Word on the Street

Hi, no pictures to post today but I did want to post an update. We went running and Eliana did all sorts of cute things but neither of us had our cameras. This past weekend Eliana tried on her Halloween costume (and we took some pictures), but we aren't ready to reveal her Halloween look yet!

Eliana's language skills continue to expand. She had a cold on Friday, and kept telling us how her "nose running" and how she wanted a tissue. She has a great ear, so when we meet people and tell her their names, she'll say them back. Today she met (or re-met) Jaycee (another baby in a jogging stroller), Lynne (Mommy's running partner, who was having a stoop sale) and our neighbor Melissa. Each time, she said their names either right away or after a few minutes.

The most novel thing that happened today was that Eliana had a conversation with a stranger! We were standing in front of the Italian food store tonight waiting for Abba, and Mommy started up a conversation with a man holding his brown dog in front of the store. So the man asked Eliana, "do you have a dog?" She thought about it for a minute, and said, "Yes." Then the man asked, "What's your dog's name?" and Eliana said, "Shiloh." Of course we have conversations with her all the time, but it was new for her to be able to "converse" with someone on the street.

Eliana's vocabulary is gaining depth: she knows "shoes" and also "boots." She knows "eating" (from her book about the kitchen) but also "mixing" and "cracking." She knows "quiet" and "loud." She even said, "coffee" last week. I guess we talk about it a lot around here!

I don't think I've mentioned her "mine" phase yet. Eliana is in a "mine" stage, probably spurred on by the large amount of time that she spends with her older (22 mos) friend Lucy. At our house, she will grab a toy or book, and say, "mine!" This happens many times a day. We are calm about it, I say, "let me know when you're ready to share it," and then ask her in a few minutes if she wants to read the book or do the activity together. (It's not as if I was scheming about how to get a chance to use her shape sorter :-) ) Sometimes if she's in a playful mood, I'll hug her and say, "mine, mine!" This usually makes her laugh.

Another she does now is say "Mommy's turn," or "Eli's turn." So when she gets frustrated or need help, she'll say that it's my turn! I am always willing to take my turn.

Eliana is very concerned about Shiloh's hair on the floor. Since Shiloh is a short-haired dog, she sheds a lot of hair. So Eliana sees the hair, gets concerned, and goes to get the broom and start sweeping! (I mentioned in a previous post that she was working hard...) The broom is about 3x her size (although the thought of getting her a Montessori toddler-sized broom has crossed my mind) and it's difficult for her to control it, so it's "Mommy's turn" after not too long. In any event, our floors are cleaner than ever.