Eliotisms

So after writing and deleting not one, but two posts that I thought were too negative, I've decided I need to turn my thoughts to the good things in my life right now. Yes, I am going through a period of great sadness about legitimately difficult things, things that are heavy and heartbreaking and not going away any time soon. But, I've got to surmount those sorrows and realize that there are things -- little daily joys -- that make me smile and laugh and feel happiness.

My great source of happiness is my Eliot. He is, and has been since he was born, a little charmer. He has the funniest, most interesting little personality. He's very sensitive and yet quite independent, and lately, silly. Yesterday, out of the blue, he would do his little running in place dance, and I would crack up every time. Then, when he noticed he was entertaining me, he kicked it up a notch and started spinning in circles.

But what's really gotten me is his growing vocabulary, especially the words and concepts he hasn't gotten quite right yet. For some reason, he can't say "boo!" yet, so in place of it he says "bee!" I couldn't stop laughing the other day when he ducked down in his little jungle gym, then popped up and shouted "BEE!" super enthusiastically. That same day he made me die laughing again, this time in the grocery store, when I put a bag of frozen chicken in our cart and Eliot starts saying, "bawk, bawk, bawk, bawk." I'm sure people must have thought we were totally bizarre, but it was a classic Eliot moment.

It's so amazing what Eliot's really able to understand. Last night we were getting ready to sit down for dinner, and I asked Grant if he had already gotten Eliot's sippy cup out. Grant said he had given it to Eliot, but we couldn't find it anywhere. So Grant asked Eliot, almost hypothetically and not expecting a response, "Eliot, where'd you put your sippy?" Instantly, Eliot marches over to his toy train, opens up the compartment under the seat, and produces his sippy cup. All we could do was look at each other in awe and start laughing. Then we clapped for a very proud little Eliot.

I'm so grateful for my little buddy and all of the progress he's making. I'm so happy that he's a part of our life at a time when we need him and his funny little personality most. The last couple years have been so stressful, but somehow Eliot's seemed to ease the difficulties we've been through with his quirky little ways. I just love that little boy.