April Fundraising Events

I am pleased to announce that April is FULL of fundraising events for Our Two Blessings!

Tomorrow April 6 is a benefit event at Pigtails and Crewcuts in Westminster, Colorado. $1 from each haircut given tomorrow will be donated to Our Two Blessings. It is a wonderful place for kids (especially those with special needs) and adults alike to get rock star treatment while getting a haircut! Read this article by the Denver Post! http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_20669679/new-hair-salon-westminster-caters-special-needs-kids

Cadence getting her first haircut from Dana at Pigtails & Crewcuts. What a fun experience! We love this place!

Starting today and going on for the next week, I am hosting an online Silpada jewelry party and 100% of proceeds will go to Our Two Blessings!! Stock up on your Summer stylish accessories and at the same time, help our cause! https://www.facebook.com/events/108144046027397/

Sierra and Cadence are very fashionable, and think you would look great in a new necklace, bracelet, or earrings!!

April 21, we are having a fundraising event at the Giggling Green Bean in Denver. Online sales also count on this day! 20% of sales made on this day, when OUR TWO BLESSINGS and the MARCH OF DIMES are mentioned, will go straight to the team! They carry an amazing selection of eco-friendly products for mama and baby. This is my favorite baby store!! Remember, April 21st ONLY! http://the-giggling-green-bean.com/

I also have an online Mary Kay fundraiser in the works - stay tuned for info on that! I am so grateful to have online opportunities because of our support from friends and family all over the nation and world. I hope you are all able to participate in some way! :)

Charity Day with The Giggling Green Bean

I'm really excited to announce that we are going to have a charity day at The Giggling Green Bean. The date is set for April 21, 2013.

Here's how it works:

On April 21, 20% of all purchases (in-store and online) made for Team Our Two Blessings (name MUST be mentioned at the time of purchase... for online, in "comments" section) will go to our fundraiser.

Thank you to Amy and all the staff at The Giggling Green Bean for showing your support. The GGB website can be found at http://the-giggling-green-bean.com/ and they have an excellent selection of all things baby and mama! There is something to suit everyone's needs.

I personally have bought cloth diapers, cloth diaper accessories, diaper- and earth-safe laundry detergent, our Nose Frida, and eco-friendly toys there. It is my favorite Colorado baby store!

So, whether you are looking for a gift for a new mama or mama-to-be, need something for your own kids, or even something for YOU... keep Our Two Blessings in mind on April 21, and part of your purchase will go on to help babies be born healthy and strong.

Hopefully things will calm down soon! Who am I kidding...

To say the last couple of weeks have been busy would be a vast understatement ;) Luckily though, fundraising continues to go *awesomely*. As in with 61 days left until March For Babies, we have raised $993.

That is right. We are $7 short of $1,000!!!

What an amazing milestone!

Meanwhile I have also kept very busy with work and some other side projects. Recently I had the honor of participating in a study funded by the March of Dimes that will help medical students gain a better understanding of communication with families/parents who are dealing with preterm birth. It was fun to really put the pressure on the students... who all did fantastic. I started getting real contractions at 31 weeks gestation. I was very well taken care of, and I know how important it is for these students to get some experience with patients like me. Even more important is the participation of people who have gone through real-life situations in this matter.

This was a trial run but it was very successful and well-received. If you have any kind of experience involving preterm birth, and you would like to be involved in this program as it grows, please feel free to let me know and I will get you in touch with the right contacts.

To keep up with our schedule, we need big hearty breakfasts!

Can someone please tell me when my little girls got so big? We are all so busy all the time that the minutes just fly by. Pretty soon these little ambassadors will be able to speak for themselves about why our work with the March of Dimes is so important...

78 Days Until March For Babies!

I have great news - with 78 days until the March, we are ALMOST ($7 short) half-way to our fundraising goal of $1,000. Fantastic! We need to keep up the good work to reach our goal, and then continue past it like we did last year! $7 isn't much... can you help us reach the half-way mark?

Team Our Two Blessings total fundraising: $493

I'm dreaming of 4 digits! ;) and another Top 10 spot! Mayyyyybe even Top 5? We can't do it without your help so spread the word and help babies everywhere!

In the state of Colorado, for EVERY dollar donated to the March of Dimes, $0.80 goes directly to the cause of funding research and programs to help every baby get a healthy start.

If we use our noodles, we can figure out a way to make a huge difference in this world! The difference I want to make has grown from a vision to a reality, thanks to our supporters. Let's get out there and show them what we're made of!

Sharing our story at Good Sam's

Today, the Blueberries and I went to Good Samaritan hospital and shared our story with the nurses participating in fundraising for the Boulder March For Babies. It was their "kickoff" meeting. Some of them already obviously know quite a bit about us, but not smaller details like why my pregnancy was so high risk, and how we came about to be such big supporters of the March of Dimes.

It was just lovely to see familiar faces and in particular, Ruby, who was just floored to see how big the girls have grown, and what we do now to honor all families affected by a NICU stay, a birth defect, or a loss. I had to silently wipe a tear from my eye when she reminisced about many things I thought she would have long forgotten. Specifically, a particularly difficult 24 hours that Ricky and I experienced while we had to wait for occupational therapy to come reassure us that little Sierra was OK. Ruby laughed and said, clearly, SieSie is so strong and bright now.

I am so thankful I can look back on some of the most difficult hours of my life and laugh with a friend about it. I worried myself quite literally sick, when everything was actually fine. Sierra was so little and had to struggle so much for nutrition in the womb that making eye contact was too much of a task for her. She flailed her limbs very rigidly and spastic and that is just how a low birth weight preemie's motor skills are. We just had to wait and be more knowledgeable and understanding that her behavior was typical - and most importantly, we had to stop comparing her with Cadence.

I told Ruby that to this day I feel awful that the only day Sierra lost weight was when we left the hospital with Cadence. Her sissy got to go home but she had to stay in the hospital for 7 more days. Most babies will lose some of their weight after being born... but not my little fighters, not until Sierra was alone. She lost a whole ounce that night and I was sick to my stomach with grief and worry that she felt abandoned.

She was happy to see their smiling faces and played peekaboo with them. This is one of the people who nurtured my babies when I couldn't, who supported them when there was nothing more I could do. Who made sure they got fed, one way or another, so they could grow big and strong. They taught Ricky how to change a diaper (he's a pro now, by the way). Showed us how to work around all the wires and what the machines were telling us. They answered my phone calls, several in the middle of the night, to tell me how many cc's they ate, if they burped easily or if it took a while, if they smiled, if they were upset about being covered up because it burns too many calories for them to look around the room.

I can never thank them enough but I hope it brings warmth to their heart to know I am here to stay, that we love coming back to see them, and that we are paying it forward.

Videos: First 6 Months, 18 Months

I enjoy making videos for my babies. It is fun and a great way to put happy memories with good music!

Cadence and Sierra - First 6 Months

18 Months Old Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BON_BwvxcM

(Unfortunately I cannot embed this video and you won't be able to view it from mobile devices because of copyright issues with the song I used. I did purchase the song but I guess I can't use it in a video and YouTube can't distinguish if it is for personal use or what. Sorry about that!)

March of Dimes Family Fair 2013

We had our 2nd annual Family Fair at the March of Dimes office this past week. Thank you so much to Jenny and everyone who came together in an amazing effort to put this event together! It was a lot of fun.

Carrie, Karen, and I were presenters on different subjects. A lot of interesting and informative topics were covered.

This year the March of Dimes celebrates it's 75th birthday. Be your best for babies!

www.preemie-heart.com

Why I do what I do... my first Miracle Spotlight: Green Sprouts

I have decided to try out a new thing this year, and take a break from all the fundraising by sharing stories about why I am so passionate about what I do with the March of Dimes.

You all know MY story, challenges, and achievements. I want to share even more because what I experienced only just scratches the surface of the world of prematurity, infant loss, and birth defects. What better way to inspire you to help this cause than to remind you what is behind it all?

My very first Miracle Spotlight goes to the Green family. Amanda is part of my online multiples group, which consists of 200+ mamas of multiples (yes that is 400+ children, not even including their kids besides multiples) from all over the world. We started as a group on BabyCenter that was "mothers expecting twins in August 2011". To get where we are at now we have expanded the ages and order of multiples to include newborns up to almost 3 years of age, and we also have several triplet mamas as well. We are a big, happy family always there to support one another. You can always count on someone here to relate to what you are going through and offer a shoulder to cry on. I am very blessed to have them!

Amanda came to us pregnant with twin girls and seeking advice from the rest of us been-there-done-that mamas. On January 16th, 2013, at 30 weeks gestation, little Ryleigh and Adalynn made their grand entrance into the world. Their journey has just begun but it is already an inspiring one, full of beauty and hope, as they are both such strong girls already.

You can follow their amazing adventure at https://www.facebook.com/GreenSproutsJourney

Adalynn

Ryleigh

Amanda and her husband Ryan are currently going through the challenge of being NICU parents, and all while juggling their life with two older sons at home. My heart goes out to them as NICU "Alumni". Although those days are a blur to me now, the pain resonates just as strongly; it is unforgettable. Support for families like Amanda's is so important because it is very easy to feel alone and unsure. There is a lot of uncertain territory in a NICU, no matter what your situation. Intense feelings of sadness, guilt, fear, jealousy, and even anger can run rampant. Every little achievement is noteworthy, every ounce, every feeding, every milestone!

Ryleigh and Adalynn are inspiring to me. I look at their faces and know more than ever why I am fighting for all babies everywhere. Why every single day in utero is soooo precious. Something that Amanda said the day before the girls were born really spoke to me: "We've been given lots of meds to help their lungs more and to try to stop and prolong labor for now...just hoping for a few more hours or days of baking!"

That was a preemie mama speaking... Just hoping for a few more hours. That is an appreciation of something in a small form that is sometimes easily overlooked - one of the defining things about being the mother of a preemie.

Much of the physical support that Ryleigh and Adalynn are receiving right now is thanks in part to the March of Dimes for funding research for this technology. Click here: http://www.marchofdimes.com/research/researchslideshow.html to read more about research breakthroughs.

When I raise money for the March of Dimes, it goes to this research. When you make a donation, it changes a life... somewhere. And from the very bottom of my heart, I thank my friends and family for the donations they have made, because if it were not for people who cared the way that you do, my journey with Cadence and Sierra could have been very different.

Keep in mind that 20 or so years ago, women with lupus were encouraged to not become pregnant. Those that did often lost a baby, or several. Look at me now :) To the health of mamas and babies EVERYWHERE! 

A busy week!

Has it really been a week since I last posted? I feel like time is just flying. It has been a busy past few days with work, family activities, and of course March of Dimes stuff.

I lead a NICU Outreach program, on behalf of the March of Dimes, at Exempla Good Samaritan hospital. My friend Carrie (also a preemie mama) and I, plus Jenny and a great group of volunteers, assemble kits full of great information for parents of NICU babies. We are hoping to next expand to Exempla Lutheran Medical Center. I met there on Tuesday with some of the friendly staff, and our volunteer liaison Angie, and now we are just waiting for our final approvals before we begin the program there. Bringing this reputable source of information and comfort to NICU parents is so incredibly important. The program has "hatched" and I like to consider it still in it's "fledgling" stages. This first step to expanding to more hospitals is excellent. Please keep NICU Outreach in your thoughts! If you would like to help us in any way, please email me at ericksonrk@yahoo.com

I have been getting a lot of great use out of my new Boba Air. I took the girls to the aquarium and also used it at the National Western Stock Show this week. I'm happy to say I was able to try it out with Cadence and I didn't think she would be as accepting of it as Sierra was - but she snuggled right in and enjoyed the ride.

Sierra at the Aquarium looking at a big baracuda-thing. All the fish are so exciting! That is also a new vocabulary word for her - "fish".

Cadence enjoying the finer things at the National Western Stock Show - Pro Rodeo and kettle corn!

So on Saturday I am giving a presentation at the March For Babies Family Fair. I will be discussing Friends of the Family sponsorships. I'm looking forward to seeing some friends as well as hopefully some new faces. There will be other activities, questions answered, and more presentations. If you are, or know anyone who is, interested in learning more about how you/they can help a March For Babies team - this is the event for you! We are happy to have guests! Feel free to ask me for details.

My heart is happy! We have Boba's support! & Upcoming Events...

In 2012, the generosity and support I got to witness firsthand when I began my journey with the March of Dimes was enough to really change me, in a good way. This is something I am really passionate about and with each passing day I feel more and more enthusiastic about this cause, especially during March For Babies season. I can truly say I enjoy doing this from the bottom of my heart. That is why I am so looking forward to the next few months.

The past couple of days have held big milestones for my campaign... new walkers, returning walkers, our first donations, and a special donation from Boba.

Boba (www.bobafamily.com) is based out of Boulder, Colorado and they are the makers of award-winning ergonomic baby carriers. On a side note - this is one of the reasons I love being in Colorado... all these great local businesses coming up with incredible ideas for a more natural style of living. I am a huge fan of ergo carriers because they make baby-wearing comfortable and healthy. I contacted Boba regarding my March For Babies fundraising and they offered to send a Boba Wrap that I can use in a fundraising effort of my choice. I am really excited to distribute this item to a lucky someone out there, knowing 100% of the proceeds will be going to the March of Dimes.

Even better, Boba packed a little extra something in the box that held the Wrap. I mentioned to the ladies in the marketing department that I have my sights set on a Boba Air carrier. It is a lighter, less expensive version of their 2G and 3G carrier models. Since Cadence and Sierra now wiggle out of the Moby Wrap I got when they were born, and get impatient in the Infantino carriers we were generously provided with from the babies shower, I have been thinking that it is finally time to save up and get an ergo carrier. Having a carrier that the babies wouldn't fuss in would make things so much easier when I go places with them on my own. Wear one, push the other in an umbrella stroller. The thought itself is liberating! So, I was basically mentioning that I am looking forward to getting my Boba some day. That day came sooner than I expected because there it was in the box :) I tried it on with Sierra and she basically melted into it. She brought her hands in and snuggled up on me - on my front AND my back! She was even angry when I took her out of it. I am so pleased that she is comfy in it. I am going to try with Cadence tomorrow; she had macaroni and cheese all over.

I was really excited to see the Wrap, and floored when I realized there was a gift for us as well. Thank you so much for being so thoughtful, Heather and Bethany (and Seon who directed me to your department). I cannot begin to explain how much this is going to help me get around town with my little ones. I can wear Sierra on my back and carry Cadence with my two free hands/arms... comfortably. It is going to take away a lot of the guesswork and headache of planning outings. I am really looking forward to an easier time getting them in and out of the car haha. I really hate leaving one baby behind somewhere while I deal with the other one in the car seat.

Having the Wrap means so much to me and my efforts for March For Babies. It is really outstanding to know I have support out there from people who don't even know me, but want to come together for this incredible cause.

Now for my sales pitch - the Boba Air is extremely easy to put on for both front- and back-wearing. Baby always faces you and is seated comfortably so she stays cozy, as Sierra has proven. The straps are very adjustable and I had no issue getting Sierra into the carrier all by myself (which is key here for what I want to use it for, obviously). When it is on correctly, it is very comfortable to wear and didn't give me any sore spots or a back ache, as it is designed ergonomically (for both baby and parent) hence the term ergo carrier, haha. The Air model also conveniently folds into a tiny little built-in zipper pouch. I like this, since I already drag so much stuff around for two toddlers :) The Boba Wrap is the ideal carrier for babies from birth until around 18 months, free of buckles, straps or snaps! Simply tie the material snug against your body and achieve a perfect fit every time – perfect for beginners and advanced baby-wearers alike. Does anyone remember the pic of me baby-wearing two adorable little ones with my stretchy wrap? :)

So if you are in the market for a baby carrier, GO BOBA! :)

Since I have also had a couple other local small businesses offer me products/services to use, I'm thinking this will all come together in an auction. Somehow. I have never hosted anything like this before but I am ready to take the bull by the horns. I'll figure it out one way or another.

Moving right along, here...

I am excited for two different events coming up in the next couple of weeks. The March of Dimes Family Fair is soon and I have been asked to give a short presentation regarding Friends of the Family sponsorships. With this new Boba development and some other communication I've had recently with local businesses I am really excited to share what I have learned so far in 2013. I hope I can inspire some other individuals/teams and help them also make friends and earn support. Also, today I was asked to speak at a March For Babies team kickoff at the hospital where I delivered the girls. Since my friend Carrie and I have implemented a NICU Outreach program there, I am going to share our progress there as well as my story. I have a problem with sharing my story... There is too much to tell! I really should write it down and come up with a spiel since I tell it so often. I am just so proud of my girls and their journey. I would never be able to sum everything up in a way that would satisfy me.

While I'm excited to speak in front of everyone about this mission of mine, I am also nervous because... I am not a very poised public speaker. However I think that if this is what I am going to be doing for years to come, I should get my practice in!

So, what was supposed to be a quick update has now turned into a chapter. I will "wrap" it up now (pun intended!). What exciting events are waiting to unfold? Have a good night, everyone!

A day of phone calls and emails...

Well, I am now wrapping up a day full of phone calls and emails to potential sponsors. It was a very good day, I feel like many local businesses are receptive to what I have to say and the possibility of making a monetary donation. I am spreading my wings, making new friends, and learning a lot of new things with all the people I am talking to. I have a great story to tell, but in the process of spreading the word I have had the honor of hearing other awesome stories as well! It is so amazing to hear how some of these small business owners have connections to a world they don't know much about, or didn't know even existed. I love being able to educate someone on what the March of Dimes is and what they do... not to mention why it is so important not only to me, but to the world we live in, for all babies! If I am unable to do anything else, it is above all my job to spread the word about this cause. So I wrap up today with a good feeling of accomplishment... and hopefully I will gain some sponsorships in the process :)

If you know of any local kid-related organizations or stores that may be interested in supporting Team Our Two Blessings, please let me know! I am reaching out to everyone possible to make this vision come true.

I really can't wait to hear back from some of these people/companies! Sierra says "Be Cool Mom! Be Cool!"

I am so happy to see that our team is growing rapidly with 103 days left until the walk. We even have some money raised already :) To donate, visit http://www.marchforbabies.org/rkcs and from there you can also follow the link to our team page and register for the walk, if you so desire!

New walkers!

Here is our wonderful team from the 2012 March. It was so much fun to walk on a beautiful day with thousands of other people fighting for the same cause!

I am proud to announce that we have a couple of new walkers registered with Team Our Two Blessings for this year's March For Babies. I am so looking forward to it! Today I am also working on follow-up calls with potential Friends of the Family Sponsors. It is hard work but I feel more prepared and definitely more experienced this year. I hope to have some exciting news very soon regarding a couple of companies that so far seem keen on sponsoring us. Keep your fingers crossed :)

If you want to join the team, register at http://www.marchforbabies.org/s_team_page.asp?SeId=1917306&si=

To donate, visit http://www.marchforbabies.org/rkcs

Kicking off for 2013...

My name is Kara, and I have formed family team Our Two Blessings with a vision of working together for stronger, healthier babies everywhere... Please donate to my March For Babies campaign! http://www.marchforbabies.org/rkcs

My family is very involved with the Denver chapter of the March of Dimes because in July of 2011, my twin daughters Cadence and Sierra were born 6 weeks premature. I needed special support during my pregnancy due to complications associated with my lupus, and other issues involved with twin pregnancy. In the end they had to be taken via urgent c-section due to a status of severe IUGR with projected 50% growth discordance (difference) between them. They are identical twins and shared a single placenta, which was quickly running out of nutrition and Cadence was getting most of it. When they were born they spent an amount of time in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Luckily, our last ultrasounds were as accurate as they possibly could be, but it turns out there was only 25% discordance and Cadence was born at 4 lbs and Sierra 3 lbs. While still a serious difference in identical twins, this was much to our relief as opposed to the original suspected 50%.

Thanks to the incredible technology available to us during this challenging time, a lot of which is due in part to funding from the March of Dimes, my husband Ricky and I are happy to say that our daughters arrived into the world as safely as possible, and today they are robust and healthy toddlers. The March of Dimes has a mission to help give every baby a healthy start.

Last year in our campaign to raise money for the March For Babies, Our Two Blessings, in it's first year as a family team, received enough donations to rank in the Top 10 Family Teams for the Denver Chapter. This is amazing in that historically, Denver's March for Babies is one of the top fundraising sites for the March of Dimes in the nation. Only through the generosity of friends and family were we lifted up so incredibly to stand and work together for the health of babies. I am so proud of how far we have come - and that every day, we strive to give back to the community that helped our daughters survive.

This year's March For Babies is taking place on April 27, 2013. We really do rely on your support so I hope you will enjoy reading these updates.

If you are local, please join our team to walk in the March For Babies! You'll get a t-shirt and we would just love to spend this fun time with you.