Our Babies

Our Babies
Luke and Claire

"Welcome to Holland"

By Emily Perl Kingsley, 1987. All rights reserved.


I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......

When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.

After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."

"Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."

But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.

The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.

So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.

It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.

But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."

And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away...because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss. But...if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Logistics







Whew...it has been a busy few days of working out the logistics of the next phase of our lives. We got the official word yesterday that Luke has received a slot at the Goldman School in Shreveport. Basically, the purpose of the school is to combine kids that are developing typically and have special needs. Kids have every disability there from Autism to DS to severe physical handicaps. Patrick and I think it is a sensational opportunity because our ultimate goal is for Luke to participate in as many regular classes as possible as he gets older and progresses academically.

In other news, keep your fingers crossed that we have a successful day tomorrow. Our case manager from Early Steps, the state early intervention program, will be visiting our house for Luke's first assessment! She'll evaluate where he is developmentally, and she'll make recommendations for what therapies to start and when we can proceed. It will be nice to get a schedule set up because I'll be heading back to work June 28th, Patrick starts Weapons School (an intense 6 month training program), and we need to make a game plan. Luckily, my boss e-mailed me yesterday to verify that I have free reign on my schedule. I see having Friday afternoons off to be in my near future :)

Hopefully we'll have exciting news after our evaluation tomorrow!

3 comments:

  1. SarahMay 27, 2010 at 10:15 AM

    Melissa,
    That school sounds like a great opportunity for Luke. I'm anxious to hear how things go with your case manager tomorrow. You are in my thoughts daily. I've been following your blog since Luke was born. I am SO EXCITED to meet the little guy in June and see you and Patrick.
    Sarah Huslig

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousMay 27, 2010 at 10:51 AM

    Wow, congratulations guys! Sounds like things are falling into place for the best possible options for the little guy. Looking forward to hearing about the assessment and game plan... Love the pics - he looks so peaceful and happy!=) Let us know, if you need anything!

    Blessings,
    Stephanie & Jonathan

    ReplyDelete
  3. maryn1978June 1, 2010 at 9:07 PM

    AWESOME...as for Weapon's School, just prepare to be a single parentas the months progress. I know you can do it!!!

    ReplyDelete

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