First time Lucas runs to give me a hug today after I arrive home from work!

Lucas swings at the park after a long morning of therapies.

Having waited over a year to have Lucas acknowledge me when I come home after work, he FINALLY did it this morning!! Gloria was playing with Lucas in the living room and usually, I call out his name when I enter the room in hopes that he will look at me, smile or perhaps even wave. I never got any responses from him in the past. Today, for some reason, I didn't really acknowledge him at all and started chit chatting with Gloria. After a short delay, Lucas seemed to perk up and realize I was home. He walked straight towards me (he even had to make a short turn around the sofa to get to me) and deliberately made his way into my open arms!!! I couldn't believe it! I have been waiting for him to do something like that for sooo long and it happens on the day I don't even acknowledge him at all!  What irony.

I am beginning to realize that Lucas does process alot of information around him, it just takes him a bit longer than normal toddlers to respond.  There seems to be a lag in the information that is received to processing that information in his brain and then responding in a physical manner.  Still, there are things which he is still very incognizant of like expressing his desires, averting danger signals such as the stairs.  I am not sure what more I can do for him.  At times, I feel so very sad that he can't do so many things.  It will break my heart even more if one day  he himself realizes his own handicap and becomes depressed.

So many inspirational stories of parents of disabled children have been coming my way which I find it strange and wonderful at the same time.  It's not as if I seek these tidbits of hope- and even if I tried, I really don't know where I would start looking for them.  Yet, almost on a weekly basis, inspirational stories from other parents lets me know that I am not alone. I can do this.  There is more to this situation than I know.  It is as if a divine angel or being is guiding me and nourishing my soul. I may just break out in a panic attack without support - not the kind of support like therapies for Lucas or some vague philosophical meme; but, actual stories that speaks right to my spirit that give me chills all over my body and make me weep with relief and understanding.  I have been steadily sharing these stories with the facebook support group for Dup15q, IDIC 15 and Journeys group at church.  I wonder if they have the same powerful impact on other parents as they did on me....

Here is just one such story I find (to use the words of another mom) "sadly beautiful":

https://soundcloud.com/snapjudgment/keeping-hope-alive?in=snapjudgment/sets/the-stranger
https://soundcloud.com/snapjudgment/keeping-hope-alive?in=snapjudgment/sets/the-stranger

and another:

http://m.soundclod.com/snapjudgment/different-kind-of-life-snap/s-L4pye?post_id=1224824130_10201442038312610