The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

It's been nothing but smiles and happiness around here for the holiday season, and the little guy is the main reason. Elijah continues to show great progress, and both Sarah and I couldn't be happier. From dropping him off in the morning at school (where unprompted hellos to teachers, fist-bumps with the principal and smiles for classmates are the norm) to picking him up in the afternoon (when, according to Sarah, hugs from classmates signal the end of the school day), it seems as if first grade is first-rate! Without any help, Elijah gets his lunch each day in the cafeteria and eats with his classmates. (Although we have discovered that his favorite item, the "Deli Sub," is nothing more than a piece of turkey and a piece of American cheese between two slices of white bread. Drool, drool!). For most parents, these moments may not signify all that much, but for us, it shows incredible growth.

School is just one example of how things are different this year. In previous years the holiday season meant as much to Elijah as the start of hunting season .... nothing. Last year he seemed to get the holiday idea somewhat as he asked for gifts from Santa and lit Hanukkah candles (of course the fact that the latter included chocolate coins made it all the better). This year, however, he is in full holiday mode. On Thanksgiving, he devoured turkey at two different settings (at home and at Uncle George and Aunt Julie's) and shared with Grandma Smith turkeys he had drawn. Then, after insisting that the packed-away Christmas tree be brought up from the basement, he proceeded to decorate it like a true professional, or at least like a professional 7 year-old. (Most of the ornaments were on one side, all of them about his eye level, with no rhyme or reason to his pattern.)

Then the menorah was filled with candles, and when I tried to explain that only one candle is used on the first night, Elijah insisted that all eight be lit. It appears as if a new Hebrew tradition is being started in our home -- start with eight candles on the first night of Hanukkah and work your way down to one. But hey, a miracle is a miracle any way you look at at.

Elijah's artistry has taken a new path as he now uses the Paint program on the computer to create pictures that sometimes convey a story arc, but more often are images like the house pictured here.

Add to all of this activity Elijah's happiness to go weekly therapy sessions with "Miss Nicki" and his joy when we go to the gym (he gets hugs and kisses from the girls who work there), and what you have is one very happy and rambunctious little boy, full of life and expressing it both in words and actions. A very wonderful time indeed!