finale: a picture post of my boy-boy

i have to preface this post by insisting that it may seem ridiculous how many pictures there are, but more ridiculous than that are how many thousands of pictures i have taken in the past 3 years. no joke. i've taken over 2000 photos...since december. i have a problem. i realize this. and i need to seek help. but first, take a trip on a fantastic elias voyage.

this is elias just a few months grown. in jamaica. he's a traveller...

not fully grown, but getting there

snuggler

proud dada. tiny boy.

smiling from one day old...

on his first road trip to maine to see nana and grampy pete

with cadence, his bestest bud

loved this hat

and this hat. te-he. and those CHEEKS!

drooling. yum.

halloween. not so much with the jalapeno costume. oh well...

getting big. yeah, and i loved this hat too. what can i say? i love hats.

goof.

"look, ma! i'm standing! thumbs up!"

trouble-maker. risk-taker.

elias sitting in a wok. he sat there for the longest time, too.

with his pal cricket. who sadly had to go back to the shelter.
she sure was cute, though.

elias in a bucket at the beach. this was the only way i could keep him from running full speed into the waves. like a total nut.

elias with his monkey...snuggling

bath time!

eli at auntie kristen's old apartment. having a brew. making andy laugh. always going for the laugh, this one.

eli the tool man

rock star, mohawk

"cheese"

playing with bubbles in the yard

elias meets piper

kisses for sissy

family photo!

contemplation

proud big brother

elias and alicia

shaving with dada

posin'...and goofin'

hot chocolate face

climbing, of course

eli playing soccer with dada, just last week

so there's a glimpse- really, just a glimpse, of the past three years. thank you for joining me for elias week. it was special for me to be able to write to him and about him this week. i really loved it.
have a fantastic weekend!

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.

elias week: day 2: elias says

i really wish i could walk around with a tape recorder, because 3 year olds are stinking hilarious. i'll do my best to see if i can convey even some fraction of eli's silly and nonchalant little personality...

a few conversations:

me: what do you want for breakfast?
elias: have treats for breakfast?
me: no, we don't have treats for breakfast
elias: (running to dave) daaaad, mum says no to me!

dave: (sitting on eli's mini chairs in the toy room) do you want to read another book elias?
e: yeah, man!
dave: okay, well let's go read one on the couch because this chair is hurting my bum
e: sounds like you need to do some poops, dad!
(note: this is exactly what i tell elias all the time if he hasn't gone in a few days and he's whining or complaining to me.)

e: (running and pointing at dave) i'm in charge of you, dad!
d: no, elias, i'm the dad, so i'm in charge of you.
e: no way. mom's in charge.

(dave and i are talking in front seat of the car)
e: stop talking to my dad.
me: (annoyed) we're having a conversation elias. why don't you talk to piper?
e: watch your tone to me, mum!

(dinner time prayer, mostly mumbled, but this is what i catch)
e: thank you God for mummy, dad, and piper, and mummy, and dad, and piper...and me. thank you for cain-dence. thank you for cars...and motorcycles...for poops...and dub-dee. thank you for clothes, this food...is dewicious. amen.

(anytime he bonks his head, leg, elbow, anything...)
e: ow, poke me, hiy-ball! (eyeball)

(anytime we say...anything)
e: what you juts said?!

(anytime elias does...anything...without help)
e: me did it by myself, mum!

me: (long winded explanation about how water makes trees and grass grow, etc)
e: oooooohh. that explains it.

(as i change his diaper and taker off his pj's)
e: mum, you get naked, i get naked, how bout that? sound good. sure? oh.

me: what did you have for breakfast this morning?
e: monkey lion zebra eggs. and dinosaurs. huuugge dinosaurs.

(as i put elias down for his nap)
e: there's sand in my bed
me: what is that from?
e: my shoes
me: you're not wearing any shoes
e: (matter-of-factly) i was last friday

me: i need to cut your fingernails elias
e: no- they're super-sharp!

e to me (as i am sitting minding my own business): don't wipe your nose on your hands! that's gross!

elias to me at dinner, being his silly self
e: (retorts) want me hit you off baseball tee, huh?!

me: (scolding elias in the back seat for whining and carrying on)
e: that NOT nec-ssary mum!

(i'm cleaning up lunch before nap time and eli's leaning his elbow on the counter, chatting with me)
me: it's almost time for nap, elias. a couple more minutes, okay?
e: you don't want me to go upstairs to bed, mum, crust me. (trust me)

me: hey elias, would you like me to make you cupcakes or a birthday cake for your birthday party?
e: both cupcakes AND cake. how 'bout that? sound good?

eli's one liners, used liberally:

"that's funny"
"that's wey-id" (weird)
"i love you soooo much, mommm"
"you kiddin me? you serious to me?"
"i'm so proud to you"
"get my dress on, mum" (ie, get dressed)
"you betcha!"
"yeah, man!"
"that's wicked!"
"totally awesome!"
"cool dude!"
"..., i fink" (i think)
"..., real quick"
"..., huh?! mum. huh?! huh?!"
"..., actually"

elias week: day 1

in light of my baby boy turning three on thursday (3?!), i have decided this week will be dedicated to the handsome, rowdy, and sagacious boy who made his grand and sweet entrance on mother's day in 2006. so fitting, making me such a proud mama on mother's day.

sigh. seems like yesterday. (...but it always does.)

the thing about elias is he's just so BIG these days. i feel like i walk around awestruck by him constantly. so this week is dedicated to my elias musings. i have a picture post in the works with some of my favorite photographs chronicling his 3 glorious years, some elias quotes (if only i walked around with a tape recorder), and some photos and videos from his birthday party yesterday, of course.

to kick off this week of "all eli, all the time," are a couple videos from our trip to watson pond state park on saturday. it's about 5 whole minutes from our house, and it's glorious. especially because, unlike our home, it has pavement where elias can ride his bike. which he LOVES.

and this is elias flying his kite. sometimes i just forget he's only 3 (almost). i'm so used to him being able to do...anything. he's just like his dad- so coordinated and capable and athletic and astute. no wonder i love him so much- he may be my clone, but he's definitely his father's son. and he's flying his kite. just like that.