A bright spot!

Lately I find myself wishing away the summer. It's too hot for the littles to play outside. Even if it weren't, it's too buggy, or they eat gravel and grass and rubber mulch. There is too much TV, too much laying around, too much crying, too much bickering. You might say that our days are full...of the wrong stuff. Why can't we have three months of vacation in the fall when the weather is tolerable?

I'm so thankful for the little bright spots in our otherwise boring and lazy summer. With twelve children, we can always find something to celebrate! Here is the bright spot for today...

I almost can't believe what I saw this morning. If you have followed us for awhile, you might know about Max and his struggles to eat and drink. WHY do children raised in institutional settings have feeding issues? This is SO basic. I believe it demonstrates that even basic care isn't basic enough. Anyhow...

Getting Max to drink has been the biggest challenge. Initially, he would only accept liquid from a spoon. And then he had developed a way of tipping his head back and swallowing without closing his mouth. Like a baby bird. Can you imagine how labor intensive that was?

I brought him juice boxes a few times while we were still just visiting. I'm not sure what they did to him there, but the mere sight of a straw provoked an anxiety attack. For the past year he has used a sippy cup without the stopper. It allowed him to stay hydrated, but also allowed him to dump out water and play in it. Great fun, eh?! 

A few months ago, I put the stopper into the cup to see how he would do. Sure enough, he figured out how to suck enough to get the water out! I would offer him a straw from time to time. I would let him SEE me using one. Sometimes I would just leave a straw on the table where he could see it.

Even though I knew Max was making slow progress, I was FLOORED today when his speech theraptist told me he drank from a straw today. She was shocked, too! He just DID it. He wasn't coaxed or convinced, He just took the cup and drank.

When Max came out to the waiting room, I got a demonstration...and photographic proof that it happened!!

We still have lots of work to do, and another four boring weeks of summer, but today we are celebrating Max, his determination, and his new skills. What are you celebrating today?