Continuing the Journey

A Superhero, Big Brother Practice...and You MUST be Kidding Me!

Think for just a moment about living your life without the ability to actively bend your arms. How would you eat, brush your hair, or even scratch your nose? Sound impossible? If not impossible, then definitely frustrating.

But that is exactly what this goofy, happy-go-lucky boy...
...faces every day of his life. Before you feel sorry for the Little Man for the obstacles he faces, I think you should join me in admiring him. He is, after all, my Little Superhero!

Despite Carson's joint contractures and atrophied bicep muscles, he has been independent in all of his daily activities except for one thing...dressing and undressing from the waist up. He figured out socks and pants after a month or so with us, but imagine trying to put on (or take off) a shirt when your arms don't bend on their own.

Wait, no need to imagine. THIS is how it's done...
...SUCCESS!! Our smart Little Man figured out that, while his arms don't bend on their own, if he leans against our bed he can force them to bend and accomplish his goals. I honestly didn't try to push him to learn how to undress from the waist up, but he was so determined that he figured it out on his own and has been doing this for a couple of weeks now. And this morning, he put ON a shirt with absolutely no help! I didn't have the camera handy, so no pictures, but trust me...he was beaming with pride!

Yes, it is quite surreal to be the Mommy of a Superhero!

The same day I took those pictures, we got a phone call from our dear friends, Jamie and Nikki. Their three-year-old daughter, Brooke, had gotten her finger caught in the car window and they had to rush her to the emergency department. (She ended up having surgery to have a pin placed in her poor crushed finger and is currently sporting a bright pink cast from shoulder to fingertips. We're praying for a great outcome and that her finger has no lasting damage.) Jamie and Nikki asked if we could watch their two-year-old daughter, Quinn, while they were at the hospital with Brooke. Daddy rushed to the emergency department to collect Quinn and Carson got an evening of Big Brother Practice.

Honestly, for most of the night he ignored Quinn...partly due to the fact that we turned on Noggin to help keep her occupied, so he was mesmerized by cartoons. But when it was jammie time, he went into full Big Brother Mode, helping her up the stairs...
...wiping her runny nose after she sneezed...
...and giving her good night kisses.
She initially fell asleep in Molly's bed (I'm sure Molly wouldn't mind), but woke up after about an hour and ended up in my bed with me. But that's OK. We were glad to help our friends on a stressful evening and it was interesting to see Carson be the Big Brother for a few hours.

Now for the "you MUST be kidding me!" portion of this post.

Kim from CCAI called today to tell me that our dossier has gotten through critical review. They need two documents (a home study agreement from our home study agency and an updated medical document from me) and our paperwork will be headed to China...hopefully within the next couple of days. I left a message at our home study agency and called my doctor to request the required letter from him. As Kim (the manager of the Dossier Department) and I chatted, I asked her when she thought we would travel. She decided the best department to answer that was NOT the Dossier Department, so she transferred me to the Waiting Child Department. So, I asked Sarah.

This is where we get to the "you MUST be kidding me!" part.

She said that we should expect to travel four to five months after China gets our paperwork. FOUR TO FIVE MONTHS?!?! That would have us in China in July or August, not May or June like we had hoped. I don't mind telling you...that took the wind right out of me!

It took five months from referral-to-travel for Carson's adoption, which seemed like an eternity. If we travel in July or August, that will make our referral-to-travel timeline for Molly 11 or 12 months!

Could we PLEASE have a miracle here?! I think we're about due...