Welcome to Elijahland

Admittedly I haven’t been writing updates as often. Perhaps this is because Elijah is a handful. The last few days he’s been fussier than normal and I always feel like I need to be stimulating him when he’s in a good mood. Those precious naptimes are usually when I try to get some housework done. I’m always busy! I had started a journal earlier this week, but I never finished it. I do find myself composing journals in my head, but the words rarely make it to a keyboard. Anyway, I’m rambling, so here is an update for this week…

Elijah slept for ten and a half hours on Monday night! We’ve been trying to repeat that occurrence ever since to no avail. As a result, Elijah was well rested and happy for our infant class on Tuesday. He really liked the songs we sang at the beginning of class and he had a bottle during the discussion time so I could talk to the other mommies while he ate. I actually enjoyed myself and neither of us had a breakdown. :)

Elijah is getting better at sitting up. At the beginning of class, I sat Elijah on the floor, not expecting him to tolerate sitting. (He often fights having to sit. He’d much rather prefer to lie on his back or to stand on my lap.) Anyway, he sat on the floor by himself for quite awhile. I keep my hands hovering around him in case he decides to throw himself backwards, but it’s great to see him sitting on the floor like the other babies. It was really nice that one of the other moms noticed how much better Elijah was doing at sitting. “Wow,” she said. “He’s doing such a good job sitting! That’s so much more than he was doing last week!” I felt myself gleaming with pride. Elijah continues to improve.

Wednesday we had our OT over to the house and Elijah was more alert again this week. The OT brought us a switch toy, which is basically a huge red button connected to a toy. When Elijah pushes the red button, he makes the toy move. I was pleased to see that he can purposefully push the button to turn it on. He really seems to like it and it’s great to see him finally playing with a toy.

On another note, it’s also hard for me to see on the box a little sticker that says “Special Education.” Elijah has essentially been in Special Ed since he was born (with Early Intervention), but I’ve always felt he didn’t fit into this category. Now that he is getting older and his development is lagging behind, I feel myself coming to terms with the fact that he does indeed need to be in Special Ed. That’s hard for me to admit and I’d say I’ve spent this week coming to terms with the reality that Elijah is different from his peers. I try not to worry, but of course I do. I worry he won’t crawl, walk, or run. I worry that he won’t talk or say “I love you mommy!” I believe in my heart that he will do all these things and more. I know I have to wait for God’s plan for our son to unfold. Anyway, it’s been a week of ups and downs for me, full of rest and exhaustion, joy and frustration. Sounds like life, huh? Hope you all had a good week. :)

Oh, I almost forgot! Elijah is seven months old today! Can you believe it?

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