Don't Worry, Be Happy

  I dunno if you can tell, but I'm a big Bob Marley fan. We actually named our daughter after him. We did change it to Marlee with the double "e" to make it more feminine. lol My husband and I loved that name since high school. yup that's right, we're high school sweet hearts ((AWWW)) I met Craig in the Spring of freshman year of high school.  I fell for him immediately. We started dating and never looked back.
  We were engaged by 19, married by 21 and wanted to get our family started.  I thought, hey no biggie, i'll be pregnant in a month or two..or 4..then 6 months came rolling along and still no bun in the oven.  time to visit the doctor. 
  After some testing, it turns out i had PCOS (poly cycstic ovarian syndrome)which makes it hard to get pregnant. but it finally explained why i was gaining so much weight through the years.  i had to except that it was going to take time to get pregnant, if at all.
   Right around the one year mark of trying, i had to go for a test on my Fallopian tubes..sounds fun right?  upon making the call to schedule my appointment, i was asked if i had recently taken a pregnancy test..hello lady, i'm calling you because i can't get pregnant,duh..she told me to take a test then call back..great, time to waste more money..bought the test, went home and peed on what felt like the thousandth test i'd taken..but i noticed this one came up really fast..and there was a plus sign..hmm..after a few minutes of hysterically crying to myself, Craig walks in from work and asks me who died because i was still sobbing..i just held up the test and he picked me up and spun me around..prob not the best thing to do to a newly pregnant woman haha

  Nine months or so later I had my first little angel, Marlee..i prayed night after night for God to give me a healthy child..and there she was..10 beautiful fingers and 10 beautiful toes..and all mine.. 
  For the first 5 months she was an awesome baby..slept through the night at a month old and everything..then at 6months, teething started..sleep has never been the same since..
  Life went on as usual for the next year and a half..and then in november i found out i was pregnant again! we were very surprised!  We thought it would take at least a year for me to get pregnant this time! i was gonna have me a summer baby and i couldn't be any happier :)
  December 2010, i noticed a change in my baby..she started to lose her speech..words that she had been saying since 10months old were starting to disappear..she couldn't locate her eyes, nose and mouth any more..she was never a very social baby, but even that seemed to be going backwards..what was going on? a phase perhaps?  
   When she was about 20 months we went to a birthday party with my best friend and her 3 kids who are all around her age.  It was a Bounce U party and i figured Marlee would love it..who wouldn't? if i wasn't pregnant i would have been jumping in there too!  instead of having a good time, Marlee sat in the corner with a bouncy ball in each hand and screamed..and screamed and screamed..
  When we left the party i was in a panic..i told my husband there was something wrong..i knew it..i could feel it..he didn't want to believe it..i went home and googled different behavioral problems..nothing seemed to match..my best friend, Tiffany came over because i was freaking out..search after search came up..then finally, Autism...not my kid..she smiles..she looks at me..can't be Autism..Tiffany looked away..she has an Autistic little cousin so i ask her the symptoms..She didn't sleep..had social anxiety..obsessed with tv..loss of speech..i sobbed..and sobbed..
  the next day i call Early Intervention..they come 3 wks later to evaluate her..she was behind in everything except motor skills..i knew i had to find a behavioral neurologist..but first we had to see an audiologist to make sure she wasn't deaf..and have blood work done to make sure it wasn't anything simple we missed..she has amazing hearing and her blood work came back great..onward to the neuro..
  fast forward to April 6,2011, 3 days before her second birthday, Marlee is diagnosed with an ASD (autism spectrum disorder)..life has been different ever since..
  We have therapies 6times a week..an hour at a time..she is considered moderate to high functioning which is good..she has certain tendencies that make day to day life..interesting..

  My pregnancy with Savannah flew by, and before i knew it, it was June 30th and i was going in for my c section..i had my second beautiful baby girl at 11:55am and she was perfect :)
  the past 2months have had their ups and downs, but i love ever second of it..i made a promise to my little family to give it my all and to be happy :)

big sister marlee