Back on Thanksgiving day in 2000 I was pregnant and It was so early in my pregnancy I was barely showing.   Long before I became pregnant,  Thanksgiving was my favorite holiday.  I think because I love food so much, but on this day I wasn't thinking of food, I was thinking about what was going to happen to my baby.  I was preparing to deliver my baby girl early.  My blood pressure was so out of control and the baby was starting to show signs it was affecting her as well.  She was small, even for her gestation age and the doctors were worried.  So around 2 pm in the afternoon, I was rolled into the operating room for an emergency C-Section, and very soon after my daughter Emily was born, weighing only 14.7 ounces and 10 inches long.  She was so small they tried to prepare us for the fact that she may not survive her birth, she might not cry,  She did both... months were spent in the hospital, surgeries, infections, 180 days in total she fought for her life, and she WON.  Today, she is an 18-year-old National Honor Society member high school senior, who has been accepted into Fairleigh Dickinson University, with an impressive 4-year merit scholarship.  She is amazing, and for all her inner spirit, and an intense will to live, we also know that she would not be here today if not for the March of Dimes and all they have done to improve the chances for micro-preemies to survive.  We are beyond thankful and this year's walk is our 17th one.  We knew we had to give back.  We knew how blessed we were. Please.  Please help us?  Please donate to our page and help our family's team help other parents and premature babies.   The ultimate goal is to help babies be born healthy and to stop other parents from having to lose precious days of their babies lives in the hospital.  I feel like I blinked and Emily's now 18!  I know though many parents don't get to experience the joy of bringing their babies home or watching them grow up, like we were blessed to be able to, we walk for healthy babies, we walk for sick babies and we walk to prevent the heartbreak of a baby born too soon and too sick to survive, and we remember the precious gift of our Emily so we keep on... Marching for babies.  Please donate to our team or join our team and help us give March of Dimes the chance to help even more babies.www.marchforbabies.org/meliwil

March for Babies 2019

 We went to the March for Babies kick-off dinner just last night. Then this morning I read an article about a baby born weighing only 10 ounces who was leaving the hospital!!  It was a great reminder of why we walk.  We walk to help babies be born healthy & to give babies who weren't a fighting chance. March of Dimes concentrates all its efforts on research and support to do just that! So when you see my post again this year, remember this sweet baby & my Emily too. They both benefited from March of Dimes. I guarantee someone you know (other than Emily) has too. If your baby got an Apgar score at birth- they have! It isn't hard to give $5 or $10 to our team, when you think about it in those terms. It wasn't just someone else's baby, it was yours too! Love you all for all your support every year! XO Emily graduates high school this year, still can't believe it! I know she would love if all of you would make this year's "Team Emily" fundraising for March of Dimes, our best one yet! Call it an early graduation gift?

 https://www.marchforbabies.org/Meliwil

Apparently, Emily got a standing ovation in her AP English class over one of her poems. We didn't even know about the poem/presentation until after she had presented it & then she came home & told us about her classmates' & teacher's reactions to it. She had to choose a poet, discuss the poet & one of his poems, and come up w/ a parody poem in the same length & meter as the poem chosen. Her poem was about the siege on Yorktown. So Emily read her poem, & her current teacher was so blown away by it that she immediately went to her English teacher from last year to tell her about Emily's poem, & Em's old teacher simply said, "I told you so"... she also texted Emily's history teacher from last year & shared the poem with him. I love this kid! #Shesspecial By the way.... This is the same kid who's freshman English teacher within the first week of that school year told us she wasn't sure Emily could handle honors English... which pissed us off, & who we basically said through clenched teeth, " let's give her some time." By back to school night, that first HS English teacher was apologizing to us. So to other teacher's out there, kids don't all fit into your ideal round holes. Give them time... get to understand that child before practically breaking their spirits & having them doubt themselves. Emily had a hard time Freshmen year doubting herself, it was the only time I'd really seen her like that, & I think it had a lot to do w/ that teacher's words.

Emily's 18th Birthday!

Emily turned 18 a few weeks ago.  It was an amazing birthday!  It's truly mind-boggling how fast that went, her childhood flew by.  I know I say that every year but this year it's especially true.  As officially her "childhood" chapter is ending.   She is now a young woman. She has promised me though, that I can still call her my baby.... lol.  Honestly, though,  I could not be more proud of her! She has accomplished so much this year.  Just a few days ago she was accepted into her High school's chapter of the  National Honor Society.  She was invited to apply last year but just missed the cutoff.  So she really buckled down since then to make it in this time around.  She has a volunteer job at the largest branch library in our county.  She again is a member of the  Academic Challenge Club.  She got straight A's this marking period, although technically she got all A's and one B+ (one of her teachers did not put in a grade & has said she would) We'll see, in my mind she got straight A's, so I don't care what her report card says...lol.  She is in her HS Choir for the first time and will again be a member of the ensemble cast for her senior year's musical.   This year they are putting on a musical called, "The Drowsy Chaperone".  Emily is in the early stages of planning for college.  She will be applying to two colleges before the 15th.  She would like to go to Fairleigh Dickinson.  It has the best creative writing program in NJ.  We visited the campus in October and Emily LOVED it!  If there was a "perfect" school for Emily, it certainly felt like FDU was it.   BUT..... we all are still unsure she is ready to be on her own on campus.  She has made so many strides in the last year but she does have some very minor special needs probably related to her premature birth, as well as being on the Autism Spectrum. Which generally just mean it takes Emily a little longer to be ready for some things than other kids her age.   No biggie.  At least in Emily's case, it seems to me anyway, that other things come easier for her too.   As the theme song goes, "You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and there you have .... The facts of Life"    That's how I think of it anyway. Like all kids, she has her strengths and weaknesses.   The thing about being on the Autism Spectrum is that it doesn't mean one thing, every person on the spectrum has their own journey with it.   It wasn't even something we discussed much with anyone.   We, along w/ Emily's pediatrician, had discussed it over the years, but it wasn't something we really thought much about.  Emily was doing well in school & most important was happy in life.  So aside from some "social" interaction issues.  She had done PT & OT.  She had always TESTED out of, and we tried our best to encourage her to be active in school to help with her social skills. She still struggles a little w/ communicating effectively but I can see lots of improvement there as well.  She also lacks direction.  We kind of lovingly tease her about the fact she can never remember which way to turn after coming out of places like she can't remember where we parked.  We describe it as a lack of spatial awareness.  She's a bit oblivious like that.   Those are some of the ways her ASD presents itself.   BUT.... I would not change a thing about Emily.  She is kind, caring and the most joyful person.  She is a wonderful just the way she is! She still has work to do, but who of us doesn't.  I know I do!  If a four-year college isn't in the works yet, Emily will probably attend a community college next year.  Especially if she manages to get into the NJ Stars program, which is a program in NJ that allows students in the top 15% to attend a community college for free.  Emily's around 16-17th% in her class.  So we will see, the count senior year.  We are hoping that Emily's college doesn't cost her a fortune.  We can't afford to pay, and so we are hoping scholarships will really help! fingers crossed.  Ok.  I felt like I had to catch you up with Emily,  since it's been forever since I posted...... BUT now for the exciting birthday news.  We are officially golden parents right now in Emily's eyes at least...BECAUSE we got her tickets to a Geddy Lee book signing!!!! In case you are young or live under a rock, I will tell you... Geddy Lee is the lead singer of the band, RUSH!  Emily has been a fan of Rush's for a long time now.  It started w/ her playing "ROCKBAND" on Playstation when she was just a wee little one, and she loved singing their song," Limelight".  But it has become an out and out obsession the last several years.  She, unfortunately, was never able to see them perform live so this will be the next best thing!! Geddy Lee is absolutely her IDOL! She was soooo happy! We have a video of her opening the present! It rivals some of the "viral" videos of kids who open presents of trips to Disney.  She is beyond EXCITED!!!