There are many "nutshell" versions. The bullet point - the extended bullet point - the "other players" bullet point- the 300 word version - the 3 to 5 page paper version (with extended family heartache included) - the bottles of wine and talk for two hours straight with lots of tears WHOLE story.
Not sure which version I will end up sharing on this blog, but right now I'll give the bullet point that I gave my friend.
-born a big healthy baby
-started to show signs of slow growth
-same weight from 2 to 4 months
-failure to thrive
-hospital - diagnosis of bartter's
-one month at phoenix children's hospital
-daily blood draws
-high calorie formula
-food journal
-severe milk allergy, vomiting for months
-hospital round 2
-feeding tube
-teeth extraction at 20 months
-slow speech
-slow growth
-autism
That's a lot to cover with a casual acquaintance. Each of those bullets include heartache and grief, and a whole range of emotions. Resolve, resistance, anguish, determination, denial, acceptance, love, letting go, independence, patience, humor, and strength. I realize how I need to tell this whole story, piece by piece, so I can become more whole and really discover how to become the best parent that I can be.
I realize too how resilient I have become, how many skills I have learned, the peace I have found through this journey. How lucky I am to have Liam, how much of a treasure he is. And kudos to him for overcoming so much so quickly, with a sweet attitude and open arms.
I'm typing this as he keeps coming over here to say "hug you mommy" and "i love you" and recite the months of the year for me. "December is over - January is over - now it's February 2010!"
So what if he wasn't able to tell me about the field trip today. I asked him if school was fun and he said "YES" with a huge smile on his face.
What else do I need to hear?
No comments:
Post a Comment