God only gives you what you can handle...

What would we do without our friends?  When a friend has disheartening news to share with you, I'm not sure there is a right thing to say.  As a friend you do your best to make that person feel better and more optimistic of the situation.  You help them work it out in their head, discuss ways to go about fixing the situation and ways to avoid this situation in the future.  The bottom line is that even if you don't have the right words to say, you try to at least be there for your friend.  Sometimes friends don't even know that they are doing the exact wrong thing (in your mind), but it ends up being exactly what you needed and absolutely perfect in the long run.  You are being a friend, and that is what is important.

From the beginning my friends had many different kind words of wisdom to help me through the diagnosis of cerebral palsy for Olivia.  I would have to say the most common thing I have heard is that "God only gives you what you can handle".   For a long time I took that saying for what I thought it was, words to comfort me through a difficult time.  I had never really sat down and thought about what my friends were actually telling me when they said these exact words.  That is, until we decided to remove 2 bottles from her daily routine.

Okay, so maybe I don't think it means that I am bad ass, though, maybe it does...

Recently, Mike and I decided it was time to forgo the morning and night time bottles for Olivia.  I was so nervous to change her schedule.  Putting a baby to bed without milk is crazy, how else will you lull them into a nice 12 hour long milk coma?  But, in true Olivia style, she barely even batted an eyelash.  Instead of giving her a bottle after her night time diaper change, I laid her in the crib and gave her the pacifier.  And wouldn't you know it, but that little girl smiled and then rolled over.  With that smile she seemed to be saying, "No big deal, MOM!"  I couldn't believe it.  My little baby was now a little toddler that goes to bed with only a kiss, an "I love you" and NO bottle.  

This is also the same girl that slept through the night since she was 9 weeks old.  The same baby that had a 104 degree temperature and was smiling in the emergency room.  The same Olivia that 90% of the time wears a funny smile from ear to ear like she has a secret that she is keeping from the world.  She is the happiest baby (okay small toddler) that I have ever seen and we are so very lucky that she has such an amazing personality and that she is our little stink bug.  

The ease of her recent transition had me thinking about all of her transitions.  She has reached many milestones developmentally and for that we are so proud of her.  However, she has also grown up right before our eyes and she has done it with such a mild temper and an infectious smile to boot.  We moved her from our bedroom to her nursery, breast milk to formula, and formula to soft solids.  We have also added 2 naps per day to her schedule and implemented a 630-7PM bedtime, and then changed her schedule due our own events on many occasions.  All of these occurrences have barely produced a melt down from Olivia.  Instead, she carries on, often not phased by the late hour, or the change in type of food, diaper, formula or other things that would solicit tears and screams from most babies.

So is it luck?  Are we just lucky to have such a happy little baby? Or is it that God only gives us what we can handle?  I think that if Olivia had any other personality we would love her just the same, but getting through physical therapy sessions and doctors appointments would be much more challenging.  Instead I am going to consider that Olivia takes everything in stride because God planned for her to be that way.  She has a long road ahead of her and it will take some positive thoughts to get her to where she is going.  But for now, I am going to relish each little grin she gives me and each little laugh that escapes her mouth and I am going to thank God for our sweet little girl and every single thing about her.  Because one day she will become a teenager, and who knows what will happen then!