Blogging for Babies

Hello interwebs! I know, I know, it's been a long time and I apologize. I fell off the face of the blog earth and have only just now returned. But I promise to make it up to you, starting now. One of my New Year's Resolutions is to blog more. And I have a very special post to kick off the New Year, one that is very near and dear to my heart.

:deep breath:

Armando and I were extremely blessed in 2009. I had an uncomplicated pregnancy and gave birth to a very healthy baby boy in May. He is, in every way, the light of our lives. I can't tell you how thankful we are for him. I also cannot imagine life without him.

Those of you who know me well know that I am an active poster on an internet message board for moms, moms-to-be, and women trying to concieve. Laugh if you want, but I've grown close to these women and consider them close friends, although I've never had the pleasure of meeting most of them in real life. In the past year, I've watched 6 women whom I consider friends go through something no one should ever have to deal with. The loss of a child due to premature birth.

Prior to 2009, I don't think I fully grasped the idea of a premature infant passing away. Sure, I knew it happened, but it's really rare, right? It's amazing what medical technology can do, surely we can eradicate something like premature birth. Like many other women, I rejoiced when I hit the 2nd trimester, thinking I was out of the woods. Now I know better. Prematurity happens much more often than I ever realized and it is a nightmare come to life for the parents and families affected by it.

This blog post is dedicated to six special babies: Heather, McKenzie, Mary, Katie, Gabriel and Jillian. Although there time was short, their tiny lives have affected countless others. These babies have taught me to cherish every.single.moment. Every smile, every 3 am waking, every tiny milestone is made more precious to me because of these babies. I no longer take anything my son does for granted.

This blog post is also dedicated to their mothers, some of whom I know only by their screen-names. The fact that I don't know their first names doesn't matter. They have gone through a hell that no mother should go through in the past year and have somehow found the strength and resilience to share their stories, their grief, and even the joy that their daughter or son brought them as they held their tiny babies in their arms. These women are without a doubt, the strongest women I know.

I've sat on the other side of my computer screen and read these stories. I've wept for these women and felt powerless that there isn't more I can do for them. For months, I would sit down to write a blog post and found that whatever I wanted to write about just seemed trivial in the face of what they were going through. I think about them every day and the thought weighs heavy on my heart.

About three weeks ago, I read a non baby-related blog in which the author was donating a can of food to a local food drive for every comment she received on her blog. I realized that this was a way for me to make a difference, begin blogging again and hopefully raise awareness on prematurity so that one day this won't happen to another mother.

So, my faithful blog readers (if there are any of you left out there), I offer you this. For every comment left on this blog post in the next 10 days, I will donate a dollar to March of Dimes. All I ask is that you leave your name (or screen-name if you prefer) in the comment somewhere. Post your thoughts, your reactions, your well-wishes for these babies and their mothers, or just say hi. I also issue a challenge to anyone who keeps up their own blog. Join me in Blogging for Babies. Write your own post and open it up to donations for comments. To sweeten the pot, if you copy and paste a link to your blog post in my comment section, I will donate a dollar for each comment YOU receive. That's like 2 donations for the price of one!

Now, for practicality and disclaimer's sake, I will have to set a limit on the amount I can donate. It kills me to have to do it, but it would kill me even more to not be able to follow through on my word. I'm going to officially cap my donation at $300. If I receive more comments than that and have the ability to donate more, I will.

So there you have it, interwebs. Please leave me a comment and consider making a blog post of your own. Also, I ask if you would, please take a moment and say a prayer (or whatever you are comfortable doing) for Heather, McKenzie, Mary, Katie, Gabriel and Jillian and also for their parents that they find some peace in the coming year.

Happy New Year.