Snowflakes and Playground

Yesterday I visited the three 1st grade classes at Lucia's school, something I have been meaning to do for a while.  Lucia is in her special class and has some interaction with the other 1st graders but it's pretty minimal.  I just wanted to visit the kids with Lu and share a bit about her- "She is 6 years old just like you! She loves to swing and listen and sing and be tickled...  although it appears Lucia and some of the kids in her class might seem different they still love to be included, love for you to say hi, love for you to tell them stories, love to have new friends... most kids are actually very similar to you in a lot of ways... "   I answered some questions, showed them how she can stand and she nailed it! :)  and walked out of the room hopeful that Lucia would make a new friend or two down the road. 

Lucia had ART class next and attends with one of the 1st grade classes each week.  I had some more time before I picked up my littles so I stayed.  Lu and I were doing some finger painting and two little girls came up and each gave Lucia a little piece of paper they had made- this is for Lucia they said and I asked them to talk to her.  "Here you go Lucia - I made this for you."   I asked her para if that happens often and she said no, never.  So it's not much but a little snowflake paper-thingy was a gesture big enough to make my heart so happy and I know it warmed my bird's heart immensely.  My girl, my sweetest bird, had some new little girls, maybe friends, do something nice for her, on their own. Inclusion is not easy but we try and we push and even if it's baby steps it is a step in the right direction.  Thank you girls for brightening our day with your little sweet snowflakes.

Snowflakes: a feathery ice crystal or slightly frozen ice..happens to be a great segue for this!  About 6 months ago as we were planning fundraising for the playground, my friend Elyse mentioned making the Frozen song-"Do You Want To Build A Snowman?"-into our own song about a playground.  I loved the idea and immediately started talking to my kids about it.  Pretty soon we settled on our own lyrics and it turned into an everyday, several times a day song that we would practice and sing and sing...Do You Want To Build A Playground?  We turned it into a video with the help of an amazing filmmaker, Elizabeth Colunga, who insisted on doing it all pro-bono. I think it's one of the most touching and beautiful and heartbreaking things I have ever seen.  The video really sums up our mission in 60 seconds.  We decided to turn it into a social media campaign..a GoFundMe and release it now.  Our little Scout sings, brother River runs around and happily plays, and LuBird and her friends sweetly and patiently listen and watch on the sided and hope...

Inclusion in the school is not easy but it seems to be getting better and inclusion on a playground should be a given but it's not.  We are trying to change that.  We are halfway to our goal and are hoping and praying and working to make our playground dream come true.   With every snowflake -big or small- we will celebrate being that much closer.

Here is the video and the GoFundMe link with the video included.  Please watch and share if you will and help us make it possible for all kids to play.  We are so thankful to be halfway to our goal, the support has been amazing, but still have more to raise.  GoFundMe LuBird's Light Foundation

GoFundMe Campaign

Thank you for helping us create a brighter world for exceptional kids!

Still our little lady Lucia

Here it began, our little lady Lucia's blog.  I can't believe it's been 6 1/2 years.  Coming back to her blog, brings me back to the early days of Lucia being in the hospital at just a month old.  I remember being at the hospital in her room and looking at our little 1 month old hooked up to more wires than I had ever seen, feeding tube, oxygen, alarms and more.  I remember looking at myself and seeing how motherhood had filled me with milk and seeing my tired face and crying that I couldn't feed my new little baby and praying that she would make it through all of this.   I remember writing on her blog and it sometimes seems like just over a year ago.  Lucia's blog, her journal, our way of sharing how she is doing and what we have been up to.  Now we have so much social media and now her own little foundation and website and the blog seems a bit like a past time but it's not.  It brings me back to the feelings of my first born- my beautiful bird. It brings me back to the joy of writing about our Lu for our Lu.  It brings me back to all the love we have received over the years because of this girl named Lu who came into our lives and took our lives in a new direction, in the right direction.

Lucia now has a Foundation, LuBird's Light Foundation and it seems like it was always meant to be.  We created the Foundation with a dream of creating a brighter world for exceptional kids by building a magical inclusive playground in our area- something that currently doesn't exist . We started the Foundation last spring because our bird loves to swing.  She loves to swing more than any other activity.  And now here we are, halfway to our goal.  It will happen.  We will be able to build a playground and we are over halfway to our $500k goal!  LuBird this is all because of you.  The inspiration you fill me with is one of the truest and best things I know.

The most amazing hosts

Playground renderings

Here is the video we played at the party-I'm so thankful for our videographers and everyone involved who made it so amazing.  

https://youtu.be/pH5ZBQBFimc

Our St. Lucia White Party on September 23rd brought over 400 people- family, friends, and people from the community we didn't even know.  People believe in LuBird's Light and they supported our mission in a way I never anticipated.  The night could not have been better other than LuBird having a tummy ache during the party.   I remember planning for the night and thinking about what I was going to say at the party.  I had been to church about a month before and the service was about "God always being with you".  I took those words and know that was the case.  He was with me and with us that night and it was one of our most treasured nights of my life.  So thankful, grateful, fulfilled with love, light and support.

Our Lucia is 6 1/2 and she has developed on her own schedule.  Every achievement is something to rejoice and her big smiles and happy days bring the same amount of rejoicing.  We pray for her happiness and her health.  We don't always get it but often we do!

I love and adore you Lucia, our whole family does and we are so grateful for this path you have taken us on.  I know we are going to build you and so many other kids who deserve it a playground, where you can really play!  Thank you for giving us this dream.   Thank you for being you. 

This is the picture taken when our princess arrived to the party.  This is all for you little Lu,  it's all for you.