"Baby" turns two

For those of you who don't know Elliot so well, know this: he is still very much a baby even though he turned two on Wednesday. If you ask him what his name is, he usually says "Baby." Sometimes, if he's in the mood, he'll say "Eeeiot." But usually just "Baby."

And you know what? I love it. I love how cuddly and loving he is. Sometimes he loves me so much, it literally hurts. He likes to eat my hair and sink his teeth into my scalp. But he also likes to stroke my hair gently and sing "Twinkle Twinkle." You never know what you're going to get: immense passion, or sweet loving.

This boy is always one extreme or the other. He is also either very happy and giggly, or a little tyrant. Most of the time he is sweet, but there are those car rides where he just won't stop screaming. He hates being confined for long periods of time. Confinement often leads to diaper digging.

This said, Elliot's favorite thing to do is play outside. He has no fear. Dottie only mastered the big, double twist slide this past year. Elliot goes down it right along with her.

I love my "baby," and I can't believe he's two. In fact, if he wants to be the baby a bit longer, I'm perfectly fine with that.

Little Einstein toy, one of his favorites . . .

You can't see this gift well, but DK makes these flashcards with texture. Elliot has the animals set. He quizzes himself on them whenever we're in the car. It's adorable to hear him say, "cat, meow." So we bought him three more sets for his birthday. They're great. He likes them way better than books.

And the cake! I'm staying with the experimental theme for Elliot's birthday. I decided to try a chocolate molten lava cake. Oh, and if you're intimidated at all by this cake, don't be. It was super easy. Email me if you want the recipe. When Elliot saw it, he started chanting "Chocok, Chocok!" while doing his dancing hands. It was a sight to behold.

Can ya tell he loved it?