Kiss Owie...Better

Ever since Elijah started crawling and walking, he has managed to get many bumps and bruises. It's just par for the course when it comes to being a kid, especially a boy who likes to be active and jump and climb. So even though he is much better at walking and running these days, he still manages to get quite a few scrapes. Many parents often “kiss owies to make them feel better.” I don't remember ever consciously doing this, so it surprised me one day when Eli was crying after falling down and he exclaimed, “kiss, kiss.” I finally figured out that he wanted me to kiss his owie and then he immediately proclaimed “better.” I just about started laughing out loud because it was such a quick response and I don't remember having ever done that with him before. Now it has become a regular thing whenever he gets hurt. There are times when the owie truly is a doosy and I know it's going to hurt for a very long time, but he'll still say “better” after I kiss him and then continue to cry.

Last Friday I heard him playing with his toys and using his little people to reinact events. I tried to sneak up on him to get it on video because it was just so adorable, but my cracking joints gave me away as I moved closer to his location. He kept saying over and over: “Kiss owie...better.”

Also while playing with his toys I've heard him say other things like, “my turn” or “help.” When trying to clean up toys one day, he even used his dog to try to pick things up. Man, has that dog come in handy. Often I can get Elijah to do things just by having his dog do it first.