Nov 17, 2011 Posted by Jolene

The Birthmarks Are Scars, Part 2

Yesterday, guest blogger Christine Lester wrote about her emotions upon seeing the surgical scars on her newborn son’s body. Today, she writes about how she responded when it was finally time to take her baby home. Part 2: Coming Home The next few days as I held my bedside vigil I see the incisions bandaged up. I helped to quickly change his dressings, but I didn’t really LOOK at them. Somehow... read more

Sep 30, 2011 Posted by Jolene

NICU and the Importance of a Mother’s Voice

This past August, young relative of ours delivered her first child 7 weeks early. Baby Tommy is a fighter, starting to gain weight (he’s now over four pounds) and even beginning to nurse from his mother. The only pesky problem remaining is a lower-than-desired oxygen level. His parents, Mike and Karen, spend a great deal of time with him in the NICU unit – holding him, talking to him, and... read more

Oct 1, 2010 Posted by Jolene

What to Read in NICU

After a recent interview with a parent, part of the research for the work in progress, Different Dream Parenting: Raising a Child with Special Needs, I was speechless. The wisdom of the young mom who granted the interview blew me away. Parenting for Life The mom and her husband, only 25 during their son’s brief life, packed more parenting into his two weeks on earth than most of us accomplish in two... read more

Jun 30, 2010 Posted by Jolene

Another Amazing Mom: Deborah Arrona, Part 2

The first post in this series introduced you to Deborah Arrona, her husband Salvador, and their daughter Aria. If you haven’t read Part 1 of the series, the background information it provides will help this post make more sense. Salvador and Deborah were only 20 when their premature baby arrived, and they’re only 26 now. But they have valuable wisdom to share. While everything can’t be... read more

Jun 28, 2010 Posted by Jolene

Another Amazing Mom: Deborah Arrona, Part 1

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Meeting parents of kids with special needs and hearing their stories is the best part of what I do. Recently, I met Deborah Arrona via the Coffee Klatch, a Twitter community for parents of kids with a wide variety of special needs. Later, she agreed to be interviewed, and her testimony of life with a child who has significant special needs impressed... read more