Oh, What a Sweetie He Is!

Charlie, my first baby, is 7 now and just a joy to have around. Last night he came to me and asked me if I wanted him to dump the bathroom trash can into the kitchen trash can so that "I can be your good helper." That bathroom trash can was full of wet pull-ups so I know it didn't smell so great. I, of course, said "yes," and Charlie walked in with his arms around that trash can holding it close to his body. He emptied it and then returned it to the bathroom. As I walked by the kitchen trash can, I caught a whif (is that how you spell that?) of the pull-ups. Yuk!

Charlie is such a good big brother, too. Whenever the other kids are having trouble with something, he always tries to help. He also is quick to alert me when something is wrong with them. Last October, when Joanna's leg was broken (but we thought it was her ankle or foot that was hurt), I found Charlie carrying her down our front steps to the car. He had heard me say that I was going to take her to the doctor, and he just decided to make things move a little faster. He was just so sweet with her. This is all the more impressive given the fact that Charlie has mild cerebral palsy, and even some relatively light grocery bags are too heavy for him.

Last summer when he overheard me talking on the phone to a social worker about 2 young children who were waiting for an adoptive family, he suggested that we should take them. I wasn't sure what to say because, of course, I wanted them. I just said, "well, Charlie, we don't have enough beds at our house." After a few minutes of thought, he replied, "Well, I could share my bed and Marcie could share her bed." Boy that just got to me. I was heartbroken anyway over not being able to bring them to our home permanently (I had just gotten home from China with my 4th child and committing to 2 more for more than a few weeks seemed overwhelming), and then to hear Charlie innocently offering to share his bed just brought tears to my eyes. Several months later Charlie told me that he wanted us to adopt 2 kids from Africa "because I like that city." I basically said the same thing I had said before then suggested that he could adopt from Africa when he grows up and gets married and that I would help him with the kids. He replied, "but you can't marry your mom! As you can tell, there's no shortage of humor with that boy! :)

Charlie is one of the most delightful people I know in spite of all of the challenges he has faced over the years. He is sweet, sensitive, fun-loving, funny and just an overall great kid. He has the heart of an angel and I think he looks like one, too!

I've attached a picture of Charlie and Marcie.