Great expectations.

I went to Walgreens the other day and the lady at the checkout started telling me all about how I should enjoy this brief time that my baby isn't mobile because before long he'll be "getting into everything".  I smiled knowingly, having experienced the phenomenon four times over and thought to myself, "Lady, this kid getting into everything is the least of my concerns.  I'll be lucky if he has the physical capacity to get into everything."  It's strange to think that I'll have to experience parenthood in a completely different way, that instead of cheering my son on as he embarks on each new milestone, I'll be cringing inside, wondering which of the falls he takes while learning to walk will result in another break.  And that's if he learns to walk.

Though I don't fear what the future brings for Jack and us, I'd be lying if I said that raising a child with OI didn't cause me the least bit of anxiety.  What will our family activities and vacations look like? Who will be able to care for Jack so that Tim and I can go on dates, or so that I can teach art in my kids classrooms again?  What will preschool look like for Jack?  Will he attend the same cherished elementary my other kids have?  I could go on and on.

So many questions.  Not a lot of answers.  OI is so rare and so varied that there are few sources to which I can turn to see what sort of life Jack can anticipate.  It's a new thing for me, this "take it a day at a time" sort of mentality.  I'm a planner.  This is new, but absolutely doable.  So we're taking it a day at a time.  And doting on this sweet little boy who has graced our lives and filled our hearts with immeasurable love.