~29~ And The Winner is...

Yesterday was the March of Dimes at Principal Park, downtown Des Moines, and boy was it a great day! The weather was perfect and lots of people showed up to walk for babies.  The best news is that I was able to meet my fundraising goal of $100!!! Thank you to all of my amazing friends and blog readers for your generosity!!

The winner of a $25 gift certificate to my Etsy Shop, is Lindsey!!  Congratulations!!

~28~ March for Babies

Each year, 13 million babies enter the world earlier than we intend for them.  Because of that, these little miracles must fight for their lives harder than you and I will probably ever have to fight.  Luckily, due to caring and effective doctors and nurses, and research from organizations such as March of Dimes, most babies born as early as 24 weeks (and some even earlier) are able to survive and grow into beautiful, healthy children.

In 2010, just days before Thanksgiving, 2 of my dear friends had their beautiful baby girl, who was one of those 13 million, born at 24 weeks and 5 days. The journey that my friends went through is nothing short of incredible-and I so admire them for their strength and positive attitude, especially while spending 4 months watching their princess fight in the NICU.  Today, I am happy to report that their little one is doing beautifully and is such a joy!

This year, on May 12, I will have the honor of walking alongside my friends at the March of Dimes annual walk in Des Moines.  In addition, I'm helping my friends and the March of Dimes raise money to support premature birth research-which will continue to help support parents and families who have premature babies, and hopefully aid in preventing the occurrence of premature labor.

If any of you would like to contribute towards our team and help support the March of Dimes research, you can make a donation on my team page HERE.  All proceeds go directly to the March of Dimes.  Anyone making a donation by midnight (CST) on Friday, May 11 will be entered in a drawing to win a $25 gift certificate to use at my Etsy shop.  The winner will be announced here and on my Facebook page on Sunday, May 12.  To learn more about the March of Dimes and the walk, you can visit their webpage at www.marchofdimes.com

Thanks to all of you for your support!