Sports Fan

Anyone who has come to our house in the last month has seen the very obtrusive toddler size basketball goal in our already not-so-spacious living room. This is Elijah's new obsession. Otherwise known at "d-dall" (or you might know it as b-ball). If he is awake he is either playing basketball or talking about playing basketball, or asking to watch basketball on tv, all while chanting "d-dall, d-dall, d-dall." He seems to think that at any point of the day or night, we can just turn on the tv and there will be a basketball game on. Right now, as I look at the living room floor, I can see four different "basketballs" that are on hand at all times.
But it's not only basketball that Elijah loves. He also has really enjoyed the football season this year. If there were football games on tv as often as basketball or if he had a football field in his backyard, he would be just as obsessed with this game. He does however have three different footballs that are constantly carried around the house and thrown to the nearest person - whether you are looking or not. And the kid has a great arm, so you could easily get nailed in face if you're not paying attention. This is something we may have to work on before his little sister gets here!
We really don't watch that much basketball and football, and what we do watch is usually when Elijah is sleeping. So it's interesting to me that he is so enthralled by these sports. It makes me wonder how much of this interest in sports comes from his genes and how much is learned.
This may just be a stage that he will grow out of and won't show much interest in later in his life. Or it could be the start of a life-long love. It's fascinating to watch him grow and form into his own unique little person with specific likes and dislikes, and it makes me look forward to the person he will be in the years to come.

Bookshelf Reorganizer

Sickness

Thankfully, Elijah hasn't ever been really sick or hurt in his young life. I know of many kids his age that have had every illness possible at this point. Even so, I think watching your child be sick or hurt is one of the hardest things to do as a mom. It's so hard to watch them hurt, even if it is just a cold they have.
In the last week or so Elijah has been trying to get over a somewhat nasty cold (which he's still fighting), fell face-first onto our tile floor while trying to chase me (and I always expect him to get hurt while playing the rougher-than-I-like games with Gavin), and today gets his first bout of diarrhea. It's been kind of a rough week.
But what I've noticed is that it doesn't quite affect Gavin the same way it does me. He feels bad for Elijah, but not in the same way or to the same degree as I do. His comforting words to me are, "well, I just think about when he gets older and he'll have to go through much worse and more painful things than this."
Thanks a lot. Now not only am I worrying about the possible damage done to his teeth and mouth and whether or not he's getting dehydrated from his sick stomach, I'm also worrying about his first car wreck that he gets in when he's 16 and too immature to be driving in the first place. Or like Gavin said, "he'll be a lot more sad and hurt when he can't get a date to the prom." Again, not a helpful comment to me, but thanks for trying.
Overall, Elijah is a very healthy, happy little boy. And it's times like this, when he's sick and hurt, that make me even more thankful for his health and all of the blessings that he brings us every day. I know there are so many kids that don't have their health and their parents have to watch them hurt much more than I could ever imagine.
So, it's nights like this that I read a couple more books to him than I normally do before bed, and stand over his crib rubbing his back and praying for him a little longer before rushing off to have the rest of the night to myself.
If this is the worst it's been in the last 16 months, then we are blessed.