Where have I been??

Hi friends! It’s been a minute!! So a few events have occurred since my last blog post and I promise, I have what I thought was a good reason for being MIA…

So I started this blog to raise awareness for both congenital eye disorders as well as for how serious food allergies are. Olivia was diagnosed with both of these conditions early on and my goal was to create a safe space where I could document our challenges, positive outcomes and adventures all around. For the most part, the response from people has been amazing. I feel like we have built a real community both on my blog as well as on Instagram and I am so incredibly thankful for that. Sometimes I write about experiences that may seem controversial like that woman we met at the park or my opinions about the show “Alexa and Katie”. I love getting both the positive and constructive comments about what I write! It keeps me grounded and in tone with how others in our community feel. It makes me take a deep breath and remember that I’m not alone in navigating these obstacles. But a little while ago, those constructive comments turned from just that, to mean spirited attacks on my character and the way I am raising my daughter. Rather than taking back my voice and letting it go, I let a keyboard crusader get under my skin and shake my confidence.

I started to wonder why I am even doing this. Was I wrong to document how we are dealing with these diagnoses? Was I exposing my family to this type of negativity for a good enough reason? Were they right? It took me a few tears, talks with my husband and time spent with our little warrior of a daughter to come up with the right answer and direction moving forward. My next steps? Keep doing what we are doing!! I know we are doing the right thing! I know this because of all of you! All of the incredible messages we receive, the videos of your kids and the comments directed to our community. I looked back through our DMs and comments and was reminded why we started this blog. I was a scared new mom. Dan was a confused new dad. Trying to navigate a world we knew nothing at all about. I wanted to create a space that we so desperately needed and I hope that is exactly what we are doing.

I am leaving those posts up. I now see them like a badge of honor, a proud display that my words mean something. Please don’t respond to those comments. I have realized that they are not worth the time.

Moving forward, in this difficult climate, we will continue to post content about patching (now from isolation – keep us in your thoughts patching a toddler, at home – ah!), food allergies and a new segment I am super excited to kick off later tonight! Stay tuned to see what that’s all about and remember, just keep patching friends.