I wrote a while back about
Elijah’s obsessions throughout his short life and we have more of them as he
grows. He has always been an interesting little guy, making us proud at every
opportunity. Grabbing knowledge like it was food for his soul. I think he is a
geek, if one so young can be called such. What other six-year-old walks around
counting everything or spelling his sight words at the top of his voice? Telling
his Pap Pap about the adventures of the Anaconda or describing the size of a
tooth from the Megaladon (which, incidentally, is the largest whale to ever
swim the oceans)? Well, he turned six years old this month and he is still
showing the same intensity in everything he does and, while he is still wanting
to visit his fire and police stations, his focus has changed to other things.
How about garbage trucks? His
whole fifth year was learning about the garbage trucks. Our trash collector comes
anywhere from 5:00 to 7:00 a.m. on Monday’s and Friday’s. No matter how early,
there’s a boy in the window watching. And then telling us about it in a loud
shriek. Early in the morning. Before coffee.
He’s borrowed every DVD in the
library that has a garbage truck in it. We now know how they are built. We know
where they are built. We’ve learned about front loaders and rear loaders and
their functions. But his personal favorite is the automated side loader. Yes,
he has a favorite refuse collector. For those of you who may not have ever seen
one, it has a robotic arm that swoops up your trash can, empties it into the
truck and deposits it gracefully back on the sidewalk, thereby eliminating the
need for the additional trash man riding the back in between stops. I actually
had to follow one of those smelly things home once so he could observe the
process. What we do in the name of love.
Hello, music. Of course, his love
of music goes way back. Since his introduction to the Imagination Movers…if you
don’t know who they are, you best be scrolling through my blogs to learn… at
about eight months of age, music has been in his life. And we are a music
loving family. But of course Elijah being Elijah, he has to take it one step
further. He eats pizza and makes up a song about what pizza is or what’s on it.
He sees something on TV and right away he’s singing about it. Commercial
jingles. Movie soundtracks. He’s on it. This is in addition to knowing every
word to every song the Movers have ever released.
But the latest real obsession is
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. He was Donatella for Halloween. Our Christmas
included two, yes two, Shell Raiser vehicles, stickers, ninja dudes, masks,
swords, jammies and a sweatshirt…you name it, he got it. His Christmas money was spent on a large sized
Rafael and a helicopter thing with buckets for ooze. His sixth birthday? TMNT
sheets, comforter, throw, tattoos, Michelangelo and birthday cake…along with
the appropriate decorations, napkins and plates. He spent his birthday money on
a shell. That he refused to take off once he got to the cashier (she had to
scan it while it was on his back). Wherever we go, he wears a mask, and now his
shell, and carries a sword. We attract a lot of attention.
Along that line, he has a mild,
if anything Elijah does can be considered mild, romance with the Power Rangers.
Who, incidentally, fight the ninjas. He has every color, with weapons included.
Our battles of the rangers and the ninjas rage long and loud.
I wonder, as always, how long the
latest “thing” will last. How long I will be transporting a ninja turtle to
Target or the mall. How long will he scan the insert that comes with each
turtle looking for next winner? How long will I be waging war as a power ranger
against the mighty ninja turtle dudes? It doesn’t matter. As long as Elijah is
along for the ride…or driving the shell raiser…I’m willing to play along. He
has such style and energy, you can’t help but love it. And him.
