Birthdays, Babies and Breaks

Roslynn turns 8 years old on Memorial Day. Insane to think that this time 8 years ago, I was working full-time and believing that I had 6 weeks until my due date. Little did I know, I’d be giving birth a few days later. Many friends and family know the traumatic birth and aftermath of Roslynn’s arrival into the world, but for those who don’t, I’ll sum it up quickly: terrible migraine, worked a full day then couldn’t move my head because of the migraine, sent to the hospital, ICU overnight and diagnosed with atypical pre-eclampsia, emergency c-section, ICU for two more days, PTSD because Roslynn was in the NICU for 10 days, overnight magnesium drip, allergic reaction to anesthesia, severe vomiting, comatose and unable to see my baby for 24 hours, discharged and sent home without my baby. Woof. What a way to become a mom for the first time. No wonder people thought I was crazy for doing it all again (with little complications and no pre-eclampsia) 15 months later.

It’s funny how no two pregnancies, even with the same mother, are the same. I would have bet that Roslynn would have been the baby who had the developmental issues as she grew, since she was born 6 weeks early, but she was typically ahead of other babies her age, with exception of speech, which she was delayed with. Greyson’s birth was fairly low-key and anticlimactic, but he did come on his own two weeks before his due date and one week before a scheduled c-section. The OR was so calm and quiet and I did not get sick at all from the medicine. It was a great experience the second time around.

The end of May is always very eventful for our family- The anniversary of my grandfather’s passing, my mom’s birthday, my sister’s wedding anniversary, Roslynn’s birthday and Memorial Day. We can now add another birthday during that last week, May 24, my sister and her husband welcomed their first baby, Hudson James! I’m obsessed with his name and more obsessed with how adorable he is. I may be biased, but I think the Smith girls make some pretty cute babies- not alien lookalikes like newborns typically appear.

I’m so incredibly happy for my sister and her hubby, Hudson is going to be very loved, spoiled and stylish!! I know that Mom would be so proud and excited to have another grandbaby to spoil. She would have also appreciated how much of a boss you were with the whole labor event. Can’t wait to meet little Hud soon!

Memorial Day is also the unofficial start to summer and the official time where parents of special needs kids begin to panic. Lots of parents probably don’t realize what a lack of special needs summer activities are out there for kids, I know that I didn’t until I was facing the “what’s my kid gonna do this summer?!” predicament. Luckily our kids were not school age until I became a stay-at-home mom, so I was available to entertain and keep them on a schedule over the summer for the past few years. This year is not going to be as “easy”, since I am working more hours and no longer working from home everyday. Greyson doesn’t qualify for many camps because he’s not toilet trained, but also because the amount of possible activities for special needs kids is basically non-existent. Last summer, we had a pretty good schedule going for the kids, but this year is going to be a bit more difficult. As G gets older (and bigger), he is beginning to show us that he really needs 2-to-1 support. His behavioral team is working hard to discuss this possibility with the insurance company, but we are going to have to really push for it.

Every two weeks or so, I meet with Greysons’s support team to discuss his needs and what we need to keep him safe and successful. We were able to get him evaluated for a Cubby safety bed, which would provide a safe, enclosed and monitored space for him to sleep at night. We also were able to get a customized safety seat for the car to replace his current car seat, since he easily is able to slip out of it. We wanted to do a harness system like he has on the school bus, but he would need to weigh 65 lbs in order to qualify for it (which he’s currently 48 lbs). We are really hopeful that he will be approved for both products and we can get him in these safety items quickly. Financially, I have no idea how parents can afford these things without insurance approving them, the cost of safety for our kids shouldn’t be this high.

I won’t lie- I wouldn’t mind not sleeping with a child every single night, though I may miss him a little bit. But man, this Momma needs a BREAK. We are not doing a full week vacation to the beach this summer, so my next break won’t come until August, when the kids are back in school LOL. *tears* Overall the moral of the story is, if you see a parent crying in an aisle at the grocery store, be nice- you never know if that parent is the parent of a child with special needs, who is out on summer break with little to no help. We are tired. We are nervous and anxious. We are spread very thin. We can do it.

We had great spring and are ready for summer! Below are some pics from Springtime at the Martin Homestead: