The Lion King with Miss Green

I had the opportunity to take Savannah to The Lion King in Philly.  It was absolutely amazing.  She is the perfect age and appreciated the craft and hard work that went into the production.  She was captivated the entire time.  It was fun to get dressed up, go to dinner in the city, and go to a "grown up play" together.  If you haven't seen it, it is worth every penny.  The only problem is that once you see The Lion King, other shows become a step down in the visual department.

During intermission, Savannah was washing her hands.  She had turned the water off while soaping her hands.  She turned to me with a proud smile and said, "I'm saving the Earth."  If one person could single-handedly change the world, I think Savannah would be the one to do it.  She is green, almost to an annoying fault, and compassionate about the many corners of our world that are often over looked.

The Lion King worked nicely into Savannah's school curriculum.  They are studying Africa.  Last week, I had to drop the girls with Mr. Byron (yep, that is one daddy and five kids) while I went to work.  I offered to pay Savannah $2.00 to help Mr. Byron babysit.  She mentally counted how much money she would have after the job and came up with $40.00.  She then told me, "I want to send my money to Africa.  I know most kids would want to buy toys and sometimes I feel like I want toys but I know in my heart that I should help other people who don't have very much.  How can I send my money to Africa?"  I responded with many different charitable operations that are active in Africa and she narrowed it down to using her money to help provide clean drinking water.  I told her I would match her dollar for dollar which caused her to set a goal of $50.00.  "Then we could send $100.00 to Africa!" 


If I could live outside of myself as much as my daughter does. . .

March for Babies 2010!

I am humbled by my girls. . . their determination, joyful disposition, and love.  They are full of life.  A life, at one point, I doubted.

I am humbled by Savannah and her prayers for the little babies while on our walk, her heartfelt poster about her sisters, and ability to delight in her sisters' successes.

I am humbled by those of you who rallied around us with supporting words and generous donations.  We are wonderfully blessed to have such and amazing community of friends and family.

THANK YOU!!

We have come a long way.  Our first March for Babies landed Adeline in the hospital the next day.    The other walks can be seen here and here.

This year, we were full of health and positive energy.  We truly are the lucky ones!

Here we are after our five mile run/ride.

March for Babies, Here We Come!

We had shirts made this year which we were excited to sport.  The girls enjoyed matching their Mommy and Daddy.

Here is our "before" shot. . .

March of Dimes

We are going to pound the pavement next Saturday in order to raise money and awareness for the March of Dimes.  Their organization played direct role in the twins' lives.  Without their contributions that funded the research for surfactant, my Adeline would not be with us today.  The same could have been true for Lila Grace.  I sit here today and try to imagine my world without my baby girls.  I can't wrap my head around how devastating that world would be.

I remember very little of Adeline's birth - my eyes were closed until she was out and being worked on by the NICU doctors.  I wanted to see her but all I saw was more than twenty pairs of scrubs surrounding my one pound baby.  I kept repeating, "She has a name.  Please God, let her live, she has a name."  She was my baby, a life, a life that I so desperately wanted to live.  While I was chanting my incoherent thoughts, Dr. Chang was ventilating my baby girl and administering surfactant inside her tiny lungs.

By the grace of God and modern day research, both of my girls are alive and thriving.  We are the lucky ones.  I don't know why we were chosen to carry our babies out of the NICU when so many others never get to take their babies home.  I struggle with this thought frequently.

As we gear up for our walk next weekend, please feel free to join in.  There is a fund raising button on the side of this blog.  A big thanks to our very generous donors thus far.  We would love for you to lift us up next weekend as we walk.  It is an emotional experience.  It is a time when we are forced to face what "could have been" which leaves me holding my girls close to me while my heart swells with gratitude.

Here is our story. . .

Sisterly Love

I dropped Adeline at Sunday School first today while Alex took Lila to the bathroom. When walking Lila into Sunday School, she seemed hesitant. Possibly, because Adeline was already in and settled in a chair. When I directed Lila Grace to sit down, she told me, "No, I want to snuggle my sister." She then snuggled up to Adeline and put her head on her shoulder. Adeline responded with, "Lila Grace, you sit right there." Lila reiterated to Adeline that she wanted to snuggle her. So. . . Adeline, the one who doesn't like a lot of touch from siblings or friends, kept on coloring while Lila was attached to her side. It was very sweet.

Why Boys Don't Wear Shirts

Luckily this conversation happened in the car. I didn't have to look Savannah in the eye which helped hide my embarrassment.

S: Why do boys take their shirts off when the exercise outside?

Me: The don't always. (trying to avoid)

S: But why do they do it sometimes?

Me: So that they don't get too hot. (still trying to avoid)

S: How come they can do it but girls can't?

Me: (Is she really asking me this. Hmm. . . do I tell her the truth. Deep breath) Sweetie, have you ever heard anyone mention the word breasts or boobs?

S: No

Me: (Thinking I could have used a little help here from Savannah's friend department.) Well when girls get older, their breast start to grow and that is why Mommies wear bras. (Am I really talking about this with my 6 year old?) Do you know what I am talking about?

S: Yes. Why do you have to wear a bra when your breasts grow?

Me: (Thinking that my lack of a rack doesn't help in the support explanation) Well, women don't want people to see their breasts and bras help keep them covered up.

S: But I still don't know why don't boys have to keep their shirts on?

Me: They don't grow breasts. The reason why girls don't take their shirts off is because that part of our bodies is considered a private part. Did you know that?

S: Yes, like no one should see it or touch it except your family like when you are changing clothes or something.

Me: Yes, that is right. So boys can take their shirts off because that isn't considered a private part of their body.

S: Well why can they take their shirts off when exercising outside but not when they are exercising inside at the Y?

Me: I don't know, that is just the way it is. (always taking it one step further so that I can't give a good answer on the spot)

I guess I can check off one of many uncomfortable conversations I will have my girls.

Off the O's and Outside

This past weekend was beautiful.  Luckily, Adeline came off of the oxygen which allowed us to spend much of our time outdoors.  I am not sure it was her favorite place to be but the rest of us truly enjoyed it.  Ever since Adeline has been sick, her sensory issues have been on the rise.  It is amazing how she just turned into a different kid, the kid we had over a year ago.  She can't stand the sound of cars and, especially, lawn mowers.  Every time we take her outside she crawls up our leg growling until we hold her.  Then she says in her meek voice, "Lawn mower not get me."   She doesn't enjoy her out door toys either.  This has decreased her independence tremendously - I am back to holding her every second we are outside.  She has also demonstrated increased sensory issues in the house.  All of the sudden she hates sitting on the stools at the island and requests to be place in her highchair (she still eats in one for the support of a 90-90-90 degree position which is hard for her to maintain when eating due to her low tone).  She screams, "Lila not fall," when she sees Lila squirming around on the stool.  I don't know what do about it since she has been fine with all of the above activities for quite some time.  It seems like one day she woke up with a lung infection and and super intense sensory issues at the same time.  It is very FRUSTRATING!


Back to the more positive side of this weekend. . . time outdoor with friends, downtime in the house as a family unit, and cupcakes galore.