Lani is on the mend - Welcome to Holland

WELCOME TO HOLLAND

by
Emily Perl Kingsley.

c1987 by Emily Perl Kingsley. 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.

This was sent to me by my darling sister Sarah after Lani was born, it is so beautiful and to me makes total sense. If you haven’t read it before...enjoy. Lee and I already see the beautiful tulips....Holland is a good place to go!!!  life is good and were blessed to have Lani in our lives. 

 

Blog diary

4th October 2012

Morning

Well Lani wasn’t ill during the night so I am pleased yet very tired as I hardly slept, I like Lani to get fresh air everyday so we have just got back from a little walk up the shops and she seems quite perky. I gave her juice and a banana for breakfast and it has stayed down, I think I may well just play with her for the rest of the morning and maybe watch a few Mr Tumbles. Swimming is deffo off the cards today but we will see how she is and maybe go tomorrow if she is feeling better.  

Afternoon

Lani has been OK this afternoon but we have just cuddled and she has been quite quiet which is not like her at all but she kept her lunch down. 

Evening

More cuddles and I will put her to bed early tonight after her bath, the whole bathing is a real experiance!! Lani love the water and splashing and kicking is her thing. Lee and I always bath her together and we have lots of water toys for her, its always good fun.  Fingers crossed tomorrow she will feel a lot better, I plan on trying her with milk again tomorrow. 

Q – I have heard people with DS are always happy !! is this true????

A – Lani is a human being and has moods just like we all do. Most of the time she is very happy but if she gets tired she gets grumpy and tearful, she has not yet had a strop but I think she may be too young for this (or maybe she just wont be stroppy!!!!! Here’s hoping lol”). I film Lani all the time when Lee is working so I can show him what the day has been like, your question reminded me of a little film of Lani a few weeks ago, she was having a very sad day.....

 Quick question that I would like to help on, Now Lnai is crawling she tends to go over to hard objects ie doors and headbut them!!! is this what all kids do???????