Florida Fun and a Return to Routine

We started our 2008 off with a bang with a trip to Grandma Brutscher's in Florida and then to Walt Disney World. While the travel there and back wasn't the most fun, we had a great time there visiting with family, experiencing the joy of Disney, and even a visit with an old friend. Aunt Susie, Bobby and the kiddos came over to Grandma's to ring in the new year and we learned how to play Guitar Hero and the Wii!
At Disney World's Magic Kingdom, we used the coolest guidebook that I had bought beforehand to scope out the best activities for Elias and map out our plan to enjoy the park. It was super cold, with record temperatures in the 50s, but we bundled up and made the best of the low park attendance. Apparently, the week after New Year's is the best time to go. Elias did amazing well and loved the train and the Cinderella's Carousel the best. My favorite was the last ride we did: Small World, where Elias settled in my arms and took in the sights and sounds of that infamous ride. Before we left Orlando, my friend Shannon came over to our resort with sweet baby Chase and we had a blast talking "shop" (aka all-things-related-to-mommy-hood) and watching our boys play together. Later, Christopher and Elias and I visited with our friends the Guidry's, who used to live here in Durham.
This week, Elias has been adjusting to our routine again with school, speech therapy and our time here at home. We are struggling a little with him and trying to be consistent with our discipline for tantrums and particularly hitting and biting. According to his teachers at school, he displays none of these behaviors there. What a relief! I think he has good social pressure at school and at home, he is more comfortable to display frustration. I prefer it that way, of course, but it has been difficult for me to not get angry and frustrated in response to him. I will be candid in saying that many times, I have to take a time-out myself (and call Daddy), in order to maintain calm and not contribute to his elevated emotional state. It helps to have activity to keep us busy, to go outside, to minimize transitions and to consistently sit him in his time-out chair for those unacceptable behaviors. Like with many things, we just take one day at a time and try very hard to make a big deal and carry on with lots of praise when he listens well or does what we ask. I am confident we have entered the "terrible two" stage of development and just hope we can continue to find tools to help us through it! Elias brings us so much joy and laughter, but challenges us, too, and we want so much to be good parents to him. It's so much harder than I thought to raise a little human being and all I can do is pray for guidance and wisdom to do right by him. On a happier note, he is saying more words and I wanted to share the latest:
He says: DOG, DOOR, NEIGH-NEIGH (for horse), YA-YA (yellow) and NO. He still signs thank you, bye-bye, more, all done, help, please and give it to me. And of course, he still gives lots of pat-pats, hugs and kisses. They are the best parts of our days.
For those of you interested in what I am up to, graduate school has started up this week and I am already reading and preparing to write papers. This semester I am taking Writing for Publication (yeah, right!), Managing Complex Health Care Systems, and Business Writing. Even though it is a total of three classes, the total credit hours is only 1 more than last semester, so hopefully I will be alright!
All I can say is that it was super nice to have such a long break from school and it was so great to get to do so many fun things! Here are the picture highlights from our trip:

Rockin' Out with Guitar Hero (Click HERE for all our pictures from Grandma's house)

hApPy NeW yEaR!!!

Boxing with the Wii: big Christopher vs little Christopher

The view from our room at Bonnet Creek in Orlando

On the shuttle bus to Magic Kingdom (click HERE for the Disney slideshow)

Hmmmm...let me see where we should go first.


classic Disney shot!

On Cinderella's Carousel


riding the train around the park...Choo-Choo!

Another ride on the carousel with Grandma

Checking out the view with Chase


We used to be babies...now we have babies of our own! (Click HERE for all our Shannon/Chase pictures)