Getty Owl Foundation

Love, Dad

From Mark:

Getty, here we are… over 5 years together, and I couldn’t be happier. Our time together, your love, and your influence mean more to me than you know.

Today, you know me as Dad — the one who rolls in after work to give you love, smoochies, giggles, dance parties, baths, and story time. I give you evening breathing treatments while Mom catches a breath of her own. I give you food, warmth, and comfort, and tuck you in. I am comforted by your steady bipap rhythm and the knowledge that, for one more day, Mom has filled your day with love, learning, and experience in my absence, and you have all you need to stay healthy and happy. I hold your little hand, and we sleep.

What you don’t know is the profound impact you have had on my life. You didn’t know the man I had been — 40 years in the making before you arrived on the scene.

In relatively short time, you have brought me depths of love, caring, and happiness I never dreamed imaginable. You have drawn from me previously unknown confidence, courage, strength, and perseverance. You have shown me the true meaning of selflessness and devotion. You have breathed new meaning into each moment of my life that flows through me and finds itself into everything I think, feel, and do. You have opened doors to passions previously unrecognized, ignored, and unknown. I have learned to appreciate and embrace each moment, to live as I ought to live, see as I ought to see, dream as I ought to dream, love as I ought to love.

From you, I the embrace the gifts of love.

Through you, I’m no longer just a man — I’m your Dad.

I love you.

Watch Out World………Getty Just Graduated!

From Kate,

Well our little lady had a big day yesterday (Thursday). Getty was officially promoted to Kindergarten! Wow I just typed that. Here she is 5 and on to another chapter that we knew we would see. I think there is a certain air of exhale in the house. We are so proud of Getty and also just so excited about another milestone met and blew out of the water if you ask me. 🙂

I will only say this once. “Who knew we would be in attendance watching our girl accept her certificate yesterday with the prognosis we were given when she was only 4 months old.” But really knowing Getty…….of course we would be here.

Getty is a fighter through and through! I wish I knew what was going on in her mind every minute of every day. If I had to guess it would be the sounds of pure determination to reach goals. She is ready for Kindergarten and I am convinced that come August she will be ready to get going to reach the next milestone.

She loves life and and she is thriving and that is all that matters. This journey is windy and yes there are times that are harder than others, but when we enjoy moments as big as graduating to Kindergarten, one tends to forget about the scary and uncertain and instead bask in the what is.

Getty was so happy to enjoy time with her friends. They were happy to see her. At one point the entire class surrounded her and we sat back and enjoyed the sight of her being in the center of a love circle. 🙂  

We are so thankful for the patience, expertise, and love of all of her teachers. They have been so supportive of Getty’s need to explore and learn. We thank the kids for being such a loving bunch of kiddos. Gosh they are cute and just so thoughtful to Getty.

As we look toward this summer we are just overcome with the pure elation to spend time with loved ones, see new things, and discover life again with little lady. She will always be in front, leading the way, just tell us what to pack. 🙂

Congratulations Getty. Now on to Kindergarten you go.

We just recently finished a book with Getty entitled, Flora & Ulysses. It is such a sweet book about a little girl and her superhero squirrel friend. One of his powers was the ability to type. At the end of the book he writes her a poem that I think is a cute way to express our love for Miss Getty.

Words for Getty

Nothing would be easier without you,

because you are everything,

all of it- sprinkles, quarks, giant donuts,

eggs sunny-side up-

you are the ever-expanding universe to us.