He's a Big Boy

Elijah has been - how shall I put this - challenging lately.

It's kind of difficult to put our finger on what is wrong. We know Elijah is teething, but he has been for months. Two of his two year molars are poking through, but those suckers are taking forever. And to think there are two more to go. Sigh.

At the age of two our little man finally started to sleep through the night fairly consistently... and then it all changed. Teething, perhaps.

The thing is, though, that there are a lot of changes taking place in Elijahland. There might be more to it than just some teeth. Little man seems to be trying to assert his independence in whatever ways be can. He seems to be having the typical two-year-old "me do" mentality. Problem is, he isn't able to tell us verbally what he wants - which is frustrating to all of us.

His receptive language, however, is coming along. He's showing us that he is indeed understanding some phrases that we say. For example, if I say it's time to eat, he will walk to the table (usually laughing as he goes).

And, diaper changes. Elijah has hated having his diaper changed for the longest time. I'd explain what was going to happen, lay him down and he'd absolutely freak out. We finally figured out that he didn't like to be laid down. He wanted to do it himself. We tell him that he needs his diaper changed and he very compliantly lays down on the floor to have it changed. He'll even lift up his bum sometimes to help out! I know it might not sound like much, but to us...it's a big deal. Not only does he understand, he has a preference to how his diaper is changed, and he wants to do it all by himself. He's a big boy and he's desperately trying to let us know.

Speaking of being a big boy, we're making the transition to a toddler/day bed. We've been thinking about this for awhile now, since Elijah's getting scarily tall for his crib. We turned his crib backwards (because the back of his crib is taller than the front), but then I needed a stool just to reach him! Not ideal. We've been apprehensive to make the change, wondering if he's ready developmentally. And guess what? Elijah seems to be sleeping better with just having his mattress on the floor (we're doing it this way first to make sure he doesn't take a big tumble out of bed). It's going to take some training to teach him how to stay in bed (and it would with any kid), but he seems to be so much happier. He's a big boy. He wants freedom and independence - just like any other two year old. And just like any other first time parents, we're trying to figure it all out. We'll get there.

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One of Those Days

Have you ever had one of those days? You know what I'm talking about, one of those days - where nothing seems to go right?

Well, I'm having one.

Every night, Elijah has been waking up and has been staying awake for one to two hours. Last night was no exception and Elijah "visited" with me between four am and five am. We were both up for good at 7:30 (which used to be his normal wake up time). Oh yeah, and since Elijah didn't go to sleep until 9:30 last night, I stayed up late in order to have a couple hours where my name is Lisa instead of mom. I need that.

Needless to say, I was tired this morning. And grumpy. I started to slowly make Elijah his breakfast, carefully measuring out his supplements that we put in his food. With one more item to place in his bowl, I opened the cupboard and a coffee mug fell out and landed on top of the bowl. CRUNCH. You've got to be kidding me. The bowl broke, Elijah's breakfast compromised with glass pieces.

Quickly, while Elijah was in the other room, I grabbed the broom to sweep up any glass pieces, rushed around to clean up, and started the breakfast process all over again.

And then, OUCH. You've got to be kidding me. I picked up my right foot to pull out a piece of glass that had fallen far from the scene of the crime. Apparently, I hadn't done a good job sweeping. Now fearing for the safety of Elijah's feet, I grabbed him and placed him in the laundry room. Blood droplets marked my passage like bread crumbs, showing where I had been. I'm so glad that I washed the floor last night.

Bandage the foot. Wipe up the blood. Make sure all the glass is definitely gone. Let Elijah out. Remake breakfast- executive decision...no supplements this time. 45 minutes until we have to leave for therapy. Feed Elijah. Feed myself - do I have time? Get Elijah dressed. Get myself dressed. Put on some make-up? DRINK SOME COFFEE.

We made it to therapy - five minutes late, but we made it and Elijah was a rock star.

Elijah is napping now. I checked on him shortly after he fell asleep. His room is smelly. I'm not going to wake him up to change him. I know he wouldn't fall back asleep. So, it's a toss up between chancing a diaper rash and a grumpy tired toddler. The decision was easy. I'm not supermom. I wish I was, but I'm not. It's just been one of those days. Please tell me I'm not the only one. Okay, so I admit it's all kind of funny. I need a laugh today - share some of your misadventures with me!

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A Little R and R

Some friends from church invited me to the spa at a really, really good deal. So last week, I spent three whole nights away from my boys. While it was hard for me to leave my little Elijah-man, I knew he was in capable hands.
With Daddy.














And Grandpa.














And I'm sure Elmo helped too.
















Knowing that Elijah was in capable hands made it possible for me to relax.
I had such an awesome time...talking, laughing, reading, sitting in the hotub, spending some quality time with my mom, and rejuvenating. Ahh, it was so nice. And it's the reason why Elijahland has been so quiet. I just haven't been able to get back into the swing of things. It's not because I don't have anything to say, I'm just trying to get back into our routines and get caught up.

Going to the spa got me to thinking about how women tend to give so much of themselves, rarely slowing down. It's so important to take care of yourself, to reflect, to make time to spend with God.

I felt a tad guilty leaving my boys behind, but I know I needed it and was glad the opportunity presented itself. It was good for me. Raising a small child is hard work. Rewarding, wonderful, amazing work, but work nevertheless. If you're a parent, don't forget to care for yourself. And especially when it comes to raising a child with special needs, moms (and dads) need time to themselves away from the worry. Don't feel guilty about that. Yes, perhaps I'm talking to myself here. But, I'm learning that it's okay to have a night (or a couple of days in this case!) to myself once in awhile. Because a rested and healthy me makes me a better mama. Take some time for yourself, would you? And don't feel guilty about it. And then maybe I won't either.

And ladies...thanks for an awesome time away from it all. Ahhhh.....

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