Just Plain Happy

 

 

My children amaze me every day. Whether it's some stunt they've pulled that's so insane that no one else on the planet could have thought it up, or coming up with some deep thought that far surpasses my brain's capacity, or...well, whatever it is that kids come up with, I'm always amazed.

Like his siblings, Liam never disappoints in the amazing accomplishments category.  It seems in the past couple of months, he's managed to do things that I never imagined would be in his immediate future.  The other day, we were at the park. There is a slide there that has a series of tubes that turn as you go down it so that they can propel you down. Liam came up to me with tears in his eyes and showed me his finger. He looked me in the eye and said, "Hurts. The slide did it."  I immediately understood what he was trying to tell me and was able to console him before sending him off giggling into the crowd of other small children destined for playground injuries. For any other kid, this scenario would be a typical day at the park. Kid goes to the park. Kid gets hurt at the park. Kid tell Mommy about his injury. Mommy kisses it. Kid runs off playing.  In Liam's case, though, one of those steps is usually missed. Usually the part where he verbally tells me what is wrong never happens. Usually I have to guess and hope I get it right.  The fact that Liam recognized that he was hurt and could tell me that AND how he got hurt is huge. 

Reading. Liam is trying to read. I taught him how to sound out letters and he's doing it. Obviously it has to be fairly simple words, but he's getting the concept faster than I can come up with new words. He's memorizing them almost instantly, so I'm constantly searching for new words to challenge him with.  The fact that his school has taught him all the letters and the sounds they make has made my job of teaching him to actually make words that much easier. The fact that he understands the language needed to explain it to him is truly miraculous.

NO MORE POOCASSO!!!!!  This is huge for Liam. We used repetition, pictures, songs, dances, everything you can imagine and FINALLY Liam has his sensory issues under control enough that he is no longer doing disgusting things in his room.  His walls have been stripped, everything cleaned and perfected, and all that's left to do in there is a final coat of lovely, clean colonial blue paint.  He's so delighted with his new wonderful space and we're all grateful that he's past that particularly yucky phase of his life.

Lastly, this kid is just plain happy.  There's no other more appropriate word to describe him. Even though his language is limited, he just lights up a room when he walks in. He's delighted with life and every single detail of it. He will knock you over with a hug when you walk in the door, giggle in spite of himself at everything new, find joy in every toy, and give more love than anyone could ever imagine possible for such a little person.  Liam is joy.  Pure and simple.