Team Brock and Brody

In just a few weeks, I will be walking proudly in the very first "March for Babies". It's not the first walk, but that is the new name for the annual March of Dimes WalkAmerica event, and I think it is appropriate, because it helps remind us just who we are walking for. This is a walk for babies; those who are born healthy and those who need help to survive. Their goal is that one day all babies will be born healthy and have access to adequate medical care. I imagine that most of you who read this blog are touched strongly by that vision.

Personally, I am walking for some babies very near to my heart-my own sweet boys, Jack and Sam-both born prematurely and both survivors thanks to the amazing advances in medicine and both prenatal and postnatal care. There is such a feeling of helplessness when you are dealing with premature labor and birth. I remember being so scared and even feeling guilty for not being able to control anything. But throughout it all we were so blessed with great caregivers and physicians and of course, our sweet Lord's intervention. I know that alot of the care we received was only possible because of events like the March of Dimes.

I also walk for our sweet cousins for whom our team is named-Brock and Brody Allen, 24-weekers who have been safe in the arms of Jesus for four years now. I don't think we will ever be done grieving this loss, but knowing that they are there just makes us long for Heaven even more. I am walking with their mom, Matt's cousin Ashley, and several other family members, including my mom and mother-in-law. It will be a special day for our family to reflect on those precious souls.

I could not do this walk without also walking for some other sweet twins that I love, Kanyon and Jayde Phillips. They were the 25-weeker twins of my dear friend Jaymie. Jayde has now been with the Lord for a year, and Kanyon continues to struggle and triumph each day. Not one prayer gets said around this house without mentioning his name.

I would love for you to visit my page to learn more about the walk, and to donate if your heart moves you to do so. I have seen firsthand the blessings that can come through this research and funding. After spending weeks in the NICU, I will be forever grateful for the March of Dimes organization and will hopefully continue to be involved with it. Like I said earlier, this walk is for ALL babies...so please take a minute to look at the site. We are doing the Houston walk, but there is also a walk coming up in Fort Worth, so maybe some of you might even like to get out there and walk. You can get to my page here.

Because of my continued struggles with my own health, this walk will probably be challenging for me physically. But I think that is actually a good thing because I know it will only be a reminder of what so many babies have to go through, and remind me why I am there in the first place. Nobody worry...I won't overdo it!

Please go to my page and consider being a part of this great thing...more than anything, please pray that it will be a wonderful day and that this organization will be blessed so that it can continue to bless the lives of so many babies and their families. What a blessing it would be if their dream was realized and ALL babies could be born healthy.

Here's a couple of pictures of Sam in his swing that shows just how much he has grown.

This one is at almost two months old and 4 pounds...




And this one is at almost ten months old and a whopping 17 pounds...