Eli can be the absolutely sweetest boy, every day smothering me in kisses, hugs and
"I love you's." He loves to hold hands, snuggle, sit on my lap, be carried, twirl in my arms,
and he sure loves quality time and attention.
But then there's the side of him that is so terribly and ridiculously stubborn and grumpy. Pouts, slams doors, huffs "You're not my friend anymore!" "I'm gonna throw this house away!" Sigh. These times are certainly trying on us all. I have found that taking the time to sit down with him, giving him my full attention, and talking about his feelings helps MUCH more than putting him in time-out or some other punishment. He is definitely a boy with a lot of emotions, and it's my job to help him work through his emotions, and learn how to express them in appropriate ways. It takes a great deal of patience on MY part to stay cool in those heated moments and not get emotionally involved myself. We're still a work-in-progress around here.
It's crazy how much you worry about your kids from Day 1. You seriously worry all the time about if you are parenting "right," or if you are making decisions (or lack thereof) that ultimately will affect your child for the worse, You read into every little detail about your kid, and wonder how those qualities will help or hinder them as they grow. You see the great potential for good your child can have on the world, and want so much to help them achieve it, and also to guard and protect their special spirit from succumbing to the evils and "natural man" tendencies of the world. Parenting is a hard job. Thank goodness the sweet, tender, laugh-out-loud moments help buoy us and encourage us along the way.
Favorite color: Blue
Favorite food: Pizza (he doesn't even eat pizza...) I would say fruit pouches, cheese, & smoothies.
Favorite show: Doki
Favorite song: "I am a Child of God" & "Teach Me to Walk in the Light"
Favorite candy: Skittles & Colored Tootsie-rolls
What do you want to be when you grow up? Captain Moroni
Favorite Scripture Hero: Captain Moroni
Favorite place to go: He said the dentist, because you get a new toothbrush. Haha!
Favorite cereal: Marshmallow cereal (Lucky Charms)
Best friend: Mommy
Favorite book: Seems to love them all. Especially loves books about fire trucks, construction, & pirates.
What are you really good at? Climbing (he says)
Eli had his 4-year wellness check with the doctor last week. In addition to his physical check, his vision and hearing were also tested. His hearing was fine, but the vision test was a bit tricky. It lasted a long time for a little guy, and he struggled keeping his opposite eye covered. It was also hard for him to name all the random shapes on the eye chart. He hesitated a lot, but I think it was because he didn't know the name of what they were wanting him to identify. They said his vision was 20/40. Here are his stats:
Height: (50th%)
Weight: 32 lbs. (10th%)
So he's grown 3 inches and 3 lbs. in the last year. You could feed that kid massive amounts of high caloric food, and I'm sure he'd still not gain much. He's built like his dad!
Here are 4 things I love about Eli--
1. His confident manner. He looks in the mirror and smiles a proud smile. He shows me his muscles on a daily basis, and loves to show me what a fast racer he is. He marches to the beat of his own drum. If he picks out a tie to add on to his t-shirt, and decides he wants to wear two different shoes, so be it. He's worn socks on his hands to the library, an apron to the park, his construction helmet to the grocery store, you name it. He thankfully is not yet phased by what others might think of him.
2. His playful spirit. He loves to tell me stories in one, long run-on sentence, with his eyes big and full of wonder. He is quick to laugh, and loves a good tickle-fest.
3, His friendly demeanor. Eli doesn't exactly see strangers. He sees friends we haven't made yet. He will walk up to people (kids and adults alike) and strike up a conversation, sometimes even hold their hand! For sure whenever we pass someone if we're walking somewhere, he says "Hi!"
4. His soft heart. Eli is quick to forgive, and quick to show he cares or to help make someone feel better. He gushes out the love, every single day. One night during dinner he said, "Mom, can you do me a favor...(pauses) I love you! Muah! (Gave me an air kiss). (He never actually wanted a favor. It's just a phrase he says a lot now.) Even though he can be so gruff, his insides are so tender and full of love.
I hope that I can always be the kind of mother that Eli needs, and the one I want him to remember.
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