March For Babies

Please take a moment to consider donating to our March of Dimes team or signing up to walk with us.  You can do so by clicking on the sidebar to the right.  The March For Babies is in two weeks!  I'd love for you to be there to support Olivia as the ambassador.  She doesn't quite know what it means, but she would understand better if all of us were there to support her as we share her story.  Thank you so very much!!

Sandbox Fun

Fun Run

I don't think I ever posted pictures of Olivia's Fun Run at school.  I think she ran about 1 1/2 miles!  Way to go, girlie!

She did so good and I was so proud of her! 

Visual Learning

When Olivia went through the psychological testing last month, we discovered that she is brilliant with pattern recognition and spatial awareness and other visual learning tasks. Do you remember in school where they'd show you a shape and you had to pick which one was the same shape flipped and rotated 90 degrees, etc? Olivia is amazing at this.  For example, Abigail has started playing with mega blocks so Olivia has started playing with them too.  She created this in her room and took a picture.

Later this evening, with almost complete memorization, she recreated a flipped U shape with the end piece now at the beginning. Without even thinking about it, she knew which way to orient the pieces.  I even had to think about which way they would go.  It was astonishing to watch.  Then she had me make blocks and we paired them up in partners.  When it was time to go to bed, she told me to put my blocks back in the bag, but I couldn't remember which ones were mine.  She had no problem, of course, telling me the 13 blocks that were hers. LOL!  And you should see how she puts on her shirts. . .face up and upside down on the floor in front of her.  Then she scoops it up and puts it on. Never gets it wrong. LOL! Smarty pants. 

March of Dimes Update

Our team is looking great this year!  I don't think there is any way we are going to pass the number one team as they are one awesome team!  Isn't it great the money they are raising?  I believe they walk in memory of their little boy, Miles.  God bless them. 

If you haven't donated yet, however, please consider a small donation.  Olivia is the ambassador this year and it is quite an honor.  We walked into Famous Footwear last week and they are one of the March of Dimes' sponsors.  It was neat when they found out they were meeting the ambassador.  I walk every year to honor Olivia and all of the premature babies who have been through so much.  But I also walk as one of the few ways I have to remember Logan.  I feel that because he lived his short life within the NICU walls, not many people got to meet him or develop memories with him.  So it is up to me, his mom, to remind people that he is worth remembering. Please help me do that every year and especially this year as I wish he could be standing on that stage with us as well. 

Thank you all for your support and for reading my blog.  You can donate or sign up to walk by clicking the badge on the right sidebar. 

Turning A New Leaf

I’m currently reading a book about living in the present (or the now) and not in the past or the future.

I’ve found that I spend most of my time allowing my mind to drift into the past with regret or guilt or in the future with unease and worry.  Every single day of my life.  It is so hard for me to be still and not allow my mind to wander.  It’s interesting because whenever I attempt to do so, there is always a cat in my lap. . .as if they can sense my availability.  I could learn a lot from them I’m sure. 

Recently I was listening to the clock tick and the refrigerator hum and I looked over and noticed that my beloved plant was almost dead.  How did I not notice before? I bought Hilga (yes, my plant has a name) in February 2001.  I bought her the first weekend in my new apartment over 13 years ago and now the poor thing was near death.

So, I repotted her, moved her to a new part of the house, watered her and I’ve enjoyed watching her.  I analyze each branch for any sign of life. 

Olivia has enjoyed it too and even drew a picture of her. (And, yes, she probably had about that many leaves. LOL!)

Her bare, brown branches are turning green with the hope of new leaves.  This has been quite therapeutic for me.  If a plant can come back after years of neglect, maybe I can return after years of neglecting myself? Maybe there is hope for me?