River pics and other bits

First, a p.s. on yesterday's post: The bus driver said Elijah had two big tears roll down his cheek on the way to school, but no crying. (This somehow makes me more sad than if he had cried.) The ride home was great, though, and he actually cried when the bus pulled away from our house. "Elijah riiiiide yellow buuuuussss!!" I was NOT an adaptable child, so it makes me very happy to see him, especially with all that he has been through, so adaptable. I'm so proud of my big bus-riding boy!

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I found a series of fun photos I took a while back that I forgot to post. We went down to the river to see just how flooded things had gotten.



I took this picture seconds before Elijah decided to walk straight into the river with zero hesitation. Dan didn't let him get very far.



I'm so happy I caught this expression on camera. It's one of my new favorite things Elijah does when he is excited about being outside. He puts his hands in front of his face and screams like a wild man.



I sometimes still can't get over the fact that Elijah is walking. He has been able to explore more of the world than ever before and it is SO MUCH FUN for us to see this. In the past few days he has even started trying to RUN! Amazing!



I feel like we are making strides with some of the new un-fun behavior Elijah has been showing us. Dan and I are being consistent with time-outs, which are truly awful for all of us (we have to make sure our doors and windows are all closed so people don't hear the terrible screaming and make wrong assumptions), but necessary and actually quite helpful in the end. I think a lot of what is going on with him has to do with 1) him sensing winds of change, and 2) preschool being wonderful for him but simultaneously being very overly stimulating and tiring and completely wearing him down emotionally and physically.



We have had such amazing weather so far this spring, so sometimes it feels like it is the middle of July instead of the middle of April. It is wonderful! We don't get that feeling too often in Minnesota. The sunshine and the fresh air have been wonderful for Elijah, and for our spirits, too.



I had a kind of scary, sleepless night last night, with lots of contractions and worrying. Thankfully I have an appointment today so we can see what, if anything, is going on.



I'll end with a funny Elijah story. One of the behaviors we have been trying to get under control is his hitting (he hits Dan and me only; he never does it to anyone else, which I guess is a good thing). The other day I walked by Dan and tapped him on his back side. Elijah saw me do it and said, "Mommy time-out! Noooo hitting!"