Happy Birthday Elliot!

Dear Elliot:  Two years ago you came into my life and changed it forever.  I'm so grateful for everything you've given us.  It's no exaggeration to say that I learn from you every day.  God, I feel like a Hallmark card.

Trip to Maine --- Rocky Coastline

Here's Great Diamond Island.  We were the only people to get off the ferry here.

Then we drove to Two Lights and had lobster on the coast:

Elliot and the Slide

It's never been Elliot's strong suit.  He'll go down a slide occasionally, but never really love it.  Today, though, he figured out a way to take a slide that he really likes.

Here's the standard slide descent:

Here's the fun way (he did it so many times, I had the chance to capture every stage of the descent):

Chili Pepper 2

This is from a little later in the afternoon, when Elliot and Nene had developed a playful "I-Run-You-Chase" rapport.  

It's really hard to spot, but at 0:35 Nene trips and falls on her face, and if you watch closely you can see Elliot throw himself down after her.  Hey, that looks like fun!

Ian and Elliot

Chili Pepper Festival at BBG

That's Mike and Carrie's daughter Nadine (frequently known as Nene).

[Editor's Note:  I kind of post these videos without watching them too closely.  When I went back to this one, I realized Elliot comes off like kind of a bully!  He started off "tagging" Nene, but when this footage was taken he had graduated to what can only be described as "shoving."  Please watch the second installment, "Chili Pepper 2", for iamges of a kinder, gentler Elliot.]

Trip to Maine --- Bo, Kate, Dana, and Tessa

Bo is one of my college friends who moved up to Maine a few years ago.  His wife Kate has eight brothers and sisters, and they share a house on an island near Freeport.  We went out there for lunch while we were in Maine.

Dane is five (I think?) and the most confident little man I have met in many months.  We went swinging, me and Dane and Elliot, and Dane could tell Elliot was nervous. 

"Doesn't he know how to swing?" he said. 

I explained that he was just learning.  "Do you remember when you were learning how to swing?"

"I did it really fast.  It took me, like 5 minutes.  Or actually it was like 2 minutes."

There was a pause.  "Actually, I learned it when I was born."

Another pause, and then (I am not making this up): "Actually, I learned it when I was in the womb."

Stuff to Remember

He's really into lights.  When I pick him up from Ms. Irving's Daycare (on New York avenue at Lenox Rd), the first thing he does after flinging himself into my arms is show me the overhead light.

He loves trucks.  Jeez, what a cliche.  But it's true.  "Big truck" is a common phrase when an 18-wheeler rumbles past.  He also knows "garbage truck" and knows that the appropriate time to utter it us at 6:30am.

He loves to drive in the car, now that we have a car seat that faces forward.  But he hates being placed into that car seat.

He's starting testing us. Today Hannah was smearing peel-away on our foyer door (more about all that here).  Since it can take off 20 layers of paint in a single day, I assumed it was not so good for human skin, so I told the barefoot Elliot to stay away from her.

He stared right at me and took a single step toward her.

Do not go toward her, I said.  Come back here.

He stood still.  Elliot, I said.

He paused.  Again staring at me, he took another step toward her.

(You don't need me to explain how this ends.  Hint: tears are involved.)

Trip to Maine --- Farm