World Prematurity Day

Today is World Prematurity Day. Last year (and the years before last that I wasn't so aware of the day) it was just Prematurity Awareness. This year, we get the whole world involved. Something like 13 million babies worldwide are born prematurely every year. 1 million of those don't survive.

Last year, I wrote I tried to do my part of spreading the awareness by posting our story of Jaxon's birth. Never in a million years did I expect that one of the people that read it would be a mom whose twins were born prematurely when artificial surfectant was being tested. Her babies were among the first to use it. When I read her comment on my blog last year, I was so grateful to her and her babies for participating in a study that probably helped my son breathe 18 years later, I cried. (Today her babies are 20 years old! Happy birthday and thank you to them!)

Until Jax was born I was aware of premature births, but not aware of it. No one expect their baby to be born too early. 2 years, 6 months and 2 days later I am painfully aware of it. Last year's awareness day made me realize that I (whether I wanted to be or not) am apart of a community of preemie families. And that each of those families is tied to every other preemie baby that was, is and will be born from here on out. The work that the March of Dimes ties us all together and knowing that ... floors me. It also makes me feel like Jax, Josh and I aren't so alone in our story.

On this day, I hope you will be more aware of those 13 million babies, their families, all the doctors and nurses that work with those families, and what the March of Dimes does to help all of those people.

To our families and friends, I hope you realize how much we appreciated your support and love in those first 20 days. To any doctors or nurses that work with NICU babies, the work you do is amazing, though sometimes underappreciated. To our local March of Dimes chapter, especially Collette, thank you for checking in on us and answering our questions. And to that mom & her twins as well as any other preemie families whose story is tied to ours, thank you.

Tumbling Class Week 4

This week, we were working on cartwheel skills and balancing. Below, there are 2 pictures of Jax doing a handstand against a wall with his hands on 2 pictures of apple pies. This is his FAVORITE station to do when we do circuits. (I think probably because he can do it on his own.) I love watching him during class, when he finishes doing something and goes "I DID IT! YEA!" ~ he is so proud of himself :) He's walking backwards on the balance beam ~ he doesn't like to do this without a hand to hold onto and forgets about the whole "airplane arms" thing.

Boxed Up!

Who needs toys when you have a big, long box that Daddy's golf club case came in? Cut some windows and doors so you can drive cars through it and you have hours of entertainment!

Cin'Que is 4!

We went to Chuck E. Cheese for Cin'Que's 4th birthday ~ Jax was a little more into it this time than he was when we went for his birthday in April. He's still not a fan of the robot/muppet things though. They're fun to watch, but he does NOT like to get too close. Please note the overhand throw. He played skee-ball like this too. I was convinced for a bit that we'd end up having to buy one of the machines because he was going to break it.

The birthday boy! :)

I LOVE the look on his face. Mostly because he hadn't opened the gun that went with the bullets yet and was flipping out over them. So funny!

Halloween Catch Up

We didn't go trick or treating since we had tumbling class on Halloween, but that doesn't mean we didn't do some partying! The Friday before Halloween, we went to a carnival at the dealership and played some games and got LOTS of candy. At preschool we had 2 costume parties and so one day he was Buzz Lightyear and the next he was a skeleton.

This was actually just us hanging out at home one day. Jax felt like it was a pajama sort of day (he loves these Buzz Lightyear jammies!) and asked if he could wear the wings I got for my Halloween costume for school. So we spent some time flying around the living room with our fancy wings one day :)

Tumbling Class Week 2

Jax was SO excited when we got to tumbling for his second week of class. He definately enjoys the chance to "bounce" as he calls it and play and try new things. This week, they practiced a front flip off (over?) an uneven bar. He thought it was pretty cool, though he doesn't hold onto the bar like he's supposed to. Front Flip