Eli

So many of these posts have focused on our learning, that I haven't posted that much about their day-to-day not-learning stuff! So tonight I thought I would write a little bit about Eli.

Eli was named after Dean's stepfather (Chaim; Eli's name is Chaim Eliyahu) who, by all reports, was a real comedian. Eli loves to be funny. He likes to take cold baths, and complains when I try to mix in some warm water. He weighs one pound more than Raizel who is almost exactly one year younger. He loves to wash windows. The most often heard phrase downstairs (in a high-pitched, very earnest voice) is, "Raizel, do you want to come upstairs and play with me?" He likes to talk in Avi and Raizel voices. On the telephone he definitely never uses his own voice. He thinks it is hilarious when Avi walks across the room. He likes to kiss Avi good night on his big toe.

He wakes up every morning asking if we can work on the alef bet. He's learned the first 9 of 22 letters and when I run out of projects he clamors, "More, more!" I think he's going to know his alef bet long before he knows his alphabet. He needs a lot more snuggle time than he asks for. He does not like the sounds of airplanes flying over the house (they're very distant). We tossed his very raggedy, long-loved blanket into the garage a while ago, and he only mentioned it once or twice after that.

Every time he puts on his swimsuit he says in a little squeaky voice, "Did someone GIVE this to me???" (Yes, someone did... in June!) All summer, he loved his swimming lessons. This fall he moved up into Amirah's class and suddenly he didn't want to go. Every day before class he says he doesn't want to go, then he goes and laughs and splashes and swims. Today he said he would go, but only if he could just do back floats. I reassured him that he could do back floats, and he might like trying to kick hard enough to splash me too! He thought that was a good idea.

Every very once in a while (like tonight), he'll give his mama a nice long hug and several kisses on the shoulder and chin. These keep mama humming for quite a long time. Long enough to make it to the next installment. Eli's favorite food? Air. He's all muscle and very, very quick. His brain works really fast too. He loves to make his food brachos (blessings). It's quite a din of brachos at our table every meal since Amirah makes hers and Raizel does hers with just a couple of word prompts and Eli does his. Every time you make a bracha, an angel is created and goes off on a mission. If you think about it ahead of time you can send those angels on specific missions, like making someone feel better. I think there must be a very crowded sky above our house at dinner time! :)

His favorite color? Red. His favorite toy? Boxes and laundry baskets. His favorite subject in a book? Trucks. His eyes really light up when I let him bring the big box of books that lives by his bed and I say I'll read every one of them. He likes it when I ask him "important" questions like, "Which is more important - to have food or a place to live? Which is more important - to have lots and lots of toys or one good toy that you love very much?"

He is my sweet, feisty, spicy, yummy, speedy, high-wattage, twinkly boy.