It was much easier for me to come up with these 25 things than to come up with 25 things about myself… scary.1. His favorite scripture story is Jesus throwing the money changers out of the temple. We read it most nights.
2. He used to take 3 baths a day, but now prefers 1 a day with his sister.
3. Every time we get off the subway he runs to his friend the flower seller who gives him a flower.
4. Between the subway and home he gives the flower away to someone.
5. If there is anyone around him, he asks them to help him instead of me (i.e, opening his juice box, tying his shoe, etc.).
6. He usually picks out his own clothes and they usually don’t match.
7. He carries around Minnie Mouse everywhere. It was actually given to Claire by Los Abuelos Garcia for Christmas. If they knew he possessed it, they might not be pleased.
8. He picks the skin off his lips and bites his fingernails to no end.
9. He yells “Obama” when he sees pictures of him.
10. He convinced David to vote for McCain.
11. He often asks where his cousins, aunts, and uncles are. He wants to know why he can’t play with them.
12. He snores so loud it’s hard for David to sleep in the same room with him (we are in a 1 bedroom apartment). Consequently, David set up a pediatric otorhinolaryngologist appointment for next week. Adding to our nighttime listening pleasure, he usually falls asleep with a matchbox car in each hand, several nearby, along with his keys so that every time he tosses or turns, it sounds like we have a chain gang in the room with us.
13. Today he threw 5 tantrums in public. All out tantrums. On the floor kicking. He split his mouth in Rite Aid, but I think it was more a product of stretching dry lips than his head hitting the floor.
14. He is trying to get rid of his naps and has crazy moments because of it (see #13).
15. Rebel without a bedtime. I tell him to go to bed. He refuses and falls asleep in the hall (see picture).
16. He loves church and is very loved. I never thought I would be a parent who let her kids roam around, but he wanders to different families during sacrament meeting.
17. Whenever he sees someone he especially likes in the front of the sacrament room, he usually yells at them. David said the prayer and of course he yelled at him. Alan Hamilton, the organist often gets a shout out.
18. A few Sundays ago David was translating for a high counselor and Elijah ran all the way around the church. I had to run in front of the whole congregation and still didn’t catch him until his second lap.
19. He loves his sister. Sometimes at his playgroup he only wants to play with her.
20. A girl in his playgroup loves him. Her mom said, “Te gusta Elijah?” And she said, “Me encanta Elijah.” He chased her around the room, but lost interest when he saw someone pulling out snacks.
21. Some people use “um,” “so,” or “like” as filler words. Elijah’s filler word is “por que.” Sometimes for variation he’ll say “why.” Nonstop. Most of the time I’m quite sure he doesn’t know what he’s asking. Once he said it after I said, “Because it’s a car.” “Por que?” he asked. Did he want to know why a car is a car? Or maybe he’s a philosopher.
22. Elijah’s favorite toy is his bike. Given the recent weather, he rides it inside more than out and calls it his taxi. He, Claire, and I often go to the store, temple, and Chuckie Cheeses in his taxi. The 3 of us can actually fit on it together, but it’s much easier on my legs to go backward than forward. His necessary bike accessories include his sombrero, his keys (which hang off the handlebars when the taxi is in motion), and all his favorite toys in the basket in back. Incidentally, the bike is also Claire’s favorite toy; she likes to pull out all his favorite toys.
23. He calls his dad Daddy Dulce because he associates him with trips to candy stores, ice cream, and sugar in general.
24. He has just started calling his sister “Claire,” and even now it’s sporadic. When people ask him what her name is, he says “Baby.” We never call her that, so I’m not sure where it came from. Sometimes he calls her "hija."
25. As noted in an earlier post, he has an imaginary dog named Paco, but doesn’t refer to him too often anymore. He does have other imaginary beings at times though, including cats, monsters, and “hombres.” The other day he kept referring to a “hombre” in the room with us. It was kinda creepy.
Elijah got his first skateboarding lesson today. He was playing with his new friend Matthias by the flagpole. Some boys were skateboarding nearby and of course Elijah wanted a piece of the action. One of the boys was nice enough to oblige. Notice the background is a sea of apartments, aka Home.
