Our New Addition

Adam and I brought home our new addition, Riley, last month. Our chocolate lab puppy has kept us quite busy, but we are loving him! He has also helped Adam and I get our booties back in shape considering we need to walk him about 4 times a day to get all his energy out! I am starting to run with him...but we both wear out after about a mile, our goal this summer is to be able to run a 5K....we shall see! Between the holes in our clothes, ruined shoes, nips on our hands, arms and legs...we have decided puppy school is a must...so that begins this summer too! However, I will say that Mr. Riley has been house trained and it only took a month...so proud! Riley is so much fun and I'm excited to spend my summer with him...as my secretary said...my teaching skills will be tested this summer as I attempt to train Riley...I will keep you posted!

Ok...enough about our puppy (can you tell we are obessed with him) summmer has arrived and I am looking forward to enjoying some quality down time with my family, friends and of course Riley.  It was quite a year, but it ended on a high note...my school nominated me for Teacher of the Year at my school (which was a huge honor itself) but it didn't stop there...I was awarded the District Teacher of the Year much to my surprise! I work with so many amazing teachers, I was in total shock when my name was announced. I am truely humbled and still quite shocked! My class was so cute and so proud of me...they were the reason I decided to come back to work this winter, they were my inspiration and such a great group of kiddos!

So life is starting to give us more ups than downs and Adam and I are continuing to find peace in knowing that our angel is watching over us and blessing us each day! This summer we are looking forward to traveling to see our family and friends who have given us so much love and suporrt this year!

As always, we thank you for your continued thoughts, prayers and support! Riley needs a walk...so I guess that's all for now!

Hello Spring

It's been awhile since our last post...we are not very exciting these days. The change of seasons and warm sunny weather could not have come soon enough! Springtime has arrived and we are slowly learning what has become our new "normal". Adam and I continue to move forward each day while continuing to grieve the loss of our baby girl. I have started to run again which is a great way for me to relieve stress and it also helps me think through everything that has happened this past year. Along with running and sunny days, my amazing friends and family have helped me realize that life is full of up and downs, some harder than others but most importantly that Olivia was a true blessing and she will forever be apart of our life.

We continue to be touched by everyone's generosity to Olivia's memorial and by your continued support and love. Olivia's memorial fund will be used to help other grieving parents remember their loved ones as well as provide a comforting place for them to spend with their child. I am proud that Olivia's memory and spirit will continue to help others during a very emotional time.

On another note, we are looking forward to getting a puppy this summer. I have always wanted a chocolate lab and Adam finally gave in:) Our puppy was born in March and we are looking forward to meeting our new puppy soon!  We haven't decided on a gender or name yet, but hope to be able to take our puppy home sometime in May.

Thank you for all your continued love, support and prayers! Happy spring!!!!

A Visit to Riley

 A lot of people have been asking Adam and I how we are doing, if we are holding up okay and if we need anything. To be honest, we continue to take it day by day. Some days are better than others and we know we are fortunate to have such a supportive group of friends and family. We thank all of you who have emailed, sent cards, and made donations in honor of Olivia, we continue to be amazed by all of the support.

Today we had a good day, we decided to visit Olivia's friend, Graham, at Riley Hospital. Graham was born the day after Olivia and we became friends with his family during our time there. Adam and I have been following Graham's story through their blog and he has had quite the challenging month. He has amazing parents, Katie and Bill, along with a very supportive group of friends and family. Anyway...it was great to see them today and to see Graham again, he is hanging in there! He's such a little fighter and we know our angel Olivia is watching over her friend and giving him the strength he needs at this time. Please keep Graham and his family in your prayers.

I head back to work tomorrow....it's been a tough couple months at home and I think the best medicine for me at this time is to head back to work. The kids always bring a smile to my face and their parents have been truely amazing to Adam and I during this time. My coworkers are also extremely supportive, I'm so blessed to work in such a great environment.

Olivia's Memorial Service

We are sorry that it has been a little while since our last post (hopefully, you are all still checking in on occasion), but we wanted to make sure that we had all of the information regarding Olivia's memorial service available before we posted anything.

We will be having a memorial service for Olivia at Our Lady of Mount Carmel (14596 Oak Ridge Road, Carmel, IN) this Saturday, January 9th, at 12 noon (Eastern Time).  A visitation will be held in the church from 11-12 before the memorial begins at noon.

Also, many of you have asked if you can do anything to help us honor Olivia.  We have decided to donate to the Riley Hospital for Children.  If you would like to make a donation as well, please do so to the Riley Children's Foundation and fill out the memo line to read NICU Family Support - Olivia Burns.  Checks can be mailed to:

Riley Hospital for Children
Attn: Susan Sears
Section of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine
699 West Drive, RR 208
Indianapolis, IN 46202-5119

If you would prefer to make your donation online, please refer to the following website:
https://app.etapestry.com/hosted/RileyChildren/OnlineGiving.html

The gift is to benefit "Riley Children's Foundation", In memory of Olivia Burns.  We also request that under Additional Comments you add "In Memory of Olivia Burns to support the Riley NICU Family Support Program Memory Boxes".

We continue to thank you for all your support!