Extra Ordinary Bree: I'd like you to meet: Elijah

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

I'd like you to meet: Elijah

I remember the day I realized I was pregnant with Elijah. Mike and I had just started working as houseparents for a group home. One of the major stipulations for the job was that you were only allowed to have 2 children of your own. I assured them that we had one 6 month old baby and had planned to wait a bit before adding any new babies to our family.

Less than 2 weeks later I had to break the news. I was terrified. I just knew they would think I lied or covered it up to get the job.

But they didn't care at all. Congratulations was all they said.

We debated through the entire pregnancy on what to call him. We decided on Elijah after watching Eli Manning do an interview. He seemed like a nice guy with a gentle spirit.

Our Elijah is a very nice boy. But he does not have what anyone would call a "gentle" spirit. Elijah is our wild child.

He is goofy. He says the most bazaar things at the most bazaar times.

I love this crazy little boy.

Elijah started preK this year and was bringing home a couple of yellow checks a week. We didn't understand why he was getting in trouble and were worried that his happy, wild child spirit was going to be the source of many years of grief for us. One day his teacher sent home a note. She was very upset because Elijah had stuck his tongue out at her.

Now, my little boy might be a bit wild but I just couldn't believe that he would maliciously stick his tongue out at her. I had to get to the bottom of this before my 4 yr old turned into a 16 yr old getting kicked out of school or something horrible like that! I asked him what he did and why and he explained that he was in trouble for something else (whistling during naptime) and when the teacher was face to face with him and explaining why he couldn't whistle, he stuck out his tongue at her.

He said it wasn't like a "nana booboo" tongue but a goofy tongue.

Elijah was simply trying to lighten the mood a bit... maybe even get himself out of trouble by making her laugh... making her forget.

It's funny because I have one little boy (Mikey) that has my personality, the oldest child, control freak and perfectionist. I have another little boy (Jacob) that looks like the spitting image of his daddy. For a long time we said Elijah the wild child attitude of his Uncle Joseph. But as he get's older I'm starting to realize that his personality is just like his daddy's.

He is all of the amazing things I love about my husband. He has his same, sort of off-beat, sense of humor... that no one gets but me. He has that middle child syndrome that say's "it's okay... I can go without" that so many people think is sad but I think it's beautiful. It's just like Jesus tells us to do. Most have to work to behave like that but for Elijah (and his daddy) it just comes naturally.