God Willing

We who live in the universe of special needs kids are by no mean normal ourselves.  I have noticed that most of us, regardless of age, background, race, sex, are a superstitious lot.  Today for instance, the Occupational Therapist said James had an "excellent session" as she ran over to the wooden coat rack and knocked.  This is a highly educated, well-respected and seriously experienced woman!  I do this too.  Of course I am lazy, saying "knock on metal" or plastic or whatever is at hand. But I still somehow, deep down, expect this to work and ward off evil.  I guess after all those years of having your child repeatedly fail to meet developmental milestones, you are in shock when something happens as it should, or should I say, "normally." Obviously it was a fluke, right?  This might help to explain my current state of extreme joy/intense trepidation.

James has had an amazing September.  Starting with, for the first time in almost eight years: JAMES SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT FOR AN ENTIRE MONTH.   Physically I look like a different person.  I can't explain it, my face just looks different. Can you imagine how James feels?  How this impacts his day? His appetite has increased.  He is not whining about getting dressed for school.  His therapy sessions are consistently productive.  He is eating lunch - still protesting about the noisy cafeteria - but eating. They are starting to see that James has amazing receptive language.  I have told them this but I sure it was doubted as he didn't consistently perform.  Now, daily, he is following two step commands without batting an eyelash.

Even at home, life is improving.  We went out to eat at a pub and James made it through the entire meal without watching his DVD player.  He didn't even ask for it.  It was there and he knew it.  This was his decision to look around and to inspect the carved graffiti in the wooden booths and to listen to us chat.  This is nothing short of amazing!  Last night we read book after book, laying on the bed with our heads touching, propped up on pillows, for TWO HOURS.

I hear his words, often garbled, but all the time.  He runs into a playground all by himself without waiting for us to catch up.  He stops to greet the staff at the front desk in his sensory gym. He carries a handful of quarters to the parking meter and loads it up.  He opened a bottle of seltzer independently (okay, he missed the glass).  He is attempting (and succeeded this morning) to open and shut the toothpaste AND squeeze it on his brush. He mastered a new step in his discrete trials at school, within a week.  This never happened. 

Is it just sleep?  Can it be partially attributed to his "regularity"? A change brought about by this doctor's addition of ortho-biotics in his diet.  I have no answers.  I just know that I finally wrote down all the amazing changes in black and white, and now, well, now I am in freaking trouble.