Oh The Joys

Today has been a very good day; one that makes the harder days worthwhile! That is not to say it has been without problems. Quite the opposite in fact; we had to implement some new discipline today and it was time-consuming and hard on Mommy, but the end result was good. To start with, Eli had a great blanket time while Mommy fed Maddux. He stayed on his blanket for a full 20-minutes without so much as a whine and played with a few new birthday presents. When Maddux went down for a nap, Eli and I went outside to play (what else) tee-ball. This was great for about 15 minutes and then Eli started to whine. I don't even really remember what it was about...maybe he wanted me to hit instead of catch? Regardless, the whining started and I warned him once that if he continued to whine, I'd flick his cheek (a new tool I've only had to use once in the past). As expected, he continued, so I flicked his cheek. He cried out, ran away from me and threw his bat on the ground. We do not tolerate throwing toys so I had to make a quick choice as to how to further discipline. Maddux was sleeping upstairs, so carrying a crying, flailing Eli upstairs to his crib for a time-out could wake her up. In addition, I've been wanting to start using a time-out where he has to get self-control anyway. (By this I mean a time-out where he is not restrained by the crib or pack-n-play walls.) I figured it was as good a time as any considering we were in the shaded (but still incredibly hot) garage, Maddux was sleeping, and I could walk away from him without worry of him being destructive to the point of damaging anything. I had to put him back on the piece of carpet several times, and he cried for the first two or three minutes (felt like a lot longer), but after that he stopped and laid on the carpet quietly. Then I told him he needed to show me self-control before he could get up (this means he needs to sit up and fold his hands. I did remind him of what it needed to 'look like' just to make sure we were clear.) It took him sitting there about five additional minutes before he sat up and folded his hands (again, it felt like we were down there for 30 minutes), but he did it and I was ecstatic! I then went to him, reminded him why he was in time-out (he threw a bat and that was not showing self-control), asked for an apology and then hugged him and we played some more. This was HUGE for me. I've been so hesitant to start these 'open-space' time outs because I anticipated him not sitting there for me. I couldn't believe it really only took ten minutes or less to get him to comply.

After that we ran two errands. This was another 'uh-oh' for me considering Eli does not like the car too much. But it was way too hot outside to do much else, so off we went. First I gave Eli a sippy cup of water in the back seat and reminded him the rules regarding his drink. He has not had a cup or toy in the car for going on four weeks now because he started a really bad habit around the time of Maddux's birth: throwing in the car. I took all his toys out and no longer gave him his water in there because he lacked the self-control it required to have that privilege (yes, I used those words). I told him when he could show self-control in the car for a few days in a row (i.e. not freaking out and melting down when we are doing daily errands), I would give him his cup back. He has behaved rather well this week, so it was time to test the water (so to speak). He did great!! Not only did he not throw the cup, but when he was done sipping for the moment, he set it next to him instead of just dropping it on the ground. HIP HIP HOORAY! In addition, the unsolicited "thank you" is a daily occurrence now. I still have to remind him a lot, but at least twice a day Eli thanks me without prompting. Melt!!

On top of that, Eli behaved beautifully at Home Depot and Harry's. He even stayed 'good' all the way through lunch and up until his nap. I rewarded him by letting him ride in the Nascar cart at Home Depot (which I never do) and then letting him have his prized blanket in his room while we read stories for an extended time. Life is good.