Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Overwhelmed No More

I've spent the last week trying to get a handle on our home and my time. Over the last year I've felt increasingly overwhelmed by the day-to-day stuff that needs done around here. So, on Saturday I handed over a volunteer job to someone better able to handle it. This is something I should have done a looong time ago. Like, after Goldie was born.

I have to come clean and admit thinking to myself after she was born, "I'm not going to change. I'm not going to let Down syndrome take over my life. I'm still going to do everything I did before. I won't become obsessed with it." Its taken me 2 1/2 years to admit that I have changed, my life and interests have changed and its not as bad as I thought it would be. Down syndrome didn't take over my life, but my love for Goldie has. She demands more of my time than I anticipated in the beginning, but who can think of a better way to spend their time.

The volunteer work I did was bookkeeping. Which is best done without the help of a 2 year old. I tried waiting until she was asleep, but she would wake up constantly and I still didn't get anything done. The bookkeeping kept getting further behind and my guilt kept growing. I put off doing crafts and projects around the house because I felt like I should be getting caught up on the work I was already committed to. I ended up getting nothing done for myself, my family, or the charity. Which led to more guilt.

Now that I've relinquished my duties, my time is once again my own. Like Hank said, "Now all you have to do is take care of the kids." Yep, that's it. HA! HA! But really, I've been planning field trips for them and organizing their rooms. I'm good at organizing when I'm pregnant!

Totally unrelated to this post, but when I was looking at my calendar, I saw that Goldie's first transition meeting is next week. Eeek! I don't feel ready for this process.

6 comments:

Wendy P said...

Good for you!! And truly, what a wonderful way to spend your time, now.

We're getting ready to transition, too. I'm so nervous!!

Sasha@ Blyssfulhealth said...

That's good to hear that you have got a little more time now. Guilt can wear you down, so now you should feel better. You such a great mama planning all of these field trips.

Lisa said...

Good for you... Funny, I just posted about this same issue last night :)

I look forward to reading about your transition meeting. I'm really focused on learning more about that process and everything we have to advocate for.

SunflowerStories said...

Good for you! I have really been practicing using the word no this past year. I wanted to focus more on family while they are little. It's hard to say it, when you see such a need and a good cause.

I look forward to more blogging from you, and hopefully a baby update!

Beverly said...

good for you! Cant wait to see all your new crafting.

Jennifer said...

Congratulations! You are going to feel like a new person now.

Regarding strollers, we have a Graco Duoglider. We are happy with it. We purchased it when Brendan was born. Aidan and Brendan are 16 months apart. Aidan couldn't even stand when we bought it, and I was also watching my two nephews (2 yr old and newborn). I have gotten a lot of use out of this stroller! Now I use it in various ways. Sometimes Liam falls asleep in his car seat, so it's nice to just transfer the car seat right to the stroller without waking him up. There is nothing more importnat to me than letting whoever is sleeping stay asleep! I can either have Liam and one of the boys in there while the other boy walks. Or, I can put both boys in and put Liam in a sling. Aidan always falls asleep with his head on the tray. That is a negative for me, but he would do that in any stroller. He likes to sleep face down.

My neighbor has a lightweight side by side stroller, but it doesn't have much storage. She likes it, but it wouldn't work for us. We always have a potty seat, cooler with snacks, diapers, change of clothes, etc.