New Years Resolutions

Are you going to do the same old resolution, and break it by the second week of January??

I got one for you :) (come on, if you know me at all, you knew where I was going with this)

How about you sign up to walk with us, on our March for Babies March of Dimes team, Devoted to Dylan??

You don't even need to be in Wisconsin!! If you remember, we had 27 different cities last year! I'd love to have even more this year!

How do you sign up?
Go here: http://www.marchforbabies.org/jen102279

Select "walk with me". Once you enter in your info, you can scroll the page down a bit and see your event info.  Click on "change my event" (for Non-Milwaukee people)

Find your state, then city and you're all set!!

Go big or go home???
Make a goal to raise at least $50! You've got just about 4 months to make that happen. That's just over $11 a month! You can do it!!

If you really don't feel like walking, you can of course donate to the cause :)

But what a great New Years res, right?  Not only will you be exercising (ok the walk is only one day, but still!), but you will be helping babies and their families! How rewarding is that??

Come on, you know you want to!!

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone! Hope you are all able to spend time with loved ones this holiday season.

Thanks for reading my blog and all the support this year! See you soon.

Take care of yourselves and of each other.

What can you do???

Ok so many, many people have been asking us recently if there is anything they can do for us or if we need anything.

Usually I answer this with, "No, but thank you and thank you for the thoughts and prayers"

We do appreciate the thoughts and prayers SO much.  The outpouring of love and support that we have, feels like a huge hug.

But after reading one of Ronan's mom's posts and hearing the phrase "be the change you wish to see in the world" in my head over and over, I've changed my mind.

So, what can you do??

Do something nice for someone else.  Buy the person behind you in line their cup of coffee, donate a pair of gloves to a shelter, Give someone a hug.

Do it because of us, or Dylan and Noah.

Do it because it will brighten up someone's day.

Do it because it's the holiday season.

Do it because you want to.

Do it because you want to be the change you wish to see in the world.

Sandy Hook

Stories like this should never exist.

Innocent children should never be shot at or feel in danger.  But none of us should.

Please take the time to think about all of these grieving parents and families.

So many are so quick to say, "that's it, get rid of the guns"

But is that REALLY the issue???

If you take away guns, people will find other means.  The deadliest US school shooting was in Michigan in 1927 and he made homemade bombs...

The issue is how we deal with mental illness.  These men and women who start off as innocent children too, need help.  A woman came out and wrote a story about how her son is just like these other kids who then turn into shooters... and she gets no help from the schools, doctors, our healthcare system...

Do I also agree that gun control could and should be tighter??  Yes absolutely.  But I think people are focusing on this instead of the real problem.

How do we stop people from wanting to kill innocent people?

Please keep those families in your thoughts and prayers as many of their funerals are today.

Life

Life is never really fair is it?  We (at least I do!) can hear our parents telling us as children that life isn't fair.  But at that time it's because we can't go to this concert or eat ice cream for dinner.

It's later in life when you realize that it really isn't fair, not at all.

Patrick and I were Blessed with our sweet Dylan.  He was a miracle in so many ways, the first being that the doctors couldn't believe he survived the pregnancy.  As a science person, I get it.  If something isn't right, cells have an internal mechanism, that goes "whoops something isn't right here, time to self destruct"  and our bodies do this too with pregnancies.  That's why the high occurrence of miscarriages.
But that didn't happen with Dylan.

We had a decision to make.  The doctors couldn't tell us what caused Dylan's issues, so we held out hope that maybe, just maybe it was a one time fluke (which does happen). As it was, if it was a genetic issue, we were told that it was a 1 in a MILLION chance that you would find someone in the population with the same defect (we ALL have genetic defects in our DNA).  We knew the risks and the possible outcome, and we made a decision.

What did we want more than anything? A biological baby between the two of us.  So try again we did, and we got pregnant right away (just as we did with Dylan)...again evidence that life is unfair.  We have no issues getting pregnant, while I have family and friends that struggle with that alone.

We were and are excited and were and are terrified.

We found out a few weeks ago that our little boy, Noah Dylan, will have the same issues as his big brother, Dylan.

Again, Life is unfair.

We are doing our best to stay positive and enjoy the moments we have with Noah while he is with us.  Taking bump pictures, taking him to a Packer game, and listening to actual rock-n-roll music.

Please if you have them to spare, keep my little family in your thoughts and prayers.

Thank you

Thank you for all of the pictures sent to us by text, facebook, or photobucket :)

It's amazing to think about how many flames where burning across the country for our sweet boy.

This time of year is very difficult for us.  Everyone else's lives continue on. Buying holiday gifts for their children, or the new ornament of the year...whereas we dread going into stores and seeing all the baby Christmas clothes and the baby's 1st Christmas ornaments that we haven't been able to buy.

I walk around my neighborhood with Vedder at night and all I want to do is rip the lights down from other people's trees.  I won't! I Promise.  But I can't help feeling that way.

That's one of the hardest parts about grief...seeing everyone else carry on like nothing happened.  I just want to shake them and say don't forget what you have. Don't take a second for granted.

Worldwide Candle lighting reminder

Please don't forget to light your candle this sunday, December 9th to honor all of our children that have passed.  7 pm your time.

"It’s just one little candle 
One tiny flickering light 

A challenge to the darkness
A small beacon in the night
It could be just a gentle touch
A reminder that you’re there
Or a warm, compassionate hug
That shows you understand and care
Maybe it’s a helping hand
A thoughtful, practical deed
A casserole, some laundry
Whatever meets the need
Sometimes it only takes your smile
To encourage and uplift
And should that smile lead to laughter
You’ve shared a precious gift
There’s comfort in shared Silence
Or in a softly spoken word
Or in taking time to listen
To feelings that must be heard
Yes, it’s just one little candle
Softly glowing in the night
But it can overcome the darkness
If it will only share its light
Just one little candle at a time
Each one giving from its heart
Reaching out to those nearby
Asking them to do their part
To make sure the light keeps growing
Reaching out to those in sorrow
Offering comfort, warmth, and hope
Strength and courage for tomorrow"

by Carol Dunn

 

March for Babies 2013

logo compliments of nellie*design

Well, it's that time again folks!

The Milwaukee Date for March for Babies is April 27th, mark it on your calendars!  (I keep telling them to move it into May! I try!!)

Please visit the team page here to sign up to walk with us, or to make a donation to the team:
http://www.marchforbabies.org/team/t1935117

And please remember to light your candle December 9th at 7pm YOUR TIME to remember and honor all the children that have passed.  

Light a candle for all children who have died.
7:00 pm Around the Globe The Compassionate Friends Worldwide Candle Lighting

Held annually the second Sunday in December, this year December 9, 2012. The Compassionate Friends Worldwide Candle Lighting unites family and friends around the globe as they light candles for one hour to honor and remember children who have died at any age from any cause. As candles are lit at 7 p.m. local time, creating a virtual wave of light, hundreds of thousands of persons commemorate and honor children in a way that transcends all ethnic, cultural, religious, and political boundaries.The Worldwide Candle Lighting is a gift from The Compassionate Friends to the bereavement community allowing us all to join together in unity to remember and honor the memories of all children so they may never be forgotten.

December 9th, 2012

Please take a moment at 7pm YOUR time to light a candle for all the children who have passed away and were taken too soon.

And please share this information with other friends and family to create a wave of light around the world to honor these children.

Patrick and I have decided that we wanted to name our first child that we lost.  We lost this baby very early on in the pregnancy, around 5-6 weeks and we never learned the baby's sex.  We named Dylan's big brother or sister, Taylor (as it works for either a boy and a girl). This year we will light our candles for our sweet children, Taylor and Dylan, as we love and remember them always.

Breaking Point

I give up.

There's only so much one can take.

We wake from one nightmare only to enter into another one.

I try to grasp ahold of something, anything only to be pushed, shoved and  beaten down to nothing.

I'm no ones hero,  nor do I want to be.
I'm not strong. I can't feel anything.

I don't  want to be someones inspiration, all  I've ever wanted to be was someones mom.