Birthday Party for the Monkey

Ok, so we FINALLY had Caroline's birthday party yesterday.  Her birthday was in September, but MAN that month flew by too quickly!  I was EXCITED!!!  I actually splurged and spent a LOT of money to have her birthday party at a place called "Color me Mine".   I have NEVER spent this much money on a birthday party, but my Caroline LOVES to do art and this place lets you paint pottery and then they fire it in their ovens and you get to keep your creation forever (or until a sibling breaks it).
The big day arrives and Caroline is on cloud nine ALL DAY.  From the moment she wakes up, the count-down to the big party begins. . . . . and then it is FINALLY time!  Otto and Lee went to Abby's basketball game, so it is going to be just me, 8 kids and Suzanne.
So, I arrive at Color me Mine with 3 of my kids and 1 of the other party-goers at the same time that Caroline's other friend arrives.  We are all smiles as we walk into the store with great anticipation of what is to come.  We are greeted by a staff member who asks us if we were here with the birthday party.  With eager smiles we all reply that we are. . . . . and then. . . . I am berated in front of the kids for arriving at the place TOO early.  After promptly sending the kids to the van to watch a movie so that this staff member doesn't completely ruin my daughter's day I proceed to explain to the staff member that I was actually asked to come 15 minutes early to help with the set up.  After not being able to calm this woman down I tell her that I will simply wait in the vehicle with the 6 eager children awaiting the begining of what is about to be the funnest birthday party EVER!!!
So at 4:00 ON THE DOT, we walk in (I am now nervous that I am going to be yelled at again) and we see ourselves to the birthday party spot.  A very nice girl takes the kids' names and then we go and pick out our pieces that we are going to paint.  By now it is 4:10 and we are still missing a girl and Suzanne.  I am kind of worried about Suzanne because I knew that she had a long way to drive, but I decide to suggest to the girl that we get started. . . . only. . . . where was she?  She had simply disappeared.  Don't worry, I have amazing tracking skills and I track her down and suggest that we get this party started.
Our hostess starts putting colors on the kids' painting palletts and then leaves.  Yep, that's it.  No explaination of what to do;  no explaination of how to layer the paints;  no explaination of how you need to paint lots of layers in the darker colors. . . . . what do you do when your little dot of paint runs out?  Good question, right?  So, I take over. . . . . since she is off helping any and all customers that are in the store, I figure she wouldn't mind.  There are lots of staff members in the store but they all seem to want to hang out in the back . . . . I mean why should they be on the floor?  There is only a birthday party (which is supposed to have it's own exclusive staff member) going on as well as a full store.
Wait. . . . .where the heck is Suzanne?
Also, I paid for 8 kids to come and one didn't show up. . . . .Abby didn't get to come, can I maybe take something for her to paint when she can come in at a different time?  So, I ask our hostess (who has graced us with her presence) and after making her do some investigations and me arguing that I have already paid for it, I am given permission to take a piece for Abby to paint.  (She is going to love it!!!)
Suzanne?  Where ARE you????  Wait. . . . is that my phone ringing?  YES!!!!  It's Suzanne!!!  What?  Suzanne had called the store and they denied that Caroline was having a birthday party there?  Huh?  They told you that they weren't just off of Beddington Trail?  What the *!@#&^%?????
YOU ARE A TROOPER SUZANNE FOR PERSAVERING AND COMING ANYWAYS!!!!!!
Ok, so the kids are done painting, Suzanne and the girlies are here and the pizza man is standing around for someone to talk to.  Excuse me two randomly standing around staff members who are visiting with each other. . . . . can one of you please take care of the pizza since it is included in my party and I really don't want to pay for it twice?  Are you REALLY asking me if I want to serve the pizza or if I want you to?  Doesn't it clearly state on your website (where I booked the party) that YOU will serve the pizza that I bought?  Ummmm don't the kids get juice boxes, as well?  Oh they do?  Why didn't YOU think of that????
Geee. . . . . it's sure taking a long time for us to get our gourmet (and very expensive) cupcakes that I had ordered. . . . wait . . . . what's that I hear????  The two of you who are standing around talking in the back room are eyeballing some beautiful gourmet cupcakes?  NOW WHO COULD THOSE BE FOR, I WONDER??????  Oh. . . . wait. . . . WE ordered those cupcakes.   YES we would like to have them.   Hmmmmm there seems to be an extra cupcake because one of our kids didn't show up. . . . . maybe SUZANNE and I can have it instead of you guys getting it!  I mean, I only paid THROUGH THE NOSE for it.
What's that???  You want me to take care of the bill now?  Ok, not a problem!   Caroline can open her presents while I do it.  Whoa. . . . what do you mean the $100 deposit that it clearly states you charged me at the time of the booking hasn't been charged?  Ummmm. . . . it clearly states on you website that I am charged the deposit at the time of the booking. . . . NO, I don't want to talk to the owner, but you guys should definitely get that fixed. . . . What???  The phone is for me????  Who is it?  The OWNER????  Ummmmm ok, I guess I WILL talk to him.  Oh what's that?  You have the perogitive to charge me the deposit if I don't show up but you don't charge me it at the time of booking?  Maybe you should state THAT on your website.
I also thought that it said that the staff members would make Caroline a present. . . . maybe I just made that up. . . . I DO sometimes do that.  I will check on that when I get home.
FINALLY we are all packed up and ready to go!!!  I only have to drive 2 extra kids home.  What the . . . . ?  The van won't start????  ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME????????  DUSTIN QUIT THROWING BATTERIES AT THE GIRLS!!!!  Otto, can you PLEASE come boost me?
 . . .
10 minutes later and many choruses of Purple People Eater later the red headed staff member comes out. . . . what's that?  You forgot to get Caroline's handprint for her present????  BOY are you LUCKY that I am still stranded here.  She will have to climb out the front door though as my sliding doors are power doors and will not open with a dead battery.
And then HE arrives.  We are SAVED!
Driving home I ask Caroline, so what did you think of your birthday party. . . . her response????
IT WAS THE BEST BIRTHDAY PARTY EVER!!!
So worth it.
(I will NEVER do another birthday party at Color Me Mine though)

A New Look on Life

Some of you may know that I have a daughter with a cognitive disorder.  Because of this, she has been severely delayed in her speech, slightly delayed in her gross motor skills and I am always worrying about her education.  I am at the school every September talking to her teachers and coming up with some game plans to get her through the year.  The thing I love about Caroline (my daughter) is that she tries harder than everyone else so that she can understand what is going on, and I admire that about her.
Last year, just to rule it out, I took this Monkey to the optometrist to get her eyes checked because we noticed that she was having trouble copying items off of the board at school.  The Optometrist told us that Caroline was just on the border of needing glasses, but that she was fine.  I was relieved and her teacher and I decided to move her up to the front of the classroom to help things along.
Throughout the year, Caroline would complain, ever so slightly, that she was still having a hard time seeing the board.  Because of her disorder, the teacher and I figured that it was just because of her delay developmentally.  I decided to take Caroline to see the optometrist yesterday, because she was so borderline last year and she DEFINITELY needs glasses!  Her prescription in one eye is the same as mine and I have had glasses since grade 4!
I felt terrible, happy, relieved and guilty all at the same time!  You see, Caroline doesn't usually complain, especially when it comes to school, and so I feel as though I should have listened better.  I feel guilty that she had to go through most of last year and the entire summer basically not being able to see.  I feel terrible because Caroline already feels as though she is different than everyone else in our family and being the only child with glasses made her feel sad because she will stand out even more.  I told her I was excited because she is now the only one of my children who needs glasses, like me, and I think that that has helped her to accept the change that the new glasses will bring.
I felt happy because her world is about to change.  She will be able to see the letters on signs!  She will be able to read the notes on her piano music without having to constantly stand up.  She will be able to see things from a distance and not guess at them.  I feel relieved because I had a nagging feeling that I needed to take her into see the doctor and even he had second guessed that. . . . until he did his tests.
Whenever people ask me for advice about raising children, my advice has always been the same. . . . listen to them. . . . they will tell you what they need.  I feel like I may have dropped the ball a little bit with Caroline, but I am so happy that her life is about to get so much easier!!

A Little Story

I know that I haven't posted in awhile, and it isn't because I have had a lack of happenings around here. . . just the opposite, in fact.  However, I wanted to tell you this little story because I have only told very few people this story, but it concerns something that I feel strongly about.  So, have a good read, and feel free to post your comments after you have read this post.  I think that this is a great topic for discussion.
This story is true and it takes place about 5 1/2 years ago.  Being the mother of 3 beautiful girls, I felt as though I had faced quite a few trials.  The biggest trial being the birth of my third daugher, Caroline.  I feel as though I went through Hell and back just trying to bring this beautiful blond hair, blue eyed little girl into the world.  I knew from the moment that I saw her that she would be my trial.  I still don't know why I thought that at the time, but I still believe that my sweet Caroline was chosen to be my daughter to keep me humble.
Anyways, 5 1/2 years ago, my Caroline got sick and had flu-like symptoms and a high fever.  Being the young, protective mother that I was, I held my little girl night and day and I made sure that she was getting her fluids and was nice and bundled up.  She was, after all, only about 6 months old and that was all that I knew to do.  Because I didn't want to bother the doctor, I didn't make an appointment for her to see him, and I figured that this fever, like all of the other ones my girls had previously experienced, would also pass without any incidents.
Boy was I wrong!
After about 3 days, I felt really strongly that I needed to take her to the Children's Hospital.  I was very worried about her, and she must have showed some signs that she was getting more sick because I am not a big fan of visitng the hospital and I felt as though I was there at least once a year (and I was!!!).  But, ultimately my concern for my little girl overpowered my stubborness and I packed myself an overnight bag and drove to the Children's Hospital for what I knew would be a long wait followed by more long waits.
Once we got to the hospital, we stood in the line and waited for the triage nurse to do a preliminary check-up on her and direct us as to where we needed to go.  I remember this night as though is was yesterday (which is interesting because I can barely remember yesterday, much less 5 1/2 years ago. . . that shows how much this affected me.).  The triage nurse directed us into a triage room where there were 5 other sick children in beds divided by curtains.  Caroline was acting thirsty and so I got her a bit of apple juice as directed by the triage nurse.  And then all of a sudden I was looking at Caroline and it felt like my soul was saying good-bye to her.  I don't know why I started doing that, but it seemed as though I was watching her die.  To anyone else, it would have looked as though she was sleeping, but I knew that something was wrong.  Luckily for me, the triage nurse just happened to be walking up to our bed at that time and she grabbed the doctor as Caroline started to have a ceasure.  I was quickly pushed out of the way as they grabbed her and took her into the emergency room and started pumping her chest and sticking tubes in all sorts of places, and giving her needles and doing all of these crazy things to her.  No one said a word to me.  Every eye was on Caroline and my heart was beating as fast as her little heart was.  I knew that something had gone terribly wrong, I just didn't know what it was because all I could see were people in scrubs, tubes, monitors and blood.
Finally things seemed to settle down and people started to leave the room.  I think that's when someone remembered that I was standing there in the corner, white as a sheet and very scared.  A doctor, a resident and a nurse all came over to me and started asking me a ton of questions.  They then explained to me that they had no idea what was wrong with Caroline, but that her fever was so high that it had caused her body to start shutting down and that was why she had siezed.  They didn't know if or what the long term effects would be, but they knew that it was definitely the fever that had caused the ceasure.  The doctor, nurse and resident all then proceeded to explain to me that when a baby has a fever, you shouldn't keep them warm and bundled up, you should do whatever you can to cool them down.  Who knew?  I certainly didn't.  I certainly didn't realize that something as common as a fever could cause me to almost lose my little girl.  I felt as though I had failed her.  I felt as though I had caused it.  And I vowed that I would never feel like that again.  I would do whatever it took to keep my children safe, even if it meant researching something as mundane as a fever.
The reason I am sharing this story with you is because of this. . . when I made that vow to myself, I soon realized that even though I couldn't have prevented the fever from starting, I could have learned how to control it.  There were people out there who knew what I needed to do and they had information for me to be able to help my child.  I just needed to reach out and do something about it.  What's my point?  It is this. . . I am a very strong believer in vaccinations.  I believe that the medical professionals have been researching diseases and their causes and effects for a very long time.  I truly believe that when they strongly recommend that children should get vaccinated at certain ages that there is a reason.  I don't believe that one doctor decides on a whim that a certain age is appropriate for a certain vaccination and because everyone else likes the idea it becomes accepted.  I believe that there are certain laws and practices in place to prevent that from happening.
That being said, I also believe that there can be reactions to certain vaccinations.  I also believe that those reactions are the exception and not the rule.  I have also come to believe that sometimes people can overreact when one of these exceptions occur and then try and convince the major population that the vaccinations are not a good idea.  I personally have seen the devasting effects that some of the diseases that my children are vaccinated against have done to those who have had the strength to survive the diseases.  The long-term, lasting effects of these diseases is something that cripples these survivors for the rest of their lives.  As a mother, I do not want anything like that to happen to my child . . . especially if the answer to preventing these terrible effects is as simple as a free vaccination that is readily available to my child.  I could never live with myself if my son or daughter died from something that could have easily been prevented if I had taken the time to get them vaccinated.
The vaccines that are given to us, and especially children have gone through extensive testing and retesting and have had to pass through a series of approvals before they can be available to be used as a form of preventative medicine. 
I never thought I could lose a child because of a fever, but I almost did.  I truly believe that Caroline's disorders that she is now living with are a direct effect from that fever and ceasure that she endured that night in the hospital.  I could never live with myself if she had died from something that I could have prevented.  She is a constant reminder to me of how important it is to make sure I know all of the facts about something, even if it seems to be something that I see every day.  You just never know what could happen.

She's 6!!!

I can't believe that 6 years ago yesterday, I gave birth to my Monkey! Right from the start, things were rough, but she has always been a source of light and laughter for me.
Caroline has had some struggles with her speech and her coordination, but she is such an example of how a positive attitude and a witty joke can get you through almost anything. I am so proud of how far she has come with her speech and I admire her strength as she tries to tackle the Spanish language.
She is my Monkey. She is my Monster. She is my Angel. She is my Caroline!

Treat Your Mom Nice And You Will Be Rewarded

Thanks for your comments on my previous post. I do think that I am going to have a nice chat with the mothers of those other girls. Not a mean one, just a nice one so that hopefully they can help their daughters understand Caroline a bit better.
So, speaking of Caroline, we were running errands today and I ended up buying her a bike. No, it is not her birthday, and we actually do have a ton of bikes around here. However, this child rarely asks for things. She is generally a happy child, and being number 3 I often feel as though she gets overlooked. The bikes that she has been riding have been old boy bikes that were given to us by some random people about 5 years ago. They are both really boyish, but Caroline has never complained. The other day Caroline asked me if I could take off her training wheels so that she could ride a two-wheeler. I told her, of course, and then I watched her as she struggled to ride this boy bike and all around her were all these girls (including Abby) riding these beautiful girly bikes. I felt so bad for Caroline (even though she was just happy to ride the bike) and I felt especially guilty because Abby is 9 and has just learned how to ride a two-wheeler, and Anne is 8 and hasn't learned yet even though she has the cutest bike in the whole world; and then there is my little Caroline who is bound and determined to ride a two-wheeler and she is stuck on a boy's bike. So, I fixed that and bought her the most girly, purple and pink flowered bike I could find! Right now she is outside riding her little girly bike around, just as happy as can be.
The icing on the cake was when we were driving home from the store and Caroline said to me "Mommy, thanks for getting me my new bike! When I saw it in the store I really wanted it! When can I ride it?"
TOTALLY WORTH EVERY PENNY!!!

Breaks my Heart

So I got a phone call from a good friend of mine this morning who just happened to teach Caroline's class on Sunday. For those of you who don't know, Caroline is my 5 1/2 year old who has a severe speech problem (which gets better and better every day) and is soooo shy because of it. However, once she opens up to you, you are able to see that she is the most hilarious, cheeky kid you will ever know. She loves to tease and be teased and she totally plays practical jokes on everyone. It KILLS me that she is sooo shy because Caroline really does have the best personality!
I guess on Sunday, my friend had to leave the room for a minute with another child and when she came back, apparently the other girls in Caroline's class were making fun of her speech and telling her that she talks like a baby. Apparently Caroline didn't really notice, or else she gets that alot because she didn't bother to tell me about it and when I talked to her about it today it didn't seem to phase her.
However, it broke my heart that other children (especially these two girls that Caroline really likes) would make fun of something that Caroline really struggles with. It has taken me 2 years to get Caroline to actually speak when other people are around and her speech and improved by huge leaps and bounds, and even though apparently Caroline didn't really care what they were saying, my heart broke when I heard what had happened. I don't know why Caroline has the disadvantages (her speech is only one of them) that she has, but I really wish that she could, at least, have a couple of friends who wouldn't make fun of her and just love her for who she is. This kid has my entire family wrapped around her little finger, now she just needs some friends.

Cheeky Monkey

So, I guess that Caroline DOES listen to me sometimes. I have had this exact conversation with her. . . read on:
Dustin: Mom, I'm hungry.
Caroline: Nice to meet you Hungry. . . I'm Caroline!
Yep, that is something my mom used to do to me, and now I am proud to see that Caroline has passed along the tradition!
Cheeky Monkey!

Always go with your gut!

This is something that I have learned since becoming a mom almost 9 years ago. I am a big believer of following your instincts and going with your gut. As a mom I do this all the time, and it has taught me several things, made me laugh, saved my kids etc.
Last night it happened again . . . . take a read!
Here let me set the scene. . .
I walk upstairs because the kids are supposed to be getting into bed so that they can read for 1/2 an hour before bed. Caroline and Dustin are in the hallway and Dustin is crying and grabbing at Caroline. They are both in their PJ's and Dustin is holding a small board book and Caroline is holding a stuffed bear.
Megan: Hey you two! What's going on?
Caroline: Dustin is mad at me because he thinks that I have a blue book.
Megan: Dustin, you already have a book, now stop grabbing at Caroline. (All of a sudden I feel as though I need to take another look at this scene.)
After another quick look at the two of them I remember that Dustin is actually quite smart and that Caroline is sure squeezing that bear tightly.
Megan: Caroline, DO you have Dustin's book?
Caroline: No! I don't know what he is talking about
Megan: What are you hiding under your bear???
Caroline (eyes really wide and looking totally guilty): Well, its Dustin's book, but I really wanted to read it.

LOL! That kid is hilarious! She totally tried to make Dustin look like the villan when she was the one who was teasing him. See. . . you never know what you'll discover if you just follow your gut!

5 Years Ago Today . . . .

I was sitting in a hospital room with this beautiful black haired and blue eyed little girl on my lap. Otto and I named her Caroline Kay Comin; Carol(ine) after my Grandma Lee and my middle name and Kay after my Grandma Bennion. She weighed 7lbs, 3 oz and was 21" long. She was a perfect baby. I was feeling a whole mess of emotions because my labour had been especially hard with her. I was happy because she was finally here and I wouldn't have to be in labour any more and I would get to be a mom again to my other two little girlies whom I missed being with for the past few weeks. I was relieved to see that she was perfect and beautiful and soooooo sweet. I felt guilty because I had made the doctors induce me early so that she could be born because my body felt as though it was going to give out from being in labour for 4 weeks. I felt angry at the doctor who had yelled at me throughout my entire 4 day induction and accused me of holding my baby in so that I could have a C-Section. I felt confused as to why she would have treated me that way. I felt loved from having so much support from my family and ward. I felt scared because Otto had just lost his job and he didn't have a new one yet. And I also felt scared because there was a pedophile who lived a couple of condos down from us and he would stalk me and my two beautiful little girls (seriously, I didn't sleep soundly until we moved out of that place!!!!).
But I FINALLY had Caroline. She was so sweet. I used to just cuddle with her in my arms and cry because the doctor who had overseen my induction was the WORST doctor I have ever come across. She yelled at me the entire time that I was in labour and when it looked as though I was going to have to have a C-Section she was bad mouthing me on the operating table. It threw me into post-partum depression for about a year, but all through it I knew that I still had my sweet Caroline.
My life has been a much happier place because of Caroline. She has so much personality! She is always the first one to come up with a witty remark, or a practical joke. She LOVES to play with her big sister Anne and now that the two of them are sharing a room she is in HEAVEN!!!
Caroline has severe speech problems and so because of that she is extremely shy. That breaks my heart because once she finally does open up to you you wonder how you ever got along without her.
Caroline is my little chef. She can make a Caesar salad by herself, whip whipping cream and basically helps me make dinner every day. I couldn't ask for a better helper.
. . . . . Bwah ha ha ha ha while I was writing this post Dustin came down wearing about 2 of Caroline's outfits. I guess that she has been busy dressing him up again!!! Aaaaaaahhhh that little girl! I just don't know what I would have ever done without her in my family!!!
I sure do love that little monkey!!
(Oh and just for the record, her birthday was actually yesterday)

I have to brush my teeth!

For those of you who have had kids, I have one question for you. Have you ever sat down and actually listened to the words that are coming out of their mouths? I realized that I sometimes tune the kids out when I know what they are going to say. For instance, if I ask the kids where something is, I am almost guarenteed to get an "I don't know. . . so and so had it last." Or if I ask them if their homework is done I get the "*sigh* Yes mom, we did it earlier!". My personal favorite is when I ask them if their rooms are clean and their beds are made. I love the answer "But you never told me I had to do it!!!" Ummmm if they looked at our house rules, it is rule number 2! Generally speaking, these answers are written in stone. They have to be given when asked the appropriate questions. However, then Caroline was born. My brother Jason loves Caroline because she is so cheeky. Most of the time it is hard to understand what she is trying to say, but when you do, you end up rolling on the floor laughing because she is soooo funny. Here is the situation that prompted this entry:
Yesterday we were tidying the house to get ready for our babysitter to come over so that Otto and I could go to a ward activity. Caroline was supposed to be cleaning her room. She had informed us that she just had too many toys and so she couldn't do it by herself. Now Caroline has a soft spot in Otto's heart, and so he told her that he would help her clean her room. Caroline seemed to think that this would be an okay idea, until she realized that she didn't actually want to clean her room and now she had no excuse. So she disappeared. Otto started calling her name. Here is the conversation that followed:
OTTO: Caroline?
CAROLINE: *silence*
OTTO: Caroline?
CAROLINE: *silence*
OTTO: Caroline?????
CAROLINE: *sigh* Yes??
OTTO: Where are you?
CAROLINE: In the bathroom.
OTTO: You need to come in here and help me clean your room.
CAROLINE: But I need to brush my teeth.
OTTO: Ok

So I am listening to this conversation and I hear Caroline tell Otto that she is occupied because she is brushing her teeth! After I stop rolling on the floor laughing because Otto let her get away with that excuse, I confronted Otto about it. When I told him that I couldn't believe that he let her get away with the excuse that she was brushing her teeth he told me that he hadn't really understood what she had said.
I have decided that from now on, when I don't want to do something I am going to use Caroline's excuse. . . . so if I ever tell you that I am brushing my teeth, it really means that I am trying to get out of doing whatever it is that you are asking me to do!

Sweet Caroline

My Sweet, Cheeky Caroline. Today it is her turn to be written about. Right now she is 4 years old. I love her cheekiness and how she loves to tease people. She has problems with her speech (which she is getting help with through specialists at her school), and I think that that is what makes her such a character!
- Favorite Color: PINK
- Favorite Toy: Dora Computer Game
- Favorite TV Show: Dora, The Little Mermaid, Bugs Bunny
- Favorite Pasttime: Playing on the computer, playing dress-up, playing with Dustin, copying her big sisters
- Favorite Characters: Dora, Ariel, Littlest Pet Shops, and Strawberry Shortcake
- Favorite Food: Chicken and fries
- Favorite Snack: She will eat just about anything (she gets this from her daddy!!)
- Favorite Book: Whatever Abby reads to her
- Precious Moments: Caroline LOVES to help Mommy cook. Ever since she was a baby, if I was cooking something, she had to be right there (on the counter) "helping" me. She can whip whipping cream by herself and she can make her own caesar salad.
Caroline loves Dora. Her bedroom is Dora and most of her toys are Dora.
Caroline loves to negociate. If she wants to do something and you tell her "NO", she will try and come up with a compromise. Because I love this so much, I usually agree with her compromises.
Caroline will NOT wear matching PJ's. They CANNOT coordinate in any way, shape or form!!
Caroline has accepted the fact that her Uncle Jason now calls her "Monster". She used to tell him "Uncle Jason, me no like you call me monser".
Caroline loves her Uncle Jason. She thinks he is soooo coool. (Maybe because he likes to tease too!)
Caroline is VERY strong willed (this is not always a good thing).
Caroline has 2 best friends Deidre and Mulani.
Caroline LOVES strawberry shortcake and dollies.
Caroline is so excited to have baby Lee come and she prays every night for baby Lee to come out of Mommy's tummy.

My labor and delivery with Caroline was the worst experience of my life. However, I could not imagine my life without her. She adds a dimension to our family that I love. She makes us not take ourselves so seriously, and because Otto got to spend so much time with her right after she was born, they have a special bond that is so wonderful to watch.