Levi is a work in progress. The past few days have involved a lot of work and thankfully, a lot of progress. Dare I say we may have crossed over into a whole new level of trust? In this case, I must give credit to the pool at the Hilton hotel as it is partly responsible for this step forward for our little family.
For the past three weeks Levi has stretched out and all but glued himself to the comfy poolside lounger as Luke and I would take our daily afternoon dip. He rarely moved from his spot....except for a couple of times when I am assume curiosity took over and he cautiously ventured to the edge. Sure there was some tentative splashing, but there was no way he was ever going to take the plunge. Or so I thought.
One day, quite suddenly and all on his own, Levi decided to jump in. Luckily, I caught the excited look on his face (and the flapping of his arms) and was able to anticipate his little burst of bravery. The pride I felt as he finally conquered his fear was quickly replaced by panic as I reached around in the water for his sinking limbs. When the shock wore off (for both of us), he was happy to hang on to me as he splashed around exploring his new activity. After about five minutes though, he was sure he could do it all on his own. So I let him try - sort of. After much frustration and consuming several mouthfuls of water, he resigned himself to the fact that he was not yet a swimmer and might actually need my help.
All of a sudden, I was IT for him and he knew it. Relying on me to keep him from sinking seemed to be a desperate and primal kind of need…..but, it did the trick. For the past four days he has been enjoying an afternoon swim – and for the past four days life has been calmer in our household. Coincidence? Maybe. I think not. It took a while for me to figure it out, but since his first swim with me, things have been a little bit different - a little bit better. Most noticeably, he has willingly and peacefully gone to sleep each night. Tonight, after reading him a story in bed, he reached out for my arm and placed it gently over his stomach. He then moved my hand back and forth along his tummy (as if I was rubbing his tummy, but all the time HE was in control). He whispered “nigh nigh mama” and fell soundly asleep.
He now prefers a ring to hold him up (pink was the only colour in the shop) and absolutely loves to float around with his brother and his mama.
1 comment:
Oh my Jan, this is such a touching entry. You, Luke and Levi are so very fortunate to have this extended time in Ethiopia. Your instincts to endure the 'long stay' will provide Levi the time to know and, ultimately, trust you and Luke before bringing him back to Victoria where winter has decidedly settled in! Thank you, thank you for sharing your intimate details!
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