Quality Time

One of the benefits of having some downtime is getting to spend some time with Elliot.  Most days, I see him at the end of a long day, after I arrive home from work.  He's frequently tired and sensitive, or fighting with Noah.  I spend about an hour or so with him, usually half of that taken up with bath and bedtime routine.

This week, especially with Noah in school for three days, I've had the opportunity to spend a lot more time with him one-on-one, and when he's at his most energetic.  It's been very enjoyable.  We've had to keep him corralled a little, because he easily forgets that he can't jump on me or run into me, but we've had a lot of opportunity to play together and to talk.  We've read books, played a lot of "crash cars" and joked with each other.  

I knew he was bright, and able to communicate well, but I'm still surprised at how well he verbalizes things.  And he constantly keeps me laughing.  With the help of his little slide, he climbed up and precariously balanced on the arm of the couch, and announced, "Watch this!  This is gonna be AWESOME!" before doing a Superman leap onto the couch cushions.  

He's between regular naps and giving them up, so - unlike Noah - when he's tired, he doesn't mind slowing down and cuddling a bit.  He told me he was tired yesterday, so I invited him to lay on the couch with me.  We watched a couple of cartoons together before he finally fell asleep.