The anniversary of the birthday of Elvis Presley was just last week — January 8, 1935. If he were (or is) still alive, he would have turned 74.
Luke’s birthday is in a couple of weeks. He’s turning 2.
Uncanny. Both of their birthdays are within one month of each other, both were born in odd numbered years, and both are turning an even number. And the similarities don’t stop there.
As a tribute to two great American musicians, I’m re-serving a post from this summer, an encore presentation (not that anyone was clamoring for an encore), or a second helping of “mac and cheese,” per se. (I hope you enjoy this post as much as I do.)
8/16/2008
Every so often, my son Luke unleashes what we like to call his Elvis Face. He has a very expressive face, usually a smiling one. You could call him Mr. Personality. While I do love his smiles (oh, how I love his smiles – he has a full repertoire of smirks, half-smiles, and broad grins), my favorite face is definitely his Elvis Face.
In the spirit of the Elvis Face, I am posting post this entry as a tribute to the King, who died 31 years ago today: August 16, 1967.
The Elvis Face made its debut shortly before Luke turned one. For no apparent reason, he curled up the left side of his upper lip, keeping it curled for a relatively prolonged period of time. The effect is striking, particularly on the canvas of his pale skin, light blue eyes and round bald head. The curled lip stands in stark contrast to the peaceful backdrop of his otherwise cherubic face, making him appear mad. While he’s not angry when he makes it, the face does appear during his more serious moments. Perhaps he’s pondering a vexing issue or contemplating his place in the world.
At times, I feel as though Luke may be channeling the spirit and music of Elvis Presley, not just through his face, but through his actions. Many of Luke’s most endearing (and not so endearing) quirks could be classified by the songs and life of Elvis:
All Shook Up/ Shake Rattle and Roll/ Rock a Hula Baby
Boy, can Luke dance, particularly for a one and a half year old who just recently learned to walk. His go-to move is when he shuffles his feet quickly, turning himself around in a circle while dipping his shoulder.
Even before he could stand, he could definitely move to the music. (At times it’s music that no one else hears.) During diaper changes, he often does a shoulder shimmy when placed on his back, burrowing his shoulders into the bed, rug or changing pad.
Though he doesn’t have a jumpsuit (yet), he does love capes, often fashioning his own by wrapping himself in curtains, towels, or sheets. He also has a cloth turtle shell that he likes to wear as a cape.
Guitar Man
Luke recently took up the air guitar, and the sippy cup guitar, and the mixing spoon guitar, and the spatula guitar… (I think you get the idea – whatever he’s holding can become a guitar.) He’s currently refining his style, but it seems to be more folk and country than hard rock or heavy metal. His current song of choice is “I Won’t Back Down,” a Johnny Cash/Tom Petty song featured in the animated movie “Barnyard.”
How Great Thou Art/Graceland
Luke is extremely well behaved in Church and enjoys watching the choir and folk group. He also has an affinity for saying grace at dinner. If it was his choice, we’d say grace about five times each meal. He repeatedly puts his hands out and says “Grace?” or “Again?” often followed by “please.” At the conclusion of grace, he’ll nod and say his abbreviated version of “Amen”: ‘men. He also loves to make the sign of peace at mass.
Hound Dog
Luke is an avid dog-lover. When he sees a dog, his face lights up, he starts saying “ruff” as he points in the dogs direction. Then, he’ll head off to meet his as of yet unmet canine friend. (A bit of a concern – we’re trying to get him to be more cautious. Although he does now put out his hand for the dog to sniff and as a sign of friendship, we assume.)
Aloha From Hawaii
The Elvis Face was born a couple of months before a family trip to Hawaii. The trip was, in fact, Luke’s second trip to Hawaii (granted, the first was in utero – for the wedding of his uncle and aunt, who live in Hawaii.) Like Elvis, Luke has a strong connection to the island paradise.
Let Me Be Your Teddy Bear/Love Me Tender/Loving Arms/Hunka Hunka Burning Love
Luke has qualities that could be considered very maternal. He enjoys dolls (his older sister has dubbed him a worthy father to her baby.) He’ll hold a doll or stuffed animal very gently as he tries to feed it. He also has a tendency to get much to close for real life babies. His four-month old cousin can attest to this. Luke likes to place his head right up against hers, practically climbing on top of her. He’s also good at rocking baby swings. In addition, Luke is an excellent hugger, spreading his arms wide for a loving embrace.
Blue Christmas, Blue Moon, Blue River, A Mess of Blues, Blueberry Hill, Blue Suede Shoes, Blue Moon of Kentucky, Indescribably Blue
I reference these songs only because of a recent incident when Luke got into some blue food coloring. It was all over his face. If we hadn’t stopped him sooner, he could’ve auditioned for the role of a Smurf.
Don’t Be Cruel
While I adore my son, I am willing to acknowledge he can be a bit of a devil. If pushed, he tends to bite. His sister can be a little oblivious when she wants him to do something that he doesn’t want him to do, and if she won’t let him go, he’ll bite, and hard. Many a prolonged hug has ended in tears. (“But Dad, I was just hugging him. I love my little brother.”) He’s also begun to taunt his sister. If he has something she wants, he’ll walk toward her, hand extended, only to veer away at the last minute, smirking. And one of his favorite practical jokes is to shut a door in someone’s face. When we get home from an errand, I’ll open the door from the garage into the house and place him inside so I can get stuff from the car. When I return and begin ascending the steps toward the door, he’s usually standing there, with the door in one hand, doing his version of counting before swinging the door shut in my face as I get to the top of the steps.
Luke also evokes several other Elvis songs that are pretty self-explanatory, including T-R-O-U-B-L-E, My Boy, and Can’t Help Falling in Love.
Sadly, the Elvis Face seems to be making appearances less and less frequently. I fear he may soon grow out of it and that the Elvis Face will be just a memory. It’ll be a sad day indeed when the Elvis Face has left the building. But who knows, maybe some late night (or even during the day), walking through the grocery store, there’ll be an Elvis Face sighting.
Until then, Elvis, you’ll be missed.
I hope you enjoyed today’s re-serving of “mac & cheese.”
