Another round with Elijah

A busy summer for Elijah has started, and if the first month is any indication, it will be a successful one. The last day of first grade was also our departure date for a trip out to California to see family, friends and clients. Outside of the continuing battle with Mom over who got to use the new Nook that Sarah got for the trip, the little guy was happy to see Grandpa and Grandma and to stay at "the little house at Aunt Kathy's." A trip to the Santa Monica Pier provided an opportunity to play at the beach and ride both a Ferris wheel and the Scrambler. A round of mini golf, an early birthday gift for Elijah of a Lotso Bear (from Toy Story 3) from our friends Judy and Marko, and a party (with cake) for Grandpa's 86th birthday rounded out a very pleasant but too-short vacation.

After we got back home, it was time to celebrate Elijah's birthday. Since we were going to be out of town on his special day, we decided to celebrate a few days early. Uncle George and Aunt Julie came by to share in a giant birthday cookie along with Elijah's new friend Janey, who not only was in his class this past year but also lives just a few doors down the street. Elijah really enjoyed having Janey over, and with some newfound social skills, he insisted on getting her a fork for her piece of cookie. Later they went down to the basement and played games together, with Elijah fully interacting with her on a level that would seem run-of-the-mill to most but was something beyond what we had seen before with him. Perhaps it's because Janey seems to understand Elijah quirkiness so well (she told her mom that if Elijah is ignoring her it isn't because he's being mean, it's because his brain doesn't work the same way as hers) that Elijah is so quick and happy to share and be a real friend to her. One day at the park pool, Elijah told me with a big grin on his face that his FRIEND Janey was about to go down the water slide. Again, that may be routine for some, but it's a major step forward for Elijah.

After receiving his birthday gift -- a coveted Buzz Lightyear action figure -- Elijah was on the road again as we headed down to Springfield, Mo., for a work reunion (Sarah's old job was at the newspaper there), a birthday trip to a water park and cave exploring with Grandpa and Grandma Smith at Fantastic Caverns, the only drive-through cave in the United States. Elijah insisted on bringing not just Buzz, but all the other characters from Toy Story on the trip. Hopefully, the people in the hotel room next to us weren't too startled by laser blasts and calls from Buzz for Space Rangers to attack, especially when they took place at the crack of dawn.

The water park was a huge success for the little guy. For years, Elijah has refused to go down the water slides at our local pools (this made little sense, since he had no fear of jumping off the high diving board). But at the water park, he went down slide after slide, rode a lazy river (well, had Dad push him!) and had a great time. Of course, the rainbow lollipop that he wanted (and got) made it a true birthday celebration. And, as the result of our trip, the local water slides now have a new customer.

While all of this has been occurring, Elijah has been going to camp four days a week, meeting with a social skills tutor twice a week and taking piano lessons once a week. All these activities have had an extremely positive impact on the little guy. Camp has awakened a desire to go out and play tennis with Dad. The social skills lessons seem to taking hold and have led to proper behavior (on occasion). Elijah is doing so well on the piano that Sarah was roused out of her sleep on the 4th of July by Elijah playing a spirited version of "Yankee Doodle Dandy." Of course, none of this progress would be as advanced if it wasn't for Sarah's "Mom School" daily lessons, which include math, reading comprehension and piano practice, along with occasional geography lessons. Her efforts have easily magnified any gains the little guy has made.

The biggest news in recent days has been the loss of a front tooth that seemed to be on the cusp of falling out for weeks. After what seemed like an eternity, it popped out on the ride home from camp one day. At this writing the tooth right next to it is barely still attached and if it comes out the title of this blog could have a double meaning: A round of golf or the results of

a round of boxing (Think of Leon Spinks.)