The not so little things in life

As I said my final goodbyes to the kiddos and their families, I was surprised. The ones that were the most difficult to say goodbye to were the ones that were the most difficult to treat at the beginning. Four in particular come to mind. I know that we are not supposed to have favorites, but I do. When I started 18 months ago, these were the children I dreaded seeing. They would cry and scream for the full 50 minutes and were inconsolable. I tried everything...music, cuddling, leaving them alone, playing with bubbles, playing with water, swinging, deep pressure, light up toys. Normally one of these will work to calm a child who is having trouble self-regulating and organizing themselves. These four would cry when they saw the building and would not stop until they left the building. Over the next several weeks and months, as they were beginning to trust me their behavior decreased. They would cry for less and less each session. Slowly I was able to touch them, play with them, teach them. Then one day it happened. I saw the first smile and heard the first laugh. The joy in the moment when you know you have entered into their world, their inner circle, will never get old. Now, the children will come smiling and laughing with me. They will attempt anything I ask them to try. Yes they have had their ups and downs, some treatments and better than others, but that is life. They have all made so much progress. All four, the doctors said would never walk or talk. Three of the four are now walking (granted their gait does not look typical), two are trying to communicate with words and signs, and two are interacting with the people and toys. It amazes me what a lot of love, encouragement, hard work by the child, family and therapist, and some time can do. One of the biggest things they teach you is to value the little things in life... the ability to maintain your head in midline, to track a toy with your eyes, to be able to hold your head up against gravity when you are lying on your stomach, to smile, to laugh, to reach, to sit independedntly, to transition for lying down to sitting up independently, to move forward anyway possible, to crawl, to pull up to standing, to climb, to stand independently, to take steps, to walk independently. I truly count a blessing to be in their lives for this short amount of time.