Peat and Repeat

Lately the boys have been playing together so well that sometimes they get into a lot of trouble. It seems like if one of them comes up with a bad idea the other one thinks it is hilarious and so they go with it. Makaio is usually the one to copy Kekoa, especially when Kekoa chooses to hit me or throw a fit or run away when I ask him to come and list goes on.

Their latest trick is to get into the cooking utensils drawer and play/hit with everything they get their little hands on. Yesterday we were trying to get ready to go to a physical therapy appointment and I needed to take a shower. I figured that they couldn't get into that much in the kitchen so off I went on my merry way. I was wrong! When I came out of the bathroom I found that my kitchen had been turned into a splash pad. They used their utensils to press the water button on the fridge and that is when the fun began.

Makaio was happily dispersing the water around the kitchen while Kekoa held down the button to ensure that an adequate amount of water was available. Makaio was soaked from head to toe and though the water was freezing, he didn't seem to mind one bit. Kekoa was happily encouraging Makaio to splash harder by screaming unintelligible phrases and laughing with each and every splash.

If only I were the "fun" mom then I would have let them continue their newly developed game and taken a picture or even taken a video but I didn't. I like to think that if we weren't in a hurry to get to physical therapy that would have been the case but sadly sometimes you just have to teach your children about good choices and bad choices. It is a good choice to play in the water and have fun. It is a bad choice to turn the kitchen into a splash pad while mommy is in the shower or at any time for that matter.

Over the past couple of weeks Kekoa has started to scream out in pain during his nap and I have had to go into the bedroom and rescue him. I think that what keeps happening is that he tries to turn around and get out of his crib and then once his legs are through the slats he can't quite figure out how to get them back into the crib. He usually cries/screams until I go in there and help him but yesterday he didn't. He took a four hour nap yesterday just like this.

Since I found him like this yesterday I decided that it is probably a good idea if I go in and check on him once he falls asleep. It's a good thing I did because he was napping away with his legs dangling out of the crib again today.

Eggs, Balls or Shakers?

One Easter tradition that I am looking forward to having once the boys get older comes from Sterling's family. At Easter time, Larry would hide each child's Easter basket somewhere in the house. Sterling said it was so much fun for him and now that he is a father he assumes it was just as fun for his dad to think of places to hide the baskets. It sounds like fun to me so once the boys are a little older we are going to give it a try.

This year however, we didn't know if the boys would understand the command to "Go find your Easter basket," so we kept it simple. We had a few plastic eggs placed in the middle of the floor and if they would have followed the eggs they would have been lead right to their baskets. Kekoa was so excited about these brand new shakers that he kept picking up his and Makaio's eggs. Makaio on the other hand was perfectly content once he had two shakers, one for each hand, that he stopped at the second egg. We had to gently prod them along and encourage them to proceed to the next egg and then finally to their individual baskets. Kekoa was excited to find more eggs inside the basket and Makaio was excited to find a juice box.

The best part however is when we finally showed them that the eggs were filled with M&M's. Kekoa dumped them all in his mouth, picked up another egg, turned to Sterling and said, "Open." Makiao took his sweet time, like usual, and because he wasn't eating them fast enough, Kekoa helped him out by eating some while Makaio savored his rare and delicious treat.

Since Easter they have been playing enjoying the new toys/eggs that they received. Kekoa calls them balls and throw them and on occasion has tried to hit them off the baseball tee. Makaio crawls around and shakes them just to make sure he didn't miss any candy.

Handing Over the Reins

This weekend we decided to let the boys attempt to feed themselves a popsicle. Being the neat freak that I am, I have yet to allow my children this amazing opportunity because of the mess that it would create. After a recent therapy evaluation, the therapist told me that Makaio has sensory issues regarding the inability to perform a task if his hands are dirty. So to assist the boys in overcoming their "mother-induced" OCD, we gave them a popsicle.

I won't lie...I was hovering nearby and wiping up most of the juice that was dripping down their arms and onto the chair. However I think we must admit that I did a decent job of letting them get dirty.

Perspective

The boys and I were not able to attend church today because they have both been sick for a week or so and we didn't want to spread our sickness to anyone else. I am happy to have a husband who is willing to attend church without us, especially since we teach the Sunbeam (3 year old) class at church. I am grateful that he went to church today because the things he learned and shared with me provided me with a different perspective on some things in our life.

Two years ago when the boys were born, Makaio had a severe brain hemorrhage, that probably started in-utero, and we were informed that it would more than likely affect his lower limbs for the rest of his life. From that day until now I have hoped and prayed that somehow that would not be the case. However, in the back of my mind I always knew that millions of prayers would never change his condition and it was something that would bring our family closer as we dealt with it. About a month ago Makaio was given a diagnosis of mild cerebral palsy.

We have been seeing different doctors and therapists to help Makaio get as much use out of his lower limbs as possible. Up to this point he has taken a few steps on his own and he walks great with a walker. His physical therapist thinks that he will walk without assistance. His neurologist thinks that if he walks slowly enough no one would ever be able to tell that he has a limp or that his gait is abnormal. I will be forever grateful for the specialists who have helped Makaio!

The perspective that I gained today is that I have never thought about what this is going to be like for Makaio. I have never tried to look at things from his point of view. I have only thought about it from my point of view or from an outsider's point of view. Today I realized that no matter how hard I think it will be for him, it will probably be much harder than I can even begin to understand.

I already see him get frustrated when he can't do everything that Kekoa can do. I see how hard he works to accomplish things that seem so easy for other toddlers. I watch as he struggles to move his legs in a normal walking motion just to get from point A to point B. If he finds it frustrating he rarely shows it but as he grows older I know it is just going to get more difficult.

So on this Easter Sunday I am grateful for my Savior, Jesus Christ, who suffered all things. Who will completely understand all of Makaio's frustrations. Who will be able to comfort Makaio when no one else can. Who will love him regardless of how his lower limbs work.

I am grateful that on a Friday so very long ago Jesus Christ was lifted upon the cross. "On that Friday the Savior of mankind was humiliated and bruised, abused and reviled. It was a Friday filled with devastating, consuming sorrow that gnawed at the souls of those who loved and honored the Son of God. But the doom of that day did not endure. The despair did not linger because on Sunday, the resurrected Lord burst the bonds of death. He ascended from the grave and appeared gloriously triumphant as the Savior of all mankind."

Makaio may have many "dark Friday's" inside his body that doesn't perform every action the way he wants it to but "Sunday" will come. Someday he will be resurrected and his body will be perfect. I look forward to that day. But in the meantime I will continue to do everything I can to help him be the best that he can!

I know that Jesus Christ lives. I know that because He lives, we will all live again. I am so grateful for the new knowledge and perspective that a loving Heavenly Father gave to me as an Easter gift.