We started noticing high muscle tone in Dylan's legs & arms when he was around 3 months old, since then he has been getting physical therapy. We saw several doctors looking for answers and of course became extremely frustrated the longer the "elephant in the room" was ignored. Why is it that doctors won't openly talk about things? Even if they can't give a specific diagnosis at a young age, the conversation should be brought up as to what the diagnosis may be in the future. The more they avoid the conversation the more taboo subjects like cerebral palsy become. Finally this month we had 2 doctors give confirmation that Dylan in fact has mild cerebral palsy (what we had thought it was for quite some time now). Words you never want to hear describe your child, but when reading about it, you realize that Cerebral Palsy is SUCH a broad term. We are fortunate that his is mild, he has higher tone in his legs, and some in his arms, but the outlook looks very positive that he will be able to walk on his own at some point.
I'll admit, it's intimidating to "announce" that your child has some sort of issue, often people want to offer pity, which is not (from my experience) what you want. You want understanding, understanding that there are days that you are stressed, because you simply wish that things were "normal", that your child didn't have to try so hard to do things their siblings do, that your child didn't have to have therapy 2 or 3 times a week, that you didn't constantly question if you were doing everything possible to help your child grow and develop (don't we as parents already do this enough when our children don't have issues/delays/etc???). It just adds a whole other level to parenting, which unless you have a child with some sort of delay, or issue (...i don't know what I should call it, I don't care for the word disability, although I guess technically that's what it's labeled...) you don't really understand what all is involved, and how it can effect you. Also, when you look at your child, you don't see the "disability" first, you see your child, their smiles, their laughs, just like your children without disabilities, you just know that they have to work harder for some things.
Now if you've met Mr Dylan you know he definitely has a personality all his own, and is a very smart little boy. At this point I don't really think he realizes that there is anything different about the way he gets around, he probably figures this is how his brothers started out too. He can walk with a walker, and we're starting to work on getting him to try forearm crutches. He gets therapy 3x a week & I am grateful for the amazing therapists we have, being therapists is so much more than just a job to them and I couldn't be more thankful.
So, per usual with each child I've formulated new products, and Dylan is no different, except that we're still testing things out. Trying new herb infused oils topically to see if we notice a different in his muscle tone at all. And although my online presence has gone down a bit I am still here lovingly making herbal body care products. I'm hoping this winter I will be able to get more active with our Facebook page again, and I have been debating (once again) offering online parties, the ones you can host on facebook and everyone comments when they get a chance to hop on the page. Giveaways, discounts, etc would be part of the party. But I need enough interest to make it worth figuring all those details out, so if you would be interested please let me know!! And please don't think I would expect you to "sell" or have people purchase a set amount for a party, I know quite often people hate online parties because they feel they have to purchase something that they don't really need, so if we do a party I'd like to keep it fun. Not pushy, just informative and a great way to learn more about our products. So again, if you would be interested in hosting an online facebook party please let me know!! The holidays are right around the corner and there's nothing better than gifting products that are good for you and also help support local business.
I'll wrap up the post, and if you're still reading, thanks for sticking around! I know this was sort of a mish mash entry, but I wanted to explain why I've been a bit MIA these past 2 years. Being a mom of three crazy boys definitely has it's challenges, but I wouldn't change a thing (except maybe adding a few more hours to the day if possible!!). All those little fb memes about boys being able to drive you to the brink of insanity and then throwing their arms around your neck and giving you a kiss are correct. Boys are crazy, & I love their craziness, even on the days when it drives me a bit batty, lol.
Herbal blessings from the Mama B household