Almost three

I tell Elijah that his birthday will come when most all the trees are covered in red, yellow and orange leaves. It's just a few weeks off now, and we are all anticipating the big hair cut (upsherin). When I agreed not to cut Elijah's hair for three years, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Wherever we go, strangers comment on his gorgeous hair and are subsequently shocked to discovered the Elijah is in fact a boy. It has never bothered me, and Elijah doesn't even seem to notice. We are now in the process of growing out his bangs (I cheated and trimmed them on several occasions), and we recently started using a small clip to keep them out of his eyes. It makes for a particularly cute look.

In accordance with Jewish tradition, the age of three marks the end of babyhood. Apparently Elijah agrees. I recently referred to him as "my baby" and he immediately said, "I am not a baby, I'm a boy." I then asked if he's a big boy or a little boy, to which he smiled and said "Big boy!"

The self-proclaimed big boy has yet to show an interest in potty training, but that is quite fine with me. He still loves stuffed animals and spends long stretches of time playing with them on the couch. When I go to make dinner, I love listening to him chat with his band of furry friends.

He is increasingly goofy and definitely has a wild streak. A week ago, he bit my leg without provocation or warning. I'm told that my mom and I went through biting phases as children, so I like to think that such outbursts are unrelated to my parenting and primarily attributable to genetics.
Yesterday marked Elijah's greatest feat of mischief to date. After returning from a neighborhood walk, Amiel and I went to hang up our coats. As I left the closet, I was flabbergasted to discover Elijah aiming a broom handle towards a collection of wine glasses on the counter. I called out for him to stop but was too late. Two of the glasses flew to the wood floor, and shards of glass scattered in every direction. Amiel witnessed the incident and insists that Elijah was curious to learn what happens when glasses are knocked to the floor. Apparently Amiel was a particularly 'curious' kid, so I guess he would know. Despite our recent challenges, I do appreciate some of Elijah's more clever antics. This afternoon, I caught him scoping out my desk, a firmly established No-Elijah-Zone. I shot him a look, and he promptly scampered away from it. A moment later, he approached me with his head cocked to one side. "Mommy, could you please turn around?" I eyed him suspiciously, "Do you want me to turn around so you climb onto my desk?" A devilish grin spread across his face, "Yes." I could have feigned disbelief, but instead I just laughed.
But Elijah is not all mischief. He is creative, inquisitive and endlessly entertaining. He is curious about the concept of day and night, and he likes to hear about the sun visiting Israel when it leaves Chicago for the night. He randomly bursts into song and rarely misses a note. His new favorite word is "actually," but he can't seem to get the pronunciation right. He recently told me to "Drive Safely!" on my way to work, and when I told him that I loved him he replied, "I love you too and I love you."