Allow me

to ramble on about my Eli Garrett.

This boy is infectious.
With his laughter and joy for life.

Unafraid.
To set his own sense of style. Be it a monkey toboggan complete with ears worn to the library, a fireman hat to the grocery, or sunglasses to read books with, Eli is confident in his selections.

Kind.
With his sweet words asking what me what I might need help with, carrying the heavier load upstairs first so Casey won't have to, scratching Jill cat behind the ears and asking her if she had a good nap, telling the UPS man "thank you for all of your hard work and good driving" as he drops off a k.Mac fabric shipment. And who can forget that boy's sweetness from this day.

Curious.
Devout in his wonderments of whys, howcomes, and whatifs.

Sensitive.
Tears trickling down his face just because he has heard a soft, sad song. Hurt by the words that you say much more than the actions that you show.

Cuddly.
Feet always finding their way to your skin. Fingers always finding their way to your hair.

Conscious.

Of ways to conserve energy. He turns lights out and fans off when he leaves the room without being asked. He wants to pick up the trash he sees on the side of the road as he says it's not something the Earth can eat. He even leaves the water off until it is time to rinse his mouth from brushing his teeth.

Daring.
To run and jump of the edge of a 5 foot wall into the lake at our place and swim to the shallow end with no floaties or life jacket. To squeal tires on his bike or big wheel to create the perfect sideways spin.

Perceptive.
A whiz with his sense of direction. He only needs to travel somewhere once and already has the turns and road side scenery memorized.

Intuitive.
Asking if I saw the lady in the store that looked sad or the man at the gas station with tired eyes after he and I are alone. Or here, where he processed way more than I even realized.

Passionate.
Head over heels in love with trains and will not rest until he knows the largest of facts to the tiniest of details.

Obedient.
Awefully mindful of rules and procedures. What is safe and okay with mom and dad is only what goes for him.

Resourceful.

Quick on his feet thinking making a makeshift bucket out of blanket or t-shirt bottom so that he only has to make 1 trip upstairs to put toys away instead of 3.

Observant.
Just this week we were reading one of his library books:

Eli: "Mom. Is Red the horse a boy or a girl?"

Me: "I don't know, bud. From this picture, you can't really tell."
Eli: "Mom, Red is a boy."
Me: "How do you know?"
Eli: "Because when animals are girls in books they usually have long eyelashes and red paint on their lips and some kind of bow sometimes. So Red is a boy."
Me: "Really? Didn't know that, E. I guess Red could be a boy then."
Eli: "He is mom. He's a boy for sure."

And then today while we read one of his other library books:

Eli: "See, mom. I told you."

Me: "You told me what?"
Eli: {pointing to the above picture} This dog's name is Cleo and she is a girl. Check out her eyes and who could miss that bow, mom. I don't know where her red paint lips are though."

A keeper.
Here at just 4 months, I remember my thoughts as I watched him bounce the spring of this jumpster back up into the door facing. Over and over again. Smiling then serious. Twirling and checking his world around him. I remember thinking to myself, "He's mine." and then smiling ever so greatly to where my cheeks pinched a little.


And that is my wish for him.

to jump
over and over again.
smiling and serious.
twirl and check out the world around you, Eli.

You're mine,
Mommy :)

p.s. They're pinching a little.