Neglect...and Balance

So I neglected my promise yesterday to get a post up, but for good reason.  It is very rare that I actually get out of the house alone to do anything.  Not only did I get to run to the fabric store and grocery store really quick after bedtime, but I got a last minute invite to head out to the movies with friends!  So a relaxed and happy mommy is well worth missing a post:)

For today, I must admit some neglect.  Aubrey has 5 therapist that come to the house weekly.  Nutritionist, PT, ST, Auditory Impairment, and Developmental Specialist.  Seems overwhelming, but we have it almost down to a science.  They each have there day and time, usually in the morning, and then the day is ours.  But between these regular therapy sessions, and appointments, and unexpected appointments to other doctors and trying to sell our house and have showings...we have not been working really hard outside of therapy on our skills:(  Lucky for me, Aubrey is a fast learner and once given a task, usually picks it up without too much practice, but I'm feeling kind of bad these days that her only "work/play" time is with her teachers.

Last week, we ended up with a showing that happened to be right after therapy, and I was behind in my cleaning and getting the house ready.  Did I mention how AWESOME our team of therapists is?  Well they are and even though I didn't say anything, I was granted permission to finish making the beds while Melissa and Aubrey had ST one on one.  She was curious to see what Aubrey would do...and she did well without anyone there to distract her and she fully cooperated with all that she was asked.   It was a good test of how she would do with out me always sitting there.

After Melissa left...I just had to do a quick vacuum of the entire house (a good 30-40 minute job).  Aubrey likes to sit in this chair in our bedroom.  Partially because it is really comfy and partially because she is able to get up into it herself:)  She went straight in there after therapy while I was vacuuming downstairs.  (good PT practice though:)

As I was about to get started on the stairs and head up...I found her like this:)

She got tired of waiting for someone to feed her lunch and put her down for a nap and just took care of it herself!  My sweet, neglected girl!

Yes, I did finish all my vacuuming before I scooped her in the car to finish her nap...but she was rewarded with lunch out for her troubles!

Sometimes, when I stop and actually think about her schedule and the things that we do for her...it can get overwhelming.  BUT, I am not afraid to cancel an appointment if we just need a break...and very rarely do I do make up sessions if we miss one.  We do the best we can and you just can't ask for more and sometimes, too much of a good thing is not so good.  Although I feel like we need to do the work that the therapists ask us to do weekly, I don't ever let the "work" become our whole day.  I feel like it is just as important for her to go to a good music concert or play in the dirt or just giggle on the floor.  It is important to have a balance of everything.

Someday's it feels like all we do revolves around Aubrey and the things we do for her because she has Down syndrome.  And it is then that I step back and remind myself that the Ds is only 1/47 of who she is and she is mostly just a little girl who needs love and laughter and friendship, just like everybody else.  Sometimes the balance comes easy and sometimes it doesn't, but we're getting there.