2 Years...(Part 2)

So I had the opportunity to spew my thoughts today via my gals over at Cribsheet...

~ thoughts that were pretty hard to sum up and put down into words for some reason...when I think about how far things have come in the last two years - friendships made, families helped...it makes my heart well up with pride and my eyes well up with tears...

When Kay asked me to share some thoughts on how the Liz Logelin Foundation and my friendship with Matt has impacted my life...it wasn't easy to narrow it down to something that could be shared...my cup really does runneth over...
My life is forever changed. There is no other way to put it.

The people that I have met are amazing.

Here is a snippet of what I wrote...

Ten days after Liz Logelin passed away, her husband Matt wrote into Cribsheet. He talked of changing diapers and changing priorities. That day would change my life. I spent the next three days crying about what I had learned. (I think a lot of us did!)

Being a mom of a 2 year old and a 1 year old at the time, I was shaken to my very core.

There were comments flying around here and there about what we could do to help this young father who had not only lost the love of his life, but now had a 3 pound baby to take care of.

Alone.

I had visions of my husband and my 9 pound babies without me..

::insert more crying here::

Another Cribsheeter, Rachel, started a blog dedicated to helping Matt & Madeline, and 1000's of dollars worth of formula checks and diaper coupons started rolling in. Matt had to pay for formula just one time during Maddy's formula days, and that was because he forgot to pack enough for a trip!

It didn't just end with helping with formula...Rachel, and Matt, along with myself and several others, knew that so much more could be done for others in similar situations...and from that...

The Liz Logelin Foundation was born.

I am proud to call Matt my friend. (Don't tell him I said that!) Through him and his wonderful organization, I have met many, many beautiful souls. People that I will be forever thankful to have as friends. Because of him, because of them. They have helped make this big giant not-always-so-friendly-world, just a little bit smaller...because of him, because of them, I am holding my family a little bit tighter and I am not putting off until tomorrow what we can be doing today.
And because of them, together, we are making a difference.

- Darcie Gust

Today, as you go about your hurried day. Please stop and take a moment to *smell the roses* if you will. Hug your loved ones just a little bit tighter.

For Matt.

For Jackie.

For yourself.

Did you write a post about Matt Logelin or the Liz Logelin Foundation? If so, I'd love to see you link it up here with MckLinky!

Please add your post today!

And if you are interested in seeing where it all began via Cribsheet...
You can click here...
and then here...
and then come back and click HERE!

(I sure miss the old Cribsheet days...damn you Star Tribune for changing things up on us!)

Check Me Out - I'm Guest Blogging...

Over at Cribsheet at the Star Tribune...Thanks May and Kay for the opportunity...and for having faith in me that someone actually wants to read what I have to say!!
_______________

Before I became a parent, I had a lot of ideas in my head. Thoughts of what I would and would not do when I became a parent. I’d see those OTHER parents out (you know the ones!) and about and say to myself - “That will never be me!!” One of the biggest “Oh no, not me I will NEVER EVER…” issues I’m battling happens during mealtime at our house.
I swore I would never be a “restaurant” for our kids. I spent half my life working in restaurants - I wasn’t going to be serving up a different meal for every person in our house, especially when I was the one making it!! At least that’s what I thought, before I had a toddler.Introducing solids to our little girl was a cake walk - she’d not only try it she’d eat the whole jar of whatever it was on the menu for that day - (well, except Apricots - she hated those.)That little girl just turned three and she is very selective in what she eats. I find myself making a meal for dinner for the family - and then something for her that I know she will eat. Typically PB&J, Mac n Cheese, Grilled Cheese or some form of Chicken Nugget/Chicken Fries.I do still put on her plate a bite or two of what her Dad and I are eating - which her little brother who is almost two will typically at least try, but she refuses…and then follows that up with -“I can’t eat that - it makes me cough.” A step up from her telling me it would make her throw up which is what she used to do! We’ve gone the bribery route - begging her to try just one bite - I have tried the “This is all you get til morning and you’ll go hungry” approach - and she honestly would prefer to go hungry - and has…Sometimes she makes it through the night - other nights I’m lying next to her as her tummy is growling and she’s crying. How do you not give in to that and let her have PB&J sans crust yet again? Even harder yet is that both of our kids barely register under 5% on the growth charts for weights! I try not to get too wrapped up in the percentiles but I’d love for them to register on the chart at least!!
I once told a friend that I had visions of sitting down at the table eating as a family every night and was very disappointed that I was failing and she reminded me that we could still sit at the table as a family and eat, even if we were not all eating the same thing.
She’s right, and we have since started doing just that…but I wonder - how DO you get these little ones to eat without making them go hungry?