All This Mom Wants for Mother's Day is Anxiety and No Sleep
Many of you know and love this family and wonder-mother, Kelly Blumenthal. She is an endless fountain of emotion, joy and love that we have connected to our hearts. Most have us have never met her in person, but we love love love!
We watch her share the story of her sweet sons Finn and Mason and her family's strength as they work to share the story of CHD with the world.
This Mother's Day we chose to have Kelly share a little of what's on her heart and hope you will do two things:
1. Add this family to your daily prayer list, it's the most powerful gift you can give them
2. Savor the moments you have with your family and babies like tomorrow wasn't guaranteed, because it's really not for any of us.
Here's Kelly's message for you today :)
Everyone tells you that being a parent is tough, but until you actually experience parenting for yourself 'tough' seems to mimic something challenging like serious multitasking or staying up all night a few times. The tough in real parenting though is a challenge more like driving a toaster oven through a car wash; risky, seemingly impossible but hugely rewarding if accomplished!
I've officially been a parent for 3.5 glorious years now and let me tell you, tough is an understatement. No sleep literally means no sleep and sometimes for weeks or months at a time. Multitasking takes on a form of both mental and physical at the same time. Each day and sometimes each hour provides a new 'learning experience' like sometimes kids being quiet isn't always a good thing or learning the hard way how quickly breast milk goes through their little digestive system. Or how about the 'I'll never ever get peed on motto' - good luck with that one. Parents also seem to go into parenting with the notion that their kids will never eat junk food or watch YouTube, but when an epic meltdown happens in checkout line #4 over a snickers bar you're very quick to add that to your list of grocery items and pull up the paw patrol app on your cell to appease your toddler. Rejoice! It means your kid is normal!
How do I know this? Our second child was born with special needs. He has heart disease which has caused him to endure an 8 months hospital stay and ten surgeries including one open heart surgery. The end of last month we received news that his heart is once again declining and that he will need another round of risky surgeries including a very complex open heart surgery this summer. Anytime he has any sort of 'normal' baby tendencies, we are relieved. For him to not panic at a grocery store checkout line that he didn't get something he wanted might mean that his heart is weak and doesn't have the energy to even feel emotion. It's scary, to say the least, and we live each day never knowing when the other shoe might drop.
I've learned a lot having Finn, my sweetheart baby, but the greatest has been to embrace and appreciate all aspects of parenting, even the really tough ones like staying up all night, making toast only to have it thrown on the floor and then requested again and getting every little sickness and virus they like to share with me.
I've always been one to cherish every moment with my babies, but since receiving news of Finn's uncertain future last month, the cherishing has taken on a new form. The past few weeks have been spent taking hundreds of photos of every expression and moment. Rocking and staring and each and every tiny feature from eyelashes to toes. Laying next to him with his face next to mine, breathing in his soft skin and sweet baby smell; all things I never ever want to lose.
So this Mother's Day, while most will wish for a quiet day alone filled with pampering, I'll be praying for moments of 3:30 am heart meds and worrying what the future holds for my medically challenged child because if I have that, it means that I have him. It means that he is still here.
Kelly
Ok mamas, let's do what we do best and go love on those babies. Hold your family tightly.
Wishing you the warmest memories from this day,
XO
Casey
KIT with Kelly and Finn here: https://www.facebook.com/prayersforbabyfinn/