Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Monday, January 9, 2012
tv... broken?!
When we went to church yesterday, for the first half of mass Lilly begged us to go home so she could watch tv. After awhile she forgot tv and decided to participate and had a good time.
But the damage was done. Lilly's mommy decided that for the next week (or until I cave in a few days or hours), the tv is "broken." We unplugged it (at least while Lilly is awake) and there is no Elmo, no Sound of Music, nothing.
Last night when we got home from church, Lilly totally didn't mind that we switched up her nighttime routine by being unplugged. She sat with me and ate her dinner, colored, took a bath, brushed her teeth, got ready for bed, played a game, and read her story before going to bed. No bribes of tv watching were necessary, she didn't even miss it.
This morning, I was nervous. Usually Lilly eats her breakfast in the kitchen while I let the tv babysit her so I can get ready too. This morning, she didn't care that it wasn't an option. She went to the bathroom, brushed her teeth, got dressed, ate breakfast (kind of, she ate less than usual), and we made it to school - even though we were 10 minutes late. I managed to shower and put on a little makeup before she even got up, so I was with her the whole time as she got ready. The only thing I didn't have time for was my morning coffee and a bite to eat myself. But she did great.
I promised her "games" when she gets home from school. We have from 3:30 until 7:30 without any tv or computer, but she'll be fine without Annie or Camp Rock. I need to be more creative without it, but Lilly is just as happy. Yesterday we played the "pink or blue" game, separating all her old onesies into a "girl" and "boy" pile, for the baby. Her game before bedtime last night was seeing how fast she could take all the clothes and put them away into drawers. (We both declared that she "won" at the end. Not sure what the rules were though.)
Wish us luck as the week progresses... if we make it!
But the damage was done. Lilly's mommy decided that for the next week (or until I cave in a few days or hours), the tv is "broken." We unplugged it (at least while Lilly is awake) and there is no Elmo, no Sound of Music, nothing.
Last night when we got home from church, Lilly totally didn't mind that we switched up her nighttime routine by being unplugged. She sat with me and ate her dinner, colored, took a bath, brushed her teeth, got ready for bed, played a game, and read her story before going to bed. No bribes of tv watching were necessary, she didn't even miss it.
This morning, I was nervous. Usually Lilly eats her breakfast in the kitchen while I let the tv babysit her so I can get ready too. This morning, she didn't care that it wasn't an option. She went to the bathroom, brushed her teeth, got dressed, ate breakfast (kind of, she ate less than usual), and we made it to school - even though we were 10 minutes late. I managed to shower and put on a little makeup before she even got up, so I was with her the whole time as she got ready. The only thing I didn't have time for was my morning coffee and a bite to eat myself. But she did great.
I promised her "games" when she gets home from school. We have from 3:30 until 7:30 without any tv or computer, but she'll be fine without Annie or Camp Rock. I need to be more creative without it, but Lilly is just as happy. Yesterday we played the "pink or blue" game, separating all her old onesies into a "girl" and "boy" pile, for the baby. Her game before bedtime last night was seeing how fast she could take all the clothes and put them away into drawers. (We both declared that she "won" at the end. Not sure what the rules were though.)
Wish us luck as the week progresses... if we make it!
Friday, January 6, 2012
Evolution of a mommy
Lilly's been my girl for 5 years now. When she came into this world, I didn't know what to expect. I knew hazily what Down syndrome was. I also knew what little Gembecki girls are like. I think we made a conscious decision to let Lilly just be herself, no matter what that meant, and to nourish her soul and build her confidence and be guided by God and pure instincts and give her all the love in the world.
Turned out to be a good plan. She is incredible.
We're not amazing parents. We make our mistakes, we lose patience, we often times have no idea what we're doing. Lilly probably doesn't eat enough vegetables, and some people wouldn't think it's bragworthy that Lilly has "Dirty Dancing" memorized, or a pillow with Zac Efron on it. But we've also made tons of good choices as well. We've built our own confidence in what the best decisions are for her and our family.
We have taken the road less traveled, in many ways. Ridiculous amounts of schooling (along with ridiculous student loans), and intense jobs. Interfaith marriage. Moving too frequently, to such diverse places, all far from family and friends. Being blessed with a child with Down syndrome.
Lilly took this picture of herself with her camera. She is quite the photographer.
Some of what comes with taking different paths is the freedom of independence. When Lilly was born, I didn't know how to be a mom in general - she was my first - and I also didn't know what it was like to have a child with quote "special needs." Turns out, Lilly's needs aren't very special at all, but we still gave ourselves the ability to do whatever we wanted with this parenthood thing. We gave her every opportunity and no judgments. We saw what she liked, and encouraged her. I never imagined taking a 4 year old to Broadway or a 5 year old to Europe, but somehow it just fit into our plan. (Meanwhile, we cut back on restaurants, haircuts, and new clothes to accommodate those "needs.")
I never took "no" for an answer. I never took someone else's opinion for the truth. I heard John Locke's character on Lost repeatedly say "Don't tell me what I can't do" and that became my mantra. Prove them wrong, Lilly. Prove them wrong, Lilly's mommy.
Lilly can't do everything in the world. No child can. But she has two parents who have the highest level of faith in her imaginable and that has taken her far. She is such a hard worker, a negotiator, an independent thinker. What she lacks in one area, she makes up for in excelling in another. Somewhere inside her she has the secret to success, and we should listen. She is my greatest teacher.
6 years ago, pregnant, I was scared of this child. No one I knew had anything positive to say. And, no one I knew had any experience with a child like Lilly, either. Ironic.
There was a point in the pregnancy when she started dancing in my belly. Silly, funny, I fell in love with all her moves. This child isn't bad, I thought. She's not negative, she's a tiny bit of joy in my belly - she is my future and my future looks bright with her in it. Not a mistake, not an accident, but a tremendous gift.
I've spent the past 5 and a half years loving her so completely. Do I ever worry about anything, have concerns? Yes. But is every single day still like waking up to Christmas morning? Absolutely. I still get so frustrated thinking of other moms in my position who aren't given better guidance and hope for their children. Moms who are given a tiny bit of negative misinformation, and vaguely told to make the best of it, or terminate their pregnancy.
What about love? Support? Faith? Real information coming from actual knowledge and experience?
I spent a pregnancy with so many fears for my child. I haven't spent a day - not a single minute - of her life actually thinking anything negative about her. She's just a kid to me, full of so much beauty and potential. Each day is a gift, with my little gift.
I watch my little girl float around the house with such confidence in herself. I see her learn new things - putting together more complicated puzzles, cooking tons of Christmas cookies (very independently), singing karaoke, modeling new clothes and asking me to take pictures of her. She is happy, well adjusted, has diverse interests. We are proud parents.
Each step of this journey, I didn't know what the next phase would hold. Each time we moved, each year she got older, would it get hard? But it hasn't. Lilly is still the little bit of joy that danced around in my belly, years ago. The biggest difference between the mommy I started as, and the mommy I am today, is that at the beginning I had blind faith - that everything would be ok - because it had to be. Now, I have a more certain faith, based on a very precious little girl, who has proven that she will be just fine. And amazing.
Turned out to be a good plan. She is incredible.
We're not amazing parents. We make our mistakes, we lose patience, we often times have no idea what we're doing. Lilly probably doesn't eat enough vegetables, and some people wouldn't think it's bragworthy that Lilly has "Dirty Dancing" memorized, or a pillow with Zac Efron on it. But we've also made tons of good choices as well. We've built our own confidence in what the best decisions are for her and our family.
We have taken the road less traveled, in many ways. Ridiculous amounts of schooling (along with ridiculous student loans), and intense jobs. Interfaith marriage. Moving too frequently, to such diverse places, all far from family and friends. Being blessed with a child with Down syndrome.
Lilly took this picture of herself with her camera. She is quite the photographer.Some of what comes with taking different paths is the freedom of independence. When Lilly was born, I didn't know how to be a mom in general - she was my first - and I also didn't know what it was like to have a child with quote "special needs." Turns out, Lilly's needs aren't very special at all, but we still gave ourselves the ability to do whatever we wanted with this parenthood thing. We gave her every opportunity and no judgments. We saw what she liked, and encouraged her. I never imagined taking a 4 year old to Broadway or a 5 year old to Europe, but somehow it just fit into our plan. (Meanwhile, we cut back on restaurants, haircuts, and new clothes to accommodate those "needs.")
I never took "no" for an answer. I never took someone else's opinion for the truth. I heard John Locke's character on Lost repeatedly say "Don't tell me what I can't do" and that became my mantra. Prove them wrong, Lilly. Prove them wrong, Lilly's mommy.
Lilly can't do everything in the world. No child can. But she has two parents who have the highest level of faith in her imaginable and that has taken her far. She is such a hard worker, a negotiator, an independent thinker. What she lacks in one area, she makes up for in excelling in another. Somewhere inside her she has the secret to success, and we should listen. She is my greatest teacher.
6 years ago, pregnant, I was scared of this child. No one I knew had anything positive to say. And, no one I knew had any experience with a child like Lilly, either. Ironic.
There was a point in the pregnancy when she started dancing in my belly. Silly, funny, I fell in love with all her moves. This child isn't bad, I thought. She's not negative, she's a tiny bit of joy in my belly - she is my future and my future looks bright with her in it. Not a mistake, not an accident, but a tremendous gift.
I've spent the past 5 and a half years loving her so completely. Do I ever worry about anything, have concerns? Yes. But is every single day still like waking up to Christmas morning? Absolutely. I still get so frustrated thinking of other moms in my position who aren't given better guidance and hope for their children. Moms who are given a tiny bit of negative misinformation, and vaguely told to make the best of it, or terminate their pregnancy.
What about love? Support? Faith? Real information coming from actual knowledge and experience?
I spent a pregnancy with so many fears for my child. I haven't spent a day - not a single minute - of her life actually thinking anything negative about her. She's just a kid to me, full of so much beauty and potential. Each day is a gift, with my little gift.
I watch my little girl float around the house with such confidence in herself. I see her learn new things - putting together more complicated puzzles, cooking tons of Christmas cookies (very independently), singing karaoke, modeling new clothes and asking me to take pictures of her. She is happy, well adjusted, has diverse interests. We are proud parents.
Each step of this journey, I didn't know what the next phase would hold. Each time we moved, each year she got older, would it get hard? But it hasn't. Lilly is still the little bit of joy that danced around in my belly, years ago. The biggest difference between the mommy I started as, and the mommy I am today, is that at the beginning I had blind faith - that everything would be ok - because it had to be. Now, I have a more certain faith, based on a very precious little girl, who has proven that she will be just fine. And amazing.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
December 1: Getting there
We left for Disney World at about 4 am on Thursday Dec 1, flight left the airport at 7 am and landed in Orlando at 9. Magical Express, the free bus service, was super easy and not crowded, and we arrived at our hotel before 11.
Our room was ready, and at that point - while Lilly had been super excited all morning - she was ready to crash. We convinced her to get a quick bite to eat with us at Beaches and Cream, but the whole time she said she was "sick" so after we scarfed down our food, we brought her back to the room to rest. We thought it was just her being exhausted from traveling, but realized that she really didn't feel good the whole trip. But while her body was a little sick, she still was such a good vacationer and had a fantastic time!
That night after a good nap, we went to dinner at Hoop de Doo Review - Jon's favorite for all their meat - and a cute show while you eat. Lilly still didn't feel good, and by this time developed a headache and fever. We sat through most of the show, and the waitress even brought Lilly a piece of toast which was the only thing she wanted. We left before dessert, but the server brought us some strawberry shortcake to go (it's included).
Lilly and I stopped off at the store at Fort Wilderness on our way back to the Yacht Club and Lilly took some medicine which helped. The three of us were in bed by 8pm that night - ready to get some much needed rest, and be ready for an early morning at Magic Kingdom the next day.
Our room was ready, and at that point - while Lilly had been super excited all morning - she was ready to crash. We convinced her to get a quick bite to eat with us at Beaches and Cream, but the whole time she said she was "sick" so after we scarfed down our food, we brought her back to the room to rest. We thought it was just her being exhausted from traveling, but realized that she really didn't feel good the whole trip. But while her body was a little sick, she still was such a good vacationer and had a fantastic time!
That night after a good nap, we went to dinner at Hoop de Doo Review - Jon's favorite for all their meat - and a cute show while you eat. Lilly still didn't feel good, and by this time developed a headache and fever. We sat through most of the show, and the waitress even brought Lilly a piece of toast which was the only thing she wanted. We left before dessert, but the server brought us some strawberry shortcake to go (it's included).
Lilly and I stopped off at the store at Fort Wilderness on our way back to the Yacht Club and Lilly took some medicine which helped. The three of us were in bed by 8pm that night - ready to get some much needed rest, and be ready for an early morning at Magic Kingdom the next day.
Daddy's Little Girl
Once upon a time there was a little girl who adored her daddy. And her daddy worshiped her.
Note: Lilly's coat was mine (and my sisters!) and her dress belonged to me as well. She is so lucky that my mom saved our old clothes to pass on!
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