March 20th, the first day of spring, and the girls’ due date four years ago. I often reflect on this day as it gets closer. The day doesn’t cut as deep as it once did, especially the first two years; when they were still in the NICU and their due date came and went and […]
Today is World Prematurity Day, our third since the girls were born ten weeks too soon. I’ve been reflecting a lot on prematurity and its place in our story. I recently spoke on a Parent Panel to share our stories of prematurity and journeys home from the NICU. I caught the tail-end of a former […]
I’ve written a lot about trauma, especially the trauma that accompanies a premature birth. I think a lot of the post secondary trauma I’ve experienced in the girls’ lifetime is related to their birth; more so than the NICU stay. Maybe it was the suddenness of the delivery versus the time I had to adjust […]
I’ve written a lot about letting go of some parenting dreams and expectations when you’re parenting a child with special needs or different abilities. The milestones shift. The path diverts. It really is like heading off on an adventure through the fog; sometimes, the fog engulfs you, stings you, leaves you battered, and other times, […]
Last week, I ran 5K in preparation for my upcoming 10K in support of the Women and Babies Program at the hospital the girls were born in. Admittedly, I was kinda slow and heading up a hill in the cemetery down the street from me. Breathless, I arrived at the top of the hill. Slowing […]
Here’s the thing about strollers; they can hide a lot of truths, especially if you had no idea that a child had a special need or different ability just by looking at them. Of course, we live in a society where a lot of assumptions are made based on how a person looks. Recently, the […]
Three years ago today, something wonderful happened. Two healthy newborns came home for the first time. Of course, technically they were already 80 days old and had fought battles most children never have to, but home they went to meet their big brother and furball sister, to sleep in a room decorated with stars and […]
I ran my first ever 5K in September, raising money for Sick Kids Hospital here in Toronto, where all of my kids have found themselves at one time, but where Ella in particular has spent many, many hours. I was proud of myself for finishing and for helping out a hospital that has not only […]
I love Facebook memories for popping up pictures of my babies when they were in fact, babies, and not giants with wild hair and sassy attitudes. But, the last couple of weeks has featured my posts from three years ago-when I was admitted to HRO and living in the hospital to monitor the girls. (Coincidentally, […]
Today is World Prematurity Day, a day where we celebrate and honour all babies born too soon. Days like today inevitably lead me to reminisce about our beginning. Flipping back through old Facebook photos, I am amazed at how small those girls were. The smallest babies I’d ever seen. In some ways that time was […]
Adventures With Multiples 