Redefining MommyhoodJourney of a mom whose son is overcoming hypotonia

It’s a little late, but I had a good weekend. I got lots of “mommy time”, which is unusual! Friday night I went to my friend’s Pampered Chef party. It was a lot of fun. The consultant made 30 minute chicken in the microwave, potatoes, 2 kinds of appetizers and chocolate cupcakes. I also had a glass of wine, which was needed after a long week. The consultant heard that I am a stay-at-home mom, so she gave me a DVD about becoming a consultant. I still haven’t watched it. It sounds nice, but I just don’t know if I could do the demos in front of people I don’t know. Out of all of the multi-level marketing schemes, Pampered Chef is one that I may consider though. They do have a lot of products that pretty much anyone can use, and the prices range from $1- $300. I’ll keep it on the back burner for now.

Saturday I got my hair cut, then we spent the rest of the day as a family. Sunday I got another free outing to the grocery store. Isn’t it sad when I consider a trip to the grocery store alone an “outing”!? Ah, the life of a mommy:-)

Luke and I had a playdate today with one of my friends who has a one year old daughter. My friend works full time but happens to have weekdays off sometimes. I can definitely tell the difference between us as mommies.
Since I am home all of the time with Luke, I think I take my time with him for granted. I also think I get more stressed out about things. This could also be from dealing with the issues we have. She seems to be more in the moment when she is home with her daughter and definitely less frazzled. I guess this could just be a difference in our personalities though too.

Like the saying goes “the grass is always greener on the other side”. My friend thinks I am so lucky to be able to stay at home all of the time, but I am kind of jealous of the moms who have a life outside of home. She runs her own business and gets to feel pride in herself and know that she is helping to support her family. I know staying at home is just as important, if not more than bringing in a paycheck, but I do feel like I am missing out on taking care of myself most days. I’m not sure if this is selfish or normal?

With Luke having his hypotonia issues, I would also feel guilty if I went to work full time. This would mean that someone else at a daycare or a babysitter would have to be responsible for his therapy appointments during the day. No one is going to pay as much attention as I would, so I’m sure the PT wouldn’t be as effective.

There is guilt either way as a mommy. I think we just need to somehow find a balance between our lives with our children and time for ourselves. If anyone knows how to do this, please let me know!!

Before having a baby, I was very independent and self-sufficient. I was in the military for 4 years, then worked full-time for many years in telecommunications as an engineer. I also went back to school full-time to finish my Bachelors while I was working.

We moved to our current city about 3 years ago, where I wasn’t able to find a full-time position. I worked part-time doing marketing and advertising up until I had my son.

I am now my own worst enemy. Yep, you guessed it, a stay-at-home mom!! In our previous neighborhood, I was in the minority. I worked full-time and had no kids. Every other woman in the neighborhood was married w/ kids and a lot of them were SAHMs. I remember thinking “ugh, must be nice to stay at home all day.” Obviously I hated my job and I was bitter. I am getting paid back for those thoughts now.

Being a stay-at-home mom is the toughest job I’ve ever had, but it is also the most rewarding.

My name is Tilly and this is my first attempt at blogging. I am a 33 year old stay at home mom (SAHM) to a wonderful 20 month old son named Luke.

Luke is a normal toddler in almost every way. He is not walking yet, which makes him different from most toddlers his age.  He has gross motor delays and a condition called hypotonia.

This blog is to share the story of our journey together. I hope to make more people aware of hypotonia and to hopefully offer some support to others in our situation.

I will also be blogging about other mommyhood issues that any mom can relate to.