Wow! I just want to say thank you to all of the people who have donated money, fabric, and time to my diaper project for Braelyn's birthday. I really debated if I should put anything on Facebook or not, but I'm so glad that I did. So far it's been a great turnout and we are going to help so many parents and tiny babies feel loved. You all are so awesome!
I ordered a bunch of fabric tonight and am so excited to get started on cutting the patterns out. Then...I'll have to learn how to sew :) I have had a few friends offer to help me sew, and I will probably enlist their help in order to get these done. I didn't really have a goal of a certain number of diapers that I want to donate, but I can tell you that from the responses I've gotten of people who want to help, we have already exceeded my expectations. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
If you are looking for cute fabric, there are a lot of sites online if you search under "flannel fabric". A few of the great sites that I purchased from are Etsy (just search "flannel fabric") and Hawthorne Threads . You can also look at any fabric store and find some cute patterns.
One of my friends had a good suggestion: She said we should probably wash, dry, and iron the fabric before we cut the diapers out. I liked this suggestion because the diapers will be clean and fresh when they are put on the tiny babies. If you have already started making diapers and didn't do this, don't worry! The diapers will still be fine. I wouldn't have even thought of doing this, so I'm glad my friend suggested it to me.
I said in my prior note that I want to deliver these diapers to The Children's Hospital of Illinois in Peoria on December 14. This is the day we are going to Peoria for Cole's doctor appointment for his kidneys and we will be right by the NICU where Braelyn spent her 12 hours of life. It will mean a lot to me to deliver them by hand instead of mailing them. This means that if you are making diapers I would like to have them at my house no later than December 1. That way I can get the cards made that tell why we are doing this and package them up nicely for delivery. If you are wanting to just buy fabric and get it to me, I will need it sooner than December 1 so I can wash it, cut it, and then sew the diapers. Hopefully that gives everyone enough time! For those of you making the diapers who do not live close, please let me know how much shipping is to mail them to me and I will reimburse you. If you have any questions just shoot me a private message or e-mail.
Again, thank you all so much for the generous donations of money, time, and efforts! I am so thrilled this idea is coming to fruition and I couldn't be happier about helping grieving parents feel a little more loved.
Friday, August 24, 2012
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Cole is 8 months old!
Today marks 8 months for baby Cole! Hard to believe...but I know I say that every month. He is now sitting on his own, so picture taking this month was a bit easier. I didn't have to take the picture and be ready to catch him when he went down too. But he's into grabbing and touching everything, so the pictures are all over the place. We love our little man so much!
And in other awesome news... my sister and her husband are pregnant with twins. We could not be more excited to have two new babies join our family in March 2013. So far everything has gone well and we are praying these little ones make it to full term! Cole is going to have so much fun with his new cousins!
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Let the Creative Juices Flow...
So I've been thinking about Cole's 1st birthday party a lot lately. I have such a cute theme picked out and I have been pinning away on Pinterest. Before I know it I'll have a ONE year old!
All this planning for Cole's birthday has made me think a lot about Braelyn. On October 7, it will be her 2nd birthday. In a way it seems like yesterday I was laying upside down in a hospital bed struggling to keep her alive. But on the other hand, now that I have Cole, it seems like it was a lifetime ago. I hate that I am losing some of the memories of that time of my life, but maybe it's for my own protection. We don't talk about her too much, but she's always in my mind. Every time I'm interacting with Cole or watching him discover something new, I can't help but to think about what it would have been like to experience these times with Braelyn.
Anyways, I promised myself that every year I would do something nice for someone else in honor of Braelyn. I want to be sure that she is remembered and her short life served a purpose here on Earth. Last year we had a big party with both of our families and talked about what each person/family had done in her name. This year, we are not going to do a party, but I do still want to celebrate her.
I have been reading a blog for over a year now of a family who had premature twins (28 weeks) and one of them didn't survive. Her surviving twin has overcome a lot of obstacles due to being severely premature. He is thriving now, but the pain of losing a precious child is never forgotten. The lady who authors this blog decided to do something to remember her son, Dex. She began making tiny diapers out of flannel fabric that she donates to hospitals.
Her organization is called Teeny Tears. She states on her website that approximately 26,000 children are stillborn in the United States every year, about 1 in 160 births. A significant number of these angels are preemie or micropreemie infants. Many of these angels are far too small for even the very smallest commercial diapers. Teeny Tears is a service organization that provides tiny flannel diapers at no charge to hospitals and bereavement support organizations for families that have suffered the loss of a preemie or micropreemie child through stillbirth to NICU loss.
This is an idea I LOVE! I remember standing in Braelyn's NICU room and trying to gather up anything and everything that she had touched. I wanted to bring it all home because I didn't have much in the way of things that belonged to her. Everything I have fits into one tiny box. It would have been nice to receive these diapers that actually would have fit her. One thing I'm passionate about is trying to help those who are currently standing or will stand in the shoes I wore on Thursday, October 7, 2010.
So, this year for Braelyn's birthday I am planning to make several of these diapers to send to The Children's Hospital of Illinois in Peoria. The same place that Braelyn lived for 12 hours. My friend Kari has agreed to teach me how to sew and my mom is going to let me rev up her sewing machine. I know I need to start this endeavor soon b/c I'm no sewing expert by any means. It'll probably take me a few months to accomplish my goal.
I am writing about this on my blog for a few reasons. First, I want to state my plan in a public forum so I stick to it. I don't want to have a great idea in my head and not carry it out. So, hear me when I say I am going to do this! It may not all be done in October, but my plan is by the end of the year. Cole has a doctor appointment in Peoria for his kidneys in December, so I will plan to make my delivery that day to the NICU. Just in time for Christmas. My second reason for writing this blog entry is to get others involved in this great cause. If you would like to sew diapers, donate fabric (must be flannel), donate safety pins, or even donate money to go towards making these diapers, I would gratefully accept offers.
You can learn more about Teeny Tears here: Teeny Tears Blog Be sure to check out their mission, learn about precious Dex, and look at all of the adorable diapers that have already been made and donated. Also, if you want to sew some diapers yourself to add to my donation you can find the pattern under the Tutorials and Patterns tab at the top. There are a few different size diapers that you can choose from.
Thanks for listening to me ramble on here tonight. It feels good to have decided what I want to do for Braelyn this year. I can't wait until Cole is old enough to learn about his sister and choose something that he wants to do to honor her each year. It'll be so fun to see how his little mind will work when it comes to doing something nice for someone else.
All this planning for Cole's birthday has made me think a lot about Braelyn. On October 7, it will be her 2nd birthday. In a way it seems like yesterday I was laying upside down in a hospital bed struggling to keep her alive. But on the other hand, now that I have Cole, it seems like it was a lifetime ago. I hate that I am losing some of the memories of that time of my life, but maybe it's for my own protection. We don't talk about her too much, but she's always in my mind. Every time I'm interacting with Cole or watching him discover something new, I can't help but to think about what it would have been like to experience these times with Braelyn.
Anyways, I promised myself that every year I would do something nice for someone else in honor of Braelyn. I want to be sure that she is remembered and her short life served a purpose here on Earth. Last year we had a big party with both of our families and talked about what each person/family had done in her name. This year, we are not going to do a party, but I do still want to celebrate her.
I have been reading a blog for over a year now of a family who had premature twins (28 weeks) and one of them didn't survive. Her surviving twin has overcome a lot of obstacles due to being severely premature. He is thriving now, but the pain of losing a precious child is never forgotten. The lady who authors this blog decided to do something to remember her son, Dex. She began making tiny diapers out of flannel fabric that she donates to hospitals.
Her organization is called Teeny Tears. She states on her website that approximately 26,000 children are stillborn in the United States every year, about 1 in 160 births. A significant number of these angels are preemie or micropreemie infants. Many of these angels are far too small for even the very smallest commercial diapers. Teeny Tears is a service organization that provides tiny flannel diapers at no charge to hospitals and bereavement support organizations for families that have suffered the loss of a preemie or micropreemie child through stillbirth to NICU loss.
This is an idea I LOVE! I remember standing in Braelyn's NICU room and trying to gather up anything and everything that she had touched. I wanted to bring it all home because I didn't have much in the way of things that belonged to her. Everything I have fits into one tiny box. It would have been nice to receive these diapers that actually would have fit her. One thing I'm passionate about is trying to help those who are currently standing or will stand in the shoes I wore on Thursday, October 7, 2010.
So, this year for Braelyn's birthday I am planning to make several of these diapers to send to The Children's Hospital of Illinois in Peoria. The same place that Braelyn lived for 12 hours. My friend Kari has agreed to teach me how to sew and my mom is going to let me rev up her sewing machine. I know I need to start this endeavor soon b/c I'm no sewing expert by any means. It'll probably take me a few months to accomplish my goal.
I am writing about this on my blog for a few reasons. First, I want to state my plan in a public forum so I stick to it. I don't want to have a great idea in my head and not carry it out. So, hear me when I say I am going to do this! It may not all be done in October, but my plan is by the end of the year. Cole has a doctor appointment in Peoria for his kidneys in December, so I will plan to make my delivery that day to the NICU. Just in time for Christmas. My second reason for writing this blog entry is to get others involved in this great cause. If you would like to sew diapers, donate fabric (must be flannel), donate safety pins, or even donate money to go towards making these diapers, I would gratefully accept offers.
You can learn more about Teeny Tears here: Teeny Tears Blog Be sure to check out their mission, learn about precious Dex, and look at all of the adorable diapers that have already been made and donated. Also, if you want to sew some diapers yourself to add to my donation you can find the pattern under the Tutorials and Patterns tab at the top. There are a few different size diapers that you can choose from.
Thanks for listening to me ramble on here tonight. It feels good to have decided what I want to do for Braelyn this year. I can't wait until Cole is old enough to learn about his sister and choose something that he wants to do to honor her each year. It'll be so fun to see how his little mind will work when it comes to doing something nice for someone else.
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