On the night you were born,
The moon smiled with such wonder
That the stars peeked in to see you
And the night wind whispered,
“Life will never be the same.”
(by Nancy Tillman)
Life truly has never been the same since the night Elias was born. A birth-day of unspeakable pain, joy, and love. And now that little bundle, who kept me on my toes kicking and moving in the womb, is 2 years old! And still keeps me on my toes with the same energy.
Happy 2nd birthday, Elias Michael!
In honor of his first 24 months of life outside the womb, here are 24 of his all-time favorite things:
Food. He still loves to eat, be messy, enjoy, and repeat the whole process often (without gaining an ounce of weight). Favorites: applesauce, watermelon, strawberries, ice cream.
“Saurier” = dinosaurs. Just today, he hijacked my eyelash curler and pretended it was a dinosaur eating his finger.
Laughing. He laughs easily, often, and straight from his little heart.
Catechisms. Whatever we ask, he always has the same answer, “God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Hooooly Spirit.” Precious.
Coloring. He’s grown to love drawing and coloring and is starting to copy his big brother in coloring actual animals and objects (he drew a beaver and a snake, which pretty much looked like an oversized pear next to a squiggly line).
Older kids. He’s quite fond of all the older kids he gets to hang out with every day here in Oklahoma and is often heard to yell their names (or his version of their names)… “Deeeeeesy! Sheeeea! Wuuuuuby!”
Applesauce. Lately, his first words (literally his first!) out of his mouth in the morning are, “Bitte Apfelmus,” followed by several bowls of cereal and applesauce.
Puzzles. That kid LOVES to do puzzles! He’s fairly random at how he does them and tries to force pieces together that shouldn’t fit together, but he’s determined and focused.
Balls. He’s taking after Daddy in his love for any sport and is quite a natural at kicking, dribbling, and throwing. Bouncy balls are also pretty cool in his eyes and provide hours of entertainment.
Judah. “Duuuuuuuuuudah!” is a commonly heard call in our home. Elias admires his brother and wants to do everything he does.
Praying. His breakfast prayer last week: “Danke Nani, danke Maus, danke Kaffee” = Thank you for the food, thank you for the mouse, thank you for coffee. He sure knows what Mommy and Daddy need in the morning! And I really don’t know where he came up with the mouse.
Drooling. Not sure if he enjoys it, but he’s been pretty much doing it ever since he was born. No outfit is complete without his cowboy bibs (that are drenched within minutes).
Books. He used to not care for books too much but I am very thankful that he has learned to love them. His favorites are “How do Dinosaurs Clean Up Their Rooms” and our German “Tier-Woerterbuch.” Every night he comes into the room with an armful of books to read before bed.
Doing school with his bro…. and yelling out “B!” and “Triangle!” at random times.
Worms. He’s quite fearless when it comes to slimy bugs and other crawling things. He loves them so much he tends to squish them a little too hard.
His baby hippo animal toy. For some reason, he’s very attached to that little plastic thing and asks for it daily.
His blanket and paci. Preferably the blue one with the cars on it. No bed time without them.
Talking. I did not expect the second born to be as verbal as the first born, but he sure holds his own! He sticks out his tongue when saying “s,” rounds his lips like crazy and spits when making “f” or “pf” sounds, makes whole sentences, and mostly speaks German. Some of his favorite words: “Ritterburg” (knight’s castle), “hoppoper” (his attempt at saying grasshopper), and “Baubeere” (blueberry).
Making funny faces while eating. He likes to close his eyes, flutter his eyelids and shake his head. I think it’s his way of showing that he’s enjoying his food.
Babies. He wants to play with all the babies on campus here and is mostly (and very surprisingly) sweet and gentle with them (he occasionally tries to sit on them or push their heads out of the way, but that’s rare. It helps that he’s pretty much the same size as the 10-month-olds here).
Movies. His brother’s love for movie has infected Elias as well and “Bitte Foovie” often comes out of his mouth. His favorite: Planes.
Climbing. On stuff and people and chairs and out of his pack n’ play.
Cuddling. As much as he’s a MOVER, he is also a cuddly little boy.
Being extremely cute. His silly faces, his tiny little body running and climbing, his laugh, his melt-your-heart smile, his “pleaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaase Mama” face… as exhausting as Elias can be, he makes up for it in out-of-this-world-cuteness. And I’m not biased at all, of course.
We love our energetic, joyful, stubborn little Elias!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Elli says
Thanks for sharing. It’s always a pleasure reading about you all!
JJ says
Adorable! I think that picture of you and LiLi is absolutely beautiful!