Why, Hello There 2024
Hello, internet!
Wow…a lot of life has happened since Paloma was just one year old. When I originally created this blog, I was experiencing such a tumultuous time in our life as we navigated Pal’s rare syndrome. While I had many people to talk to, I did not have anyone to talk to at the same time. No one, absolutely no one, could possibly fully understand my situation, except my husband who was walking this with me. This blog, albeit not as active as I had hoped, was an outlet I needed. It is an outlet I continue to need, especially now that our parenting journey has shifted yet again (more on that below).
Since my last update, we have moved from Maryland to Florida, started homeschooling, (add those to the things I never thought I’d say), welcomed another baby, Camilo Casimiro aka Milo, to our family during a global pandemic, got a sheepadoodle because of said pandemic, upgraded to a 12-seater van with a side lift as our family vehicle, received more diagnoses, not only for Paloma, but for the other 3 kids, and so much more.
While I will continue to write about Paloma and her latest “inchstones,” I will also write about our journey as we parent our other children with their latest diagnoses of ADHD and anxiety. Life is funny like that, isn’t it? God is funny like that, isn’t He? I became pretty comfortable as a mother and caregiver of a severely disabled child, and now I have to learn how to parent my neurodivergent children who I thought (and labeled) as my typical children. While this new information about how their brains work is not necessarily a surprise to both Alan and I, it does not make it any easier. Do the diagnoses make sense? Yes. Are we seeking the help they need to be successful in their daily lives? Yes. Do I have to surrender my natural inclinations of how I’ve been parenting them prior to these diagnoses? 1000% yes. But my hope is that Alan and I will break the generational and cultural norms we knew growing up as kids. (Filipinos, you know exactly what I’m talking about). There will be no sweeping under the rug. There will be no dismissing of feelings. We will have the hard conversations and be honest with each other. And we will absolutely apologize when we mess up and oh will we mess up. But…there will be an abundance of grace-there needs to be. Their atypical quirks will not only be celebrated, but loved.
My best friends always joke with me that “God surely has a plan for your family” when it comes to all things medical (disability, eczema, allergies, asthma, etc). And I chuckle along with them, because it is so very true. I still don’t know exactly how this will all pan out, only Christ does, obviously. I just pray I can be used to share the love, joy, and hope we feel and witness every day.
I definitely plan to write more about our family life, day in and day out, items and equipment we use that make our life easier, skincare (lol this is definitely an outlet of mine), prioritizing my mental health, and more. If you’ve been following me for a while, thank you for your continued support! If you’re new here, welcome!
Talk to you soon,
Lisa
Royal Caribbean Cruise November 2023