March for Babies 2014

  We had a very successful walk this year for the March for Babies! We had 40+ people walk on our family team and, thanks to YOU, we raised just over $1,300! Here is our best shot at getting our crew in front of the MFB sign…

We absolutely love our 2014 shirts! Our friend, Mason came up with the design idea and our talented friend, Josh, brought it all together to bring us our final product! Our friends at Prosper Marketing were kind enough to provide the shirts to our team. Thank you ALL so so much for helping us walk in style and have not only a great keepsake but something to wear year round to help raise awareness for the March for Babies campaign! 

We rocked our choo choo wagon once again this year. It’s a 5 mile long walk so all of the kids tire out and need breaks. It was also a great way to keep them contained and together among the crowds before the walk got started. A bit heavy, yes, but that’s what Daddy’s muscles are for ;)

 My Broman and I. I say thank you so much for helping us support the March of Dimes but words could never express how much it means. This little boy is here thanks to current medical technology and research funded my the March for Babies campaign.

 I won’t lie, I was a little nervous about taking Blade to the walk this year. He’s not a huge stroller or choo choo fan and is a FAITHFUL napper so I was worried about how he would do not having the freedom to run (spoiled singleton!) and not having his crib to sleep in for a nap. The dude was a champ! He enjoyed every minute of the experience and didn’t shed a tear the entire time!

I loved seeing a sea of our black shirts as we walked the trail and am so grateful for the support so many of our friends and family showed by being there!

  Mamaw helping Brody “Surf” for Babies ;)

 

 As if our wagon doesn’t cause enough attention, Bret took the quads on a joy ride as they flew by other walkers. Their loud giggles were contagious!

I failed to get a good group shot of the back of the quads’ shirts but here’s a look at Korbin’s. Like every year we had “I’m a #lb #oz Miracle” printed on the back of their shirts. Bret said he was offended Blade didn’t have “I’m a 10lb 8oz Miracle” on the back of his – Maybe next year ;) 

All along the path are “Path of Hope” signs which hold pictures and stats of babies born prematurely. Some stories are of tiny ones who pulled through and others tell a story of babies who earned their wings far too early. Many of the signs gave me goosebumps. So many babies who fought so hard and made it home to their families and so many babies who lost their lives due to preterm labor and other complications. I love this picture below of Brody & Baxlyn looking closely at their sign.

Sweet Blade and Bret. Oh how he ADORES his Daddy!

Bethany or “Aunt Bethie”. This girl is my other half and I don’t know what I’d do without her!

Emmett, Everett & Emerson’s Mama ditched their choo choo a few months ago so they bunked into their new Radioflyer when their little legs gave out!

 

A picture at the finish line with most of our team!

Thanks again to all who walked with us, all who donated or shared our page with friends and families! On behalf of many I say it’s so greatly appreciated!

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.

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.

A balloon release in honor of The Petersen Quads.

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.

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!!!

 

March for Babies – 2014 – WE NEED YOU!

We’re gearing up for our annual March for Babies walk that is to be held next month in Dallas!

If you’ve followed our blog over time, it’s no secret we are big supporters for the March of Dimes. The March of Dimes Foundation is a United States nonprofit organization that works to improve the health of mothers and babies. It was founded by then-President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1938 to combat polio. It has since taken up promoting general health for pregnant women and babies in efforts to give all babies a healthier start.

The money we help raise for the March of Dimes supports programs that help moms have healthy, full term pregnancies. It funds research to find answers to the problems that threaten our babies. Since 1970, March for Babies has raised a staggering $2 billion to benefit all babies.

Here are just a few ways the March for Babies has already helped – click to enlarge:

Currently there are 2.5 million dollars in grants at UT Southwestern that are helping support scientists in studying the changes to a mother’s body when she goes into preterm labor, not changes that can be seen, but studying these changes on a molecular level to find ways to prevent pre-term birth. Only 50% of the causes of pre-term birth are known at this time. It is the March of Dimes’ mission to close the gap on the other 50%.

The March of Dimes is a big part of the reason Brody, Baxlyn, Kylee & Korbin are here today. All four of the quads received surfactant for their severely under developed lungs. Without the surfactant their lungs would not have been strong enough to withstand the support from the ventilators they were on. Every baby, whether born healthy or not, has been affected by the March of Dimes in some way.

What can YOU do to help?

1) Make a Donation.

None of the above can be done without financial support for the March of Dimes. Each year, we set up a Team Page where you can donate directly towards the March of Dimes. ALL donations are appreciated, big and small, and every dollar will help make a difference in the lives of babies. We like to encourage you to give what you can, even just $5 in honor of the healthy kiddos in your life today. Each year, we’ve blown our goal amount out of the water, so this year we’re going to take a leap, reach for the stars and go for $1,000! Thanks to some our our great Facebook friends, we’re already well on our way to reaching it!

2) Pass along our site to others.

We understand if you are unable to give financially. If that’s your case we ask that you pass along this blog post OR the link to our Team Page to your Facebook friends, family & coworkers so that they can donate if they’d like.

3) Walk with us!

Obviously this option is for our local supporters! We already have a team of about 35 people of all ages who are going to walk along side of our family at the Dallas March for Babies walk, we would love to include even more! Come by yourself or bring along your spouse, kids or friends too!

Everyone is able to help in one of the ways mentioned above. You can safely & securely donate, easily join our team and/or share our team page with others by clicking here.! For additional information, feel free to contact us directly at coxquads@yahoo dot com or leave a message below in the comments section.

Take a minute to look back at some of our past March for Babies walks:

March for Babies 2010

March for Babies 2011

March for Babies 2012

The Reason We Walk

Thank you so much for helping us help babies!