One Week

For 7 whole days:

• Etienne has slept through the night every night
• He has stayed dry all the time. 168 hours and counting.
• Apologies-authentic and with repentance- have been free flowing from him
• When I pick him up from school, he doesn't run past me to the car or his sibling, he leans in against me and rests his head on my side (this sign of affection has me on my knees)
• The other 3 kiddos are giggling, smiling and Molly says "It's like everything has started over"
• Since Tuesday, E has said without prompting "I love you," to me when he comes and goes (until Tues, I had never heard this)
• He isn't crashing/falling/flipping/using gravity to get from location to location.  His whole body is moving more appropriately.  That sounds weird, but if you have spent any time with E, you know what I mean.
• Etienne has sat next to me, cheering and sitting calmly, watching his Blake's basketball game, listening to Molly play piano, watching the Cosby show with all of us.  He can sit!!!
• No clenched fists. Awake or asleep.

     Ryan had to be out of town for 36 hrs and I had a blast with the kiddos.  I didn't cry, nothing was broken, damaged or lost.  Everyone giggled.  A lot.  This is a text exchanged between us yesterday morning:

          ME: ..and E is a pleasure to watch and is sitting calmly

          RYAN: :)

          ME: another steal by Blake.  No climbing or crashing at all here.  It's awesome.

          RYAN: Oh, I thought you were being sarcastic.

     The past week has given us our son.  The Etienne that God made him to be; that we had previously only seen glimpses of here and there.  I am not naive; he will have his roller coaster moments and this honeymoon phase may end today.  But I also have hope and I have knowledge, first hand, of what God can do.  There are miracles going on here.  I don't care what anyone else says, Ryan and I aren't doing anything different, there isn't a new approach with a therapist or a change in how much attachment parenting we are doing.  This is a God thing.  

We haven't been this happy or stress free for years.  Years.  7 days is enough to last us another few years if needed.

"REJOICE IN THE LORD ALWAYS, AND AGAIN I SAY REJOICE!!" -Phillipians 4:4

PS Funny side note: E having some boundaries. He told Ryan and I "I shouldn't just like go up to any pregnant woman and starting putting my hands on them."  Hysterical.  Huge, considering his baby catchin' mama does this all the time.