Not the Mama

Eli isn't much into talking. He still prefers to whine and scream and growl over more conventional forms of communication. He has, however, mastered "Dada". He says it with confidence and knows exactly what it means. He knows who Dada is and the right times to say it. Feeling a mite jealous, I have been coaxing him to say Mama for weeks now. Still everytime Eli responds with the same ol' "Dada!" I was starting to think maybe he was just a bit slow, conversationally speaking, but yesterday, I caught on to his little game.

Me: Lying on the couch.
Eli: Standing, holding onto the other end of the couch. Doesn't know I am paying attention.
Me: Paying Attention
Eli: "Mama, Mama, Mama"
Me: Perks up. Listens.
Eli: Cruises toward me. "Mama, Mama, Mama"
Me: Picks him up, smiles big. "Did you say Mama?? I heard it! You said Mama! Yea! You said Mama!"
Eli: Grins. "Dada!"

Sigh.

First Christmas

Eli's first Christmas has come and gone. I can't believe how fast it flew by! It was good fun, full of memories. There were many special moments that we will never forget. Like his time sitting on the lap of his Daddypa. And his sweet kisses he gave Grandpa. Or his sitting at the Christmas Eve table, where he reached for and grabbed the entire bowl of mashed potatoes and catapaulted a handful. And the deviled eggs he flung across the room. And the napkins he ate. And the cats he chased and the dog that chased him. And his conquering of Mimi's house. The eating of her plants. The pulling down of her lamps. The ripping of books and newspapers. The Christmas train we spent hours putting together, making perfect. The same train he demolished in five seconds flat. Oh, and the outlets he licked. The many times his head hit the floor or the table or the counter or the wall thanks to his incessant flailing. The small toys he tried mightily to consume. The countless times we practiced the CPR-course-taught-mouthsweep. The squeals. The screams. The whines.

Ah, the memories. I think it's safe to say Mimi's glad we left. Her poor teeth-mark-laden trees are, too.

'Twas A Saturday Before Christmas

As usual Eli was the only source of testosterone during our playdate today. It doesn't seem to bother him so far, and I'm sure one day he will realize what an advantage he has at our estrogen-rich church. He had much fun chowing down on chicken nuggets and marshmallows, playing with different toys, toying with climbing the stairs, and being outside. He LOVES being outside. Sarah has a superduper cool swing in her backyard, the top of which is mounted nearly twenty feet up in a pine tree. This makes for the biggest, smoothest, longest arc- he looked like he was flying on a trapeze- squealing his heart out the whole time. After he was "done" there (Chloe needed a turn causing Eli to be greatly upset), Cindy suggested I put him on the trampoline. I have never seen him have so much fun! It is completely encircled with netting and the springs are entirely covered, making it very safe. We threw in a dozen or so ballpit type balls, and let him loose. He rolled around and chased the balls around for another half hour before it was finally time to go inside and decorate our cookie creations. I have to admit I was feeling a little covetous of such a cool backyard by the time the day was through.

He Does It Well

It's been a while since I posted, and I know you are all wondering what new and exciting things Eli is up to. So, I wanted to take a moment to give you the official update: He is sleeping through the night (yay!) And getting up for good at 5am (boo!) He's eating (yay!) And not napping (boo!) At all (boo, boo!) And he's screaming. A lot. Like all the time. Including as I type this. And probably as you read this. And even after I type this and after you read this. And after you reread this. And after everyone who ever reads this comes and reads this and then rereads this. He'll still be screaming. (boo!)

10 Months

Today Eli turns ten months old. In two short months we will be making the trek to Shallotte for his first birthday. I just can't believe it. Time flies whether you're having fun or not.

At ten months, Eli is getting around and he is fast! Perhaps a good title for this post would have been "how quickly we forget". It has been little more than a year since Chloe was just starting to tangibly discover the world, but for some reason, Eli is still taking me by surprise. He is into EVERYTHING. He has discovered the joy of playing in the toilets, flushing the toilets, slamming the lid to the toilet onto his hand, emptying the bookshelves, opening drawers and cabinets and banging them shut, pulling up on everything (whether it is stable or not), eating all things that find their way onto the floor (but nothing that finds its way onto his plate), going outside where he loves to eat grass and leaves, and so on. He is all boy. Comparatively, it is amazing how innately good Chloe was. We didn't even really need child safety devices with her. A simple "no" was discouragement enough. Not Eli. What we really need is to bubble wrap the house in it's entirety. Of course, then he would eat the plastic bubbles and choke and die. Scratch that idea. What I need is a few more of me to keep up with him! Just one clone would be nice. She could hold him all day while I did whatever else it is I do. Then my back wouldn't hurt all the time. I don't know how that boy weighs as much as he does while eating so little. (It must be genetic :oP )

Eli still doesn't have any words. He prefers screeching, screaming, yelling, and making the little-Indian-boy-running-around-the-fire sound with his mouth and hand (anyone have the PC name for that?) He has just started cruising the furniture and can stand up for short periods on his own. He could probably go longer if not for a lack of confidence. He will stand for several seconds, but as soon as he realizes I don't have ahold of him, he turns toward me in a panic and collapses. Also unlike Chloe, he still doesn't really have a favorite book or toy. Just mommy. His smile is still contagious, and he is still my joy. Soon my little baby will be a little toddler, and I can't wait!

Eight is Not Enough

Eli's food repertoire of good eats has absolutely exploded over the last three days. It seems like I finally get around to blogging about a particular problem and within a couple of days, it's no longer a burden. No coincidence I'm sure! Thank you all for praying for us when we have difficulties with our lovely little ones.

The new, improved menu includes:
Corn
Oranges
Organic cereal bars in apple and strawberry
Noodles
Sliced Turkey
Mozzarella
American Cheese
Kidney beans
the inevitable french fry
the inedible Nuggets
and.....
Kashi Cookies!

We love Kashi. We've been fans of the cereals, granola bars, and frozen entrees for a while now, but the cookies are a new discovery in the Covil household. Unlike the other products, there are real drawbacks to Kashi delving into the realm of soft, sweet baked goods. The problem with Kashi cookies is they are, just like the box says, tasty little cookies. Furthermore, there are only eight in a box. Eight!! And even on sale, it's no sale. Plus, there are four people in this house that all really like those eight tasty little cookies. Eight cookies and four people can only mean one thing. A bigger cookie budget. Yum.

5 A Day the Color Way

Today was the first time in four days that Eli ate. It has been such a stressful week trying with all that I have to get the boy to eat something. Anything! No food means no sleeping through the night. So besides having a stressful daytime, we have had less than happy nights filled with howls from across the hall every hour or so. Nerveracking to say the least. However, this morning, Eli woke up a new man. He ate half of a chick-fil-a biscuit at breakfast. Cheese pizza and banana for lunch. Half of a peanut butter and apple butter sandwich for snack. An apple cereal bar for supper. Lots of milk in between. I know this list is far from the FDA's standards of nutrition, and lots of you are probably appalled by the amount of sugar and the invisibility of the vegetables, but I personally have never been happier. Well, at least not this week...