Hope for Baby Bennett: February...can you feel the LOVE?

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

February...can you feel the LOVE?

February is a BIG BIG month for the Bennetts! The entire month of February is Heart Month, where we recognize, think about and promote awareness of and funding for, all things heart defect related. Next week, February 7-14, is Congential Heart Defect Awareness Week, where we really focus on getting the word out there about CHD's in particular. Valentine's Day is the 14th, Bodie's birthday is the 16th, his birthday party is the 19th and his Norwood-iversary is the 22nd! So yes, a BIG month indeed!

We kicked it off this morning with pink heart-shaped pancakes (they were pink, I promise, even if you can't tell in the picture!)...

...and then a trip to Build-a-Bear, who, for the entire month of February, is giving customers an option to donate $1 to the Children's Heart Foundation, one of the BEST (and only) organizations dedicated to research SOLELY for pediatric heart defects.

(THANK YOU Margarita for the B-A-B gift certificate!)

We got Bodie a bear with the heart stitched on and named it "Hero"
Bodie checking out Hero:

Best friends

Sierra picked out her very own bear (and an outfit, of course) and named her "Princess." Cannot explain how much fun it was to watch Sierra get so excited about her bear. So wonderful to focus on her for once (any parent of a medically fragile child will tell you that siblings tend to get the short end of the stick, so it is such a joy to focus on the siblings when you can!).
So excited to start by picking out a bear (purple, of course)!

Posing with the Build-a-bear "expert" Melissa (just LOVE the face splitting smile on Sierra!)

Watching the stuffing in action (Bodie, by the way, was ABSOLUTELY terrifed by the stuffing machine - I can only assume it's because it makes roughly the exact same sound as the suctioning machine in the hospital - and if I can remember that sound, I can guarantee you he hasn't forgotten it!)

Doing the "heart" ritual before putting the little fabric heart inside each bear:

(rubbing it over her heart - not sure Melissa realized Sierra was actually going to stick it down her shirt, but hey, that's what you get with a 3 year old!)

Sierra with the finished product (note the cheesy grin, again? I am telling you, 3-4 years old is the perfect age for BAB!):

As you can see, we had a blast kicking off Heart Month! Be looking for lots of CHD facts and awareness info in the weeks ahead! But, for just a little preview, here are a few things I bet you didn't know about CHD's...

•••Congenital Heart Defects are the #1 birth defect.•••

•••1 out of every 100 babies are born each year with some type of Congenital Heart Defect.•••

•••Nearly twice as many children die from Congenital Heart Defects in the United States each year as from all forms of childhood cancers combined, yet funding for pediatric cancer research is five times higher than funding for CHDs.•••

1 comment:

UnknownFebruary 2, 2011 at 6:14 AM
Miss Fabulous is looking pretty good with "Princess". We'll definitely have to run over to B-A-B ourselves...of course that's after Snowpocalypse 2011 lightens up a bit. Hope you're enjoying your 60 degree and sunny weather, could you send some our way?
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The Chosen Mothers by Erma Bombeck

Most women become mothers by accident, some by choice, a few by social pressures, and a couple by habit. Did you ever wonder how mothers of children with life threatening illnesses are chosen?

Somehow, I visualize God hovering over Earth selecting His instruments for propagation with great care and deliberation. As He observes, He instructs His angels to make notes in a giant ledger. "Armstrong, Beth, son, patron saint Matthew. Forrest, Marjorie, daughter, patron saint Cecilia. Rutledge, Carrie, twins, patron saint Gerard."

Finally, He passes a name to an angel and says, "Give her a child with cancer." The angel is curious. "Why this one God? She's so happy." "Exactly" smiles God, "Could I give a child with cancer a mother who does not know laughter? That would be cruel."

"But, does she have patience?" asks the angel. "I don't want her to have too much patience or she will drown in a sea of self-pity and despair. Once the shock and resentment wears off, she will handle it." "I watched her today. She has that feeling of self and independence that is so rare and so necessary in a mother. You see, the child I'm going to give her has it's own world. She has to make it live in her world and that's not going to be easy."

"But, Lord, I don't think she believes in you." No matter, I can fix that. This one is perfect. She has just enough selfishness." The angel gasps -"Selfishness? is that a virtue?"

God nods. "If she can't separate herself from the child occasionally, she'll never survive. Yes, here is a woman whom I will bless with a child less than perfect. She doesn't realize it yet, but she is to be envied. She will never take anything her child does for granted. She will never consider a single step ordinary. I will permit her to see clearly the things I see...ignorance, cruelty, prejudice...and allow her to rise above them." She will never be alone. I will be at her side every minute of every day of her life, because she is doing My work as surely as if she is here by My side." "And what about her patron Saint?" asks the angel. His pen poised in mid-air. God smiles, "A mirror will suffice."