less of me, MORE of HIM

It's been quite a while since I've taken the time to blog, or taken the time for many of the things I enjoy doing. Life is good, life is busy, life is tiring... but that's the life of a mom :~)

Little Bit has had his share of ups & downs. My last blog was written shortly after we started a real roller-coaster of him getting bronchitis every 4 weeks! He'd have about 2 good weeks when he would start eating again & be a happy little boy... then the cough would start up, and the congestion would worsen, until we reached the point that he was bad enough to get extra medication (and another round of antibiotics) to help knock it down. He's now 20 months old. We've now been through 8 rounds of bronchitis, 3 upper respiratory infections, 2 sinus infections, 2 ear infections, roseola, and have cut our first 3 molars.

It's not all bad, though, there have been good reports too. The second hole in his heart closed up (miraculously), so he not only escaped surgery, but the cardiologist said his heart is "completely normal & he doesn't need to come back to see us any longer". He had bronchitis far less often this winter than last. He's adjusting well to his hearing aids (which he's had for a year now). He's made great progress with self-feeding and is almost off baby food. And, his eye doctor said he found no signs of any of the eye problems that are typically associated with Down's Syndrome!

Little Bit is a happy-go-lucky guy most of the time, and is a real flirt any time a pretty girl (of any age) is in the vicinity! At 20 months he is still not standing alone or walking. He doesn't crawl, but scoots very quickly - and can often make it across the room to dump out the dog's water dish before I can catch him! He enjoys trying things for himself, and has some very strong likes & dislikes - especially with food. His personality is really starting to come forth & he can be quite strong willed, and is starting to get frustrated when he's not understood.

Through all my interactions with dear Little Bit, I'm really starting to understand that we are all born heathens... and would remain that way if God didn't have mercy on us! Training this special child to do the right thing & obey parents and teachers has been a wonderful reminder that the Lord has exhibited great patience with me... and that I need to set the same example, of a loving but firm parent who wants the best for my child. Sometimes that includes saying "no" repeatedly when he's really determined to do something that I don't want him to do, and having to repeat the same lesson later the same day... he'll get it eventually!

Thankfully, he is getting a lot of therapy to help him and has a teacher of the deaf working with him every week. Sweet Baboo & I both know some sign language and were thrilled when Little Bit started signing "amen" at the end of grace. He's starting to pick up on the fact that he can talk with his hands, so we're hoping it will help him communicate with us. He loves to tease Sweet Baboo by signing "Mama" to him instead of "Dada"... of course, at this point "Mama" means Mama or Dada, it means I want to be picked up, I want more of that food, Please pay attention to me, etc. Amazing how one word can convey so much meaning :~)

Little Bit's parents have been making progress in recovering from their addictions and trying to establish a stable home environment in the hopes that they will be able to gain custody of him (which they lost at birth) and an older sibling. We expect that they will have visitation rights increased steadily over the next several months & that Little Bit may go to live with them by the end of the year. Their family still has a lot of issues to grapple with and will continue to have to deal with them for years to come.

My prayer through this journey is, "Lord, let whatever is best for Little Bit happen". It is easy to see what I think is best for me... who would ever wish to face the heartache of having a long-awaited child removed from their arms? And yet, it is what we agreed to at the very beginning, fully realizing that the Lord has done far more for us. How could we do anything less than what He's asked? We owe Him a debt of love.