Felix is Two!

Last week we celebrated Felix’s second birthday.

It was a short, sweet and quiet celebration, just at home as a family. But it offered some time to reflect on how far he’s come in the last year.

I felt bittersweet about the arrival of his birthday. Now that he’s two, it feels more glaring that he’s so behind in his development — he still can’t walk, can’t talk, and has disordered eating because of all those months of tube-feeding. We’ve recently learned that he can’t really hear, either, so we are working towards getting him hearing aids with the hopes that we will see progress with his speech.

But goodness, we’ve come a long way. Last year he was still in strict isolation and was still hooked up to continuous IV. He had a central line in his chest and was still on strong oral medications. He couldn’t sit up on his own or crawl. He had never been kissed, had never had a bath. He had never seen the outdoors beyond our back yard, had never seen another child.

In the past few months he has gone everywhere with us: to the park, the mall, the beach, to friends’ houses. He has weekly days out with both grandma and oma. He splashes in the bathtub for almost an hour every day, just delighting in being surrounded by water. He’s chewed on sticks and gotten his hands dirty in the mud. He gets smothered in kisses constantly, by his adoring big sister and mama.

Felix continues to be an absolute, complete and utter delight. He’s the snuggliest little snuggle bug you ever did meet. He loves to explore new places and new toys (even if he does it all on hands and knees). He loves being tickled, and will pull our hands to his face to get more tickles when we stop. And did I mention he loves the water? Bath tubs, swimming pools, the lake, you name it.

We are unspeakably blessed to have him in our family. His life is a miracle and we are in constant awe of that.

I just want to thank you all again for supporting us through prayer, friendship, and financial support over the last two years. We will never stop feeling grateful.