Aloha!!

Posted on February 19, 2019 by mommabear0208

Lily’s 8th birthday was such a success. In the lead up to her birthday (and the subsequent week), she was ecstatic. Birthday parties, Valentines Day and Hawaii? All in one month? It was almost too much.

But not really – seeing her so happy and (mostly) healthy – especially at this time of year – is such a relief.

We are day 3 into our Hawaiian adventure and this kid hasn’t stopped beaming. Thank you Make-a-Wish! Here are a few shots… leaving for Honolulu at JFK, getting a tour of the cockpit with the captain of the plane at landing, riding a limo (with Urszula), relaxing at the pool/beach and partying it up at a luau! More photos to come.

Scenes from a beach vacation

Posted on August 23, 2017 by mommabear0208

Holy cow have we been having fun! From the Cape to Shelter Island, Lily and I have been surrounded by laughter and love – from old friends to new.

Here are a few photos which capture some of our adventures. If you want to see more, let me know. As usual, I took too many pictures of this sweet kiddo.

Our first full day in the Cape (with the Bernsteins!) was your typical romantic New England weather: chilly and gray! We spent the day reading books at the beach house and in the library. Hint: the Wellfleet library has an amazing kids section that rivals the old FAO Schwartz on 5th Ave – complete with costumes and stuffed animals.

We also had a lot of fun using the Snapchat filters once all the books were read.

The next day, the clouds parted and we went to the beach. While we didn’t find any mermaids, we did see some seals!

And the following day was more of the same: perfect company, perfect weather and perfect waves! The ocean was too cold for Lily to go in and it was almost too cold for me. But I braved it and jumped in.

The next day, we embarked on the second part of our beach vacation: Shelter Island!! Lily and I had the most fun time riding the Cross Island Ferry on our journey. I think we ran around that big boat at least 3 times. And of course, Lily made a bunch of new friends on the ferry.

We spent a week in total at Shelter (thanks to the Nelsons!!!). The weather was beautiful and the beaches were lovely.

Our first day out there we met up with the Rogers family in New Suffolk to watch the boat races, which has become an annual tradition. This year we had the addition of Elaine, Lily’s SLP and our family friend.

Lily and I took a much needed break from the sun on Friday and met up with Stephen (who came out for the weekend) to ride the carousel in Greenport. We also had the opportunity to see our friends Maren and Ben DeSantis too.

On Saturday and Sunday we hit the beach with the Nelson-Dollar clan. We spent both days searching for mermaids but only found mermaid toenails (i.e. magical looking shells that come in all colors of the rainbow).

And on Monday, Lily and I watched the eclipse, borrowing eclipse sunglasses from our newfound friends. I’m telling you – this kid is super social.

Lily is now on the second part of her vacation – the Poconos with her dad. I’m also on the second part of my time-off – the Sivananda yoga ranch upstate. I’m going to miss my sweetie so much but I’m looking forward to getting some down-time. I’ve got some big decisions to make about Lily and need to process it. Though we had a great trip, her appetite was a big struggle. And even when she was hungry and wanting to eat, it would take upwards of an hour for her to have a meal. It’s not been heartening. But I’m grateful to have had the time to get to learn as much as I can about my kids struggles, and her abilities.

Om Namah Sivaya.

Seven Lessons I’ve Learned From Rett Syndrome

Posted on July 19, 2017 by mommabear0208

I know what you’re thinking… you’ve not heard from me in ages and then within 24 hours, I post three things.

Well they say that all (good or bad? I can’t remember the saying) things come in three so this will likely be my last one for a while. And it’s really just a repost of what another wise momma wrote. It resonated with me so much that I wanted to share it here.

Thank you momma-warrior Joanne for sharing your insights, specifically the ones on bizarre symptoms and respite. She has nailed it with her commentary on what Rett Syndrome has taught her. Like I said in my earlier post, it’s a hell of a disorder.

At school earlier today playing with bubbles!

Struggling

Posted on January 13, 2017 by mommabear0208

I am not going to sugarcoat what’s been going on. Lily is having an extremely difficult time doing things she used to do effortlessly like sitting up on her elbows, standing, walking, breathing.

I’ve been busy trying to procure additional help at home – whether it’s friends or family stopping by in the evenings or hiring a morning aide to come and help us get out the door. We just got approved through Medicaid for a home health aid to be with us 24/7 but there are still numerous steps to actually get that support into place. It still may be a matter of months until this service kicks in.

We are navigating through a new, terrifying TEMPORARY time. Through it all, this kid amazes me with her determination, grace and beauty. She is my hero.

A bit of respite

Posted on August 15, 2015 by mommabear0208

So… Lily is with her dad for 10 days. He’s taken her to Connecticut (where his folks live). I already miss her like crazy (she was picked up yesterday) but I know I need a break. I need to regroup, sleep, remember who else I am (other than mommy and boss). Last night I went out and had a blast. And today I’m heading out of town for 3 days to go on a yoga retreat (which I try to do every few months).

The rest of the time she’s away, I’m going to work (arrive on time, take a lunch break and go to the gym after work), sleep, and be social (when I’m not sleeping). I feel so lucky that I have some breathing space. But wow. I’m missing my sweetie!!!!!!