Four Years....

How in the world did that happen? I still remember it like it was yesterday. I was in a pain place that I'd never experienced before...so much that I couldn't open my eyes because it was too distracting. (How weird is that?!) I cracked them open for just a minute when the midwife told me you'd be in my arms in less than ten minutes. I only opened my eyes so that I could tell her she was wrong. The clock read somewhere around 8:20AM and I'd been pushing for 90 minutes. With no drugs. It didn't feel like you were any closer to my arms than you were four hours before, when the pain started to kick in. As usual, the medical professional knew more than the silly patient and you entered the world at 8:28AM. I can STILL remember how it felt as she put you across my arms and chest. I can STILL feel the warmth of your wet skin. I can STILL remember how my eyes instantly snapped open because in just a second all of that pain was gone and tremendous joy replaced it. So many memories from those first few moments....

Here we are, four years later. You are such a little man that sometimes it scares me. You do not miss a THING...spelling words doesn't work on you, even though you technically can't read or spell. You have learned to listen for the first letter and use context clues to figure out what I'm talking about. Looks like you'll be an adult conversation eavesdropper like your mommy was!

You love love love your music and your sports. Baseball rules your life when you're not playing drums. Drums rule your life when you're not playing baseball. Tomorrow you will go to your first 'try-out' for a baseball team. Just saying those words makes me realize how incredibly grown up you are. You can hit pitches, you can catch balls on the one hop, and your throwing arm rivals mine. You even have some of the idiosyncrasies of baseball players down (shaking off a pitch, warming up with the bat, etc.). And you have mastered the 'one-two-three-four' beat on the drum-set. You even tried to teach a younger friend the technique yesterday.

Eli, you are incredibly sweet to your sister. You still try to 'trick' her into giving you the toy you want by offering her another one in an enticing way ("OOOOH, Maddie. Do you want this cool book??"), but in your heart, you adore her. Before naps and bed, you give her a kiss on her head and a hug. When you say your prayers, you thank God for your sister. When we play outside, you usually ask her if she wants to play with you. Life is good!

In two weeks you will start pre-school. REAL pre-school. Letters, numbers, sight-words, science....the whole thing. I've opted to send you only four days each week, because I just can't imagine only having you to myself all day on the weekends. And even more I can't imagine depriving you and Maddux of each other's company every morning. And even more than THAT, I am keeping you home that one extra day because next year I will most likely not have the choice: you will be in Kindergarten. Gulp.

I hope you have an amazing birthday weekend. Tonight we will meet with our small group and I will bring baseball cupcakes for everyone to eat in your honor. Tomorrow, after your try-out, we will have a celebration at the house with a few friends. You've been requesting a drum-set cake for over a month now. You are my first born, my favorite big boy, my sunshine, my baby boy, and my Incredible Hulk (and you even tell me 'Don't make me angry!!'). I love you, Eli!

In the beginning:


One Year:


Two Years:


Three Years:


Four Years!