Eli is 16 months old tomorrow, and I can't believe how fast the time is going by. Even the days that seem long, the ones when he is cranky and has thrown more than a few tantrums, go by fast. Also, keeping up with the blog each month, or maybe even every two weeks if there is a special event, makes the time go even faster.
He has learned how to do some much this past month I am going to try and get it all down. His comprehension is so amazing and it seems like he is trying to get more words out. He repeats "Bo Bah" all the time when he sees something he wants. It's so funny and I'm not really sure what that is supposed to mean, but I know he wants me to look at something and most likely, that he wants to have it.
He knows a few body parts. He can point to his or my eyes, nose, mouth, ears, toes, and belly. He pretends to tickle his belly and his toes when he points to them.
There's a rocking horse in his bedroom that he has recently learned how to climb on and off of by himself. And he loves to go on the horse anytime we visit his room.
He can climb up all by himself
He loves taking pictures!
What a cutie pie!!
He has also become very good at identifying animals and knows their sounds. The ones he knows best: cow, horse, duck, rooster, chicken, cat, and he knows the ones that roar like dinosaur, rhino, lion. He also claps his hands together for an alligator like chomp, chomp, haha! He has a bunch of animal puzzles and dino puzzles that he has become very good at putting the pieces in the right spot. I can also call out an animal and he points to the correct one.
Here he is with his cow and piggy from Grandma! He's even acting like an animal by climbing on tables and such.
When I tell him it's time to vacuum, he runs to the closet where the vacuum is kept, opens the door and pulls it out! He's not really scared of the vacuum. He does run away sometimes but it's almost like he's playing with me. He loves to sweep. When I'm cleaning up the kitchen from dinner, I'll give him the broom to keep him occupied and he gets to it! I also sing the clean up song and he hums along while he's sweeping. He also sings that song when we clean up his toys, especially his blocks. It's so cute!
He runs to the fridge now when he wants a snack or to the pantry and opens the door. Some of his favorite snacks include: raisons, crackers with peanut butter, yogurt, banana, and cereal bars. He is getting better with drinking milk. I try to give him cereal and he loves to drink the milk after he eats it all. I'll give him a little milk with some of his meals but that's about all he'll take. It's a victory over the past months though, so I'll take it!
He is really pointing at all the things he wants now. And does a really good job of letting us know what he wants. For example, JR and Eli were sitting in the living room while I was away tonight (at cooking class). Eli got JR's attention and wanted him to go into the kitchen. JR grabbed his hand and they walked in there together. JR asked him what he wanted and Eli pointed to his drink on the counter. I'm so glad that he communicates with us in this way at least. I just repeat, repeat, repeat words and hope for a verbal explosion from him someday soon.
He still doesn't have any toys for the bathtub. He just cannot stop throwing them out of the tub! We've been putting bubbles in the bath for about a week now and he loves them. I'm trying to show him what to do when he gets the bubbles stuck on his hands, by splashing them in the water really fast. He's getting the hang of it. He also swims in the tub on his belly. He even kicks off the sides to push himself forward and back. I'm glad he has something to keep him occupied, since he has no toys.
His tantrums have gotten a little worse. He just gets so frustrated. There are days when I feel like toddlerhood is going to be a long journey. But I do make sure to think back on the day and say "Okay, today was good, let's get through tomorrow." Eli has been giving me THE HARDEST TIME with brushing his teeth. You name the tactic, and I have tried it! I even took one of his puppets and put the toothbrush in the puppets hand and tried brushing them that way! No go. And then yesterday, out of the blue, he sat still for me for a whole minute! Today as well! I did stop giving him his thrush medication on Sunday night, so I wondered if it was bothering his gums and that's why he was fighting me. I hope it continues.
Eli is currently in love with stickers. Loves them! I have a craft drawer in my closet that he goes into every time I go in our bathroom and grabs a bunch of stickers. So, there's usually stickers plastered to the bottom of my socks and yesterday I found one on Eli's foot. It left an indention!
He has also gone through a huge transformation of his naps. He usually wakes up around 8am. Around 11:30-12:00 is when he would start to get sleepy and I would put him to sleep. Well, over the last week, he has delayed his nap until 2 even 3! This has him waking up at almost 6 in the evening. So naturally he doesn't want to go to sleep until 11:00pm. Too long of a day! For both of us. I made a few changes. He woke up at 7 today, we had lunch before his nap and he fell asleep shortly after. He still didn't go to sleep until 9:30 tonight, but we're getting earlier. I might have to make a few more adjustments. I was just so surprised by this change. But I guess he is able to stay up later in the morning now.
We are still reading stories before bedtime and singing songs. I bought Eli a dinosaur rechargable nightlight that glows several colors and he loves it! He has been holding it sometimes when he goes to sleep, or we just set it on the dresser and he can look at it while I rock him.
Daddy and Eli reading a few bedtime stories.
We visited the Edmond Historical Society and Museum this month. Eli had a fun time checking out all the fake fruits and veggies and kept saying "mmmm." Then he would try to take a bite, we kept his paci in for that reason!
Eli kissing his piggy....
....and his rooster, cow, and duck!
Here's Eli from my point of view a million times a day, asking me to pick him up!
Eli loves going around in this car. The faster, the better!
Stay tuned for Valentine's Day!
