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Entries in Eliana (53)

Wednesday
Aug192009

August 18, 2009 Eliana's Birthday

A season passes;
There are moments when it seems
So long and then
I watch as years collapse into moments.
My heart does not believe
Time,
Yet can I deny what is
Before my eyes?
Vivid are the pictures in my mind
Watching one so new.
The first time breath fills lungs
Is something
Not to forget.
Sleeping, nursing, cooing, lying,
Crawling, kneeling, walking, laughing,
Talking, running, jumping, living
With us for such a little while-
But how could these years already be
Behind us?
Memories are firm
Reminders of the hope
The future holds.
And toward it we will walk together
One step at a time.

Friday
Jun192009

Food for Thought

The other day Mike did some rearranging in the school room (which I was supposed to help finish and didn't...I'll get right on that); from one cabinet in the schoolroom he pulled out a bin that holds old food containers that have been cleaned (or didn't need to be cleaned, but were just set aside) for Math purposes.  Some of the lessons use a grocery store setup to teach about money.  I saved a bunch of cereal boxes, milk jugs, yogurt containers, and other boxes from dried goods or snack foods and stored them in this Rubbermaid bin.

Eliana quickly discovered the box and cried out,"Open!  Open!"  It was urgent, a matter of the utmost importance.  Here was a container that she had never seen before, with things in it that she had never laid her hands on.  As soon as the top was off she was busy unpacking; you know, I could really use that to my advantage, now that I think about it...but we won't go there tonight.  Oh, no.

She pointed to the yogurt carton and said,"Eat that.  Eat?"  Yogurt is one of her favorites.  "'Art-a-art."  Heart-to-Heart, also high on her list of three things that she will eat very regularly.  She was busy for the next fifteen minutes, doing her own rearranging, examining, and opening the boxes that had been packed.

Now, in order to fit as many things as I could in the bin, I put smaller boxes inside bigger boxes, and then put those boxes inside even larger ones.  She came across several boxes that looked familiar, and got excited.  For example,"Crackers!  Yay, crackers!  Have some."  She scooted up onto the couch and got ready for a snack. A box of macaroni and cheese!  Well, not exactly what she thought she would find, but considering it is also one of the few things she likes, she had no problem making the transition... I had to burst her bubble on the mac and cheese, so she moved on to something else... Back to the yogurt...but, alas, it was empty as well.  "Eat?", she says.  Will someone feed this child, please?

While it was fun to watch her dig through this stuff what I enjoyed even more was hearing her comments and listening to her exclamations.  She is talking more and more each day.  She repeats whatever she hears, and then remembers it at a later time, too.  There is all kinds of sweetness, like,"Love you!", or just when she screams,"Daddy," or Michaela's, or Christian's name in excitement.  Then there are fun things like,"Top it!" (stop it), "Move!", or "Have it!" Here is a list of the funnier things she says these days (for the grandfolks especially!):

"Awesome!"

"I-seem"-this can be ice cream, or sunscreen

"Pool!" usually followed by "Yay!"

And I just love the way she says certain words..."boo-t" instead of book (With the same "oo" as in book, not like in boot.  That would just be weird.), "shoe-on" instead of just shoe, "nilt" for milk, "mahr-ters" for markers.  I can already see things changing, too.  I remember when she ended words with an -ee sound, like "opee" instead of open, but now she says it correctly.  I'm savoring the sweet pronunciations while they are still around.  It lets me believe she's still so little for a bit longer...

Tuesday
Jun022009

We Interrupt This Picture...

to bring you a cheek-lifter.* **

*Please note: t-shirt says "Hello, Sunshine".

**And yes, those are shin guards she is wearing.

Monday
Jun012009

Disappearing Act

Will someone please tell me who put this big kid in Eliana's bed?

I put my baby girl down for a nap today and when I went in to wake her up (I know, who does that?  Today, I needed to.) I discovered this big girl instead! Where did my baby go?!

Thursday
May142009

Scenes From Our Playroom

Christian is such an all-boy kind of boy.  He walks around, church even, with his hands made into perfect little pistols.  He swings bats or sticks at balls or whatever is lying around that he can throw into the air and whack.  Star Wars?  Huge fan.  Wrestling, poking, and other pesky little-brotherisms?  A pro. (I have to admit in all fairness that Michaela likes her Star Wars and can antagonize with the best of them-I'm not tryin' to overdo it on the gender stereotyping here.  But I cannot recall a time when she pointed her first two fingers while holding three and four tucked in, thumb up, one eye shut, emitting tiny,"Tchew, tchew," or,"Pye-oun, pye-oun" sounds.) Watching Christian play with Eliana is so funny for this all-boy reason...he does things that Michaela isn't as apt to do, and Eliana rolls with the punches.  And I mean it.  She rolls and takes a few hits along the way. In spite of the rough-and-tough stuff, Eliana looks up to Christian... She's learning a few of his moves, and she's not afraid to take him down... She's sensitive, too.  A moment of silence? A prayer over her big brother? Uh, oh...the attack! Around and around, and then they fall down... A special delivery... Snuggling in the sleeping bag in our entry, of course... A favorite for both of them is playing ball... I only wish I knew what they were up to-I think Christian was sword-fighting himself, and Eliana? I just don't have a clue. Most of the time I find them playing in this space between our front door and the stairs.  I'm going to start calling it the playroom.  Hey, we are into multi-tasking around here...this area can do double-duty just like the rest of us. Christian loves Eliana a great deal.  I am grateful that he wants to play with her so often.  I pray that they remain close.  It's easy to see she loves him, too.  And is eager to learn all he has to teach.  Every day she picks up a Tinker Toy contraption that he has left behind and sends it soaring through the air with a little,"Tchew, tchew," sound.  I always call it a ship, though!
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