Baby Journal 7

Baby Journal 6: Adulthood

So the last time I updated you guys on how our parental journey was going, Harmony was in her teens battling PTSD after a traumatic boat accident. It's been a while, but here I am. Well, Harmony is in her late -twenties now, I know, am shocked too. I didn’t even give it much thought until I noticed some signs of senescence in her, then it hit me that she was an adult now. My baby is no longer a baby but has officially started the biological process of growing old physically. I recently noticed some physical symptoms of senescence-like uneven skin tone, dry skin, and even though she brushed it off, I think I saw some fine lines and mild wrinkle lines around her eyes. But I realized that she had invested more in anti-wrinkle moisturizers.

Harmony has been for a while trying to conceive but has been unsuccessful. She recently went to see a fertility doctor who discovered that she has Endometriosis and hormonal imbalance, causing the infertility issue she is suffering from (Roupa et al., 2009). The diagnosis explained why she had had an Abnormal menstrual cycle for a while now. She was so devastated by the news that I had to move in with her to help her calm down, but the doctor had some good news as he said that all hope was not lost as there are existing treatment options my daughter could explore. Some of the treatment suggestions include; In-vitro fertilization (IVF) and the use of Clomid (clomiphene) and gonadotropin drugs since her case is stage two. The treatment is ongoing, and we are all hopeful. I can't wait to be a grandma.

A strange discussion recently arose when Harmony won an international award for excelling in completion that she participated in. Harmony is a journalist, by the way. So my husband and I discussed Sternberg's forms of intelligence theory as we tried to figure out where she belongs. And we could not agree because I thought she excels well in practical intelligence, which is the ability to get along in different contexts. Still, my husband insisted that she is better at creativity which is the ability to come up with new ideas (Sternberg, 2013). He was right, seeing how well she did in the creative writing competition.

As a matter of fact, my husband was right (don't let him know of this admission). Harmony has always been very creative since her early days as a toddler. She is currently the head editor in one of the biggest media houses in the US, and she is excelling at it. She even has a page allocated to her where she does weekly articles that are all fiction but does an excellent job at making people laugh. When I am far from her, I look forward to reading that segment every Saturday, and it makes me feel closer to her. So I can confidently say that she is a creative genius. My opinion is of cause biased.

As I mentioned earlier, I moved in with Harmony to help her navigate the infertility challenge and get closer to her. Occasionally, I have to check on my parents, who live in the same state as Harmony. Both me and Harmony are experiencing some challenges with my sandwich generational situation as I have to navigate taking care of her and my parents, and she too feels like she has to take care of me. At the same time, she faces her struggles of getting a child of her own. But I believe we will find our balance, especially when Harmony gets her child. Which am hopeful; she will get one soon. I'll keep you guys posted when it happens and how she will manage the sandwich generation situation of her own. See you soon.

References

Lindsay, T. J., & Vitrikas, K. (2015). Evaluation and treatment of infertility. American family physician, 91(5), 308-314.

Roupa, Z., Polikandrioti, M., Sotiropoulou, P., Faros, E., Koulouri, A., Wozniak, G., & Gourni, M. (2009). Causes of Infertility in Women at Reproductive Age. Health science journal, 3(2).

Sternberg, R. J. (2013). Intelligence. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.