When Jill was a teeny baby, and we didn’t really know much about what was going on with this little shivering babe, we were told to be prepared for anything.
She might be severely mentally retarded.
Or not at all.
She might have physical disabilities.
Or she might not.
She might never walk.
Or she might be a marathoner.
We had no idea.
It was all a waiting game and seeing what the path looked like as we walked it.
As a mom, wanna know what I heard?
Did I hear doctors and therapists tell me that she might come along perfectly fine, but it just might take a little longer?
I mean, sure.
Of course I did.
But you wanna know what I *really* heard?
“Your little girl may never walk. Your little girl may not be at all what you thought she would be.”
It was hard.
I cried.
I worried.
But eventually, I realized that it didn’t matter.
We were gonna love her to the moon and back no matter what.
As we have journeyed this path of unknowns, we’ve been pleasantly surprised.
But this glimpse into the world of special needs has changed me profoundly.
Why have I been given this peek in, yet been spared most of the hard stuff?
I don’t know.
But I do know that it has changed how I want to parent.
And it has changed what I want to teach my children.
So, when my friend Ruthanne blogged about a Barbie in a wheelchair she found at a thrift store, I knew I had to have it.
Off to ebay I went, and found Becky the School Photographer.
Everyone was quite mesmerized by her when she came in the mail.
I couldn’t get that package open fast enough.
They fought over who got to play with Becky first.
Lucy who immediately noticed her fancy red Chucks?
Jill who also gravitated towards the shoes.
What IS it with girls???!!!
Or Henry who wanted to zoom her around the floor?
After all, who can resist this girl in all her windblown glory???!!!
I died a little bit inside when Lucy took her outside and pushed her around.
Not by her head or with a heavy handed shove…
but by pushing her gingerly by the handles.
And I realized that I didn’t need to outbid anyone on ebay for a 1998 Barbie doll to teach them about love and compassion.
I didn’t have to explain to them that the doll was in a wheelchair because God made her differently and she couldn’t walk, but that it was okay.
After all, they weren’t paying a lick of attention to me.
They were too busy playing.
With Becky, the School Photogrpaher.
Just like any other doll.
No questions.
No explanations.
She was just a doll. Just like any other.
Just like the other kids we see come and go as we go to Jilly’s therapy sessions.
Here I was trying to orchestrate this teaching moment…and they already had it.
They already knew the material. A+ all around.
Little did I know that just three days later, sweet Jilly would have her own assistance device.
And even then…no questions were asked.
No stares.
Just happy smiles and clapping for their littlest sister who was finally up and walking.
And thank you to everyone who donated to the Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep Foundation!!!
We raised $1,765.00!!!
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LOVE!!!
My kids would think that is so cool.
And this is so random but when I was a kid, I used to like to play pretend all by myself that I was in a wheelchair. I have no clue why. So I would totally have loved that Barbie too!
Your kids are just precious.
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Oh, my girls were taking a look at your pictures just now – there is indeed something about Barbie and her wheels. Oh. My. Gosh – Lucy pushing her so tenderly. I love it.
As always, thanks for writing such sweet posts to put into words what I feel.
While we deal with different things here in our household, what you wrote about being told by doctors what your child may or may not do really resonates. My daughter was born with severe hearing loss, she was diagnosed (finally) at about 2 mos and recieved her hearing aids at about 3 mos. Nothing was as crazy as the thoughts that we tried not to think… will she ever hear me say “I love you?” but in reality, even at that young age, she already heard it loud and clear – in our actions! (BTW: she’s hearing and speaking right along with her peers now at almost 3yrs old).
I had just about the same reaction when I used puffy paint to add hearing aids to some of my daughter’s dolls. She didn’t care, she doesn’t notice, but it’s nice to think that she’s got a hearing aid buddy.
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Just found you through Sweet Shot Tuesdays. This post brought tears to my eyes. Very beautiful. I will have to start checking in at your blog more regularly. :)
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Can you do me a favor? Can you see if a Ken doll fits in the wheelchair?