Morgan Kate

It's that time again! Time to March for Babies!


I have been meaning to post about this for forever, but just haven't found the time. Being off with a sick child has actually allowed me the time to finally post about it. Go figure! I was off today because MK had her ENT post-op visit. Everything checked out terrific and she passed her hearing test with flying colors. But in the meantime she got sick. She started running a fever Sunday afternoon and the coughing/runny nose/etc. followed. So far she has been fever free for twenty-four hours (so, no I didn't take her to the ENT with a fever), but she sounds terrible. So, so congested, really hoarse and an awful little cough. Apparently, every other child in our area is also sick so there were zero available appointments today with our pediatrician. When we called yesterday we were told to wait twenty-four hours and now there are no appointments. Lesson learned, don't wait twenty-four hours. The plan as of now is to take another day tomorrow and head to our pediatrician's office.


Until then, some information about March for Babies.

March of Dimes Q and A

In just a few weeks, 60 days to be exact,  we will be walking for the March of Dimes and for babies just like Morgan Kate. I have tried my best to think of possible questions you might have and provide answers to them. If you have other questions please leave them in the comment section of this post and I will try my best to answer them.

What is the March of Dimes? What do they do?

The March of Dimes (MOD) helps moms have full-term pregnancies and research the problems that threaten the health of babies. The MOD is not just for premature babies. It's not just for full-term babies. It's not only for babies that have passed or babies that are still in the womb. It's for all babies. And all pregnant women. All moms. Every single one. In every single place.

The research conducted by the MOD is vital. Lifesaving. We would know, it helped save our daughter's life. Without their research there might not be artificial surfactant. And without artificial surfactant our baby girl may have never taken her first few breaths. The MOD educates, promotes, researches and raises money for healthy, full-term pregnancies. 

Contrary to what some might believe, the MOD didn't step in and magically wipe away our medical bills. They didn't give us money while we were in the hospital or once we got home. They didn't pay us to be an Ambassador family and they don't pay us to support them. We choose to be a part of this organization. We choose to support them and we choose to help raise money. We choose to do this because what they have done has helped save the life of our baby girl and many, many others.

When is the walk?

This year we will only be participating in one walk - the Orangeburg walk. The Columbia walk falls on Owens and Trenholm's big day and I kinda figure we should be there. Ha! The Orangeburg walk will be on Saturday, April 9th at 9:00 am. If you are interested in participating in the Columbia walk it's on Saturday, April 30th at 9:00 am. You can also visit the March of Dimes webpage to find other walks in or around your area.

 

How can I help?

Helping is easy! You can pray, you can walk, you can tell others about the March of Dimes, you can donate money or you can raise your own money. And if you are feeling especially froggy, you can do all of those!

How do I donate?

Donating is simple. You can click on the purple button located to the right. Once you click on that button you will be taken to a very secure page where you can donate using your debit card or credit card. If you aren't comfortable making donations online then you can send a check through the mail - just be sure to make it out to the March of Dimes.

How do I sign up to be a walker?

There are two ways to do this. One, you can simply leave me a message or send me an email and let me know you want to be a walker. Simple as that. Or, you can click on the purple button located to the right. Once you click there it will take you to a new page. There will be two options on that page. One says To Donate and the other says To Walk. If you click on the button that says To Walk, then it will take you to yet another page where you can sign up to walk and also set a goal to raise your own money. In the end, the money you raise will go toward Team Morgan Kate's grand total. This year the March of Dimes is trying to increase their registered walker totals, so signing up as a walker would be a great way to help with this!

I'm confused. What do you mean, "raise my own money"?

There are two ways to give to Team Morgan Kate. You can simply donate OR you can help raise money on your own. When you help raise money, you set your own goal and you seek out others to donate to YOU. Closer to the walk you will collect all of your money, send it to me and all donations will go toward Team Morgan Kate's grand total. If you raise $200 you will receive a March of Dimes t-shirt. If you raise $500 then you will receive a March of Dimes t-shirt and sweatshirt. And so on, and so on.

Can you explain this in simpler terms?

Basically, if you are only interested in walking - then just send me an email or leave me a message in the comment section and I will put you on the list. If you want to walk and donate - then send me an email or leave me a message in the comment section and I will sign you up to walk and THEN visit the purple button to the right and donate money. If you want to walk and raise your own money, then click on the purple button to the right, once you are taken to a new page click on To Walk and go from there.

I've never participated in a walk, what is it like?

This will be our third year participating in the walk. The walks usually begin at 9:00 am. The Gardens are the starting point for Orangeburg and the fairgrounds are the starting point for the Columbia walk. We all meet up a little before 9:00. We all begin at the same starting point, but there are two different routes. One route is between two and three miles and the other is between four and five. We take our own water bottles, but along the way there are stations with fruit and water. There are people walking, people running, people sitting along side the road and others that aren't able to walk and they stay back at the starting point. In past years Morgan Kate has gone along with us and we pushed her in the stroller. There are lots and lots of people and it is such a rewarding and special day!

The walk was is before lunch and different vendors supply drinks and pizza. After the walk and sometimes before people give speeches, awards are given for money raised and afterward some people even enjoy picnic lunches they have brought from home.

Other information:

I am almost 100% sure that we are going to have t-shirts made again this year. When I have more information I will let you know. I promise that will be sooner rather than later.

Last year we set up a "Morgan Kate" tent and we will do that again this year. It's a central location where we can all meet up, hang out, conversate and of course, take pictures. Ha!

Please let me know if you have any other questions or need any other information.