Noah & The Bath Seat

Noah's grandma bought him a bath seat from Toys R Us the other day. I was so excited thinking that it was Noah's ticket to sitting up while taking a bath, but no luck. His legs are much too long to get him and his body in it. And he was very traumatized by it. I think I heard the exact scream that he did for Santa. So it will be returned. We'll just have to hope he learns to sit eventually, and I suppose if worse comes to worse and he outgrows the baby tub, we'll be bathing together for a while. Originally I was hoping to get him the V-Tech Sit to Stand Walker that was on sale for $24.99, but they were all sold out. Maybe it was a sign that it's premature for me to think about him walking.

We've seen some small improvements with Noah, they are so small that no one else would probably notice them but us. He is accomplishing tummy time with being able to hold his head in the air, he has leg action, but no arm action. I'm still hopeful that one day he might crawl even if it's an army crawl or something. I just hope he will find a way to be mobile. He's sitting for longer periods with assistance without arching backwards, and has found a way to get both hands to midline to grab, but still lacks the ability to hold onto things for very long or get anything to his mouth.

I asked his occupational therapist if she thought that it was frustrating for Noah that he couldn't rub his eyes or itch his nose, and she said that she thought he could get his hands there if he had to, they do bend that far, but it is an effort for him to do so.

His occupational therapist recommended that Noah might really enjoy a remote control car that could be modified for a special switch for Noah, a way of communicating and making things move. So his grandma and I went to Wal-mart tonight and she got him a red Silverado truck. I think he'll love it.

As we were leaving I didn't have any money to give to the Salvation Army bell ringer, so my mom gave me a dollar for the bucket. As I turned around after leaving the dollar the gentleman said in a very loving voice "God Bless You". Those three words in an instant filled me with overwhelming emotion and I just wanted to cry. I try often to be very stoic especially in public or with people who do not know our journey and I think he possibly caught me off guard, and I wanted to hold onto those three little words, put them in my pocket, ride home, open Noah's hand and place them in it. In a day there is simply just so many things that are only in God's hands. As much as I want the control over how I want things to go, it simply may or may not be in the cards. And waiting to see how things are going to turn out is difficult. I want that crystal ball, I want that fortune cookie, that tells me that in the end it's all going to be okay. If someone could tell me today that without a doubt, Noah will sit, he will crawl, he will walk, and he will talk, my heart could calm down, my tears could permanently dry, because I knew it was going happen someday. It's the uncertainty that fills my days with worry.

Miracles happen everyday, and Noah is a miracle just by having survived what was almost the impossible. I have to keep thinking that God will take him the whole way. That he'll be slower off the starting line, but will have the biggest, most beautiful finish.

Love,
Stacy, Chris & Noah