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Oopsie! Forgot to have a life

Written on August 2, 2010 by Ellen

Last night, at 10:10 p.m., I stood in front of my bathroom mirror and plucked my brows. There were a lot of scraggly hairs, as I haven’t gotten around to doing this for a while, and I found it kind of zen to tweeze away. But as I stood there peering at my reflection, it…

in Cerebral Palsy, Day In And Day Out

- 5 Comments

Oh, happy day

Written on July 26, 2010 by Ellen

4 Comments

Here’s Max looking woeful as we were driving off a ferry yesterday. It was the first time we ever took the car on a boat, and we weren’t sure how he’d respond. Sometimes, he wigs out in new situations. But, no: Max looooooved it. So much so he wanted to stay on the boat. I…

in Cerebral Palsy

- 4 Comments

“Oh, he’s so precious!”

Written on July 19, 2010 by Ellen

10 Comments

That’s exactly how someone recently described Max. Who is 7 years old. I know she meant well, but it seemed really derogatory to me. It’s something you’d say about a baby, not a boy. Max may seem younger than his years—because he can’t quite talk, because he is actually small and because he still has…

in Cerebral Palsy

- 10 Comments

How has having a kid with special needs changed your personality?

Written on July 12, 2010 by Ellen

15 Comments

When we were in the NICU with Max, following the stroke he had at birth, there was a Debbie Downer doctor we had to deal with. One day, I got into a bit of a personal conversation with her. “I feel like this is going to change my whole personality,” I said. “It will,” she…

in Cerebral Palsy, Day In And Day Out

- 15 Comments

Didn’t your mama tell you that staring is rude? (Part 2)

Written on July 5, 2010 by Ellen

10 Comments

I’ve written before about how unsettling it is to me when adults stare at Max. Well, here’s what’s even more unsettling: When kids stare blatantly at Max—I mean, just plain gawk—and their parents don’t say a word. We were on vacation all last week, and it kept happening. While we were at dinner, and kids…

in Cerebral Palsy, Dealing With Public Perceptions

- 10 Comments

Where do you go on summer vacation?

Written on June 28, 2010 by Ellen

2 Comments

Before I had kids, I loved planning trips almost as much as liked going on them. Researching places, hotels and things to do were all part of the thrill. Now that we have kids, summer vacations are a whole other kind of fun, and there’s a lot less planning. That’s because Max is most comfortable…

in Cerebral Palsy, Holidays

- 2 Comments

Other kids’ birthday parties: bah, humbug

Written on June 21, 2010 by Ellen

12 Comments

We went to the birthday part of a friend’s kid this weekend. It was at a gym. Max had a great time at his sister Sabrina’s gym party, so I was hoping he’d like this, too. Only Max had his own ideas. He didn’t want to follow what all the other kids were doing. First,…

in Cerebral Palsy

- 12 Comments

Whoa! Even More Special Needs Mommy Confessions

Written on June 14, 2010 by Ellen

17 Comments

You know, just in case you hadn’t gotten enough confessions the last time. • I’ll let Max get away with stuff—like having three chocolate ice-creams in a row—because I feel sorry for him. As if having all that ice-cream will somehow make up for the fact that he has cerebral palsy. • I’d like to program…

in Cerebral Palsy, Family Life

- 17 Comments

PsychoMom strikes again

Written on June 7, 2010 by Ellen

5 Comments

We went to a children’s museum this weekend, a place where Max feels really comfortable. There’s a cute little outdoor area with a basin where you can push boats around, and Max can happily hang there for a good hour. There were a couple of other kids nearby playing with this little fishing rod where…

in Cerebral Palsy, Family Life

- 5 Comments

On not babying our kids

Written on May 31, 2010 by Ellen

5 Comments

I was just looking at photos from a bowling party Max recently went to, where SpongeBob SquarePants made an appearance. Max had the time of his life. But as I stared at the pictures, I realized how ridiculous Max looked in that little-kid bib that I threw on him before we left the house. He…

in Cerebral Palsy, Family Life

- 5 Comments