I will never be able to spell Hanukkah correctly.

I’ve sort of been in a blogging slump lately.

Not too sure what to write about I suppose.

Always trying to tap into some well of inspiration, which apparently is running a bit dry these days.

The one thing I can always write about that makes ME happy is my girls.

They are changing from day-to-day.

It’s amazing to witness it.

Yesterday, while immersed in year- end budgets and paperwork  at work, I took a moment to be reminded that I HAVE DAUGHTERS.

I know that should be an obvious thought, but it’s not.

I work so many hours and am away from them most of the day, that for a few seconds…. it slips my mind.

Then in an instant, I am reeled back in with the knowledge that I am a mother.

 A mother to two girls.

Two babies who are mine.

Two little girls who have a bit of me in them.

Until this day it’s strange to see a child who looks like me, or acts as I did when I was young.

My pregnancy period was so short, followed by a whirlwind of change that now that the dust has finally begun to settle, I am really taking it in.

At two years old, their personalities are really starting to shine through.

 

Their vocabulary is expanding with each new day… it’s so strange to witness.

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Over the weekend, I listened to my maternal instinct that told me that Neve needed some alone time with Mommy & Daddy. We dropped Soleil off by my parents house on Saturday night for a slumber party at their house, and got to spend some alone time with Neve.

We took her to Toys R Us and purchased a puzzle and  blocks. She loved it.

She seems very relaxed when she is by herself- as if she doesn’t have to compete for attention.

It does bother me that she feels this immense pressure when her sister is by her side, but I am hoping it will appease when she gets a bit older.

 

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The past two weeks have been filled with birthdays and holidays.

My father turned 67 the first week of December…

and my mother turned 55 the second week of December.

Although I am not a big fan of my parents, I make sure to have the girls celebrate their birthdays.

I actually forgot about my mother’s birthday until the day of, so I decided to invite my parents over for an early dinner and cake.

I cooked and cleaned.

 

We lit the menorah:

 

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Hanukkah happens to be my favorite Jewish Holiday. It’s a time of celebration and traditions… and LOTS OF FOOD.

Usually adults don’t buy gifts for one another on Hanukkah, as it is more a holiday for children.

I didn’t buy my girls gifts this year because they are too young to really understand or appreciate.  We buy them toys every so often- so believe me- they are not lacking. Next year- when they might be old enough to understand- we will do the 8 nights of gifts. Of course, for my non-jewish friends out there- that doesn’t mean you have to buy 8 huge gifts.

My mom used to buy us one big gift, and 7 smaller ones like sticker books, markers, ect. I always remember it being an exciting holiday as a child.

They had a Hanukkah party at their school.. I couldn’t attend because you know -WORK… but my husband and mother took them.

They had a blast:

So my weeks have been pretty full lately, just not much juice left in me these past few weeks.  I am counting down the weeks to my Ireland Vacation (9 weeks!)

Happy Holidays to you and yours!!

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ABC

How did this happen??
*Mind the voice!*

MVI_6216, originally uploaded by gemini-girl.

 

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From the Land of the Lost

Thanksgiving was nice.

I work in Manhattan and was lucky enough to be able to attend a Thanksgiving Breakfast at my place of work, which happens to be right above where the Parade was marching by. This gave us an optimal view of the parade.

The girls had mini tantrums, and didnt seem too into it. Oh, well- there’s always next year (even though my husband has vowed “Never Again”)

Soleil has a reluctant new boyfriend

Best family photo we could get.

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I went to the doctor the day prior to thanksgiving, and I told her that I just always seem to be exhausted even after a full nights sleep. She ran some tests and then turned and asked me, “Do you think you might be depressed?”

Of course… not the first time I am asked this question. Not the first time I need to ask myself that question.

I told her that I see a therapist. She asked if I would consider taking antidepressants. Not the first time I was asked that either.

apparently, being depressed can lead you to have constant fatigue- which is what I seem to have.

So I took a little quiz that she gave me, and she decided to write a prescription for Lexa*pro – which I was told has the least side effects.

I started out with half a pill for two days and a whole one on the 3rd day. I was actually starting to feel a little better, when suddenly on the 3rd night- I became sick. I was so sick on Monday, that I almost threw up on my way to work and couldnt eat anything the entire day.  I was nauseous and tired. I thought I came down with a stomach virus. I had to stay home on Tuesday- because I could not get out of bed – dizziness, nausea… fatigue.

On Wednesday, I had to pick myself out of bed and go to work since I was organizing a very large meeting on Thursday and could not afford to be sick. On Wednesday night, after taking another pill and having the nausea restart- I realized what the cause of my illness was. I stopped asap. I called my doctor- who was on vacation (naturally), and googled side effects. Apparently, I am part of the lucky 10% who feel nausea when taking lexa*pro.

My brother takes 4 (4!!!) of them a day and warned me of weight gain…

I actually LOST 3lbs last week- which would be reason enough to keep taking the pills if you ask me (weight loss!!) but considering I have to commute to work on the subway and sit at a desk the whole day- not a very smart thing.

I know she might tell me to push through the side effects, but the truth is- it’s a bit difficult for me.

Speaking of weight loss, I am just about 10 lbs away from my pre- pregnancy weight. This is very monumental for me. It took me over 2 years, but I am finally inching closer.

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Since I have not been feeling myself these past weeks, it would explain my lack of posting- so I apologize.  Just feeling a bit off kilter.

Especially when I had a winner to announce for the Cirque Du Soleil Tickets!!!

The winner was automatically generated- ERICA!!

Email me your info to geminigirlblog at aol.com

*BTW for those who don’t know Erica, she is an AMAZING AMAZING woman. She had twins 2.5 years ago, and then was the surrogate for her sister… and carried her twins as well! Two twin pregnancies one after the other- the woman deserves a medal!!!!

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Sorry for being MIA- Promise to be around more!

Comments (4)

Happy Thanksgiving to You & Yours!

Enjoy!

 

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The Hunchback of Notre Dame Aint Got Nothing on Me

So a few weeks back, I took my girls to a kid’s birthday party.

It was my best friend’s (Franny) nephew’s First Birthday Party. (You follow?)

We had a nice time, and you could tell that my girls were enjoying themselves (you know, when Soleil wasnt holding on to us for dear life when she saw the Curious George Costume someone was wearing).

Franny’s mother-in-law was there (as she is the grandmother) and usually, she is always very pleasant to me.

During my time at the party, she walked over to me and in front of EVERYONE said :“Why do you stand hunched over? You look like the hunchback of Notre Dame. Every time I see you carrying bags down the street, you are stooped over. Stand up straight”

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The first thought that popped into my head was, if she sees me carrying bags down the street, why isnt she helping me ?

Secondly, I was pretty embarrassed that she said that out loud in front of everyone. She could have taken me aside if it was really bothering her. I am all for constructive criticism.

Now mind you, she is not an old little lady. She is about 50.

Her 23-year-old daughter then looked at me and said “I have to live with that”, while Franny was pissed that her MIL would day such a thing to me.

The truth is, I may need to walk a little bit more upright, but that’s not neither here nor there. I am a D* Cup and sometimes it’s hard to lug those suckers around all day! You cant blame me for needing to rest my shoulders people!

I started thinking what it would be like to have a MIL.

My MIL died when my husband was 10 years old, and although his father remarried, it was never like a Stepmother. She is more like his dad’s wife. Never involved in anything.

Everyone who has a MIL from hell always tells me that I’m lucky to not have one. I guess I can’t truly form an opinion on that either way.

From all the stories that I hear, my MIL was a saint. But then again, when someone dies young- they sort of immediately become saint-like.

Franny’s MIL seems to be the stuff legends are made from.

For example, Franny had asked her MIL for a recipe that her husband loves. The MIL was reluctant to give it to her, always “forgetting” to write it down. She finally did, and Franny was excited. She went ahead and made the dish that night, and when her husband bit into it, he looked at Franny and said that it was nowhere near his mom’s. Franny was confused.

A few weeks later, she found her MIL’s recipe book. Turns out, she gave Franny a recipe, but it was IN NO WAY close to the one she gave her. Her MIL omitted ingredients, added cooking time, etc. She was sabotaging her, so that her son would always come home for that dish!

I’m sorry, but that’s a bit insane if you ask me.

 I know that mothers are protective of their sons in a different way than they are their daughters. I mean, maybe they feel like they are “The” woman in their lives, and when a wife comes along, she kind of takes that spot from her. It’s sad that it has to be a competition!

I only have daughters, not sure if I will ever have a son- but I do know that if I will, I definitely wont intimidate his wife, or give her a wrong recipe! At the end of the day, if you get along with your son’s wife- it’s all the better for you, wouldnt you say? You get to spend more time with everyone, less fighting, more harmony.

Am I wrong?

Please Dish: What’s your mother-in-law horror story??

 *PS* – Don’t forget to enter my contest below! If you live in NYC or the surrounding areas, enter for your chance to win tickets to see Cirque Du Soleil!! Contest Ends 11/28 11PM EST!!*

 

Comments (15)

Of Ulcers and Cirque Du Soleil (Yeahy- another contest!)

I have not been feeling too well lately. My body just ALWAYS feels tired and run down. Last week in particular, I started coming down with something. On Saturday morning (which is usually my day with the girls since hubby works that one day) at 6am, I awoke and my throat felt achy. I did what I usually do when I get a cold- I took Alka Seltzer cold.

My best friend Franny introduced that remedy to me in high school, and I have since introduced it to many others. It helps almost instantly.

Strangely enough, this time- it did the opposite.

I took 2 tablets, 2 advil and after 5 minutes felt my stomach being ripped a part- that familiar feeling… ULCER.

If you have never had one before, it’s pretty much a small hole forming on the wall of your stomach, which releases the stomach acid into your body. IT IS PAINFUL.

Ulcers

Apparently, ulcers are genetic. You either have the gene, or you dont.

I do.

I curled up on the floor in extreme pain. I started puking – what a wonderful way to start the weekend!

I called my mom and she came over to watch the girls.

With all the garbage and drama I have with my mother, she is consistent when it comes to the girls.

I spent the rest of the day recovering from the morning.

When I was young, Saturday nights were the shiz.

Yes, I know that I am “still young” (28 if you are counting)- but my Saturday’s are no longer my own since becoming a mother.

Today, an exciting Saturday night is renting a movie on demand and ordering sushi with my husband. I lurv chick flicks. If I stay up past 11pm, it’s a record (shut up I know it’s sad).

I more than made up for my Saturday indoors, with my trip to see Cirque Du  Soleil – WINTUK on Sunday!

When I was on hospital bedrest, all I did was surf the web and watch tv. Since it was November, I would often see commercials for Wintuk. The show runs from November to January here in New York. Every time I saw that commercial, and the word Soleil was mentioned, it just reinforced my love affair with the name Soleil. Even my laptop’s bluetooth connector at the time was called “Blue Soleil” – I am one to not ignore signs.

Then the other week, I received an email from Cirque du Soleil’s PR and was asked if I would be interested in seeing their show, in exchange for writing about the experience. That would be a no-brainer.

We left the girls with my mom, and my husband and I went to the show.

Now usually, my husband and I fight when we are about to go out. I even asked twitter if I was the only one whose husband picks a fight EVERY.SINGLE.TIME we are about to leave the house. Twitter replied that I indeed, was not. Good to hear.

Then I went on to warn all the youngsters on twitter (the 3 that follow me) that they should NEVER MARRY young. I may or may not have been pissed off.

Anyway we cooled down and got on the train.

After a light lunch, we went to pick up our tickets at will call.

4TH row center people!

We got amazing seats- thank you Cirque PR!

10 minutes after we got situated (which to me meant sitting in my seat with a mug of hot chocolate with a splash of Bailey’s- which they sold at the arena),

My Bailey's

a gentleman walked over to me and asked if I was “Gemini-Girl” .

He kneeled over,and personally thanked me for coming to the show, and gave me some Cirque merchandise!

Everyone around me looked at me like “who is this chick getting preferential treatment”- but who was I to care, I love special celebrity-like attention. I wish that guy followed me around all day thanking me for doing things.

“Thank you for brushing your teeth- here’s some swag”

A girl can dream…

Anyway, the curtain came up and my husband NO JOKE leaned over to me and said “Thank You” – THIS IS MONUMENTAL folks.  We really did have a great time.

The show was BEAUTIFUL.

Visually spectacular are more the words.

“Wintuk is a whirlwind winter adventure about a boy—Jamie—and his quest to find snow.

Jamie lives in an imaginary city where the arrival of winter has brought intense cold, but no snow! He interacts with a cast of high-energy urban street characters, including acrobats, dancers and talking lampposts. Jamie embarks on a journey to an imaginary North called Wintuk. He is joined by three companions—a female Shaman with magical powers, the girl he has fallen head over heels for and a timid young man called Wimpy, destined to discover his own courage. Jamie’s goal: bring the snow back to where it belongs.

Bursting with the energy of the city and the broad sweep of nature, Wintuk weaves thrilling acrobatics, dazzling ice giants and memorable songs together in a touching story line that resonates with the whole family.”

At the end of the show (SPOILER ALERT) it began to “snow” it was BEAUTIFUL!

We didnt take our kids to the show because they are way too young, but the place was PACKED with kids who were old enough to appreciate it:

Needless to say we both had an AMAZING time (and I am NOT just saying that because I was given tickets). I truly thought it was breathtaking.

Gemini-Girl readers can now receive 30% off for kids tickets as well!

Just enter the code KIDS25 AT TICKETMASTER.COM checkout

My new friends over at Cirque Du Soleil  Wintuk were kind enough to offer one of my lucky readers free tickets to the show (amount of tickets to be determined)!

All you need to do is leave a reply to this post to be entered into the contest! Not too shabby eh?

Keep in mind this show runs in New York City until January 3rd.

The contest ends Saturday, November 28th at 11pm EST.

Good Luck!!

xoxo,

GG

Comments (24)

For Anissa

Last night I was pretty tired so I hit the hay at an early time.

Of course, I awoke this morning to an email about Anissa.

Anissa suffered a massive stroke yesterday afternoon.

I met Anissa in April under the worst circumstances ever… Maddie’s  Funeral.

That’s never a way you want to meet someone for the first time.

I spent a good portion of the day with her, and she told me a bit about herself. Anissa said that the reason she started blogging was because of her daughter Peyton. Peyton was in remission from Lukemia, and she found strength in blogging.

She became a sort of super hero in my eyes at that very moment.

I started reading her blog shortly thereafter.

The woman can write.

She wrote the most amazing post the other week about loving her body despite all of her hang- ups, for her daughters sake…

It made me cry…

Anissa and I hung out at Blogher:

 and then again last month  at the AimingLow HP Party in NYC.

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Apparently, I may have even tried to choke her.

About a month or two ago, Anissa professed her adoration for Ralph Macchio. I was the lucky one to inform her that Ralph has a twitter account. But of course, in true Anissa fashion she couldn’t just “follow” him on twitter- she had to STALK him.

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She stalked him so much, that Ralph actually responded to her!!!

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I told her that she better buy me a drink because I was the one that made it happen (of course, her persistance did- but she still owes me a drink)

   Last night, he sent her a tweet again…

@AnissaMayhew thoughts & wishes 4 ur quick recovery. Do get well soon. Ur fans r steadfast and dedicated. :-)

Just last week she wrote on my wall “I love you, for your incredible heart and love and I wish this wasn’t the reason I met you (Maddie’s passing), but I’m DAMN glad I did. XOXOXOXO” -

I felt the same way about her too….

That was just last week…

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My father-in-law had a stroke 5 years ago, at the age of 51.

He was a healthy man, who just suddenly one afternoon, started not quite making sense when he spoke.

He was rushed to the hospital and we found out he was having a stroke.

Today, he is fine (after months of physical therapy)- but his speech has been effected slightly. He sometimes calls my husband by his brother’s name (even though he knows its wrong) and still can’t pronounce our daughters names.

He has also not been able to work at all since the incident.

 This was a man who was the life of the party, always making people laugh. When his speech was effected and he couldn’t make people laugh with his words anymore, it bothered him to the core. He then started poking fun at his disability so that everyone would feel comfortable with him. I adore this man like no other.

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I just know that Anissa will be OK.

She has to be.

She is the life of the party.

She is the mother to Rachael, Nathaniel ,and Peyton.

She is their strength.

Anissa, please get better. We all love you.

You still owe me a drink.

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Fight For Preemies. I know I will.

When I found out that I was having trouble conceiving, I wasn’t exactly surprised. I was in my early 20’s, but I had already been through 3 surgeries.

 The first was to remove a cyst the size of a grapefruit along with my right fallopian tube (at age 22). The second, 8 months later, to remove another rapidly growing cyst along with my right ovary (age 23). At the age of 25, after a year of trying to get pregnant to no avail, I had a third exploratory surgery to figure out just what was wrong.

I never received a concrete answer.

“It might be scar tissue build- up from past surgeries that is causing a blockage between sperm and egg” was what the doctors said. So I guess the third surgery did more harm than good due to the new scar tissue that would be formed from that one!

We walked into the fertility center on that cold February morning, and were given no promises that it would work.

Except.. it did.

Two Blastosis were implanted on that May afternoon, and both of them decided to stick around.

When we found out that we were not only pregnant, but having twins- our mouths dropped.

First Picture of the girls together!

I can truly say that it was the HAPPIEST day of my life.

My pregnancy was fairly easy.

I didn’t have much morning sickness, if any. I may have thrown up once or twice in my first trimester. That is pretty awesome for someone carrying twins (so I hear).

Aside from being tired all the time (and HUNGRY) my first few months of pregnancy were very uneventful.

 

 

You know… that is until I went into pre-term labor at 25 weeks  and was told I would probably deliver that night.

The neonatologist came in to speak with me.

I was told with no sugar-coating, that if my girls were delivered that night they would have a 40% chance of survival.

“Of course, even if they survive, they may have a plethora of problems including vision, hearing, brain bleeeds etc

It was October 7th.

It was the WORST night of my life.

 I suddenly went from a young woman expecting her long-awaited children, to a statistic.

I was scared.

By some grace of G-D, I managed to stay pregnant for another 5 weeks. The viability went up to 97% (if there were no serious problems).

After 6 weeks of  hospital bed rest, I gave birth to my daughters.

They were 30 weeks and 4 days.

Which made them just about 10 weeks premature.

 

Neve 3.4lbs

Soleil 3.10 lbs

Those pictures are hard to see.. even after 2 years.

Over 500,000 babies are born prematurely in the US Every year.

This can happen to anyone.

I was 26 years old!

I remember walking into a baby store a few days after giving birth and asking the sales clerk where the preemie section was. She looked at my stomach (with what still appeared to be a pregnant belly) and said “Hush your mouth, you don’t want to have no premature baby” - my mouth dropped.

I looked at her, told her my daughters were premature. She felt horrible (the look on her face said it all) and pointed me in the right direction.

November is Prematurity Awareness Month, and today November 17th, is Fight For Preemies day

It is the #1 killer of newborns and can lead to lifelong disabilities. Worse: the number has increased 31 percent since 1981. It can happen without warning and for no known reason.

I never thought my daughters would be a statistic.

I am writing to raise awareness.

I am writing for a cause.

I am writing for babies like my daughters, like Madeline Spohr.

Go here to learn more.

Because no baby should have to fight for their life….

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Happy Birthday Little Ones.

My daughters are Two years old today.

Two years ago today, they came into this world tiny (red and hairy), and before their time. “Well aren’t twins born early, anyway?” is the question I am always asked.

“Yes- but not 10 weeks early” -is what I ALWAYS answer.

They were supposed to be Capricorns. Their due date was Jan 18th. Truth be told, I was never really happy with the thought that I would have Capricorns. I just don’t get along with them (my brother & former best friend are Caps). Then I thought, well maybe they will be born in December and be Sagittarius (since Twins are often born FOUR weeks early)… then I realized that it would be WAY worse since both my parents (and my boss urgh) are that sign.

But they decided to be born in November which makes them Scorpios. All I hear from people is “Uh oh” when they hear I have two Scorpios on my hands. Apparently, Scorpios can be very suspicious and vengeful. But then again, what teenage girl isnt?

The first year with the girls was NOT easy to say the least.

Going from a couple to a family of 4 virtually overnight was as shock to our systems.

I try not to dwell on their early births that often. Those first two months after their births were the hardest of my life.  Of course trying and succeeding are two very different things.

Realistically, I know that they are beautiful, thriving and healthy (B’E'H) today.Yet the way they entered this world was engulfed with so much worry, stress and fright.

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All I remember when I awoke from my emergency C-Section at 10:00AM on that Tuesday morning was being told “Your daughters are fine. Baby A (Neve) came out screaming , and Baby B (Soleil) came out crying but had some trouble breathing so she needed to be intubated.”

The Doctors acted as though there was nothing to worry about, and that they would be fine.

I didn’t trust the Doctors.

I hated myself for failing them.

It’s guilt that  most preemie moms feel.

My body failed them.

I felt helpless and defenseless.

 I needed to leave those two baby girls in the hospital and go home.

Imagine being wheeled out of the hospital with pink balloons tied to your wheelchair, and everyone wondering where your baby is?

Those balloons mocked me.

I went home to an empty house.

An empty nursery.

And even when Neve came home (2 weeks prior to Sol) we never felt complete.

A part of us was missing.

The first few months of caring for newborn twins was probably 100x worse than basic training.

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I would stay awake ALL NIGHT and take care of the girls (since they were never on the same schedule) and my mom would come and take over for me during the day so that I could sleep (my husband worked at the time).

And somehow.. we managed.

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We even formed a routine!

A good one!

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Bottle Bundle- BEST.INVENTION.EVER

Then they started to laugh, and move and giggle… and they became little people.

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And although they are only 2 years old, I dont remember my life before they were in it.

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A love of a mother for her child is all- encompassing. When your child is sick, you are a wreck.

I was talking to someone the other day (OK my therapist) and I told her how as a mom, I need to have it all figured out, but I don’t.

She said that NO MOTHER has it figured out and we play it by ear. As a child, you just think that your mom is the knower of all things (I know not a real word).

I know that I learn every day.

I know that I make mistakes.

I know that without them… without them …

And yes- it’s hard.

It’s hard to be responsible for 2 little people when you hardly feel like you can take care of yourself.

But I do my best.

And one thing I do know for sure…

I love them more with each new day, and I am proud to be their mother.

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Dear Neve,

Neve, Neve , Neve. My sweet Nevey.

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What can I say about you?

 This year, you learnt to do many things.

You started to walk and talk.

You were a BAD teether, so I am so glad that’s behind you little lady.

You have a very strong personality and know what you want.

Kind of reminds me of me.

You also have an angry streak (which IS SO your dad’s side) 

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Don't Make me come over there

 If you dont get your way, you scream, scratch, throw yourself back onto the floor and bang your head.  You  ALWAYS seem to have a bump in the front of your forehead from said tantrums.

Classy.

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Forehead Bump

You are very independent and not very ”touchy feely”. When anyone tries to hug you, you fight it. But when you do want to hug and kiss, you will randomly walk up to me and kiss my leg- and my heart smiles because I know it’s from your heart.

You don’t like meat and DESPISE vegetables.

You will pick through your dinner, and leave all the veggies behind.

Right now, you are enamoured with your father. He is your sun and sky. That used to be me, but alas- this too shall pass. It’s funny to see you two together because you are pretty much a cloned version of him.

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Even when you push your sister away when she tries to hug you, we know how much you adore her. Every time you get something you always say “Neve” (which is what you call her since you can’t say her name yet) – to make sure there is one for her as well.

 You always do things to get a laugh from us, no matter how silly:

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And even with that strong, unyielding personality I am so proud to be your mother (BRING IT ON BABY!)

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Dear Soleil,

My sweet little Loola.

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You are my sweet, gentle soul.

You love to cuddle and hug on us.

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You eat everything on your plate- and ESPECIALLY love your vegetables!

You get frightened easily by people in costumes, slinkys, or anything else you don’t quite understand.

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You like to help us out around the house

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You worry very easily over EVERYTHING

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and adore your twin sister beyond words.

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You are a ray of sunshine in our lives, and love to challenge us by doing EVERYTHING we tell you not to do!

I love you and am so proud to be your Mommy.

Happy Birthday Little Ones… Mommy Loves you

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Happy Birthday Little Girl

Dear Madeline,

I write you this letter on what would have been your 2nd Birthday.

Oh, how we miss you sweet angel.

The world just has not been the same since you left.

Sadness is heavy in our hearts.

Those who knew you, felt as though the world changed at that very moment in time when you were taken away.

You lived such a short life.

You deserved so many more years.

I know your Mommy & Daddy would give anything, ANYTHING- to hold you for just one more moment.

I want to tell you all about your parents, Madeline.

As hard as losing you has been on them, they have taken your passing and done something so beautiful.

 They honor you ever day- in every way.

The day of your service, the church was packed. SO many people  love you little girl. We all wanted to be there to honor you. Even those who couldnt be there physically, had a moment of silence and released purple balloons.

Everyone wore purple, your favorite color.

We were all given balloons to release once we exited the church.

At the VERY MOMENT that we were set to release the balloons, a strong wind blew.

It sent chills down my spine.

It was no coincidence.

At the end of April, your mother and father participated in the March of Dimes Walk …

No one would have blamed them for staying home, and hiding from the world.. but no, they chose to go… to honor your memory.

Your parents weren’t just walking… they were standing in the front lines.

 They were even asked to give a speech.

“When you leave here today, I hope that you will close your eyes and picture a beautiful toddler with a gigantic grin. Remember that face, and remember the work the March of Dimes does. Carry that smile with you every day, and please continue to support the March of Dimes.” – Heather Spohr

Did you know that there were March for Maddie group walks ALL OVER the United States? So many people wore a purple shirt that day and walked. They walked for you. They walked for a cure. They walked so that no parent should EVER have to go through the anguish of losing  child.

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In June, your Mommy found out that you were going to be a big sister. She was so worried to tell people because she didn’t want them to think that they were in ANY WAY replacing you.

That would be a silly thought, since we all know that is impossible.

Your parents always dreamed of having two little girls… your baby sister will be born in February (G-D Willing). We know in our heart of hearts (even those non-believers) that you are watching over her, and making sure that she will arrive safely in their loving and longing arms. Your probably already preparing her with stories of fun times you all shared.

Your Mommy & Daddy decided to turn the tragedy of losing you  into something bigger…

 Friends Of Maddie was a non-profit group that was formed in your honor. Your mommy & daddy decided to start a foundation in your name to help parents of NICU babies. FOM sends NICU kits for parents, in order to provide some comfort in an uncertain time.

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In October, your Mommy & Daddy were invited to Washington to speak to the March of Dimes and receive an award for all the hard work that they did for March For Babies.

I know just how proud you are of your Mommy & Daddy for using your memory to help others in need.

Your life was in no way in vain little girl.

Your memory lives in each and every one of us every single day.

We will hold you in our hearts forever.

They say that when you notice 11:11 on your clock, it’s a sign.

They say that it is angels drawing your attention to the time, to let you know that they are there.

It was NO coincidence that you were born on that day.

I know in my heart of hearts that you were indeed an angel on this earth, sent here for a reason.

Please continue to send strength and love to your Mommy & Daddy.

Happy Birthday little girl..we will forever ache for you.

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