As I’ve pondered our Elias hitting the 18-month mark, I’ve found myself thinking, “Oh my, when Judah was this age, I was 8 months pregnant with Elias” (Shout-out to my 2 sisters-in-law who both have 18-month-olds and are expecting the next baby in May!).
That being said, our Baby Li-Li is still our baby although he has turned into a wild, active, and fun little boy since the day we brought his little newborn self home.
In honor of 18 months of life, here are 18 things to know about Elias:
1. His favorite word: “Ball!” (He calls everything that is round a ball and tries to throw it)
2. He loooooooves his brother. “Wo Judah?” (Where Judah?) is a constant questions whenever Judah is not in his vicinity. Elias also brings his brother blankets, his lion, and water whenever he thinks Judah needs any of those things.
3. He’s dramatic. Food not ready? Judah has the toy he wants? Result: Elias screams, throws himself on the floor, and crawls backward (which, for some reason, shows defiance in his mind).
4. He’s full of joy. He laughs freely, easily, and straight from his little heart.
5. He’s tiny. He weighs about 20 pounds, which is below 5th percentile for his age in weight. Tiny.
6. He out-eats Judah at every meal. Which seems to contradict #5. But it’s true. Yesterday, he ate 3 bowls of cereal and 2 cups of applesauce for breakfast (and wanted more).
7. His favorite toys are sticks and rocks. When we go on walks, I usually end up holding a handful of rocks and a handful of sticks he collected on the way.
8. He’s a good sleeper. He is quite attached to his “Decke” (blanket) and his “Nulli” (paci) and gets very excited when he gets to cuddle up with those. He still takes 2 naps (YES!) and sleeps 12 hours-ish at night (DOUBLE YES!)
9. He is quite the Daddy’s boy. John being home with the boys really got Elias attached to John, which is so precious to watch. “Wo Daddy?” (Where Daddy?) is another constant question whenever John’s gone.
10. He climbs. Everything and everywhere and onto objects way too high for him.
11. He can speak! Yay. His most impressive words are: “Bau-bee-re” (blueberry) and “Tu-ta-ta” (sound of a fire truck). His first multi-word utterance that he came up with by himself: “Judah poo-poo” (not the most elegant first sentence but we’ll take it).
12. He is constantly moving. Unless he’s strapped in somewhere, he’s on the move (and even then he tries to get out). Finding him just sitting still for more than 20 seconds is a rare sight.
13. He’s a rule-breaker. Or at least a rule-bender. Unless Judah, who is much more sensitive and responsive to our discipline, Elias breaks the same rule over and over again. The best discipline for him? Having him sit still on our laps. It’s quite the punishment for him (see #12).
14. He is a mini John. The same passion, the same energy, the same defiance (right, Mom?), the same love for any sport involving a ball, the same ability to eat whatever he wants without gaining weight.
15. He loves to sing. Favorites: “Do you want to build a snowman?” “Let it go” and “Jesus loves me.” Precious.
16. He’s a sharer. It’s heart-warming to see him give away some of his beloved food (pre-chewed or not, it’s the thought that counts) and offer toys to other kids.
17. He’s a cuddler. As much as he moves around, he’s usually the first one to grab his blanket, cuddle up and give slobbery kisses.
18. He’s full of passion. Whether it’s giving me a big hug after I come home, his excitement over dinner, or his amazement at a roly-poly (aka “ball”), our little Elias has a big heart full of emotions and full of passion. Our prayer is that he will use every ounce of that passion to serve the Lord and love others.
Happy 18 months of life, Elias! We can’t imagine our family without you!
Alisha says
He sounds SO MUCH like Brielle!! (other than the tiny part- we give that credit to Lyla… she’s still not even on the charts!) Maybe it’s a second child thing? Sophie is such a rule-follower and Brielle… is not. 🙂 But she’s also a cuddled and a sharer. Isn’t it so fun (and hard) learning their different personalities and meeting their different needs as a result?