Fasten your seat belt. This road may get bumpy.

It was sometime around this point in Oli's life that I decided I would learn braille.  I mean, why not, right?  My daughter was still in diapers, had about 4 teeth, could say one word and had just learned to sit up.  Why wouldn't I want to learn braille so I could start teaching her immediately something that blind kids don't really learn until they are about 5 years old(give or take-I'm not completely sure because Oli hasn't even started it yet.  So glad I ran that gauntlet 5 YEARS AGO!!). 

That picture of the crazy mom at the top of my blog, that is cartoon me. She has blond hair because what suburban house wife/stay at home mom doesn't picture herself as a smoking hot blond bombshell.  Or is that just me?  Maybe I watch too much reality TV.

I love how chic it is to say "housewife" now.  Much better I say that, than tell people I don't have a job or tell them I take care of my 3 children...all day...everyday...and I never get out of the house...or put real clothes on. . .or have any friends...

See how she's holding her head.  That's me totally flabbergasted by this whole crazy, loopy, bumpy path that is the road of a mom with a child with disabilities. 

Before I had kids my road looked like this:

It was smooth, newly paved, no potholes and was 100% safe.  I didn't even need a seat belt.

When I decided to have kids it looked like this:

Highs and lows, a few tiny pot holes, but I could still see where I was going. There were beautiful flowers by the side of the road and sunsets and rainbows in the distance.  (I'll bet you didn't know that I am also an artist. I will now add that to my resume of blog writer, magic Q-tip eye ball manipulator, Binky locating expert, and projectile vomit catcher.)

After Oli was born my road started looking like this:

Most of the time I can't even see where the hell I am going and have no clue where to turn next.  I just bump along, twisting, crashing through potholes the size of Connecticut, and try to avoid the boulders falling on my head.   A 5 point restraint race car driver seat belt is required for this road. It gives me a terrible headache. That's also why I'm holding my head.

And I'm holding it because I get crazy ideas like learning braille when my baby is 8 months old and I run with them full force, balls to the wall.  It makes my head spin so I'm trying to hold it on so it doesn't fly off while my mind is traveling at  500 million miles a minute. 

I might have a few issues, but I did learn un-contracted braille that year:)

I probably get my neurosis from my mother.  She learned un-contracted and contracted braille that same year.  Along with the numbers, math, and maybe music?  Basically the whole shebang of braille.  She was ready to open up her own little braille school and teach all the little blind babies of the greater Las Vegas valley.

Never underestimate the love that my mom has for her grandchildren.