Wednesday, July 21, 2010

NDSC, Day 1

Friday afternoon the conference started.  We had “sharing sessions” that were broken up by age group, and then by moms and dads.  So we had probably 30-40 moms in our group with kids up to age 3.  Most of us had our kiddos with us, so it was really fun getting to see all the wee ones. 

I was really looking forward to this part.  I wanted to meet other moms with kids Piper’s age.  Unfortunately, the hour-and-a-half session turned into three hours filled with 10-15 minute diatribes about how terrible the birth of their kids were.  There were only a handful (less than 5, I’m sure) of us in the room that knew prenatally, so our stories didn’t even fit with everyone else.  I was really let down- I know that there were parents that were looking to share their stories with others who understood.  However, I’m not sure that the session was as uplifting as it was supposed to be; I think it would have been more productive if it were based and maintained in a more positive light.  I don’t think that it helped heal, help realize, help understand.  Instead, I felt like everyone’s frustrations built on each other and everyone was more firm in their, for lack of a better term, anger.  It really made me sad to see moms with kids who are over two still struggling, very strongly, with blatant anger and significant hurt over the Ds diagnosis.  I think the idea of this was awesome, I just wish that it had been facilitated in a more productive way.

Anyway, once it ended, we were off to dinner and back to the pool.  Here in Denver, it doesn’t matter how hot it is, outside pools are always cold.  Cold.  So it was really strange to be in water that was 4’ deep that was body temperature.  Piper loved it.  Seriously.  She loved playing in the baby pool that was about 6” deep, and she really loved being held in the big pool and bobbing up and down. 

How cute is this suit?  Piper and Sawyer had matching bikinis.  And I don’t think there could be anything cuter.

We played with the girls in the big pool for quite a while.  Piper floated on her back, kicked her legs, splashed (a lot)…

P1060804…and fell asleep.  Seriously.  She was o-u-t.  She didn’t wake up when we got out of the pool.  She didn’t wake up when I dried her off, or carried her back to the room.  Only when I was attempted to take off her bikini top and give her the steroid breathing treatment did she wake up a little.  I take it that the rocking sensation in the pool was a plus for her.

She did, by the way, sleep great while we were there.  She’s totally sleeping better in the mornings, and not waking up coughing like she had been.  And she’s sleeping in past 5am at home now, too.  Probably the most expensive way to get your kid on a better schedule, but whatever works, right???

7 comments:

  1. The swimsuit is cute. The wearer even cuter!

    I'm sorry the experience wasn't what you were hoping it would be. Reed and I had been given so many possible outcomes that Ds was a blessing.

    We took one look at our Brave Hero and knew we had truly hit the jackpot.

    Tammy and Parker
    www.prayingforparker.com

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  2. I totally agree with you on the sharing session...I told my husband the same things you wrote here. It's amazing how many moms are still so angry that it seems they are missing out on some wonderful moments with their kiddos. I think if the facilitator had started out on a positive note, things would have been different. How fortunate we are that we can see our lives as more wonderful with our children in it!

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  3. Oh dear, so sorry to hear about that session. That is a bummer. I gave our DSG that same feedback on the new parent breakfasts b/c it seemed if one family was upset others went down that sharing path and it became rather unproductive and a total downer.
    I hope you are/were able to give them feedback so they can change this for the future. It is always great to share but it needs to be positive.
    Hoping the rest of the weekend was great.
    Piper girl you rock a bikini, watch out mom and dad those boys are going to be flocking your doorstep.

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  4. That bikini is too adorable! Hope that you had a good time, despite some of the negativity.

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  5. Sorry to hear that the sharing session was not productive. I was in the mom group with kids 6-8 an it was an interesting group. I did not see anger in these moms. Everyone seemed at peace and each one had their own experiences that they were able to share that was of benefit to some of the other moms in the room. It truly was a beneficial sharing session.

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  6. I'm sorry the sharing session wasn't better. I think I would have a hard time with all the negativity. I suppose with younger kids it's still fresher for some moms, but it still would have bummed me out.

    Love the swim suit!

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