Enlightened Mama

Curious about what Perfecting Peds is all about?? Are you a caregiver of a kiddo with complex medical needs that might benefit from someone taking a thorough, personalized look at your child's medications and supplements?? Are you a care provider who might want to have an expert pediatric pharmacist join your patient's care team to ensure all meds are safe, effective, and accessible?? Do you just want a chance to win a free Ninja CREAMi homemade ice cream maker??

Then, join us Thursday, October 10th, 8:00-8:30 PM (Eastern), 7:00-7:30 (Central) for our first-ever Perfecting Peds Virtual Community Jam Session!

In this Jam Session, "We Are Family!" we want to know:
What does having community in your health care team look like for you and your family?

Who’s Invited? -- All parents, caregivers, care providers, nurses, and other professionals who care for and work with kids and young adults with medically complex conditions

What’s Happening? -- Join the community of your fellow caregivers to learn more about how Perfecting Peds can be an invaluable member of your care team, hear families and providers talk about their shared experiences, and get the opportunity to “ask the expert” with free advice from one of our incredible pharmacists

Why? There is a HUGE gap in the care team of complex kids, causing medical errors, excess costs, unnecessary hospitalizations, and frustration. Medications are complex and dynamic and likely no one on your current care team truly has the time, expertise, education, and experience to manage them safely and effectively, as you deserve. At Perfecting Peds, complex kids are our jam, and we strive to provide the best care ever by working in close collaboration with families and providers to learn what is working and what needs to be improved.

Like all Perfecting Peds Community Jam Sessions, this is completely FREE to attend, PLUS just by joining us, you'll be automatically entered into this Jam Session's drawing to win a Ninja Creami! Bring a friend, and you'll each get double entries!!

Send a message to learn more

My 20-year-old just brought this awesome art project home for me from 15th grade, bringing with it a couple of eyes-full of tears for me at how immensely awesome he is…

Now as I’m writing this post, I’m thinking about how horrible my imposter syndrome is these days, especially as I’m venturing into this whole other line of work…And I’m thinking maybe I should make a star like this for myself, at least in my mind, and come up with five positive statements about myself because truthfully, I haven’t been thinking much these days about any redeeming qualities of mine, and I probably should…

And I’m also going to encourage anyone else out there who’s feeling like a giant sham right about now to do the same thing in the comments because chances are, you’re probably immensely awesome too if you’re reading this, and you’ve simply forgotten it just like I have (Huge bonus if you include a picture of yourself that you actually like ☺️)…So here goes…

(See comments for what I have to say about myself)

Last year, I shared this fabulous picture of toddler Gianna as part of a little thing I started in connection with all the “Class of ‘24” photo challenges, which she technically was, despite not living long enough to see her graduation day…

Today, I’m seeing all the “Class of ‘25” posts landing in my feed and know all these parents doing their kids’ Senior photos…So in honor of that, I’m sending a LOT of extra love to all your bereaved parents who are feeling it extra hard right now that your kiddo didn’t go to school this fall, nor will they be accepting that diploma come spring…

My heart is with you as yours remains raw and aching, just as mine does, for all eternity 💔💓❤️‍🩹💔💓❤️‍🩹💔

Anyone need BLS certification for the Healthcare Provider? I’m hosting a little session at my house Monday 9/16 at 7:00 and have room for 4 more!

As the back-to-school posts are winding down, I figured that this was a good opportunity for me to share about my latest “back-to-work” situation…

Several months ago, I decided to leave the corporate world of clinical therapy, something I knew all along wasn’t a long-term situation for me to have my soul filled. (Note: I am continuing to do private practice lactation work, craniosacral therapy, counseling, and Allostatic Healing, which combines self-exploration, craniosacral therapy, and myofascial release for lasting healing with Enlightened Mama, so keep that on your radar!)

In keeping with my constant belief that things work out as they are intended, and to be patient, the latest “thing” happened last winter when we started working with this amazing company contracted with HealthPartners called Perfecting Peds. They are a group of highly experienced, incredible pediatric pharmacists who work with complex kids to make sure that all their medications are safe, effective, and accessible. Even though I was admittedly a hard sell to add someone else to our extensive team, as soon as I met them, I was hooked. They offered suggestions to ease my burden, as well as pointing out critical errors in some of the ways that we were administering medications and supplements, something that none of the other dozen or so providers on their team, including the prescriber, had noticed.

As it turns out, the respect and admiration was mutual, and a few months ago, I was asked by the Perfecting Peds team if our family would be in a patient testimonial video, and naturally said yes! (See the link in the comments☺️)

Immediately after completing the interview, I sent along my resume to the co-founder, letting her know that if there was ever anything they saw me suited for in the organization, that I would love to throw my hat in the ring. And wouldn’t you know it? They grabbed that hat of mine and welcomed me onto this incredible team, presently as a patient ally and social worker, engaging as many families as possible to receive our care to ensure optimal med safety and health! Check out perfectingpeds.com or DM me for more info to see how we can help you or someone you know!

For all of you parents out there watching as other kids head off to school, feeling the void of the child you are not sending out the door to embark on the journey of learning, friendships, and growth, I see you. I am holding you all in my heart, as yours aches, shattered into a million pieces by the loss your little one, no matter how old they were when they left this physical world…

Here is a poem I wrote about a year after my sweet Gianna transitioned, after she came to me in a dream…Hoping your beloved finds a way to stop by for a visit during what I know is an excruciating time…

The Visit
Beloved child, now a resident of the great beyond.
Your absence expands with each breath.

Often elusive in dreams,
A character in the terrors of alleged slumber
Out of reach to manifest unconscious joy.

Sorrow magnified in daylight’s clarity
Compounded grief in the silt of exhaustion.
Slipshod emotional levees breach without warning,
A flood not designed for restraint.
Feelings intended to ebb and flow.

But in today’s wee hours,
While sleep embraced me,
You appeared.

Delicate feathers hovering in every hue.
Eventually perching atop my cheek,
Where the coolness of your porcelain glow remains
Osmotically emblazoned by the finality of your physical being.

In the dream, together we giggled in unison,
Your delighted song humming through a magnificent beak,
Tickling my nose to give a kiss,
Reminscent of shared affections with your smaller self,
Leaving the nectar of your love
To pollinate my wakefulness with…

The resplendence of YOU.

It’s World Breastfeeding Week (though we also like the phrases “infant feeding,” “body feeding,” and “chest feeding.) As we at Enlightened Mama do each year during this time, and at ALL of the infant feeding/lactation visits we provide, here’s your friendly reminder of our goals for each family we are honored to support on their feeding journeys…

1. Feed Your Baby (whatever feels right for you to feed them, in conjunction with ensuring that your baby is thriving— and we know that this may change and fluctuate along the way, so we’re here for all of it!!)

2. Feel Sane (See the comments for one of our favorite stories that our family shared about her journey of infant feeding, which is a prime example of the fact that maintaining mental health and feeding journey is truly the MOST important thing to consider!)

3. Enjoy your baby and enjoy your family — babies are literally growing and changing and evolving every single day, and it’s important that the feeding journey is one that enhances your experience of parenthood, whenever possible. It truly goes by so fast and we want to make sure that you are cherishing and honoring this time with your little one!

And while these are our goals, please remember that we’re here to help you achieve whatever YOUR goals are, above all else!

Bereaved Parents Awareness Month Day 31…

July is Bereaved Parents Awareness Month and I’ve decided that I’m going to share a picture each day this month of my beloved Gianna, taken on that day in the incredible history of her life and encourage all my fellow bereaved parents to do the same to honor our children and keep their spirits alive 💜💖💜💖…

July 31, a bunch of years—For the final day of this month, I couldn’t choose just one, so here are a few of some classic Gianna moments of joy….Though our time was short, I couldn’t have asked for a better 16 years, 8 months, and 2 days…She lives externally in me, in our family, and all who are along for the journey…Thank you to all of of you for being part of our lives…We couldn’t do this without you 💜💜💜💜

Bereaved Parents Awareness Month Day 30…

July is Bereaved Parents Awareness Month and I’ve decided that I’m going to share a picture each day this month of my beloved Gianna, taken on that day in the incredible history of her life and encourage all my fellow bereaved parents to do the same to honor our children and keep their spirits alive 💜💖💜💖…

July 30, 2022—Though I had no clue this would be Gianna’s final birthday party during her time here on earth, I still did what I try to do every single year on the anniversary of my children’s birth—honor their existence by trying to give them whatever they desire…For this Sweet 16 of hers, (a memory so fantastic, it’s deserving of four pictures and a video,) though it took 45 busy summer days to do so, I gathered three of her closest friends, schlepped us all to the pool, and pulled off her dream dessert of a gigantic birthday confetti cookie! This entire day, her contagious smiles, giggles of happiness, and her utter delight will no doubt remain palpable for all eternity. 💜🥳🎉🍪💜

Bereaved Parents Awareness Month Day 29…

July is Bereaved Parents Awareness Month and I’ve decided that I’m going to share a picture each day this month of my beloved Gianna, taken on that day in the incredible history of her life and encourage all my fellow bereaved parents to do the same to honor our children and keep their spirits alive 💜💖💜💖…

July 29, 2020—Remember that wild time four years ago when the world was aflurry with this little thing called “the pandemic”? While that was happening, we were busy getting our urban hippy chic on over here with this fantastic custom-built chicken coop thanks to my dad, and today marked the anniversary of their first official day in their new digs! Gianna’s chicken was named Granny after the little bit of white fluff atop her head, and ultimately turned out to be our most interesting lesson in the effects of trauma on chicks as well as the joy of having these little cluckers as pets…However, that is a story for another day or perhaps even a little chapter in Gianna’s memoir, as she and Granny are now back together in the great beyond. Though it could make me sad, it actually brings a little smile to my face, thinking of the two of them together in the Spirit World, just as I think about how much those zany white feathers atop her head made Gianna (and all of us) smile, too. 💜🐓👵🏼😊

Bereaved Parents Awareness Month Day 28…

July is Bereaved Parents Awareness Month and I’ve decided that I’m going to share a picture each day this month of my beloved Gianna, taken on that day in the incredible history of her life and encourage all my fellow bereaved parents to do the same to honor our children and keep their spirits alive 💜💖💜💖…

July 28, 2012—I just love the gleam in her eye and the fact that I can still hear her, likely saying, “Come on! Just pitch the ball already!!” These pictures are all such incredible memories, but none of them top those that are embedded in my soul—the sound of her voice, the touch of her skin, the smell of her existence, and the energy of her spirit, all of which live on for all eternity 💜💖💜💖💜

Bereaved Parents Awareness Month Day 27…

July is Bereaved Parents Awareness Month and I’ve decided that I’m going to share a picture each day this month of my beloved Gianna, taken on that day in the incredible history of her life and encourage all my fellow bereaved parents to do the same to honor our children and keep their spirits alive 💜💖💜💖…

July 27, 2007—They say that the earlier and more frequently you introduce something, the more likely it is to become a lifelong habit…Sure, this likely applies to thing like reading, making your bed, and flossing your teeth, but I also believe it applies to eating popcorn!! (As evidenced by the popcorn on Gianna’s plate, a very specific request for her last feast before she transitioned 💜🍿💜)

And let’s be honest—who could say “no” to that face??! (Either of them!!) 😊💜🍿💙😊😅🤷🏼‍♀️

Bereaved Parents Awareness Month Day 26…

July is Bereaved Parents Awareness Month and I’ve decided that I’m going to share a picture each day this month of my beloved Gianna, taken on that day in the incredible history of her life and encourage all my fellow bereaved parents to do the same to honor our children and keep their spirits alive 💜💖💜💖…

July 26, 2011—I had another photo in mind from this day, an absolutely adorable pic of Miss Gianna and her cousin, Olly, both with huge smiles on their faces…But this candid one of her pure delight was the clear winner…Though I am notorious for taking roughly 72 photos to get one with everyone looking at the camera, pics like these —that ones that so perfectly display her spontaneous and pure joy—those are beyond cherished. 💖💜💖💜

Bereaved Parents Awareness Month Day 25…

July is Bereaved Parents Awareness Month and I’ve decided that I’m going to share a picture each day this month of my beloved Gianna, taken on that day in the incredible history of her life and encourage all my fellow bereaved parents to do the same to honor our children and keep their spirits alive 💜💖💜💖…

July 25, 2008—When Gianna was a very wee one, she admittedly was a little volatile at times, but truthfully this feistiness never bothered me, because I got to experience so much of her beauty, brightness, and truly unique spirit…When I think of her now, flying freely as her chosen spirit animal of a hummingbird, I think she honestly couldn’t have picked a better creature to embody, as those little flying wonders are undoubtedly glorious, seemingly defying the laws of nature with their uniqueness, all while remaining to be the teeniest little spitfires in the wild. 💜💖💜💖💜

Bereaved Parents Awareness Month Day 24…

July is Bereaved Parents Awareness Month and I’ve decided that I’m going to share a picture each day this month of my beloved Gianna, taken on that day in the incredible history of her life and encourage all my fellow bereaved parents to do the same to honor our children and keep their spirits alive 💜💖💜💖…

July 24, 2017— Though Gianna was always up for hopping a flight or taking a road trip, she was also perfectly content to experience adventure, fun and LIFE right here in our own backyard, like this trip to the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden with some very dear friends and bonus mom back in the summer of 2017. She absolutely knew how to find joy in the simplest of circumstances, shining that contagious bright light of hers to make others do the same, and I truly believe she continues to do so from the great beyond 💜💖💜💖

Bereaved Parents Awareness Month Day 23…

July is Bereaved Parents Awareness Month and I’ve decided that I’m going to share a picture each day this month of my beloved Gianna, taken on that day in the incredible history of her life and encourage all my fellow bereaved parents to do the same to honor our children and keep their spirits alive 💜💖💜💖…

July 23, 2011—My entire family history is littered with tales of epic canoe rides, many of which have occurred in the month of July, so it was inevitable that one of these Gianna pics would be taken on one of our copious adventures down the Namekogan River! From what I can tell, this was pre-launch, so nothing too wild had taken place yet, but I’m sure it didn’t stay that way for long! My girl was all-smiles and safely ready for an adventure, despite the very real possibility of a canoe tipping and getting caught in the middle of a paddle war 😁💜🛶…(And I must say, Gianna is also absolutely adorable, while being still very early on in hair-recovery mode in this one, after her lovely locks were literally butchered by a “friend,” months earlier, in a game of “haircut” that would take YEARS to fully resume a level of normalcy…😳💇🏻‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️🙃

Bereaved Parents Awareness Month Day 22…

July is Bereaved Parents Awareness Month and I’ve decided that I’m going to share a picture each day this month of my beloved Gianna, taken on that day in the incredible history of her life and encourage all my fellow bereaved parents to do the same to honor our children and keep their spirits alive 💜💖💜💖…

July 22, 2007–THIS GRIN!!! Was it her grandpa making her so happy, or the fact that this photo was taken during the parade welcoming her Uncle Ben home safely after a year of serving our country in Iraq?! Though everyone in the crowd had pretty huge smiles on their faces that day, I’m pretty positive that hers was one of the biggest, despite being a wee, little 13-month-old 😁💖💜😌😁

Bereaved Parents Awareness Month Day 21…

July is Bereaved Parents Awareness Month and I’ve decided that I’m going to share a picture each day this month of my beloved Gianna, taken on that day in the incredible history of her life and encourage all my fellow bereaved parents to do the same to honor our children and keep their spirits alive 💜💖💜💖…

July 21, 2007– When Gianna was born, my aunt, Mary Pat, sent her two of these pink, fuzzy blankets with green satin trim, along with a little article explaining the importance of “Lovies” to babies… I would say that though all of my children had (and still have) very special stuffed animals and well-loved blankets, Gianna‘s beloved pink and green blankies were more important to her than just about anything…They literally went with her everywhere, and as a young child, this was definitely her position of comfort—blankie in one hand, two fingers in her mouth. As a toddler, one of the blankies did sustain an attack with a pair of scissors, (that Gianna may have inflicted herself,) but I sewed it back up perfectly with hot pink thread that lasted for the rest of her life. Thankfully, my aunt was wise and sent two of them, because we lost one somewhere around age 5 or 6. As she got older, Gianna outgrew the finger-sucking habit, and she stopped carrying it everywhere, but she continued to snuggle with it in her bed every night. In her final leg of the earthly journey, I brought it to the hospital to bring her comfort in her moments of greatest pain. Very sadly, just days before she died, my greatest fears were realized, and someone stole that blanket from the hospital laundry room, along with my favorite hoodie when I begrudgingly had to wash it due to being soiled 😭💜💔🩷💚 Despite doing a literal APB on every floor of that hospital, constant check-ins in the laundry room and lost and found, I left that hospital on March 17, 2023 without my daughter and her most prized possession. Even now, over a year later, I am still so shocked that someone would take it, and I continue to search the lost and found and the laundry room every time we go to the hospital for an appointment, hoping by some miracle, it will turn up.

Bereaved Parents Awareness Month Day 20…

July is Bereaved Parents Awareness Month and I’ve decided that I’m going to share a picture each day this month of my beloved Gianna, taken on that day in the incredible history of her life and encourage all my fellow bereaved parents to do the same to honor our children and keep their spirits alive 💜💖💜💖…

July 20, 2014–lf you live in the Midwest, you know that we have a tendency to cram as much fun into our summers as humanly possible… Doing this little photo memorial has proven that to be incredibly accurate in our family… But also in our family, we tend cram to as much fun into our entire lives, in general, knowing very much, the fragility of them, and not taking a single moment for granted. 💙💜💚❤️💖

Bereaved Parents Awareness Month Day 19…

July is Bereaved Parents Awareness Month and I’ve decided that I’m going to share a picture each day this month of my beloved Gianna, taken on that day in the incredible history of her life and encourage all my fellow bereaved parents to do the same to honor our children and keep their spirits alive 💜💖💜💖…

July 19, 2006— Full disclosure: I’m not positive that this photo was actually taken on July 19, because it was taken back in the day before smart phones and therefore, did not have a date/timestamp on it…However, I am positive that it was from when my sweet Gianna was about a month old, with her best friend of all time, Giacomo… Of all of the kids, I think that his yearning for her is absolutely the strongest, as he often very randomly shares his deep feelings of missing her, how life just isn’t the same, or as he put it the other day, “I just want Gianna back.” 💔💜💔… It’s not shocking, as they shared more years together, truly had each other’s back, and were so connected in the most beautiful of ways, so much so that for most of their lives, people thought that they were twins… He chose this pic for the today’s memorial, sharing in my delight of looking back at those days when their age difference was apparent, but so was their connection, as he was very clearly her doting big brother, quite smitten with his baby sister. 🥰💙💜👶🏻

Bereaved Parents Awareness Month Day 18…

July is Bereaved Parents Awareness Month and I’ve decided that I’m going to share a picture each day this month of my beloved Gianna, taken on that day in the incredible history of her life and encourage all my fellow bereaved parents to do the same to honor our children and keep their spirits alive 💜💖💜💖…

July 17, 2008— Is there really any better pic than the mud-covered toddler with her face smooshed up against the screen??!?? This one is especially poignant because, as a rule, Gianna really didn’t like having her hands or face be dirty at all, but on this day, I guess the filth was worth it for the fun she clearly was having! 😂😂😂

Bereaved Parents Awareness Month Day 17…

July is Bereaved Parents Awareness Month and I’ve decided that I’m going to share a picture each day this month of my beloved Gianna, taken on that day in the incredible history of her life and encourage all my fellow bereaved parents to do the same to honor our children and keep their spirits alive 💜💖💜💖…

July 17, 2014— i’m pretty positive that of all the pictures I’ve posted thus far, this one is probably my parents’ favorite, as it’s taken on the bridge that goes over the creek at their home, a creek that I spent the bulk of my childhood playing in, around, and over… I would love to have been a fly on that bridge, listening to whatever goofy conversation the four of these delightful humans were having that day, as they ate popcorn at 11:19 in the morning, a clear sign of being at Grandma and Grandpa’s house, one of Gianna’s absolute favorite places to visit, and the site of so many unforgettable, simple, yet divinely blissful, memories, just like this one ☀️💙💜💚❤️🍿😄

Bereaved Parents Awareness Month Day 16…

July is Bereaved Parents Awareness Month and I’ve decided that I’m going to share a picture each day this month of my beloved Gianna, taken on that day in the incredible history of her life and encourage all my fellow bereaved parents to do the same to honor our children and keep their spirits alive 💜💖💜💖…

July 16, 2019— For today’s memorial post in honor of Gianna, it only seems fitting to share the full post from this day, five years ago, when I made her the world’s ugliest, but most delectable, belated birthday cake (which also pairs perfectly with my earlier post of Lukas‘s birthday cake that was attractive, but not tasty at all 😂🙃🥳🎂)

“This girl insisted there was “no possible way to eat any other birthday cake than one that I made.” So here it is—-my hasty homemade gluten-free chocolate cake that caved when frosted too quickly under the weight of its rainbow vegan icing. It may look like a disaster but it tasted amazing...and this girl was thrilled with her month-late birthday party, ugly cake and all, and that’s all that matters. ”

Bereaved Parents Awareness Month Day 15…

July is Bereaved Parents Awareness Month and I’ve decided that I’m going to share a picture each day this month of my beloved Gianna, taken on that day in the incredible history of her life and encourage all my fellow bereaved parents to do the same to honor our children and keep their spirits alive 💜💖💜💖…

July 15, 2022— Anyone who knows me even just a little bit, knows that I am quite famous for posting photos of us at our very favorite spot in the entire Minneapolis/Saint Paul Metro area, Minnehaha Falls… Thankfully, this is not the last picture that I have of us here, but it is now one of my favorites of all time, especially this particular version that is printed out with her very last handprint, above the very last time that she wrote her own name… It was taken on a night when I had already treated them to a movie in the late afternoon and when it was over, we all decided that it was just too early to call our fun for the night, and they asked if we could go to the Falls too… Anyone who knows me, also knows that I am also pretty famous for making sure that my kids have as many memories made as possible in their lives, so of course I said yes, just like I did so many times, knowing that at some point there would be no more requests to say “yes” to..In Gianna’s very final weeks of her earthly life, the staff at the hospital helped to prepare us for her transition by offering up so many incredible ways to commemorate her incredible spirit and 16 years of physical life… One of the things that they provided was the supplies for us to make one final art project together as a family…This photo stood out to me as the perfect one for our creation, partly because everyone has such purely blissful smiles in it, but largely because it represents the epitome of things that we did together as a family and countless simple joys that were the reason why she could tell me just before she peacefully left this world for another…“I had a good life.” 💖💙💜💚❤️🩷💖