~The Speth Family~: I'm starting to think my son might be a little different....

Thursday, August 19, 2010

I'm starting to think my son might be a little different....

This week my eyes have started to open up a little bit. Strange that Ammon is 8 months old and this is just barely happening :)

Some background: There is another baby in our ward who has to wear a helmet. For a totally different reason - his skull started to fuse before he was born. He was born with a pointy forehead. They had to cut it open, saw the bones apart and now he will have to wear a helmet until he is one year old. The day Ammon got his helmet Natalie brought Mason over so we could compare. No comparison - Mason's is cuter! It is totally transparent so she gets to decorate it with cute stickers. She is seriously clever with her themes too (fish bowl, construction theme, melons, BYU...). She told me the first time she took Mason to church with the helmet everyone was staring at him. I didn't think much of it. I don't mind if people stare - no worries. We have been taking him to church every Sunday and it hasn't been a big deal at all. Maybe because they all know Ammon's story?

I took the girls to tumbling this week and one of the coaches came over to visit with parents and asked me what the helmet was for. I'm getting MUCH better at sharing info efficiently without overwhelming people. No need to get into the whole HLHS thing during a first contact. I told him Ammon had a heart problem, was in the hospital on a ventilator for a long time and developed a flat head. End of story.

But it wasn't. The whole hour I was there kids kept walking by - STARING. I didn't mind too much at first. But after a while I understood completely what Natalie said about wanting to print up business cards and hand them out to people - would just be easier sometimes. I sat next to a retired nurse and he asked a few questions and told me how about patients he used to take care of. It felt good to be able to explain the situation to someone since EVERYONE was obviously wondering. I just don't know how to tackle a whole room at once yet.

Tonight my mom had the girls so John and I took Ammon out. We ended up stopping by the mall and of course, I wandered into a children's clothing store. Before leaving I stopped to check out a table of cute shirts for the girls and a lady walked by with her two daughters. One of them (maybe 8 or 9?) said, "Mom! What happened to HIM?!" I looked up, smiled politely and went back to the shirts. The mom started to explain and then looked at me and said, "Do you mind?" in the nicest - what should I tell my daughter- voice ever. She was sweet and I appreciated her not trying to hide her daughters inquisitiveness. "Sure." I gave her my quick speal and that was that. Simple, to the point, and satisfying.

We were questioned in another store as well. I didn't realize that most people would think Ammon had a head injury, cerebral palsy, or something else. The helmet is so no-big-deal to me and I forget it is not normal. Funny. I wonder when he gets rid of the helmet and feeding tube if anyone will ever think to ask what is wrong with him. I'm also starting to wonder if we should get out of the house more often - how has it been so long without me realizing that something is different about my son?

Sorry about the blurry pictures. My camera is having issues. Isn't he getting BIG? and CUTE? And ROUND HEADED? :) :) :)

p.s. table pictures below...

2 comments:

Dan and AmandaAugust 20, 2010 at 7:05 AM
He is so adorable!! It was crazy seeing him the other night compared to Easton, he is not a baby anymore!! And I love his helmet I think it makes him look tough!! LOL
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JulieAugust 20, 2010 at 9:22 AM
he IS darlign!
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