on exactly how crazy it got around here. From what I hear much of the area experienced similar stuff.

But, anyway, none of you want to hear about boring hurricanes and dull storm damage!! That's old news. Here's the juicy stuff you're looking for. I (Elliot) am still crawling most places; but I am super fast. I keep trying to get mom to enter me in a crawling derby, but she doesn't really see things the way I do (she walks uprightly after all...). I took my first trip all the way up the steps the other day (I've had many trips interrupted by concerned parents...). Hoo! What a rush. I zip back over there every chance I get, but mom keeps them all blocked off most of the time. It will be all of the time once she gets a gate with a door in it. :o(

I have 5 teeth and more crowding in every day, but I still gag on food with any texture. I am getting adept at the pincher grasp, which means I can put nearly anything (no matter how small and perilous) into my mouth. My latest conquest was a small bit of wicker from one of the baskets in which I keep some toys. Mom was praying all the while she was digging in my throat trying to rescue that little stick. For the life of me I can figure out what the big deal is...she's still in a tizzy about that. Anyway, I was totally back to my normal jolly self after I re-positioned my esophagus, so she and the doc don't think there is too much to be concerned about, but I can't try any more tricks for a few days b/c she's watching me like a hawk. Arg!

Gavin is learning the concept of availability since he seems to think that anything in my (and any other kids') hands is just waiting for him to play with it. He's doing okay, but still has to be reminded 8 thousand times a day. I'm getting so tired of mom asking "Gavin, is that available??" Hhhh!

That Gavin, he says all sorts of wacky things (especially when put up against the cute little sounds I make ;o). Here are a few:

"That is the _____est my ever seen": that is the ____est thing I've ever seen. Doesn't really come through typed out, but it's really cute in person.

"Pepper-ernie": pepperoni (especially cute b/c we have a friend named Ernie)

"Mommy almost comes back": mommy always comes back (exclaimed when mom collects him from the nursery at church; he's still not very good at letting mom and dad go to church, Bible study or MOPS meetings)

"Lets sing another picture": please sing the next verse of a given song

He gets confused about the whole Mr. and Mrs. thing. He called daddy's former boss Uncle Rick because the Mister confused him. Now he's trying to get it straight, but still pops out with a Mr. Jennifer rather than a Mr. Alan (Jennifer's husband), or a Mrs. Andy rather than Mrs. Aubrey (Andy's wife). Maybe he's just old fashioned.

"Women": lemon. This is especially funny b/c Gavin really likes lemons (thanks Josh & Jess), so he's almost guaranteed to shout out in restaurants as soon as daddy's iced tea arrives at the table: Daddy I want your women! I looooove womens!!

Another funny situation happened when daddy arrived home a couple minutes later than normal one day. Earlier in the day mom had been sweeping the back steps and the broom was still near the back door (outside). The combination prompted Gav to run outside and greet daddy saying: "Daddy! You been sweeping around??!!" Which sounds exactly the same as if Gavin had said: "Daddy! You been sleeping around?" Got quite a laugh from the parents.

Oh, me, there are so many more; cute things are said everyday around here. I just can't remember them all...

~Elliot

Look Mom, no hands!

Elliot is creeping closer & closer to walking. I catch him standing alone all the time now. At first he didn't realize it, but now he does it deliberately--especially when there are TWO cool toys he wants to play with. I've been trying to teach him all the cool moves I know, but he's still pretty content to crawl around after me.

Gav

Big Brother Chronicles - Pets and parking

Well, it's official these are the dog days of summer. It is so hot & yucky outside that we only go to the park or walk or go to the zoo, or do anything in the morning. And that's pretty tough b/c Eli likes to nap somewhere in there, so if he's going to have any shot at a normal day we stay home a lot. Anyway, to alleviate our cabin fever dad scrubbed off my playground and brought it inside. It's a little cramped to be sure, but much better to have it to climb on inside rather than all the furniture. Elliot thinks he can climb on it too and that makes mom plenty nervous.

Well, I'm experiencing another first: I got my first pets over the weekend. We got two fish and put them in my playroom. They are very high maintenance and have already had a scrape with death when the ammonia levels got too high in their water--whatever that means. Anyway, we like to watch them swim around and the are piggies so they are fun to feed, too.

So Elliot wasn't kidding, I really do like to play with my letters. It's a great thing to do inside and in the car (I have magnet letters & a small board that they stick to); I love to put 'words' together and sound them out; sometimes I get it right. The best is to string a whole bunch of letters together and ask: What does that say, mommy? XPRYEPNMBCQRI haha!

Mom has been telling me what some of the traffic signs say to keep me occupied in the car, so I've become something of a backseat driver: That sign says SPEED LIMIT, mommy! Yellow means slow down. That sign says ONE WAY. It says END ONE WAY over there. There are the railroad tracks! W-O-W that says wow! (billboard). P-h-a-r-m-a-c-y: what's that say mommy? Nooooooo parking!!! All in all, she takes it on the chin.

Well, that's all I can think of for now. Hoping for cooler weather soon!
Gavin

Elliot's Update - 7 Months

Hey Everybody!
I'm seven months old today. I'm crawling like crazy and cruising quite comfortably along anything that will hold my weight. Yes it's early to be cruising already, but one good thing about starting so early is that I'm too short to bonk my head on tables when I walk under them and I'm not heavy enough to pull chairs over on myself. I've also been cutting my teeth on letters...no, no, not like that. Mom isn't that much of kook about teaching reading early...I mean literally chewing on some of Gav's letters to help my toofers come through. And really, I would chew on anything, letters just tend to be handy most of the time since that's something Gavin likes to do most of the day.

So we've been experimenting with some various foods since I wasn't really digging the plain Jane veggies mom was cooking up. My favorite way to eat meat is mixed with plenty of avocado--nice and creamy :o). I also like sweet potatoes, finally. Egg yolk is okay, but doesn't taste like much. Other than those, I eat pretty normal baby stuff: squash, peas, rice & oatmeal cereal. I'm almost old enough to try some soft finger foods, but mom made my food just the tiniest bit lumpy today and my ultra sensitive gag reflex kicked in: super big yucky mess.

I'm still not saying too much, but I do like to practice copy mom & dad saying hey and my favorite syllables: oy goy goy goy which I say very easily around my pacifier. :os I've started to wave my fingers, but mom's not sure if that's a howdy doody or the sign for milk. Guess we'll see when/if I start to do some more signs. Of course I still laugh about anything but teething & throwing up.

Oh, fun thing: The Beach - Went to the beach Aug 23. Left home around 4 pm, so we arrived at Surfside at 5 pm. It was perfect timing. We didn't escape the sunscreen slatheration, but nobody got too much sun and it was cooling off nicely. It was also low tide and there was this perfect little section of water for me to play in. It was about ankle deep and protected by a sandbar, so new water came in every now & then but it was nicely protected from breaking waves. So I was able to crawl around all over the place (which was good b/c daddy forgot the blanket) without sand sticking to my hands and mom didn't have to worry about waves breaking over my head. I got a couple splashes in my face from crawling a little to exuberantly, but most of the time I just chased after whatever caught my eye: seaweed, shells, light dancing in the water, etc. What a fun way for a crawling creature to enjoy being outside!! Gavin had his usual hoot of a time scooping wet sand that acts so much like mud and checking out the stuff that washes up on the beach.

Well, better catch a nap.
Later,
Elliot

Big Brother Chronicles - Back in the Saddle Again

Well, I'm pretty much back to my normal inquisitive self these days (what's that sign say, mommy? how bout that one? and that one?? and THAT one????). I am loving the book reading even more now because I get to practice my sight words and sounding out if I want. I'm back to napping and night-nighting with out too much of a fuss...and I don't wake up mad that I'm in the new house anymore. I'm back to playing on my own for more than 26 seconds at a time which gives mommy a little respite during the day. I'm back to only flipping out a couple times a day and for only a couple minutes each time...okay there's an occasional meltdown, but it's not everyday anymore.

We took a trip to Baton Rouge and that seems to have really helped me. I really wasn't so sure that garden of Eden was there anymore. Mom gave me the heads up that we were going and I was really excited about seeing friends & family, but I looked a little bewildered when we drove up to Nana & Poppa's. They told me it was still there and everyone was fine, but nothing reassures like seeing it in person. I had a hoot of a time (tree houses, pool, and fun, oh my!), but I was actually happy to be home once we finally got back (LOTS o driving!!). I'm finally okay with this house being our home now.

And lately I've been counting everything I can get my hands on. I can count all the way to 30, but I unless I really focus I don't always get the orders right. So when I'm just playing it's not uncommon for me to count & count & count a bunch of things and then exclaim with great satisfaction: Mommy, I counted all the way to ELEVEN! The truth of course is that I counted about 57 things, but I ended up saying eleven last, so that's what I counted to.

Elliot finally popped his first tooth out the other day, but you know those cute front teeth in the middle on the top & bottom that usually come out first? Well those are still snuggled in his gums it's one of the next set on top that has made it's debut, prompting mom (that's what I call her lately) to theorize that the other 5 (3 on top & 2 on the bottom) will be out in a hurry to balance things out. We'll see if she's right. Elliot is also cruising all around holding onto furniture (stable and not-so-stable). He can get from one room to the next faster than mommy can keep up.

Gotta git,
Gavin

Counting

Ao, lately I've been counting everything I can get my hands on. I can count all the way to 30, but I unless I really focus I don't always get the order right. So when I'm just playing it's not uncommon for me to count & count & count a bunch of things and then exclaim with great satisfaction: Mommy, I counted all the way to ELEVEN! The truth of course is that I counted about 57 things, but I ended up saying eleven last, so that's what I counted to.

Little Nipper News

Well, it's about that time again. I'm now five months old and I have lots to tell you.

June 4th: I'm rolling all over the place these days. I like to be on the floor, but it's pointless to try to keep me on a blanket.
June 15th: Well enough of that rolling already, I'm crawling...not too fast yet, but I'll get there. I get frustrated being in anything that confines me; I want to be on the floor!
July 7: Getting around pretty well these days and actually learning the official crawling motion.

So there you have my locomotion update. I don't have any teeth yet, but I drool lots. Mom & dad will be sad when I get some b/c these days I make the silliest toothless-guy face by sucking my lips completely into my mouth: guaranteed laugh. I do eat solid food now, and boy can I wolf it down! The first couple weeks I wasn't so sure, but heaven help her if mom forgets a meal these days!

I'm almost sleeping through the night. I usually get up around 4 am for a little snack. It's tough b/c as lovely as our house is, it is old and sound is hard to contain. So, when Gavin is awake, I am awake and vice versa. So if I were to make a big stink in the middle of the night that would wake the dreaded middle-of-the-night Gavin who is quite (QUITE) hard to deal with. Anyway, we'll get there...

I am still a remarkably jolly fellow. When I get really giddy (tired) I can screech my head off in a very happy way; that's always sure to get some smiles of appreciation from the big people. I think Gavin knows I'm just showing off.

Speaking of that brute, we are getting along famously. He likes to give me hugs and kisses (still supervised, of course) and I will take what attention I can get from him. Things get pretty boring when he's taking a nap or otherwise engaged. I love to study all his moves. As infants go, I'm pretty gentle with him. I haven't snagged his hair yet or poked his eyes, so he likes to be around me.

Here are some funny stuff that Gavin has been saying lately:
Sunscreen: sunscream
Earth: erf. Especially cute when listed w/ the other planets: Mercury, Venus, Erf, Mars, Jupiter...etc I guess we are erflings :o)
I don't want to: I can't want to
Microwave: microphone
squish: fwoosh
Ferris wheel: fan with boats on it
Chapstick: whips medicine
Booger: burger...wonder what he thinks a cheeseburger is ... eeeeeewww!

And he sings ALL THE TIME! And he likes to listen to the same music over & over & over. We are currently trying to expand his horizons as we are all about to go nuts.

He's been sounding words out; his mistakes can be pretty hilarious. He really is getting the whole phonics thing, but he doesn't know all the rules, so some words really throw him for a loop. Contrary to what one might assume, there is no 'school time' mom just works learning moments in during the day. Probably works better for Gav since he doesn't sit still much.

Well, better stop before everyone just deletes this for being too long...may be past that point already.
Hope all of you are doing well.
Elliot

Public Service Announcement from Gavin

Public Service Announcement: "Moving is not the same as vacation."
For general broadcast. Please pass on to anyone and everyone you know, so no one gets the rude awakening that I did.

Okay, I'm just going to get it out there: I miss Baton Rouge!!! I didn't even know what missing something meant til mommy explained it, but I sure was feeling it! Don't get me wrong, I've had some rockin' times already here in the big city, but it was rough to leave the only home I've ever known and all the familiar sights, friends & family. The first couple weeks were okay, because I thought it was pretty cool to be in a new place: nothing like having hours of exploring each day. But, after I checked everything out, I was pretty ready to head home. That's when mom dropped the bomb. She began to explain in a very soothing voice that the "other home" I kept asking for wasn't there anymore. Well the structure was, but there were no bed, no food, no toys, no nothing. AND it was REALLY far away and I wouldn't want to do all that driving for an empty ole house. I'm still getting over that one. So anyway, the lesson here is that if you go on vacation you get to go home. If you move you get to redefine home and that's not nearly as fun as vacation.

Now that that's out there, on with the update :o). I announced today that I love Elliot. Okay, I was probably going for the cuteness/sweetness points a little, but he really is pretty cool. The other day when we were riding side-by-side in our double stroller he reached over and touched my arm (just exploring, mommy explained). I thought that was pretty cool, so I held his hand for a while and it seemed to help both of us chill out a bit. When he wanted his hand back I held his foot. He grins whenever he sees me and that means that I'm pretty much a rock star, right? --So he grins at everything, but I like the interaction.

I'm almost back into the groove of reading a zillion books everyday, but mom has gotten so many cool things for me to do that I have lots of choices now: chalk on the board inside, chalk on the driveway, paints, coloring books, bubbles, water (outside!), gardening (tomatoes and peppers) and even some movies (I would watch them all day everyday, but mom puts the skids on that). She also hung my maps up (finally!!) so I like to hang out in my room and quiz mommy on the names of the states & countries.

Unfortunately, our run of perfect health hit a bump lately (colds & such), but Elliot seems to be chugging right along. He's just about 4 months old and weighs somewhere around 15 pounds. He can hold toys now (which helps b/c he's teething), but mom still won't let me give him any toys (especially after I tried to pile all my blocks on him while he was swinging). She doesn't let me help much, actually. A couple times I've given him his pacifier when he was fussing and I've even tried to give him some milk or some of my food, but mom won't play along!! Well, she didn't mind the help with the pacifier too much, but she doesn't want me to get in the habit of putting stuff in his mouth. Hhh! She's a worry wart!

Well, I'm sure you good people have lots of better things to be doing, so get to it! :o) Elliot will be checking in soon.

The reluctant Texan,
Gavin

Howdy, Elliot here. So I was doing some snooping around and it occurred to me that I have some catching up to do. By the time Gavin was this age he had already taken the reins from mom and was updating you himself. I certainly can't let him keep updating on my behalf. So I think we've worked out a deal: we're going to take turns. We may mention a thing or two about the other, but we will be responsible for our own updates. So here goes:

I'm almost 3 months old and we have no idea how much I weigh or my official length because tho we live mere miles from Houston's world class medical center (home to umpteen hospitals, clinics, specialists, experts, etc.), we don't have doctor yet. Hhhh! Someone must have their priorities all goofy...or else we have been blessed with exceptionally good heath and it hasn't been an issue. Hmm. Anyway, aside from good health, I laugh--a lot. (Hey! Maybe they are connected.) No really, I laugh at the drop of a hat or a little tickle to the ribs, or a big grin from daddy or the removal of a sleeve. Okay, that sounds weird, but that's really one of the silliest things out there: getting undressed. And it's not the nude factor either, it's really the action of having my arm pried out of my sleeve; it's a hoot! Anyway, I have a pretty deep voice and chuckling charms mommy instantaneously. I really like bath time too which is progress because I hated the first couple (probably because the water was chilly; winter is a great time to use warm water for baths). Okay, so maybe I do like having my clothes off; what boy doesn't??

So we've been to the zoo here a couple times. Mom bought a membership. I pretty much sleep the whole time except for when the chimpanzees wake me up. Yes, I was talking about the ones in the cages. Mom & Gavin are loud and feel the need to talk about every living, breathing thing in the zoo, but they usually keep it reasonable. The chimps, on the other hand, are very rude. Of course Gav thinks that is super cool, so we have to go see them.

Looks like I'm going to be a thumb sucker eventually in spite of mom's best efforts to prevent it. I will not be deterred from the thumb! I might just be teething and that is the only thing to chew on, but if so, mom is in denial about that. We shall see. I also may keep my brown coiffure. Mom is skeptical since the brown would be from her side and even she was blond as a little girl. Of course she has no problem taking credit for my long dark eyelashes.

Well, I'd better go. I need to give mommy some attention and Gavin will be up from his nap soon. I'm sure he'll shout "Elliot's awake" in my face a few times and then go on and to do whatever it is that he does (he's very into playdough right now even tho it is a 3+ years toy). I think he's waiting for me to talk back before he decides to say something new to me. --It's going to be a long year unless I learn some baby signs!!

Let me (us) hear from you! Mom always enjoys getting updated from all of you!

Peace,
Elliot

PS: Try that sleeve thing and let me know if you thing it's as hilarious as I do.

Look out Big Tex

Well daddy's gone and done it now! He got a big bad job in Houston, so we are moving to Texas. I understand the whole moving bit about as much as I understood the big brother gig, but I guess I'll just roll with it. As you can imagine, daddy is heartbroken to be moving back to his home state (I think he JUST stopped comparing everything in Louisiana to Texas...oh wait, he still does that...). Mommy's excited, too, but we are all sad about leaving friends & family behind in Baton Rouge. So that just means they will have to give in to the pressure and move to TX, too. :o) The good thing is that we already know several families in Houston and San Antonio (daddy's hometown); we are looking forward to spending more time with them.

We took a house hunting trip this past weekend. That was a lot of fun...about 20 hours of car time for me and my compadres. I think mom and dad were considering tranquilizers or heavy drinking by the time we got back to BR. I really don't know why they kept telling me not to make so much noise--Elliot didn't even wake up until I finally went to sleep (1/2 hour before we got home); I needed a rest after 9 1/2 hours of chattering and no nap. Anyway, we've almost got a place to live, just a few more details to iron out.

As for other stuff going on around here. Elliot is smiling and cooing, but that's about it. Oh wait, he's losing his hair, too. We're pretty sure he'll eventually be blonde and blue just like me. He slept through the night last night, but mom's pretty skeptical about that being a consistent thing yet; we'll keep you posted. He's also fattening up nicely-- hmm, sounds like I plan to eat him. I don't. In fact I'm really getting used to having him around. I make sure to let mommy know when he's awake, and I do my part to make sure he's awake most of the time by playing noisily nearby. I'm two years old now and don't you forget it!

I am enjoying playing with all the stuff mommy finds while she's packing; it's like Christmas every day! It's also nice to be able to spend lots of time outside again. The weather has been delightful, but that reminds me that we are praying hard for a yard with lots of shade in Houston. We have lots here and I'm afraid I'm quite spoiled by that! --Not to mention I'm rather fair skinned, so shade is a necessity!! Other than that I'm talking a lot these days. I've been using sentences for a while, but I'm starting answer questions better and I'm remembering so much from day to day and even week to week. That's fun when mommy wants to talk about how our great trip to the zoo last week, but not so much when I keep bugging her for more candy long after it's gone. I really like to talk things over after the fact, so if we go to visit someone and have lots of fun I'll make sure we discuss that on the way home. It's pretty cool that I can let mom & dad know which things I enjoyed the most. Much of the time it sounds something like this: Nana n' Poppa n' Zane n' Jael n playin' n' toys n' have fun n' ____ (fill in the blank w/ something specific we ate or played with). Pretty much just a string of names and phrases but they know what I mean. :o)

Well, anyway, you'll hear from me soon about how all this Texas business shakes out. Hope all of you are well!

Gavin