Scallywag

A friend of ours once said toddlers are like Brittany Spears. They don’t care if attention is positive or negative, so long as it’s attention. In the spirit of that soon to be committed to an asylum pop singer, Eli is out for attention any way he can get it. Here are a few of his favorites:

Climbing. I don’t know where he got his upper body strength. Certainly not from his father. He climbs on the coffee table. He scales the baby gate. He scampers up the stairs in the time it takes you to cross the living room. And when you snatch him from whatever dangerous perch he’s dangling? He cackles like a lunatic.

Dog. Poor poor patient Grover. All he wants to do is lay on the floor and get some rest after a hard day of resting and along comes Mr. Whisker Yanker. I know I’ve mentioned this before (several times), but we can’t seem to wipe the insane look of glee of Eli’s face as he head-butts Grover to the point of hiding in the backyard.

Screeching. Let’s say you are playing with Elijah in the living room with SportsCenter on in the background. And an amazing Top Ten Plays Of The Day pops up that involves a guy dunking a basketball while breathing fire and singing the theme to “Maude.” If you turn your head towards the TV and away from the baby, Eli will screech so loudly it punctures your eardrum. But it’s so hilarious you’ll accept the blood flowing from your ears. He also loves screeching in Catholic Christening classes, lines at the grocery store, and of course the library.

But Heaven forbid you want his attention while Bert from Sesame Street is singing “Doin’ The Pigeon.” It’s like talking to a brick wall. Kids these days.

p.s. Kids in sunglasses? Cute.

p.s.s. Steve and Pam's new daughter, Eli's cousin, is named "Rory Maria Hamann." Cute.