We Call Him Sidge

That is...everyone calls him Sidge, except his baby sister, Abigail, who is the only one he doesn't correct whenever she calls, "yijah" (and sometimes his daddy goes unchallenged, when being firm, calls him by his surname "Elijah Luke").  Sidge is what his 8 month older brother called him before he could pronounce his name and hence Elijah has decided his name is Sidge.
I first met him when he was 3 years, 8 months old:

October 2012

He greeted me immediately with a huge hug and began telling me all about his toys, on a very early morning of September 24, 2012.
He is full of energy and intensity.  By intensity I mean he is passionate - about his thoughts, his emotions, his joys, his sorrows, his love, his ideas, his imagination, his toys, his frustrations, his anger,  whatever he is learning, about being his daddy's Sous Chef, about his baby sister and his brother - just everything.
I leave him now when he's 4 years, 5 months old.
When I 1st arrived, he talked so fast, I could barely understand him, consistently requiring his mom's translation.  I would often tell him to slow down and tell me again, slower so that I could understand him.  He would just repeat it as fast, but without really making eye contact.  One day I said, "Sidge, hold my eyes when you are talking, keep looking at me..."  He reached up and cupped his hands around the sides of my eyes and repeated what he said. 
He was quick to connect, and it took me a minute to adjust myself from my quiet life with grown sons, to being around this ball of bright energy.  He talks very fast and he likes to stand very close, when one is at eye level and often turning your face to his, if he isn't sure you're paying full attention.  I have found him to be happiest when doing something with him.  It could be anything.  He is just thrilled to be with you and engaging in conversation.  He is so sweet.  When he runs out of steam and things get quiet for a few moments, he'll say, "Aunt Connie?" and I may catch myself braced to answer the 700th question of the day, trying not to sound a little exasperated, "Yes Sidgey" and he comes back with, "Aunt Connie, I LOOOOOVE you."  Gulp.
It's still that way.  At the most random times.  One day I was pushing him in the grocery cart.  His siblings were up ahead with his mom and he was quiet for a moment.  I found myself exhaling, not realizing @ the time that he was stroking my hands, studying them, he said, "Aunt Connie?"  "yes darlin?"  "Aunt Connie I just LOOOOOVE you."  Gulp, "I love you too Sidge."  He: "What is this line in your hand, is it your knuckle?"  "No, that is my vein, my knuckles are here."  He: "Listen, well what is a vein?"  He loves whenever I sing silly songs, lately it's been "Weeeee're off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of oz....because, because, because, because.....because of the wonderful things he does!"  and he loves to hold the 2nd to last "Because" as long as he can with both his arms wide and extended upwards.
Our "thing" is to go to Cafe Bean together on base.  I took him there the other day and bought him his regular muffin and juice.  Got him all set up @ a table and waited for my latte.  When I sat down, he said with a big smile and warm tone, "I KNEW you would sit right next to me!"  Now and again we have taken a walk along the ocean boardwalk.  He walks on the wall, holding onto my hand and tells me everything in his little head, the entire walk.  When I asked him what he thought he would do when my boys came to visit, he told me, "I will just show them everything around this island and tell them everything I know about this island!"
Especially in the last 3 months, he readily gives me big hugs and kisses any time I ask.  He likes to sit on my lap if we're watching a dvd or I'm helping to tighten his shoes.  Snuggly and affectionate.
Today, I was asking him and his brother the Super Hero names. Sidge's rendition went something like this:  "Well, there is Batman and he fights bad guys Penguin, Joker, Mr. Freeze and Two Face.  Spawn is a bad Spiderman and Bazaro is a bad Superman and there is Flash, and I am fast like Flash.  I'm so fast you can probably hardly see me!" -- like all in one breath with so many expressions having crossed over his face, with hand motions and all.
He wants to learn everything, his brain is like a sponge.  And he is so animated, you'd swear you can see his wheels spinning in his head to track and learn whatever you tell him.  We climbed the rocks by the ocean the other day and I'd told him to watch out for the crevices.  I told him today that if the weather is good, tomorrow I will take him to climb the rocks.  His response was, "Okay, and we will watch for the crevices and we will not climb the treacherous rocks!"
The funniest story recently that still makes me laugh is after John and Wendi told the boys that the baby inside mommy's tummy was a girl.  They took a minute to understand this, so John said, "So, just like you are brothers, you and Abigail are going to have a baby sister."  I remember their response being sort of anticlimactic.  Days later when Joni was visiting, Wendi told Sidge to tell Joni what the baby in mommies tummy is going to be.  Sidge told Joni, very emphatically, "Listen, well Abigail is gonna have a baby sister!"  Joni said, "So if Abigail is going to have a baby sister, that means you are too right?"  Sidge, "No, just Abigail.  We don't need one because we already have one."
This is the most recent photo I have of him:

 Goodbye for now Mr. Sidge.  I sure do love you little man.