Adaptation

"How do you carry her around???" That's usually the first question friends/family/complete strangers want to know about me being a mom. The answer is:

I don't! That's what strollers/Daddy/Grandma are for!

I mean, really! Look at those chubby thighs! At nearly 17 lbs, the kid already weighs a fifth of my total weight. She's half as long as me. Granted, I carried an extra 22 lbs being pregnant, but it's completely different when the little person can actually squirm around and reach out of your arms.

So, I've had to adapt.

I loved the newborn stage because I really did carry her around quite a bit. I could carry her around the house, get her out of her crib easily, and I never worried about dropping her. Now, I worry constantly that she'll struggle right out of my arms and onto the floor, and CPS will come knocking at my door. (Please, readers, do not call CPS on me--I still carry her around the house, but I'm much more focused and careful now.)

Like any mom, strollers have been a major blessing in my life. The first five months, Claire slept in her Stokke stroller at Grandma's. (We were at Grandma's a lot) It was easy to lift her out by myself, because it was basically just a very tall bassinet. Ever since she was born we've also been using the Graco Snap N Go because it's easy to plop the carseat right into it, and it's so lightweight, a child could put it in the trunk of the car. The umbrella stroller is a must have for walks around the neighborhood, to get the mail, and to bring Claire out to the car when I have to go out with her alone. I love my strollers because they give me independence.

I still envy moms who can easily swing their kid from hip to hip while swiping their credit card at the grocery store. But hey, at least I won't get back problems, right? So, while I can't easily carry my baby in my arms, I do hold her in them every day, on my lap, comfortably reclined on the couch.

This Abled Mom

Hi. My name is Jackie, and I'm "This Abled Mom."

When I found out I was pregnant, like any normal person, I ran to the Internet for all the answers to my many questions and concerns. Smart, huh? I found some helpful, some crazy, and some pretty common-sense answers to most of my concerns. But there was a void of information for "differently-abled", "handicapped", and dare I say, "disabled" mothers.

My search for "disabled mother/parent/parenting, etc." always ended in page after page of help and information for parents of disabled children. What about the help for disabled parents? I found there was little, if any, out there (on the web).

Maybe I should start a conversation, I thought. I'll share what I find works (yay strollers!) and what doesn't (baby bjorns, bummer!) for me. And maybe others will share their tips for making motherhood a little easier, whether you're disabled, differently abled, of perfectly-abled.

So here I am. This my story. I hope it helps someone out there with theirs.