Touring Europe

Surprise! I finally have something to say today because this week has been a bit overwhelming.

Another mom from the online Down syndrome community posted a status on Facebook this afternoon saying she wished she could leave "Holland" for a few days. The Holland reference is a common one in DS circles because of a poem by Emily Perl Kingsley which compares the journey of parenting a child with disabilities to a trip to Holland (when you were expecting to be in Italy).

I haven't felt like Henry's Down syndrome has been a source of stress for us, and admittedly we are some of the lucky ones. So far, he is in excellent health with no heart problems, vision, hearing or gastrointestinal issues. He is meeting most of his milestones and is by far the easiest baby I've had. But this week, I can definitely understand this other mom's sentiment that Holland can be a bit too much sometimes!

It's not just Holland -- I'm juggling too much. People ask me how I do it all (working from home, going to job interviews, and trying to keep my kids happy and healthy while caring for our home, bills, meals and mounds of laundry) and I often fear that I just don't do it all WELL. I know I'm in good company -- most of you moms out there can relate to all of this, right?

Despite my background and experience as a Special Ed teacher, my busy mom brain starts to spin when a therapist is giving me a verbal list of 100 things to try this week when I'm playing with Henry. It spins again when his doctor asks me exactly how much he is eating and whether we've followed up with the feeding clinic and the developmental clinic (I could barely get to his well visit on time today, let alone consider making appointments anywhere else!). Again when we arrived late this morning for OT because our visit to the pediatrician ran over due to health concerns with one of the other boys. Again when therapists are giving me differing opinions and advice. Again when I realize I've missed a Kindergarten event because I never went through the pile of papers. And again and again and again.

How do I do it all? I don't! Some things just get set aside. I'll catch up this weekend on bills and laundry and cleaning. I'll say yes to more play dates even when we don't have time, because I need time with other moms as much as my kids need time with friends. I'll allow myself the luxury of therapeutically blogging to get it all out. I'll give myself some grace and try to slow down and enjoy this trip to Holland and Italy and all the stops along the way.

Boring, In a Good Way

I've been trying to think of what to blog about now that the dust (both literal and figurative) has settled a bit around here. I set out to create a blog in order to share my journey, tell my story . . . but I have to be honest with you . . . there isn't much to tell! Henry is 4 1/2 months old, healthy and wonderful! He's rolling over, grasping his hands together, cooing and laughing. It's normal babyhood around here. I wake up, change a lot of diapers, do a lot of laundry, clean a lot of messes.

Boring, right? What a blessing. I wouldn't have it any other way!