Update Overload

It's been a while since I've blogged! A lot has been going on around our house. Luke has been unemployed for about the past 9 weeks , so the house has been full and busy and messy and un-structured and messy. He's finally back, and I actually have time to sit and write!
The March of Dimes was a success! We always have so many friends reach out and donate to this cause. They understand how much it means to us and how much the preemie world means to us. We had plenty of friends buy T-shirts, and we had some friends and family come walk with us! I'll dump some pictures now :

There was a special area in the family area call the Path of Hope. Families could donate $25 towards the walk & get a sign with their child(ren)'s name and picture and birth details. Some were in memory, some were in honor of the child itself, and some were pictures of their children in honor of family who had been in the NICU. It was a neat addition this year! Lucy and Landon loved to see Lucy's picture. We should have added Landon & Ella to it also, but it slipped our mind to even donate until after the deadline. We were able to still be included though =)

We got there early to help set up the family area, so we got to enjoy all the games before anyone really got there! No lines and a lot of fun!

She ran so fast to Elsa and Ana!

Princess crown, of course!

Our Team Lucy Loo picture ( minus 3). One day I hope that we can be one of the large teams! I think being able to see all the families, kids and babies, shirts in memory of babies, and people supporting others is AMAZING! I feel like crying the whole time we are there.

Landon & Jay. Their daddies played college baseball together and they have moved back from St Louis! They've actually been back a year but are moving SUPER CLOSE next weekend!

We loved the new location this year! We still have (all 3 years) ended up in the VERY BACK. It's way too crowded with all the people up front. Plus we walk and talk and take our time....and we had a lot of kids walking.

Lucy's friend Lexi ( and her mom and sister ) came too!

Landon said he was TIRED OUT!

Lucy passed out within minutes of getting into the car.

 

My individual goal for the walk was $325. Thanks to all our wonderful friends and family, we hit $453! Somehow the team goal was set at $600. Team Lucy Loo ended up raising $703!

We ended up doing 1 fundraiser with Funky Munky shaved ice.........and it was about 53 degrees that day! We were at a college campus in the middle of thousands of teens. So as soon as the truck pulled up , they wanted to spend their money. We are planning on teaming with them every year at the same event, hopefully next year it'll be in the 70's! We also had a big donation from a food truck here in Nashville-- Hoss' Loaded Burgers ! Check them out when you get a chance!

 

This year the MOD had a campaign called 'be your best for babies'. The family who had the greatest % increase from their best year is going to be featured on the MOD Christmas card. Team Lucy Loo did increase by 36%! Thank you for that. I don't think we will ever be a top fundraiser team, as you can see below the top team here has raised $53,115!!!!

 

Maybe next year I can have a little better success with business donations and sponsorships! And our goal will be to have at least 20 walkers come out and enjoy the day with us! The goal I sent in on our paper was 14 walkers, and we had 15 people out to support the March of Dimes.

If you know of a company that might be interested next year, let me know!

 

Sunday!

The March for Babies is this Sunday! We are very excited! We are thankful for our friends & family who know how important this is and come out and join us. If you don't have plans Sunday afternoon, come down to LP Field. There will be booths from hospitals and other places as well as bounce houses, face painting, balloon artists, food (usually hot dogs and cookies from Publix)& water, and some characters from Enchanted Entertainment. There is a new little section called Path of Hope that will have signs with pictures of the local babies that families here are walking in memory or in honor of. We did one for Lucy ,& she had no problem posing on the porch for a new picture in her Easter dress :) 

If you want to come out, activities start at 12:30 and the 2 mile walk is at 2! The pictures below show where everything will be located & the route of the walk. 

 

We will be there early to help set up in the family area. Send us a message or text if you want to meet up! I will set up a time for a team photo,& will try for it to be close to 2, right before the walk. I also want to take one ourselves by Lucy's sign. 

Parking and event location:

• General parking is available in LP Stadium lots A, B, C, and D.
• LP Field’s address is 1 Titans Way, Nashville, TN 37213. For driving directions, visitwww.titansonline.com/stadium/directions-parking.html

ALSO-- we are about $90 shy of our goal. Think about donating $5 or $10 , every little bit helps! 

Thanks to Funky-Munky Shaved Ice for doing a fundraiser Saturday with us! LIKE them on FB to see where they will be throughout the summer! 

 Marchforbabies.org/lucyemilia is the link if you want to donate.

AND👉👉👉👉Anyone who donates up until the 12th will be entered into a drawing for a Ham & Biscuit Pack from The Loveless Cafe! I'll draw a name Sunday afternoon. 

March for Babies news!

We are just a few weeks away now from the March for Babies!  If you still want to walk, PLEASE join us on April 13th! We will be at LP Field this year. The walk is a 5K and goes across the pedestrian bridge, down 2nd Avenue, back across the other bridge, and back into LP field. You don't have to sign up or pay, just show up, & have a good Sunday afternoon outside with the family. There will be kids activities before the walk, and our kids will all be there with us.

We ordered some team shirts last week, and we have gotten the preview of the shirts. They should be sent soon! If you ordered one, I will let you know when they are in. You don't need a shirt to walk, so don't let that stop you =)

We got charcoal shirts, the National Team shirt, with Team Lucy Loo on the back.

We have gotten a few donations--from friends and from a few Nashville businesses. We are almost to our goal, but are still short a few dollars. ( We do have another donation that was sent to the office, and isn't showing on our ticker yet). BUT, we have gotten the go ahead on a fundraiser we will be having NEXT WEEKEND. If you are a friend of ours from church or growing up in church with me ( Emily) or from college, you know what TNT is. It is coming up next weekend, and we have teamed up with a Shaved Ice Truck ( Funky-Munky) that will be at TNT. They will be giving 20% of all sales to our Team Lucy Loo! If you or your youth group or your own kids will be at TNT next weekend, send some cash for some shaved Ice! The truck will be by the softball field, and I will know the exact times soon. Right now, it will most likely be a little bit on Friday and a little bit on Saturday. We are excited, and hope to see some friends there!

If you do still want to donate, our team page is TEAM LUCY LOO

4th Trimester Bodies

If you're my Facebook friend, you might have seen the new profile picture I put up yesterday.

 I think this might be my most liked photo--other than a newborn baby or Lucy news. I guess I just wear my hair up too much ;) I did not post anything else about the photo, but I did on IG. There is no way to click on a link on IG ( besides in your bio), so I thought I would explain the picture here.

 

If you're on Facebook, you might  have seen recently some articles floating around that talking about the 4th Trimester Bodies Project. The latest, that brought over 10,000 new fans to the Facebook page was on Upworthy:

http://www.upworthy.com/want-an-honest-look-at-how-motherhood-changes-womens-bodies-here-you-go-5

 

A few from Huffpost:

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/16/4th-trimester-bodies-project-ashlee-wells-jackson_n_3757793.html

 

http://videos.huffingtonpost.com/healthy-living/the-4th-trimester-bodies-project-518029184

 

http://videos.huffingtonpost.com/4th-trimester-bodies-project-517938261

 

Others:

GMA

TODAY

 

 

If you go to the 4th trimester Bodies web site, you can read the entire reason behind the project and a good background to the photographer behind it.

" The project exists because women are judged too crudely on the way we look and are often told we don’t measure up. Because no real person can compete with the tools in Photoshop and glossy magazine covers. And because motherhood is sacred and should be celebrated. This project exists because sometimes babies are born too soon. Because sometimes babies die. Because sometimes the best laid birth plans and the reality of our births are two very different things. And because sometimes they are everything we dreamed just the same. Because regardless of how our babies get here we should be proud and, regardless of how we choose to feed them, we should be able to feed them where we choose whenever they are hungry. This project exists because women and men and society need it. Because our sons and daughters deserve more. Because we deserve more. Because we are beautiful – stretches, stripes, scars and all"-- Ashlee Wells Jackson

 

Ashlee's story brings me to tears & she is completing this project--which will be a series of books-- along with being a mother & running a photography studio full time. There was a quote by Jacob Needleman in church Sunday that made me think of the project "human beings were built to give. To put it in the most extreme form, we’re built to love and serve something greater than ourselves, whether it’s other people, something you call God, or whether it’s justice. Until we are finding our way to give, there will be no happiness or meaning."

 

I actually was chosen for a scholarship position for a shoot in Atlanta. She is currently traveling around the world with Laura, shooting moms, getting stories, and gearing up to publish the first book. I had read about the project last year sometime, and had been following along on Facebook. I saw that Nashville was on the schedule, but not until 2015, and totally assumed it would be impossible by then to buy a shoot before it sells out. This was something I wanted to be a part of--for me and for other women. So I decided to send an email about my babies, my body, and my story to try to get a scholarship shoot. I got an email back that I was chosen! Luke just happened to be off on Friday so we took a little day trip with the kids and had a great time! I might have been sick to my stomach the entire week before and nervous as I've ever been, but the minute we got there we felt so comfortable with Ashlee.

We started with some light make-up and curlers in the hair, then took a few head shots, had an interview on camera, and then took some pictures with the girls. After the shoot was over, Luke and I got into more and more and more detail about the births-- he said I gave a very mild story on the video. But when's the last time you sat in front of a camera and talked about yourself? While we were talking, Ashlee uploaded the photos onto her computer, picked her favorite shots, I looked them over & we decided on our favorite. There is absolutely no photo shopping done to any of her pictures. As soon as we decided on the one we were most comfortable with, she added the black & white( not sure of the technical term), and by the time we had left and gotten to eat Mexican and head home, it was up on her site.

 

So, here's my picture! I didn't post it on IG because I was hoping that people would go to the website or Facebook page and see what it's all about, and not just comment or 'like' my photo.

http://4thtrimesterbodies.com/emily-howell/

 

 

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Ella in this picture. I love how Lucy is looking at her. I just love it. And I can't wait to blow it up and hang it in our bathroom. We've had 2 screw in the wall where we had a picture before we moved, and didn't know what to put there.

So , just in case you see another story floating around ( Oprah's 'O' Magazine in May) on Facebook or twitter and think that baby looks familiar, it might just be who you think it is! We had an amazing experience, and I can't wait until the book comes out as well. She has said that what's online right now is just a teaser as to what will actually be in the book. The plan was to self-publish, but as of now are talking to publishers.

So go check out her website & the Facebook page. Check out my tiny contribution to the project of my story & the photo { that I LOVE} of me & the girls! I can't wait to see where the project goes & am thrilled I was able to be a part in helping others.

 

February 3rd

Just 3 years ago, after 53 days in the NICU, we brought Lucy home from the hospital. I try to remember that day each year. I think it is important to remember all that we've been blessed with and how far Lucy has come. We haven't faced too many obstacles along with way, but if you would have talked to me while my baby was living at Baptist Hospital, my fears were all over the place. Would she have issues learning? Would she be able to walk? Will the holes in her heart close up? Will she ever make it a day without forgetting to breathe? What therapies will she need? Will she have brain issues from oxygen? Will she have vision issues from oxygen? Will she know I'm her mommy? What disabilities will she have? Will she ever be able to breastfeed? Will she have a g tube? What If she gets RSV? Will her ultrasounds come back showing a brain bleed? Will she hate me when she gets older if she gets made fun of for her disabilities? Will she wear a helmet? Any fear you can think someone will have about their baby, I thought it. If you know Lucy now, you know she is amazing........and she tries my patience every day especially since she is 16 3 now. I remember every prayer I said over this baby in the hospital and at home--mostly about all those fears running through my head. I'm so proud of her !

Looking back at my baby:

 

Lucy's half of the room while we roomed in the night before we brought her home, and Luke fixing our 'bed'. Lucy slept the night away, I pumped, worried, and did not sleep =)

 

 After 53 days at the hospital, & 19 days before her due date she was ready to go home!

 

Last time through those doors!

Home together!

 

First day at home, slept the day away just like in the hospital! She slept the majority of the next few weeks.

 

1 year later! If you can't eat cake on your birthday, you celebrate on the day you came home!

2 years later =)

All grown up, walking, running, talking, eating, counting, singing, dancing,laughing, acting 16, and sledding for the first time! 3 years after discharge.

 

 



March for Babies

March for babies 2014 

 

It is getting close to that time again for the March for Babies! Next weekend is the Family Team March for Babies Kickoff, and we are excited to walk again this year as Team Lucy Loo!

We have participated for the past 2 years in the March for Babies, put on by the March of Dimes. First of all, thanks for our friends and family who have donated the past 2 years! Thank you to those who took time out of your day to walk with us as well! The walk this year will be on April 13th at 2:00pm with registration starting at 12:30. It will not be at Centennial Park again, but at LP Field, home of the Tennessee Titans.

 

#1)We would LOVE for you to join our team and walk with us! It is free, and a day to get outside and enjoy witnessing all the miracle babies and wonderful families.

 

The link to my personal page is :

http://www.marchforbabies.org/LucyEmilia

There is a button you can click that says Walk With Me.
If you don't know our story of WHY we walk, you can check it out there too!
 

#2) We would love for your business(team, squad, sorority, youth group, class or school) to sponsor our team. There are 4 levels of corporate sponsorship--the lowest being $150 & the highest being $750. With the Bronze level your company name will be on the Family Team Banner at the walk, the Silver level will put your company logo on the banner, the Gold level puts a large company logo & prominent placement on the Family Team Banner, and the Platinum level gives your company a private banner with your Logo. If your company is interested in sponsoring Team Lucy Loo in the March for Babies, let me know! If you have any friends or family that might be interested, let me know. I have sponsorship forms I can send you in the mail that can be mailed or faxed back to the head of family teams at Nashville's March of Dimes.

 

Think about walking with us ( We will be getting t-shirts again. Let me know if you have a design idea!), becoming a corporate sponsor, or donating as little as $5 towards our team! I will be adding a new tracker on the side of my page as well to keep everyone updated on the team progress!

 

 

******** T-SHIRTS WILL BE ORDERED THURSDAY, MARCH 20TH*****
We will be ordering the National Team t-shirt in charcoal. $7 each
Let me know ASAP if you'd like one!!! The back will say Team Lucy Loo