Moving Forward: Summer?

It's been such a crazy warm end of winter/early spring my brain couldn't figure out what season came next. I kept having to remind myself that summer was on the way not winter. Now that it's almost May, which seems like it should be warm, it's so much colder than March. I got used to be outside all day (we even had the kiddie pool out for a while) so now my brain doesn't know what's going on.

Elijah spontaneously started to do sign language back to me last Tuesday after I had been so sporadic with my usage that I didn't think he'd get anything. Well, I asked him if he wanted to eat and he gave me the "eat" sign then walked to his chair. Later on I asked if he wanted more or was all done and he gave me the "more". His favorite by far is "eat" as he uses it all the time and repeats it back to me whether I ask him in Hebrew or English. "All done" needs a lot of work. All he has to do is wave both hands in the air (and occasionally will) but instead "waves" his hands all over his tray which then sends all his food flying. "Potty" is the one sign he's seen the most and will come over to me when I ask him if he needs to go by using the sign but he prefers to yell at me while crawling up my leg if he has to go and needs to initiate the communication. (If he's in his chair, he'll puff out his belly, slouch, and yell.)

He also said his first recognizable word on Tuesday while he was putting rocks in a cup at the plant nursery I love to frequent, "rocks, rocks". He said it again Wednesday at the mail box while scooping up the rocks there. That was what confirmed what I heard the day before was for real. Unfortunately, I haven't recognized him saying it again. (He's said "Ima" and "Aba" for months now but either as a game (Him: "Ima" Me: "Elijah" Him: "Ima" repeated a few more times then he'll laugh and come hug me or run off gleefully.) or in distress.)

Shayna is a wonderful big sister. She loves to play chase with him and even slows her running so he can keep up or she can chase him for a while. It amazes me how sensitive a 3-year-old can be to a little one's needs. She still loves to wrestle/push him over on the beds but now she makes sure he has turns push/climbing on her as well. She's been super sweet offering him to "nurse" if he accidentally gets hurt in their rough housing (nursing is his main antidote to pain).

She drew her first recognizable picture at school: the earth (I'll scan it and add it later). She's also starting to color pictures in coloring books. The whole penguin and 1/2" around it will be orange but watching the progress has been wonderful. She still loves to paint and will produce 4-6 new paintings a week. I'd love to keep them all but have, thankfully, been able to toss at least 3/4 of them in the recycling. The others decorate many of the walls in our house (her own personal art exhibit).

I joined the local triathlon coaching group again (TriAdventure). I enjoy swimming with them twice a week and running with them every other week. It's all evening activities so I can only do about 1/2 other wise it cuts too deeply into family time. It won't be until August 5th that I do my first triathlon (a local one in Christiansburg) so I'm taking my time and just enjoying myself. When I hit 13-months post-partum, I felt a big change in my body, like it was finally returning to it's normal chemical and muscular state. It's fun and not painful to jog, I have more energy in general, and only need a nap 2-3 times a week (usually after a rough couple nights). My Hebrew II class is finishing up this week with a final next Sunday. I doubt I'll pass, but I feel well grounded in the language so am comfortable continuing my studies on my own (the book is also the best language book I've ever had).

Enjoy the pictures:

Sedar 2012