Life goes on

Sadly when you lose someone you love life still goes on. When you just want the world to stop and go in reverse just to say I love you one more time, it still goes on.

My husband and I have been married for almost 16 1/2 years, which means his family has been my family for that long too. Sadly on June 3rd, his grandfather passed away. We knew it was coming and it was expected, yet it is still a process. We still grieve, we still wish he was here, but we knew it was his time to go home. He was an incredible man. While some in the family may have thought that I was not good enough to be in the family or not good enough for my husband, he was one of the few that welcomed me into the family and accepted me for the person that his grandson loved. I think him for that. Grandpa Jack was a strong, wonderful, kind, faithful, family loving man. He will be missed dearly and always loved by all whom knew him.

I cried when my husband called me and told me he got the call and that he had gone to be with our Lord and Savior. I cried for knowing that we would no longer have him around, I cried for my mother in law because I know what it is like to lose your father. I cried for the rest of his children, for the same reason. I cried for Grandma, his wife of 62 years, because she was devoted to him and he was her life partner. I cried for my husband, sister in law and the rest of his grandchildren, because I have lost most of my grandparents so I know how they feel. But I also cried because I know he is no longer suffering from pain, he is now with his daughter and other loved ones that have gone before, and knowing he is in a so much better place, a place that is waiting on all of us, when it is time for us to be called home.

Tomorrow we will say our last goodbyes to Grandpa Jack and I for one will always remember the wonderful man that he was and I know that one day when I get where I am going, I will see him again.

RIP, I love you and will always miss you Grandpa Jack <3 <3 <3

Walking for Babies

Have used to walk for babies in HONOR of my Micro-Preemie. The past few years I have been unable to walk, due to DH's work schedule then having another baby. But this year my husband and I get to walk again for this wonderful cause. I have supported them since my daughter was born. See my My Micro-Premiee Harleyann post to read more about her. We have been on one crazy journey since we found out we were expecting our first child. From the miscarriage of her twin to her being born at 24 weeks, to her 176 day NICU stay (filled with many many ups and downs), to bringing her home, and life since then. Now at almost 10 years old I look back and I am so Thankful to God and know what a true Blessing I have with her. Yes she is a Special Needs Child, but I would NEVER change that and I will tell the world about my girl, because I am PROUD of her and everything she has accomplished.

Here is the link to my March for Babies page, please if you can help me reach my goal, even if it is just $5 anything will help.

http://www.marchforbabies.org/personal_page.asp?pp=2558245&ct=4&w=5248174&u=Harleyannsmom

My Micro-Premiee Harleyann

This is Miss Harleyann today, along side one of her at just a couple weeks old.

My daughter Harleyann was born on June 2, 2002. She was born 16 weeks to soon. At 24 weeks gestation, she has underdeveloped lungs and eyes. She had to develop vital organs and grow in an incubator. We were unable to hold our precious Angel for the first time until she was over a month old, then not again until she was over two months old. She was underdeveloped and very sick. She had tubes everywhere. With all the advancements that the March of Dimes research has provided saved our baby. The big one is the surfactant that was given to her to help her lungs develop.

Being born at 24 weeks was a challenge, weighing only 1lb 6ozs at birth certainly posses a lot of problems. During her 176 day NICU stay we had to deal with: Respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), Apnea, Intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH), Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), Jaundice, Anemia, Chronic lung disease (also called bronchopulmonary dysplasia or BPD), and many many infections.

Almost 10 years later we are still dealing with problems that have steamed from her being born prematurely. She wears glasses and is visually impaired due to the ROP, her eyes went as far as her retina's detaching. She is still way behind in learning, she is very socially awkward. We are still looking for answers as to why she is the way she is. Some have even brought up the fact that she has Autistic tendency's which very well could have come from her being born so early.

We need to teach people about Prematurity, it is an illness that effects one their entire lives. Recently my little girl has been having high blood pressure.

Please help me in spreading the word about Prematurity and help me in raising money for the March of Dimes, because what they do is wonderful and we need more answers and more technology in order to help these babies that are born too soon.

Thank you from this Micro-Preemie Mommy.

Happy New Year

Wow it is the 5th of January already. Can you believe it? Another year has come and gone in the blink of an eye and here we are again a new year and I know there are resolutions that will get broken, lives will be forever changed, and good, as well as bad, things will happen.

January is a big month for my family. My nephew turns 13 on Sat (7th), hard to believe that time has flown by that fast, I remember when he was a little baby. On the 18th will be 10 yrs since we got the news that we were expecting out first child, which came just the day before the 1st anniversary of my beloved Grandma's death. So on the 19th will be 11 years since she went home to be with God, I miss her more everyday. She was a Saint and my hero, I just wish she was here to know my kids. On the 26th is my 16th wedding anniversary, sure doesn't feel like I have been with my soul mate for that long. And the 27th is my honey's 35th birthday.

Granted there is a lot that will be happening this year:

Lots of Girl Scout Stuff with my daughter (can you believe that the Girl Scouts are 100 this year?).
Of course my son turns 3 and my daughter turns 10 and I turn 36 (I will be on the flip side of my 30's approaching 40).
I have a nephew that will be graduating high school.
My husband and I will be finishing college at the end of the year.
And I will be building my Tupperware business.

I think that I am crazy all the time for trying to raise 3 kids, keep up with my house, going to school, kids activities, and my own business. I stay busy though and that makes time even seem to fly by faster.

My baby girl will be having surgery the end of Feb. and I am not looking forward to it, but I will be by her side and with her in the hospital the whole time.

I am a busy women and I will try to keep up the best that I can this year. I want to blog more this year and spend some time writing. We will see how that goes.

My Motto for the year 2012 is: BELIEVE!! Anything is possible!

Some links that you may be interested in:

http://leslie-slimmingdown.blogspot.com/ (my new blog)

my.tupperware.com/lesliemcguinn (my Tupperware site)

Again HAPPY NEW YEAR!! I hope that 2012 will be YOUR year!!!