Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Max did a happy dance today. And wore jeans.


Max, in his usual pants of choice.  

I walked in the door from work tonight to the usual greeting: Sabrina's "Mommmmmy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" (she's three, so all of her sentences end in multiple exclamation points) and Max's squeals of joy (he's five). My mom's visiting, and she told me that she and Max had been dancing together before I came home. When you're a working mom, you get a little wistful hearing about fun kid stuff you missed during the day, but when you're a working mom with a disabled kid, you get especially wistful. I needed to recreate the dancing scene, so I grabbed the kids' hands and we did Ring Around The Rosie right there in the kitchen. What the heck does that song mean, anyway? "Ashes, ashes, we all fall down"? I just Wikipedia-ed it, entry says it's considered to be a reference to the Bubonic plague. Nice!

Max has cerebral palsy. He can walk; he can express himself nonverbally (typically by shaking his head) and also has some words (his latest one: "jeans"); he's bright. He has trouble using his hands (they're clenched a lot, so that even picking up a crayon takes a lot of concentration), still needs to be spoon fed (but he's trying so hard to feed himself lately) and diapered. These challenges are why I so relish the moments when he's just being a kid doing cute kid things, like dancing in the kitchen. Even when we're celebrating the Bubonic plague. Know what I mean?  

Happy blogday to me and Max—this is our first post, the start of what I hope will be a really meaningful (and helpful and funny and wise-assed) conversation with other moms, and in particular moms of special needs kids. Halloween pics coming tomorrow! Click on back to see Max dressed as his favorite character of all time and share shots of your kids.

 


18 comments:

  1. Go Ellen!!!! Doing a happy dance myself thinking about you taking time for YOU. Nicely done!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Holy crap. I just typed in this comment three times before I realized I needed a google account to actually post it. Anyway, congratulations on your first blog post. Love the photos of Max! ps This is Mary Ellen

    ReplyDelete
  3. Nice first post. One dad here just giving you a big up. It's nice that you choose to celebrate the little things. I too get home late and want to know every little detail of what my little booger has done -- what I've missed. Best of luck on your blogging adventures to come.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks for the nice, encouraging words, everyone, I appreciate it.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Ellen! SO proud of you! And of Max!! I, like Sabrina, also end all of my sentences with multiple exclamations!! Happy Halloween to you and your gorgeous kids. Love, Lori B.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Way to Go Ellen! Great achievement! The blog looks beautiful and what a perfect way to connect with other moms. Congratulations--looking forward to more. xoSabrina

    ReplyDelete
  7. OMG! I can't believe you have blog envy too! I guess I should be flattered. Fantastic blog. I can't wait to share in Maxipoos adventures!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Fantastic, Ellen! Great first post and I love the picture. Congratulations!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Loved it Ellen! Welcome to the blog world! I started my own about a week ago: www.judiesjuice.wordpress.com

    Judie

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hey Ellen! So nice to see some pictures of Max! I can't believe that he is almost 6! I am so glad you started this...I will check back often and see your updates!

    I will send some pics of the kids either later tonight, or sometime in the next 10 days...we go on a very needed vacation tomorrow!

    Sarah

    ReplyDelete
  11. Ellen- I love this idea. Such a great one. I'm so happy you have a place to share all of your stories. You can bet I'll be keeping up with you and the family! Congrats!
    xo
    Allison

    ReplyDelete
  12. Ellen, What a great idea and what a beautiful picture of Max. I loved your first post and I'm very much looking forward to reading future entries. I'm passing the word on to other fellow SN moms. Thanks for doing this! xo Gail O'Connor

    ReplyDelete
  13. What a treat! Great post Ellen. That is so sweet. He is so cute and I can't wait to see the happy dance sometime. LOL Happy Halloween
    Emily

    ReplyDelete
  14. Beautiful picture and beautiful post. I am in irregular blogger, but trying to get better. Its good you have a focus (max's special needs) I think that makes it easier both to figure out what to write and to find an audience.
    Carol Anne (from M&M)

    ReplyDelete
  15. Aunt Judy checking in. I am so proud of my sister Ellen and of Max, for all the progress he has made. I have seen the "happy dance" and many other great things that Max does. He is, and always will be my first love.

    ReplyDelete
  16. This site is so great! We love you guys! -- Dawne, Steve and Ilyssa

    ReplyDelete
  17. "Max did a happy dance today. And wore jeans."

    We should all have such a headline at some point in our lives. Good luck Ellen!

    ReplyDelete
  18. This blog is a beautiful way to share your joys and pains of motherhood. Sometimes when I read blogs, I feel like such a voyeure (have no clue how to spell the word)!

    I look forward to reading more and I now have a different perspective of Dave besides "party".

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for sharing!