blessings

When Online wasn’t cool

February 22, 2012 By Kristen 34 Comments

Now, everyone is online. (Everyone but Ray… an whole other post). My husband’s grandpa is on Facebook. People use twitter, Facebook, find blogs… connect. I have these great bloggy “friends” that I share my heart and soul with every few days. But, if they walked past me on the street – I might not recognize them. This is the world we live in.

Four years ago, it was not like this. It seems like we have lived in this “internet friendship” world forever, but I know that is not the case. Because – I remember explaining my internet friendships – when it wasn’t cool.

4 years ago (almost to the day now) – I found our I was pregnant. And… shortly after – with twins. Although I was excited, I was SO scared. There was no twitter that I could just put in “twins” and find people. I didn’t read blogs. I used Facebook, but only with people I knew in real life. I had NO online friends. None of my friend had online friends. No one I really knew had online friends. It wasn’t really cool.

**Disclaimer – If you’ve had online friends for 5 years or more – no offense intended.**- I’m talking late 2007 / early 2008. And we live in the sticks… so it takes people longer to accept things where we live. I just remember trying to explain to people how I was sharing my secrets with “friends” I never met…

I remember coming home and doing a Google search for twins. I came up with a lot of Baseball stuff. I searched Twin Support…. and I found this amazing site. Twins Magazine – I thank you. For introducing me to some of my best “forever” friends.

I “met” these girls. All pregnant with twins – just like me. I remember the day I lost my ankles. My knee just suddenly became attached to my foot with a tree trunk. I came home – logged onto the message board, and discovered my “friend” Joanna had lost hers too. So had Marsi, and all of the others. Whew… I was not alone!!! I remember when I had to wear my bedroom slippers to school because I could not get a pair of shoes on my feet and one of my besties in real life talked about how she wore high heels through her entire pregnancy. I logged onto the message board and realized that we all had outgrown our shoes. Whew! I was not alone!!! We celebrated the births of our children together. We struggled through the first few months together. We bonded. We shared. They know more about my family than some of my family members. They were my rock.

I remember trying to explain this group of sisters to my In Real Life family and friends. They all looked at me like I’d drooped off the deep end. Now, life is different. People accept that you can form friendships with others online. You can make friends and share the secrets of your heart – but at that time I was considered a bit freakish among my friends.

Thank you Twins Magazine. I don’t know how I would have survived without those girls. I have met some of them…slowly, but surely. One lives only an hour away – and she is amazing. She stayed with me on Mother’s day when I had Alexander. (What mother leaves their own children to come be with a friend?? A true friend.) One set up our entire conference to Utah after we found out about Alexander’s diagnosis. One offered her home and transportation for me to attend my first Blogger conference. Again… these are significant events in my life. My twin Moms have been a part of each of them.

Today was no exception. One of my twin sisters of the heart drove down here to meet up tonight. I can’t even describe what it is like to finally meet someone who knows all your secrets but has never seen your face. I think it was probably weird for her husband, because I could have probably told him his life story. And she could have talked to Ray about basically anything in the last 4 years of our lives. It was magical. Thank you internet. Thank you world for catching up. For realizing that friendships can transcend physical proximity. That friendships can be more than physical time spent together. For giving me my twin mom anchors. When I am lost – they always tend to ground me.

I had Online Friends – When Online Friends Weren’t Cool. Here are some pictures of our families meeting the first time:

Her son is so cute – he should be on a Juice Commercial. He reminds me of the kid on Jerry McGuire

No lie… Addison has a new best friend. They were inseparable. They even said, “I love you” to each other. Of course – Alexander loved it all…

Did I mention there was a train that drove around the mall? Extreme coolness..

Time for the Family Photos:

Good… this is the best one.

We are losing them. Notice Marsi is parenting while I continue to smile at the camera.. Yeah- parent of the year

And gone! Some are picking things. Some are running off. Some are just plain miserable. Again – I’m oblivious.

I am still cautious. Some online personality could really be a 60 year old man with bad intentions. But, I am so thankful that I have allowed the possibility to exist – that the internet was meant to bring people together. Because… the internet has brought me so many amazing relationships. Thank you.

Once again… Shell – I love to Pour My Heart Out.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: blessings, Our Happy Place, Twins

A LIFE Changing Trip

February 6, 2012 By Kristen 18 Comments

For those of you who are new around here…. a quick summary:

When Alexander was born, we knew he had a 90-100% chance of developing seizures.

We suspected he was having minor seizures late summer and his neurologist went ahead and began a regimen of Keppra.

Thanksgiving evening… I was so “relaxed” I didn’t have any Diastat (It is Valium) with us – Alexander had his first Grand Mal seizure. It lasted 4 minutes. It was the longest 4 minutes of my life. (to that point). All we could do was watch Alexander seize. He pulled himself out of the seizure and we put Diastat everywhere.

The seizures only got worse from there… A year ago we battled seizures all spring. They got progressively longer… 15 minutes, 30 minutes, to … hours. We were helicoptered to Hershey Medical center many times. He still only weighted less than 10 lbs. It seemed the seizure part of the syndrome hit our family hard.

We stopped sleeping. I began to really eat my stress. We began to switch meds to try to control his seizures. Alexander became a zombie at times, was alert at times, and continued to seize. We had looked into a service dog for Alexander. We knew that service dogs “existed” for seizures, but we also knew you could get multiple disciplinary dogs. We were hoping to get one for him once we knew how extensive his needs were. It became apparent – a “seizure dog” was going to be necessary – immediately. I wrote THIS POST.

The money came. Like a miracle – by the time the woman from 4 Paws for Ability offered help with fundraising, we told her a check was on the way. She was stunned into silence. Between the donations, the generosity of our friends, family, and … people we’ve never met, and Alexander’s auction – we raised $14,000 in 2 months. An unbelievable feat. Please read HERE – about 1/2 way down… is a “Heartfelt Thank You” … Because we do.

4 Paws for Ability began to train our dog… and now the days are counting down.

This is life changing for our entire family.

There are SO many things that are going to happen in about a week….

1. We will go for 2 weeks for training on how to “work” the dog. What commands to say. What commands not to say. How to train the dog as he/she comes home with us. All the “do’s” and “don’ts” of working with the dog. We could accidentally undo some of the training if we are not careful. **I was going to wait until we came home to say we were leaving – but seriously – we have nothing to steal. So.. what difference does it make?**

2. We are taking the twins, a family member, Alexander (obviously), and us… 6 people in a 7 seater minivan. With 2 weeks worth of clothing, food staples, medical supplies, toys… and other things. And then – we will return with a dog in addition. Oh. My. Gosh. Truth: I have no idea how we will all squeeze in…

3. So… we’ve been asked about a million questions about the dog – and here is the first of several posts to answer some of those questions.

We still do not know the breed of the dog, but we do know it will be a large dog.
We will probably find out the breed of the dog this week someday.
We will be allowed to take the dog anywhere – restaurants, Wal-Mart, etc.… – but we will also be allowed to leave the dog at home, and might. (See more on that in a minute.)
The dog will be trained to “give” things to Alexander and do other simple service tasks. The dog will also be trained to alert when a seizure is occurring.

4. We do have a bit of a problem. The dog must bond with Alexander. This is only a problem because the twins are at the age where they will want to hug and kiss the dog… and Alexander is not quite there yet. The dog must bond with Alexander and not the twins. This is really going to take some doing – and might actually mean the twins have to spend more time away from home for the bonding to occur. This is something that makes me a little nervous… the bonding has to happen with Alexander. It isn’t something we can’t get over, but something that we will really have to work on. Just one more “special” thing for Alexander…. **stink** for my other children.

5. The dog is not guaranteed to alert us before a seizure happens. It should be able to tell us when a seizure is happening. We are, however, very fortunate. In the fall, we were headed to a birthday party for my grandmother…. I didn’t care for Alexander’s outfit, so I changed it right before we left. He ended up having a seizure in the car…. Because of this seizure – we have outfit with his “aura” from before the seizure, his “aura” during the seizure, and his “aura” on a normal day. We are one step ahead of most people… just by happenstance.

6. This week is a week of … craziness.

* We have to put our family pet down. Not because 4 Paws for Ability requires it, but our family dog is a rescue dog from before I met Ray. He snaps. I don’t trust him around the kids, so they don’t interact much. He is old… like 14. He doesn’t get around like he should. We can’t have him teach the new service dog – bad tricks. Ugh. It is so hard. But, we really don’t have much of a choice… Jack’s health is failing quickly anyway.

* We are moving the kids rooms around. We are giving Alexander the bigger bedroom. The twins only have beds in their room – see HERE for reasons why. I think we are even going to bunk their beds. Alexander’s room has 2 dressers, a changing table, some equipment, his crib – which will soon be a bed, and a pack – and – play for Andrew to take naps in. (Again, back to the previous post for reasons.)

* We ordered a new bed for Alexander. We ordered a day bed…. It needs to function like a crib (to keep him safe) – but have enough space for a dog to lay with him. We think this will be best all around.

We picked 4 Paws for Ability because they will take children with a variety of special needs. Many service dogs have stiff requirements – such as being verbal or a minimum age … and 4 paws for Ability does not. They also have a great reputation.

I’m scared. This is going to change our entire life. Please don’t let me screw this up. So many people have come through for this – for our baby. Please don’t let us disappoint the people who believed in us.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Battling the Demons Within, blessings, Family, Seizures

Love Grows Best in Little Houses

December 27, 2011 By Kristen 5 Comments

Once upon a time… I dreamed of living in a big house.

It would have this wrap around porch. It would be colonial style and have 4 or 5 bedrooms. I would have a walk in closet. I would have my own bathroom. Picture Barbie’s house… in real life. I would have a garage. I would have a fenced in back yard and be in the back of a culd-a-sac.

Right now we have a fenced in back yard. … that is about the extent of my dream house.

But… when I think about my grandparents. My mom’s parents raised 5 children in a 2 bedroom house. **They had to add a small bedroom when my mom was born – and thus it became a 3 bedroom house**. It only had 1 bathroom. The kitchen was small. The living room was small. … everything was small.

My dad’s parents raised 6 kids in a 3 bedroom, 1 bathroom house. The boy’s room had 2 sets of bunk beds and the 2 girls had the other room. 8 people and one bathroom. Love grows best.

I think we’ve decided to stay here for a little while. Not forever… but a little while. Maybe our love will grow best. Yes – our master bedroom is 10.5 X 10.5 square feet. Yes… the twins will need to share a room. Or Andrew and Alexander will need to share a room. Or…. I don’t know. But – I think this is going to be the place we let our love grow.

Christmas Eve….

Addison, Andrew and Alexander made plates for cookies for Santa and carrots for Rudolph. They needed to decorate them so Santa would know his plate and Rudolph would know his plate.

Best part? They “forced” Alexander to help. He helped with the stickers and crayons. *love*

It is all fun and games until Little Brother takes the plate. Look at his sneaky face…. *love*

And then I remember my in-laws. Their master bedroom is a little bigger than ours. … But the rest of the house has a similar size. They only have one bathroom. They love.

Want to see? We all pile in… to where love grows best.

Siblings hug. We all pile on the floor and play games together.

Nana holds her granddaughters. Andrew decides the Chair needs fixed…. so tool are scattered everywhere.

Siblings tease each other. Her face really does say a million things. As does his…

Presents are opened. In one small living room. Where love grows best.

Gifts are given. Private Jokes are shared. Nephews try to become detectives with their presents.

And underlying all of this – is the simple joy of being together. I think maybe we need to be smooshed in this small house together. Where our love can grow the best.

This picture was taken Christmas night. You might not be able to tell – but they are holding hands. You can’t walk through our living room. There are stacks and stacks of things piled high on our bedroom dresser. But – our kids are still hugging. We hope you had a Merry Christmas. We did. It was wonderful. Church on Sunday, celebrating the birth of Jesus, more time with family, and evenings spent with friends. And every night… returning to our little house.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: blessings, Changes, Childhood Memories, random

A Mother’s Thanksgiving

December 12, 2011 By Kristen 6 Comments

I’m thankful for my “missing toothed child” and Mommy hugs.

I’m thankful for my baby who sits on a chair.

I’m thankful for my mischievous son.

I’m thankful for the love of 3 siblings.

I’m thankful for my friend Liz. Who takes amazing pictures to capture our lives. Who shows love to my babies. She was one of the first people I told about Alexander’s blessing in our lives. She was the first non-family member to see my baby… with imperfections. She captured him then with complete perfectness and once again shows the world that love has no boundaries.

My babies are another year older. Another Christmas has come. And I am thankful for those blessings in our lives.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: blessings, life, Memories, Photo Heavy Post

And the Irony Is…

November 27, 2011 By Kristen 2 Comments

Sometimes you are so busy living happiness that you don’t really have time to blog about it. I mean… really. What is the definition of happiness? To be happy? Then what is the definition of happy? If you look it up, you will find a list of synonyms… not necessarily a true definition. Because defining something you can’t touch is hard. So how about this….

Happiness is time spent with your family….

Happiness is creating a house from gingerbread and candy…..

Happiness is cutting down the perfect Christmas Tree….

Happiness is making some memories where your heart smiles with your face.
Happiness is keeping plans with friends and family.
Happiness is cuddling your children.
Happiness is going to church… and watching your kids practice Christmas songs.

Happiness is …. Eating. I know thanksgiving is all about eating – but for one little man – eating has come to a whole new level. Here are a few videos. Alexander decided his gift to us this Thanksgiving is … to eat. And we love it. He is almost completely oral right now. … for almost a week. Happiness.

Don’t forget… tomorrow is still Make Me Laugh Monday. Wait until you see the videos / pictures I captured this week!

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: blessings, life

There are no words to really explain

November 23, 2011 By Kristen 8 Comments

The post of my heart tonight is about my friends.

So many people have done the 24 days of Thankfulness challenge in honor of Thanksgiving. I started a post listing my things… and it was erased… and I decided I just wasn’t going to do one this week. But… then I posted 2 videos and a photo.

The videos are of Alexander eating. You can view them HERE and HERE. But they aren’t the focus of this post. The video shots got all sorts likes, loves, and comments on Facebook. Then my friends started chiming in on my photo. I received an e-mail from an old high school friend. At just the right time. Another high school classmate dropped everything twice to help me get my self dignity (A.K.A. hair done) back. Just today.. a new friend gave me a generous gift. Not because of the monetary value –but because of the meaning behind this thoughtful gesture.

It is sort of a given that we should love our families. I’m proud to say that I have a relationship with God. You all probably realize that I am thankful for my kids and husband. But… do you know that my friends are sort of a life force of their own?

I have been amazingly blessed to join 2 elite groups. Yes, I call them elite. One is to become a mother of 2 children who walk the wild side at the same exact time. (Twins.) Many people would not care to be in these shoes – but the mothers who journey this path with me are amazing. They know things about me that I sometimes can’t reveal to anyone else.

I am also part of an ultra elite group of parents of children with a rare genetic syndrome. When I have fears… I call them first. When I struggle, I know they will understand. I felt pride knowing that I picked the right gift for a girl near and dear to my heart… who is turning 6 but … needs 6 year old interesting gifts that can be appropriate for a different developmental level. Her mom and I? We get each other. I love that.

My college roommate? I haven’t phoned in several weeks. Busy. But I love her. She dropped everything to come to the twins birthday party. She is always there. Like no other.

Most of the girls from my wedding… still on speed dial. I need them. I’m blessed with them. The cheer us on. They cry when I’m hurt. They … are so amazing.

Almost everyday at work – someone asks me, “How are things? How is Alexander?” How do people get such great colleagues?

I am thankful for my friends. Yes – I have other things I am thankful for also: church, family, Ray, Kids, etc.….

But today – I wanted to say to all of my friends… thank you. There were over 100 phone, e-mail, text, and Facebook messages this past weekend. Thank you…. I am Thankful For You.

And thank Shell… for the chance to link up!

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: blessings

When No One Else Believed….

November 15, 2011 By Kristen 9 Comments

I once knew a girl. She didn’t know what to do when she grew up. We discussed this at length… because she was special. She was The Darling Graduate.

Along Came Alexander.

She is currently in college with a dual degree in Special Ed and Music Therapy. She may decide to do something else… but I know she will walk through life touched by a miracle.

I once knew a girl. She had to write a paper for a college class. She couldn’t decide what to write it on… because the topics seemed so vast.

Along Came Alexander.

She is writing the paper on WHS. I can’t wait to see how it comes out – maybe she will publish it here or on the WolfHirschhorn Site.

Each year there are approximately 200 students who learn that saying THIS word is wrong. You know why I feel compelled help them understand the power of words?

Because of Alexander

I know lives are being changed. Because … Along Came Alexander.

It is amazing to see the outpouring of love that comes for our family. If you haven’t had a chance to see how we would like to give back, please read THIS POST.

But… Here are some of the pictures from our newest tool to help Alexander. Thank you.

Alexander getting his new IPad …. Love – If you would like to see the results – click HERE.

Video of Thanks from us to you… My first VLOG. I’m seriously going to need to get better clothes!

And now… what you are dying to see. Alexander using the IPad for the first time.

I’m telling you… this boy is going to do amazing things. We thank you again… for not giving up on a boy despite what uneducated doctors told us. For looking with us at potential – not limitations. We love you for this.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: blessings, Special Needs, WHS

A Change in the Blog–the Post you MUST READ

November 13, 2011 By Kristen 6 Comments

We are blessed. People continue to support us. Through thick and through thin. I just feel sort of amazed.

I know we are on some people’s regular prayer lists. And when we ask… people pray for us. They pray for our family. They pray for Alexander when he needs it. They pray for me when I need it. They pray for all of us.

Alexander’s seizure dog was totally out of our reach. We asked… and 2 months later we were able to apply for the dog. Amazingly blessed.

It seems like his “issues” to keep him stable and moving forward are sometimes so great. We have physical. We have the seizures. And then we have developmental. And every time we turn around… there is support.

I have been contemplating this for awhile. I came to a conclusion earlier this week – because of the generosity and example set by good friends – but I was hesitant to mention it until the contest for the IPad was over. I didn’t want it to seem like a gimmick.

This is not a gimmick. We will be starting some new things with the blog to help take care of Alexander and also give back to the community that has so many others in need of things. Not everyone has the network of supporters we have. We need to be thankful for what we have and must remember to be as generous to others as people have been to us.

Here is the plan:
1. I am going to open spots for Sponsorship on the blog. Lots of blogs do this. You can have a button put on the side bar and we can discuss other options for sponsorship when we make arrangements. Some businesses choose to give away an item to a random commenter. Some businesses send an item for “review.” Some businesses offer a percentage off to people who use a code. There are hundreds of ways this blog can help a small business gain a little more traffic and new customers. The charge will be $25.00 a month. That is a little less than a dollar a day for sponsorship.

**We average about 7,000 visitors a month- average **

2. All the money from the sponsorship will go into Alexander’s trust. It currently sits at $35.00 because almost all the money raised went to pay for the seizure dog. This way our family can begin to put specific money aside for Alexander’s needs.

3. We will GIFT 10% of that money back into the Wolf Hirschhorn Community. It is near and dear to our hearts. There are so many people who need things. Physical adaptations, technological adaptations, the list goes on and on. Our family needs to begin to give back to a community that has supported us on this journey.

4. Finally, If you have helped us in any way – Alexander’s auction donations, Bidding on Alexander’s auction, even voting for the IPad or spreading the word – this is an open invitation. You are welcome to 1 month free sponsorship. We would love to give something to your business as a thank you from our family. We don’t know really how else to say we appreciate it. Because we do… from the bottom of our heart.

You have 2 weeks from this post to notify us that you would like to be on the list for sponsorship. We need to plan out what businesses / blogs / etc. are sponsored each month. We will want to spread them out so readers have a chance to look at each unique business individually. We don’t want a month of 100 sponsors. More like 10 months of 10 …

You can comment here and leave your e-mail address or e-mail me directly at alittlesomethingforme(at)yahoo(dot)com

We love you. We appreciate you. We want to give back. This is the best way we know how. All the proceeds from the sponsors will go for Alexander’s needs (except for the 10% for other kids with WHS) … so we can excuse ourselves from contests, etc – and maybe be the donors for others to get cool therapy equipment. Giving feels good. Changing a life feels good.

When I opened up my cell phone and saw almost 100 shares of our post about voting for the competition, I cried. I just couldn’t believe our family was once again on the receiving end of the generosity of people. We want to do that for other people. We need to do this for other people.

Once again… Thank you. Love, Us

** Oh – don’t forget … tomorrow is Make Me Laugh Monday. ***

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: blessings, In the Online World

3 am

November 8, 2011 By Kristen 2 Comments

You know who is beautiful at 3am? My baby boy.

I watch him… as I promised. To get us this room.

He sighs. His chest rises and falls. His eyes are just cracked a bit. His downturned mouth… is slightly up.

I love that boy. That miracle baby. A few hours ago they went for the femoral artery to get blood. They had to do it twice. And when I walked back in the room… he let me soothe his tears. I was too weak to stay in the room with him – my fighter baby – but he still let me comfort him.

I would move mountains for that kid. To see him BE. Just … BE. No more seizures. No more arterial sticks.

Earlier today, I just had to get the anger out. If this blog is my outlet, then I have to be able to be angry every once in awhile. It was anger that stems from Mommy Fear. Fear for my son. My baby who cannot speak for himself.

I said I wasn’t going to do this, but my heart has mended. My baby hero has once again shown me the way.

I am thankful for LIFE. His life, Andrew’s life, Addison’s life, Ray’s life….. My parent’s life (including in-laws – because they are my parents just as much)… those who love us…. LIFE

Speaking of LOVE… I am thankful for it. Today my friends and family lifted us up in prayer. My friend, who has precious little time to spare, listened to my tears of frustration. My colleagues will ask how we are. My students will want to see a picture of Alexander smiling in reassurance… the way kids do. LOVE in all forms.

I am thankful for a seizure. We have a shirt covered in Alexander’s seizure “aura” to send ahead for his dog. We are to send 2 shirts… One with the seizure sent and one without. Our dog will be prepared. (Alexander’s seizure started while he was in his car seat waiting in the van…. It was the grace of God that gave this seizure a new look and sound, or Ray would have never known he was seizing.)

I am still angry with insensitive people who forget that a person’s life is in their hands. I will still be calling about this.

But life is more than anger. I needed to blog it away… and almost immediately I could feel the tension release from my fearful heart. The anger is poison that threatens to eat all those blessings.

My heart doesn’t have room for it.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Battling the Demons Within, blessings, Seizures, Sweet Child of Mine

I’m Not Ready

October 26, 2011 By Kristen 13 Comments

Dear Andrew and Addison,

I started this whole post… starting from your birth story. And then I scratched it… because your birth story isn’t really the words I need to tell today.

Truth is, I’m not ready.

I’m not ready for you to be 3. You can’t be 3. Just yesterday you were in the NICU. Just last week I was pregnant. Being pregnant with you was one of the true blessings in my life.

Addison, you were baby A. The lowest. The official “first born.” The hardest to name. Full head of hair and a perfectly beautiful face.

Andrew, you were baby B. Feet always in my ribs. Bald, beautiful, and truly a Momma’s boy. I have a secret to tell you… Your name is not really Andrew. It is Raymond Andrew – the fifth. Maybe you will learn it later – like when you are in kindergarten and the teacher calls your name and you don’t answer.

I cried the day you were born. I was drugged and it was too dangerous for me to go down to see you in the NICU. I begged and pleaded with the doctors and nurses to please let me see my babies. I’ve loved you since the day you were dreamed in your Daddy and my heart. I could not bear to be away from you… even for those hours. Here were the pictures they sent me instead.

Those pictures were not enough. Only when you were placed in my arms could I feel like a Mommy. Your Mommy. The most amazing gift. How did we manage to create twins? Born at 33 weeks. 21 days in the NICU. And completely amazing…

Only a blink of an eye passed before you celebrated your first Christmas, first Easter, were Baptized, and enjoyed the long days of summer.

Then … you were a year old. A year of life. A year of celebrations, help, more help… A year of LOVE.

How did another year pass by? Where did that year between one and two go? Six months in, we added Alexander, and I admit … things became blurry for awhile. But I think these things happen to others also. I think all moms feel like this time goes so slowly when you are living it, but so quickly at the same time.

I’m just not ready. I’m not ready for the “grown – up-ness” Honestly? You can go back into diapers. I’m not ready to kiss my babies goodbye. I’m not ready for the preschool I know you need. I’m not ready to give up the snuggles you no longer crave. I’m not ready for the big boy and big girl cups and spoons and forks and … I’m not ready for you to be able to wash your hands by yourself.

Tomorrow is your birthday. 3. It is happening, whether I’m ready or not. You are growing, whether I’m ready or not. And you are growing into such amazing children. I’m really proud of the people you are becoming. I love you…. you who made me a Mommy. You who opened my heart to this beautiful thing called unconditional love.

Happy Birthday, sweet babies.

Thanks Shell– for letting my Pour My Heart Out.