5 years. I said, FIVE YEARS.

Five years ago we began a journey that, if it was a person, would be getting ready to start school. She* would be getting her vaccinations, picking out new clothes, buying school supplies and getting ready to go become a person.

*You KNOW that the patch is a girl. 

As it is, the journey is not a person, which we are all thankful for because if I had another living thing in my house to care for, I would go over the edge. 

What I see in our full handed journey is 2 things.

 First, it is a testament to getting it done. 

Thank you for those words, Amelia. 

Second, I see it as what can only be the coolest example in my own personal life as believing in the the impossible and trudging through despite not being able to see any change.
Is it Science? Faith? Magic?

 Actually none of the above, because the best analogy I can come up with is, of course, a history one: the creation of the Netherlands. 

Many years ago, when the Dutch realized they needed more land, they CREATED it. As in, they actually took land back from the sea by creating a system of dikes and other things (*other things= history major not engineer.)

I imagine someone telling the people the plan-"See that water? One day that won't be water; it will be land." There must have been some major skeptics because that does sound pretty crazy. And, I bet they didn't actually see progress for a long time because I think it probably takes awhile to reclaim land from the sea.

But, they did it. One inch or square or foot space or however reclaimed land is measured. And, in the end, so many people get to be Dutch and so much prostitution and legalized marijuana gets to happen....kidding. I mean, it does, but that is not the point. Amsterdam is pretty amazing and it would  have not even existed if a lot of work wasn't put in for a long time. 

And, to make this even more relevant, I have actually been to Amsterdam! Here I am, posing in the giant M clearly concerned about how one day it would be related to my (not even on my radar) son's eye condition. This was 7 years ago and I still frequently wear those pants, shirt and shoes, which speaks for how fashion conscious I am. 

So, maybe the Amsterdam thing was a stretch but, it is still a really cool story and if you didn't know about it, I am glad I shared it. 

What I can see now, after 5 long years, is so much amazingness. I looked up the other day and saw this boy, so focused on making a Christmas book and I just stopped and realized how this was not supposed to even happen. The first doctor (shudder) basically told us that this exact thing, this normalcy of his life, would never be possible. 

I will not take for granted that my baby can see and am so grateful every day for our journey. He HATES his patch with a passion and is in such a grumpster mood when he has to wear it and we still go through a few every day, despite the fact that it is only 2 hours, but we have made it FIVE years. In those early days, I did not think we would even make it 5 minutes. I cannot wait until it has been TEN years and patching might even be a thing of our past. 

Somehow fate ALWAYS shows her sense of humor when the LEFT eye is missing off of most of his crafts. 

Me: "What happened to the left eye?"

A: "I don't know; it fell off somewhere. It still has one eye, though." 

No. Just no.