Bonny and Anne,
I just want to add that I shared both of your posts with my husband, John. He was as deeply moved as I was by them. After experiencing what we did with Ashley and our love for her deepening each day that we had with her, to read something that expresses the love we feel and to see another one being helped means the world to us. We loved Ashley with all of our hearts and beings, and we didn't think it was possible to love her more than we did. There was a bit of mourning who she had been when the symptoms of dementia started, all the while loving her to pieces, and then loving the most precious and beautiful baby Ashley had become. Our hearts became hers, and we poured every bit of ourselves into her trying to make her feel loved, protected, and safe. Ashley knew we loved (and still do love) her, even when I'm not sure if she knew we were her mommy and daddy. As soon as she would realize we were there along side her, her world would lighten up and her body would relax (once we got past the cutest little wiggles from her). She was always loving and responsive with us, even as I held her when she went into a coma and eventually died hours later. We still feel her love all around us. As you know, every second is precious, and we wouldn't have given up any time we had with Ashley. As we cared for our "new little Ashley." we realized that we had grown to love her more than ever. Thinking about Alexander playing with his brothers and sisters and finding comfort in your arms brings me such feelings of joy. May these beautiful moments continue on for a long while for both of you.
I want to thank both of you for your beautiful posts and for giving me a reason to smile.
Lisa
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