No U-Turn on this gift idea

When you ask Elijah a question, there is a chance you might get a response, and on occasion, that response may actually relate to the question being posed. But when asked what he wanted Santa to bring him, Elijah told us without hesitation, "an International Sign Set and all the Sharpies." No surprise there. Any type of marker is always on his wish list, and anyone who has read this blog or gotten to know Elijah knows that outside of his obsession with basketball courts (which is off the charts), traffic signs are always on his radar. So, when Christmas morning arrived, under the tree with some games and books were his requested gifts from Santa. (A quick shout-out to all of the relatives who again contributed to Elijah's camp fund as his gift. Your generosity is very much appreciated, and no gift can mean more to him in the long run.)

As Elijah surveyed his haul, his eyes immediately locked in on a box marked "To Elijah from Santa."

"I want to open my International Sign Set now!" He knew the size and shape of the box -- Santa needn't have even bothered to wrap it. So much for that Kodak moment of surprise upon opening the gift.

But his smile upon seeing the signs and putting them together was worth a picture. The Sharpies also drew a big smile, but the fact that he is not allowed to draw basketball goals with them has tempered some of his enthusiasm. And since he can't go an entire day without drawing basketball goals, we hear, "Can I draw basketball goals not using the Sharpies?" on a regular basis. Ahh ... progress.

Sarah's parents came for the holidays, and it only took one morning of a 4 a.m. wake-up call of "Daddy, can I go downstairs?!!!" to drive Sarah's mom to Aunt Julie and Uncle George's house. So when Christmas Day came around, all four of them came by and brought Julie and George's gift -- a pad and software that allows Elijah to use a pen instead of a mouse while using the computer. Of course, while we all floundered (well, not all of us - George is an IT specialist), Elijah soon mastered his new device.

From reciting the Hanukkah prayer to insisting on decorating the tree, Elijah was completely engaged this holiday season. His insistence on driving through neighborhoods to see light displays (and not basketball goals) was also a nice change of pace. His joy at calling out the numbers while playing bingo and interacting with kids at holiday parties and social situations brings to mind what has became his "catchphrase" these past few months. Whenever he sees someone, Elijah insists they "smile with their teeth." When I look back on this past year with him, and how far he has come, it's a pretty easy request to fulfill.