Twelve weeks ago today, my little button-puppy was borged. Yes, borged. In light of the my previous two posts, I would like to say thank you for all the support and well wishes I've received since Greta's birth. The first eight days were very scary and thankfully, we made it out of Community North. Her birth was not anything like I planned. I guess deliveries are always something different than what we expect. I suppose for me, Greta's birth was especially unexpected, considering I had the perfect pregnancies-literally. I never puked, and I always felt great. Yes, there were moments when I wanted to trade places with someone not pregnant, but those feelings usually only last a few seconds. I felt blessed and special for the ability to 1) get pregnant, and 2) carry a child for 10 months in such an easy fashion.
With her difficult delivery, it definitely changed the game. Now that she is 12 weeks old, I feel like we should be celebrating this milestone-----not that each day isn't a gift, but with Greta, I feel like it is more special. There were moments in the first few hours of her life that I ran scenarios through my head that involved wheelchairs, breathing machines, and the word"retardation." I felt incredibly guilty for thinking those things, but I am one who always tries to see the black/white of an issue. Thankfully, as the hours turned into days and her head began to heal, those fears slowly went away. While I was blessed with Greta and anything that came along with her, I was thankful that her discharge from Community North was pleasant.
Her head is the same as it was yesterday----fluid in the back of her head where there was once loose skin......again, I'm not alarmed yet. I'll worry when they tell me to worry.
People ask Dave and me what the future holds for Greta and her head trauma and we always say, "She is great, but we have no idea what that means when she is 2, or 4, or 11." She acts like a normal infant----she laughs, "talks," kicks her legs a ton, likes her light up toys, hates tummy time, and loves getting "bathies." She isn't starting to roll over, but I chalk that up to her not being ready----Does that mean she has a delay? Who knows. I pray that isn't the case, but who knows.
My friend Katie posted a link on her blog about a recent article about parenting on NPR---I definitely can relate. Parenting brings about SO many different feelings and emotions. Some good, some bad. However, I'm sure any parent you talk to out there will tell you they wouldn't trade their child/children for anything----even for tighter pelvic floor muscles, a flat stomach, and 10 hours of straight sleep. Parenting is something to get used to, just like any new endeavor. So, I just take it one day at a time.
It is amazing how well she is doing given the birth trauma. Jamesie, on the other hand and a text-book, perfect birth, with a nice round head, yet did not roll over until who knows when, did not crawl until AFTER his first birthday, and we are going on 17 months withouth walking. My dad asked me the other day what the doctor had to say about his "developmental delays." The doctor had to say that he is perfect and normal and really cute. hmmph. Even if Wayne Gretzky isn't right on track with all of her milestones, remember that even normal babies develop at their own pace. It seems like you guys are doing a good job of not freaking out until told to. You're already a step ahead of most new parents, and giving yourself and your baby much more peace of mind than most new parents. She seems like a trooper. Keep it up!
ReplyDeleteErin G (I seem to have lost the ability to post with my name on blogger)