Eli had his 4th birthday on Sunday. We did a party on Saturday and to keep it comfortable for him we just did a small lego themed party in the basement. Decided to keep it simple and let the kids play with whatever they wanted in leu of organized games (mainly because Eli, and I’m sure most of the kids there, has a short attention span for group games). The only activity we did was a piñata which was such a big hit I’m thinking of just getting some to tie to a tree branch this summer and send Eli loose on it. 
Since the party I’ve been reflecting on where Eli stands as a big and bad 4 year old. He’s still behind in some areas but in others he’s both in line with where he should be and ahead. At the moment the area I feel he needs a lot of work on is his attention span/hyperactivity. I am hesitant to get him into sports because I’m worried he won’t be able to wait his turn, sit still, follow rules, or listen to the coach. You don’t know until you try, but boy am I scared to try. When it comes to learning, he can play a game on his iPad for 30 minutes straight but getting him to sit down and work on flash cards or practice writing (with me) is next to impossible. I say with me because in preschool and even with his therapists he’s more inclined to do these things;but at home with just me he can’t concentrate. I’m sure some of that is maybe a disciple/authority issue. He will act out infront of mom more than he would a stranger or teacher.
Despite not concentrating on sit down tasks, he is learning at an incredible rate. He knows all his colors, can count to 20, knows the alphabet and can speak in complete sentences. Eli is such a sponge. Once he broke that barrier of learning and talking he just took off. We’re reading educational books at bedtime, he’s playing learning games on his iPad, we’re doing more play dates to work on social skills. Although he’s been on a 3 month hiatus from ABA, the progress hasn’t slowed.
When we do finally get ABA started I would also like to work on Eli’s tantrums and potty training. Currently Eli pees on the potty (not on his own, only when I make him) but only poops in his diaper. Although his tantrums went way down after he started talking, they are still quite present. Whenever he is told no or to stop doing something, when he has to leave somewhere/someone leaves our house, and when he is frustrated, a tantrum arises. When we are home during a tantrum he runs screaming to his room and slams the door, if we are at a friends house he will fall on the floor crying and sometimes hit himself or other things. Once after a speech appointment he ran into the hallway crying and got on the elevator and told me that he was upset and leaving me there.
It’s such a fun thing to watch your child transition from toddler to child. His personality is really shining. It’s so much more than just his likes and dislikes. Watching him do imaginative play, seeing his sense of humor, seeing his eyes light up when he is super excited. Eli is very happy, loud, and hyper but he balances it out by being very sensitive and loving.
There’s not a doubt in my that by Elis 5th birthday he will be ready for kindergarten and be able to function the same as all the other kids.
Mastering Motherhood 