Last night was pretty normal, no biggie. We were rocking along as usual after Daddy went back to the band hall after dinner for rehearsal. We did all the usual things, with the usual amount of prodding from mama for the no-fun things like toy pickup.
After baths, we all kinda congregate in Maelynn's room. In a manner befitting "Wild Kingdom" we funnel all the kids into Maelynn's room because it's closest. All our kids, neurotypical and neurodiverse alike, still need help dressing in one way or another. Which reminds me... do you realize how funny boys' underoos look on backward?
Anyway, as I attempted to organize this mass chaos, Ryan walks about four feet from me and says "To mommy." About a second later, I look up just in time to see not only a hollow, plastic bunch of grapes fall into my lap, but to see Ryan giving me full eye contact.
I about fell over.
"You're trying to play catch with me! Oh my gosh, Ryan! That is so cool!"
And we did. Sorta. He catches worse than his mama, but that's okay. He asked me to play. He wanted to play with me. We did attempt to play catch for a couple of go-arounds, but then he lost interest.
This is one of those things that I waited for. This is one of those little milestones that made me quit reading those sweet little milestone emails that any baby-affiliated organization sends now. One by one, and sometimes a bunch at a time, he missed them.
If you knew how much time I have spent, especially when he was tiny, begging to roll the ball to mama. If you only knew the sick, vacuous feeling of knowing that something isn't right, but being determined to prove them wrong. I can tell you until I'm blue in the face, but it's hard to feel until you've felt it, and then comes the catch... I don't want you to have to.
We still have such a long way to go. But there are shining moments, although few and far between, when we get to see him play the way we've wanted to all along. And the look on his face? Pure pride. It's like he'd been practicing for days and couldn't wait to show me.
And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. ~Galatians 6:9
We will keep pedaling. We will keep encouraging, driving to therapies, reading, researching, and praying. We will keep going even on days when we don't get a nice surprise like his first voluntary game of catch with his mom. We will keep going.
Because he's amazing, and he's ours. Or wait...
Because he's a child of God.
Thanks be to God for the gift of progress!
After baths, we all kinda congregate in Maelynn's room. In a manner befitting "Wild Kingdom" we funnel all the kids into Maelynn's room because it's closest. All our kids, neurotypical and neurodiverse alike, still need help dressing in one way or another. Which reminds me... do you realize how funny boys' underoos look on backward?
Anyway, as I attempted to organize this mass chaos, Ryan walks about four feet from me and says "To mommy." About a second later, I look up just in time to see not only a hollow, plastic bunch of grapes fall into my lap, but to see Ryan giving me full eye contact.
I about fell over.
"You're trying to play catch with me! Oh my gosh, Ryan! That is so cool!"
And we did. Sorta. He catches worse than his mama, but that's okay. He asked me to play. He wanted to play with me. We did attempt to play catch for a couple of go-arounds, but then he lost interest.
This is one of those things that I waited for. This is one of those little milestones that made me quit reading those sweet little milestone emails that any baby-affiliated organization sends now. One by one, and sometimes a bunch at a time, he missed them.
If you knew how much time I have spent, especially when he was tiny, begging to roll the ball to mama. If you only knew the sick, vacuous feeling of knowing that something isn't right, but being determined to prove them wrong. I can tell you until I'm blue in the face, but it's hard to feel until you've felt it, and then comes the catch... I don't want you to have to.
We still have such a long way to go. But there are shining moments, although few and far between, when we get to see him play the way we've wanted to all along. And the look on his face? Pure pride. It's like he'd been practicing for days and couldn't wait to show me.
And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. ~Galatians 6:9
We will keep pedaling. We will keep encouraging, driving to therapies, reading, researching, and praying. We will keep going even on days when we don't get a nice surprise like his first voluntary game of catch with his mom. We will keep going.
Because he's amazing, and he's ours. Or wait...
Because he's a child of God.
Thanks be to God for the gift of progress!
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