Monday, January 28, 2013

He's Back!


My little patient is back visiting us for almost 9 days.  For those of you who don't know me well I am an Occupational Therapist, I work with special needs children.  This little buddy of mine has stayed with me before and now this time it is a long visit.  He is in Medical Foster Care, and that family had to take another child north for a week to stay with his new adoptive family.  They wanted to stay near by in case they were needed, so they decided to take a bit of a vacation with the two little girls they adopted several years ago.   We got approval for my little one to come back and stay with me, where he is comfortable and happy. 


While I am having a great time with playing and chatting, and bath time and bottles, I have to tell you I am exhausted!  Lord these little ones are a lot of work.  You forget just how much time and attention they need.  This must be why you have them while you are young, not an old lady of 48!  Of course my little buddy thinks he has landed at Disney Land.  We play, and play, and play.  And his new favorite friend is, "Doggie".  Yes that is his new word.


We all know my Max is the best, but he did not listen when I read out of the Golden Retriever manual that they are supposed to like children.  My boy simply does not like kids, girls or boys, young or old it doesn't matter.  Now he loves his own brothers, even their friends he has known his whole life get a good growl now and then.  He will never snap, just a slight warning then he removes himself from the situation.  Now that my oldest sons friends are through with puberty he is beginning to acknowledge they exist, he is funny that way. 

I have to tell you how proud of Max I am.  Last time my buddy was here he was not moving all that much.  We were working on sitting up and pivoting on his belly.  Max could stay clear of him without any problem at all.  Well let me just tell you progress is being made in the movement area of my buddy's development.  He can now get up on his hands and knees and crawl.  It is slow and methodical but he can do it, and you know where he goes, right?  You bet, right over to Max.


Bless my furry boy, he lets that child touch him and grab his fur.  He lets him pull up to kneeling on him, and listens to his squeals of laughter.  Of course I am right there the whole time letting Max know I am proud of his patience and understanding.  He knows I won't let that baby hurt him, he just lays there still as can be.  Dogs are amazing aren't they?  They know when a baby is delayed and has special needs, and they make an exception for that child. 

So Max and I are very busy.  We are taking care of the little one together.  Well that is until exhaustion takes over and Max has to go and rest. On the crochet front....nothing happening there.  Knitting, what is that?  Baby time, it is all about baby time right now.

39 comments:

moonstruckcreations said...

What an incredible job you have Meredith, a real challenge but I would guess very rewarding.

Max is a real trooper bless him!

Helenxx

Teresa Kasner said...

You are such a wonderful woman! You're right, how much work it is to take care of little ones.. wait until you're in your 60s and grandkids start appearing and they want you to keep them while they go away. Eek, it's frightening! LOL! ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

kathyinozarks said...

I enjoyed reading this post. dogs are amazing animals-they really do understand things. I commend you on your important work hugs

busybusybeejay said...

What a great job you are doing for a special little boy.good on you.

mynestofyarnandbuttons said...

Hi Meredith,
What a lovely and satisfying gift you are providing for that little boy. I knew you were someone extra special. AND Max is proving to be man's best friend.......dogs are so smart and intuitive. I just love them!
I hope you are able to get goodnight sleeps to keep up with the little one.
Be thinking of you, xoRobin❤

Stitchy Mc Floss said...

Awww Max is so cool! I do think animals can sense things and Max knows this sweet little boy is special and he needs extra love.

Enjoy your fun times with your special little friend.

Blessings always dear friend

cockney blonde said...

What a lovely thing you are doing and such precious time for the wee man. We too have a son with special needs, although he's 27 now, but our pets have always had an understanding of him. Amazing aren't they.
Enjoy your time with him and look forward to catching up on sleep when he's gone, x

Anonymous said...

Yes, the knitting and crochet will have to wait awhile, but what a blessing you are to that little boy and his family!

Max is one smart pup! He'll deserve a good reward at the end of the visit.

kathy b said...

YOu are a gem Mere. How wonderful of you ....9 days is a LIFETIME when babysitting.
Max deserves a steak...
and you do too!

I love the freshly washed head of hair on that little boy....I can smell the baby shampoo from here

Betsy said...

What a blessing you are in the life of that little boy and such an important job you have! I just love how Max knows what he should be doing with the little one. He will definitely have earned a much deserved treat after the visit.
Thank you for your kind comment on my blog. You can see how I'm occupying myself while ill-reading my favorite blogs!
Blessings,
Betsy

Sweet Posy Dreams said...

How wonderful that Max is letting this special little boy be friends. Good luck with everything!

Petunia Pill said...

You are a blessing, Meredith...a true blessing!

Sue Pinner said...

What a lovely story...baby first for sure bet you are so proud of Max too, what a team you make, hugs to you both xx

RURAL said...

What a sweetie Max is...they are some of the most compassionate creatures...gotta love them.

Have fun, and keep that energy level up.

Jen

Babajeza said...

Good morning Meredith

You are the best! And Max, too. Tell him, and take care of yourself! :-) Regula

gaia said...

Hi Meredith,
You are a very special person! After reading your post, I begun to understand my mom better; she takes care of my sister'S baby son till 2pm every week day and my son after 3,40pm after school.
My neighbour is a teacher for special needs kids in a primary school and we sometimes socialize together with her and her kids.I know what a difficult work it is and yet a rewarding one when a child makes progress.
Max is really a great dog...
Hugs,
GAia.

Unknown said...

I bet he keeps you on your toes! He is so lucky to have you. Every little advancement much be so thrilling! Max has played a big part in that also. He knows what is needed of him. He knews just where he needs to be.
You and Max are so special!

Rose Red said...

Dogs really are amazing animals aren't they (cats too, occasionally!). Good Max for being patient, and go your special buddy for crawling!

Floortje said...

What a touching story Meredith! The confidence you and Max put into this little one is what will make him grow stronger. Bless you both for that. You crochet work will be patiently waiting for you afterwards... Hugs, Floortje

Tanna said...

Baby time is the best time... even though it is VERY demanding. Max is a wise animal... and he loves you lots helping with your little buddy. ;) blessings ~ tanna

Red said...

Wow! What an amazing person you are! What an amazing dog Max is! Yes, little ones are very exhausting! :)

Anonymous said...

Oh! I love it!
What a special person you are Meredith! And what a wonderful team you & Max are for your little Buddy! I will send many prayers up for you as you care for this little guy. Give Max a lovepat for me. Dogs ARE amazing!
Be Blessed,
Danette

Tammy said...

Wow, Meredith! What a wonderful thing you are doing. Rather filled with bittersweet moments, too, I'm sure. You have to see this video that my husband shared with me a couple of weeks ago.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JA8VJh0UJtg

Dogs truly are amazing! Max knows what he's doing. And you are so beautiful! :) Best wishes, Tammy

Nicky said...

Wow you and Max have your hands full! Just think how much you will appreciate your free time and your knitting needles once the little guy goes home :)

Unknown said...

Oh Bless yours and Max's heart. And bless your little vistor who sounds very content and happy with you. You are doing a very lovely and rewarding thing. Enjoy every moment. dee x

* said...

What a privilege to be able to help this little man, and how lovely to be able to see and help with his progress. I think Max has a good grasp of what's happening, animals are amazing aren't they? One of our cats that has been around while all our boys were babies, often got tufts of fur pulled out, but her claws always stayed put, she often grapples (we call it making bread) when she sits on your knee, but she never does it with the kids...we don't think she's blessed with much intelligence ;-) but she seems to know.

Claudia said...

That Max is an adorable and GOOD boy. I'm amazed and heartened by his sweetness with your visitor. Yay, Max!
You are such a good person, sister.

xo
Claudia

Quinn said...

That is so, so sweet! I am visiting from Tammy's blog, and between her video and your post, I am practically in tears. Dogs. Gotta love 'em!

Yarni Gras! said...

like Quinn, I was prompted by a video at Tammy's. This post is lovely. Dogs really do have that extra sense and know who is special. I had a horse like that years ago....it was amazing. She was a tad bit spoiled and only liked me riding her but when a special child felt her muzzle and was put on her back, she walked like she was carrying the world's greatest treasure. Animals are so amazing....so are you for working with these lovely children.

Toni said...

Oh, good boy Max! That is so sweet!!!

Hindustanka said...

Hi, Meredith!
Yes, I didn't know this fact about you, and I think that you have a very important job, you help people, and that's very rewarding.
I hope this child will improve when interacting with Max. He is also such a helper to you! Great dog!

Mrs. Micawber said...

What a sweet post (and a sweet dog - and blogger too!). So glad to hear your little buddy is making progress. Hang in there, and enjoy your baby time! (I never had kids of my own, but spent 12 years babysitting - and the overnighters were always an eye-opener. Such a difference between having the children go home at 5:00, and having them around 24/7.) Good luck to your small friend, and kudos to gentle Max. :)

Crystal Rose Cottage said...

That is so sweet Meredith! That must be a very rewarding profession. If you think you are exhausted now, just wait 10 years and the grandkids start coming. I know that you will be a very hands on gma but don't worry, it's the good kind of exhaustion! Max is such a sweetheart! ~Hugs, Patti

Sandi~A Cottage Muse said...

I am visiting from Tammy's where I just enjoyed her video, and enjoyed your post too!!

Deb said...

Such a rewarding profession Meredith! You & Max are amazing ♥

Gracie Saylor said...

Your post and the video Tammy recommended are both precious, Meredith.

They remind me of a time when we had an assisted living facility in northern CA. We had a Boarder Collie puppy, Lady, who our daughters were training to interact with the residents, much to the delight of most of the residents. One resident that especially loved Lady was, I think, 101 when Lady raced into the living room and took a flying leap onto the resident's lap! The resident was "terrified," "thrilled," and thankfully undamaged when we rescued her from Lady's enthusiasm, but the event was memorable :)

The loving stitching you and yours are doing for nine days takes yards of dedication and energy, but will perhaps be the most important project you complete this year. Thanks for sharing it with us :)

xx,
Gracie

Siddis back home said...

Just wonderful, thanks for sharing and have a nice weekend!

Paula said...

Hi Meredith! I found you via Claudia's blog, where she showed us the amazing felted heart earrings you make. They are so beautiful! I asked her if you might be interested in a trade (I make icon prayer shrines and prints from my husband's hand painted icons). You can find out more about them here: http://homeindouglas.blogspot.com/2011/06/icon-prayer-shrines.html

I will be following your blog! Come by and visit me at Home In Douglas!

Annie Cholewa said...

Oh Meredith, how the world needs more people like you and more dogs like Max x