"Mom"

It's been an incredibly long and I dare say draining summer with Liam.  It's not that he's been naughty or failing to make progress or anything like that (though he has made a sincere effort at redesigning virtually every wall in the house).  It's just the amount of time and effort that has gone into getting him to and from school.

For the past two months, he's gone to school 4 mornings a week. The only days he's missed were when he was in the hospital after his baseball incident.  Normally that wouldn't be too big a deal, but we spend the three hours that he's at school just "killing time".  It's too much of a drive to come back home, so we're stuck down there.  The air conditioning in the van is broken, so we've all been crammed into Byron's little car.  To say the least, it's taken its toll.

Then there's all the work and therapy going on at home with him.  Kassidi has been so loyal to Liam and comes twice a week every week to work with him. Sara comes twice a week as well to do therapy with him. As grueling as it feels to me sometimes, I can only imagine how it must feel to Liam.  I know he loves the attention and that work is really play to him, but we do ask so much of him.  At times, I've wondered if it's worth it.

This past week, I got confirmation. It's worth it. Every moment of hard work, literal sweat, tears, frustration, wondering if he'd ever catch on, all of it.  It's all been worth it.  Ladies and gentlemen, Liam can say "Mom".  There have been flashcards made with my picture on it (and the rest of the family, too).  There have been play toys and role playing. You name it, it's been done with him.  And, finally, after all this time my baby knows who I am. I have a word.  It's not always perfectly clear, but it's there.  I have a sign, too. That one he does beautifully.  For all those hours of hard work, one simple word has made it 100% worth it.  "Mom".  That's me.  And now Liam knows it.