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Originally Posted by YogaMomma
Thanks! A calorie counting board is just what I need 
Wow, we really have a lot in common! It isn't too common to find people with multiple special needs kids, unless its through organizations like PTA or special needs message boards. It is hard, because not only do they require so much from Mom, but there is so much more guilt....like if you don't do such-and-such activity or therapy with them that you'll be depriving them. It is expensive, to your wallet and your conscience! I fell into that a while back, the guilt was just eating me alive...but I think I've found a good balance now. We've fallen into a much more relaxed pattern of living. They're older too, which helps a lot. It is amazing how different the early years are vs. mid to late preschool years. The kiddos get most of their therapy at school too, which is very helpful. And *gasp!* we're now out of diapers except for pullups at night!
My 2 with needs are 17 and 15 now. My son, the oldest, has De Mosier's disease (birth defect and still have no idea what caused it). It has impaired vision, caused visual and audio hallucinations, he produces no measurable hormones (so he takes Cortisol, and we inject growth hormone and testosterone for him, and he also is hypothyroid cause of it)... he has Mild MR on top of everything else, and I have to tell ya... trying to train for the most independent adult living doesn't make it any easier. The needs from us are different in all the stages (no more crisis homes, therapists coming in the house 3x/wk and all)... but it's still just as demanding all the way through. We are hopeful that someday he can live independently...that's the long term goal. My daughter (the 15 yr old), has PTSD (due to a trauma years ago), and severe polyarticular juvenile arthritis, as well as osteo arthritis and osteo-necrosis of her knee. She has ADHD like I do, which in this case, has given her the drive to get through all the physical limitations and "obsessiveness" needed to stay aware of the germs surrounding her (since RA is immune deficiency disease), so she protects herself. She just had knee surgery last Thursday and has been making remarkable progress and is soon to be back into Physical therapy.
The trick I have learned is we HAVE to make time for us. It makes us healthier and more pleasant for our time they NEED us there. This journey has improved my outlook as well as my health... which is a gift for my kids
My youngest has no issues, so she is actually a help with the other two at times... keeping an eye on them when I have to run to the store and such... but my DH has been my lifeline. He stays extra with them so that I can have MY time that is needed now
I do hope you also have a support system within your home, it helps tremendously! Feel free to PM me anytime and I will answer as soon as able. I don't have anyone else I know that shares this commonality with me... kind of nice to not feel like the only one that has to rearrange my entire life around their needs... some don't realize... when our kids are teens, that doesn't mean more freedom for us like it does for most parents; if anything, that level of supervision has to increase cause now we have all the regular obstacles of their needs ALONG with the teen pressures. At the stage you are at, it is still in trying to define the best learning methods, the things that work, the things that don't... how to help them adjust to growing.... these are all huge milestones for our kids
I am proud of you for taking time for YOU... to realize that your health and happiness makes you a better PARENT for them! Kudos...seriously!!!! No guilt... if anything, realize it's better for them!
