31 Day Blog Challenge - Day 17

What is your most proud moment?

This one is easy. My proudest moment was the first time I really got to hold my little boy. Most people might say when they were born but for me I barely remember it and it wasn't exactly a proud moment for me. One I will never forget but still.

The first really good memory I have of my little boy though that when I really got to let it sink in. It was a few days after he was born. During the day they had made me get out of bed which had been really rough on me. My night nurse though found out that I had not really gotten to seen my son yet, aside from being wheeled by him when I was still in a haze right after he was born. She arranged for me in my bed to be taken up to the NICU to see him. Chris was still staying with me at the time so he came up with me it was around Midnight. I'm not sure how often they do that. I felt really special.

I made a promise to my little man that night that I would keep getting stronger and he would too. He was so small and fragile in that incubator but he was mine and I made him. So yes at that very moment, in that SICU bed having been snuck up to the NICU in the middle of the night to see a tiny little baby. My pride grew as the days went on. It still does every day when I see that smiling face and see him learning more about his world I can't help but beam with pride.

31 Day Blog Challenge - Day 16

What is on top of your bucket list?

I really should write down my bucket list somewhere so that I can really reflect on it. I would say that the top of that list would be to see the World. I've never left this side of the world and I would love to go to everywhere really so it is hard to narrow it down to someplace specific.

So here is the top four places I'd like to see before I die.

First, I would love to go to Ireland. Genetically I am part Irish and my parents (who adopted me) are both part irish. My husband is part irish and his family is very proud of their irish roots. We want to see Dublin but more than that we want to take a tour of the countryside and stay in bed and breakfasts and the likes.

Second, I really want to take a railway tour of Europe. I want to go everywhere so I figure that would be a great way to do it. You can get those eurorail passes that will take you all over. To spend a day or so in one city in one country and then ride the train and wake up the next morning somewhere completely new. That would be amazing.

Third, I would like to go to Sweden. I'm personally not swedish but my mom's family is from there. A few months ago Chris and I were working on our family tree and I was able to find out a little bit of information about my great grandparents and when they became legal citizens of the US and everything. I just think the whole thing would be a lot of fun.

Finally, Japan!!! I really want to go to Tokyo. I mean I'd love to see it all but Tokyo just looks like a lot of fun and so crazy. I have wanted to go there since I was a little girl. 

World Prematurity Day

The March of Dimes World Prematurity Day is November 17th. 

Before Flynn was born I did not know this day existed. Now I just wish I could do more to help the cause.

Flynn is my miracle baby. He always will be and I know that we were lucky. If we lived somewhere else or did not have the health care we did when I was pregnant things could have been so different.

"Knowledge is Power"

That takes on a new meaning when it comes to not only your health but the health of a little one who hasn't even had a chance to see the world yet. It isn't just about the health care but the education required to keep you and your little one happy and healthy. That is what World Prematurity Day is for awareness and support to get those who need help the help they need.

My Doodlebug and I were lucky. Both of us could have turned out a lot worse than we did. I could still be on dialsys. He could have stayed in the NICU longer than 6 weeks, his eyes could have not developed right, same with his lungs, he could have required a lot my physical therapy.. the list goes on and on.

My husband and brother-in-law (they are fraternal twins) were preemies. My husband had to have surgery because his body wasn't able to drain the fluids off his brain. He still has part of that experimental surgery they gave him in his head (kinda crazy but it isn't hurting anything). My brother-in-law had multiple surgeries after he was born and I think was clinically dead for a bit when he was born. They are both okay now but this was 30 years ago so they are miracle babies too.

I know every child is a miracle but I'd like to see more happy and healthy ones and less tragedies. While Flynn was in the NICU I saw at least 2 others who were not as lucky and did get to take a bundle of joy home.

If you can please support them!

March of Dimes

31 Day Blog Challenge - Day 15

A Typical Day In My Life:

Weekend Edition

I used last Sunday as my example..

Approx. 5:00 AM I wake up for the day. Have about 2 cups of coffee and catch up on the goings on of the week online on blogger, twitter, facebook and anything else I might peek at.

7:30 AM Doodle gets up and we get him breakfast.

8:00 AM Time to clean up the house. I talk to my mom and confirm what time we are going to be leaving for the day.

9:30 AM head out to Denver to see my parents.

10:30 AM we arrive at my parents house for a nice family visit. We start the visit off by taking a walk before lunch.

11:30 AM  Lunch time! Delicious!

12:30 PM pile back in the car and head home. Flynn passes out in the car for a nap.

1:30 PM home to pick up the dog and a few things. Flynn is is still napping in the car.

2:00 PM arrive at the Mother-in-law's to watch the Bronco game.

2:25 PM Bronco game starts - all of us are hanging out in the basement playing pool and watching the game.

4:30 PM - Pizza arrives!

6:00 PM - back home to wind down from a busy day.

8:00 PM - Put Flynn to bed. While I get him ready Chris reads to him. We are currently working on the Chronicles of Narnia books. Reading them in story order, we are still on the first book The Magician's Nephew

9:00 PM Time for bed another early work day coming up tomorrow.

..This is a pretty standard weekend day for us if Chris is not working. 

31 Day Blog Challenge - Day 14

If You Won the Lottery...

This is actually a really easy topic for me because my husband and I always say "If we won the lottery..." or "When we win the lotto we will.." 

We even play the powerball on occasion because you never will win if you don't play. We were talking to my dad about it this past weekend and he said he did it for years before he finally gave up. We have set up a pretty simple list for if we won. It goes in order of priority so depending on how much we'd win we'd do what we can.

First, We would pay off all our debt. We are still paying off hospital bills and student loans. When you add other things like the mortgage and everything else we are penny pinching like crazy and to be able to pay off all those debts. If we can take care of that then not only can we breath easy again but I can leave me job and stay home with my son. We could even maybe look at expanding our family. Not to mention the money we'd save on daycare, I saw something from the Washington Post that said Colorado was one of the more expensive states for Daycare these days.

Secondly if we could afford to we'd help out our immediate family. They have always been there for us so anything we could give back would be amazing. We limited that to immediate family because that is already a lot of people and we would want to try and help each of them out.

Third we would love to join the Disney Vacation Club. We love Disney and we want to travel so that would put them both together for us. I am sure we would travel without it as well but I love having the trip every 2 years to Breckenridge and so this would be a similar option for the years we don't go to the mountains.

Finally we would donate to charity. I would want to give back if I could to the hospital that was so amazing for myself and my little doodle. Specifically I'd donate to the NICU and the Women's Clinic. If we had enough money I would also donate to the Renal Department there as well. Also I'd give money to the March of Dimes because they are working towards lowering the number of preemies born every year.

Oh! I forgot we'd also try and buy our dream house. We were playing with that idea last night. We'd move up into the mountains most likely. Either we'd build a house or we'd buy one if we found one that already had everything we wanted.