To Our Birthday Boy

Dear Eli -

It is hard to believe that it has been a year since you entered our world. Fast and furious, you were ready to be here. Your arrival was quite exciting; I thought for sure I was going to have you right there on Business 40 in the passenger seat of our Toyota! Luckily we made it to the hospital in time, with less than 30 minutes to spare. I see now that it is just your personality to go full speed and no holding back. You complete our family in the most perfect way, and we are so blessed that you are ours. 

I love comparing you in certain ways to your sister, but I also love the many things that make you unique. While Emmy is a slow eater, you like for a constant flow of food coming to your mouth. You become quite vocal if we are not fast enough. Your favorite foods right now are bananas, sweet potatoes, apples, and sweet carrots from Kimono's. You also like Cheerios, yogurt melts, and puffs. Soon we will introduce whole milk. You have otherwise only had Mommy's milk, and I am so happy to see you getting big and strong. It will be a few more weeks before we go to the doctor for your 1-year check-up. I am anxious to see just how much you have grown. You have mastered crawling, and you can easily pivot and change directions by rocking into a seated position. You have such a powerful crawl stance. Your Daddy and I chuckle at the way you come barreling down the hallway, slapping your hands down and pounding away with your knees. You are pulling up on all the furniture. You are able to balance while in a standing position, but sometimes you lose your footing and end up with a boo-boo. Unfortunately there have been a few bumps and bruises as you explore with your new freedom. You are currently sporting a bruise on your forehead from a recent collision with a corner. Daddy rushed to scoop you up and put ice on it right away, but the bruise and cut still appeared. You are so tough, and you didn't even cry that long. It is rare for you to cry; we see a lot more of your smiles than tears. You love opening and closing doors. I stay close by to watch for your little fingers, but you are fascinated with the swinging motion. Your vocabulary is mostly babble, but "dada" comes out pretty clearly. Your sweet smile and constant chatter bring us so much joy. You love clapping and hearing "yay!" Grammy has been working on other tricks like waving and peek-a-boo. You spend most of your days at Grammy and Grandpa's, and what a sweet bond you have developed with them! I am hoping that the transition to preschool next year will be a smooth one, and I couldn't be happier for where you are right now. It has been an unexpected blessing from the current pandemic that we are living in. I wish we could have showed you more of the world this year. Soon enough we hope to be off on adventures again.   

You are wearing size 3 diapers and your cousins' 12-month clothes. It is fun to see you dressed in their hand-me-downs. We are still squeezing you into the bath bassinet, but we will soon transition to baths in the big tub. (We may have to do separate baths since your sister is pretty picky about her bath toys!) You continue to like sucking your two middle fingers. This little habit started when you were a few weeks old, and I'm not sure how to break it. You seem to mostly do it when you are in your car seat and to console yourself if you are sleepy or upset. Your active personality means that you don't often like being cuddled. You will push off of my shoulder so that you can see your surroundings or reach for your crib instead of falling asleep in my arms. I am glad that you are such a good sleeper. In that way, you are a lot like your sister, and I could not be more thankful. Since you aren't much of a cuddle bug, I love 'wearing' you for our walks around the neighborhood or when we went to the zoo. Until you are off and walking, I am enjoying those moments when I can have you attached to me. 

This year has been a difficult time for our nation and our world. There have been a lot of not-so-good things. We will tell you all about it one day. We hope to remember 2020 for the year of "firsts" for our Eli and for our family of four. We pray that in the next year, you will continue to grow and learn new things. We also pray that you will develop a sweet bond with your sister. There will be so many more "firsts" in 2021, and we are so excited to watch you reach each new milestone. 

We love you!
Mommy & Daddy

We had our birthday celebration at the zoo on Saturday, and then this evening, we had dinner over at Grammy and Grandpa's. As we were loading into the car, I realized that I did not take a single photo, but here are some other recent photos of our birthday boy!

It's been the best year getting to know and loving on Eli! 

UPDATE 12/10/2020: Eli had his one-year appointment today, and he weighed in at 19 pounds and measured 29 inches long - almost identical to his big sister when she was one! He didn't quite know what to think of the band-aid on his finger after the finger prick. He made it through that stick with no problem, but there were tears for the other shots he received in his thighs. Those shots always break my heart! The doctor encouraged us to continue introducing solid foods, anything that is nutritious and not a chocking hazard. Dr. Albright didn't seem concerned with Eli's finger-sucking. He said that Eli would give it up eventually - and we may just have to buy braces! It seems that Eli is otherwise developing right on track. Especially during this year, I am grateful for his health and for how God has protected our family from sickness! Thank you, Lord!