Pint Sized Hero

Finn & Family - Team Mercy Miracles OKC MOD March for Babies 2013

One of the preemie/NICU related pages I follow on Facebook posted this poem the other day, and it really spoke to me.

Pint Sized Hero
With every breath you take, you take my breath away.
With every beat of your heart, my heart skips a beat
With every hour you fight, you teach me winning takes patience.
With every tear you shed, I shed a thousand more.
With every gaze you give me, I see a clearer picture.
With every ounce you gain, I gain an ounce of hope.
With every step forward you take, I stand up taller with pride.
With every gentle grasp of my finger, you show me the true meaning of strength
With every bit of your courage, you teach me how to be brave,
You are my pint sized hero... super mighty and supremely loved.

Thinking about all the HEROS and the babies too beautiful to be here on this earth as we drove to Oklahoma City for the March for Babies had me tearing up more than once.  While Britt and I were super excited to be taking part with Team Mercy Miracles and to see what a walk in a big(ger) city was like, the emotion of WHY we were marching shook me to the core.  All babies deserve a healthy start.  All Mommas deserve to hold their baby moments after birth.  All Daddies deserve to see their whole family together, instead of in different room, hospitals or even towns.  There has to be a way to keep these babies from being born too soon and too sick.  THANK YOU March of Dimes for working to find help and cures!

We had to get ALL of the Six Dream Weavers up early EARLY to get to OKC in time for the March for Babies.  So, with donuts in hand and sleepy kids, we hit the road on a very cold morning in May.  Mother nature is off her meds and can't decide if it is still winter or if spring has sprung.  It was cold, and the wind chill made it VERY cold.  The wind was downright BLUSTERY at times! Especially while walking between the tall buildings in downtown OKC.  The wind would spin and catch us off guard and completely take our breath away!  Finn did NOT like the wind, plus he was tired, so I carried him for a lot of the walk.  Dspite the miserable condisitons, he did really well.  We even let him down to cross the finish line at the end!



We met (and exceeded!) our fundraising goal, made it on time to the walk, and Marched the entire way as a family and a Team for Mercy Miracles.  It was a day we will never forget!  So proud of how far our tiny, Pint Sized Hero has come!

Six Dream Weavers - Team Mercy Miracles! And our banner on Baby Boulevard!

 

 

It might have looked beautiful, but it was so cold...

Of course, there are TONS more pictures from the day!  I have posted all of them in an album on "The Early Adventures of Finn" Facebook page!  be sure to click the link to see all the day's fun and festivities!

Friday – in tweets!

It’s been one of THOSE weeks.  So busy, so crazy, so tiring.  I am going to recap our progress, successes, failures, and regressions in 140 characters or less in each statement.  Twitter style.  I hope you like it!

*Went on a field trip to the Oklahoma Aquarium with Jake's kindergarten class.  Wild & crazy as expected! Jake was afraid of the shark tube.

*Lara's 4th & 5th grade choir gave a spring concert. It was in preparation for TriState. The choir sang 3 songs and each solo/duet/trio sang.

*Lara finished up her leaps and turns dance class in preparation for try outs!

*Emma's Greyhound volleyball team is 10-2 for the season.  Tournament play starts this weekend, but she will miss it and is mad.

*My nephew Peter got married to the most AMAZING girl, Nicole.  It was a beautiful outdoor wedding & we were so glad we got to be there!

*We moved. Into a different house. Across town. 6 people. 5 beds. 2 couches, 2 futons, 4 recliners & a ton of CRAP. WE'RE NEVER MOVING AGAIN!

* Jake's Greyhound T-ball team had their season opener. "They" don't keep score.  "We" do.  They did great! Jake is an excellent first baseman

* Finn's crib converted to a toddler bed in the new house. 4 nights ago. He's doing great - only got lost and ended up in Jake's room once.

* Lara's school choir competed at TriState Music Festival in Enid. Her choir got a "II."  HER TRIO GOT A "I" and were THRILLED!  So proud.

* Emma's double dutch (jump rope) squad is touring the local schools today.  She is SO GOOD! Catches a basketball and dribbles while jumping!

* Team Mercy Miracles Marches for Babies in OKC tomorrow.  As of this writing, Finn is $24 short of his goal. Click the banner to donate.

* Finn and his siblings are super excited for the March for Babies tomorrow!  We have our banner ready!

* 8:00 in the morning we will gather at the Myriad Gardens in OKC with Mercy Miracles and the March of Dimes to MARCH FOR BABIES! Come see us!

* Who doesn't love babies?  Help make happy endings for Moms & Babies by donating to March of Dimes - $24 to go! marchforbabies.org/finnweaversays

* So thankful that @FinnWeaverSays is a Mercy Miracle!  We're marching with them tomorrow in OKC! @marchofdimes @MarchForBabies 

*$24 to go for Finn's goal with Team Mercy Miracles. That's 6 people with $4 each! Donate here: marchforbabies.org/finnweaversays & march w/us tomorrow!

SEE YOU TOMORROW!

Guest Blogger: One and a Half

Hello!  It’s Finn.  I took over Mommy’s blog and I’m here to tell you all about me today – since it is my half birthday!  I am 18 months old TODAY!  I have 10 teeth (4 on top, 6 on bottom) with 2 more (top) on the way.  I weigh just about 20 pounds, and I am 30 inches tall.  I am walking ALL OVER the place – mastered that about a week ago.  I still don’t have any “words,” but I love to babble and tell stories!  I like to point, shake my head, and count other people’s teeth.  I can clap – I’ve done it like 5 times in my whole life.  I think that’s enough.  I always wake up happy and smiley and ready to play – even if the light is too bright in my room to really open my eyes very wide!  I think it’s funny to shake my head back and forth, and I still can crawl like greased lighting to get away from you!  I like o wave, too.  Not at any predictable time, and usually at nothing in particular, but I do it!  Daddy says it is a "dainty" wave.  What does that mean?  I like to watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Sofia the First as well as Jake and the Neverland Pirates on Disney Channel.  My favorite foods are whatever everyone else is eating!  I love pudding, Puffs snacks, and milk.  And Squeezy Food!  That’s what Mom and Dad call the purees in the pouches that are made for toddlers.  I drink out of a sippy cup, but only if it has a soft spout.  Mommy tires to trick me with those ones with the hard spout, but I just throw them back at her.  I love to climb on anything and everything – my climbing toy, fireplace hearth, couch, bed, chairs, things I shouldn’t – and I am even getting good at getting myself out of sticky situations!  I love being in a big family – Jake is the best big brother I could ever ask for, and Emma and Lara are great babysitters – most of the time.

Here are a few pictures of me on my Half Birthday – ALWAYS on the move!  Mommy says that is why I am so skinny!

For my Half Birthday, I would like to ask my friends to help me make my fundraising goal for the March of Dimes Oklahoma City March for Babies.  I am marching with the Mercy Miracles team, and I have set a fundraising goal of $126.00.  The march is on May 4, so I have about a month to reach my goal!  (Along with my parents and siblings, I am still serving as the Ambassador Family for the Stillwater March for Babies in September, but I wanted to be a part of this team as well.)  I am a Mercy Miracle, having graduated from the 12 week NICU course in 2011.  I am so grateful for the nurses, practitioners, doctors, therapists and other staff that made my visit bearable and taught my parents how to be preemie parents.  They, along with the research funded by the March of Dimes, saved my life.  I would not be here today if not for ALL of them, and I want to show my support. 

So, here’s my ½ birthday WISH LIST:

• 1 person to donate $126.00
• 2 people to donate $63.00 each
• 3 people to donate $42.00 each
• 4 people to donate $31.50 each
• 6 people to donate $21.00 each
• 8 people to donate $15.75 each
• 12 people to donate $10.50 each

Click on my MERCY MIRACLES FINN WEAVER SAYS page to make your donation!  And you can join the Facebook event as well.  We would love to see you on the 4^th at Myriad Gardens in Oklahoma City and have you March for Babies with us!  Be sure and let me Mommy know if you have ANY questions - and keep watching "The Early Adventures of Finn" Facebook and my Twitter for more updates!  Let's CRUSH this!