On Fridays, I'd like to pose a question to you guys. Please take a second and give some feedback on today's question(s). I guess you'll be able to tell what's been on my mind this week. (Sorry, this one's mostly for moms, I guess). Have a great weekend!
1. Do babies all go through a stage where they don't want to be on the changing table? ...and when will it end??
2. Do you have a sippy cup that you actually love? one that you hate??
Whew...I was tired of my last blog look (about the day after I got it up) and ready for a new one...so, finally since we have a new computer, Justin downloaded photoshop for me, and mmm...some hours later...here it is! Maybe I'll be more inspired to blog, right?? ...stay tuned...
There is such a wonder in a child's eyes that I am so quickly falling in love with in Elijah. Elijah causes me to stop and think about things that I might not normally think about because I'm trying to teach him about different things. This week, Elijah's big interest has been in bird watching. Justin taught Elijah how to sign bird, so he has been all about finding them. There haven't been too many around in this crazy weather, but we've spent several moments at the windows and walking around looking for any bird we can find. How sweet! I just love how Elijah's eyes just fixate on the bird when he finally sees it. Quite a reminder that nothing God made is unimportant. Through Elijah's eyes, I have a renewed interest in the smaller things that didn't always grab my attention. That's something I struggle with...losing my wonder...in the Lord, in the things He created, in the big and small ways He takes care of me every day. I know Elijah will help me pause and think more about God's awesomeness in the little moments of the day.
Elijah's hilarious to watch all day. He gets excited about everything that he knows the word to. This boy has quite the vocabulary for a (almost) one-year-old. I keep meaning to write down the words he says, so I thought I would start here.
Words Elijah signs:
dog
bird
more
all done
milk
fish
Words Elijah says:
ball (a gazillion times a day)
door (almost a gazillion times a day)
Jazz (azz)
Mama
Daddy
toy (Toy-ee ...to cute)
bible (Bi-buul)
baby (Ba-beeee - any time he sees a picture of a baby or himself....or in the mirror!)
banana ("nana")
window (dow)
elbow (bel-bow)
towel (toll)
more
apple (bapple)
hey
bye-bye
go
pray (pay ...too cute - see the video below!)
turtle (tu-tle)
...and many more, but probably I only understand them so I guess they don't count!
We starting letting Elijah watch Baby Signing Time each morning when he was about 6 months old. I was so excited when he started signing "dog". He signs just a few words like, milk, more, all done, and fish. All Baby Signing Time really did for Elijah was give him a thirst for words, I think. He's a talking machine! ...Really just an echoing machine.
The other night while I was changing him, he was touching my elbow, so I started telling him what it was. Now he tries to say it, but it sounds like "bel-bow". I love it! ...Here's a video so you can witness it for yourself. Enjoy!
I've had this post written for days, but was hoping to get another video uploaded, but couldn't. So here it is anyway! ...Gotta love the internet!
...Elijah's first birthday, that is. How did this happen? It's just so incredibly hard to believe! As I reflect on Elijah's upcoming birthday, here's what I'm thinking right now. Basically, one year ago, I ...
had no idea what to expect about labor, about parenting, about nursing, about so much stuff!
couldn't comprehend how much I would love someone so small
had not witnessed first hand that Justin would be an amazing daddy
had no way of knowing whether I would survive my first year as a mommy
(and now I'm crying as I type)
hadn't experienced the abundant grace God gives mothers
didn't have a reason to complain about laundry!
hadn't yet experienced my parents and in-laws be wonderful grandparents
had no idea that my son would bring so much joy into my life
had no concept of how many dirty diapers one child can produce
had no possible way of knowing that I would truly love being a stay-at-home mom
had never said the words "No, Elijah. We don't eat dog food."
didn't know what it was like to give a child a bath
didn't know the joy of reading and playing with my child
didn't know what lack of time was
should have taken more naps when I could
didn't understand putting someone before myself all day long
hadn't cried when a baby laid his head on my shoulder
hadn't loved anyone's laugh so much
....ok, I have to stop cause I'm really crying now!
What a year! It's hard to comprehend how time just flies by, but at this same time, I have enjoyed every moment of Elijah's life so far. I'll have to share more about him in the next weeks leading up to his first birthday on February 19th. I've been a little out of the blogging routine lately...so I've got some catch up to do.
I am wondering though...
What advice do you have for the first birthday party?
What traditions have you enjoyed for your child's birthdays?
