Up to this point Sadie has been a "normal" infant. Yes, she has a feeding tube, but she's not on it 24/7 and can be disconnected at anytime. She does not need to be kept in a bubble because of health issues, I use an infant carrier/car seat, she can go in and out of stores without a thought, I buy her formula at the store just like any other mom. No one would ever know that my child is any different from their child. My life is "normal" (at least in those aspects).
The time has come for some changes. Changes that are going to change my life again. Not that they are bad changes, but still they are changes. I will have to tweak my life a little.
The first change is now that she is 1 yrs old her vitamin and nutrition requirements have changed. Most babies move to cow milk and start adding more table foods, juice, water. Not Sadie, she has moved to a new formula. A formula that I can't buy at the store. A formula that can only be delivered by a medical supply company. A formula that is especially made for babies that are only tube fed. This is a reminder that she IS different.
The second change is that she needs to move into the next size car seat. Her infant one still fits her, but it's getting a little to heavy for this mama to carry. I went shopping and found one that rides both forward and backwards and has extra head and back support. One that actually says that it is recommended by moms of special needs children. ANOTHER reminder, she is different.
The third change is that I had to buy a new stroller. Sadie is not ready for a wheelchair, but she needed a little bit more support then the stroller I currently have. Again ANOTHER reminder.
All parents have to get new car seats, food, strollers. I had to also with my other two. This is no different, right? WRONG! The big deal is this....
I no longer will be able to run into a store. With an infant carrier I take her out in the carrier, put her on the front of the cart and shop. Now, I will have to put her in a stroller for 2 reasons. 1. She absolutely hates to be held for more then a few minutes. I do not know why, but that's reality. 2. I can not put her in the front of the cart like a normal baby/toddler because she does not have very good head control yet. This freaks her out, which causes her to arch her back, which causes a lot of drama, and takes a long time to calm her down. Sadie is not exactly the easiest baby to calm down. So if I go shopping by myself I will have to put her in the stroller, which means I can no longer push a cart. I can only use a hand carrying basket. Which means I can no longer buy larger items or a lot of items. As all parents know, it's easier to go shopping with as few children as possible. So I do the weekly grocery shopping and get all the essential house things while the 2 other girls are at school. I will no longer have the privilege to do this. I will have to go when my husband is home in the evening and who wants to go shopping in the evening after a busy day of everything else.
I know this all sounds soooo ridiculous when it comes to the big picture. I have my daughter, she is alive, she is healthy. Who am I to complain about such silly things. This is just a change that I have to adjust too. I will. This will not kill me. With all this being said it reminds me of one of my favorite sayings. "If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, then change the way you think about it" (quoted from Mary Engelbreight). That is what I have to do. Change the way I think about it.
So that is what I am doing. Changing the way I am thinking about it. Instead of seeing this as a bad thing I will look at the fact that I can no longer spend a lot of money when I go shopping. I can not go shopping as frequently or conveniently as I once could. I will be able to go shopping COMPLETELY kid free. I will be able to get out of bedtime duty at least one more time a week. :) The formula is now covered by insurance so I can save some money AND it will be delivered to my door. The girls will be able to have a little more quality daddy/daughter time in the evening one more day a week. I will no longer break my back carrying that heavy car seat or carrying a bunch of groceries in the house.
That is my start to thinking differently. Change is hard for all of us in one way or another. Some people adjust better then others. I'm generally in the middle of the road when it comes to change. I don't like it at first, but I can usually see why the change needs to occur and that it really is not as bad as it seems when the change is first introduced.
The time has come for some changes. Changes that are going to change my life again. Not that they are bad changes, but still they are changes. I will have to tweak my life a little.
The first change is now that she is 1 yrs old her vitamin and nutrition requirements have changed. Most babies move to cow milk and start adding more table foods, juice, water. Not Sadie, she has moved to a new formula. A formula that I can't buy at the store. A formula that can only be delivered by a medical supply company. A formula that is especially made for babies that are only tube fed. This is a reminder that she IS different.
The second change is that she needs to move into the next size car seat. Her infant one still fits her, but it's getting a little to heavy for this mama to carry. I went shopping and found one that rides both forward and backwards and has extra head and back support. One that actually says that it is recommended by moms of special needs children. ANOTHER reminder, she is different.
The third change is that I had to buy a new stroller. Sadie is not ready for a wheelchair, but she needed a little bit more support then the stroller I currently have. Again ANOTHER reminder.
All parents have to get new car seats, food, strollers. I had to also with my other two. This is no different, right? WRONG! The big deal is this....
I no longer will be able to run into a store. With an infant carrier I take her out in the carrier, put her on the front of the cart and shop. Now, I will have to put her in a stroller for 2 reasons. 1. She absolutely hates to be held for more then a few minutes. I do not know why, but that's reality. 2. I can not put her in the front of the cart like a normal baby/toddler because she does not have very good head control yet. This freaks her out, which causes her to arch her back, which causes a lot of drama, and takes a long time to calm her down. Sadie is not exactly the easiest baby to calm down. So if I go shopping by myself I will have to put her in the stroller, which means I can no longer push a cart. I can only use a hand carrying basket. Which means I can no longer buy larger items or a lot of items. As all parents know, it's easier to go shopping with as few children as possible. So I do the weekly grocery shopping and get all the essential house things while the 2 other girls are at school. I will no longer have the privilege to do this. I will have to go when my husband is home in the evening and who wants to go shopping in the evening after a busy day of everything else.
I know this all sounds soooo ridiculous when it comes to the big picture. I have my daughter, she is alive, she is healthy. Who am I to complain about such silly things. This is just a change that I have to adjust too. I will. This will not kill me. With all this being said it reminds me of one of my favorite sayings. "If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, then change the way you think about it" (quoted from Mary Engelbreight). That is what I have to do. Change the way I think about it.
So that is what I am doing. Changing the way I am thinking about it. Instead of seeing this as a bad thing I will look at the fact that I can no longer spend a lot of money when I go shopping. I can not go shopping as frequently or conveniently as I once could. I will be able to go shopping COMPLETELY kid free. I will be able to get out of bedtime duty at least one more time a week. :) The formula is now covered by insurance so I can save some money AND it will be delivered to my door. The girls will be able to have a little more quality daddy/daughter time in the evening one more day a week. I will no longer break my back carrying that heavy car seat or carrying a bunch of groceries in the house.
That is my start to thinking differently. Change is hard for all of us in one way or another. Some people adjust better then others. I'm generally in the middle of the road when it comes to change. I don't like it at first, but I can usually see why the change needs to occur and that it really is not as bad as it seems when the change is first introduced.
I remember our switch over to, but for Ashlyn it was a big different. Its so weird to me seeing parents come in with their young kids at my restaurant job, or when I go grocery shopping. They have no idea how lucky they are to just stick them in their high chair and hand them some food. I watch commercials with shirtless babies and toddlers crawling around and my brain is screaming, "They might pull their tube out, watch out they might get their tube stuck on something!" Because Ashlyn is my only child and I am not around other babies much, constantly worrying and tube feedings are all I know. I love your attitude, its infectious :)
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