Bobby: saying sentences and asking to go to time-out *edited*

Bobby is changing a lot right now.  Since getting back from our trip to Texas, he is much faster to warm up to people.  He still has his shy moments when he will curl up into me when someone he doesn't know well speaks to him, but if given a little bit of time he has been warming up to most people rather quickly.

He copies everything his brothers do and a lot of what they say.  He is saying sentences and phrases all the time now.  Some of my favorite phrases are: 

Watch this, Mom

Show Mom

I did it

Ready to go

Since Texas he has also started hitting his siblings.  I tried first just correcting the behavior verbally and having hi apologize and give a hug to the victim.  However, it started escalating, and so I started time out for him.  I wasn't sure how this was going to go, but he is a master at the time out.  

We have a small entry way that doesn't get used much and it has doors on either side.  I declared it the Time Out Room when we first moved in.  I don't know if I've mentioned it on here before.  I need a room with a door on the main level to be able to easily remove children periodically so that we can maintain the peace that we strive for in our family.  I had a mini pack-n-play in there at some point because Judah had trouble staying put.  For now though, Bobby is sitting in the little chair in there and not trying to get out.  After the first day of using the time outs, he would point to the room if we walked by it and say, "Time out."  I have a little short exchange we go through after time out is over when someone has hit that I have used since Hannah was little.  

I say, "We don't hit.  What did God make your hands for?"  He answers "To love."  He already has this response memorized, and he has added a sweet caress of my face when he says it to show loving hands.  Then he has to go apologize and give a hug with his loving hands.

*Another thing he's been doing is answering any rhetorical question I ask him with either, "Isaac" or "Isaac did it."  Who put all these toys here?  Isaac.  Who is supposed to be watching you?  Isaac.  Who made this mess?  Isaac did it.  It is really funny, and I suppose that it says something about our family.  Maybe everyone blames Isaac all the time.  Maybe it really is more often Isaac who does things around here. Not sure.  Isaac's been trying to turn it around and ask him questions like, "Who do you love the most?"