It's Complicated: A Mom's Diary of Life with a VEO-IBD Kid

    If you’ve been around here for a while, then you’ll know that most days I go through life holding my breath hoping for the best. When it comes to life with a child who has a chronic illness, you never want to get too comfortable because the fall will be a lot harder when the rug is pulled out from underneath you. Instead I choose to expect the worst and hope for the best. It makes the blow a little easier to deal with. You have heard me say that while we try to the make the best of every single day, there is always a small part of us that is waiting for the other shoe to drop. Well, guess what? The other shoe is starting to slip.      Since the beginning of August Connor has had some ups and downs in relation to his IBD. For the most part it has been situations that we were able to handle at home and had not interrupted our lives too much. Two weeks ago that changed. From that point forward his symptoms got worse by the day which prompted some convers...

     The days are long but the years are short; a quote that some find cliché, but one that I’ve found to be extremely relatable. For me, it feels like yesterday that we found out I was pregnant with our miracle baby after having my tubes tied. In reality, that was six years ago this past April. It also feels like yesterday that Connor was diagnosed with VEO-IBD, but this past May was the two-year mark of receiving that news. Today, that sweet baby boy (who will always be my baby no matter how big he gets) started kindergarten, and I cannot for the life of me figure out how we got here so quickly.      After a very difficult year, our family was blessed with one fun summer. From vacations to fun with friends and family, hosting our first golf tournament fundraiser, and everything in between, we made some pretty great memories with minimal flareups/symptoms/issues. The beginning of August brought a few small hiccups for Connor midway through a trip to Vir...