The Big Guy

You've grown up this past month. 

I realized it when Ben wheeled up next to you and asked what happened to you.  He showed you his casts and wanted to see what you had.  You gave him this wise smile, as though you were understanding his innocent request and wanting to satisfy his youthful curiousity.  And then you lifted your blanket.  You - the boy with such privacy about who sees your legs - gave a gift to this boy a few years older than you, a little moment in shared stories. 

I am very proud of you.  You were so concerned for another little boy who was screaming through his x-rays.  You wanted him to know that they don't hurt, that he didn't have to cry.  It wasn't very long ago that you were that little boy, but today you held so very still through all of yours, giving the technician congratulatory pounds on the way out the door.

Tonight, I checked every single strut but did not have to turn a single one, for today

we           are           done. 

You did it, big guy.  You made it through the worst of this, and you are still YOU.  Strong, brave, intense, silly, independent YOU.

You fell asleep on what has been your favorite pillow lately - me.  Your lashes were touching your cheeks, and your sweet face was moving up and down with every one of my breaths, and I wished I could figure out a way to live my whole life in that position.

You have my heart.

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What a happy appointment we had today!  The doctor said that everything looks great and that Ish is healing well.  And then the kicker - see you in a month and we'll look to see if he's ready for those fixators to come off.  See you in a MONTH?  And maybe the fixators will come off?  We were prepared for biweekly visits and 2 months of fixators followed by a month of casts, but who can plan for these things?  We smiled all the way back to this house, and Ish had the sweetest face of victory as he told his friend David that we were finished with turns.

Tomorrow after therapy, we'll undertake the task of packing up our little space here and making the many trips to the van, one arm for the wheelchair, one arm for a box.  Repeat repeat repeat.  AND THEN GO HOME. 

Ish has just one request - a stop at Dunkin' Donuts. 

I think we can handle that.