elias week: day 3: things he's into

it's funny, as a mother, it's so easy to forget what your kids do at certain ages. like, if you asked me right now if a 3 month old can hold up it's head, you'd see a puzzled look, followed by my educated guess. it's so hard to remember when you're not IN it. it fades with memories. so i'm going to take a moment to tell some of the things elias is into right now; things that interest him, or things that excite him, or make him smile. it's mostly for me, really, so thank you for allowing me this indulgence. happy birthday tomorrow, elias. here's what you're into at 3:

per a typical boy, you love trucks, ATV's and any construction vehicle that can dig. and planes. and trains, namely thomas, even though i despise that show and don't let you watch it.

your dolls. which i, perhaps unlike some other moms, adore. i love the dichotomy of an utter boyishness and a genuinely nurturing side. you take good care of them, feeding alicia, and the new boy doll your grandma got you, whom you have named "hickory dickory dock" because you're always a goofball. you take good care of your sister, too. and then you turn around a whap her. just like a boy, indeed.

dressing yourself. which i think is fantastic, seeing as how it's one less thing for me to do. however, the amount of re-folding and clothing round-up i do...i could do without. you've got more clothing changes than a new york runway show. impressive. and you insist on putting on your own shoes. velcro, slip on, tie up, you can do them all, and usually on the correct foot, too. only thing is when you're wearing basketball shorts, and you want to rock your loafers. it's hard for a fashion major to let these things slide...

buttoning buttons and putting on gloves. you love to button my buttons, your buttons, any one's buttons. and you have to wear your "garning" gloves when we work outside. you can get all your fingers into the right slots, too.

riding bikes, giving car rides and wagon rides in the back yard. and getting rides, of course. the faster, the better.

you love dirt. digging in it, playing trucks in it, climbing in piles of it. you get SO dirty every day, and i don't mind, because i can see you using your adorable little imagination as you crash ATV's and make garages. i can't forget mud, though. mud is way cooler than dirt, and you plead with me every day to make you more mud. and i almost always oblige. because ATV's need mud. that's why your GP calls it "muddin".

luckily, bath time is something you're into. always were, since your very first bath. you've always been a fish. you can draw your own bath, too. you get the plug, run he water, put piper's bath seat in, and your toys, and then yourself in. we just need to work on adjusting the temperature. it's no easy task with our faucet.

puzzles. you are so interested in how things work and how they fit together. it's fascinating for me and your dad to watch. we think you probably have your grandpas engineering brain. and he's a guy who worked at grumman aerospace on a lunar module. so we're quite happy you may have inherited some part of his brilliant mind. (hopefully you'll be as humble as he is about that- i never even knew he worked on it until a couple of years ago).

"spelling" words. this cracks me up. you love to use those ABC's to "spell" words. it's really cute to hear you walking around saying "spell daddy- o-g-b-c-i-o-i..." yup. adorable.

sports. any sports. all sports. books on sports. playing sports. talking about sports. you say random sports facts to me that you must learn from sports center or your dad, or Lord knows where like "tigers woods has best back swing in the world, mum" or "michael jordan is a great bas-a-gall player, you know that, mum?". it baffles me, and makes me laugh at how stereotypical it is to know lots of sports stats as a boy. the thing i'm impressed with the most, though? the fact that we've been pitching to you since you were 2 and you can HIT! boy- you have a swing and a half. it's safe to say you'll most likely be athletic because you're so coordinated. i hope sports will bring you much joy as you get bigger, as long as you don't become psycho competitive.

helping me cook, and bake.

chasing. this is a game you adore. "chase me, dad?" "you wanna chase me, mum?" comes out of your mouth several times a day. you're good exercise, elias.

you're a big fan of giving lollapaloozas (and not the music festival kind. more like...i don't know, raspberries? as i wrote that, i wonder if that is a familiar term. i grew up with my parents using it like it was. if anyone needs clarification on this, do let me know). if you see exposed skin, and you don't discriminate between a face or a belly, you'll get your plump little lips on there and give some big, wet, juicy, messy, lollapaloozas.

"playing chess." you can't really play, but you sure do like to pretend. and you know all the pieces. thanks again to your dad. cute.

singing. this one's all me. you love singing estelle's "american boy" and all the songs on the "silly songs" cd his grandma got him. namely the "don't put your trash in my backyard" song. i mean, that one's as silly as they come. i'm glad you love music. really.

wrestling. flying elbows, take downs. wrestling is a favorite for you. "you wrasle me on the couch, mum?" is a request that frequently leaves your lips.

you're into reading books. big time. thanks to your dad, who loves taking you to the library, and loves reading books to you. even long ones. without pictures. the ones that i skim, and skip pages in ;) he's given you a love for books, and that's a great gift.

and for entertainment? dora, diego, curious george, sid the science kid. and the movie CARS. tractor tippin. racing. lightening mcqueen. you dig all that. and charlotte's web. even if that's where you learned about "killing" and now you like to "kill" things, even things that can't be killed. and madagascar. even if that's where you learned to say "you're biting my butt". and peter pan. "even if that's where you learned to make everything into a sword. it's all good.

so there's a glimpse, really. since you're just a small person, there is no way to encapsulate your interests, or bullet your every love, or discuss what makes you...you. but this is a nice overview.