I thought I would give you an update on Mr. Big (aka, Alex). He has really been thriving since we put him in school back in March. He loves his friends at school and even has a little girlfriend, Jordan! If we just say her name around him he puts on the biggest grin you have ever seen and it just melts your heart. I am so happy he is getting to experience the things that typical children experience every day - he even had school pictures taken a few weeks ago and of course, his were perfect (no bias at all from me). :
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| Spring 2012 |
I told you. One area we are working on is his eye sight; we know his vision has limitations but it's hard to zero in on exactly what the limitations are since he cant tell us what he sees/does not see. Funny story for you. We have been patching his eyes for the past 6 months or so in an effort to straighten our his eyes and improve his vision. Went to the opthamologist last week and while she was pleased with his progress thus far, she feels it's time to try a new strategy.
Glasses. REALLY?!!! Glasses on an 18 month old?!!!! That's what I was screaming on the inside all the while politely smiling and nodding as I listened to the details. It's the path we ultimately chose after carefully weighing our options. Can anyone guess the #1 challenge with glasses on an 18 month old? Metal frames - they just don't work. Despite his physical limitations, Alex is a very active little boy. He is constantly participating in therapy, and, when he's in his special chair, his friends at school LOVE to use him as their own personal jungle gym.
So the glasses lady says we need rubber frames. Awesome - that doesn't make him look delayed AT ALL. She hands me the frames and says, "just put them on him and tell me what you think." He's in my arms so I put them on, turn around to look in the mirror, and !VIOLA!, Harry Potter is staring right back at me.
I immediately burst into tears, but not my sweet Alex. He just looked up at me with that big grin of his and right away, HE reassured ME! Aren't I supposed to do the reassuring? I guess that's what family is for. I am inspired by his positive attitude.
And so, we rally.
When faced with such an impossible situation where you have no control, your reaction is to immediately try and find control via other avenues. Last year I got involved with the March of Dimes foundation as a way to redirect my focus. Alex and Addison were about 6 months old at the time and a foundation to address prematurity was just what the doctor ordered. Helping other families who are experiencing my same path, that makes me feel in control. So when we started planning for the 2012 March for Babies walk, we decided to go bigger. We marketed to individuals, businesses, and more. We had a fundraising night at a local restaurant (see last post). My step dad Michael even asked everyone on his facebook page to send him $5 and he alone raised over $500 just doing that!
The take away? It feels good to do good. No matter how busy you might be, you always have time to do for other people. Even if it's a simple phone call to lift someones spirit. It's just like the saying goes, "Pay it Forward." By the time our walk came around on April 28th, we raised over $6000!!!! Our team had 25 people show up to walk in support of our cause and in some small way, put a little control back into a situation that at times seems so uncontrollable. What a gift. What an inspiration. Enjoy the pics from that special day. Til next time...M
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| My Family = LOVE |
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| Skylar, Mimi, Liz and Karen |
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| Skylar and Carol |
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| Taylor & Bill |
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