Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Korbin’s {self-inflicted} Haircut

So Bret and I took Kylee & Brody to a (rather long) appointment at Scottish Rite Hospital today. Sweet Nana was kind enough to devote her day to the grandkiddos who were to be left at home. Blade still sleeps a good chunk of the afternoon and Baxlyn & Korbin are like two peas in a pod. They love to play together, rarely fight, are helpful, pretty independent…etc. Surely, Nana didn’t have much to worry about, ehh?

So Bret and I are headed back home when my phone rings. My heart SUNK when I heard my mom say “I’m afraid I have really bad news…” on the other end of the line. She went on to tell me that Korbin had attempted to give himself a haircut after Baxlyn got into the “child-proofed” closet of the playroom and retrieved the scissors. I couldn’t help but laugh when she told me. I was relieved not only to find out it was nothing too serious but also to find out that they didn’t attempt to re-style Baxlyn’s hair.

Here’s what his final do looked like. Mom described it looking like a puzzle missing several pieces. I personally think it looks like a weed-eater got ahold of him. You can decide for yourself.

From the front, things don’t look too bad… (Check out the guilt written all over his face!)

Korbin's Haircut1

But a slight turn to the left annnnd……

Korbin's Haircut

I asked if he jabbed himself in the forehead (there where you see the little blood mark) and he denies that ever happening ;) He told me it had been “too long” since they’d been to the hair cut place (for the record it MAY have been all of 2 weeks ago) and although he thinks it looks great and that his teachers will love it, he will not do it again in the future. HE may not…but now I KNOW the idea is floating around in the other little minds around him.

It was bound to happen sometime, right? Here’s to putting all the scissors up one drawer higher!

Friday, April 11, 2014

March for Babies: A transparent view of why we walk.

With our March for Babies walk taking place tomorrow morning, I’ve found myself sitting and remembering why our family started walking several years ago. Like many, before we became pregnant with our quadruplets, I was pretty ignorant about high risk pregnancies, prematurity, infant mortality and just how many families it affects everyday. Bret and I knew from day one that we were in a risky situation. We were told we could expect to go in at any appointment and see one less heartbeat, we knew that there was a good chance, if born too early, that our babies may not even survive. We were a few of the lucky ones who had a relatively uneventful pregnancy and we, despite several very close calls, made it out of the NICU with all four of our sweet babies.

Unfortunately, not all families have the same outcome. Since becoming pregnant with our quads, I have been blessed to be a part of a phenomenal group of quadruplet families across the country.  I can honestly say I would not be where I am today without the support and friendships of these fellow moms. We are there to support each other through life raising quadruplets and often hold each other up during very difficult times. Over the last 5 years, my eyes have truly been opened to just how incredibly blessed we are to have our babies with us here today. I’ve {literally} lost count of how many mothers I’ve witnessed lose one, two or all of their babies. My heart has broken far too many times for families who are dealing with the unimaginable pain of losing the babies they so badly wanted. A deep pain that will never go away.

Meet Jen & Chris Petersen.

chris & jen

Jen & Chris are one of those families. Just several weeks ago, Jen went into preterm labor not even half way through her pregnancy. On March 11th, 2014 their daughter Serenity Brooklyn Monroe was delivered and called to be with Jesus while being held in the arms of her parents. The doctors had hoped that the delivery of Serenity would give her sister and two brothers a better chance at survival. Sadly, two days later, Jaxson Joseph, Gianna Charlotte Faith & Gage Christian Thomas were forced to be delivered and were reunited with their sister in Heaven. I’ve watched Jen throughout her entire journey and have been so inspired by her. Despite dealing with something many of us can’t even imagine living through, she and Chris have proven their faith in God is unshakeable.

  Chris & Jen with Jaxson, Gianna, Gage and a teddy bear representing their sweet Serenity.

chris and jen 3

chris and jen 4

A balloon release in honor of The Petersen Quads.

chris and jen 2

I share this story to hopefully shed a light on just how real this is. It happens. All the time. Real families, real babies, real pain.

This is what the March of Dimes is all about. Trying to prevent such tragedies by helping fund the research being done to help prevent prematurity, infant mortality & birth defects. Please join with us, with parents who have been through such heartbreak and with the many others fighting to make a difference and support the March for Babies campaign. To learn more about The Peterson Family visit the Prayers for the Fantastic Four facebook page.

Please consider giving to the March of Dimes in honor of their precious angels by clicking here. Every dollar helps make a difference and puts us one step closer to saving another tiny life. I know I speak for many families out there when I say “Thank You”.

Thank you, Jen, for allowing me the opportunity to share a small glimpse of your story. Your precious angels touched so many lives during the short amount of time they were here on earth and will never be forgotten. Our family walks for families like yours. Continued prayers, Mama.

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

We Give, They Live.

We have just over a week until our 2014 March For Babies walk and I’m happy to say we’ve exceeded our fundraising goal and the number keeps climbing! Thank you all for your donations towards the March of Dimes. You are helping fund the research being done to help all babies be born healthy. Not only is our fundraising exceeding our expectations this year but our number of walkers is too! We are up to FIFTY walkers on the Cox Quads Family & Friends team! Bret and I are so excited to be accompanied by so many friends and family this year. Some people are walking in honor of our sweet quads and some are walking in memory and in honor of their little ones, we are ALL walking to raise awareness and make a difference for future lives!

If you haven’t already, please consider donating $5 in honor of the kiddos in your lives. NO amount is too small and every dollar can help give babies a fighting chance when the odds are stacked against them. Brody, Baxlyn, Kylee & Korbin are some of those babies who had no chance to survive on their own. The March of Dimes helped fund the research that led to the development of surfactant which is a substance used to keep tiny, underdeveloped lungs from collapsing. Our babies were given surfactant within minutes of being born which helped them survive on the ventilator until they grew stronger. The state of Texas does 30 newborn screenings, most of which have been advocated for by the March of Dimes. They work every few years to add new diseases/disorders to the newborn screening panel. Step by step they are finding new ways to prevent lives being lost due to premature birth and birth defects. Bret and I are excited to support their efforts and we hope to instill a drive in our little miracles to help others the way that others helped them. Together, we can make a difference.

To make a donation OR to join our team, click here OR click the March of Dimes icon at the top right of our blog. All donations are safe and secure. If you are unable to donate, we ask that you share this post with your family and friends so they have an opportunity to.

To learn more about the March of Dimes and what they’re doing near you, click here!

Thank you - THANK YOU!!!

NICU hats nicu

NICU hats 1

NICU hats 2  NICU hats

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