So the hard part comes in when you ask the question, "Why does Beck need these services?" The reason is because he is quite developmentally delayed. He was diagnosed as "severely delayed" when we brought him home from China. It is the CAUSE and the degree of the delay that is a mystery. I would like to take this opportunity to point out that since he has been home, Beck has made tremendous progress in all areas. It may seem like I am focusing on the negative here, but the truth is that I am in utter awe at this amazing little boy. He has overcome so much in his short life...his resiliency is remarkable. We are terribly proud of our Noodle!
It is our responsibilty and our delight to try to get the most help for him that we can...heck, we owe him that much. I think that my best theory as to "why?" comes in the form of a recipe...a pinch of this and a dash of that. I don't think that we will ever get the answer to the riddle so that is the way I deal with the unknowns. The International Adoption Clinic stated bluntly that they have never seen such severe delays in a child who has been in foster care. They were shocked to learn that we KNOW Beck came from a loving foster home and that we communicate with them regularly. The thing is that his foster family is from another culture...maybe their perception of thin is different than ours....maybe they don't have any expectations of special needs children's futures and don't push them...maybe they don't stimulate and play with the kids as much because they have so many or because they will have to let them go. The point is, I don't know...and I cannot blame his foster family even if that would be the easy way out. Beck's life is full of challenges and he has already built a wonderful bridge between here and China (not bad for not even being 2). So he came to us with big obstacles to overcome...so what...he can do it...I'm certain of it. Behind the scribbles "developmentally delayed" and "albinism" on his medical record is an incredibly intelligent, loving, creative, quirky, and pleasant little boy. There is not a thing in the world wrong with this child!
I was going to write a little about the other "hard" issue...sleep. I have rambled enough, and will tackle it in a separate post...it deserves a post all to itself anyway. In the meantime, here is Noodle mastering the whole standing thing...piece of cake!
Can I get a drumroll, please?
See, nothing to it!
