Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Olyut

When she was first learning to talk, the Princess called her brother Olyut. It still comes out that way most of the time, no matter what she might try to tell you now. It especially sounds that like that when she is angry. But this isn't about her.

This is about Olyut.

Olyut is our only son. He is six years old. He is wild and crazy and boisterous. He is also sweet and caring and tender. He is very silly and makes us laugh every day. He is smart. He is friendly and makes new friends wherever we go. He will probably make a new friend when we go to Walmart later. I'm not even kidding. He loves to read, sing, play video games, build things out of Legos, and play with his sister. He is the epitome of awesome.

He also struggles with a lot. He's small, really small. He is about the same size as his four year old sister. He is definitely the smallest kid in his class. And he gets made fun of sometimes. Usually it doesn't bother him, but every now and then he will say something that shows he thinks about it. That he notices a difference. And those conversations are tough. Unfortunately, when you start life at 1 lb. 12 oz., it can be hard to catch up. So we tell him every day how awesome he is and that no two people are exactly the same, we come in all shapes and sizes. Most days he is perfectly content with being himself. And once the other kids get to know him, they absolutely love him.

He also struggles because he has Sensory Processing Disorder. That means his brain has a hard time turning sensory input into appropriate motor and behavioral responses. He struggles with motor planning and falls down a lot. He has a very hard time doing things that are second nature to kids his age. Things like hopping on one foot, skipping, or pedaling a bike. He tires quickly, even with things as simple as writing. He also gets frustrated very easily. He tends to be able to control his frustrations at school, but at home he lashes out or has meltdowns.

I think those struggles are precisely why he is so amazing. He's been a fighter since his very first breath and he will continue to be a fighter, I just know it. He is a force to be reckoned with....just ask the girl he loudly quacked at on the way out of Culver's yesterday. She was twice his size but no one noticed that. All anyone noticed is the way she jumped out of her skin as he caught her by surprise.

Something tells me he is going to keep right on surprising us....

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