Thursday, August 5, 2010

One of the hardest things to leave behind

The kiddos and I are settling into the house. It has been SO great to get their rooms (and mine) decorated. It helps make this house feel more like our home. Throughout the move there have been many things that have been tough to let go but one thing in Brooklyn's room was her damaged wall paper boarder.
Why? You might ask. That might seem like a funny thing to miss. But for me it is. You see Brooklyn was diagnosed with Rett Syndrome 7 days after she turned two.....while most moms are beginning the terrible twos with their children I was entering the horrible regression phase of Rett. This was a time when Brooklyn lost the ability to stand, to crawl, to talk, and also to use her hands to do things like feed herself or play with toys. Another thing that comes along with the loss of hand function is that I never got to experience my daughter coloring the walls of her room with a purple crayon, ripping pages out of my favorite book or cutting her hair :) The ONE piece of damage that she did prior to Rett was to the boarder in her room. She use to stand in her crib, where the boarder was JUST her level and pick at the loose edges.....at the time I kept saying I would fix it but once Rett Syndrome entered our lives somehow that boarder seemed perfect just the way it was!
I am not really sure why I am posting this as a note, I guess because I am looking at the pictures I took before I moved out or maybe it is just to remind all you mommies out there that when your kiddos do some minor damage to their rooms just take a step back and embrace it for what it is. Some mommies, like me would give ANYTHING for our kiddos to be able to tear up their rooms!
I look forward to a day when our cure is found and Brooklyn will be able to do all sorts of amazing things with her hands. Until then I have this memory of my little girl, standing in her room, ripping off her boarder....and tonight that makes me smile.

7 comments:

mj said...

oh, i love this! we actually had some friends over for dinner tonight. both husbands were working late, so it was just two moms and two little girls. the other little girl went into leah's room and brought out new toys, one by one. the other mom kept apologizing for making such a mess and i told her how much i loved it. i never get to put toys away, so it's really fun for me when they're used and i can "clean up" her room. :)

Tommie said...

This is a beautiful post. With a physically delayed daughter, I totally get what you're saying. When my daughter (she has 5p- Syndrome) gets sassy with me and manages to shout something in frustration, I remind myself how lucky I am that she speaks so well, heck, even at all. So many things parents of typical kids take for granted we see as beautiful.

Ann Marie said...

So true, Kelly. Abby used to flip the pages in her books so much the bindings would fall apart. I would have reinforce them with tape. I just can't seem to part with all those dismantled books. What I would give for her to be able to pick up a book and flip through the pages now.

Abby was diagnosed a week after her second birthday also-wierd.

stefanie g. said...

Hi Kelly! Just stopping by to say "hey"! Thank you for the comment on my post earlier in the week... I look forward to following you and Brooklyn. You are so strong! I now keep Brooklyn and Boston in our nightly prayers. I hope to meet you one day soon!!!

Marissa said...

Thanks Kelly for such a profound reminder! On those days when my patience is running thin, I will definitely remember your incredible wisdom! Hang in there girl! We love and miss you guys in Caldwell!

Kelly said...

Thanks for sharing, Kelly. I will strive to be appreciative of every moment with Kaelyn. I love the way you treasure life. We love you guys!

Danae Hudson said...

That is very beautiful :)