I recently had a birthday and turned 33. (Woot!) One of the many perks of deleting Facebook (I did this about a year ago and highly recommend it to everyone) is that, when your birthday rolls around, you don't have 1,000 people writing a generic "happy birthday" on your Facebook wall. Instead, you have about 20 people who are your genuine, true friends and family members wish you a sincere "happy birthday." They don't need a reminder from Facebook. They simply know your birthday and actually mean it when they say "happy birthday."
I received more cards for my last birthday than I ever have! You don't really receive cards when you're on Facebook because people think that writing "happy birthday" on your Facebook wall is equivalent. Well, it isn't. It's much nicer to receive a card in the mail.
One of the cards I received was from Aunt Linda. It was one of the nicest cards I have ever received. Here's what it says:
"As we grow older, it's important to remember that life is all about how you handle Plan B. Plan A is always my first choice. You know, the one where everything works out to be happily ever after. But more often than not, I find myself dealing with the upside-down, inside-out version where nothing goes as it should...
It's at this point that the real test of my character comes in... Do I sink or do I swim? Do I wallow in self-pity and play the victim? Or simply shift gears and make the best of the situation? The choice is mine. After all... life is all about how you handle Plan B."
And then, Aunt Linda wrote a handwritten note that says:
"Dear Cutie Annie,
You, my dear, are handling Plan B so very well (also kudos to Tim). Enjoy an especially happy birthday!
Love, Aunt Linda"
It got me thinking... I truly am living my Plan B. But not in the way you might expect.
When Tim and I got married, we started talking about having kids. We talked about having boys. We didn't talk about having girls. I don't know why. I had always envisioned my life as a mom of boys. He said he always envisioned having boys too. So, that was that. Our plan was that we would have a few sons and call it a day.
Fast forward to September 28, 2015 and out pops a little girl. We didn't know the gender beforehand so we were shocked. A little girl?! What were we going to do with a little girl? That wasn't the plan!
Fast forward to March 17, 2018 and out pops another little girl. Again, we didn't know the gender beforehand and just figured we would have a boy. Another little girl?! That wasn't the plan.
Fast forward to a few days later and we find out that our new little girl has Down syndrome too. What?! Welp... that DEFINITELY wasn't the plan.
Our Plan A has never happened for us. Our Plan A was to have a few sons. And we sure as hell didn't "plan" to have a child with Down syndrome. No one does.
So I guess you could say we are living our Plan B. But guess what? Plan B is so amazing and absolutely perfect. I couldn't have written a better life for myself than the one I'm living now.
I wouldn't change my kids for the world. I absolutely LOVE having girls. I hope to have even more girls. And I LOVE that Alice has Down syndrome. (Yes, I know I sound like a lunatic. But it's true, and all the DS mamas reading this understand.)
I love my life. This is the life that God wrote for me. Not the life I ever would have nominated myself for... but the absolute best life. It's a better life than I ever could have dreamed up.
The card from Aunt Linda hit home for me in so many ways. I'm living my Plan B, I guess you could say. But I now realize that it is oh so much better than the Plan A I had envisioned. Look at my awesome family! Could there be anything better than this "Plan B"? No. So now I truly believe that Plan B simply stands for Plan "B"etter. And I love Plan "B"etter.
I received more cards for my last birthday than I ever have! You don't really receive cards when you're on Facebook because people think that writing "happy birthday" on your Facebook wall is equivalent. Well, it isn't. It's much nicer to receive a card in the mail.
One of the cards I received was from Aunt Linda. It was one of the nicest cards I have ever received. Here's what it says:
"As we grow older, it's important to remember that life is all about how you handle Plan B. Plan A is always my first choice. You know, the one where everything works out to be happily ever after. But more often than not, I find myself dealing with the upside-down, inside-out version where nothing goes as it should...
It's at this point that the real test of my character comes in... Do I sink or do I swim? Do I wallow in self-pity and play the victim? Or simply shift gears and make the best of the situation? The choice is mine. After all... life is all about how you handle Plan B."
And then, Aunt Linda wrote a handwritten note that says:
"Dear Cutie Annie,
You, my dear, are handling Plan B so very well (also kudos to Tim). Enjoy an especially happy birthday!
Love, Aunt Linda"
It got me thinking... I truly am living my Plan B. But not in the way you might expect.
When Tim and I got married, we started talking about having kids. We talked about having boys. We didn't talk about having girls. I don't know why. I had always envisioned my life as a mom of boys. He said he always envisioned having boys too. So, that was that. Our plan was that we would have a few sons and call it a day.
Fast forward to September 28, 2015 and out pops a little girl. We didn't know the gender beforehand so we were shocked. A little girl?! What were we going to do with a little girl? That wasn't the plan!
Fast forward to March 17, 2018 and out pops another little girl. Again, we didn't know the gender beforehand and just figured we would have a boy. Another little girl?! That wasn't the plan.
Fast forward to a few days later and we find out that our new little girl has Down syndrome too. What?! Welp... that DEFINITELY wasn't the plan.
Our Plan A has never happened for us. Our Plan A was to have a few sons. And we sure as hell didn't "plan" to have a child with Down syndrome. No one does.
So I guess you could say we are living our Plan B. But guess what? Plan B is so amazing and absolutely perfect. I couldn't have written a better life for myself than the one I'm living now.
I wouldn't change my kids for the world. I absolutely LOVE having girls. I hope to have even more girls. And I LOVE that Alice has Down syndrome. (Yes, I know I sound like a lunatic. But it's true, and all the DS mamas reading this understand.)
I love my life. This is the life that God wrote for me. Not the life I ever would have nominated myself for... but the absolute best life. It's a better life than I ever could have dreamed up.
The card from Aunt Linda hit home for me in so many ways. I'm living my Plan B, I guess you could say. But I now realize that it is oh so much better than the Plan A I had envisioned. Look at my awesome family! Could there be anything better than this "Plan B"? No. So now I truly believe that Plan B simply stands for Plan "B"etter. And I love Plan "B"etter.
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