Friday, May 21, 2010

Humbled

You know what goes great with a glass of gratitude? Humble pie. 

Humbling is the only way I can think to describe this week.

If you are reading this you might be thinking, "She should be resting." Or maybe "Brat. She can't call me back but she can blog!?!?!" I have excuses for both. I will rest easier after I get a few things off my chest. As far as the call backs, I am facing a cell phone bill that rivals a car payment. A fancy foreign car that comes with a middle aged gentleman who tips his hat to you and calls you Ma'am as he helps you in and then proceeds to drive you where ever you'd like to go. New minutes start Monday.

First things first.

I need to publicly apologize and thank my mom. For a lot of things. I didn't make a big enough deal over Mother's Day this year. I was wallowing in my own discomfort and preoccupation with becoming a mom again myself. Mother's Day should not be about me being a mom, but about the woman who is my Mother. Happy Belated Mother's Day Mom! In case you don't know, my mother has strength Greek gladiators would envy and has raised four very strong and very independent daughters whose lives are only what they are because of her.

Next, I just need to get it out there so I quit hemming and hawing over how I am going to come out with it. Before I say this please, please recognize that pity is equivalent to arsenic or cyanide to me, and I have hesitated talking about this to avoid the thought of anyone feeling sorry for us and to steel myself and protect you from my already overzealous mother-bear protective nature.

Erick was born with a cleft lip and palate. We were not aware of this prior to his birth, but that is not to say that we were not prepared. It seems that we have been preparing for this kidlet for a long time and I am grateful to those around us who seem to have been prepared in miraculous ways in our behalf. It makes my heart hurt with gratitude when I think of the ways people have been in the right place at the right time and listening when they were prompted to do something before understanding why. Keep reading and you're likely to hear about some of it.

While caught off guard and presented with some special challenges, I am humbled when I think about how different things could have been. Eating and breathing are his primary challenges right now (both of which is he earning a gold star at), along with some cosmetic issues, but from our current understanding they are temporary. Things are going to be busy and a little rough for a little while, but by the time he is in elementary school this will hopefully be a distant memory and we can look back and be grateful for the awesome people we've met, helped, and been helped by along the way. I might have given birth in a tub at home attended by midwives (which I would not have changed for the world), but you better believe that I am totally grateful for the state of the art technology and the care the medical world can provide. We're going to use it. You'll hear about some of that too, most likely.

This is my life. I wouldn't change any of it. I'd like a nap, but I can sleep when I'm dead. You'd miss me if I slept more and blogged less. I'd miss you. Talking to cyberspace has a Prozac-like quality I appreciate. I have to laugh when I think about the infertility/adoption/cranio-facial special needs advocacy this blog has taken. Along with all my random thoughts and feelings. Wow-zas.

I've saved the best for last.

Is this not the cutest damned face you've ever seen? He needed the little blip to make things fair for the rest of the world. A curly haired girl and a dark-haired boy. I have everything I've ever wanted. That was not such a humble thing to say, but I'm still grateful none the less.


15 comments:

cambridgeclan said...

It is so good to see him. Now I have a face to put with his name. I love him already and can hardly wait to meet him.

Marti said...

What a cutie! Hope you are doing well and able to get some sleep. Love to all of you!!!

Crazy Me... said...

Cute as a button! And special needs advocacy? You know his biggest (okay, maybe 3rd biggest) advocate will always have his back. (PS- I will be there for his first IEP. :P)

Lisa said...

I want to kiss that fuzzy head! He is so cute, Yanette... your little miracle. Welcome to the world Erick.

Miqui said...

I am proud of you Yannette. He is the cutest thing. Little Miss and Him share that title. I love you all and can't wait to see you.

grandma/mom said...

Sometimes life throws us a curve ball(sometimes more than one curve ball) and then we really find out what our priorities are. You do have a wonderful mom. She has raise four amazing daughters.
Plus I just love the picture of Erick with his eyes open. He is beautiful!

Stephanie said...

Long time lurker (via Alisa R.) delurking to say what a beautiful boy you have! Congratulations on this addition to your lovely family!

Gobbler said...

Well I may or may not have vocally mentioned it before but this is what I was thinking earlier when you were struggling with infertility...I was thinking that the reason you guys were having issues having your own kids is that any kid with a combo of your guys' genetics and attributes would be too superior and somewhat unfair to the rest of the world. I guess the man upstairs may have agreed with me on some level and given your son his "blip". I guess the world can rest easier knowing that he will not put us all to shame by saving the world somehow before he's 20. (Now he'll have to wait til he's 21 or 22 to save the world)

Congratulations!!!

btw Alexis had a speech IEP the past 2 years, I was very impressed with the program she went thru and it helped her out immensely. Let us know if you have any questions about it later. Alexis has tongue displaysia

Marin said...

He's beautiful. I love his dark hair. My sister's baby was 9 lbs even. Erik and Eden have the same look in size with what I remember. It goes by so fast, enjoy these precious moments!

Shane said...

I haven't been able to get online for two days and I've been dying to see if you posted pics.... What a handsome guy! Good luck on getting sleep. I told my hubby that I'd be tired for the next 18 years and that's after each kid!)

Danasty said...

I love it! So glad to see this new little nephew of ours, he is as cute as he can be. Let us know when his blessing will be and we will try and be there so see this handsome little guy in person!

Angela N said...

He is so beautiful, Yannette. I love the wise look in his eyes in the first picture and the sweet contented, sleepy baby look in the last one. What a miracle he is!

Anonymous said...

He is so beautiful. He melts my heart with all that dark hair and brown eyes.

Does Little Miss like being a big sister?

Also is it wonderful not being pregnant anymore? I always feel like superwomen after I have a baby since I have energy once again.

When you are feeling up to it I would love to get the kids together to play.

Angela said...

What a beautiful baby! He will be a heart-breaker with those eyes!

Thechattymom said...

Congratulations on your precious little boy. You wait and see...this little guy's going to be an amazing trooper talking a mile a minute. He's SO cute!

Blog Archive