March of Dimes Walk

Last weekend Eva and I participated in the March of Dimes Walk with our mom group!
 

It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon and we walked around Lake Como with hundreds of other families and their babies, and all for a great cause that we really care about.

There were two babies in our Facebook mom group who were premature, Bode was born 11 weeks early and Ava was born 6 weeks early. We've said many prayers, cheered them on during all their milestones and watched them thrive and grow into happy, healthy soon-to-be One Year olds!
Bode was the first baby from our group of 250 to be born...and Eva was the last :)  We're also lucky enough to have Ava here in Minnesota, so we get to see her on all of our mom group meet-ups!

 (Ava is the second one from the left)

We even had all the babies in matching purple tye dye onesies. Eva is now nicknamed the Princess since she was the only one who refused to sit in the grass...something we're going to have to work on!

Our group of MN moms raised over $500 for the March of Dimes and we look forward to doing it again next year!

Ten Words

I recently was introduced to a new blog that I'm now in love with and added it to my daily list of blogs I read (it's getting big!). He's a local pastor who writes about every day instances that everyone goes through and how a lot of them can relate to our faith.
I really like and respect his blog for not being overbearing and pushing religion, but finding faith within yourself.

He also has posts that seem to relate to me and since this week is Infertility Awareness Week, I had to share a post he wrote last month that can help anyone out there dealing with or supporting someone going through infertility. These Ten Words hit home and although we have our beautiful baby, I know how hard those ten words can be..

http://www.stevewiens.com/2013/03/26/ten-words-that-describe-infertility/

Welcome Baby Sasha!

I am so excited and happy to announce the arrival of Baby Alexandra Hope "Sasha" to the world! Sasha was born on Tuesday, April 16th and was a healthy 8lbs 3oz!

You may be asking, "Who is this Baby Sasha?"

Sasha is a little miracle baby. Yes, ALL babies truly are miracles, but this one is a bit more special for me and Eva. I met her mother on a milk donation site and you may remember reading our story: Got Milk

Annie is a breast cancer and double mastectomy survivor who never thought she'd be adding a miracle to her family. After being able to breastfeed her three other children, not being able to provide to her new baby was something she struggled with until she found the organization Human Milk 4 Human Babies. We were connected on their Facebook site and able to meet back in February in person; something I will never forget! Although donated breastmilk will never replace being able to breastfeed your own child, I can only hope it will allow Annie connect with her beautiful miracle and help Sasha grow big and strong.

The experience was unforgettful for me and I can't wait to meet this little miracle and kiss those munchkin cheeks! Eva and I will always have a small connection with Sasha and I look forward to watching her grow!

Congrats to the new family!

Easter 2013

The Easter Bunny came to the Barrett house this year!

Okay, so maybe Miss Eva isn't the Easter Bunny, but she sure can crinkle her nose like one!

Our first Easter as a family...it was so much fun! After going to church and strutting her new dress, we hosted an early dinner at our house with Oma and Papa Miller, Grandpa Barrett and Great Grandma and Grandpa Miller.

 
J and I talked about the traditions our families did each Easter; hiding baskets, Easter egg hunts, flying kites, but since Eva is still a bit too little, we thought we'd start our own tradition in the coming years. However, Eva still got a basket with all kinds of goodies including a Grover remote (so she would stop stealing daddy's), puff snacks and fruit, a bunny sippy cup and new frilly socks. I must say, it sure was fun shopping for her basket, and can only imagine how much more fun it will get as she gets older. 

We thoroughly enjoyed watching Eva play with her new goodies and the joy she brought in their faces. He Is Risen Indeed!