I once read an article about a mother who became so busy with her son’s therapy and treatment that she stopped working out/taking care of herself for years. The mother put every ounce of energy into making sure her son had the help he needed, and her needs were put on hold.
If I could find that article I would re-read as I can now relate. When I read the article I (naively) couldn’t fathom not making time for something I loved. Fast forward four years and I ended up in the same situation. Whey my daughter turned two and a half her therapy became my main focus. D was delayed in speech and displayed signs of sensory processing disorder. At the time, we had five different therapy sessions in our house a week.
D is now four and half and thriving in preschool. We still continue occupational therapy once a week and speech once a week. D has sensory and auditory needs that still require assistance from therapy. However, I almost cried the day her speech therapist said we may need to think about moving to every other week. Her therapist said D is the model child for what therapy can do when started early and asked if I could talk to other moms that didn’t listen to her suggestions. Yes, I cried a little.
When we started, I was told that therapy started at two is much easier than starting at an older age. I threw myself into whatever the therapists told me to do. I researched websites on sensory processing disorder, ordered products/toys the therapists told me try, read books at night, and pretty much gave up any of my needs to help D thrive.
D started 4 year old preschool this year and her teacher said it’s completely different from last year. She is talking nonstop and caught up for the most part. This is such a relief and I feel like I can finally breathe. However, I realized I had lost myself in the process. I stopped working out, getting dressed up for the day, and doing anything for me. I was lost. We are expanding our family and expecting a baby boy in January. I am thrilled, but a little terrified as well.
When I left my corporate job to go on maternity leave, I asked a coworker (naively) what I would do with all my spare time. She looked at me and said, ‘start a blog and I’ll read it”. I laughed at the time. But as the four years went by and I lost contact with friends, I realized that a blog can capture these moments that go by too fast and give a glimpse into my life. It’s a way to express yourself creatively through writing, photos, style, and more. Also, I want to show other mommies that may be struggling like I did that there is hope. Therefore, here we go.
Hope you enjoy and stay awhile.
Trice
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