Being the Other One

I recently purchased Being the Other One after a recommendation by another trach mom. It focuses on helping siblings of special needs children to thrive in their family and has been a real eye-opener for me.

While I'm not crazy about the writing style overall, I do like how the author, Kate Strohm, uses interviews from fellow siblings to explain the dynamics of the relationship they have with their family. Strohm's writing is a bit dull and repetitive for my taste, but the content of her writing resonates with me.

The biggest idea that I've seen repeated throughout the book is that I need to meet Caleb where he is and allow him to feel what he wants to feel. Life's not all rosy, and growing up with Abby won't always be wonderful. It's easy for people to say how much better he'll be for having Abby in his life, or how much more patient he'll be, etc. It's uncomfortable for people to acknowledge that Caleb will most likely resent Abby to a degree or wish that things were different. After all, life as we know it has changed and that is scary for him.

So, our job as Caleb's parents will be to love him, acknowledge his frustrations, and provide him with opportunities for him to develop into his own person....not just "Abby's Brother."

Caleb has already shown a few signs of resentment that we're working through. I'm glad that I'm reading this book because it is helping me to recognize these signs a bit more and deal with them as they come instead of as a major meltdown when everything bubbles up to the surface.

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Cerebrocostomandibular Syndrome

If you happen to pick up the latest Reader's Digest, there is an article in there about Piper Breinholt , a four year old with CCMS. If you've been around here a while, you'll remember wayyyyyy back when we first received Abby's diagnosis that I was able to speak to Piper's mom, Reagan. The article is more about their story and not as much about the ins and outs of CCMS, but I think it's probably enough to get some people googling it and I'm hoping a few will end up here. Every once in a while, I give a blog post the title of Cerebrocostomandibular Syndrome so that it would show up in Google. My ever-present hope is that people will stumble across my blog and 1) be encouraged by the hope we have in Christ, 2) feel a connection with someone in a similar situation as them, or 3) get excited over the miracles that have been performed in Abby's life!! (a combination of all 3 is great too!) :) Notice that it's not to get famous and it ...

Bath Time Photos!!

As promised, here are lots of photos of Abby's first bath. Caleb was supposed to be in bed, but the bathroom is right next to his room... "I'm not too sure about this..." Once she learned how to splash, she was all smiles! Her first good hair wash! Gotta protect the trach! She really liked getting water poured on her head. It was cute! Smiley (and bubbly) for Daddy while he dried her off. All clean!! (Note the Lysol wipes in that last picture. They are NEVER far away!)

Imagination Movers Photo Recap

Seriously, The Imagination Movers were so much fun! They played lots of their own music, with some classic rock mixed in for the adults. There were also quite a few jokes and references to Baltimore, which was kind of fun. The whole night centered around this robot named Rock-o-Matic, or "Rocko." This is Mover Scott, and he wears Wobble Goggles that help him see new ideas. Caleb and Abby have a pair of goggles too. :) There are 4 main Movers that are part of the TV show, but they have 2 extra movers to play instruments and do back-up vocals in their live tour. Abby finished up her feed before the show started so that she would be free to dance! My dancing queen did NOT want to sit in my lap. The row in front of us was empty, and that is where she stood almost the entire show--dancing the night away. My Imagination Movers Caleb did his share of singing and dancing too. He knows m...

Life as a Leach

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