List of Thoughts

I have a list in my phone that I compiled as blog-worthy moments happened in the hospital. I'm in a list mood, so this post will be an expanded form of that very list.

Stuff He Broke
How awesome is it that the first thing on my list has this title? Ah, T-Man. He falls behind on every assessment in every area of development, including fine motor and gross motor. (and we have had multiple assessments) So he has some mild deficits. Unless he's not supposed to get into something. If a thing is off limits in any way, the child becomes quite dexterous. He broke a phone, he dismantled a blood pressure cuff,  he shot IV-protecting socks across the room, he ripped labels from their permanent locations, he nibbled at his IV, he climbed up the side of his crib, he ripped the case on my tablet, he removed his cardiac leads, he chewed through 2 IV arm boards.

T's Development
This one is sorta sad for me. During both admissions nurses told me they were confident T would catch up with his peers once he started receiving therapy. I didn't have the heart to argue with them, or tell them that he already has a boat load of therapy. The truth is, he probably won't catch up. Not ever. But he's so winsome that people can't see that.

Almost everyone I admit his challenges to is quick to warn me not to hold him back or limit his future. Are you kidding me? I drag him and his siblings to a minimum of three therapy appointments every week. I have had untold meetings and doctor appointments to get him the best resources possible. I have re-tooled my parenting, learned sign language and changed out our toy stash. I'm not limiting him. I'm giving him permission to hop, dawdle & sing to his own drummer.

Work With Kids?
Speaking of how I've changed, one of the nurses was there when I was tricking T into taking some gross medicine. He was astounded. He asked, with a bit of awe in his voice, "Do you work with kids?" I laughed and said, "No, but being Mom to this guy has made me more patient and wily."

Kinetic Sand
Someone who does work with kids, though, is T's Early Intervention Specialist, Miss Jan. Our whole family loves her. T calls all his therapists "Jan." She brought over cool things for him to play with while he was in the hospital. The sand stuff was so deeply loved by everyone that I called to find out what it was. Kinetic sand. It is marvelous; get ya some. M pretty much gave an on-the-spot commercial as he sang its praises. Even AB loves getting her hands in it.

Quilts
The hospital has a substantial stash of quilts that were used on his bed. It was a much cheerier way to guard the bottom sheet than the chux pads adults use. I realized after several days that I should have taken pictures of all the quilts that came our way. I was in an all-or-nothing mood, though, so I took no photos. Bright cotton, stitched together as a quilt, really does bring joy and comfort.

Food Train
When M's co-worker created our food train, I thought it was longer than we needed. During the re-admission, though, I was exceedingly grateful for the food that poured in. I figured we would be back on our feet in a week. Now, more than three weeks later I am just starting to get my first glimpses of "normal." I'm thankful, indeed, for the people that have brought meals.

Embroidery
I didn't spend much time with my sewing in hand. But those brief moments when T was asleep and I was awake were made more bearable with embroidery. Thank you Vicky Sue for encouraging me to start!

Autumn Came
I knew the weather was becoming cooler, so I started washing longer, warmer clothes for my family before we went back to the hospital. I didn't get entirely through the wardrobes, though. You'll likely see N sporting capri's and 3/4 sleeve shirts for another week, or so. I was sad that I wasn't the person to put everyone in pants for the first time of the season. I had no idea I liked doing it until I didn't get to.

Melody
I would be sunk without my friends. Turns out I have some who love my family almost as much as I do. Many of them checked in with me throughout this past month. Lots put on us on prayer lists. If I started listing them I would miss someone. I'm thankful for my friends.

Getting My Brain Back
I had an epiphany as I spoke with my sister on discharge day. Many moms look forward to the time when they get their bodies back. Loads anticipate the end of pregnancy, or the end of breastfeeding, or the end of the baby weight, or the end of being a human hankie. I don't really mind my body being made family property. Sorta. I would like to ditch the baby weight. But what I most want back is my brain. I want to be able to focus, to remember, to think about what I want to think about, to talk about what I want to talk about. Instead, I'm being pulled all over the place, I have a mere shadow of my former brilliance, I think about curricula and diagnoses and talk about a lot of cartoon characters. Though these little years are precious and I enjoy them immensely, I am really looking forward to getting my brain back.

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