A Couple of Links

I know, I know, I need to do an actual post, but by the time I find the time to write, I am too tired for original thought. So, in an effort to post something to the blog, I'd like to share a couple of links.

First is a blog post by my friend Katy, and yes, it is not the first time I have linked to her (and likely not the last... I like the way this girl thinks). She recently did a post on some beliefs she has come to hold as a parent to a child with special needs. I hold many of these same beliefs. Although a part of me wishes I had read this list earlier in my special needs journey, I think many of these beliefs come only through experience and can't be fully appreciated unless you learn the lesson yourself.

Second, while the focus of this blog, at least now, is cerebral palsy and how we are choosing to deal with it, another big factor in Fletcher's life, and mine as a parent, was his stay in the NICU. Disabilities aside, going through the NICU experience itself was a stressful and life changing experience during which support was crucial, as discussed in this recent New York Times article.

Some people prefer personal face-to-face support, which is one reason why I am excited about the new March of Dimes sponsored parent support group at the NICU where Fletcher lived for the first three months of his life. Other people, me included, turn to online support groups. I have gained invaluable information from online groups consisting of other mothers of micropreemies or children with cerebral palsy. In fact one of the moms quoted in the article is in one of my online support groups and is a tremendous resource and support.