Elijah at 6 Years

Elijah went for his 6 year old check up yesterday.  And it is long overdue given that his birthday is in February!  We had just moved, so I wasn't ready to tackle finding a new pediatrician, and figured we'd have to go eventually and I'd just do it at that appointment.  Well, it's September and we haven't needed a doctor in 9 months - praise God!  He needed some updated records for CHLG, so we headed down 395 into Virginia with all four of us during Emmaline's nap time.  (I miss Nick having a day off!)  

Elijah is 55 pounds, which is in the 75th percentile for weight and he's 50 inches tall, which is in the 97th percentile for height.  He's no small kid.

He hasn't lost any teeth yet (yay for me and sad for him), he is an amazing eater, and loves to try new foods and always asks for seconds.   He will eat all day long if I don't stop him; he helps himself to foods in the pantry and pours his own milk or lemonade.  He's very independent in most daily things and makes my life so much easier.  Each morning, he and Hudson dress themselves before they come out of their room with clothes I've put out, he brushes his teeth independently, showers by himself and those sorts of things.   He's still an amazing sleeper and if I give him an opportunity to nap, he certainly will.  He doesn't need naps; but every so often I'll have him rest and he always falls asleep.  And surprisingly, he doesn't have a problem falling asleep at night either.  Usually in the afternoons, he will play in their room and listen to an audio book on CD for rest time if Hudson needs a nap (in my bed).  Otherwise, I let them play in their room together for 1-2 hours, and if they fight or tattle on each other, they have to get in their bed.  Works like a charm!

Elijah is s incredibly strong.  He's also very heavy.  I cannot pick him up anymore.  Sad!  If he were painfully hurt, I am sure I could muster the strength to carry him in an emergency...but it won't be much longer before I can't do it at all.  His feet are 3/4ths the size of mine.  He grew into a fantastic swimmer this summer, spending most of his time in the deep water.  At a friends' pool in Cheverly, he loved going off the high dive.  He loves doing random gymnastics tricks on the floor or standing on his hands and those sorts of things.  He loves being physical and is very athletic, although he doesn't have one sport he loves.  He is about to start T-Ball on Saturday, but he hasn't played any sports since we've moved here.   He still loves climbing trees and climbs any tree he can find at Lincoln Park.  He loves riding his BMX bike and has learned a few tricks.  He's almost "over" the scooter stage; he swings it around with his feet and does crazy tricks on that thing and is probably about to outgrow that phase.  

He is reading well, given that he hasn't been reading for very long.  He doesn't love schoolwork like I think Hudson probably will, but he tries really hard.  He doesn't ask to get out paper and draw or write like Hudson does and will do for hours.  He is not a perfectionist.  He flies through his work and does an average job.  He needs to slow down and do it well.  That's something we are constantly working on.  He would rather be doing some tricks on the floor or playing in the alley instead.  He has recently gotten into free-building with Legos and loves doing that with Hudson too.  He plays independently really well, as he always has but loves having Hudson around and gets sad when Hudson won't play with him.  He is a great big brother and playmate for Emmaline; he will play "family" or baby dolls with her and talks to her in a silly sweet voice.  He hasn't outgrown his imagination and loves to pretend to be spies with Hudson or pretend to be a family with Emmaline.  He isn't into Superheroes anymore; he's into Ninjas and Spies and that sort of thing.   He isn't a "techy" kid - he never asks to play with my phone and rarely initiates playing the Wii.  (Hudson's "that kid.")  He loves playing Wii and will play computer games for school, but it's not the first thing he wants to do.

Elijah never misses anything.  He overhears every conversation I am having, and I'm learning to be aware of that.  He asks great questions and is a great learner.  He loves Praise Factory and Great Commission Club at CHBC and soaks it all up.  He still has an amazing memory and can remember crazy details of something a year or two ago and what we were doing, who was there, and what we were eating.  In fact, the other day he was telling me about a water slide at a pool and said, "It's like the one we went down with Leighton in Louisiana at that pool where we had peach Icees."   That was over a year ago, and he remembers the flavor of the Icee.  He's crazy like that.

Elijah has grown to be very kind and grateful and gives compliments.  It's been sweet to see God's grace in his life.  He's still got the "boy energy" and can be very physical like he was in his tantrum/rage phase, but he's matured greatly in self control and in kindness.  I love spending time with him one-on-one and I remember that phase were I hated taking him out in public for fear of his horrible tantrums that left me in tears and leaving the store empty-handed.   He compliments our meals at dinnertime, tells me what he likes and how it tastes to him, he thanks me for taking them to do fun things, and tells me he's excited about certain things.  He is a really good friend and is well-liked by his friends at church and school.  He isn't the kind of kid who bosses people around or puts his hands all over them. And when others do, he's very patient with them and doesn't get frustrated with it.  (Like I do when I watch it happen!)  Everyone invites him to their birthdays (people I've never met!) and moms often initiate having a play date after hearing their child talk about him at church, etc.  I'm so thankful for that -- so thankful for God's kindness in that area.

I've loved having a child at the age where conversations are really taking place and he is growing into his own little person with preferences and personality quirks.  This is all new territory for us, since he's the oldest, and it's been such a fun adventure!

We love you, Elijah Luke Roark!