Teeny Tears Headquarters Trip

This past week, I got the chance to take the trip of a lifetime! We hopped on a plane and headed to Utah to meet THE ladies behind Teeny Tears, the diaper organization who has played such an important role in my life over the last 4 years. Originally, my mom made plans to go, asked me if I wanted to go, I didn't think there was any way I would be able to get away. BUT, thanks to my wonderful family and friends, we were able to work it out. But we kept it a surprise for Megan, who had NO idea I was coming. Her reaction was so worth it, she was definitely surprised. One of the best surprises ever.

(Diaper example)

We got to spend a few days with Megan and Vanessa, the ringleaders of Teeny Tears seeing all the "behind the scenes" stuff and helping them out with a few things. While we were there, they held a diaper party and there were several people that we "knew" online that we got to meet in person. It was such a special, encouraging day. I also got to meet another fellow TTTS mom that I knew but had never met. We processed 1000 diapers and made 2500+ tiny hats!

I also got to meet THIS amazing little fellow. Megan's son, a fellow TTTS surviving twin, just like Cohen. This kid is a fighter, through and through. I love him to pieces and may have shed a few tears when he popped through the door after school.

I give these ladies and tiny diapers a lot of credit for helping me keep my sanity over the 4 years. At a time when I could have fallen into a dark hole that I would have struggled to get out of, I threw myself into late night emails to Megan dreaming about how we could diaper the whole world. I sewed many tiny diapers to mail out. I found something productive and positive to do with my grief and love for Carter. I also found hope and friends who had walked similar paths.

As we found ourselves saying ALL week "Teeny Tears is about so much more than diapers". It's about healing and hope and community. In a world that can seem so dark these days, it's so great to know this group of amazing people exists that want to help make things just a little better for families in an incredibly difficult time. Many of the volunteers making diapers (and hats and blankets) are baby loss parents, grandparents, aunties etc. Some of them found the project after they themselves received a diaper and came to the group to start making them themselves. It's amazing what Teeny Tears has grown into.

It was so, so great to get to meet these ladies in person. It sounded a little crazy to jump on a plane and go meet our "internet friends", but I'm so, so glad that I was able to go. One of the best trips of my life. It feels a little bit like leaving summer camp and hoping and praying you get a chance to see your friends again someday.

A Teeny Tears Party for Carter

With the boys' second birthday coming up, we wanted to do something to honor and remember Carter. And what better way than a diaper party!?

I talk about Teeny Tears frequently because it really has been a huge part of my healing. In review, I love Teeny Tears because:

- The people behind it are truly awesome and put so much time and effort into making Teeny Tears a well oiled machine and supporting all the volunteers.
- Making tiny diapers allows me time to think about Carter and to do something positive with my grief
- It allows me to involve others in my grief process, and making diapers is actually very fun and rewarding
- I love the idea that I can do something as teeny, tiny as a little diaper to provide a little bit of comfort to parents during an incredibly different time. Some parents have nothing the right size to put on their little ones and these diapers are just perfect.
- My hope is also that with each little diaper tells parents that their babies are valued and that their presence on this earth is important no matter how long or short of a time they are here.
- And, let's be honest, they are adorable

Teeny Tears as a whole has donated over 32,000 diapers in nearly all 50 states. There are bereaved parents, grandparents, siblings, aunties, people who haven't experienced loss but still want to help out and even a few men pitching in to help diaper the little baby bottoms of the US. It is truly amazing and I am so blessed to be a part of it.

So, for Carter's birthday, we will be having a diaper party here at our local church. We hope to get lots of diapers made so we can continue to send out diapers. So far our little group here in the NW has made and donated over 5000 diapers that have been sent to over 60 different hospitals and organizations.

And guess what, you get to be a part of it! If you are a baby loss parent, we would love to honor your babies as well. I think Carter would love to have his angel friends be a part of his birthday party. Every set of diapers is donated with an "In memory of" card that goes with the diapers that are given to the parents. If you have lost a child, we would love to donate diapers in memory of your little one. If you would like diapers donated in memory of your baby, please email jana.teenytears@gmail.com.

I will be making the cards between now and the diaper party on May 4. When the diapers are made and mailed out I will definitely send you pictures (or they will be posted on the blog) so you can see them. I think it would be really neat to see Carter and all of his "friends" being sent out to help others. I know we have already donated diapers in some of your angel's names, but if you would like to be a part of this, let me know, we are more than happy to send out more!

Teeny Tears Update: Diaper Therapy

Over this last few weeks, the Northwest Diaper Dreamers (our local Teeny Tears group) has sent out (or will be very soon) over 600 diapers! They have gone to:

5 hospitals in Washington
1 NILMDTS photographer in Seattle
Sawyer's Heart in Illinois
6 hospitals in Florida
2 hospitals in Texas

We love doing this project and are continually amazed and overwhelmed that we have the support to continue making diapers. We appreciate all of our helpers who cut out endless amounts of diapers and all of those who come to our "diaper parties" to help out. Our local quilt shop has a sign up and we have many people donate flannel. They even let us hold diaper parties at their shop!! This would not be possible without all the wonderful help.

All of the diaper sets are sent with small cards and an angel's name along with the Teeny Tears website. We have been honored to hear from a few families who have received the diapers, although it's always bittersweet as we wish no one ever needed the diapers.

We donate a fair amount of diapers in Carter's name, but we also donate in other angel babies names. I feel like it's some small thing that I can do to help other baby loss moms. There is something about seeing your baby's name written down for others to see that validates their presence in this world, no matter how brief.  I've said it before but this has been such a healing project for me in so many ways and my mom and I often call it our "diaper therapy".

And of course if you ever want to help out, let me know! You can help even if you can't sew! Teeny Tears has an awesome facebook group of women full of tips and tricks of the trade to help you get started. Teeny Tears is also not limited to the northwest, there are people all over the United States and Canada making diapers, so surely there is a connection out there for you. For more info on all the specific ways to help out, click here.

Diaper Party Success!

Our diaper party last night was a wonderful success. We are so thankful to have so many supportive friends and family members who help us out with our projects. We couldn't do it without all of you! Thank you to Kim for letting us use your house and having snacks, mom for making dinner, and Karen for taking pictures and of course everyone who came to help!

We had about 22 ladies come to help out. My mom and her friend hosted and made dinner for all of the guests. He had dinner and chatted and then got to work! We had the honor of making diapers for Carter and several of his friends.

This morning's count showed that we have 191 sets of diapers (382 individual diapers) completely finished, we have around 650 diapers that only need topstitching and around 300 more diapers cut out ready to be sewed. Awesome. That's all I can say.

We currently have in our possession diapers to help around 200 grieving families. I hate that there is such a great need, but glad that we can hopefully do something to ease some pain.

 We also are making wonderful progress on our care package donations! My sweet nephews and niece, as well as a few other families, went through all of their Halloween candy and brought over a big bag to donate. I continue to be humbled and amazed by all the support and generosity of those around us. I have been dubbed "the dreamer" among my diapering friends and sometimes I feel like I always have ideas that I want to do and that I am always asking somebody for something. But people continue to give and give and I can't thank you enough. As someone who has been there, please know that these families greatly appreciate all you have done for them and we appreciate all you have done for us. 

While Daddy's Away...

...mom and baby will play! Danny is gone for the weekend on his annual "guys weekend". He has been doing this with his friends for quite some time and I think it's good for him to get to spend time with his friends. His friends have always been a part of his family.

Yesterday, we talked my mom and niece into a trip to Joann's for their big sale to get some more diaper flannel. You can never have too much flannel.

 {Cohen loves shopping for fabric!}

On the way home, we stopped for some delicious BBQ at this little place on the side of the road. I've driven past so many times but we've never stopped before. We finally did, and it was delicious! Danny will be sad he missed out. We came home for a quick nap and then went to Gramma's for some swimming. Cohen was channeling Michael Phelps and kept putting his face in the water, crying, and then doing it again. Silly little baby.

After swimming we came home and my mom came over to help me make some meals to put in the freezer (yes she is awesome). I stayed up late watching the Olympics and working on diapers. I have had some people ask about the diapers, I have updated the "Teeny Tears" tab at the top of the page with the ways you can help if you are interested. This is an awesome project for sewers and non-sewers alike, you can even get your kids involved!

Today we are off to the post office to mail another package of diapers and then to my nephew's birthday party and then a BBQ. We miss you Dad, come home soon!

Teeny Tears Update

I have taken a brief hiatus in talking about diapers, but don't worry, I'm still working on them. We had a mini diaper party the other week and we made over 200! Thanks Mom, Christine, Nina, Kim,  and McKenna. My faithful diaper cutters, Angie and Kaysha, were hiding for the picture, but they were there helping too.

We have delivered diapers to 3 local hospitals, a NILMDTS photographer, and mailed some out to organizations that are established in hospitals and make care packages for parents who have lost a child. I have also had the honor and privilege to send diapers to two different Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome groups. Something obviously very close to our hearts as this is what we went through with our boys.

Altogether we have donated around 500 diapers! This does not include the many, many other people who are a part of Teeny Tears who have donated thousands of diapers all over the country.

Fall is coming and if you need a project I know of a really good one! Even if you aren't able to sew there are still lots of ways to help out. Let me know if you are interested.

 {These little diapers are part of a set sent to Skagit Valley Hospital. They were all donated in memory of local babies}

Many, many, MANY thanks to my diaper slaves crew who have cut out, turned, ironed, and sewed hundreds of little diapers. This would not be possible without all of you and I love having this to work on in memory of Carter and all the other babies who we don't get to have here with us. It has been such a healing project for me and I hope it can bring a little bit of comfort to other grieving families. Oh, and don't worry, we aren't finished yet. I have a small mountain of flannel just waiting to turn into diapers and blankets.

Count it a Success

I am counting our first diaper night, a success! We had 9 people come to make diapers. I was a little hesitant to get too excited about how much we would get done because three friends had called to say they were sick and couldn't make it. But, we still got a lot done and this has saved me weeks of work. We had four trusty helpers cutting out diapers, my mom and her BFF on the sewing machines, two helpers turning diapers to be ironed, and yours truly on the ironing board. My niece Michelle was also there, although she isn't in any of the pictures because she took them all. She was so excited about helping and kept asking about how happy I thought the families would be when they got the diapers. I'm not sure she knew the diapers were for babies that have died, and I didn't have the heart to burst her bubble.

 {Cutting Crew}

 

{Faithful sewers}

  {The smallest helpers}

 {The diaper turner}

 {The iron master}

{And of course snacks to keep the workers happy, all from my mom}

We got 120 diapers nearly finished and a whole stack cut out waiting to be sewed! I was feeding Cohen his late night bottle, since he had been too distracted to eat with the company here, and it occurred to me...we finished 120 diapers, the same number that have been sponsored. How cool is that??

We had a lot of fun, got a lot done, and I am already looking forward to the next diaper night. If you are a sewer who needs a project, this would be perfect for you. A huge thank you to those of you who came!

Also, will you please keep this family in your prayers? Their little girl Esther was born on 4/12 with a congenital diaphragmatic hernia. There was a hole in her diaphragm that allowed some of her organs to be pushed up into her chest cavity not allowing them all to develop properly. The doctors told her parents that she wouldn't survive after birth, and again later while they were working on her. But she is a little fighter. This is a local family (Esther's mom used to babysit me) and Esther was born at UW and transferred to Children's where she is on a heart and lung bypass machine waiting for surgery. They have a long road ahead of them and the emotions of watching your child struggle for life are so exhausting. Thank you for praying for them! Give your kids an extra hug tonight. I know I am so thankful for every minute that I have with Cohen.

March of Diapers!

Update: We have 120 sets of diapers sponsored. My goal was 100, but don't let that stop you from sponsoring a set or 10!

Hi everybody,

Cohen here again. Sometimes when my mom thinks I'm napping I sneak over to her computer to write to you guys. Me and some other people are doing this thing called the March of Dimes in May. I'm pretty excited about it because I finally get to get out of the house and see a whole bunch of people. Oh, and I get to help raise money for little babies like me and my brother. 

The original team goal for the March of Dimes was $500. Well, we passed that up and have $1700!! I don't really know how much that is, but Mom says it's good. So, now we raised our team goal to $2000. The thing is, my mom has only raised $95 of that and she feels like she can do a lot better than that. My GRAMMA has raised more money than her! Mom says she's feeling a little bit embarrassed about it. Maybe people are tired of giving or are just busy and forget. Mom says this is near and dear to her heart so she's not going to give up yet! I thought maybe I could help her out a little bit.

I've been trying to think of a new way to help her fundraise. I told her it would be a good idea to combine the two projects she's already working on. She has this new friend, Megan, who she's been working with, who also lost one of her twins to TTTS. Megan started this project to make tiny diapers to give to families that have lost babies. She lives far away and calls Mom and me the Seattle branch. Mom is pretty proud because she just completed the first set of 60 diapers to take to the hospital here in Bellingham. Her next set will be of around 120 diapers to give to UW, the hospital me and Carter were born at.

Mom says she loves this little project because it would have been really meaningful to her to have a little diaper to put on Carter. A little piece of normal in the chaos. The diapers fit babies as small as 20 weeks and fit up to 36 weeks. Each family is given 2 diapers, one for the baby and one for the family as a keepsake. See that little diaper on the right? That's the size Carter and I would have worn when we were born.

So, here's the plan. In order to help keep Mom motivated, and to raise money for other preemies like me and Carter through the March of Dimes, you can sponsor a set of diapers (2 individual diapers, one for baby, one for family) or a larger set of diapers! It's pretty much a win, win situation. Diapers for babies and families and donations straight to the March of Dimes for preemies. Click here to donate and then be sure and let me know that you did.

Sponsor:

 One set of diapers $2

Set of 5 diapers (10 individuals) $5

Set of 20 diapers (40 individuals) $20

AND, if you sponsor any diapers, leave a comment or email me at keepingupwiththekimmels@gmail.com. At the end, we will have a drawing and the winner gets to babysit ME while Mom sews all these diapers. AND the winner can pick the next hospital (after UW) that she donates the diapers to (local to me or local to you)! Thanks everybody, little preemies need your help so they can grow big and strong like me! I gotta go before Mom catches me...If you have any questions just let me know, I will try and sneak back at my next naptime.

Go Team Cohen and Carter!

The mission of March of Dimes is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality. Please join us in helping other preemies.