Elijah Michael

I just really wanted to post an update on my little family, and this post is to update you on my little man, Elijah Michael. 

If you do not know our history, there is a blog post about him and his sister and how we all became a family. It can be found here on my blog under the Label "My Children."

Elijah has been with me since the day he was born (Novemeber 13, 2011) and it has been an absolute JOY mothering this beautiful baby. He is nine months old now and growing so fast. He is such a happy child, and not a day goes by that I do not thank God for blessing me with him. It has been an awesome adventure and God has taught me so much through this little gift.

Elijah is a super crawler these days and has even started walking!! He hasn't fully taken off just yet, but he freely "lets go" on his own and then takes one, two and sometimes even THREE steps flying solo!!

Just the other day he grabbed my pants leg, pulled himself up, and walked behind me smiling the whole way! Soon and very soon I will be chasing after this little guy as he will be running around!

He claps in response to "Yaaayyyyy!!" and LOVES being tickled. He is most definitely a momma's boy, not that he has much of a choice in being a daddy's boy yet, and he blabs and "talks" almost all the time. He is in no way a quiet or meek child. 

Elijah is one of the most animated children I have ever met, and his faces never cease to make me laugh! He LOVES eating and is very good about eating anything and everything I give him- which makes me happy because getting him to eat his fruits and vegetables is a piece of cake!

He loves his sister, Sandra (now called Emily... my post about her will follow this one) and I am so thankful they have each other to play and grow together.

Elijah plays well with other babies and children, also, and is as easy-going as they come. 

He loves being sung and read to, and responds when someone calls his name. 

He also REALLY enjoys dance parties ;) 

I finally figured out how to manage his hair, too, which I am SUPER proud of!!

He has started mocking sounds other people make, but has only said "Momma" 5 specific times. Our attempt at getting him to say Momma usually goes like this:

Me- Elijah... say Momma. Momma. Mooooommmmaaaa.

Elijah- Dada.

Me- Momma.

Elijah- Dada

Oh, well. He'll get it one day.

Like a true Mom, the more I watch my son grow, the more I am amazed. I am not the Mom that wishes he would stay little forever, though I totally enjoy holding him as a baby. I get excited when I watch him grow and it makes me happy to know we have made it this far. I look forward to doing life with this little person and cannot wait to watch God's plans for Elijah continue to unfold.

As for adoption, I do plan on adopting him and his sister in the future. I am hopeful that it will happen. 

I sold my car in the United States and the money collected from it has been put away to pay for my adoptions in the future. Until that time comes, however, our family's home is in Haiti. I will be here taking care of my kids and we will minister to the Haitians as the Lord sees fit.

I have been and will continue taking monthly pictures of Elijah, and will post them here for you to see on his 1st birthday.

It is insane seeing how much he has changed! He has grown "outwardly" for the longest time and has been a little chunky monkey for most of his life. It is neat to watch him grow taller now and though that means he needs new clothes, it also means he is healthy and progressing :)

My sister and brother-in law came down to Haiti this past March and were able to meet Elijah. While I hope the rest of my family meets him, sooner than later, he does get to see them through pictures and posts on Facebook. He will know his Mawmaw and Pawpaw, Nana and Poppa, Aunts, Uncles and cousins, even if it is through pictures and social media. 

Thank you so much to those of you who have been praying for our family. I hope you continue praying for us as we embark on new adventures with Immanuel Missions.

We will keep you updated as time goes on.
Enjoy the jumbled mess of photos below!