This blog hasn't been so much about our feelings on this journey of love, life, kids and special needs, as it has been about chronicling the facts, fun and pictures of the journey. But I thought I'd take a moment to reflect on how far I've come (Tom has always been way ahead of me) since I learned that God had chosen us to raise a special needs child.Year 1: Denial, anger, despair, drowning in doctor and therapy visits, why me?
Year 2: Acceptance, problem solving, prioritizing, new baby.
Year 3: Love, joy, peace.
I guess that's what I wanted to share...that I haven't been so hopeful for the future since Natalie was born, as I am now. Natalie has really started to make her personality known and is really reaching to communicate with us. She's made so much progress in communication during the past six months (which is why we are desperate to not have any gap in speech therapy), that we feel certain that she will eventually speak. Natalie is so cooperative during therapy and homework, that I have to think that she will continue to make great progress. She's trying to run, and her new favorite thing is to play with the basketball.
And after accepting greater than 50% delays as the norm for Natalie, hearing on Monday that her receptive speech is 27-30 months (only 25% delay) was a huge encouragement to me.
The CD we listened to in the car today (Signing Times) played "The Good", which about sums up where I am right now.
The Good
It was you and me and the whole world right before us
I couldn’t wait to start
I saw you and dreams just like everyone before us
We thought we knew what we got
And then one day I thought it slipped away
And I looked to my hands to hold on
And then one day all my fear slipped away
And my hands did so much more
So maybe we won’t find easy
But, baby, we’ve found the good
No, maybe we won’t find easy
But, baby, we’ve found the good!
It was you and me and a new world right before us
I was so scared to start
I saw you and dreams just like everyone before us
But how did they move so far?
And then one day I thought it slipped away
And I looked to my hands to hold you
And then one day all my fear slipped away
And my hands did so much more
So maybe we won’t find easy
But, baby, we’ve found the good
Maybe we won’t find easy
But, baby, we’ve found the good!
6 comments:
I need to post about my emotional journey as well. I would not even read about RTS until I found Alex's blog in the spring of last year. Maybe I was hoping it would disappear. Your blog along with Alex's and others have really helped strengthen my foundation. I am so much more open and excited about being AnnaKate's mom.
Kelly W.
Love the picture of Natalie in the mirror.
Its so nice to hear about the journey others have gone through and where they are now, thoses of you ahead of me are my light at the end of the tunnel!
Sounds like my first and second year so far. New baby and all. Hope my third is like your journey as well. My first year was so hard and its amazing to me how far I have come. hugs.
Thanks for sharing. Very special words. It is good looking back and seeing where you have come from. I like the words to the song - we won't find easy , but we've found the good. Very appropriate, and very hopeful.
That song has been an important one for us, too. I am so happy you are at peace and hopeful. I have never known you to be anything but... but I can also appreciate the personal winding path to get here. Sometimes I think it takes a witnessing of victories (small ones), not just the victories themselves, but watching our kids approach them with their own confidence and faith, that we end up borrowing from them. I remember when Addie started walking. Despite having waited for years, I was so nervous because she was so very unsteady and fell a lot. And she would get hurt. But Addie would let go of the hurt in seconds, just leave it behind. The joy and pride of the 3 steps before the fall would stay with her - she chose to keep that part and use it as inspiration to try again. She taught me, and still teaches me, what to focus on, how to help her create a climate where success and peace and grow. It is something more active than acceptance. Cheers to you!
Thanks, you guys! You are a great family to be a part of!
Post a Comment