Where did our baby go?!

Theo seems like such a big boy all of a sudden! He has had quite the month & worked so hard to be more independent. He can now sit unassisted, & his first little tooth is popping through! He rolls all over, plays with his toys nonstop, & has the best belly laugh. He’s also started reaching for us when he wants us to pick him up, & it is our absolute favorite! 

We’ve loved watching him experience new things & see more of his personality come out. He loves playing outside, going for walks, & swinging at the park. His big sissy is still his favorite person & she adores him, too. We love when they both laugh so hard that they get the hiccups. 

It’s hard to believe that in two short months he’ll be turning ONE YEAR OLD. As all of you know, Theo was born premature at 30 Weeks, measuring only 2lbs 0oz & 14 inches long. He had an 80 day stay in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at St. John’s Hospital in Maplewood, MN. This is a Level IIIa NICU that cares for babies who are premature (28 Weeks gestation or greater) or who need extra medical care after birth. There, we received AMAZING care for our son by a Team full of people who were not only knowledgeable, but also showed us that they truly cared about ourselves & our son.

For his 1st Birthday, it was extremely important for us to find a way to give back to the NICU at St. John’s, as well as provide some sort of support to the families who will experience the same journey that we did.

St. John’s NICU currently has ONE MamaRoo swing to share between all of the babies / families, which could be up to 21 at one time! Theo absolutely LOVED this swing, & would often spend hours in there - content as can be - during the times that we were unable to visit him. He also loved when we would rock him in the chair & read stories to him; we made sure to bring a handful from home to keep there during our stay!

In lieu of presents for Theo’s 1st Birthday, we are asking our family & friends to consider donating to this fundraiser to help us bless the NICU in a huge way!

For every $300 that we raise, we will be buying ONE MamaRoo Swing ($240), TWO Newborn Inserts (as many of the babies in the NICU will utilize them in the swings, $35) & FIVE Board Books to disperse in the individual rooms at St. John’s Hospital ($25).

As Theo’s Parents, we commit to donating the first $300. We are setting the goal at $3,000 which would provide TEN MamaRoo Swings, TWENTY inserts, & FIFTY Board Books. After 24 hours, we’ve already raised over HALF of our goal - which is absolutely incredible!!!!!

https://gofund.me/3dea2c5e

The NICU journey was a difficult one for us, but we had so much support from our friends & family during it; in a variety of ways. We appreciate you all so much! Thank you for everything.