TV Times & Blankies!

Hey all!
While there are some things in the works for updating about Miss Piper, I thought I'd touch base about 2 other very cool things! Blanket Drive and the documentary premier event!

First off, HOW COOL IS THAT BLANKET DRIVE LOGO!?!?!?!?!?!

Our great friend, Bobby Cooley, was awesome enough to donate his time and talent to create that for our cause! We will be using it for future flyers, thank you cards, donation letters to the hospital, info cards and all sorts of other fun ways! Thank you, Bob, for making us look and feel official. You rock our chucks off! 

REMINDER: BLANKETS DUE 12/20!

About 30 fluffy blankets have trickled in thus far, with many more on their way this week! Checking the mail for blankets has become my favorite pastime, and I look like a crazy lady stalking the mail man...but I'm excited! Nurses are excited! Cannot wait to stock that NICU linen closet; and see all the fresh new blankets with these sweet babies! You guys are doing awesome, and we are so appreciative of your help in giving back. If you need a blanket drive refresher, or need to pass info along to a friend, see our Blanket Drive Blog!

You can count on me to post a fabulous photo surrounded by fluff once all the donations are in! Feel free to email me if you need anything, or have any questions at all. 

Onto the next...........

On Nov. 18th, Matt and I, along with our families, attended the VIP Children's Mercy premier event for the Inside Pediatrics docu-series. We had a great time with hospital insiders, screened the first episode, and yours truly spoke on the Q&A panel in front of a BUNCH of well dressed people. YIKES! 

1. I did not faint - yay me.
2. I was sitting next to our favorite surgeon, Corey Iqbal!
3. I got to chat about the miracle that is Piper Grace!
4. People clapped. (They MAY have been happy to hear of Piper's progress, but I'd like to think it was because I was just so darn awesome.)

The filming of the docu-series has been a crazy roller coaster ride, and we are so excited to see it come to fruition. 6 episodes will follow a number of stories and hospital staffers; and each of those episodes will touch base with OUR journey...starting with me pregnant! HUGE and pregnant. HUGE.

I will list the air dates in full below, for our local peeps, but worry not if you aren't in our viewing area! Full length episodes will be available online, after each is aired, at www.InsidePediatrics.com

So set your DVR's, grab some kleenex, and buckle up!

Airing on 

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Episode 1: Wed, Dec 17 at 7:00 PM

Episode 2: Wed, Dec 17 at 7:30 PM

Episode 3: Thu, Dec 18 at 6:30 PM

Episode 4: Fri, Dec 19 at 6:30 PM

Episode 5: Sun, Dec 21 at 12:00 AM

Episode 6: Sun, Dec 21 at 12:30 AM

Encore presentations on 

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Episode 1: Sat, Dec 20 at 7:00 PM

Episode 2: Sat, Dec 20 at 7:30 PM

Episode 3: Sat, Dec 20 at 8:00 PM

Episode 4: Sat, Dec 20 at 8:30 PM

Episode 5: Sun, Dec 21 at 8:00 PM

Episode 6: Sun, Dec 21 at 8:30 PM

 

Choosing to Share Our Story...on Film

Greetings all!
We have had a slow, uneventful couple of weeks after Piper's G-tube procedure. We've learned slow is good, boring is good, nothing new during doc rounds....goooooood. God is good.

Piper's G-tube procedure was a success, she quickly extubated 2 days after surgery, and has been taking FULL feeds through her new tube ever since! She is down on her pain meds,  up on her awake activities, and is weighing in at 11 pounds 2 ounces ( she was born at 7lb 15oz.) We can safely say that we are on the home stretch of this hospital stay. Just a bit of oxygen weaning and drug withdrawal to get through. Estimations of home by Halloween might be close...or maybe by Thanksgiving if we need more time. To be honest, we could care less. The fact that we are here, talking about home procedure, is amazing, and I'll wait as patiently as I can until there's a specific date to shout from the hospital roof!

That's it, currently, about Miss Piper; but I'm blogging to discuss something we've been excited to share with you! You've seen me post bits n' pieces about our "camera crew" or "producer," and now's the time to spill the beans!

About the same time that I blogged our very first Piper blog, the "Bomb Diagnosis" blog, we were discussing sharing our pregnancy journey on a docu-series our hospital was working on. These people came into our lives at the exact moment we were trying to handle preparing for Piper's death with our faith, with grace, and with family by our side.

This docu-series would go on to follow doctors, nurses, patients, and families all over the hospital, dealing with multiple pediatric diagnosis. They aim to show this world class hospital, with world class physicians, giving world class care to the world's smallest humans.  What an awesome thing to be a part of.

We first agreed to this docu-series, knowing that our story would be painful to watch. We were preparing to birth a child, then mourn her death in a very short amount of time. Who would want that on film? But wait...
once mentally prepared for our journey, we concluded that sharing our story with others was such a perfect step, and gift God had given us to spread our faith. We would agree to this, to try our best, to be an example of a young family relying on God and each other in a time of utter sorrow. We thought if we could show God's Grace when mourning Piper, and touch one person, one family in need, that it would be worth it. We had no idea when we would be able to watch ourselves go through such a loss on camera, but we knew we would regret if we didn't capture our journey, even for ourselves. So that we did - filmed our journey...every bit of it. What a journey it's turned out to be!!!!!!

Our camera crew has been with us through scary meetings, somber ultrasounds, packing for the hospital, my water breaking, my labor, Piper's birth...and every crazy miraculous event since she came into this world! They were in the surgical room when Dr. Iqbal fixed her belly, they were there when she came off the oscillator, they were there when we held our girl for the very first time. They were there. What a blessing they've been. They have captured the miracle that is Piper Grace, and we get to share that with you, with strangers. This journey has changed from one of graceful mourning...to one of miraculous triumph, and we get to watch it unfold on film. I am so excited that our story has changed, and am so glad we decided to share, to witness, to use Piper as a living breathing example of our God's work in action!

For our KC folks - the docu-series "Inside Pediatrics" will air, in 6 episodes, here locally on KMBC sometime in December, and we will keep you posted. For others, I'm hoping once episodes air, that I will be able to post links to them online for all to view. We can't wait for you to see!

I look back to the beginning of filming, when we thought the worst was upon us, and cannot believe how far we've come...then I realize I will re-live the fear, the pain, the miracle when we watch it on air. It will be tough to watch, but I am nothing but grateful for the experience. All of us grown ups want our lives to mean something, to do something that touches another's life, to make a mark on this world before we leave it. Piper Grace is touching more lives than we could ever imagine with this docu-series. She renews the faith of the faithful, she whispers hope to the non-believer, she is an example of the power of prayer, and we are so proud to share her with you! She is leaving her mark, and what a mark it will be!

Our producers, Megan & J, with us on the first day we held Piper!

Producer Megan caught on camera!

Producer Megan, in blue scrubs, was the first to sport her "Lucky Chucks!"