Being generous and a first sentence.

At dinner tonight, Eli was eating mac-n-cheese before Michael had any food on his plate. Michael said to Eli, "Eli gets to eat dinner but what will Daddy eat?" Eli pulled Michael's plate closer and put two fingerfuls of mac-n-cheese on his plate. Very very generous (but not TOO generous!)

In the bathtub, Eli found his reflection in the thing on the side of the tub that allows you to empty the drain. He kept looking in it and smiling and saying, "hi." Then I stuck my head close to his so he could see my reflection and Eli said, "Hi, Mama." I believe that is Eli's first sentence. That's pretty good given that he only says a handful of words: juice, hot, up, mama, dada, doow (dog), yes, and no.

18 months!

Eli had his 18 month check-up yesterday. He weighs 27.3 pounds and is 33 inches tall. He's in the 75th percentile for weight and height. He a strong, growing boy!

The doctor also checked out this rash he has all over his body. He got it on Saturday on his back and belly and it has since spread everywhere. His cheeks look bright red as if we slapped him really hard. He's got Fifth disease . It is super common and hasn't really bothered him. But today he was super cranky this morning and running a mild fever so we kept him home.

Given that he was sick, I went to some used toy stores and got him a few goodies to cheer him up. His favorite: a wooden fire engine with a ladder. I'm a sucker when it comes to sick babies....

Summertime

Eli loves the summer. How could you not when there's snow cones, ice cream, water fountains, festivals (including World Beat, which you see in the beginning), and the farmers' market?

Craziness...

Eli absolutely loves the water fountain at the library. We met Sarah and Elliot there on Monday and Eli was splashing and yelling and running in and out of the water. He also got me soaked! Oh, but the sweet photo of Michael and Eli is from the Strawberry Festival in Silverton on Father's Day. Eli couldn't wait to stick his feet in the creek. That kid loves the water!

A Minnesota adventure

Eli went to Minnesota for a week to celebrate his grandma's birthday and he had such adventures!

What Eli is up to

Eli loves to go "biking" with his Daddy, and he always pats the side of his head so that we know he knows he has to wear his helmet. He likes to help in the kitchen, especially when it means licking the whipped cream off the mixing blades. He still likes to put on our shoes, except now he can actually walk around in them. He says "uh-oh" about 85 times a day and it usually is because he did something on purpose, not accidentally. Example: Eli throws his hat on the floor. Uh-Oh.

A visit from Grandma and Grandpa

Yes, this is very late. Grandma Myra and Grandpa Harry came to visit in May and Eli had a great time with them. The highlight of the trip -- for Eli -- was the Keizer Iris Parade. Oh man, fire trucks and ambulances with their sirens on and even a helicopter overhead! A little boy's paradise! We also went to the farmer's market and to a winery, where Eli explored the grounds where Mardell used to live!

Don't cry over spilt ...beer?

Eli loves his Daddy's beer bottles. He loves to hold them and try to drink out of them. He must like the coldness or the smoothness of the glass. For whatever reason, ever since he was a wee-tot, he would point at Daddy's beer bottle and get a huge kick out of holding it. It wasn't until last night, however, that we realized that he understands the preciousness of the liquid inside.

Michael and Eli were playing with a huge rubber ball in the backyard. Michael was throwing it on top of our garage roof and letting it bounce around all over the yard. Eli was laughing and laughing.... until the ball bounced on the table and knocked Daddy's beer over. The beer spilled across the table and onto the floor and fizzed everywhere. And Eli just started bawling. In fact, I was in the kitchen and I thought that he had just gotten hit in the face with the ball.