All the cousins (and Auntie Erin) getting acquainted.
Elias has been so lucky to be able to play with his cousins for the last two days. Cousins Audrey and Sonya as well as Auntie Erin are visiting from New York. Elias has only gotten to spend time with them one other time in his life (when he was three months old). Nathan and I were very excited to see them.
Elias being the first child, and me being a stay-at-home mom makes it difficult for me to create play opportunities for Elias
Elias took to Auntie Erin quickly, and asked to sit on her lap. Sonya wasn't very happy to share her Mommy so she got a spot on her lap too.
where he interacts with children his age. I take him to story time at the library once a week, and we also go to art class once a week. Occasionally we have play dates with friends. But for the most part he interacts with adults. I was excited for him to get some play time with his cousins…and to see how he would react. He is generally very shy around other kids.
I was very pleased because it seemed that Elias recognized his cousins and Auntie from the pictures of them we have
Elias: "But Mom...those bees are mine."
displayed around the house. When I opened the door the first time, he said hello to his grandma, then immediately pointed to Audrey. The kids had an hour or so of play time before we had to do naps. Then we met again for dinner and more play time. Then we played again this morning at Grandma’s house. The kids seemed to play pretty well together. Elias seemed to have a bit of a hard time getting used to the fact that other people were going to play with his toys. But he was generally good-natured about sharing.
The time went way too fast, but we’ll see them briefly again next week, and soon they’ll be moving closer so we’ll see them more often. A few more pictures:
Elias was happy to share his play-doh with Sonya.
Everyone playing together.
Sonya kept trying to give Elias a kiss, but he kept pushing her away and saying "no." Poor Sonya.