Not Giving Up

It has been much harder than I thought to start running. First I had tons of knee pain. I figured out that I over pronate and needed shoes with more support. So I bought new shoes and still had pain. I had to completely rest my knees for a bit. I had gotten to week 4 when I had to stop. I bought a Gazelle Edge to use that is easier on my knees and added in some strengthening and a lot more stretching.

I started running again last week, but had to start completely over at week 1. My knee pain, thankfully, is gone. Today, however, I've hit another brick wall. I checked my blood sugar before I left and it was 104. When I returned from my 30 minute run/walk, my blood sugar was 46. A blood sugar of 50 is hypoglycemic. A blood sugar of 40 is critical and puts you at risk of losing consciousness. So. . .great. Apparently now I get exercise induced hypoglycemia. I knew exercise lowered my blood sugar, but didn't think it would drop it by 50! Now I have to make a few more changes. I'm going to monitor it more closely, eat carbs beforehand, carry glucose tablets and possibly wear a diabetes bracelet. If I were to collapse, no one would know what was wrong with me. I also might get a running buddy or run at the Y.

Running has proven to be a lot more difficult than I anticipated. But it has lowered my blood sugar (albeit too much) and helped my restless legs and my mood. So I will continue and someday I'll run a 5k. It may be awhile, but someday you'll see pictures of it on here. At least that's the plan.


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Best Little Sis Ever

See? It says right here!


So it must be true!


I won't lie. The first year or so was tough. Olivia does not do well with change so you add a major life event like a new baby sister and it's gonna be hard. She had a lot of jealousy and felt Abigail took her mommy away. I am so happy that they now seem to absolutely love each other. They both learn a lot from each other as well and that has been such a blessing. Olivia often calls her the best sister ever and can't imagine life without her.

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World Autism Awareness Day

I thought this would be a tough blog post for me to write, but as I form the words in my mind, I don’t believe that to be the case. 

For years after Olivia was born, I wondered what she would have been like had she been born full term.  If I could take away her rough start and have her grow up with Logan, I would do it in a heartbeat.  But, as Olivia grew and her personality emerged. . .I fell in love with exactly who she is.  I don’t care what she “would” have been like because she is perfect as she is.  She is the Olivia we all know and love.

Recently, we took her to a child psychologist so that we could help her in some areas that are difficult for her.  She has some sensory processing difficulties and breaks down in tears over a pair of jeans or a shirt that doesn’t feel just right.  Eating and gaining weight are still challenges and her anxiety can be pretty severe.  I feel that life is only going to get tougher and I want to give her all the coping skills and strategies available. 

We found that Olivia does have autism spectrum disorder.  You never want to use your child’s name and the word autism in the same sentence.  However, I don’t see it as anything “wrong” with her.  Olivia is Olivia and I love everything about her.

I debated about whether to discuss it on the blog.  On the one hand, this blog is meant to raise awareness and educate people on the effects of extreme prematurity.  Autism and extreme prematurity go hand in hand quite often.  I always want to help others going through a similar journey.  But, on the other hand, I want to protect my child from being labeled before people get to know her.  The scary incident a few weeks back helped me to decide that it is worth sharing.  It takes Olivia a little bit longer to process information such as “Look out! There’s a car!”  As she stood frozen, trying to process what was being said, a car backed into her, knocked her down onto the concrete and she suffered a mild concussion.  She does require a bit more attention than your normal 6 1/2 year old. To keep her safe, I feel others need to be aware of this and it is what prompted me to share the news of her diagnosis.

Today is World Autism Awareness Day so I thought today would be appropriate to share the news. Autism has many faces and no two children are the same.  Olivia is at the high functioning end of the spectrum with fairly mild characteristics.  As her mother, it’s my job to make sure she gets all the tools available in order to be successful. I’m not content with her being successful “as a 23 weeker.”  I want her to achieve all that she wants in life. . . as a person like you or me.  I hope her diagnosis helps people understand what she needs and not define who she is.  She is an awe-inspiring, sweet, funny, energetic, one of a kind girl.  High functioning autism is just one tiny facet of who she is.  I hope everyone who crosses her path in life is able to see just how amazing she is.   

Monday, March 31, 2014

I love Spring! But for entirely different reasons than I used to. Spring means short sleeved shirts and leggings and socks are soon to become optional. These things are Olivia's forté! LOL! Getting dressed will become less of a challenge!






And Abigail decided she no longer wanted to be in a high chair! She wanted to sit at the table like the rest of us. She was overjoyed with her booster seat. . .as you can tell.




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Friends Forever

We met up with Olivia's friend from preschool yesterday. They go to different school districts this year, so they don't get to see each other often. However, they seem to pick right up where they left off. And look at the joy on their faces!













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Hippity Hoppity

Easter's on its way!










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Sisters and Best Friends

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Happy Birthday

To my husband, Ryan. Hope you had a great birthday (even with a pouting wife whose team lost.) We love you so much!












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PROUD

Great season and an even greater team! Proud to be from Wichita!





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Just Keep. . .Running!

So, my running hit a little snag. Well, actually a pretty big snag as it started killing my knees. They felt like they were going to collapse when I ran and hurt for days afterwards. But I didn't want to just give up. So I went into a local running store where they evaluate your gait and determine the best kind of shoes for you. It turns out I over pronate which means my foot rolls inward. So, I just needed a more supportive shoe to stabilize my foot. I bought a pair of Brooks running shoes and it made a world of difference!!




So, this weekend I begin my 3rd week with high hopes that I will be able to continue! Possible 5k on May 24th??? We will see.

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Go Shox!

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16 Months

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Hall of Fame

World Autism Awareness Day

I thought this would be a tough blog post for me to write, but as I form the words in my mind, I don’t believe that to be the case. 

For years after Olivia was born, I wondered what she would have been like had she been born full term.  If I could take away her rough start and have her grow up with Logan, I would do it in a heartbeat.  But, as Olivia grew and her personality emerged. . .I fell in love with exactly who she is.  I don’t care what she “would” have been like because she is perfect as she is.  She is the Olivia we all know and love.

Recently, we took her to a child psychologist so that we could help her in some areas that are difficult for her.  She has some sensory processing difficulties and breaks down in tears over a pair of jeans or a shirt that doesn’t feel just right.  Eating and gaining weight are still challenges and her anxiety can be pretty severe.  I feel that life is only going to get tougher and I want to give her all the coping skills and strategies available. 

We found that Olivia does have autism spectrum disorder.  You never want to use your child’s name and the word autism in the same sentence.  However, I don’t see it as anything “wrong” with her.  Olivia is Olivia and I love everything about her.

I debated about whether to discuss it on the blog.  On the one hand, this blog is meant to raise awareness and educate people on the effects of extreme prematurity.  Autism and extreme prematurity go hand in hand quite often.  I always want to help others going through a similar journey.  But, on the other hand, I want to protect my child from being labeled before people get to know her.  The scary incident a few weeks back helped me to decide that it is worth sharing.  It takes Olivia a little bit longer to process information such as “Look out! There’s a car!”  As she stood frozen, trying to process what was being said, a car backed into her, knocked her down onto the concrete and she suffered a mild concussion.  She does require a bit more attention than your normal 6 1/2 year old. To keep her safe, I feel others need to be aware of this and it is what prompted me to share the news of her diagnosis.

Today is World Autism Awareness Day so I thought today would be appropriate to share the news. Autism has many faces and no two children are the same.  Olivia is at the high functioning end of the spectrum with fairly mild characteristics.  As her mother, it’s my job to make sure she gets all the tools available in order to be successful. I’m not content with her being successful “as a 23 weeker.”  I want her to achieve all that she wants in life. . . as a person like you or me.  I hope her diagnosis helps people understand what she needs and not define who she is.  She is an awe-inspiring, sweet, funny, energetic, one of a kind girl.  High functioning autism is just one tiny facet of who she is.  I hope everyone who crosses her path in life is able to see just how amazing she is.   

March for Babies

Please consider clicking over on the March of Dimes banner to your right. I would love for you to sign up to walk on our team for the March for Babies on May 3rd. If you can't make it, please consider a donation (no matter how small) to our team. Our family believes that even the smallest of things can make the biggest difference. I can't imagine a life without my sweet, funny and energetic Olivia. The March of Dimes played a part in that through their research and tireless efforts to save even the smallest of babies. Thank you so much for all of your support!





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Winning The Race

For many, many years I have wanted to be a runner. I like the solitude of it. As a mom, you tend to forget what that word even means. I like how it transforms not only your body, but your mind. And for many, many years I have struggled with fatigue, depression, anxiety, restless legs, high blood sugar, migraines, etc. I finally decided to do something about it, lace up my sneakers and run! (Although I had to find the right kind of shoes because I get shin splints easily.)

I have an app on my phone, C25K, and each week it gradually builds you up to run a 5K with an initial combination of walking and running. I'm almost done with my second week which is the most I've ever done. I'm pretty proud of myself for doing something for ME, although it's for my family too. Olivia has been complaining when I leave and I try to explain to her that she should want me to go.

"Don't you want a mom who isn't tired all the time?"

It took a little convincing and then she started cheering me on. I told Ryan that is why I want to run a 5K. I want to hear Olivia cheering "Go mommy! You can do it!" Olivia then told me she would be happy to do it. . .as long as I'm winning. LOL! She'd better just hope that I finish or rather that I start to begin with.

Tonight when I got back (after showing Olivia the gorgeous moon) she asked,"Did you win, mom?"

I checked off another day, so yes, I won.



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Olivia The Ambassador

15 Month Checkup

Better late than never, right? Abigail has been sick for the past couple weeks with a horrible cough so I had to reschedule it. We finally went yesterday and you know that you have no worries about your child when you spend it talking about your other child. Here are Abigail's stats (if I don't put them on the blog, I will lose the paper and forget them.)

Weight: 24 lbs - 63rd percentile
Height: 30.5 inches - 43rd percentile
Head circumference: 48 cm - 90th percentile

Holy cow, she has a big head. No wonder I can't get shirts to fit her because I can't get them over her head. But, it has to be big for her big 'ole brain. This girl is so very smart. She is very advanced for her age in the things she is able to do. She has already used the potty about 4-5 times and knows exactly what she is supposed to do. And she thinks she needs to do everything big sister does. She also already knows how to throw a temper tantrum and can be very very stubborn. And at this age she still looks really cute doing it. LOL! She is very sweet, very loving and loves cuddling up in the chair to read books.



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Thankful

I'm thankful for each and every day with my two girls and feel so blessed to be their mom.





Olivia went back to school today and is doing well.

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Scary Evening

First I'll start by saying that Olivia is okay, but it's been a rough evening. A friend from school who lives down the street invited Olivia over to play. This was the first time she has been over to a friend's house to play without me there. So, kind of a big step for me (and her.) Afterwards they were just going to walk her home since it's just down the street. While walking home on the sidewalk with her friend and her friend's mom, a car backed into Olivia. It bumped her just hard enough to knock her backwards and she hit her head on the concrete. Imagine my complete horror when I heard this news (and I know her friend's mom was pretty upset as well.)

We spent the evening at the ER because Olivia was throwing up, which is very dangerous with a head injury. They did a ct scan which showed no bleeding, but she does have a mild concussion. We are home now, but have to keep a close eye on her for the next 72 hours. Please say a prayer for a quick and full recovery.

After losing Logan, I am (as expected) very protective of Olivia. And just when I feel like I'm getting a hold of my anxiety, something like this happens. And years of therapy come undone. You just never know what each day holds.

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