2.5 Red Hot Years

(Beware: I found it very difficult to limit the pictures…again.)

Elijah hit the 2.5 year mark late last month and this little red head is more passionate than ever!  He’s still the cuddly lover he always was and doesn’t hesitate to show his dismay, but the stubborn side of him has blossomed into a whole new experience for us lately.  He has developed by leaps and bounds in his knowledge and abilities.  Elijah has had big changes in his life including a room, bed change, and the official start of potty training.  Having been through this once, I know how this growing up thing goes and that the next phase will have new wonderful things to offer and enjoy, but I can’t help but feel some sadness that yet another one of my babies is moving on to boyhood.  Just this morning I cuddled him and loved him as he soaked it up unashamedly and I couldn’t help but wonder how much longer I’d have him like that.  So precious!

Let’s start with Elijah’s newfound talents.  He has mastered counting to 11.  It’s the new 10, didn’t you know?  And he likes to practice continuing on to 20, but we need to work on that more.  I’m not sure how much of his alphabet he knows, since he won’t sing it often with me, but I hear him and Josiah working on it sometimes.  As far as colors go, he seems to master a new one everyday, but never seems to remember the ones he previously knew.  I think he’s messing with me! :)  He also has a newfound passion for drawing for which he never had any interest in previously.  This is because it is now a new favorite car activity for Josiah and the desire has multiplied since Josiah started VPK and sits down daily to do homework.  Now he, too, has to sit in his seat to do “homework”.  It wears me out because I bounce between helping Josiah with his and “helping” Elijah draw or write whatever comes to mind or looking at what he has drawn “for Mommy” all while trying to cook dinner.

Practicing letters with “Teddy Bear” overseeing.  (“Teddy Bear” is totally different from “Bear”, who is baby blue!)

He’s also great at building towers!  At his pediatrician checkup they asked if he can stack at least 10 blocks.  Yep!

Speaking of Josiah starting VPK, Elijah has been purely delightful to be with in the mornings.  I didn’t realize he didn’t know how to play by himself until now.  For the first 2 weeks he just followed me around and “helped” me when I wasn’t playing with him.  We talked and I gave him little jobs.  Now, in the past couple weeks, he has started to occupy himself with play and checks in with me as desired.  It’s been nice to have some one on one playtime with him and not have to break up any fights when I’m accomplishing another task.

While Josiah is at school I’ve been working on teaching Elijah to drive the Jeep so that when the cool weather is here and we’re wanting to get out on a walk with Joshua, then we’ll be ready to go!  He’s a year younger than Josiah was when he started, so it has been an adventure :)

We also started potty training a few weeks after Josiah started school.  He now takes himself potty at home.  If we are in a place where he needs someone to take him (the car, in public, etc) then if he says he needs to, then I have to act quick, so we are still working on holding it in emergencies.  Poop training has not been as successful, but admittedly I’m not the greatest facilitator of it either.  We’ve had fair success so far and it will come.  Potty training is definitely a parental activity that makes me feel like I lack parenting skills!

He likes to match Mommy’s shoes to his new underwear…even if he does wear them on the wrong feet.

On this day he paired them with his favorite boots and a trendy Thomas PJ top.

In preparation for our little Joshua’s arrival, Elijah has undergone his other big change.  He has moved into Josiah’s room and into the toddler bed.  Josiah unwillingly got bumped up to a twin.  They both have loved the horse bed!  The transition started off smooth as we took it slowly and still read each of them their own stories and gave them their own cuddles (Elijah in the rocker in his old room and Josiah in his bed as he adapted to it), but has become a bit difficult as we’ve tried to merge them to a group bible story/prayer/and singing time.  I think they are both missing their private relaxing time and I’m not sure how to fix that.  Each of them always wants the last cuddle.  They have done reasonably well with the actual sleeping, though, and they both stay in their beds until “released” in the mornings, so I’m counting it a success because nothing in raising kids is perfect, right?  We’ll work on the details as we go.

In his toddler bed with his beloved bears.

Elijah had been going through an only-Mommy-will-do phase for what seemed like a never ending amount of time.  Only I could dress him, bathe him, put him to bed…and of course because he was getting all my attention, Josiah started feeling the same way as he got less of me.  This pregnant Mama was wearing out!  Jacob was feeling helpless, I think.  Finally, with a combination of refusing him and Jacob focusing on being sweet with him rather than doing so much rough/fun play, things have normalized a bit.  Last night he even refused my help and insisted on Daddy.  I didn’t skip a beat or insist that I help.  I just gladly said ok and told Jacob he was up!  I was a bit jealous, though :)

Elijah’s “mommy only” phase was most evident during the bedtime routine.  Only I could wash him, cuddle him, clothe him, and brush his teeth.

Elijah encountered another first just last week.  He got stung by a wasp.  He didn’t so much as fuss.   He just said, “I got hurt. I need medicine”.  We put medicine on it and he never mentioned it again.  An hour later at dinner I saw bright red stuff on his bread.  It took me a minute to realize it was blood.  I asked if he bit the inside of his mouth and he just said “yes” nonchalantly.  Tough guy!  Red hair has its benefits.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       He picked this outfit out himself.  I love his sense of style!

Though he’s tough, his body responds poorly to teething.  He’s always been a slow teether with crazy side effects.  He spent several weeks this summer vomiting randomly, then had diarrhea, cough, and runny nose, all due to his two year molars.  The whole time he ran around and acted normal.  I think it was tougher on his caretakers!  He also recently got the stomach bug that went around and it really took its toll on him compared to other kids.  He was a poor, pathetic, sick little boy.

Elijah on his sickest day.  Wasn’t he pitiful?  I could hardly stand it!

Elijah is still a really picky eater, but chili enchiladas and smoothies remain a favorite, though the smoothies make him cold :)  I love the chili picture because he has licked his lips clean while the rest of his face is a mess!

Elijah really is a wonderful little guy.  For all his fiery nature, he offsets it beautifully with pure sweetness.  I can’t wait to see how he uses this combination in life.  He makes us laugh with the funny things that we can’t believe come out of his mouth and he’s as tough as nails.  We think he’ll be a witty, daring, loving, wild (we know we’ll have to watch out!), passionate little boy.  It should be a fun ride!

The face of sweetness!

 

Addendum:  I forgot to mention one thing that Elijah says so cutely that makes everyone smile and I want to remember.  He says, “you yelcome” every time he does something right.  (As I was writing this, he came up and climbed on me, hugged me, and said he loves me so much.  Melt my heart!)  Also, just for the record, I heard him sing his entire alphabet with Josiah a couple times, and though it wasn’t completely perfect, it was close.