Life has been a little chaotic lately. Okay, life has been a lot of chaos. Being a little stressed has made me a little forgetful. So consumed with open house, I forgot that our house was out of milk. Worrying about juggling two jobs, I forgot that some of us in the house were out of underwear. I made cookies and forgot to put the eggs in them. Continue reading
If we were having a glass of wine, I would thank you for meeting me for dinner. I cannot believe it has been more than 30 years since we last had a one-on-one. I cannot believe that we are old enough to have a “30 years ago” conversation. But I am so very happy that 30 years ago was a blink of the eye and a ripple of time. I promise it won’t be another 30 years before we are in one another’s life again.
If we were having a glass of wine, I would tell you that my freaking body hurts. My half-marathon is a month away and my body is telling me I am too old for this running thing. My bedroom smells like BenGay and let’s just admit that smelling like your dead grandmother is not a good thing. Continue reading
Tonight is Open House at Bridget’s school. There have been other open houses, but like field trips I have always avoided them. It never made sense, really, to go. After all Bridget spent most of her time in the special education classroom. I had such open communication that I did not feel the need to attend open house. My feeling was that Bridget was the class pet. She came in for a few moments, like a puppy, gave hugs and went back to the special education room when “learning” was happening within the classroom.
It made somewhat sense, at the time. Bridget needed the directed lessons. Bridget cannot write her name, add or recite the alphabet. She is probably a distraction and as she is not learning in the traditional classroom the argument could be made that she be in the special education room. It worked, Bridget’s language exploded and she learned to read sight words.
Hard to argue with success. Continue reading
I thought Bridget loved the beach. She did, but that was so summer of 2015.
“What’s wrong with her”
“Why is she hitting her head”
“It’s not like she understands”
“I could never do what you do”
“Isn’t she too old to be carried”
“It takes a special mom to have a special child”
“She will grow out of it”
Benign phrases, really. On the face value, they are not hurtful. They do not cause pain. They could even be said out of kindness.
Here’s a hint: Don’t ever say them to a mom of a child who has special needs.
Even if you are family. Continue reading
If we were having a glass of wine, I would tell you THANK YOU. Thank you for calling me and giving me an hour where I laughed as we compared how our girls drive us crazy. I would tell you that somehow, someway, we would meet in person someday. Even if it means I drive across the country.
If we were having a glass of wine, I would tell you that the whole balance my life thing isn’t quite working out. Continue reading
Have you watched Born This Way yet? I swear it is the best show on television. If you watch one show this year, this is a must see. Born This Way is about a group of 20-something adults who have Down Syndrome. It doesn’t exploit them or their families, to my mind. It just shows how a typical family lives an unexpected life.
This show demonstrates to me, in a small way, some things I never thought of when it comes to Bridget. Continue reading
Bridget has a fantastic program at her school. While it is not as inclusive as I would like, I will not deny how far she has come this year. Her language? It has exploded to where the need to translate for her. She can now jump. She can now escape the house. She can also steal a half-moon cookie and eat it for breakfast.
I used to be a wallflower.
No seriously, ask Tia.
I didn’t speak to my mother-in-law for 6 years, unless she looked directly at me. I didn’t know what to call her. I wasn’t sure how to get her attention. It took having Abby for me to say “Barbara” and even then I stuttered over it!
In high school, I would go a whole day without talking to anyone other than my closest friends. In Junior High, Mr. Leavitt got so angry at my mumbling that he screamed at me in my face. I fell under the desk. It was the 80’s teachers were allowed to scream at students and not get fired.
I was timid. I was shy. I had no self-confidence and rarely started a conversation. Continue reading
If we were having a glass of wine, I would tell you that I am writing this from one of my happy places. On my front porch, in my LL Bean rocker, a glass of wine by my side and the smell of my garden under my nose.
If we were having a glass of wine, I would also tell you that my neighbor is grilling and I wish he did take out. Continue reading
(Un)Diagnosed and still okay 