The Small Things

Thanksgiving rolled in on a blast of icy winter.

That is our backyard. In case you were wondering. Our backyard which is located in Vermont, not Siberia though you wouldn't notice the difference sometimes. It's brutally cold and people talk funny.

Plummeting mercury, ice and snow, ushered fall out like a cranky bouncer does a unwelcome bar fly. 

The shock of it caused a round of colds and probable ear infections and other general wintery symptoms in our house. The humans and animals resorted to whatever coping technique that was available to deal with the sudden decent into the dead of winter.

The animals took comfort in the wood stove, and the rest of us had to make do with sweaters and grouchy morning grumbles. 

We discovered, unfortunately, that Leo not only reacts to extreme heat, but also to extreme cold. Many special needs kids have temperature regulation issues, but till now, other then getting a seizure during a rare Vermont heatwave, the little lion seemed to have been fine.  

Perhaps it was the cold that he's had for weeks now, on top of the suddenly bitter cold, but whatever it was, Leo showed that he doesn't do well with temperature change. He just about kicked into hypothermia one day when we went to pick up sister from school. Blue in the face and shivering like mad. It took him awhile to warm up that time and we have since then taken extra precautions to make sure he doesn't go through rapid temperature change. No seizures as yet since the one in the beginning of the month, and he is scheduled to see his neurologist in a couple weeks. Hopefully we will get some answers....we aren't holding our breath though. Leo charts his own path through the medical books.

Leo doing his "I'm da-bomb" move.

 And in other news, Leo is growing up everyday! I know, right?! How does he do that.... I often forget that he is three now because of his delays. He's often surpassed in most areas by one and half years olds. But you know the lion. He doesn't let it get him down, and refers condescendingly to everyone under 3.5 ft as "baby." 

Though perhaps the double Paci trick might need some more work.....

But he IS growing and with the next size up in clothes, he also is growing in character. He is a far cry from the angelic alien baby who laid in one spot and giggled and gurgled all day long his first year. 

Now, we can use words such as screaming siren, whirling dervish, or my particular favorite: little hellion to describe him. 

Of course he is not all bad; when he is good, he is great...

But it doesn't help that when he is bad, we think it's great that he is developed enough to be "normally" bad....

Yeah I know, it's confusing... for us too! 

However, when he does something marvelous like yell from the car backseat "I love you!" I think he is the smartest, bestest, cutest boy who ever lived. 

Papa and Sister working some culinary magic for our Thanksgiving meal.

So Thanksgiving is the easiest holiday in the world for us now. Because we have a lot of practice at being thankful. We can even be thankful for the "bad" stuff, because if it were a choice of a naughty Leo or no Leo,  I would pick the lion any day, everyday, with lots of sleep, or no sleep (which is more usual) with shunt and brain damage, with therapies, seizures, heartache and anxiety, we would raise our glass for him.

We also raise a thankful glass to all of Leo's friends, and cheer leaders, people who believed and continue to believe (crazy I know!) that we aren't the worst parents in the world, and that everything will somehow turn out ok in the end. You guys rock. 

Speaking of rocking, check out Leo rock the slide! After months of needing help and support getting on and down; Leo can do it himself, thank you very much.