I've missed so many things! Eli started walking with his train around 10 months. He started to get so good that he would actually pick up the train and move it around, but he just didn't really feel like walking on his own. At 10 months he was pulling himself up on everything, furniture, mommy's legs, the toilet. I thought he would be walking any day, but he waited until about 13 months. At that point, Nate and I practiced with him for a couple days, walking from mommy to daddy and then back. After that he was off and walking. He took about two weeks to really get stable and then he really just decided it was time to run. I think his extra time spent with the train really helped to stabilize him, so that when he decided to walk, he was really good at it.

Yesterday, I was working out in front of the TV, and Eli was sitting on the couch watching me and eating cookies. All of a sudden he started exclaiming Feef! Feef! Feef! and pointing at the box of his cookies (he REALLY likes to have the control to hold the box while he eats right out of it). I go over and he is pointing at a little fish printed on the back of the box. He was so happy and so proud of himself, and mommy was so proud of her smart little guy she started yelling too. I'm sure we'll have plenty more moments just like this, but this was the very first.

Tuesday, Eli had his 15 month Dr's appointment. He was still about 50% on the weight scale and 75% on the weight (this is very perplexing, because he has such a huge belly, which everyone is always commenting on. One of the kids and the gym daycare, who loves Eli - he's about 10 years old - was telling me all the funny and great things about Eli, and then at the end said "My favorite thing about Eli is his huge belly!" Of course, how could it not be? I can tell Eli loves it too, because when he walks, he aways makes sure the stick it out and put it on display). Anyway, after Eli discovered what a light switch does, as we were sitting waiting for the Dr. to come in, she asked about his words. She said he should know 5 by now, and I told her he probably has about 30.

Of course, Eli's first word was light which is still is "la", and then there was socks, shoes, hot and daddy and mommy. His other words are:

-fuff (which is the work he uses for fuzzy - his blankey. Sometimes he'll also call it his fuffuff)

-booty (which is binki, and he always says it right after he gets his fuff - even if it's already in his mouth)

-Scott

-Yogurt (which used to come out as "geegee" but has evolved for some strange reason into "dee-da")

-Outside (which has been the first word of everyday for at least the last 3 or 4 months, as soon as I walk into his bedroom. And is always said very loud and with much enthusiasm.)

-ball

-hat

-uh oh

-no (which he still sometimes says as "no-n" because mommy always says nonononono)

-motorcylce

-uncle Scott

- grandpa (which is new just yesterday, and somes out "pa pa", or "ga pa")

-ba-bye

-hi

-hey

-floss

-oatmeal (o-me)

-please (but never when I ask him to say it)

-beep (which he says whenever he sees mommy's car, or he hears a horn honk)

-bird

-beans (which much like bird is just "bee". The other day I was feeding him black beans, and he ate like a half a cup of them and apparently decided to spit his last bite on the floor. When daddy came in the house he was holding Eli, and asked "what is this on the floor?" and Eli says "bee" and daddy says "kate, what is this on the floor?" and mommy says "Eli just told you".)

-cheese

-water (wah-wee)

-vroom-room-room (whenever he sees a truck)

-vrooooo (whenever he sees the vaccuum)

Eli is a good boy, but he rarely sits still for long. Today was a frustrating day. He only lasted about 25 minutes at church before daddy had to take him about and 10 minutes later, when daddy brought him back, he only lasted about 5 more. mommy was very frustrated, and felt really guilty for being frustrated, because sitting still is just not Eli's thing.

One funny thing that Eli does is point at the street and say "no no no no" and he point point points at the street (because he's seen mommy do it so many times). He does it when he sees people in the street or anytime, wherever we are, that he sees the line between the gutter and the street. Many times he flat out runs to the end of the driveway and then stops one step short of the street and says "no no no no", and then he'll look around and if mommy isn;t saying "no no no no" he'll throw his binki, or a ball, or a rack into the street (durring or after he says Uh oh) and then he thinks he has the right to go into the street to fetch the thing that he's thrown. You have to give him credit for a smart idea, but instead he usually has to go inside as punishment.

Eli likes to have a lot of attention, and if he doesn't get it, he will come and climb right into mammy's lap - which mommy LOVES, but it makes it really hard to get anything done. He really does like to cuddle, but just for about 30 seconds at a time.

Eli loves to fall asleep to "Skip to my Loo" and mommy has had to make up several new verses. I think he likes it because "loo loo, skip to my loo" is repeated so many times, and he likes to sing "loo loo loo" after mommy stops. Sometimes, in the morning before it's time to wake up, or just a few minutes into a nap, Eli will wake up and start screaming. At this point, mommy goes in and grabs him and holds him close in the rocking chair and sings that song, and he helps, and then he falls right back to sleep. It's awesome!