This was Elijah's first ever swinging experience! It was taken on a warm day (relatively speaking) in the very late winter/early spring of 2008. As cute and happy as he looks here, this photo sends a deep sadness through my core. It elicits tears for me almost instantly. It was taken just before the chaos that is known as The Month I Wish I Could Erase From My Memory. You don't have to look too closely to see his blue lips, which was our first clue that his heart needed to be fixed. I'm just happy that Elijah's face does not reflect that this was a very very dark time for our little family.
It's funny how the early pics of Elijah always trigger such intense emotions. I can see any photo of him that is in existence and know instantly which surgery/procedure he was closest to in time. In this photo, he was about a week past his hypospadias repair last August. This was another scary time for me (on a much lesser degree) because he had a fever for 8-10 days past his surgery and I remember worrying a lot about that. You'd never know just from looking at him, though. Look at that happy face!
This photo was taken on an unseasonably warm (again, relatively speaking) day last Fall, just before his most recent heart cath. I remember trying to absorb as much warmth as possible in anticipation of winter. And little did we know what a terrible winter was in store! This is one of my favorite photos of Elijah. That cheesy, happy grin melts my heart.
This photo was taken at the beginning of June of this year. Another favorite of mine. Pure happiness on that face.
And this photo you may recognize from a post from a few days ago, taken on an unseasonably cool day last weekend.
Have you noticed any themes in this post?
1. Swinging makes Elijah very happy, and
2. our weather is always unpredictable and crazy!