What's this?

About a week ago, I thought maybe I heard Elijah say the words, "What's this?" But, I thought, nah...he's too young. We were visiting a friend and her kids a few days ago and my friend's five year old says to me, "Elijah just said, 'What's this?'" They were looking at something, I can't remember what...but I guess, Elijah wanted to know so he asked Yoha, "What's this?"

His new words are "Bap" for "rice or food" and "dak" which is "chicken" in Korean. He also says "ball" in English. It's interesting to see what words he picks up in Korean and in English.

He is really into signing. Today, we went to a park and there was a lion statue and he immediately signed to me "lion." His current favorite signs are "clean-up," "chicken," and "helicopter." At times I have wondered whether he really understands the meaning of the word "more" because he has only used it so far with food. But today, he signed "more" because he wanted to get on the slide again. So, I guess he does understand what it really means.

I've been looking for places to take him and we have found a couple of parks that we can go to. They are only open in the late afternoons starting at 4pm during the summer and 3pm in the winter. I wish they were open early in the mornings too when it is cool. The park that we went to this morning opens at 8am, but it is a 30 minute drive. I am looking forward to inviting two local friends and their sons to go to the park with me so that the kids can all play together and I can get to know them better.

We are now down to one nap a day. I took a week to wean him from his nap-nursing and he has adjusted very well. He still asks for it but when I sign to him all done, he whines a little but seems to be able to fall asleep fairly quickly. I feel like he understands what I tell him....I have been telling him all week that every day he will be drinking milk less and less and that it will be "all done." I basically took a minute off each nursing session before his nap, even if he wasn't done nursing saying, "All done." When we got to Friday, he understood, "all done" when I didn't offer him my breast. I don't know how much he understands, but I am going to assume that he does and do my best to communicate with him. It is so amazing to watch him grow right before my eyes!

14 Months Old

Thailand Part I -- Railay Bay Beach, Krabi

We shall see how long it takes for me to blog about our adventures in Thailand. I'm going to keep the entries short and try to post lots of photos.





Railay Bay Beach, Krabi (January 29-February 6, 2010)

Beautiful sunsets, pristine beaches, picturesque scenery, delicious Thai food, a family friendly resort, and best of all, Grandpa Phil and Grandma Ann....Couldn't have asked for more! It was a great place for a relaxing family vacation.

Elijah's favorites: kayaks, golf cart, watching people playing soccer, the Scandinavian girls, the warm waters of the Andaman Sea, endless days at the beach and the pool with grandpa, grandma, and his parents, and his new beach toys. We were surprised how much he really loved the water.

Interestingly, he was not too fond of sand. He did not like how it felt and initially, he would only squat. But, eventually he came around. This kid needs more exposure to dirt! ;)

On the Go and On the Phone

Doesn't he look like he is having a really important phone conversation and has a lot to say?! Walking has definitely become his preferred mode of movement. What a fun stage!!

Sparky and Jessie

Elijah seems to really like Sparky and Jessie, our neighbor and friends' dogs. Jessie is friendly but Sparky, he does not like Elijah. You can see it on his face whenever Elijah comes near him..."Oh no, it's you again...." Sparky usually gets up and leaves if Elijah comes anywhere near him. Although I am not a dog lover, I have to admit that I have been really enjoying watching Elijah enjoy them so much.

Current Obsession

Keys and locks...he is focused, persistent, and wants to master picking locks. ;) We may need to purchase key padded locks which require personal codes if we want to keep our son out of our valuables. ;) j/k

First Blood...

Elijah hit his head on the corner of a wall while playing on a toddler's bicycle. The cut was kind of deep but it didn't require any stitches. It all happened so fast, yet it plays in my mind like a slow movie scene. I was on the phone trying to get a hold of Paul when it all happened while visiting some friends. He was pretty upset initially, but he recovered fairly quickly. I have a feeling that he will be drawing possibly a few more blood, cuts, and bruises..... After this incident, I decided that I am going to hold off on getting him a toddler bicycle until he is a little older....

The first picture makes it look like he's a little drunk and had gotten into a good brawl at a bar... The second picture looks like it could be mug shot....although probably a little too cute to be one.