Elena

Elena

Saturday, August 11, 2012

Reflecting

With Elena's 4th birthday coming up in just a couple weeks I find myself reflecting on the past 4 years. So much has happened and she has grown so much. It's hard to believe how much time has past already. It seems like only a few months ago she was a little infant bundles up in my arms. Now she is walking, talking, singing and FINALLY answering my questions. Parents always say that time flys and their kids grow up so fast but I didn't realize just how fast. I feel if I blink Elena will be going off to college!

Elena is such a joy to have and I'm thankful everyday that I'm her mom. Sometimes having a blind child can be difficult but I imagine it's not much more than raising a sighted child. I am often asked what's it like raising a blind child and I say that after the first year or so it's just like raising any other child. Once I got used to the uniqueness of things that go into raising a blind child it felt normal to me. Many times I'd forget she was blind or that she wasn't like every other child.

Blind children are just like other children. They have tantrums. They have good days and bad days. They want love from their parents and entertaining toys. They want to go to the park and can make shopping difficult. Whether your child is blind, sighted, mentally handicapped or healthy, they should all be treated the same because they are the same. One may have to do things different than the other but they are the same.

Elena will be starting her second year of pre-school in a couple weeks and I can't wait to see what she accomplishes this year. She is so smart. I wouldn't be surprised if starts reading by the end of the year. She follows the Braille lines with both hands and, according to her Braille teacher, knows the brailler better than get kindergarteners. She has known her left and right for maybe a year now and she LOVES to read. She doesn't always want to read with her hands but she loves listening to the story, holding the book, and turns the pages. She liked to recite the stories to herself and sometimes add her own twists. She is very good with her cane and learning more about using it correctly. She enjoys playing with her swing-cell and learning new letters.

She still isn't potty trained and is lacking some communication skills. She gets easily frustrated and throws things and/or hits herself when she is mad. She isn't perfect, no one is, but she is the sweetest little girl and her laugh is adorable.

Four years. Wow. Four years old. She sure has come a long way. My little angel is growing up.

No comments:

Post a Comment