365 days and a New Normal

Over the course of a year there are many days that cause me to stop and reflect back on the previous year.  Most of them are obvious ones like birthdays and holidays.  Some are less obvious, like today.  I knew it had been about a year since I started this blog, but I was not sure of the date.  I only remembered it was summer time and I was going to a lot of yard sales.  Well I looked it up, and it is today!

Has it only been one year?  Honestly, it feels like 5 years have gone by since we were told Max would be going on a "special" diet, as the only known treatment for his metabolic disorder.  The big unknown stretched out before us last year, and I was anxious.  I was scared of the diet, and I thought it would change our lives immensely.  Just a few weeks after Max went on it I got a jury duty notice.  I remember being filled with panic, I was sure I could not leave my son for even one day.  No one would be able to care for him but me!  I called the jury office and had them post pone my date by 3 months, I was that nervous.   

Like most things in life the diet just became part of our life.  It became our new normal, and now it is completely second nature.  In fact, I feel normal now.  And that is a BIG deal for me.  I used to feel I had a sign on my back saying "mother of a Glut 1 kid, watch for emotions."

This new identity didn't really hit me until yesterday, via a Facebook post.  I took the kids to Bounce (a bounce house place).  They ran around and played for two hours.  Not once did I hover over Max to make sure he did not get hurt.  I didn't tell him that there were bounce houses he could not enter.  I didn't mention to any of the other mothers that anything was different about Max.  I didn't because I did not need to.  Max, despite his funny floppy gait, was playing and keeping up with the other kids, THE WHOLE TIME!  Previously Max has never liked Bounce, because he could not do most of things there.  Yesterday he was able to do everything,  and he did it with a huge smile on his face.  His sweet sister was by his side the entire time, instead of him being by my side.  Later that evening I got a message from a friend on Facebook.  She knew I had been at Bounce and I had told her how well the diet was working (her daughter just started the Keto diet).  Her response was this:

Wahoo Max! I'm crossing my fingers that this will be the one thing that will work for M. too. Do you just feel like a totally normal Mom on days like this where things just click? All that worry and all that fear and now you can relax and enjoy your little boy for just one beautiful day.

When I read that I just smiled.  Yes, yesterday I did feel like a totally normal Mom!  It didn't matter to me that we had been at occupational therapy that morning and physical therapy the day before.  It didn't matter that Max was so worn out he fell asleep sitting up while playing later in the day. It didn't matter that he ate brie, butter and pecans for dinner.  I was a totally normal mom at Bounce, and it was awesome! 

I feel normal more often than not these days.  I would never have believed that possible 365 days ago.