ELIJAH IS 4!!!

Holy monkey!!!!  My little guy is 4 today.  I can barely type this without crying.    He is just getting so big and some days it feels like he was just born.
4 years ago today at 6 in the morning after a really easy 5 hours of labor and 30 minutes of pushing, Elijah Jacob was born.  We snuggled and while I was having the shakes and Jerry was calling people, they put our little guy in a warmer.  While he was there, he started humming. It was a surreal and completely crazy moment.  Jerry and I were amazed and so incredibly happy.
And now 4 years later:

1. He is completely potty trained (with the exception of nights.)
2. He has amazing energy.
3. He has amazing empathy for Grace and friends.
4. His speech is improving.  We are getting it evaluated though.
5. His favorite books are : The Polar Express, Silly Sally, The Tale of Despereaux, The Snowy Day, We're Going on a Bear Hunt... to name a few
6. He loves to sing and makes up songs.  (he is STILL singing Christmas songs...)
7. He loves trains, trucks, cars, dolls, tractors, school buses, Little People, fire trucks, puppies... pretty much anything...
8. He still loves Curious George and sleeps with his stuffed George every night.
9. He is not sleeping in his bed all night, but we are working on that.
10. He is SO active.  He loves to run and play and bike regardless of weather.
11. His imagination soars both inside and outside.  He makes up stories with his toys and often I hear him making them talk and coming up with plot lines.  Outside he builds "tree houses", makes the swing set into a boat or a plane or (recently) The Polar Express. 
12. He is excited about starting preschool next year (though he wants me to go with him... more on this later.)
13. He builds the coolest things with blocks and then makes ups stories to go with them.
14. He loves dressing up as fire boy or as a pirate or as a dinosaur or as a cat or a puppy... thank goodness for the Dollar Tree and left over Halloween costumes.
15. He likes to help: this means everything from cleaning to, baking, to bossing Grace around... 
16. He is imitating me a lot.  It's kind of funny (and eye opening) to see that the facial expressions and sighs/grunts/annoyances on one so small...
17. He is NOT small.  While he has slowed down in his growing, there are days I forget he isn't quite 4.  That he is still my little guy, sorta trapped in a 5 1/2 year old's body. 
18. His smile and "I love you Mama!" still melt my heart.
19. He can write his name.  This is a new development and one that was initiated solely by Elijah.  I wrote his name at the top of a art project and he wanted to write.  So we went over how to make the letter and what they were.  It was amazing to watch him.  He can now independently write Eli and needs little guidance to write the jah.  I'm very proud of him... and a little of myself.  Every once and a while these little things make me realize that how we are raising our kids is just fine!

day one...

 

Year One...

Year Two...

Year Three...

Pics from the Where The Wild Things Are party will come....