Confessions from a Thirty Something Momma

In the 1993 film, Groundhog Day , Bill Murray played Phil Connors, a weatherman who woke up on Feb 2 nd several days in a row. He seemed to be trapped in the same day until he did the correct set of things to get out of the cycle. As if Fate wanted to push him in the right direction so that he could form attachments and friendships that were missing in his life.   Sometimes I feel like Phil. With 2 small children to care for daily, I am in my own Groundhog Day of sorts. This one isn’t caused by Fate to get me to do something different. This is formed and directed by nature and necessity. Like Phil, I feel trapped in the same long day. Also like Phil, I realize that I can do something different to change the monotonous tone of my day. A shopping trip here, a playdate there, the occasional trip to the beach or a pool. But with the demands of meals, naptimes, and the impacts of the schedule changes on these little bodies, there are limitations to those changes. Even if there ...

“Is he high functioning?” This is the question I get often about Alvaro’s abilities or delays. When I hear it, I inwardly cringe. It’s not that I don’t know what people mean when they ask it. I know people genuinely want to know how he’s doing. I don’t want to speak on behalf of all Moms with kids with different needs and abilities. I just wanted to share about my thoughts and feeling when I am asked this. Alvaro was diagnosed with Down syndrome when he was 4 hours old. Since the day of his birth, he has lived a life of constant evaluation. These evaluations are necessary. They exist to target key areas that he is having trouble with, so that he can get extra help to reach his full potential. In some cases, so he can reach the full potential of what others describe as “normal.” But despite the need that evaluations have in our lives, I sometimes grow weary of them.   I am to be watching how he eats, how he sleeps, how he moves, how he picks up toys, how he plays with to...