How do I put into words the emotions I feel when Owen uses the words that I longed to hear. Every single word Owen speaks is a gift. A hard fought gift in the making. It has taken years for him to come this far. I know why I think he talks when the doctors told me most likely he wouldn’t talk but I can’t say for sure. I remember when the picture started becoming clearer and his eyes brighter. I remember him pulling letters out of a box one after another telling me what they were when three short days before he couldn’t. I remember the last day I gave him milk and dreaming and praying that it was going to make a difference. Today I sat waiting with him for his “therapy” and I asked him how to say, “I want a banana please in French”. This wasn’t a phrase he has been learning but he knows how to say, “I want chocolate milk please” in numerous languages. I wanted him to understand he could switch out the words and come up with more sentences. Without hesitation, he immediately said, “I want a banana please” and it was in French. I asked him for Russian, German, and Italian. He did Russian and German, saying no to Italian. We had learned the word banana earlier in the day for French, Russian, and German as he waited for the bus. I wanted to see if he already knew it in Italian. Maybe he does, maybe he doesn’t but he sure knows how to change out the words. The progress for his day didn’t stop there. When we came home I told him we were not going to see the windows, we had to come straight home, and he couldn’t yell at me. I told him that we have to work together and that he could see it next time. And that he can’t see them every time. He told me, “I have to wait my turn”. I’m not sure if that was directed at me or him but either way, we got home and he didn’t yell at me. I completely understand there are days he needs to see them to center himself but he also has to understand that we can’t always see them. Life happens, plans change, and time doesn’t always allow for it to happen. But today he handled it beautifully. We came inside and he took off his shoes. Generally, when he takes off his socks he steps on them, trying to remove them. He also screams and squeals as he’s doing it. We’ve been working on this for years. But today he sat down on the ground, without me even asking him to take his socks off, and used both hands to remove them. Hallelujah, I thought. The funny thing he had already taken his shirt off, which he never does because he wanted to “wear blue one and take a bath”. I asked him if he wanted to eat dinner first. He wanted “shrimp and that will be fifteen minutes then eat then bath”. I got his shrimp and he said, “it taste good”. He was very calm the rest of the night. He fell asleep in my arms and I was thankful for his growth today. The laughter he shares and the smile he gives my soul is the breath of fresh air I need. Never give up. There are miracles around us every day. Find your joy, share your heart, and watch your world grow. Smiles to all and donut daze!
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