As we await Anna's arrival, I realized that I haven't posted about Mr. Eli in awhile! There is much to say about him and his cute little nature, so let's begin:
1) While in the car the other day, I said to Eli "Ready Freddy?". Eli's response was "I'm Eli. I'm not Freddy!"
2) Eli is SO excited about starting preschool next year. I think that watching NickJr. has put the idea of preschool in his head as he on his own began to ask about going to preschool. We had already planned on sending him in the fall for 2 mornings a week, but didn't want to start talking about it TOO early knowing that we would never hear the end of it! So once he started asking on his own, I told him all about it. We drive by the preschool a lot and he always points it out and says "That's my preschool!". Then I say "And how old will you be when you go to preschool?". Eli responds, "Three!". I ask, "And when will you be three?". He responds, "August!". So, he is totally pumped :)
3) Eli is in LOVE with the older kids in our neighborhood. There aren't any kids his age in our neighborhood that we know of, which is actually okay, because he loves to play with Lance, who is in 1st grade & Jacob who is in 3rd grade. They live on the street right off our cul-de-sac so when he sees them outside riding their bikes, he wants to immediately jump on his tricycle and take off to play. The boys actually do pretty good with him, and will include him in some of their play. We have had, though, many fits about Eli wanting to play with them when he should be taking a bath or when the boys want to play like big boys in their house or back yard. It's too cute to see how social he is and how much he enjoys older kids. He will say "What are you doin', guys?". :)
4) As stated above, Eli is a little social butterfly. No matter where we are, he has no issue talking to other kids AND adults. He will ask other mommies to "Watch me!" or ask "How you doin' today?". I am always getting comments while at parks or out shopping about how outgoing he is. Of course, some stranger danger is necessary, so we'll have to work on that :0
5) We've really been talking to him a lot about what a big boy he is and how many things he can do by himself. This has of course sprung from the upcoming arrival of his little sister to help him be more independent about daily tasks. He is always saying "I'm a big boy" or "I'm a helper". It's too cute to see how confident he is and what a big smile he gets when he does something himself. Of course, there's the other end of the spectrum where he can get pretty upset if he can't do something....oh independence :)
6) Along with all the good stuff above, we are also battling a phase of hitting and insisting that everything is his. I have noticed that he can really clash with kids who have similar outgoing personalities or who are sensitive. He plays best with kids who are a little more timid and who can play and not get offended by his outgoing, sometimes pushy nature. As stated above, he plays well with kids who are a little older than him, for whatever reason. Our neighbors have twin 5 year old grandsons who visit sometimes and he plays with them SO well. It's quite interesting to see them interact. So, our playdates with his peers are often full of breaking up of issues around hitting and saying not nice words. Thankfully my mommy friends are all fine with helping all the kiddos learn through this phase. But boy, it can be a tough one!
7) As a result of #6, we have had to do more types of consequences for Eli. I'm not a huge fan of time out, but we have had to start using a form of time out. Essentially, we do a lot of redirecting and trying to remind him of what he should and can do. We give him choices of what he can do, which usually include the "good choice" and then the "consequence choice". Then we count to 3, 5, or 10 (depending on the situation) to allow him time to think about what choice he is going to make. We make this all very simple, of course, being is not quite 3 yet! The consequence choice usually involves a toy being taken away, stopping of an activity, or removing him from the situation. Removing him either includes sitting him with us (and often holding him) while he calms down and is ready to play again, or for more disruptive situations, going to his room. I also don't like sending him to his room, but have found it is all that works (besides holding him) as if we do time out, he will NOT stay there and it becomes the biggest battle ever. In his room, he stays, and he often cries or yells for us, but he is only in there for 2 minutes. So, we're not sure if all this is the best parenting ever, but we are just trying to help him understand consequences. He is a smart boy and I think he does understand so let's hope it's working :0
Okay, now on to some fun pictures of our little (I mean big ;) man:
At a garage sale (which he loves to attend simply because he likes to try out all the other kids' toys), I bought what ended up being 2 train sets and a remote controlled Thomas the train. The below track is great as it has a train the runs itself around the track and it isn't too big and complicated to put together. Don't mind Eli's dirty, grungy look...it was after a long day of play outside!:
1) While in the car the other day, I said to Eli "Ready Freddy?". Eli's response was "I'm Eli. I'm not Freddy!"
2) Eli is SO excited about starting preschool next year. I think that watching NickJr. has put the idea of preschool in his head as he on his own began to ask about going to preschool. We had already planned on sending him in the fall for 2 mornings a week, but didn't want to start talking about it TOO early knowing that we would never hear the end of it! So once he started asking on his own, I told him all about it. We drive by the preschool a lot and he always points it out and says "That's my preschool!". Then I say "And how old will you be when you go to preschool?". Eli responds, "Three!". I ask, "And when will you be three?". He responds, "August!". So, he is totally pumped :)
3) Eli is in LOVE with the older kids in our neighborhood. There aren't any kids his age in our neighborhood that we know of, which is actually okay, because he loves to play with Lance, who is in 1st grade & Jacob who is in 3rd grade. They live on the street right off our cul-de-sac so when he sees them outside riding their bikes, he wants to immediately jump on his tricycle and take off to play. The boys actually do pretty good with him, and will include him in some of their play. We have had, though, many fits about Eli wanting to play with them when he should be taking a bath or when the boys want to play like big boys in their house or back yard. It's too cute to see how social he is and how much he enjoys older kids. He will say "What are you doin', guys?". :)
4) As stated above, Eli is a little social butterfly. No matter where we are, he has no issue talking to other kids AND adults. He will ask other mommies to "Watch me!" or ask "How you doin' today?". I am always getting comments while at parks or out shopping about how outgoing he is. Of course, some stranger danger is necessary, so we'll have to work on that :0
5) We've really been talking to him a lot about what a big boy he is and how many things he can do by himself. This has of course sprung from the upcoming arrival of his little sister to help him be more independent about daily tasks. He is always saying "I'm a big boy" or "I'm a helper". It's too cute to see how confident he is and what a big smile he gets when he does something himself. Of course, there's the other end of the spectrum where he can get pretty upset if he can't do something....oh independence :)
6) Along with all the good stuff above, we are also battling a phase of hitting and insisting that everything is his. I have noticed that he can really clash with kids who have similar outgoing personalities or who are sensitive. He plays best with kids who are a little more timid and who can play and not get offended by his outgoing, sometimes pushy nature. As stated above, he plays well with kids who are a little older than him, for whatever reason. Our neighbors have twin 5 year old grandsons who visit sometimes and he plays with them SO well. It's quite interesting to see them interact. So, our playdates with his peers are often full of breaking up of issues around hitting and saying not nice words. Thankfully my mommy friends are all fine with helping all the kiddos learn through this phase. But boy, it can be a tough one!
7) As a result of #6, we have had to do more types of consequences for Eli. I'm not a huge fan of time out, but we have had to start using a form of time out. Essentially, we do a lot of redirecting and trying to remind him of what he should and can do. We give him choices of what he can do, which usually include the "good choice" and then the "consequence choice". Then we count to 3, 5, or 10 (depending on the situation) to allow him time to think about what choice he is going to make. We make this all very simple, of course, being is not quite 3 yet! The consequence choice usually involves a toy being taken away, stopping of an activity, or removing him from the situation. Removing him either includes sitting him with us (and often holding him) while he calms down and is ready to play again, or for more disruptive situations, going to his room. I also don't like sending him to his room, but have found it is all that works (besides holding him) as if we do time out, he will NOT stay there and it becomes the biggest battle ever. In his room, he stays, and he often cries or yells for us, but he is only in there for 2 minutes. So, we're not sure if all this is the best parenting ever, but we are just trying to help him understand consequences. He is a smart boy and I think he does understand so let's hope it's working :0
Okay, now on to some fun pictures of our little (I mean big ;) man:
At a garage sale (which he loves to attend simply because he likes to try out all the other kids' toys), I bought what ended up being 2 train sets and a remote controlled Thomas the train. The below track is great as it has a train the runs itself around the track and it isn't too big and complicated to put together. Don't mind Eli's dirty, grungy look...it was after a long day of play outside!:
Oh, and he also got a cool motorcycle:
While playing in the garage, Eli threw a softball up in the air and it landed back on his face. Poor guy had a fat lip for a little while:
Eli thinks he has super powers, which is something that cracks me up because he's never seen superman or any superhero movie or character besides Spiderman (and that's because he has a coloring book of Spiderman). But, he loves to pretend to be "Superman, to the rescue!" as he says:
Daddy bought Eli a monster truck....this boy loves cars, trucks, trains...anything with wheels!:
He loves his daddy!:
Eric said that one morning while he was getting Eli his breakfast, he couldn't find Eli and then found him like this:
Go figure!
Well, very soon, Eli's (& ours!) life will be turned upside down. I do believe he'll do okay with the change, and that probably our biggest challenge will be helping him understand how to be gentle and calm with Anna. I'm sure she'll quickly adjust to his sometimes aggressive and loud demeanor! I'm also glad that he is such an independent and outgoing kiddo who doesn't mind spending hours with grandma or daddy without me. If he were a huge mama's boy, I could see how adding a sibling would be really difficult. I'm sure Eli will also be a great helper and we'll quickly decide on what tasks he can be a "big boy" and help mommy with for Anna. I'm so excited to see their relationship form and see him take on the role of big brother!
We will certainly be enjoying our warm (almost hot!) weather his weekend and coming week. It would be a perfect time for Miss Anna to arrive! Keep checking in!
1 comment:
I still can't get over how smart he is - he'll have to be in one of those accelerated preschools! :)
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