Splendid Mayhem: Logen's Got The Flu

Welcome To Holland

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......
When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.
After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."
"Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."
But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.
The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.
So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.
It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.
But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."
And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.
But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Logen's Got The Flu

We are on day 5 of Type A Influenze (The Flu!) and an ear infection.... He's not had a fever in 24 hours, but his cough is NASTY and he's still not eating. :(

For some reason, his seizures do not increase when he's ill. This should be yet another clue for whatever Logen has b/c this is NOT typical!!!! Right?

Looking forward to St Louis in a few days. Hoping we learn valuable info!!! And, Adam wants to go to Cabella's so bad he can taste it. A few hours in a hunting store. Yea for Mom. Oh, I dread it!

4 comments:

DawnMarch 25, 2009 at 4:59 PM
Oh poor Logen! That is too bad, it was such a bad sickie season.
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KieraMarch 25, 2009 at 9:39 PM
Oh Logen. That stinks! I hope that everyone starts feeling better soon! I agree with Dawn, it has been an awful winter for illness. I will be so glad when summer gets here!

Keep us posted on St. Louis
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ellen :)March 25, 2009 at 9:45 PM
I am praying Logen is feeling better soon! I am SOOOOO ready for warm weather to flush out the cooties!! My kids are always sick it seems!! Round #546 of the cold and cough here!
And Luke would be MORE than happy to join Adam at Cabelas and take your place!! He wants to go SO badly, but we live in craps-ville, so there isn't one close enough to us. :(
Let us know how St. Louis goes!!
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SheilaMarch 26, 2009 at 8:16 PM
I hope poor Logen feels better soon! And I hope you have a great trip to St. Louis. Can't wait to hear about it.
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