At the time of his adoption (when he was 5 months old), we were given a dim view of his future. We were told that he had a 100% chance of delays. It was not clear how severe these delays would be, but could include the inability to walk and talk, limited ability to learn, vision problems, seizures...the list was daunting.
We took comfort in one special person. Our case worker from the adoption agency. The night before he was to placed, permanently, in our arms she had a dream. The dream was of an older Little Dude, standing on a field, playing baseball.
From that moment on, we, as a family, made a choice for our little man. We would focus on the special and not the needs.
With Little Dude the special is not hard to find. He is tenacious, bright, and hilarious! He is charming (sometimes to a fault) and definitely a ladies man!
Does he have delays, of course (he is still, at almost 4 struggling to count beyond 10, name is colors, and many other basic preschool skills). His size (smaller than many 2 year-olds) and mobility issues hold him back sometimes as well. However, the kid does not give up. We often come to brick walls with his development and decide that this is something he won't be able to do. It is at that moment that he surprises us and proves us wrong. For this reason we have decided that we will never stop him from trying everything and only helping when absolutely necessary.
Some days it is not easy. I often find myself spending my lunch hour on the phone, coordinating with his Early Intervention team, scheduling therapies, checking in with case workers and setting up appointments with specialists.
The payoff is worth it. Watching the child who may never learn, recite Bible verses and tell us what he learned in Sunday School. Watching the child who may never walk, run down the soccer field with a smile on his face and take a daredevil ride down the big hill on his bike. And, not least, hearing that precious little boy earnestly pray his own bedtime prayer and taking the time to thank God for the pizza man.
This is the special, and this is our life.
