Full-time walking, talking, and raging!

We’re happy to report that Eli is a full-time walker now! He went from 10 steps at a time to all-the-time in about a week flat, and now he’s obsessed. Daycare reports that he spent two solid hours walking up and down the pathway in front of the house, stopping to sit down on the pavement whenever he got tired, then getting back up and tootling along some more. Things take a lot longer now, of course, since he has to walk everywhere we go, and while he’s walking he has to fall down, bend down to pick things up, try to eat things, try to sweep rows of jars or boxes off grocery store shelves, try to chase cats, try to pick flowers, stop and talk, and stop to rest.

The arrival of toddlerhood has also ushered in the arrival of the Furious Will. Eli must not be interfered with! He will play where he wants, go where he wants, pick up what he wants, have what he wants, and do what he wants, and if not, EXTREME SCREAMING WILL ENSUE! Even diaper changes trigger loud angry protests and occasionally even tantrums. He’s got a wicked little temper on him.

Here’s a video that encompasses the walking, the occasional refusal to wear pants, and the rage that occurs whenever he’s not allowed to, say, have and eat the video camera. Make sure you get all the way to the end for the real eruption.

In other reports, Eli is an awesome talker. He now says “hi” to us all the time, which is insanely adorable. He says “up” and “down,” often together (“up down up down up down”) and sometimes interchangeably. Yesterday, he came up, grabbed my leg, looked up and me and said, “down me.” He’ll say, “uhwan down,” when he’s done eating, and can sometimes say “all done” (which sounds more like, “uh-duh”). He says “uh oh,” “oh, no,” “ball” and “bottle,” and heaven help you if he means bottle but you think he means ball. He prefers the formal “cat” to “kitty,” he says “book” and “read this,” he asks, “whas da?”, and he’s extremely skilled at pointing and issuing forth his most useful phrase: “uh wan dat.”