As the Holiday Season draws near, I sit back and reflect...
About how Ava will be ONE YEAR OLD is less than 3 weeks! It is hard to imagine really. This time last year I was calling my midwife begging for some magic way to 'naturally' induce labor. Now, one year later, I am far from pregnant and [still trying to lose all the baby weight] have joined weight watchers.
About how it will be 5 Years on December the 15th that my mom passed away. MAN I miss her so much! It's crazy! I just miss her gentleness and the way she always had the right thing to say. I pray that I can be as good of a mother to my kids as she was to me.
About how Kenny and I have been together for more than 5 years now! And what a ride it has been! Whoa! In 5 short years [not really short-haha] we have dated, gotten married, had 2 beautiful children and, Lord willing, will continue to grow in our walk with Christ together! We are going to Weekend to Remember [for couples] this weekend and I am so excited! It is the first time we have stayed somewhere, overnight [by ourselves] with no kids. And medicaid was kind enough to approve us for 24-hour round the clock nursing for Ava. Yay! Praise God!
About how I turned 35 this past May, and had to laugh, because when I was 20 I thought 30 was old! Haha! Mom used to always say, "Honey, your body may get old but your mind stays young!" She is right, though I have to say that I still feel very healthy and atheletic [except for needing to shed 20 pounds] I still feel great! But isn't it funny how, when you have young kids, that you no longer care about making sure YOU look good. I have to really laugh about the way I go out in public sometimes. Though I was never a 'girly girl' I have to remind myself to do my hair and wear makeup once in a while!
About how we have two beautiful kids that are complete opposites! With Aohdan I had barely any sickness in pregnancy, had a super fast labor, he was a healthy baby, eats like a horse and talks non-stop! With Ava I had morning sickness until I was 6 months along, I went through 12 hours of un-medicated labor, her birth was traumatic, and she struggles with things that 'typical' kids take for granted.
About what it is like to be the parent of a 'Special Needs' child. I remember when I was a teenager / early 20's and see a parent with a child in a wheelchair or some type of special medical equipment I would feel so sorry and think to myself, "I couldn't imagine! I don't know what I would do if..." Kenny and I have both had that talk. Now here we are and it's crazy the things you get used to. Ava has a trach and a home ventilator to help her to breathe, and the things you see at our house would CRACK you up! Like we'll be sitting at the table eating dinner and here comes Aohdan dragging some piece of equipment behind him, or you'll catch him wrapping an oxygen line around one of his stuffed animals. My friend Shauna's (who has a special needs daughter as well) even had to explain to her 3yo son that 'Not all little girls have G-Tubes honey.' Ava has gotten MUCH healthier since getting her trach, and wants to be held ALL the time! Her nurses barely have time to get anything done because if she's not getting attention, she's fussin! She is starting to coo and grin and reach and bat away things when she doesn't want something done (like trach care) and really shows us every day that she has an opinion about things. Technically Ava would fall under the umbrella of CP (Cerebral Palsy) which is a broad umbrella covering any type of inability to control muscular movements. She is currently enrolled in the whole gammut of therapies to help her reach her fullest potential; OT (Occupational Therapy), PT (Physical Therapy), and Speech.
About how Ava will be ONE YEAR OLD is less than 3 weeks! It is hard to imagine really. This time last year I was calling my midwife begging for some magic way to 'naturally' induce labor. Now, one year later, I am far from pregnant and [still trying to lose all the baby weight] have joined weight watchers.
About how it will be 5 Years on December the 15th that my mom passed away. MAN I miss her so much! It's crazy! I just miss her gentleness and the way she always had the right thing to say. I pray that I can be as good of a mother to my kids as she was to me.
About how Kenny and I have been together for more than 5 years now! And what a ride it has been! Whoa! In 5 short years [not really short-haha] we have dated, gotten married, had 2 beautiful children and, Lord willing, will continue to grow in our walk with Christ together! We are going to Weekend to Remember [for couples] this weekend and I am so excited! It is the first time we have stayed somewhere, overnight [by ourselves] with no kids. And medicaid was kind enough to approve us for 24-hour round the clock nursing for Ava. Yay! Praise God!
About how I turned 35 this past May, and had to laugh, because when I was 20 I thought 30 was old! Haha! Mom used to always say, "Honey, your body may get old but your mind stays young!" She is right, though I have to say that I still feel very healthy and atheletic [except for needing to shed 20 pounds] I still feel great! But isn't it funny how, when you have young kids, that you no longer care about making sure YOU look good. I have to really laugh about the way I go out in public sometimes. Though I was never a 'girly girl' I have to remind myself to do my hair and wear makeup once in a while!
About how we have two beautiful kids that are complete opposites! With Aohdan I had barely any sickness in pregnancy, had a super fast labor, he was a healthy baby, eats like a horse and talks non-stop! With Ava I had morning sickness until I was 6 months along, I went through 12 hours of un-medicated labor, her birth was traumatic, and she struggles with things that 'typical' kids take for granted.
About what it is like to be the parent of a 'Special Needs' child. I remember when I was a teenager / early 20's and see a parent with a child in a wheelchair or some type of special medical equipment I would feel so sorry and think to myself, "I couldn't imagine! I don't know what I would do if..." Kenny and I have both had that talk. Now here we are and it's crazy the things you get used to. Ava has a trach and a home ventilator to help her to breathe, and the things you see at our house would CRACK you up! Like we'll be sitting at the table eating dinner and here comes Aohdan dragging some piece of equipment behind him, or you'll catch him wrapping an oxygen line around one of his stuffed animals. My friend Shauna's (who has a special needs daughter as well) even had to explain to her 3yo son that 'Not all little girls have G-Tubes honey.' Ava has gotten MUCH healthier since getting her trach, and wants to be held ALL the time! Her nurses barely have time to get anything done because if she's not getting attention, she's fussin! She is starting to coo and grin and reach and bat away things when she doesn't want something done (like trach care) and really shows us every day that she has an opinion about things. Technically Ava would fall under the umbrella of CP (Cerebral Palsy) which is a broad umbrella covering any type of inability to control muscular movements. She is currently enrolled in the whole gammut of therapies to help her reach her fullest potential; OT (Occupational Therapy), PT (Physical Therapy), and Speech.
