Skip to main content

Can You Sign Love?






I realize that we are overdue for some Leo pictures, but first, let me tell you what is making me happy today.

Well actually, there are a couple things.

First, scroll down and take a peep at the hit counter on this blog. 96, 587??!!! Really? REALLY?! I can't tell you how this makes me feel. Ok, you've convinced me. I'll try to share. The fact that over the last almost two years of Leo's life you have faithfully read this blog, emailed it to friends, and mentioned his name in your prayers, breaks my heart. In a very good way, but there you have it. It breaks my heart to know that over 96 thousand times someone has thought of our boy and read my, very frequently, rambling and badly composed words. I'm so happy that Leo's story holds so much that you are still clicking back to this blog. Why would that make me happy? Because in some way, perhaps that is one of the reasons all this happened in the first place.  No baby is born without purpose and no baby dies without purpose either. Perhaps somewhere, somehow, Leo's story will give someone hope, and I can't imagine a better purpose then that.
All I can say, though trite, is nevertheless, said with the whole heart: THANK YOU!!

The second is that today, Leo officially has communicated his first word. And it seems to fit the theme of this post in some way. Although he has been making sounds like Mama for a while, today he signed the word "baby" at me. After a month of 'Baby Signing Time class," at the local library I wasn't sure if I should write it off as a waste of time since he didn't seem to be catching on. However, today, when Leo was playing with a baby doll which promptly got lost in a corner he turned to me, and very empathically, made the sign for "baby." He was surprised when instead of fetching it for him, his mama started bawling swooped him into a huge and embarrassing bear hug...  Sheesh mum, get a grip!




Ok, baby, I don't promise anything, but you keep using these chubby fingers for signing instead of grabbing and pulling my hair or other parts of my anatomy and I will try to keep the tears of joy from overpowering me too often..



Trying to relax on the new deck. Leo isn't sold yet on the whole new house experience.

 But bouncing around on the bed with big sister is fun anywhere!! These pics taken by said big sis after Leo performed his gymnastics of standing up for a couple second on his own and then free falling backwards. So hilarious, but slighty nerve wracking for the supervising grownup..






Comments

  1. Matushka AnnaJune 2, 2012 at 9:40 AM

    Leo has been a gift to all of us and thank you for sharing him! I do wonder how many people know about Leo and pray for him. He's a permanent fixture on my blog's prayer list, I update about him, he is commemorated at every Liturgy at our parish. And I know I'm one person. Leo is very well loved!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Janelle thegeekywifeJune 2, 2012 at 4:35 PM

    Such a doting sister!

    ReplyDelete
  3. AdrianaBJune 2, 2012 at 7:19 PM

    He is such a cute little boy! I think he gained some weight since last time you put pics with him..:)

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousJune 3, 2012 at 10:29 AM

    Wow, he's really grown since the last picture... what a handsome little man! ;-) I am SO excited about his first word!!! Think about sharing this story at http://www.signingtime.com/stories. <3

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousJune 3, 2012 at 2:29 PM

    It just takes a few seconds to check every day and see if there is more news and more events to praise our God for.....and there are still a group of men at ISP who pray daily for Leo and the whole family. I am grateful for the on going miracle of your son. affectionately, Claire

    ReplyDelete
  6. Amanda ThrasherJune 4, 2012 at 12:08 PM

    He is just precious!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

With Mixed Feelings

So for the past couple weeks my feed has been filled with the "back to school" and "end of summer" and "beginning of parental freedom from their annoying offspring" photos. It's ok, I totally get it. Another year, another back to school pic, another notch in the door jamb, and another chapter of growth and development with junior. Look at him go! Or not, as the case may be for many children. According to the CDC (Centers for Disease control and Prevention) one in six children has one...a developmental disability. A stamp of "not normal" across their foreheads. A number. A check mark in a box. My kid is one of them. I heard a brief segment on NPR that enticingly started out with the title of developmental delays on the rise, a 17% increase over the last twelve years. And though I turned up the volume the segment only talked about how it's probably only due to poverty, and it's only the upper classes that actually pursue diagnosis...
34 comments
Read more

Pharmaceutical Fallout

"Back to the hospital?! You're joking right?!" I'm sure you guys are wondering what's been up with the Lion this past week after our worrisome VEEG adventure.  To tell you the truth, I feel like I've been taking shots of Leo's drugs and consequently feel dull and numb and just plain depressed. That is now of course, two days ago I was running high on adrenalin and resembled a charging rhino. I'll tell you why: So after being put on his new drug, Trileptal, Leo definitely started having a cessation of seizure activity, unfortunately however, he also started having severe headaches, photophobia, inconsolable crying and then in the last couple of days, a rash on his thighs, face, and hands. Just as an FYI the word "rash" is a magic word that will open the doors of the medical castle faster and slicker than a trojan horse. It's true, one does not mess about with allergic reactions. Day 1 Day 2 (rash got progressively ang...
2 comments
Read more

The School Bus As Metaphor

A school bus can mean all sorts of different things: dread, boredom, excitement, responsibility, change...it means something different to all of us. I was primarily homeschooled as a kid, and though I preferred that, there was still an element of desire and curiosity for me every time I saw a school bus when I was young.  I couldn't help but wonder what it would have been like to be part of the school bus world. Of course I didn't have to wonder about it for very long because I did, in many ways, have the ideal education. There was that time I took the winter off from school instead of summer to practice my extra curricular work which was...downhill skiing and snowboarding. Then there was the part-time jobs at the local farms that I was able to do because of my own set and very flexible school hours. To clarify, because it sounds like I didn't do any academics at all in the above two sentences, I did. Lots. Tons. But I did them efficiently and completely independently, e...
Post a Comment
Read more