About Elijah

Elijah is growing rapidly - both in size and in mind. He is quite a character. Funny, stubborn, and affectionate. He is eager to help out around the house and to show us that he understands what we are talking about, though his verbal communication skills are quite lacking! At 16 months, he says mama, dadda, bye bye, night night, and poo poo. He attempts to say lots of other words, some of which I get (i.e. Jackson), but relies heavily on pointing, grunting, and just going and getting what he wants. Never the learn-by-demonstration child, Elijah likes to be a hands-on learner - like squishing his fingers in his food or wearing his food on his head and body to see what else food can do besides get eaten. He's quite a handful.

He tests reactions...a lot. Throwing his juice or towel down during dinner is accompanied by a serious stare...to see what happens next, especially if the message is conflicting - Jackson laughing and Mama scowling. He also likes to watch our faces intently when he is touching something he is not allowed to touch - like the wall sockets or dvds. And the only big temper tantrums seem to come from taking something away from him - Jackson's toys and the sweeper mop especially.

Constantly testing....constantly learning...constantly falling. The child tends to look "beat up" because of the amount of self inflicted bruises and scrapes to his head from walking, running, falling, and bumping that really stands out against his fair skin and thin reddish hair. His independent nature also causes us to chase him a lot, since he does not like to hold hands when walking outside. He is not afraid of cars and only slightly shy of strangers. While his brother was a more passive toddler - watching before doing, Elijah wants in on the action - if you're going, he wants to go, and if you're eating - I don't care what it is - he insists on climbing into your lap and getting a bite.

A usually good sleeper, he is persistent on getting a bottle before bed, and keeping the same baby nighttime routine, though we are trying to coax him into a more big boy routine. I hope to soon introduce potty training to him too. I think he will do well in this department.

I love watching his personality grow, and despite my comments, I couldn't be more proud of our little 'Lijah.