I know it has been far too long since I last updated, but it has been CAARAAAZAYYY at the Bowen house! It seems like the May/June months every year is always the busiest. We have been lucky enough to be parts of such great celebrations the last few weeks and it is just AMAZING that we get to have all of these memories.
First, we want to send out a BIG congratulations to our favorite newlyweds, Andrew and Kristen Bowen! All 4 of us were lucky enough to be a part of their GORGEOUS wedding! Lily of course made a beautiful flower girl!
Girlfriend was ALL business!
We got home after the wedding and Lily told me she was so happy that Auntie Kiki fell in love with her Uncle A. She told me the wedding music was magical and that Kiki was the most beautiful bride in the whole world and Uncle A was so handsome. It is always cute to get a 4 year olds perspective on things, and it looks like Mommy and Daddy will one day have to put on a perfect wedding! It was a beautiful weekend in Newport and we had a lot of fun.
Next, we got to celebrate my brother Brian and Ashley's baby shower. I cannot believe my baby brother is having a baby! And a son at that! Nobody could be more proud than me of the man he has turned into and I am POSITIVE that he will make a great Dad. Ashley is beautiful and a nervous first time mom to be. She will be great. Seeing her with the kids shows me her heart is huge and this baby is going to take up every last space of it. I am so happy for them both! Lily prays for her "baby cousin in Ashley's belly," every night at bedtime. We all love this little man so much and we haven't even got to meet him yet!
Lily with Uncle Brian and Ashley
Lily, James, and my family were also on hand at my Nursing Pinning. AMAZING and CRAZY just the same to finally be done with school. I have kind of been on an emotional roller coaster since the pinning Thursday night. Part of me is sad and I feel like I am missing a part of who I am; the other part is in awe that I actually did it. Nursing school was an experience like no other and I got to meet some absolutely amazing people. When Jimmy was sick, my classmates collected money for our family, and with it being so close to Christmas, they collected toys for Santa to give to them as well. These people truly impacted my life in ways that they don't even know and I will always carry my Nursing crew in my heart! We did it guys! Lily also told me that night how proud she was of Mommy and that when she grows up she wants to be a nurse.
I did it!
We also got to have a "Thank you" read at pinning, this was mine:
"First and foremost, thank you to my Lily for showing Mommy what my true calling in life is; you continue to amaze me every single day. Thank you to Jimmy, Mom, Dad, Kellie & my entire family for the countless pep talks, childcare, encouragement, love and support over the years; you all kept me going when it would have been easier to just give up. Lastly, thank you to Maureen, Sue, Andrea and especially Anne for teaching me that bring a nurse is so much more than a job, it's who you are."
Now on to the medical stuff...
We have adjusted well to a gluten free way of life. Once you get going on it, it is a lot easier than you think! We still eat out, Lily still eats all her favorite things, it just is missing the gluten! She is doing well, although sometimes she still has her days where she says, "I wish I wasn't the gluten free girl anymore." It kind of sucks at school because her teacher is not good at letting me know when they are having treats so Lily is usually left out. Bummer.
We are back on the growth hormones and I think I have the only 4 year old around who LAUGHS when she gets shots. A while back, her Papa told her to laugh when she gets one because she is way too cool to cry. Well apparently girlfriend took what he said to heart. Her face says sad, but she manages a fake laugh EVERY SINGLE night when she is getting her shot. It is amazing how resilient kids are and how she just assumes it is part of her life. This kid is something else! I am LOVING our new docs at The Floating Hospital for Children at Tufts. They are amazing and LISTEN to me. Finally, someone who doesn't think I am a dumb young mom!
We got to go to kindergarten orientation at the beginning of April. Lily LOVES her new school and cannot wait to go. She hates the idea of the bus, but we continue to talk about it and hopefully by September she will be getting on with a smile! I cannot believe she is going to be 5 in a little over a month. I want to freeze time forever. She loves her momma so much right now and I cannot imagine when there is ever a time where I have a teenage daughter who hates me for not letting her stay out past curfew. UGH! Anyways, I am getting ahead of myself. I will enjoy every single millisecond with her at this age and not take one of those seconds for granted.
So overall we are such a blessed family right now. I know the Big Man up above is watching over all of us carefully because things have been going amazingly well. I feel like good karma is FINALLY coming for the Bowens!
I am going to try to update more frequently now that I am done with school. A lot of you have been asking me questions about Turner's Syndrome of what is going on with Lily, so please feel free to email me at shannonedauwer@yahoo.com, post a comment or facebook me and I will answer all of your questions honestly and to the best of my ability on my blog. Nothing is off limits! I love that people are hearing about Turner's Syndrome and hope that this blog can in even a small way spread the word about it!
Enjoy your long weekend everyone!
