March of Dimes

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MY ANGEL LOVE

Angel Love

May 2008

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GOOD NEWS AND BAD NEWS

May 14, 2008 01:02pm (EST)

Well gang, I've got good news and I've got bad news.... We'll start with the GOOD NEWS!

I had to meet with Ansley's teacher this week for her last "report card conference". She has met all goals all year long with no additional help needed!!! I won't bore you with all of the exact comments, but just know that the only area that she "needs to work on" is her coordination to skip! I am a "past athelete" so I know that it's important to have some sort of coordination, but I'm not too worried that at 4 years old, she's not skipping to "malloo my darling"! She knows how, and does well for a few feet, but usually turns it into a gallop. Anyway, I'm SUPER PROUD of her for all of her hard work this year in school!! Not bad for a 1 lb. 4 oz. start with a lot of "what ifs"!

Now for the "bad news"......At 5:30 this morning, Ansley woke me up by tapping me on the shoulder to tell me that she needed to "throw up".

We proceeded to the bathroom where she did....several times before 7:00. The weird thing was that from the very first time, her tummy was already empty. I made the decision to leave her at home with daddy and head off to school since I was off on Friday for the funeral. I worked quickly to accomplish the things that HAD to be done today so that I could leave at lunch if needed. I called at 9 and my husband said that she was fine.... He said that she was running around like a "spring chicken"!!

I talked with her on the phone and she sounded so good. I almost told my husband to bring her on to school since she's had PERFECT ATTENDANCE up until today! (Yep--and we only have 7 days to go---and she had to miss!) Anyway, my preemie mom-ness decided that I would be quite upset to know that another parent brought in a child to my daughter's classroom who'd been vomitting just hours before just to get a stinkin' certificate saying that he/she was present every day. She stayed home today and played with Daddy--- I asked if she was able to keep lunch down okay at which time I was informed that they'd had Wendy's chicken nuggets, fries, and Frosties for lunch.

I suppose she's all better now! Wish I knew what caused all of this.....

Tracy

P.S. It's not that the certificate means that much to me, but it symbolizes my little girl being healthy for a WHOLE school year surrounded by kids!!

Posted by Angel Love | Comments: (4) | Permalink

MISSING MAWMAW

May 09, 2008 06:43am (EST)

My childhood memories are so vast! I was lucky enough to get to stay with my grandparents a lot while my parents worked to give us everything that we needed. Each and every morning, my grandfather ("Pawpaw") would put me in the car (no carseat required at the time....

) and drive to the store down the street to get his morning paper and "shoot the breeze" with his buddies. I was ALWAYS allowed to pick my favorite candy and "Push-Up" ice-cream to take back home with us as well. My grandmother ("Mawmaw") would use this time to get her daily routines started in the house, but usually that clean house didn't last long with me around. One of my favorite activities was "cutting"! She would give me paper, glue, scissors, and a Sears catalog and allow me to create whatever my heart desired. It was such a mess, but that's what grandma's do, right?? On Thursdays, my aunt and cousins would come to play with me and I remember one day, my cousin and I hid in the bedroom and cut a small bit off of one another's hair. My hair was super straight and hers was super curly so naturally, I was the "giveaway" for our dirty deed. My Mawmaw swept underneath the bed and found out "trimmings". Never once did she raise her voice, but made sure that we knew that it wasn't okay to do that. I also remember later in my childhood getting off the school bus at their house and finding an "empty" lighter in my uncle's bedroom. I was pretending to start a campfire and the tiny spark from the "empty" lighter set a papertowel on fire in the bedroom. I screamed and ran towards the bathroom meeting my Pawpaw and Mawmaw in the hallway. Pawpaw put out the flaming papertowel while Mawmaw treated my burned hand. Still, nobody yelled....(I think I would have!!)

I say all of this to say that these people were such great grandparents! About 10 years ago, my Pawpaw passed away, and yet my Mawmaw kept that smile on her face and lived every day to the fullest. A little less than a year ago, my Mawmaw began to be a bit confused at times. Thinking that her blood sugar and meds were out of whack, the drs. attempted to regulate which in turn did not help. Mawmaw's confusing grew and the decision was made to move her from her home to a personal care home where there were staff members to help her with meds and eating right. She still had the freedom of coming and going as she wished, but family members were with her when she did. The doctors decided that the symptoms that we were seeing were symptoms of Alzheimers. In such a short time, this disease attack Mawmaw's brain to the point that she sometimes didn't know how to lift her foot causing another move to a nursing home facility. On Wednesday, just 2 weeks after this move, she passed away. Although she will be greatly missed, I know that her mind is clear as a bell now! Here is the amazing part, when I told Ansley on Wed. night that Mawmaw had died, she said, "It's okay Momma, she's in Heaven playing with Taylor now." My heart melts every time I hear her sweet explanations of the complicated things in life. When we concentrate on the horrible things of now, she's always thinking of the future. Today, is the funeral services for my Mawmaw--a funeral service for an awesome lady!! Please remember my family especially on Sunday as we celebrate Mother's Day without Mawmaw.

Tracy

Posted by Angel Love | Comments: (15) | Permalink

NEWS

May 04, 2008 12:49pm (EST)

I just wanted to give everyone a quick update. My cousin's little boy has arrived!! (34 weeks!!) As of now, he's in the NICU and they're seeing how he does with feeding. He's not on oxygen of any kind, but they need to watch and see how the eating goes. According to his dad, he's more interested in sleeping today than eating! If he eats like they're hoping then he'll come home on Tuesday when mom is released!! I'm so glad that this situation has a great "ending". I haven't gotten a weight yet. I've asked twice, but like many other men....that's just something that has slipped the mind. He's a chunky monkey though...fat rolls already!! Thanks for the prayers for our family!

Tracy

Posted by Angel Love | Comments: (9) | Permalink

DON'T THEY KNOW??

Apr 19, 2008 08:47am (EST)

This week has been anything but ordinary in the world of elementary school.... Standardized testing began on Tuesday and continued through Thursday. (We have two more days next week....

) On Tuesday, I was taking the tests back to the office when I noticed that Ansley was sitting on the "silent lunch" table. At first, it seemed that the whole group had just been spaced out a bit, but then I sent one of our secretaries in to see what was up. She was there due to some misbehavior the day before.....

She'd been locking the stall doors in the restroom and crawling back out!! Yes---CRAWLING ON THE BATHROOM FLOOR!!! GERMS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Do they not know that that the thought of bathroom germs touching them sends us into convulsions!!?? I guess it must've been the week for the bathroom blunders...right Jac??!

Tracy

Posted by Angel Love | Comments: (10) | Permalink

NOT FOR ME....

Apr 13, 2008 10:42am (EST)

Earlier in the week, I shared in one of my posts about two different families here in town who have welcomed twins into the world. One family welcomed two little boys, both weighing over 5 lbs. each. The other welcomed a boy and a girl to their family. All are doing well and are coming home soon. I celebrated along with these families even though it makes me wonder why them and not me.... Today, I had a friend come to me at church to ask if there was some type of memorial card to let a family know when a donation was sent to MOD in memory of their child. He went on to say that a co-worker had just lost one of his twin boys and the funeral services are today. I just don't understand.... There are so many great families who take the proper steps and precautions to ensure a healthy pregnancy and yet their children arrive too soon and they face death. I know it's not for me to understand...... Please keep these families in your prayers as they face new adventures of having two children at home, and as they face weeks in the NICU while mourning the loss of one child. Also, please keep my SIL in your prayers as she is expecting identical twin boys in a few months. I can't help, but think back to my situation and the outcome....

Tracy

Posted by Angel Love | Comments: (7) | Permalink

AND THE GREEN GRASS GROWS ALL AROUND...

Apr 05, 2008 08:43am (EST)

With all this rain-----the grass will be over our head soon!!

Today was our walk----yep soggy again! This year it wasn't just drizzling like last year, it was POURING RAIN!! Yesterday the chance of rain increased on weather.com (from 40% to 100%), but in looking at the radar, I didn't see how that little line of rain was going to hold out until morning. Well, God is so amazing that He created MORE!! MUCH MORE!!! The entire south was covered in green....

so here we were again with a walk day and rain. My committee is such a bunch of troopers though. At 6:45 a.m., there we were in the pouring rain, putting up tents, banners, balloons, etc. to try and make the walk site as MOD friendly as possible. Our DJ rolled in shortly thereafter and cranked up the music which put everyone in the mood! (He was great!!) At 8:30, we were suppose to do warm-ups, and the walkers weren't there, but at 8:45 a few people started to come and then a few more, and a few more, and by 9 we had about 30 walkers --with umbrellas of course---ready to countdown and MARCH FOR BABIES!! Our Ambassador Family had planned a nice ride in a convertible, but switched out for a ride with the lead police officer (which the little boy LOVED!!) and we were off!! There are several teams who are still fundraising, but so far we have $18,703 turned in!!! It was raining so hard that I didn't even take my camera, but the photographer will put everything on disk and I'll post some when I can. In other words, farmers in the area LOVE ME because when I plan a walk, they know it will rain, and I'm cold and wet, but we had a great time and raise a lot of money for the sweet little ones!!

Thank you to all of you who offered encouragement and support for us knowing that our walk was coming up! I hope that your weather is beautiful and that the final total is HUGE!! You guys are great!!

Tracy

Posted by Angel Love | Comments: (13) | Permalink

OUT OF THE MOUTHS OF BABES....

Mar 07, 2008 02:10pm (EST)

As you all have heard many, many times from me....I'm from a small town. This small town only has "room" for one charity at a time in most people's eyes so making things catchy and easy makes people want to get involved!! At my school, we have to rotate every other year for walk teams. One year we have a Relay for Life team, the next March of Dimes. Whichever year it is--that's the committee that gets to do fundraising for the year and the opposite committee gets to do one small fundraiser to have something to donate for the year. This year is our year for Relay for Life so for my "small" fundraiser for MOD, I chose a One Week Spare Change Challenge. The kids are asked to bring in any form of money that they wish for one week and the class with the most money wins a party!! At my school, we're set up by hallways (Pre-K - 1st), (2nd - 3rd), and (4th - 5th). Each class is only in competition with the classes on their hall. Things started out much slower this year than in years past and yesterday's today was $250.69. I am always relying on my motto of "It's more than we had before." to get me through those times when I think things could've turned out better. Today's total was $504.20!!!!!!!!!!

I counted change from 8 a.m. - 1 p.m.!!! I was amazed at what these kids could do. Our overall total was $754.69!!!!!

I must brag a moment though.... Every year, I send an email to my co-workers and let them know if they would like me to visit their classroom and explain what March of Dimes is all about to let me know. I usually get big response from Pre-K and Kindergarten, but the others are old enough that they understand a bit better. On Tuesday, I went to Ansley's classroom and talked to all of the pre-K kids at one time. I took the tiny diapers, bottles, etc. that Ansley used along with pictures of her as a tiny baby and explained how their money helped sick babies just like Ansley use to be. I also told them that MOD helps babies just like them---even when they were never sick!! I shared all the "hot spots" for finding change (ie. couch cushions, washer/dryer, under car seats, etc.) and told them to ask their friends and family to give their change to help save babies...AND THEY DID!! Today, alone, their class brought in $192.33!!!

Their total for the week was $217.76!! That made them the highest class total in the entire school!! I am so proud of them---working hard to SAVE BABIES!!

These kids were giving up their ice-cream and snack money in an effort to help!! I just wanted to share the exciting news of my little tiny school (roughly 400 students) and how GREAT they did this week!!

Tracy

P.S. If any of you work in a bank or in accounting where you have to count change daily.....you have my prayers! That's nasty stuff!!!

Posted by Angel Love | Comments: (9) | Permalink

ALL TUCKERED OUT!

Mar 01, 2008 03:07pm (EST)

The Baby Bazaar was a lot of fun and did very well! At least I think so.... We made a little over $1,000 today!! Not bad for just being there and asking folks to register for a door prize! The vendors were great!! There were about 25 who came and set up their stuff and had a great time. Tons of door prizes were given away and almost everyone who came talked about what a great idea it was! Many of the vendors are wanting to do it again soon and definately in the fall!! I'm thinking of partnering with the counties closest to us and offering the same thing in a different area.... Now that I've done it, there are little things that I know would've done great, but you learn as you go. My committee's motto is "It's more than we had before." (meaning...the donation, no matter how big or small is more than we had before.) Today---$1,000 is definately more than we had before!!

Kate~ To answer your question....the weather was perfect!! Sunny skies, light breeze, temperatures topping out between 68 and 70 degrees!!

Thanks for the moral support that you all offered for this new undertaking for our MOD!!

Tracy

Posted by Angel Love | Comments: (9) | Permalink

QUICK UPDATES

Feb 29, 2008 07:39pm (EST)

Here are a few quick updates in our world....

My new nephew, "B" is now 1 month old and weighed in at a whopping 11 lbs. today (Ansley didn't weigh that until she was a year old!!) and had grown an inch since his 2 week visit!! He's such a cutie and is figuring out how to smile now!! He's such a noisy little fellow---I have several nicknames for him at those times..."Flipper" being one of them. Sometimes it seems that we're in Jurassic Park with all of the noises, but he's adorable all the same.

Big brother is making adjustments, but is still "testing the waters" where the little man is concerned. At the same time that my sister has been on maternity leave, her babysitter for the boys found out that she has breast cancer so my older nephew has not been able to go to her house for the normal routine that he so badly needs. She had a double mastectomy on Wed. and they also removed several lymph nodes as well... We're not sure how much and what type of treatments will follow, but she's chomping at the bit to get back to keeping those kids. (She only keeps 6) This is the same lady who use to keep Ansley and we're hoping for a speedy and complete recovery. Needless to say, my sister is ready for the routine to return as well so she can figure out how "B" will work into the routine....LOL! Tonight, both boys are staying with my parents so that my sister and BIL can get a full night's sleep.

Ansley is growing and changing every day. She is so expressive and LOVES her new baby cousin!! She'll make a great mommy one day.........a looooonnnnnggggg time from now.

She's looking forward to going with me tomorrow to the Baby Bazaar to SHOP!! I'm looking forward to taking her so that we can support the MOD together. I'm so proud of her desire to support such a great cause at such an early age. She's only 4 1/2, but she knows what we're working towards---"SAVING BABIES"!!

Speaking of....the March of Dimes Baby Bazaar is tomorrow!! I'm excited about the possibilities that we're facing with this idea!! I'll be sure to post and let you all know how it went when I get back tomorrow!! Also, as I've said before....you're all invited!!

I'll be lookin' for you!

Tracy

Posted by Angel Love | Comments: (7) | Permalink

AHHH SO RELAXING......

Feb 26, 2008 08:48pm (EST)

I just got back from a friend's SPA PARTY!! It was so FABULOUS and so needed!!! It was a time that girlfriends could just hang out and talk and take advantage of the complimentary treatments offered by this company. Did the representative want you to buy the products---of course, but it was a lot of fun trying each product out!!

I scheduled a fundraiser with this company for March of Dimes. All I have to do is sell coupons for $20 each. When I do this, the representative gets the names and contact information of all who purchase the coupons so that she can contact these potential customers. I get 100% of the money for the coupons for MOD!! The customers write the checks straight to MOD!! I'm hoping that this will be a great, easy fundraiser for March for Babies since last year was a huge success in partnering with Tupperware doing a similar fundraiser. These companies love to book parties, and I'm nt a great hostess, but I can certainly pass a book around and ask people if they are interested in order from it. Simple as pie!! I just thought some of you might be interested in checking with some of the representatives in your area.

Last, but certainly not least, I want to say THANK YOU for recognizing me as a "Shining Star". I definately don't feel that I deserve such recognition, but am flattered all the same.

Tracy

Posted by Angel Love | Comments: (7) | Permalink

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