Hello Again!

I decided to abandon my old blog, and start fresh. So far, I like this much better. I was inspired by the other awesome blogs out there that have some kind of organization and actually make sense. Mine seemed like a jumbled mess, so I plan to try again.



First, a little about myself. I just turned 26 yesterday. I feel incredibly, ridiculously old and unaccomplished. Everyone around me says that is not true. I work at a local university, and I am working on my Master’s degree. I married my wonderful husband at age 23, and inherited a “spirited” daughter. After months of trying to pinpoint what exactly was going on with this little lady, my Mom finally found information about Reactive Attachment Disorder. Three weeks after my wedding. Two weeks before my honeymoon. Nothing says “Welcome to wedded bliss” like finding out you are dealing with RAD. But, we have been working through it ever since.


Now a little about my beloved daughter and how she got to where she is. My husband was in the Air Force, and not in a good place in his life. He was deployed overseas and met and married a young woman. They moved back to the US and decided to start a family. She easily got pregnant, and continued smoking throughout the pregnancy. She gave birth to a preemie, not much bigger than a beanie baby. My husband worked long hours, and was rarely home. After a few months, he started to notice his daughter was not being fed, or cared for. At a young age she was climbing out of her crib. Her mother would lock her in her room and occasionally throw food in for her. When my husband realized how bad it was getting, he immediately put her in daycare. Not long after, he sent his wife back to her home country, and they divorced. My husband and his daughter moved in with his parents. During subsequent deployments they were left to care for her granddaughter. Her basic needs were being met, but not much more. (As obvious in my previous blogs, I have numerous issues with my in-laws that I will not delve into at this time.) A couple years later, we met and married. And that is the short and sanitized version of how I became Mom to a girl only 16 years my junior.


My parents are amazing and supportive. I am so blessed to have them. My husband is my best friend. We don’t always see eye to eye on parenting and family relationships, but we make it work. I have an older brother who is married and lives six hours away. Their daughter, my goddaughter, is the light of my life. She is a sweet little angel and it is an honor to be in her life. Most of my friends are unmarried, and those that are do not have kids. None could even begin to understand what it is like to raise a child, much less one with RAD. That is why finding the blogs of awesome RAD moms has been so important to me. It helps so much to know that there are other women out there experiencing the same things.


And as in my previous blog, I will refer to my daughter as “Butterfly.” I’ve been calling her Butterfly since we first met. I heard a song – Martina McBride’s “She’s A Butterfly” – and it always makes me think of her. It is her favorite song, and a strong source of comfort for her.


So here we go! And I hope this blog works out better than the last! :)