Leaps and Bounds

It is amazing the things you find so exciting as a parent.  Such small milestones seem like such a big deal!  I was so proud of Ander on Saturday.  We went to McDonald's for lunch with some friends and Ander climbed all the way through the PlayPlace tubes and went down the slide all on his own!  I seriously almost cried!  He has been content just climbing into the entrance and sitting on the floor in all the other kids' way for the longest time.  This accomplishment feels even bigger when I take his eyesight into account.  I was so excited that he had done it on his own and in his own time!

There's always those moments when I have to thank God for how blessed we truly are.  I remember soon after Ander was born, Kyle and I were sitting the the parents' lounge in the NICU eating lunch and overheard a new daddy exclaiming, "She just pooped by herself for the first time!" Wow!  How humbling when I think of the heartache I felt for my little guy who may have had IVs, but barely needed oxygen, was born 5 weeks early, and was able to come home after 6 days.  Some of these babies are in there for months!

There is a family that lived within 20 miles of us when we were on the farm who has a little boy, perhaps 3 years older than Ander, who also is vision impaired.  I have wanted to add the mama to my friend's list on Facebook so many times, and yet I can't bring myself to it!  We have it so much easier than her little guy does!  This is a very God-fearing family and I know ultimately they would rejoice with those who rejoice, but I also know how painful it is to see someone who is so to say "categorized with you" and having an easier go of it,  It is so human to feel such pain!

Today the mama posted the link to Levi, her son's, Caring Bridge page.  For those of you that aren't familiar with Caring Bridge, it's a website designed for people who are struggling with a health issue to keep people informed on their story,  Anyway, my heart broke as I read some of their journal entries.  Levi has corneal scarring that is taking away his vision in each eye.  He is also very sensitive to light and it hurts when he's in the sunshine (photophobic).  I think the part that killed me most was when she talked about her son starting to communicate more and be around other kids.  She wrote,

 "I find my heart filling with dread once again. Perhaps because I know that he will begin to notice that he is different from other children and will begin to question why. Two nights ago, he came upstairs and pointed to his eye and said, 'Mommy, my eye is broken.' I repeated what he said to be sure I understood and he nodded in agreement. Then he pointed to my eyes and said, 'I have your eyes?' At that moment, I would have given anything to 'trade' eyes with Levi. At any time, I would gladly take Levi's pain and bear it for him. As every mother knows, it is the worst feeling of pain, knowing your child is hurting whether it is physical or emotional and I feel it so many times for all my children at every stage. However, I am daily learning to let go of the 'if only's' and let go of my view on how things should be and to walk on with God into the unknown."  

What an enduring woman leaning on our Heavenly Father!  I don't know if it is right or not that I feel the need to shield her from the joy and relief we feel for the blessing of how much Ander can see.

We had a blizzard the other day that left us with a foot of snow on the ground.  We quickly found out that Ander does not do well in the snow.  He definitely has difficulty seeing and gets frustrated or perhaps even scared.  I don't know.  It will be nice when he can tell us more of what he sees.  His speech has just taken off in the last month or so!  He is learning new things every day (again, giving us joy) and copying everything we say (making us *really* conscientious about what we say)!  The other night Kyle was putting Solveig into her jammies and she started flexing her toe upward, resisting.  In frustration and with humor he said, "Solveig stop!  You're going to make me break your little toes off!"  Ander lay tucked into his bed with puppy under one arm and his panda under the other and said, "Dada break tister's toes off?"  We reassured him that no toes would be broken off.

Anyway, it is so exciting to be able to communicate with your child!  Solveig is right behind Ander copying much of what he says and will answer yes or no questions.  They can get into such trouble together, but overall I am excited to open their bedroom door each morning.  I know that I will be greeted with shrieks of excitement and hugs and that's so worth getting up for! :-)