Fingers are for stealing pacis...

We've had a big week here - Aiden got his arm casts removed on Thursday and we can now see, touch, and feel the 10 beautiful fingers that we've waited over a year to see. And hopelessly doubted possible when Aiden was just a few months old as we heard from various doctors that it would be unlikely to get all 10 digits.

Lucky for us, we chose the right team. When Dr. Fearon in Dallas said without a doubt that he could give Aiden all ten fingers and all ten toes - from the tightly fused little rosebud hands and webbed feet he was born with - in our hearts we knew he was right, even if we were a little hesitant to believe. We charged ahead with the surgeries with a positive outlook, although deep in the back of our minds, we both feared that Dr. Fearon may regret his promise. In an effort to not get my hopes up, I may have subconsciously thought "I'll believe it when I see it".

Well folks, just a day after Aiden's 13th month in this world, I was able to see. And believe.

The pictures I shared with you a couple weeks ago don't do them justice. Despite still looking quite a mess from scabbing and sutures running up the sides, these new little fingers are quite an amazing sight. They wiggle. They move. They pick up toys. They hold sippy cups. At only 3 weeks of "age", these fingers do just about everything they should do.

In fact, one of the things they do quite well is retrieve fallen pacifiers from an oblivious big brother's mouth. Normally I don't condone sharing pacis (or stealing them) (or pacifiers outside of naptime or car rides, but that's a different story). But this video captures a special moment only brothers age 2 and age 1 can share. Not to mention that it shows just how amazingly well Aiden is doing with his new hands only 4 days after being introduced to them.

I haven't yet posted up close pics of his hands or his feet. I am going to wait until they are all good and healed. They've waited a long time for their debut. They deserve to look their best. :)

PS - I am a big fan of the web service Stumble Upon - it allows you to discover websites that match any one of the many interests that you designate when you sign up. As I was waiting for the below video to load, I decided to pass the time by hitting the little Stumble button on my toolbar. The first site it brought up was: http://www.empoweredquotes.com/. The topic on the page shown was "Clarity" and the first quote was the following: Be content with what you have, rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you. ~ Lao Tzu

It seemed a bit ironic and quite fitting to include this quote here. I only hope that Aiden can hold those words close to his heart as he begins to understand the special hands, feet, and life that God gave him. Anything is possible little guy...anything.

**Before playing this or any video you may want to scroll down and find the playlist of music I have included on this site. Click on the pause button to silence the music so that you can then hear the audio portion of the video clips you play.