Yesterday, Elijah turned 8.  So far, he doesn’t seem to much mind having his birthday the day after Christmas.  Tim always takes the day off, and we usually try to do something fun together as a family…although I do think he gets kind of bummed around August that those special gift-getting days are sandwiched right together, and then he has to wait for a whole year-minus-a-day for the promise of more presents.

So, what makes our Buddy so unique?  Well, he’s our only lefty, despite still using his right hand for many things.  He loves salad, while most of his siblings only eat it out of obligation.  He’s strong and quick and agile – capable of doing just about any athletic endeavor his older siblings can do, and sometimes even more.  He gives me hugs – out of the blue, full-force, I-love-you-Mommy hugs – almost every day, STILL.  While he sometimes tries to avoid whatever chore or schoolwork he’s responsible for at the moment (is there any child that doesn’t??), what he does, he does well.  He hears and retains instructions and corrections remarkably well and, hence, has an incredibly steep learning curve.

This year, he played baseball (he has a powerful swing and a great arm), has started Tae Kwon Do, and has pleaded with me to let him learn the harmonica…which I’ve hesitated on, but plan to let him legitimately start learning in the coming weeks.  He has boundless energy…like, he’ll tell me that he needs to “do something to get energy out”, and will happily do extra push-ups or jumping jacks, or really just about anything, to tire himself out.  His natural bent is still to encourage and build-up, although his particular sense of humor makes it tough for him to resist making jokes about his siblings that, while often funny, can be less than edifying.

He has other quirks that we’re working on moderating, too.  He remains our naturally loudest child.  We have to remind him often to use his inside voice (sometimes even when we’re outside because his outside voice is too loud, too).  He can be a bit too sensitive when injured and we can have a hard time telling a serious hurt from something like…oh, I don’t know…a sliver?

He loves reading, and learning about animals, and playing with legos, and taking care of Lucas, and helping with cooking.  He is quick-witted and sincere and capable at so many things.  He still snuggles close to me and I wouldn’t trade that for anything.  I am so thankful for Elijah and love him more than words.