Where I've been...

Hello out there! It's been a bit dark around these parts the last few months & just wanted to share a little about what's been going on & some exciting news!

I sadly closed up my shop at Stuff to Scrap last Fall. At the time I wasn't sure why other than feeling strongly that it was something I needed to do for my family at the time. I'm am so grateful for that guidance as the months that followed were nothing short of crazy! Shortly after closing my youngest started experiencing health problems. It started with constant rough eczema & a bit of bowel trouble, then we had some episodes of vomiting (maybe a bad flu bug?), and then hives & a trip to the ER. At her year birthday in November she had actually LOST weight & had fallen behind in some of her development milestones as well. We decided to attempt an allergy test again. (We had tried testing at 9 months old but after visiting 4 different lab offices & getting poked 6 different times they were never able to obtain an adequate blood sample from her tiny little veins. Poor girl.) This time we were successful & the tests came back positive... VERY positive. It turns out she had a wide range of food allergies including: egg, soy, dairy, peanuts, & tree nuts. She was literally have a mild reaction at nearly every meal. This was causing her to react to other foods that she wasn't really allergic to as well & her body wasn't processing anything. Because of her lack of proper nutrition & therefore strength, her gross motor skills were also largely affected. At 13 months old she could not walk, stand, crawl, or even sit herself up on her own. She moved around by scooting on her bum, which worked great as long as she didn't tip over. Since then we've overhauled her whole diet & made great progress. While she is still very underweight (less than the 5th percentile) for her age, she has been gaining steadily for the last few months. She also has started meeting with a physical therapist weekly, who has her sitting up, crawling, pulling to stand, cruising, climbing up and down our stairs, & getting ready to walk. It has been amazing to watch our little girl take off with a bit of guidance (for both of us!). We have learned a lot & have found a bit of normalcy in all the newness.

With things leveling out I've been easing back into the digital world & working on my personal albums (something that got seriously pushed aside when I started designing). I've also just accepted a CT position on Dream Big Designs Dream Team, which I am so thrilled about! So expect to see me popping in her slowly and showing off some fabulous new kits & layouts (& maybe an occasional freebie). :)

Thanks for all your patience with me as I've taken care of some family matters. I'll be seeing you around soon!