Baby Noah: Our March for Babies 2011 Baby

As you may or may not know, I belong to a group of local bloggers that meets once per month to network and chat about our lives, our love of writing, and our different hopes for our sites, etc. These women have become a great support system and sounding board for me, and I have been very fortunate in having found them. They've helped me when I've needed it, and now, I want to take my turn to help one of them.

One of our local ladies, Michelle Myers, gave birth to her first son, Noah Jackson, Thursday, two months prior to his due date. She was very fortunate that she was diligent and proactive, and it is a tremendous blessing that he made it here safely. You can find more about him and his birth story here.

As you know, I've worked with preemies in my time as a nanny, and have a very special place in my heart for NICU babies. I volunteered with the Children's Hospital of Austin many, many moons ago in the NICU, and have nannied for three different sets of triplets, and even still, stories of preemies continue to speak to me, and motivate me to make a difference so that - as the March of Dimes so eloquently says - one day all babies can be born healthy. Amen.

The Myers' have been very lucky thus far, with baby Noah growing and gaining weight and getting increasing amounts of breast milk, but with Noah being born so early, he'll likely be in the NICU for some time still, ensuring a hefty NICU bill upon his departure. That's where I ask you to step in.

There are so many ways you can help:

Anything you may purchase from myerscrosstraining.com, including workout DVD's, multivitamins, protein bars and/or shakes, and other things you may have been purchasing elsewhere anyhow, will go directly to support their NICU bill.

Michelle has also written a book about her four-year battle with anorexia, The Look That Kills: An Anorexic's Addiction to Control. If you know anyone - or even yourself - who could benefit from this book, or if you're interested in hearing more of her story, please consider buying this book. All proceeds go directly to baby Noah's care.

If you'd like to make a general donation to the 2011 March of Dimes' March for Babies, you can do so via the widget at the top of the page. All the money goes directly to the MoD, not me, so rest assured it will get directly where it needs to go :)

Thank you guys! Your support - whether monetary or emotional - is essential during this hard time! And, most importantly, your prayers are too. Anyone who has room on their prayer list for little Noah, and for his parents, is the greatest blessing of all!