Monday, December 20, 2010

Honeymoon

Can one be said to be in the honeymoon stage four years into something?

I ask because I wonder sometimes if maybe we're still in that phase. Is the other shoe waiting to drop? Is there something around the corner waiting to slap me in my grinning, rainbow-spouting face?

See...life as Olivia's mother, as a 'special needs' mom, hasn't been that tough for me.

In fact, I feel darned lucky to be her mom (and Alyssa's but...duh.)

Yet I know that I'm probably though to be in denial or people might believe I'm glossing over the frustrations and challenges of raising a child with any sort of chromosomal disorder.

There's another blogger out there who has a small daughter with Down Syndrome. Her child isn't quite a year old and the mom is full of love and light. She's all about drinking it all in and taking each moment for the blessing that it is.

And her child is young. And she's healthy and...maybe she has significant challenges ahead of her.

But I wonder...are we still in our honeymoon stage?

I haven't had to deal with anyone looking at Olivia like she's different (except for her hair, which...it's just hair, like I've said.) I haven't had to dry her tears because she's been excluded from something because she's different.

Alyssa hasn't had to deal with a friend asking what's wrong with her sister.

But is this stuff coming?

I honestly don't know.

I'm not trying to borrow trouble. But I do want people to know that I don't always think in rainbow colors. I do wonder why we were the lucky ones. I do watch for that other shoe and try to prepare for it as best I can.

But until (if it's even going to fall) it falls? Bring on the rainbows and the joy and cold December days when we sit and watch Charlie and the Chocolate Factory five times in a row with a bowl of extra-buttered popcorn between us as Olivia attempts to comb my hair and Alyssa laughs until she snorts over a line in the movie.

For now...we're living a good, blessed life and sure, the little things get overwhelming at times, we're still pretty happy with things. And I hope this honeymoon lasts another fifty years or so. Don't we all?

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