Elijah Necklace

Blue zircon stone in gold filled mounting. Shown both front and back (wearing either way is so pretty)!

Made in the USA.

Created in collaboration with @hannah.booker

We met our sweet Elijah when he was 10 days old after being given the honor of being chosen as his parents by his fearless birth mom. We knew when meeting him that he had a cleft palate, but the rest of his and his biological family’s health history was widely unknown.

The first year of his life was spent struggling through feedings, difficulty with reflux and vomiting, and compromised breathing. He was diagnosed “failure to thrive” multiple times during this period due to his inability to gain and maintain his weight. At nine months old he had a gastrointestinal tube placed, making feedings “simpler” but not lending him much reprieve. In the midst of it all, Elijah was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder called Kabuki Syndrome. His palate was repaired when he was 14 months old. This offered some improvements but also led to new obstacles.

Elijah will continue to face struggles throughout his life, but we have no doubt he will continue to overcome each one. He is brave and so courageous, he is sweet to his core, and he is always silly. Sometimes his cleft palate seems like a distant past but the perseverance we learned during those first 14 months will not soon be forgotten.