Showing posts with label prematurity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label prematurity. Show all posts
Monday, August 24, 2009
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Giving thanks
I am thankful for all the "normal" things this Thanksgiving: family, enough food to eat, a roof over my head, my (and Tim's) job, etc.
I am thankful that the GF diet continues to help our entire family and that following it has become second nature.
I am thankful that WG qualified for at-risk preschool because it has made a tremendous difference. I am confident that she will do well in Kindergarten next year.
I am thankful for my wonderful husband who somehow has the skills to completely remodel our kitchen, plumbing, electric and all.
I am thankful for good friends who I can talk to about anything. When I was teaching in DeKalb, two of "my" moms were so close they were like sisters. I had always hoped for a friendship like that and it's nice to have one.
I am thankful for WG. My friend who is the mother of two preemies summed it up, she said she was thankful for her children and could never take them for granted because with the tiniest tip of the scale they might not have been here at all.
I am thankful for the things that make me laugh so hard it feels like I've done an hour's worth of sit ups.
I am thankful that my grandmother had such a nice ending to her life. That doesn't sound right, but you know what I mean.
I am thankful for caffiene. And the occasional glass of wine.
I am thankful that the GF diet continues to help our entire family and that following it has become second nature.
I am thankful that WG qualified for at-risk preschool because it has made a tremendous difference. I am confident that she will do well in Kindergarten next year.
I am thankful for my wonderful husband who somehow has the skills to completely remodel our kitchen, plumbing, electric and all.
I am thankful for good friends who I can talk to about anything. When I was teaching in DeKalb, two of "my" moms were so close they were like sisters. I had always hoped for a friendship like that and it's nice to have one.
I am thankful for WG. My friend who is the mother of two preemies summed it up, she said she was thankful for her children and could never take them for granted because with the tiniest tip of the scale they might not have been here at all.
I am thankful for the things that make me laugh so hard it feels like I've done an hour's worth of sit ups.
I am thankful that my grandmother had such a nice ending to her life. That doesn't sound right, but you know what I mean.
I am thankful for caffiene. And the occasional glass of wine.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
March of Dimes petition
Okay, I am lame. I sent a mass e-mail asking people to sign the March of Dimes petition and then forgot to include the URL. Doh! It is a sign of how things have been going here lately. Too many rehearsals, too much running.... Anyhow, I do urge you to consider signing the petition. 1 in 8 babies born in the US are born too soon. That is WAY too high. Even worse, in many cases there is no clear explanation as to why the baby was born early. March of Dimes is the leader in funding and supporting research on prematurity. They have saved many many lives. Here is the URL for the petition:
http://www.marchofdimes.com/padpetition/index.aspx?a=1&z=1&c=1&l=en
http://www.marchofdimes.com/padpetition/index.aspx?a=1&z=1&c=1&l=en
Monday, August 11, 2008
Happy Birthday, WG!
Four years old. It's crazy because I feel like WG was a baby last week. I blinked and now she is a little girl....
We had a nice day today. WG's birthday is bittersweet for me. Of course it's a joyous thing to be celebrated, but it's also the anniversary of the beginning of a very scary time for Tim and I. It's a difficult thing to explain to people who have not been affected by prematurity. Watching your child struggle to live when life has hardly begun is something no parent should have to do. It is life-altering. Every year the memory gets easier but I think it will always be something we think about on her birthday. WG and I had a relaxed day. We snuggled in the morning and around 10:30 am, which, incidentally, is about the time she was born, she asked me to "tell (her) the story about when she busted out of (my) tummy." She was particularly interested in the part where Tim and I ran around like crazy people at 4 am trying to pack bags since my water broke a month early and we didn't have the hospital bags packed. She wanted to know what we took with us. I told her that I only remembered what we forgot to pack: underwear, toothbrushes, basic essential items.... We looked at her hospital anklet which shocked both of us with it's smallness. I held it to her ankle now and it didn't even go half way. We also looked through her NICU baby book which has pics and stats from that time and is one of her favorite things to look at. We had cake and presents when Tim came home from work. I pushed the "easy" button this year and bought a gluten-free cake, chicken nuggets and tator tots from the organic grocery store. WG wanted to eat her cake first so we had backward dinner tonight: dessert first, then dinner. She was so excited about blowing out the candles that we lit them for her twice.
She (of course) loved all her presents. Aunt Beth, she opened the card you sent, took out the fabric and started waving it around yelling, "A fat quarter! I got a fat quarter for my birthday!!!!" I'm still on the hunt for a needle guard to get her started sewing on the machine.... I'll have to take some pics of her creations. She does a whole lot with my scraps and a bunch of straight pins!
We had a nice day today. WG's birthday is bittersweet for me. Of course it's a joyous thing to be celebrated, but it's also the anniversary of the beginning of a very scary time for Tim and I. It's a difficult thing to explain to people who have not been affected by prematurity. Watching your child struggle to live when life has hardly begun is something no parent should have to do. It is life-altering. Every year the memory gets easier but I think it will always be something we think about on her birthday. WG and I had a relaxed day. We snuggled in the morning and around 10:30 am, which, incidentally, is about the time she was born, she asked me to "tell (her) the story about when she busted out of (my) tummy." She was particularly interested in the part where Tim and I ran around like crazy people at 4 am trying to pack bags since my water broke a month early and we didn't have the hospital bags packed. She wanted to know what we took with us. I told her that I only remembered what we forgot to pack: underwear, toothbrushes, basic essential items.... We looked at her hospital anklet which shocked both of us with it's smallness. I held it to her ankle now and it didn't even go half way. We also looked through her NICU baby book which has pics and stats from that time and is one of her favorite things to look at. We had cake and presents when Tim came home from work. I pushed the "easy" button this year and bought a gluten-free cake, chicken nuggets and tator tots from the organic grocery store. WG wanted to eat her cake first so we had backward dinner tonight: dessert first, then dinner. She was so excited about blowing out the candles that we lit them for her twice.
She (of course) loved all her presents. Aunt Beth, she opened the card you sent, took out the fabric and started waving it around yelling, "A fat quarter! I got a fat quarter for my birthday!!!!" I'm still on the hunt for a needle guard to get her started sewing on the machine.... I'll have to take some pics of her creations. She does a whole lot with my scraps and a bunch of straight pins!
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