Eli Update

And there is this guy. Our unexpected blessing. 

 

He is something else. A perfection alliteration of all things S.   Smiley, supremely silly, sensitive, smart, stubborn, so sweet, and silent except for some silly sounds. 

 

Elijah goes with the flow, transitioning into all things new with ease.  He smiles and smiles, except when he melts into a crying noodle. 

 

 Routine is comfort to him, so we have spent many days trying hard to fight all things distraction to give him a foundation of what to expect in his new life.  Outside play is his top desire, running for his shoes if anybody else comes anywhere near theirs. 

 

He takes a long nap, and sleeps well at night in his own bed, except from the one time in the wee hours of each night when he tiptoes silently into our room and falls asleep on pillows by our bed. 

 

We thought we'd add crazy to the already crazy this last few weeks, so we potty trained him.  All it took was a jar of chocolate chip rewards and he was good to go. 

 

He gets himself dressed and folds clothes.  Our little man loves to help, constantly taking everybody their water bottles and trying hard to set the table.  Eli comforts Evie when she needs it, by patting her head and running to look for her lovely blanket and bottle. 

 

Thanks to some hand me downs and grandparent gifts, our house is covered in boy toys.  He loves balls, Duplo Legos, a stick pony and anything his sisters are playing with.   Stuffed animals he's not so sure about. 

 

Born with a cleft palate and lip, we are expecting speech delay.  He hasn't said anything yet, though Mamaw swears that he says all kinds of words to her.  :)  His repairs look good, but he has an appointment at a craniofacial unit in a few weeks, where he will be seen  by a plastic surgeon, dentist, speech pathologist, etc.  We are praying for no further surgical repairs.  Hopefully he will just need ear tubes, dental work, and some speech therapy.  We'll know much more after we hang out at the craniofacial unit for the day!

 

Elijah LanCheng is a gift.  He fills spaces that we didn't know were empty. 

 

 For we are God's masterpiece, created in Christ Jesus to do good works,

which He prepared in advance for us to do. 

Ephesians 2:10