April In The Burbs

All parents know how hard it is to get a little one to pay attention to the camera for pictures. My daughter Dottie is always on the move, never making time to stop and smile for mommy when I want a cute picture. That's why I was so excited to work with the fine folks who make lookielookies.  This amazing little contraption attaches easily to your phone or camera, looks cute (hello little bunny!) and even has a light that flashes with different colors to grab baby's attention for photos!  A few of my favorite things about this product, besides the obviously amazing packaging:  Easy to use. You just attach the suction cup to your screen (in my case, a cell phone), and press the button on back to activate the flashing light.  It definitely grabs baby's attention with the cute bunny.  It's probably the most adorable cell phone accessory I currently own - and that's saying a lot!  If you kiddo is anything like mine, they get so tired of you calli

Dottie at her GI appointment enjoying a snack and water. Something that 5 months ago, she was unable to do.  A couple of really big things have happened for Dottie this past week. She's started walking, and can walk up to 8 or 9 steps at once. We also visited her GI on Thursday and were told to go down to 0 g-tube feedings, yay! Her next appointment is on April 6th, and assuming she keeps her weight maintained, we will be removing the g-tube. I can't even express to you how excited this makes me. 14 months ago, at the age of 2 months when she went into surgery to haveher g-tube placed, I could have never imagined this day being so close. I'm really thrilled as her mom, for what this means for her freedom. Janet, Dottie's Occupational Therapist She also graduated Occupational Therapy this week. It's because of OT, PT (Physical Therapy), and ST (Speech Therapy - which she is also a recent grad of) along with all of the support she has had from birth,

When Dorothy was born and had so many health issues, besides my husband, the biggest support system I had was fellow moms. One of my fellow blogging mamas made a meal calendar and other moms volunteered to make or buy and bring us meals. It was so thoughtful and comforting to know that there were people out there who were concerned for us enough to not only reach out, but to take time out of their day to do something like that for our family. I had moms that I'd only met through Instagram, never in real life, send Dorothy and myself care packages. A $50 Starbucks gift card for me and a handmade knitted winter hat for our Dottie girl. As simple as these gestures may be, they meant the world to me. They made me feel like I wasn't alone. They made me feel, to my core, that even if these other moms had never been through exactly what we were going through, they felt my pain and wanted to help in some capacity. I'll never forget the encouragement from fellow moms. These

Far right, Louis Benjamin Tyus, my grandmother's father as a little boy.  I have to say, it's probably rather cliche but very true, the older I get the more I feel a need to know about and celebrate those who came before me. I'm so lucky to have family who live only a couple of hours away, and with older generations passing on as the years go by, I feel I need to tap into that familial connection more and more every year. I love taking the kids to meet and catch up with extended family, the ones who saw me grow up and were by my side emotionally during Dottie's time in the NICU. The ones who my kids are named after. It's so important to me that our rather small family stay close knit and don't forget where we come from. I try to make trips to Mexia a couple of times a year, but definitely find myself yearning to make those trips more frequently as my babies get older. I want them to know how many people love them and as they grow, I want those same