Marching On

Our month was all laid out. Plans were made, and we were diligently checking things off of the "to-do" list. Then, suddenly, out of the blue...WHAM. What began as a little bit of a stuffy nose, turned into a cough, then a fever, then a couple of trips to the pediatrician, two days called into work, a chest x-ray, and a diagnosis.

Pneumonia. Again.

Eden is very sick, but for now we have been weathering it at home. She is on her third day of steroid and antibiotics and I think things are improving. Her fever has broken, but her cough still sounds scary-bad, she threw up all of her medicine all over her bed last night, and now she has an upset stomach and diarrhea from the antibiotic. On top of being generally sick and miserable, the effects of the steroid are taking a toll too. It seems like someone sneaked into our house and replaced our sweet, funny, easy-going girl with someone who is mean, sassy, and rude. We are trying to cut her some slack and hoping that she will Get Well Soon so we can have our sweet girl back.

Holland has a stuffy nose that started yesterday, so it seems pretty likely that she will be coughing soon. This cough is really bad, and if Holland does get it we could be in trouble. At least Holl is on Flovent (preventative low-dose inhaled steroid) and is getting bigger and stronger all the time, so we just have to hope for the best...no hospitals!

We have been really lucky to have had a very healthy winter with no major glitches. This time of year seems to sneak up on us with some kind of illness or another...right around the time we are breathing a sigh of relief for making it through the worst of cold and flu season!

Our lives have been forever impacted by the long-term effects of prematurity, and this recent sickness serves to once again remind us why we support the March of Dimes and participate in March for Babies. As if we needed reminding.

The walk is quickly approaching, and we would greatly appreciate your support for Team Holland and Eden. Holland and Eden are alive and enjoying life today thanks, in part, to advances in neonatal medicine made possibly by the March of Dimes. It is our hope that with continued research into causes and prevention of pre-term labor, as well as improved treatment options for those born too soon, fewer babies will face the long-term consequences of such an early birth.

With your help, Team Holland and Eden has already raised over $16,000 for the March of Dimes. We hope to continue our tradition of being one of the top family teams in our region and we are setting our sights high! Please visit my personal page to make a donation and to assist me in achieving my goal of helping to save babies!

If you are interested in walking with us on April 24th, please visit our team page and sign up as a walker. If each person walking would solicit a least $100.00 in donations we would be able to meet our goal in no time!

If you are planning to walk with us this year please let me know asap so I can start planning out our team shirts. Eden really thinks we should be the Pink Team this year, but Daddy nixed that idea:) Instead we are thinking about kelly green.

Thank you so much for you support in our fundraising efforts over the years, and thank you in advance for supporting Team Holland and Eden as we walk this year!