One of our favorite days of the year is coming in just over a week! Gwyneth will be turning four! And, while we love birthday parties and cake and ice cream, our favorite part about this grand day is what we like to call "reverse gifting".
For the past two years for Gwyneth's birthday we've asked our friends and family to forgo any birthday gifts for Gwyneth (really, she has everything a four year old could want/need already) and instead purchase new or gently used preemie clothes for us to deliver to the Intensive Care Nurseries at DUKE and CHKD (the two hospitals that have taken such great care of Gwyneth for us). Over the past three years we've delivered nearly 100 gift bags full of clothes.
Gwyneth is now old enough to begin to understand what we're doing, and we're looking forward to continuing this for many years to come. It's a lot of fun and a great way to teach our daughter that her special day doesn't have to be all about her. Collecting and delivering these gifts has truly become one of the highlights of our year.
We learned from our experience at Duke that every little detail for a family of a newborn preemie can be a huge mountain of stress, including (maybe, especially, considering how hard they are to find) finding preemie clothes. Finding clothes tiny enough to fit a 4lb baby can be very difficult.
Here is a blog comment from a mother who received one the gift bags:
I just wanted to say Thank You! I arrived at the duke NICU today and received our onesie and your letter!! My son keylan, was born 3 wks ago @ 24 wks and weighing 1 lb 8 oz. Your gift really touched my heart. With everything going on, I haven't even thought about clothes. At times I feel so alone, to know their are people that care is truly a blessing!! Christy
Last year, we extended the invitation for our "reverse gifting" celebration of Gwyneth's birthday to our blog readers, and we had several people respond! We'd like to again invite you to participate if you want to. Gwyneth's birthday party isn't going to take place for a few more weeks, which means we have plenty of time to gather as many preemie clothes as possible.
If you would like to celebrate Gwyneth's 4th birthday with us in this way, here are three ways to do it:
1. Donate new or gently used preemie clothes to your nearest hospital Infant Care Nursery in honor of Gwyneth and/or any other preemie that has blessed your life.
2. Mail new or gently used preemie clothes to us. We'll deliver them for you to Duke and/or CHKD. (see mailing address and instructions below)
3. Mail or Email gift cards to us from either BabiesRUs or Target and we'll do the shopping for you. (see email and instructions below)
Thank you so much for considering joining us as we bless other preemie families in celebration of our daughter's birth and life!
Nate
Mail to:
Nathan Lawrenson
105 W. Soundside Rd. (for UPS)
PO Box 302 (for all other)
Nags Head, NC 27959
Click Here for My Email
We have had the most success shopping for preemie clothes at BabiesRUs and Target. You can also find lots of preemie clothes at Online Retailers.
E-GiftCards can be purchased at BabiesRUs Here and Target Here.
Please, keep clothes unwrapped (as in, don't wrap them in wrapping paper). The hospital prefers for gifts to be unwrapped so there are no surprises...we'll make sure to put them in gift bags for you when we deliver them. Also, feel free to include a personal note to the preemie family(s) with your gift.
We'll be accepting donations until the end of January. If you have any questions, please email or leave me a comment. Thanks!
Showing posts with label Baby Stuff. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Baby Stuff. Show all posts
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Friday, August 7, 2009
Battle Ready
It might not look it, but this is a sign of trouble....
As most parents know, and as we're learning, once they start crawling and standing and exploring, the battle dominance and safety between parents and children over has only just begun. After over a month of putting it off, Tricia and I decided this morning (with Gwyneth's help) that our project over the weekend must be Gwyneth-proofing the house.
Just this morning our fearless, diapered, red-kneed trouble maker rediscovered the cat food, learned how to open the kitchen cabinets and decided that a very tall study lamb had to be more fun parallel to the floor. So, we're off to Home Depot and Walmart to stock up.
Got any tips, products, resources or creative battle strategies to share with us? Now's your chance to help us get starting with a victory!
Nate
As most parents know, and as we're learning, once they start crawling and standing and exploring, the battle dominance and safety between parents and children over has only just begun. After over a month of putting it off, Tricia and I decided this morning (with Gwyneth's help) that our project over the weekend must be Gwyneth-proofing the house.
Just this morning our fearless, diapered, red-kneed trouble maker rediscovered the cat food, learned how to open the kitchen cabinets and decided that a very tall study lamb had to be more fun parallel to the floor. So, we're off to Home Depot and Walmart to stock up.
Got any tips, products, resources or creative battle strategies to share with us? Now's your chance to help us get starting with a victory!
Nate
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Green Dress
Gwyneth has a new green dress, which means she's all set for Easter! It also means that mommy had another good reason to blog...check out more pics of Gwyneth and her new dress on Tricia's Blog!
Nate
Nate
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Hand-Me-Downs
The best thing about having lots of cousins? Sweet, cold-weather hand-me-downs! Thanks cousins J and L!
Nate
Nate
Monday, October 20, 2008
No News is Good Day
Despite not hearing a word from Duke, we had a great day today:
> Drove safely to VA this morning, with Gwyneth sleeping most of the way.
> Gwyneth had a good checkup with her eye doctor.
> We had fun looking for some new furniture for the new house.
> Bought some baby gifts for new friends arriving soon.
> Found Gwyneth's TRUNKorTREAT costume that we've been searching for (for half-price).
> Hung out with two of our best friends.
> Drove safely home tonight, with Gwyneth sleeping most of the way.
Hoping to hear from Duke tomorrow.
Nate
> Drove safely to VA this morning, with Gwyneth sleeping most of the way.
> Gwyneth had a good checkup with her eye doctor.
> We had fun looking for some new furniture for the new house.
> Bought some baby gifts for new friends arriving soon.
> Found Gwyneth's TRUNKorTREAT costume that we've been searching for (for half-price).
> Hung out with two of our best friends.
> Drove safely home tonight, with Gwyneth sleeping most of the way.
Hoping to hear from Duke tomorrow.
Nate
Monday, August 4, 2008
Toys! (Video Version)
Here's some video of Gwyneth interacting with her toys. Notice how she finds her giraffe at the end and has a conversation with him. I've watched her talk to him for 20 minutes at a time... (the rumbling noise is my breathing getting too close to the mic...sorry)
Nate
Nate
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Toys!
Gwyneth has rounded another corner and is now interacting with her toys, smiling and talking and laughing at them. She's especially fond of talking to an orange giraffe with black polka dots. We've yet to hear him talk back. She still hasn't figured out how to use her hands much, except to pull her nasal cannula out...
Nate
Nate
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Baby Shower Pics
Here are a few pics of Gwyneth's shower. 50 points to the first person who can guess the theme (it's kinda hard to figure out...). ;)
Thanks to everyone who came and shared their lives with us. Tricia had a great time!!! A special thanks to Rachel and Bethany for hosting, and for my mom and Brenda for decorating!
BTW, Gwyneth and I had fun playing the Wii at my brother-in-law's house!
Nate
Thanks to everyone who came and shared their lives with us. Tricia had a great time!!! A special thanks to Rachel and Bethany for hosting, and for my mom and Brenda for decorating!
BTW, Gwyneth and I had fun playing the Wii at my brother-in-law's house!
Nate
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
(Bump) In Lieu Of Gifts
I thought today would be a good day to bump this. I probably shouldn't be, but I AM amazed that people actually took me up on these alternative ideas. Thank you so much for your generosity to the CFF and pregnancy centers in Tricia and Gwyneth's honor!!!
I've received several emails and comments over the past few days and weeks asking us where we have registered for baby stuff. While we are incredibly humbled and appreciative of the generosity of total strangers, to be completely honest, we'd rather not post all of that info on the blog or give it out to too many people for two reasons:
1) We're scared if we did give it out to anyone who asked for it there wouldn't be anything left for any of our family and friends to get us. We've yet to have an actual baby shower, and I've heard from so many friends and family who are very excited about participating in one when we get home. Based on the generosity we've already received, I have no doubt that you crazy people (and, I say that fondly) would give us all we need and more, and that's not really what we want out of all of this. Again, as much as we genuinely appreciate the gifts we have received (and I'm sure will continue to receive), we would like to experience some normalcy in this area of our life and are looking forward to a real shower. :)
2) What we really want, as I've mentioned several times before, is to turn our blessing into ways that can bless others. If you are one of the people who really want to give a baby gift (and if not, that's totally cool because we've never expected anything out of this blogging experience), consider the following options in honor of Gwyneth and/or Tricia:
> Donate to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and help us find new drugs and treatments and possibly a cure that will benifit thousands of CFers across the world. I have nearly met my personal goal of $10,000 (almost entirely with your help!), and have decided to bump my goal up to $15,000 since I have until September 13 to accomplish it. Every penny makes a difference!
> Contact your local Crisis Pregnancy Center and/or hospital and inquire how you can donate some new, baby items. I can almost guarantee that they would more than welcome your donation and that they know of plenty of families who are in much greater need than we find ourselves in.
All of this is NOT to say if you have already sent us a gift that we don't greatly appreciate it...we DO! You have made our lives so much easier and more enjoyable now and in years to come.
We truly appreciate that some people who have already given to the CFF are now asking for ways to give in a more personal way...and, we can honestly say that there could be nothing more personal to us than if you would consider giving to others because of our story.
Thanks!
Nate
I've received several emails and comments over the past few days and weeks asking us where we have registered for baby stuff. While we are incredibly humbled and appreciative of the generosity of total strangers, to be completely honest, we'd rather not post all of that info on the blog or give it out to too many people for two reasons:
1) We're scared if we did give it out to anyone who asked for it there wouldn't be anything left for any of our family and friends to get us. We've yet to have an actual baby shower, and I've heard from so many friends and family who are very excited about participating in one when we get home. Based on the generosity we've already received, I have no doubt that you crazy people (and, I say that fondly) would give us all we need and more, and that's not really what we want out of all of this. Again, as much as we genuinely appreciate the gifts we have received (and I'm sure will continue to receive), we would like to experience some normalcy in this area of our life and are looking forward to a real shower. :)
2) What we really want, as I've mentioned several times before, is to turn our blessing into ways that can bless others. If you are one of the people who really want to give a baby gift (and if not, that's totally cool because we've never expected anything out of this blogging experience), consider the following options in honor of Gwyneth and/or Tricia:
> Donate to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and help us find new drugs and treatments and possibly a cure that will benifit thousands of CFers across the world. I have nearly met my personal goal of $10,000 (almost entirely with your help!), and have decided to bump my goal up to $15,000 since I have until September 13 to accomplish it. Every penny makes a difference!
> Contact your local Crisis Pregnancy Center and/or hospital and inquire how you can donate some new, baby items. I can almost guarantee that they would more than welcome your donation and that they know of plenty of families who are in much greater need than we find ourselves in.
All of this is NOT to say if you have already sent us a gift that we don't greatly appreciate it...we DO! You have made our lives so much easier and more enjoyable now and in years to come.
We truly appreciate that some people who have already given to the CFF are now asking for ways to give in a more personal way...and, we can honestly say that there could be nothing more personal to us than if you would consider giving to others because of our story.
Thanks!
Nate
(Bump) Baby Shower!
This is mostly an FYI for our friends and family, but I thought you might like to know as well.
For those of you who would come if you could, but can't, Read This!
Thanks!
Nate
For those of you who would come if you could, but can't, Read This!
Thanks!
Nate
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Update
We are loving having Gwyneth home with us! It's been amazing to see the timing of everything. Had she been discharged earlier, Tricia would have been too weak to do much with her. If she were discharged closer to when we are hoping to go home to the OBX, we wouldn't have all of this time to spend focused on her. God continues to bless us.
The trip home was very good. A video camera met us on our way out, and I've heard rumors that we were on ABC11 again, but I missed it and haven't found it yet on the website (I'll let you know if I do find it). Gwyneth was sleeping by the time we made it to the car, and she slept all the way home.
The whole first 24 hours was a little strange as both Tricia and I kept consciously looking/feeling for all of the monitor feeds that have been strapped to her for all of those weeks...it's incredible to be able to pick her up and carry her around anywhere we want to. When we got home, I sat in the glider with her and started crying.
She came home with several meds and a few breathing treatments. Everything is to help her as she continues to catch up with her development. She has what is called "Chronic Lung Disease", which basically means that her lungs are still underdeveloped (for a newborn 4+ weeks after the due-date), a very common thing for a micro-preemie. It sounds a lot worse than it is...she has a little trouble catching her breath when she's very active, and should grow out of it within a few years. It should have no affect on her continued development.
She has breathing treatments just like Tricia did with her CF, with some of the same drugs that Tricia has been on. She should hopefully be done with the breathing treatments soon. (and, because I know somebody's going to ask...again, Gwyneth does NOT have CF)
All that means that there is a little more to remember to do than with a normal infant. All of her meds are liquids that are mixed in with her food. She's eating ad lib, which is about every three hours. She was transitioned completely off donor breast milk and onto formula over her last few weeks in the NICU, and other than a little gas (which is also normal), she is doing great with her feedings.
I've been feeding Gwyneth throughout the night, letting Tricia get the sleep she needs to continue recovering, and for the most part, she is sleeping well and letting us get plenty of sleep. Agnes (Tricia's mom) is here for a while to help as we adjust to life as three, which has been a huge help. With Gwyneth's minimal medical needs, and Tricia's continued needs, it can be a little crazy to remember everything and maintain a sense of normalcy, but it's been going very well.
We had our first outpatient Pediatric appointment on Friday. It was just the two of us as Tricia was at PT. Everything continues to look great, and her doc (who was seeing her for the first time) said she looks very developed for her history. We have another peds appointment tomorrow, and an appointment with a pediatric pulmonologist later in the week....it's actually the same pulmonologist that followed Tricia when she was a child at CHOP.
There is always a chance that, if she gets sick or has a setback, she'll be back in the hospital, but every day improves her chances of not having that happen. We are still praying that we'll be able to go home to the OBX within the next 3-4 weeks when Tricia finishes up her PT.
A few highlights from our time home...
> I took her for a walk outside our hotel the afternoon we got home (she was wide awake) and showed her things like her first tree, her first sidewalk, her first cloud, her first helicopter, and her first hot tub. She was very impressed.
> Her first trip to Babies"R"Us. She basically wanted everything...slightly annoying, but she'll learn soon enough to do that kind of thing only around the grandparents.
> Her first episode of SportsCenter...I was sure to point out Mia Hamm and the NY Mets. I'm teaching her to spit at the TV with me whenever the NY Yankees and Dallas Cowgirls make an appearance.
That's basically it. My email is still not sending, so don't sweat if you haven't heard from me in the past few days...hopefully I can get it fixed tomorrow. I'll post some pics when I get a chance.
Thanks!
Nate
The trip home was very good. A video camera met us on our way out, and I've heard rumors that we were on ABC11 again, but I missed it and haven't found it yet on the website (I'll let you know if I do find it). Gwyneth was sleeping by the time we made it to the car, and she slept all the way home.
The whole first 24 hours was a little strange as both Tricia and I kept consciously looking/feeling for all of the monitor feeds that have been strapped to her for all of those weeks...it's incredible to be able to pick her up and carry her around anywhere we want to. When we got home, I sat in the glider with her and started crying.
She came home with several meds and a few breathing treatments. Everything is to help her as she continues to catch up with her development. She has what is called "Chronic Lung Disease", which basically means that her lungs are still underdeveloped (for a newborn 4+ weeks after the due-date), a very common thing for a micro-preemie. It sounds a lot worse than it is...she has a little trouble catching her breath when she's very active, and should grow out of it within a few years. It should have no affect on her continued development.
She has breathing treatments just like Tricia did with her CF, with some of the same drugs that Tricia has been on. She should hopefully be done with the breathing treatments soon. (and, because I know somebody's going to ask...again, Gwyneth does NOT have CF)
All that means that there is a little more to remember to do than with a normal infant. All of her meds are liquids that are mixed in with her food. She's eating ad lib, which is about every three hours. She was transitioned completely off donor breast milk and onto formula over her last few weeks in the NICU, and other than a little gas (which is also normal), she is doing great with her feedings.
I've been feeding Gwyneth throughout the night, letting Tricia get the sleep she needs to continue recovering, and for the most part, she is sleeping well and letting us get plenty of sleep. Agnes (Tricia's mom) is here for a while to help as we adjust to life as three, which has been a huge help. With Gwyneth's minimal medical needs, and Tricia's continued needs, it can be a little crazy to remember everything and maintain a sense of normalcy, but it's been going very well.
We had our first outpatient Pediatric appointment on Friday. It was just the two of us as Tricia was at PT. Everything continues to look great, and her doc (who was seeing her for the first time) said she looks very developed for her history. We have another peds appointment tomorrow, and an appointment with a pediatric pulmonologist later in the week....it's actually the same pulmonologist that followed Tricia when she was a child at CHOP.
There is always a chance that, if she gets sick or has a setback, she'll be back in the hospital, but every day improves her chances of not having that happen. We are still praying that we'll be able to go home to the OBX within the next 3-4 weeks when Tricia finishes up her PT.
A few highlights from our time home...
> I took her for a walk outside our hotel the afternoon we got home (she was wide awake) and showed her things like her first tree, her first sidewalk, her first cloud, her first helicopter, and her first hot tub. She was very impressed.
> Her first trip to Babies"R"Us. She basically wanted everything...slightly annoying, but she'll learn soon enough to do that kind of thing only around the grandparents.
> Her first episode of SportsCenter...I was sure to point out Mia Hamm and the NY Mets. I'm teaching her to spit at the TV with me whenever the NY Yankees and Dallas Cowgirls make an appearance.
That's basically it. My email is still not sending, so don't sweat if you haven't heard from me in the past few days...hopefully I can get it fixed tomorrow. I'll post some pics when I get a chance.
Thanks!
Nate
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Gwyneth Update
This is your preemie...
This is your preemie on sedation and morphine...
Any questions?
Seriously, though, Gwyneth is doing great! That last pic was taken just after her surgery yesterday. She is continuing to eat well, and is doing great after the surgery. Basically back to "normal" this morning.
We've obviously chosen not to share the specifics of Gwyneth's surgery for personal reasons, but again, it was something that was relatively minor and something that we've known about for several weeks. They were simply waiting to operate until just before she was ready to go home. She should have no lasting issues.
We never made it to the baby stuff today, so we'll try again tomorrow!
Thanks!
Nate
This is your preemie on sedation and morphine...
Any questions?Seriously, though, Gwyneth is doing great! That last pic was taken just after her surgery yesterday. She is continuing to eat well, and is doing great after the surgery. Basically back to "normal" this morning.
We've obviously chosen not to share the specifics of Gwyneth's surgery for personal reasons, but again, it was something that was relatively minor and something that we've known about for several weeks. They were simply waiting to operate until just before she was ready to go home. She should have no lasting issues.
We never made it to the baby stuff today, so we'll try again tomorrow!
Thanks!
Nate
Today
Today, among other things, we are going to do some baby shopping. I believe a Stroller and Car Seat are the two main items on the list.
But first, we're going to go check in with Gwyneth. She decided to extubate herself about an hour after surgery yesterday, and she has been breathing on her own since. She began feeding again at 8 this morning and continues to do great! She's still in the NICU, which is fine with us as we feel more at home there anyway after 3 months there...while the nurses in the step-down unit are just as great, it just doesn't feel the same.
Right now we're looking at mid-week to bring Gwyneth home!
Thanks!
Nate
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Fraggle Hats
Several people have asked me where I got Gwyneth's "Fraggle hat" from. Kristi Rutledge makes them and sells them Here.
Enjoy!
Nate
Enjoy!
Nate
Friday, March 7, 2008
Fraggle Rock-a-Bye Baby
It's very important that you watch this video before reading the rest of this post...
I always wanted a Fraggle...
We've received lots of fun baby stuff, but this one hat has got to be my favorite so far.
Nate
I always wanted a Fraggle...
We've received lots of fun baby stuff, but this one hat has got to be my favorite so far.
Nate
Monday, March 3, 2008
Burp!
Burp Cloths, that is...
Sara Cohen is one of my blog readers, and after following one of her comments to her blog, I saw the link to her Keiki Cloths business.
From her blog:
Keiki is Hawaiian for baby, or child. These cloths are a more stylish version of white cloth diapers used for burping babies. Different fabrics, fun colors, more pleasing for mom, dad, and baby!
Tricia and I are all about anything Hawaiian, so I sent Sara an email and ordered a few Hawaiian print burp cloths for Gwyneth.
I thought I would share about Sara's budding business because I know there are a lot of parents, grandparents, etc. who might be interested in ordering something.
Thanks!
Nate
Sara Cohen is one of my blog readers, and after following one of her comments to her blog, I saw the link to her Keiki Cloths business.
From her blog:
Keiki is Hawaiian for baby, or child. These cloths are a more stylish version of white cloth diapers used for burping babies. Different fabrics, fun colors, more pleasing for mom, dad, and baby!
Tricia and I are all about anything Hawaiian, so I sent Sara an email and ordered a few Hawaiian print burp cloths for Gwyneth.
I thought I would share about Sara's budding business because I know there are a lot of parents, grandparents, etc. who might be interested in ordering something.
Thanks!
Nate