Some Little Things I Want to Remember

Eli has gotten pretty good at letting me know what he wants. If he wants a drink, he goes and gets a sippy cup. Food, stands at his highchair. Nose wiped, wrinkles his nose. Movie, hands me a movie cover repeatedly until I finally understand he's not just giving me a gift. Bed, arches his back toward his bed (if we're in his room) or lays his head on my shoulder. It's really funny. He does say a few words. He actually said, "Amen", the other day at the end of the blessing. He said it so clearly that Luke looked at me with his mouth wide open in surprise and laughed.

Eli has been sucking his thumb since he was a few months old. Kris and I have been really wanting to discourage it early so it's not a longtime habit. I decided to start "speaking death" to the habit. So, whenever he sucks his thumb I say, "Eli, sucking your thumb is yucky. You don't want to suck your thumb. You don't need your thumb for comfort. Your comfort comes from the Lord." Honestly, I have seen a pretty major improvement. At first I had to pull his thumb out of his mouth and distract him, but now he'll often take it out himself. Before, he had his thumb in his mouth ALL the time. When he was walking around the house, in the car, when I was holding him. Just all the time. Now, he usually only does it when he's tired or hungry. So, I'm going to keep speaking death to the habit and life to a little boy who knows where his true Comfort lies!!!

Luke has been asking for us to "Kiss it" whenever he hurts himself. This morning he bumped his head, and rather than saying "kiss it", he just leaned his head into my leg and waited. I kissed his head and he said, "No, this one." and pointed to a different spot.

I always know when Luke's being mischevious because when I come in the room or he comes in the room where I am, he gets a naughty smile on his cute face. The thing I love most about it is that rather than seeing that as him being bad, I see it as him recognizing that there is right and wrong and knowing that he's done wrong. I love the Holy Spirit I already see in him.