The Never Normal

“Pinned down in this heaven
I’ll die a thousand times
Aware of the damage ahead
I’ll leave the pain behind

Another day, a perfect day
A twinge of pain, the sting of the needle
Staring at the walls provide
A brilliant sight through eyes of the needle

So warm at the bottom
Warm never felt so kind
And for a moment or two
I leave it all behind…”

Perfect by Guster

If I were a superstitious person I might refrain from the kind of optimism I’m embracing, but Jonah’s had two-going-on-three pretty damn good days and my relief is palpable.  The new dosage of Risperdal (along with weaning him off the Clonidine) seems to be both buoying his activity and decreasing his aggression.  He smiles and plays again, giggling at some silly musing.  He babbles to himself in the bath again, inventing songs, swishing the water around, singing snippets of Guster and the Beatles…

He’s the child I almost forgot was in there somewhere.

We went to my mom’s today, where he greeted her with a big smile and she damn near broke down crying with joy.  “Oh thank God,” she said.  “Thank you God.”  He played on her stairs and requested “outside,” where he sat on her brick steps, smiling at the sun.

I’m a little cautious to enjoy this too much for fear of it all crumbling, but I can’t help it.  I know it leaves me more vulnerable to an emotional crash if he builds up a tolerance to the new dosage and gets all aggressive again.

I know he still has two attacks a day or so at school, and I know he is still mostly riding around on the scooter there, wearing a weighted blanket.  I know the triumphs of participation and breakthroughs of smiles are still few, but they’re seeing them at school every day.

I allow hope to prevail, risk of disappointment be damned.