November is Premature Birth Awareness month.

November is creeping up on me, us, everyone. I'm trying to focus on one thing: Halloween. So I'm trying to push November out of my head. But, I've been asked to have our family be the ambassador family for March of Dimes this year. And since I'm the mother of a preemie now, and our story is something that could very well happen to anyone.. Which I would want to make known so it IS preventable, I accepted. So. Our goal is to raise $500 for March of Dimes. And in order to do this, I also have made a custom nail wrap design through Jamberry Nails, with whom I am an Independent Consultant with.

To purchase these, please contact me here: https://www.facebook.com/CSweeney14

**All commission I make from the sales on this design or any purchase from the website(http://csweeney.jamberrynails.net) towards this fundraiser(March of Dimes Fundraiser) will be donated.If you do not wish to purchase the wraps I created with Jamberry, then please, feel free to just donate! Thank you for your time! Every little bit helps.

Donate or join Team Lainee here: http://www.marchforbabies.org/personal_page.asp?pp=5437767&ct=4&w=6903453&u=csweeney14

Here is our story:

https://www.facebook.com/notes/crystal-sweeney/our-story-refusing-the-flu-shot-2013/10152891898342224

9 months.

Pip turned 9 months old two days ago. 9 months. It's hard to believe 9 months ago today I was fighting for my life and my baby girl was getting hers established. I think.. I think that her coming early was just the beginning. In her little lifetime so far she has had nothing but downfalls.  Being premature. Having a dislocated hip. Not being able to roll over, sit up or even crawl. But I also think that we need to learn from her. She doesn't let the cast hold her back. She giggles and "jumps" in it. She loves. Loves her brother, loves her daddy, the pups.. and me. Unconditionally. The way she watches her brother makes my eyes water every single time. The way her eyes light up and she wiggles in her cast happily when I walk up to her bed. I love it. I feel like it's hard with her.. to bond. She can't exactly be held to eat a bottle. Hell, holding her in general is hard. Awkward. We can't really snuggle. I try. Trust me. She moves from bed to bean bag chair to someone's legs, sometimes the floor, sometimes the car. . Back to bed. She doesn't seem at all bothered. Well, in a sense. She is bothered sometimes and gets fussy. But we have a great routine down now. Wake at 6/7, up til 8/9, nap from 8/9-10/11, lunch, nap from 12/1230-2/3, up til 4/5, nap from 430/5-6/630, dinner and up til 8, bed 8/830.. She wakes up sometimes twice a night.. now that she has that Amber teething necklace she eats and goes back to sleep.

I'm so ready for this MRI on Wednesday. So ready for the news to be a brace, not another spica. Maybe I'm getting my hopes up to high. Maybe I should prepare for a second spica. But I'm ready to start moving on. I'm ready for my baby girl to move after her big brother. I'm ready to cuddle her when she needs it, rather than try to hold her against me awkwardly. I don't want her to spend 12 more weeks thinking this is it. This is get life now. Because she doesn't know anything different. She'll be one in less than 3 months. She should be moving around after Alek. She should be able to sit up and play on her own. She should be up in the high chair at dinner with the family. Not looking up at us from the bean bag chair. Or on my leg.

So, here's to wishing for excellent news. News that puts spica days behind us.