2 Years, 10 Months

Eli,

Just one word can sum up this month: HOT. Whoa, buddy, has it been hot. So hot, that any time spent outside had to be spent at the pool, other wise you turned into one nasty, sweaty, beet-red boy. So, you and I have spent almost every morning for the last month swimming. Our morning routine is definitely going to suffer come Labor day, when the pool closes. I don’t know what we’ll do!



The other day, we were taking advantage of a cooler morning by spending some time out in the driveway. You had the sidewalk chalk out, drawing faces. You came over to where I was sitting and started drawing - at first you said you were going to draw a "C." I watched you as you stepped back and looked at it. You said, "And now, I make it a G!!" And you did. Not too shabby for someone just over 2 months away from turning 3! I guess we should really start working on the rest of our letters... so far you've got C, G, N and O down - that I know of.



The most exciting part of this month was the week your Mama Jo was here. She flew in on a Tuesday, so you and I got in the car and headed to the airport to pick her up. As we waited in the parking lot for her, we watched the skies for planes. They just didn’t take off frequently enough for you. We saw a couple take off, which just wasn’t enough. Soon, though, we’ll be on one of those planes. Hopefully that WILL be enough for you!



The week she was here was a very busy week. We did lots of running around, and TONS of eating.(You’ll learn throughout your life just how intertwined Food and Family are.) We hit up quite a few restaurants around Indy. I am very proud of the way you behave while we are out and about. You usually stay in your seat and are fairly quiet while we’re there. But, with so many outings, we had to really bribe you to stay still while we were still eating our food... Needless to say, you played A LOT of angry birds on mommy’s iPod.



One of my favorite activities while Mama Jo was here was the Children’s Museum. We got around early one morning and headed downtown. You had a blast! There was so much for you to run around and climb on. You even tried on an IndyCar for size! It was just a little big for you, but who knows?? Maybe someday you’ll be zooming around IMS! You did look pretty slick behind the wheel.



Eli, you are definitely your father’s son. I try to limit your daily TV time. Usually, if it is on, you’re watching Yo Gabba Gabba, or Cars. One day, we were having a picnic lunch in the family room while watching Lightning. Now, sure, we’ve watched it a few times. But that afternoon, you were saying lines along with the movie. It was hilarious, and a little disconcerting. I guess I’ll have to live the rest of my life hearing movie quotes from both you and your father. (There are worse things, I guess.)

You’ve become really attached to your giraffe blanket - a blanket you’ve had since you were just a couple of months old. It is definitely your magical security blanket. You would take it everywhere if I let you - and mostly I do. You have to have it when you sleep. You love to snuggle with it on the couch. When you get hurt, if Mommy’s kisses just don’t cut it, you cry out for your blanket - just a little rub on your boo-boo and you’re good to go.

Out of all of the fun things you’ve done this month, my favorite is the fact that you are no longer stingy with your “I wuv you’s.” There is nothing sweeter than you coming up to us, giving us a huge hug and saying, “I wuv you soo much, Mommy and Daddy.”



Oh, buddy, I hope you know just how much we love you, too.

Love,
Mommy