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| My sis is in heaven getting a little girl! |
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| And Kyle was literally jumping for joy when he realized Baby B is a boy! |
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| So happy for them! |
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| Baby Cole is so excited to be a big cousin x 2! |
Thursday, September 20, 2012
A Buddy and A Boss
Cole was super excited on Tuesday to find out if he was getting boy or girl cousins. We found out he is getting one BOY (a buddy) and one GIRL (a boss) cousin!!! It was so much fun for my sister and brother-in-law to include us when they found out. My sister is super creative and had a balloon shop fill two boxes with the appropriate color of balloons. They did not know until they opened the boxes what each baby's gender was. Their reactions were priceless. I hope my sis doesn't mind that I am sharing some of the pics on my blog. I am thrilled to get a nephew and a niece! I can't wait to spoil them!!!!
Our Nations Capital
Matt and I went to Washington DC on September 7-12. We went because Matt had passed all of his CPCU exams at work and they sent us on an all expenses paid trip to the conferment conference. Luckily we were not required to go to all of the sessions about insurance and we were allowed to explore the city.
We went with a list of places that we really wanted to see. Neither one of us had ever been to DC before and we were really excited to hit all the major sites.
On Friday when we got there we went to the National Zoo first and saw the famous panda exhibit. Then that night we hit up a Washington Nationals baseball game. Their stadium was amazing!
Saturday, we started our day off bright and early with a tour of the White House. It was pretty cool to say that we have been there, but we only saw about 4 rooms. Not that I was expecting to see the President's bedroom or anything...but we didn't see much. One thing I found interesting was the wallpaper in the rooms we saw was made out of silk. It was pretty fancy. The only question I asked the Secret Service was if all of the huge beautiful flower arrangements in each room were real...and they were! After the tour we walked over to see the Washington Monument. Then we we also went to the Museum of Natural History. Then went to Ford's Theater. This is where Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. They had a lot of very interesting things to see. Including the seat he was in when he was shot. And we finished the day off by going to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse.
On Sunday we rented bicycles and rode to Georgetown. It was a pretty cool area filled with high end stores and a lot of restaurants. The bicycle ride was a bit terrifying on the streets of DC. But we made it...and then took a cab back to our hotel :). Late on Sunday night we went with a group of friends to a place called Bier Baron. It is a bar that has the largest selection of beer in the US. Our bartender knew everything about each beer on the list. The list was about 10 pages long. We were impressed.
Monday we got moving pretty early and went to the Holocaust Museum. Talk about a sobering experience. It's hard to believe something that terrible actually happened. I'm glad we went though. Then in the afternoon we had a tour of the US Capital Building. It was probably my favorite building in DC. It's beautiful from the outside and even more so inside. Plus we got quite the history lesson while walking around. Monday night we took a bus tour to see all of the major monuments. We actually got off of the bus to see the Lincoln Monument, Jefferson Memorial, MLK Jr Memorial, Iwo Jima/Marines Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, and Korean Memorial. They were awesome to see at night all lit up.
On our last day, Tuesday, we crammed everything else that we could into the day. We started the day at Arlington National Cemetery. It was breathtaking to see how many white stones lined the grass. It just went on for miles. We saw the JFK Eternal Flame and gravesite, General Robert E. Lee's home, and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier as well as the changing of the guard ceremony. Then we walked around the cemetery to see the Pentagon. It was actually 9/11 and the President was at the Pentagon. We saw his helicopter fly over us at the cemetery. Then we went and had a tour at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. Next up, the National Archives to see the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, and the Constitution. We also walked to see the WWII Memorial. We finished our day by walking around the Museum of American History.
I'm sure I have already forgotten some things that we did or saw. In between seeing all of the sites, we ate a ton of awesome food, navigated the somewhat intimidating metro, and saw some very intriguing people. As you can see we were very busy. We walked non-stop the entire trip. But looking back we are glad we did not spend time just sitting back relaxing because we got to do and see so much. We joked that we needed a vacation from our vacation.
Cole stayed with my parents and also spent a lot of time with Kate and Kyle too. He was one spoiled and loved boy!! We missed him but kept so busy that 5 days away just flew by. Although I got the best sleep I've had in 9 months while we were in DC :). It was so great to get home and see him though. I swear he changed so much in a week.
I hope some day we get to go back to DC and take Cole when he is old enough to appreciate the the significance of everything there. I can't believe I waited until I was 29 years old to travel there. I would recommend it for anyone! Even if you are not really into history (like me) the city has something for everyone.
We went with a list of places that we really wanted to see. Neither one of us had ever been to DC before and we were really excited to hit all the major sites.
On Friday when we got there we went to the National Zoo first and saw the famous panda exhibit. Then that night we hit up a Washington Nationals baseball game. Their stadium was amazing!
Saturday, we started our day off bright and early with a tour of the White House. It was pretty cool to say that we have been there, but we only saw about 4 rooms. Not that I was expecting to see the President's bedroom or anything...but we didn't see much. One thing I found interesting was the wallpaper in the rooms we saw was made out of silk. It was pretty fancy. The only question I asked the Secret Service was if all of the huge beautiful flower arrangements in each room were real...and they were! After the tour we walked over to see the Washington Monument. Then we we also went to the Museum of Natural History. Then went to Ford's Theater. This is where Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. They had a lot of very interesting things to see. Including the seat he was in when he was shot. And we finished the day off by going to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse.
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| Seat that President Lincoln was shot in (Ford's Theater) |
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| Natural History Museum |
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| The Hope Diamond |
On Sunday we rented bicycles and rode to Georgetown. It was a pretty cool area filled with high end stores and a lot of restaurants. The bicycle ride was a bit terrifying on the streets of DC. But we made it...and then took a cab back to our hotel :). Late on Sunday night we went with a group of friends to a place called Bier Baron. It is a bar that has the largest selection of beer in the US. Our bartender knew everything about each beer on the list. The list was about 10 pages long. We were impressed.
Monday we got moving pretty early and went to the Holocaust Museum. Talk about a sobering experience. It's hard to believe something that terrible actually happened. I'm glad we went though. Then in the afternoon we had a tour of the US Capital Building. It was probably my favorite building in DC. It's beautiful from the outside and even more so inside. Plus we got quite the history lesson while walking around. Monday night we took a bus tour to see all of the major monuments. We actually got off of the bus to see the Lincoln Monument, Jefferson Memorial, MLK Jr Memorial, Iwo Jima/Marines Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, and Korean Memorial. They were awesome to see at night all lit up.
On our last day, Tuesday, we crammed everything else that we could into the day. We started the day at Arlington National Cemetery. It was breathtaking to see how many white stones lined the grass. It just went on for miles. We saw the JFK Eternal Flame and gravesite, General Robert E. Lee's home, and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier as well as the changing of the guard ceremony. Then we walked around the cemetery to see the Pentagon. It was actually 9/11 and the President was at the Pentagon. We saw his helicopter fly over us at the cemetery. Then we went and had a tour at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. Next up, the National Archives to see the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, and the Constitution. We also walked to see the WWII Memorial. We finished our day by walking around the Museum of American History.
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| JFK Gravesite and Eternal Flame |
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| Air Force Memorial |
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| Flags at half mast @ Washington Monument on 9/11/12 |
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| WWII Memorial |
I'm sure I have already forgotten some things that we did or saw. In between seeing all of the sites, we ate a ton of awesome food, navigated the somewhat intimidating metro, and saw some very intriguing people. As you can see we were very busy. We walked non-stop the entire trip. But looking back we are glad we did not spend time just sitting back relaxing because we got to do and see so much. We joked that we needed a vacation from our vacation.
Cole stayed with my parents and also spent a lot of time with Kate and Kyle too. He was one spoiled and loved boy!! We missed him but kept so busy that 5 days away just flew by. Although I got the best sleep I've had in 9 months while we were in DC :). It was so great to get home and see him though. I swear he changed so much in a week.
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| Cole and Grandpa mowing together |
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| Grandma, Grandpa and Cole |
Monday, September 3, 2012
Inspiration
The fabric that I ordered has been arriving in small packages all week to my doorstep. It's been like Christmas when I come home and get to open them up. I have received several monetary donations that I have used to purchase fabric...20 yards of fabric to be exact! The patterns and colors that I chose are just perfect for these teeny diapers. I have spent the last few days cutting the fabric and now I have a nice fat stack of diapers that just need to be sewn. I sense a "sewing party" coming up...anybody up for that? I do have the ambition to sew some of the diapers myself, but with as many as I think we can make I will need to outsource some of the sewing :)
Sitting at the kitchen table cutting fabric has given me a lot of time to think. I am so grateful that I have so many friends and family members who are willing to help me with this cause. We are so blessed to have such great support in our lives. Before I had Braelyn, I didn't spend much time thinking about how I could be inspirational to others. I always tried to do good for others and support causes that were close to my friends hearts, but I never felt like I did anything that could be truly inspirational to others. I can't help but to think that maybe part of the reason for Braelyn's short life was to show me that I can inspire others I encounter in my life. It's also taught me there are many people in worse situations than what happened to me. We can all make a difference in others lives if we put forth the effort. It may be something you deem as a small act, but to someone it could be the act that changes their lives in the moment.
With all of the fabric that I have, I figure we can make about 200 diapers (give or take a few). Since each family gets two diapers- one for the baby to wear and one as a keepsake- we can help about 100 families. This is incredible for me to think about. I know that when a family gets these diapers, it's because their baby has mostly likely passed away, but it brings me comfort to know that we are showing them love in those precious moments that they have with their child. Even if they don't see the love in that moment, I think they will be able to look back upon it and realize that there are people out there that care.
I want to share a story with you all about the day Braelyn was born and died. I thought twice about sharing this story because I don't want to sound ungrateful at all, so I hope I can type this in a way that explains my feelings that day. When Braelyn was born we got to spend time in the NICU with her. Matt spent most of the day there while I was recovering. She lived for 12 hours, but most people don't know that I really only got to spend about 2-3 hours total with her. Once we decided that we would take her off of life support we were allowed to hold her and talk to her. I am so thankful for that short amount of time that she spent in our arms. She died in our hands, and not laying by herself in an isolette. After she passed away there were quite a few logistical items that we had to take care of. In the mix of all of this we were asked if we wanted to put a dress on her and have pictures taken. Honestly, I didn't really want pictures of her after she had passed away, but something in the back of our minds told us to do it in case we wanted them later. It would be easy to have them and never look at them instead of not having them and not ever being able to take them later. The nurse brought in the dress--- It was this frilly, lacy, pink and white dress that was completely not something we would ever have chosen to dress our baby in. This is the part I want to be clear about: I am so grateful for the people who made this dress. I know the skill and love that was put into it was immense. And for that I'm appreciative. However, this dress was not what I had in mind for my baby to be dressed in. I felt so bad that it was the only outfit she would ever wear. I wished that I had something else to put her in at that moment, but she was so tiny I didn't have a choice. I will admit that this dress was the single source of laughter shared between Matt and I that day. It was so ridiculous that we could not stop laughing and telling Braelyn how sorry we were to dress her in this frilly dress through all of our tears. So even though we did not like the dress, I'm thankful for the moment of laughter that day.
That story is the reason that I am so passionate this year about making the teeny diapers. I want parents to be able to choose something that fits their style to dress their child in. When I saw these tiny diapers I so wished I would have been given one to put on Braelyn. They are simple, yet the patterns on the fabric is what makes each diaper unique.
Ok, enough rambling tonight. I am very excited about all of these diapers! Thank you all for the fabric, money, finished diapers, cutting time, and all the support to make this happen. You should all be so proud of yourselves!
One last tip...if you are making diapers to give to me please make two diapers out of the same fabric to package together. Each family will receive 2 diapers-- one for the baby to wear and one for the parents to keep. Also, I will do all of the packaging before I deliver them. If you have any other questions please let me know!
Ok, enough rambling tonight. I am very excited about all of these diapers! Thank you all for the fabric, money, finished diapers, cutting time, and all the support to make this happen. You should all be so proud of yourselves!
One last tip...if you are making diapers to give to me please make two diapers out of the same fabric to package together. Each family will receive 2 diapers-- one for the baby to wear and one for the parents to keep. Also, I will do all of the packaging before I deliver them. If you have any other questions please let me know!
Friday, August 24, 2012
Baby Diapers Update
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.
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.
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.
Sunday, July 29, 2012
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