Today, we had the American playgroup meet in our home. There were six kids total (including Elijah) ranging in ages from fifteen months to three and a half years old. Elijah does pretty well playing on his own or around other kids when we're at other people's homes. But, he was pretty overwhelmed by the invasion of all these kids in his room, who dumped all his toys on the floor, and got into whatever they could get their hands on. He even screamed once and yelled for mommy quite a lot. Although he is easy going, he is also pretty particular about things--such as putting things back where they came from, making sure that the cap on the markers are on, and finding any small items like dirt or whatever off his feet and giving them to me. So, I think he was upset by how his room was in "disarray" in matter of minutes after the kids arrived.
At one point, he got up from his room, walked over straight to our room, climbed onto our bed, grabbed a book on the bedside table, and began to read! Not a word about what he was doing, or calling out for mommy to come. I guess he wanted some peace and quiet and he knew where he could go to get it. All the moms were astonished by this little guy's behavior and we all had a good laugh over it. When he was done and ready to go back, he walked over to the room and reentered the mess. I guess it was his solution to the problem that he was faced with. It was just amazing to watch this twenty month old remove himself from the frustrating scene, find a way to give himself some space, and then go back to what was going on. I have no idea if this is any indicator that he is an introvert too, but I will always remember this little solution of his.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Our Little Helper and Independent Boy
Every morning, Elijah helps mommy make her bed. He loves being a helper. He "tucks" in the bed sheet around the edges (of course, mommy follows him around and actually makes her bed). The other day, Paul asked him to go and put a plate on the table, and he did. He has no idea how much of a helper he is going to become once his brother(s) and/or sister(s) come along! But, it's fun to see him able to do so many things.
Today, he climbed into the car and then into his carseat all by himself. Also, he has begun trying to put on his shorts by himself. He loves being able to "master" certain tasks and we enjoy encouraging him to become more independent. One of my favorite moments is watching Elijah celebrate and celebrating with him his "victories." It brings me a lot of joy to rejoice with my son!
We're starting to think about enrolling him in a preschool when we return to the States starting in January when he turns two. FEC Glendale has one and it is only a few yards away from where we'll be staying in Glendale. So, we're starting to discuss our options. I think Elijah will actually really enjoy being in a structured classroom setting with other children. He had no problem being in Sunday school even though he had never met the kids or the teachers before. Another bonus I learned: the preschool will potty train your kid! I'm thinking I might take up on that offer, although we will see. ;) The next few weeks, I'm going to check out some preschools here in India too for when we return. We will see....
Today, he climbed into the car and then into his carseat all by himself. Also, he has begun trying to put on his shorts by himself. He loves being able to "master" certain tasks and we enjoy encouraging him to become more independent. One of my favorite moments is watching Elijah celebrate and celebrating with him his "victories." It brings me a lot of joy to rejoice with my son!
We're starting to think about enrolling him in a preschool when we return to the States starting in January when he turns two. FEC Glendale has one and it is only a few yards away from where we'll be staying in Glendale. So, we're starting to discuss our options. I think Elijah will actually really enjoy being in a structured classroom setting with other children. He had no problem being in Sunday school even though he had never met the kids or the teachers before. Another bonus I learned: the preschool will potty train your kid! I'm thinking I might take up on that offer, although we will see. ;) The next few weeks, I'm going to check out some preschools here in India too for when we return. We will see....
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Recent Happenings
I'm going to take a quick break in writing about our visit to the States so that I can keep recording some other developments in Elijah's life. I blame it on pregnancy, but I really seem to have short-term memory loss because I have to write everything down these days....otherwise, I get to the store and I'm wondering, "Now, why did I come here?" So, I feel compelled to write recent happening in Elijah's life and development because I don't know if I can remember them all tomorrow!
Sleep: This kid is switching to Indian sleep time. It means he is going to bed later because he fights sleep (anywhere between 8:30-9:30pm) and sleeps in (7:30-8:30am). I can't decide whether I like this better or not. I have thought about taking away his nap or reducing it to only two hours and see if he will go to bed earlier. But, he really likes his naps and when he doesn't get enough, he gets cranky. I am enjoying staying in bed in the mornings, but I feel like Paul and I don't get any "free" time together at night. It's really interesting but he never fights his nap time....he sometimes goes to his bed, looks for Babar, and falls asleep like that. But, the evenings are becoming a different story....however, he's a great sleeper. Once he falls asleep, he doesn't wake up until the morning, which is very, very nice.
Potty Training: I haven't decided whether I want to start potty training him. But, he has been walking around "diaper-free" (Paul calls it 'free-balling') the last few days, which he LOVES. But, he pees all over the floor and I've been trying to encourage him to use the kiddie toilet. He is still good about letting me know when he needs to poop, but he has yet to pee in the toilet. I don't want to force it on him if he's not ready....he seemed a little frustrated today. I can't decide if I want to give it a try....any thoughts, moms who have walked the road before? He shows some signs of readiness but not completely....
Prayer/Worship Songs: Our little guy is becoming a prayer boy. It now has become a family "ritual" to pray for someone who is hurting during breakfast. He is starting to remind me when I forget. It brings me a lot of joy to see him grow in his desire to pray for people. Before he goes to bed, we ask him who he wants to pray for. He names a few people here and there. But, it seems that "Nolan" his buddy makes his list every night! Maybe he's sensing the impending change that will happen in Nolan's life when his baby sister comes along. ;)
He also LOVES this worship DVD that my sister bought for Elijah's birthday. He watches it every night and even sings along. He loves to say the words, "Zacchaeus, you come down."
Discipline: In general, our little guy is pretty laid-back and agreeable. But, he is stubborn and is a very determined boy. When he is tired or hungry, he can be very disagreeable, which I can understand. We are starting to see some signs of the emerging "terrible two's." It's hard to know what things he understands and doesn't. But, he definitely seems to know when he is in trouble because he does not want to look into my eyes when he has done something wrong. He's been learning to say "Sorry."
Today, Paul and I had an interesting discussion because Elijah didn't want to eat his dinner but come down and play. So, what does he do? He says, "poo poo." Why? Because he knows that mommy would take him out of his chair right away. He did this a few times, and although it was kind of obvious that he didn't really need to go, I didn't want to discourage him from trying to use the toilet. But, after the fifth time of coming down, and then quickly running away from the toilet with a big smile on his face, I told Elijah that mommy is disappointed that he lied to her. Of course, he has no idea what lying is. He only knows "cause and effect." If he says "poo poo" the effect is that mom would get him off the chair. But, after a few times, he can use the cause and effect to get his way--which becomes manipulation, or does it not? Anyway, I wanted him to know that he lied to mommy and that when he is done, he can say, "All done" instead of "poo poo." He later followed after me and said, "Mommy, I'm sorry for lying," which we forgave.
But, one thing I have learned from disciplining Elijah is that he does much better when he has received empathy first. When he feels like mommy understands and acknowledges his disappointments too, he seems to respond much more quickly. He still has to deal with the consequences of his bad choice, but he knows that I also understand where he is coming from. It's funny but these days, he says, "We obey." Hopefully, he will learn what that means quickly! ;)
Language Development: He mainly speaks English, understands all of my Korean and responds in Korean here and there, and is starting to pick up some Nepali phrases. I can't keep up with his language development. Paul and I find ourselves looking at each other each day going, "Hey, did you hear what he just said?" We are constantly spelling words. Our little nickname for him is "motor-mouth" because he talks all the time. It's fun to watch him do imaginary playing and is jabbering away about something....
Sleep: This kid is switching to Indian sleep time. It means he is going to bed later because he fights sleep (anywhere between 8:30-9:30pm) and sleeps in (7:30-8:30am). I can't decide whether I like this better or not. I have thought about taking away his nap or reducing it to only two hours and see if he will go to bed earlier. But, he really likes his naps and when he doesn't get enough, he gets cranky. I am enjoying staying in bed in the mornings, but I feel like Paul and I don't get any "free" time together at night. It's really interesting but he never fights his nap time....he sometimes goes to his bed, looks for Babar, and falls asleep like that. But, the evenings are becoming a different story....however, he's a great sleeper. Once he falls asleep, he doesn't wake up until the morning, which is very, very nice.
Potty Training: I haven't decided whether I want to start potty training him. But, he has been walking around "diaper-free" (Paul calls it 'free-balling') the last few days, which he LOVES. But, he pees all over the floor and I've been trying to encourage him to use the kiddie toilet. He is still good about letting me know when he needs to poop, but he has yet to pee in the toilet. I don't want to force it on him if he's not ready....he seemed a little frustrated today. I can't decide if I want to give it a try....any thoughts, moms who have walked the road before? He shows some signs of readiness but not completely....
Prayer/Worship Songs: Our little guy is becoming a prayer boy. It now has become a family "ritual" to pray for someone who is hurting during breakfast. He is starting to remind me when I forget. It brings me a lot of joy to see him grow in his desire to pray for people. Before he goes to bed, we ask him who he wants to pray for. He names a few people here and there. But, it seems that "Nolan" his buddy makes his list every night! Maybe he's sensing the impending change that will happen in Nolan's life when his baby sister comes along. ;)
He also LOVES this worship DVD that my sister bought for Elijah's birthday. He watches it every night and even sings along. He loves to say the words, "Zacchaeus, you come down."
Discipline: In general, our little guy is pretty laid-back and agreeable. But, he is stubborn and is a very determined boy. When he is tired or hungry, he can be very disagreeable, which I can understand. We are starting to see some signs of the emerging "terrible two's." It's hard to know what things he understands and doesn't. But, he definitely seems to know when he is in trouble because he does not want to look into my eyes when he has done something wrong. He's been learning to say "Sorry."
Today, Paul and I had an interesting discussion because Elijah didn't want to eat his dinner but come down and play. So, what does he do? He says, "poo poo." Why? Because he knows that mommy would take him out of his chair right away. He did this a few times, and although it was kind of obvious that he didn't really need to go, I didn't want to discourage him from trying to use the toilet. But, after the fifth time of coming down, and then quickly running away from the toilet with a big smile on his face, I told Elijah that mommy is disappointed that he lied to her. Of course, he has no idea what lying is. He only knows "cause and effect." If he says "poo poo" the effect is that mom would get him off the chair. But, after a few times, he can use the cause and effect to get his way--which becomes manipulation, or does it not? Anyway, I wanted him to know that he lied to mommy and that when he is done, he can say, "All done" instead of "poo poo." He later followed after me and said, "Mommy, I'm sorry for lying," which we forgave.
But, one thing I have learned from disciplining Elijah is that he does much better when he has received empathy first. When he feels like mommy understands and acknowledges his disappointments too, he seems to respond much more quickly. He still has to deal with the consequences of his bad choice, but he knows that I also understand where he is coming from. It's funny but these days, he says, "We obey." Hopefully, he will learn what that means quickly! ;)
Language Development: He mainly speaks English, understands all of my Korean and responds in Korean here and there, and is starting to pick up some Nepali phrases. I can't keep up with his language development. Paul and I find ourselves looking at each other each day going, "Hey, did you hear what he just said?" We are constantly spelling words. Our little nickname for him is "motor-mouth" because he talks all the time. It's fun to watch him do imaginary playing and is jabbering away about something....
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
A Quick Visit to San Diego (July 4-5, 2010)
We went down to San Diego to spend some more time together with the Lee side of the family. It was a quick trip though. While we were down there, Elijah got to meet his new baby cousin, Evan, reconnect with cousin Christian, Uncle Jin, Auntie Grace, Uncle Daniel, and his wife, Auntie Grace. (Yes, Elijah has two aunties named Grace--grace overflows!) We went to the beach, played at the playground, and just spent time doing nothing but enjoying each other's company.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Meeting the Lech Clan (June 30-July 3)
A few days before the fourth of July, yee-mo, Uncle Aaron, Jesh, Seth, and Mila came to visit and spend a few days with us. Elijah loved being with his yee mo, uncle, and cousins. He loved saying Mila's name. He even would call out her name while sleeping. ;)
The last time he saw them was when he was five months old when the Lee clan took a vacation in Hawaii. But, he was too young to remember them. But, this time, they are embedded in his long term memory. We had a skype session a few days ago, and it was sweet to see the huge smile on his face in seeing his cousins. It's amazing how even at this young age, he knows family. Whenever we play "airport" (which by the way is his favorite word these days), I ask him, where he is going. He answers, "Yee-mo's house, or Jesh, Seth, and Mila's house." I am so glad that he got to spend some good quality time with them.
One of the highlights was going to Griffith Park together, riding on the ponies, and the train. It was a blast!
The last time he saw them was when he was five months old when the Lee clan took a vacation in Hawaii. But, he was too young to remember them. But, this time, they are embedded in his long term memory. We had a skype session a few days ago, and it was sweet to see the huge smile on his face in seeing his cousins. It's amazing how even at this young age, he knows family. Whenever we play "airport" (which by the way is his favorite word these days), I ask him, where he is going. He answers, "Yee-mo's house, or Jesh, Seth, and Mila's house." I am so glad that he got to spend some good quality time with them.
One of the highlights was going to Griffith Park together, riding on the ponies, and the train. It was a blast!
(Pict. 1: What a big boy! Riding the pony all on his own.)
(Pict. 2: Signing "More" after the train ride)
(Pict. 2: Signing "More" after the train ride)
Monday, September 6, 2010
Visiting America - Park, Park, and Park!
It's time to capture Elijah's trip back to the States! I am so glad that we went back to the States when we did because Elijah was really able to enjoy what America has to offer--family, parks, lots of fun toys, music class, friends, variety of food, etc.
We arrived in America on June 23, 2010 on China Eastern Airline in Los Angeles Airport. Grandma and Papa came to pick us up from the airport. Our next stop before arriving at Uncle Marshall and Auntie Mei's place was Ichiban to get sushi for lunch!
Elijah's first question (in sign language) after arriving in America was, "Where are the chickens?" I think he was struck by the fact that there were no animals roaming around the streets and no chickens to chase. But, his question soon got replaced with his new favorite words, "park," and "outside!" There was a nice park near where we were staying and Elijah loved going to the park.
Interestingly, we've been back in India now a little over two weeks and he has yet to mention the park, but while we were in the States, he couldn't get enough of it! Right now, he still mentions the names of his cousins, uncles, aunts, grandma, papa, halbiya (hal-ah-buji), hal-miya (hal-mu-ni), and some friends he made. He also mentions the ocean. But, surprisingly, no parks. Interesting....
The first friend Elijah got to see was Justin Lee. Justin was born a month ahead of Elijah. Elijah had a blast with Justin. It was kind of interesting to see how similar they were in their interests and in the ways they played with each other. We hope to see more of you Justin in a couple of months!
We arrived in America on June 23, 2010 on China Eastern Airline in Los Angeles Airport. Grandma and Papa came to pick us up from the airport. Our next stop before arriving at Uncle Marshall and Auntie Mei's place was Ichiban to get sushi for lunch!
Elijah's first question (in sign language) after arriving in America was, "Where are the chickens?" I think he was struck by the fact that there were no animals roaming around the streets and no chickens to chase. But, his question soon got replaced with his new favorite words, "park," and "outside!" There was a nice park near where we were staying and Elijah loved going to the park.
Interestingly, we've been back in India now a little over two weeks and he has yet to mention the park, but while we were in the States, he couldn't get enough of it! Right now, he still mentions the names of his cousins, uncles, aunts, grandma, papa, halbiya (hal-ah-buji), hal-miya (hal-mu-ni), and some friends he made. He also mentions the ocean. But, surprisingly, no parks. Interesting....
The first friend Elijah got to see was Justin Lee. Justin was born a month ahead of Elijah. Elijah had a blast with Justin. It was kind of interesting to see how similar they were in their interests and in the ways they played with each other. We hope to see more of you Justin in a couple of months!
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