A Year in the Life of Eli

When Eli was born, he was mad--really mad. No interest in feeding--he just wanted to let the entire world know that he did not appreciate what had just happened. I remember holding him during his first moments of life and worrying, "What if he never stops?"

While his first months of life glittered with dust from heaven, he still stuck his tongue out at the world.

Or maybe the world simply gave him indigestion...

At any rate, he was still fairly colicky come Halloween.

Of course, he calmed down when we threatened to eat him.

Fortunately, around Thanksgiving time, he began to pull out the charm.


Of course, those cheesy grins disappeared briefly when Santa appeared on the scene, but who can blame him? :)

Since then, it's been all smiles.











(Final photo courtesy of Jenika.)

Having Eli in our family has been delightful. He is seriously the most happy baby imaginable. (Except when he's not. The intensity of his smiles is matched by the fury of his wrath at bedtime. We occasionally call him our little Polar Bear since the term bipolar seemed a bit inconsiderate.)

Fortunately for us, he's almost always happy. Laid back and chill, he takes in the world at his own pace. Never in a rush, he's not racing to break any milestones. After slithering for months, he only recently traded in his army crawl for a more traditional style. I suspect it will be a while before he succumbs to peer pressure and walks, but I could be mistaken. Eli loves to surprise us by showing us what he is capable of doing, but simply chooses not to. For the moment, our little pipsqueak is quite content in his role as the baby of the family, preferring to be cuddled and coddled rather than assert his independence.

And so, we secretly spoil our featherweight by catering to his pleas to be held, mostly because the experience is so rewarding. A natural-born snuggler, Eli loves to nestle into your shoulder, wrap his arms around your neck, and pat you on the back. If life ever tosses you a really rotten day, you're always welcome to come and get a hug from Eli. No matter what your worry, I promise you'll feel better.