Confessions

For a long time now, I have housed HUGE guilt over the fact that I don't always reply to each comment left here on the blog. Each comment means so much to me, but after I read it I get distracted with some sort of household/child crisis and then I can't remember where to find it in my overcrowded inbox to email back. And if I just post it on  my blog, I'm not sure that the original poster can see it blah blah blah.

So yeah, most Blogger blogs can just adjust some settings and BAM they get threaded comments, but for some reason that didn't work for my blog, so I had to install a community comment thingy (don't you love my technical talk?).

Anyhoo....it's FINALLY installed! And I am so excited (yes, the smallest of things make me happy) to be able to communicate with all of you on a new level (that sounds kind of creepy, but I promise I mean it in the nicest way possible)

There are a lot of new readers around these parts, and first of all- WELCOME. Second of all, a bunch of you have been asking questions that I haven't been able to reply to. Today's post will be an attempt to clear up some inquiries in one fell swoop.

Here goes. Let's call them Confessions.

1. When did Addison get her ears pierced? When she was nine months old. I wanted to get them pierced earlier, but she sported the accessory of "nasal cannula" up until 9 months. I didn't feel that it was fair to her or me to have to do both at once.

2. What does Essex stand for? The town where I live.

3. You said something about wanting to be a writer. What are you writing? I am working on a novel exemplifying the fact that there are no guarantees of parenting through a rather intense/dramatic story line. The plot is rather complicated (it would take an entire post for me to explain it fully) and is told from different angles discussing the worth of a life while dealing with a new diagnosis that comes as a result of an accident. I have been working on this novel for almost two years, and I don't have a publish date to tell you yet, but I will not stop working until I do. (Some might call this stubbornness...but I prefer determined. ha.) I'm amazed at how much I have grown as a writer (and a person) while working on this project. As a very goal oriented person, my book has kept me sane on those days when the world seemed to be collapsing all around me.

4. I feel that you're rather defensive of your daughter's condition. Do you think you're still struggling with her diagnosis? I think every parenting journey includes ups and downs. Parenting a child with special needs can dramatically inflate both the ups and the downs. However, Down syndrome has now been in my life for almost three years. The beginning of those included times of great struggle. I wrote all about them in my very honest ebook Dreams Change. While putting that project together I really felt as though I reached a turning point in my grief. I love her fiercely for exactly who she is and dedicate myself to advocating for her to have the happiest life possible. So if you detect references into pockets of old emotion, I suggest you read around the blog a bit more to bring you up to date- if you are reading old blog posts I can certainly understand why you might think that. Yes, I had times of struggle. But all of that struggle brought me to today where you won't find a mother more in love with her perfect little girl. Sometimes I do defend Down syndrome to the world, but there's a big difference between "defend" and "defensive".

5. What does EANFE stand for? Everything and Nothing from Essex (I know, right. How lazy can I get???)

6. What kind of blog is this? While I do write posts on Down syndrome and our experiences along those lines, I also love to write tongue-in-cheek funnies about motherhood. I have two kids two and under; we have adventures that are definitely worth typing down lest someday I too look at someone with small kids and think "It wasn't that bad" from my lofty position decades removed from the pain. I do not consider myself an expert about....well, anything. Anything you read here is me shifting my way through motherhood one dirty diaper at a time. On the days where discouragement from the difficulty of motherhood starts to smother me- I choose to laugh at the ridiculousness of my day rather than cry.

7. Why does Carter use a walker? The walker is actually Addison's- but she would NEVER take a step in it. But we discovered if we put her new little brother in it, she would push it all around the house...while walking. It didn't take that little brother long to realize how it was really supposed to be used, and now he chases her around in it. Seriously it's hysterical to watch them during "walker" play time.

8. and just because I love you, some confessions of my own:
-Despite my most diligent cleaning strategies, my house is almost always a disaster. Apparently Addison learned really quickly the fun of "pulling things out" but is taking her sweet little time in "putting things in". This is what I call selective learning. Oh, and ground up cheerios and goldfish crackers. She throws them on the floor and then Carter runs over them with the walker. Seriously????

-Despite my best efforts, my hair always curls two different directions. always.

-I am working to lose the rest of my post (2) baby weight. Jillian Michaels has become my new frenemy. I'm sensing a blog post about this soon.

-I still have a Christmas wreath hanging in my Dining Room.

-Daily I struggle with trying to be the best at EVERYTHING. It's only after I sit down in the middle of my shredded living room with two half naked babies while smelling burnt dinner and reading angry emails that I realize that I'm doing good just to make it through the day.

-We lost Addison's DVD player on our trip, so she's been watching Signing Time on my laptop which means I can't read other blogs while she's distracted. (Yes, that's my subtle way of saying I'm very behind with my reading)

So there you have it. 

If you have any additional questions for me (or comments on my SHOCKING confessions. ha.), feel free to leave them in the comments because I CAN REPLY BACK TO THEM NOW!!!!! (I know, I seriously need to calm down).

Now I'm off to tend to these two who are stirring from blessed nap time: 

Happy Monday