Following Some Advice

I've heard it said a lot lately, "You'd better write down the funny things he says, because one day, you'll wish you could remember them!" Well, since I still haven't done the boys' baby books (*gasp*... I know!) and also due to the fact that we are currently living in our 5th house (in 7 years), so I've lost a lot of loose pieces of paper, I think I'll take a moment to record a few Eli-isms here on our blog.

Here is a sampling of what I can remember, off the top of my head. I'll try to put them into categories.

Things he's overheard and adopted as his own:

"GO, car! The light is green!"

"You're kiddin' (killing) me, _______!" (possibilities include, but are not limited to, computer, dvd player, train, Tucker, Mama, Daddy, & Sam)

"That's amazing!"

(after I've sufficiently answered his myriad of "Why?" questions)   "Oh! That's cool." (nonchalantly)

Things he says that show the way his mind works:

"I'm a potty train! Choo-choo!"

Eli: "Mama, may I please have a Charlie, please?"

Me: "A what?"

Eli: "A Charlie."

Me: "I'm sorry, baby, but I just really don't know what you're talking about."

Eli: "I'm talking 'bout a Charlie Brown!"

Me: "You want a brownie?"

Eli: "Yes!!!"

"I'm bleefin' (bleeding) Mama. I need a band-aid."

(When he was sick with a fever virus and awoke in the middle of the night with a fever of 103F) "I'm bleefin'. I need some Motrin!"

"Hey, Mama! I got a big idea for ya!" (the big idea can be either a plan, i. e. "let's go at the zoo!" or something that is big, i. e. "a giant, giant elephant!"


Eli: "I'm sweating, Daddy."

Grant: "Oh no! Did you wet your bed?" (yes)

Eli: "No, Daddy. I sweating."

(after any loud noise) "That scared my ears!"


"My name's E-jah Li-jah."

"I want to do it all my by-self!"


Things he says when he's "helping" me take care of Sam:


"I kin be a pin fin!" (I have no earthly idea what this means, but he's been saying this, very deliberately, stressing each "word" of it, since Sam was a newborn. They both think it's hilarious, though.)


"Mama! Sam pooted! I can smell it. It stinks. It stinks in my nose!"


*excited gasp*, listening for more sounds coming from Sam's room* "Sam waked up! I go get him outta his bed! Come on, Mama! Hurry so we can get him outta his bed! He's wake!"


(making Sam laugh by acting silly)"I'm making Sam be funny!"


(when I'm trying to feed Sam baby food, especially the early days of cereal)  "He's finished, Mama. He doesn't like it! He doesn't want it, Mama. Mama, Mama! He doesn't want it!"


"No, no, Sam! You must don't have my _____!" (whatever toy he has managed to swipe from Eli)


(in his softest, sweetest voice) "It's okay, Sam. It's goin' be oooo-kaaay." (when I'm driving and Sam is fussy in his carseat)


Some of my favorite pronunciations are also some of our favorite things to see at the zoo:


"hippy-ta-pah-mus"


"gri-ddah"


"ef-flant"


"podar bear"


"pan-nah bear"


"jraff" & "beebee jraff"


Things that tell me either (a) he's in trouble or (b) I'm in trouble:


"I'm fine. I'm fine" (a.k.a. I don't want to go to time out.)


"I'm ready to obey you, Mama." (a.k.a. I'm ready to get out of time out)


(volunteering from another room, especially the bathroom) "I don't need any help, Mama!"

Sam is still doing great, too, and he already has a few words of his own:

"da-da" (Daddy, of course!)

"ba-ba" (which is what Eli calls my mom, but Sam has started saying it when he wants me)

"ba" (deliberately & emphatically, repeatedly, means he is hungry. I think this one is especially funny, since he still refuses almost every time he is offered a bottle!)

So thankful...

We are so thankful for our two precious boys.  

I debated about whether or not to blog about this, because that would mean re-living the worst moments of my life, but I decided to, so that I could tell you guys what happened.  (You know I can't talk when I'm crying, and I can't tell this story without crying.)

Let me begin by saying that everybody is fine.  We had an accident, but everybody is okay.

Here's the what happened:

We decided to stay home from the Fourth of July festivities.  The boys have been sick and rather fussy lately, so we decided to just stay home and let everybody rest.  (We have since decided to never stay home for a holiday again... Grant got 2 stitches on Memorial Day... Anybody want to do something fun for Labor Day?)

I fed Sam while Grant and Eli headed to the kitchen to get started on supper.  Sam finished eating, but was still a little fussy, and I heard Eli whining in the kitchen, so I put Sam on my shoulders and headed into the kitchen.  (Yes, I know this was a mistake, but I honestly thought it would be okay, because I was holding him with both hands and he was loving it!)

Well, Eli thought it was hilarious, too!  We stood in front of Eli (who was sitting on the countertop) and played for a minute.  Then, Eli, my very cautious child who has never done anything like this, lunged for me.

(what follows happened over a 0.4 second period, in slow motion)

I screamed. 

I let go of Sam with 1 hand to catch Eli and tried to hold onto him (Sam) with the other.  Sam jerked back and I lost my grip on him.

Grant, about 6 feet away, turned around to see Sam falling, head first, toward the ceramic tile floor, but couldn't get there in time.

The rest is a blur.  All I can remember is Sam and Eli both crying while Grant held Sam and I held Eli with one hand and covered my gaping mouth with the other.  

I took Sam, held him and kissed his head while checking him out and crying and shaking all over.  Grant checked on Eli.

Sam had a bump on his head and was groggy, but awake.  Eli was fine.

We immediately put on shoes, strapped the boys into their car seats, and headed for LeBonheur.  

I wedged myself between their car seats so I could watch Sam and keep him awake while we drove.  I was reassured by his interactions with me, as well as his pupils, extremities, and fontanelle, but by the time we got to the exit for our local hospital, I couldn't keep him awake any longer so we stopped there.

The nurses and doctor there were wonderful and we were fast-tracked through every step of the process:  We walked in the door at a few minutes after 5 pm, were seen by the doctor, got a CT scan and its results (linear skull fracture with no brain injury),  met our new nurse (change of shift), and got into an ambulance headed to LeBonheur by 8 pm.  (BIG thank you to Hannah for coming to the hospital to get Eli and take him to get something to eat and home until my mom was able to get there... 4 1/2 hr drive!)

We were taken to an advanced monitoring room at LeBonheur, saw their ER doctor, and were in a room for the night (admitted for observation) at 10 pm.  

The 3 of us spent a restless night in the hospital, but Sam had absolutely no problems at all, so the Neurosurgeon who had been consulted wrote a discharge order during her Sunday morning rounds!

We are so thankful.  To God for protecting our precious babies and to our family and friends for checking on us, praying for us, and loving us.

Thank you.  

We love you.

I just took these pictures of Sam (Sorry they're a little blurry- that bright spot on the top of his head is the sun shining on his growing peach fuzz!). He is playing great, laughing, talking, and acting fine.  He actually just took steps for the first time (of course he was holding onto my mom's fingers for balance)!  Were it not for the mild cone head (from the knot spreading out), you'd never know anything bad ever happened.  

I think Grant and I are going to eventually be okay, too.