Dear Eli: Month Ten

Dear Eli,

Right now you are in your crib, intermittently complaining because I am hoping that you'll fall back asleep and you are not cooperating. You are certainly not the dedicated napper that Gray is... you think an hour is just fine for your afternoon nap. Sorry, pal, but I beg to differ!

You are such a funny boy. You have the sunniest personality and you flirt and smile at everyone who stops us in the grocery store to see "the beautiful baby." You and your brother can make each other laugh for a solid 20 minutes or so, and it is a delightful thing to hear. You rarely get mad or fussy, although you are starting to get pretty ticked off at me if I take something away from you. Your little temper is as ferocious as I would have predicted. You are somewhat of a whirlwhind and everything about your personality is big.

You are starting to stand unassisted, although you are still in that stage where you think crawling is just a more efficient way to get where you want to go. You continue to be fascinated by the bathroom or stairs. Last weekend we were in the kitchen when suddenly I heard a bump and a cry... and you had fallen down the top step. I have no idea how you covered the amount of distance that you did in no time flat, but it sure was a wake up call. You weren't hurt and I imagine you were more irritated than anything that I had interrupted your covert mission.

I am ashamed to say that you are still attached to that darn pacifier. You will throw it out of your crib and then howl until I come in and pick it up for you. Yesterday I put you in bed and then turned around to retrieve your pacifier off the dresser, only to find that you had Houdini-ed one out of thin air. You must tuck them under the bumper and you know just where to find them. At least we are limiting the whole binky thing to your crib. It seems, though, that I keep thinking "we'll get rid of it after... Chicago/this illness/teething/next weekend." I suppose it's good enough to know that you won't go off to college with it and stop worrying so much about it.

Can I ask: why do you keep biting me? You don't bite Nicki or your dad, just me. They tell me it's "love" bites, but really it's just painful.

We went to Chicago for five days this past month to visit all of your cousins and aunties. We had a great time and you are really a great traveler. You have no idea how much I appreciate that. The highlight of the trip for you was probably the Children's Museum at Navy Pier. You had a blast there, and we took some pictures in a photo booth that summed up your personality exactly. In each of the six shots we are wrestling, but we are both always smiling.

I love you, E.
Mama