13 Months

Elias is 13 months old! He is certainly becoming a little boy...and a really cute one at that! Elias loves to walk everywhere. He wants to get down and explore everything that is going on. He still loves to be outside and some of his favorite activities are swinging and playing in the pool.

Elias has started running this month. He now walks (and runs) with his arms down to his sides rather than up in the air like a monkey. His run is really the same pace as his walk but he leans forward and puts his head down, gets a big grin, and truly believes he is booking!

Elias now has 5 teeth. He has a healthy appetite but knows exactly what he wants and will accept nothing else (meaning last night he ate about 30 gold fish for dinner because he saw the box and we were able to sneak only about 5 pieces of chicken and 2 bites of rice in between).

A little BBQ flavored snack at the beach

His favorite word is "UP" which he faithfully says about 50 times a day. He wants "up" to be held, he wants "up" to be held by a different person, if he is being held he wants "up" (down), etc. He has also developed a strong love for reading. Elias discovered the bookshelf in his room and the fact that he can pull the books off. His latest trick is picking a book from the bookshelf, carrying it to the living room, putting it on the couch and saying "up" so he can be lifted onto the couch and whoever is closest can read him his book. At any one time we might have somewhere in the ballpark of 4 to 12 books on our living room floor.

After working for months on blowing kisses and barking like a dog, Elias is finally doing something that resembles both. When blowing kisses he puts a fist up to his mouth and puts it down. Not the best rendition I've seen but it's good enough for me. When Elias reads a book with a dog, when he sees a dog in person, or on rare occassion when I say "what does a doggy say?" he will respond with a (bahr, bahr). Yes I realize it's supposed to be something more like a "woof woof" but if you heard my pathetic dog bark that he is trying to copy you would give him a break too. At least it is a consistent sound if nothing really like a "woof woof."

Elias clapping

Elias has also discovered jumping and clapping. I expected the clapping at a much earlier time but it doesn't seem to really be his thing. I have caught him clapping occassionally but for the most part he would rather wave his hands up and down in his "Elias dance move" when he is excited about something. The jumping is just super cute. His feet never leave the ground but the knees bend and he really thinks he is jumping 3 feet high!

Elias is picking up some more words like "out" and "down" (dow), but nothing is quite as clear and favored as "up!"

Teeth brushing is his absolute favorite pasttime. He has 2 toothbrushes and his own tube of toothpaste. It is truly impossible for Brian or I to be in the bathroom without Elias clinging to the sink trying to lift himself up while making a "hah hah" begging sound to let us know he wants his toothbrush. As soon as he sees his toothbrush heading for his little hand he lights up! We started singing "brush your teeth, chu chu chu.... brush your teeth" and he's been chiming in on the "chu chu chu" part :)

We love you Elias!!!