Redefining MommyhoodJourney of a mom whose son is overcoming hypotonia

On top of everything that happened at Mommy & Me today, the teacher also went around the room to talk to all of us about school for next term. This is the second Mommy & Me class we have done. Luke technically should have gone into the “All By Myself” class this time, but he wasn’t allowed because he wasn’t walking. That was ok with me in the end, since I wasn’t comfortable leaving him alone to fend for himself. I am even more worried about that after today’s incident! Luke is already one of the oldest toddlers in our class. His teacher suggested that he do ANOTHER Mommy & Me session after this, then possibly do the All By Myself over the summer session, which would be 2 days a week from 9am-noon. Most of the other moms in the class seem to be stressing over this whole preschool thing and are registering their kids for the fall already!

It’s hard for any mom to leave their child alone for the first time, especially when they have any sort of “issue”. Everyone seems to be so concerned with getting their toddlers into “preschool” at the age of 2. I always thought that traditional preschool started at the age of 3?? I really don’t see what the big deal is, as long as they are learning things at home and being socialized through other classes, groups, storytime etc. Maybe I am just being my paranoid, neurotic self, but I think Luke will be ok if he isn’t in formal school until after his 3rd birthday. He will be starting Kindergarten before I know it, so shouldn’t he (and I) enjoy this time as a toddler? Not to mention, this school is fairly expensive. I would much rather spend the money doing other fun things and therapy options to make sure he is fully caught up by the time he does go to kindergarten, or even pre-k.

Am I making a mountain out of a mole hill here, or do I have a valid point?

It’s official, Hubby is on vacation until the end of October:-) He wasn’t able to take any time off until now, so he has about 2 weeks worth to burn up.

We had originally planned on heading up to North Carolina to visit our old friends. We would love to see them and hang out, especially in the fall, but we decided to do a “staycation” instead. Between having to get new tires for the car, gas money, and boarding our cats, it was just going to cost way too much. We live in a state where most families come on vacation anyway!

I have many activities planned for us to do as a family. Luke and I will also be busy with the usual “chores” like therapy days and mommy & me. I’m debating whether or not I dare give hubby a “honey-do” list also. Since he works so many long hours and hasn’t been able to take much time off, there are tons of things around the house that have been put off for well over a year. I try to do as much as I can, but it isn’t always easy with a toddler chasing you around everywhere.

We are supposed to have cooler weather starting this weekend. I’m hoping it sticks around so we can do lots of things outdoors without sweating profusely.

I will update with details on all of our family adventures:)

It’s taken me forever just to sit down and try to update my blog. I’ll consolidate the week and weekend events into one post.

Tuesday we had our mommy & me class. Our Early Steps PT stopped by to see us. She wanted to see how Luke was playing and interacting w/ the other kids. He tries really hard to play on the toddler playground equipment and he likes to stand and “dance” to the music at the end of class. She was happy to see him in action:) I was a little confused though because she said this would be a “therapy session”, but she didn’t really do any therapy. She told me she has us back on the calendar for October 14th.

In the meantime, we are still pursuing the additional PT at the outpatient office. We had our first official therapy session on Friday. Our new PT there is pretty good. She showed me some things to do with Luke that were new. I think they will help strengthen his legs. She also put in the order for his ankle braces. We are waiting on the ortho company to call us to set something up. I think they will really make a big difference with the way he stands (see pic above).

Thursday we went to a local farm with the moms club. Luke loved all of the animals and was brave enough to try and feed one of the goats. We had fun, but I just wish he could have walked around with all of the other kids and interacted more with the animals. I will take him back and hopefully soon he can stand and feed the animals.

Our weekend was pretty boring. The only “family outing” we had was today to go to Lowes, then we had breakfast for dinner at Cracker Barrel. Well, Luke didn’t have breakfast, he had chicken and mashed potatoes. Daddy and I pigged out on breakfast yummies:)

We have a busy week ahead of us with mommy & me, therapy, storytime, and maybe a playdate.

Luke and I started a new mommy & me-type class this week. It is a lot of fun so far. It is only once a week, but that is probably enough for us for now. It is a little bit of a drive, but worth it. It’s basically preschool with the moms present. This school has a very good reputation and apparently anyone who is anyone sends their children there. It is definitely reflected in the price, but you do get what you pay for. I don’t really care about being one of the “elite” or whatever, as long as we are having fun and Luke is learning new things.

They have a small toddler playground which I was worried about. I thought that Luke wouldn’t be able to play with the other kids (who of course are all walking). I was wrong though, the playground is really cute and he had a blast playing with the steering wheels on the platforms. Unlike our neighborhood park, this truly is a toddler playground, so I don’t have far to climb up with him or worry about how to get both of us down.

I’m glad we signed up for our new class. I hope we are able to make some new friends and continue on to their next program next term.