I’ve heard my friends talk a lot about how different it is to go from having only one child to having two or more. While that’s very true, it’s even more true when your first child has special needs. To add another child into the mix can be terrifying, exhilarating, and overwhelming. It also adds more love, laughter, and tears. You’ve probably heard me say that it took a lot of soul searching, prayers, and conversations to decide to have our daughter. Our son was born with cerebral palsy, and while he is able to sit on his own, crawl, and now walk, he was not able to for a long time. He was not walking at 5 years old when we had our daughter. That’s right; I had a five-year-old son who weighed 45 pounds and I was pregnant and then had a baby in a carrier for a year. It was hard work to help him so much, when my own body was changing so drastically, and then to have a baby in a carrier on one arm and my big boy on the other should’ve helped Mama to lose the pregnancy weight–but it didn’t. I digress. Continue reading
Category Archives: Siblings Spot
The Hands Across My Heart
Today’s post is about the hands across my heart.
There we lay; three lumps in my bed. My youngest girl on my left, my youngest boy on my right; they stretched their hands across me tickling each other to stay awake. I breathed deeply and told myself not to roll my eyes. It was one of those moments when you don’t bother to say anything at all because if you dare to open your mouth a deafening scream might just escape. Continue reading
The Best Wish I Ever Made
My beautiful Laura-Elizabeth
This is my oldest child, my only biological child and she celebrated her 11th birthday yesterday. I only mention her biology because it is such a big part of this Wishful Wednesday story, otherwise, it is unimportant. In case anyone out there is adopted or is considering adoption, let me promise you, there is absolutely 0% difference in my bonding or love for any of my children–none. However, her biology is a big piece of the picture of how my family became what it is. That’s the story I want to share today. Continue reading
Fridays Are For Sisters
Since today is Funny Friday, and my big sister’s birthday, I thought I would share a little about us growing up. Continue reading
Life Lessons For My Daughter
A few days ago, I began to think about my daughter starting Kindergarten soon. Tomorrow, in fact. I’m concerned that because we’ve kept such a tight reign on her social life (meaning who she’s allowed to hang out with) that she will come home with either an attitude we can’t stand, or saying things we don’t like. So, I came up with this little list of lessons that I’d like her to remember when she’s out and about and into her adulthood. I also think that these would apply to anyone, adult and child alike. Continue reading
A brother is a friend given by nature~ Legouve
Truer words could not be spoken. My two kids have been friends, right from the start. When we brought Riley home from the hospital, Jamie was instantly in love. Continue reading
Sing a Song of Siblings
When Brandy and I first started dreaming up this site, one of my first thoughts was that I really wanted to have a category devoted to all things sibling. At my house, there are siblings with and without special needs, adoptive and biological siblings, siblings who remember foster siblings who no longer live here-in other words, blog fodder for a lifetime. For today though, I want to talk a little about guilt; the guilt we feel for siblings who are developing neurotypically. Continue reading