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The Learning Lovey has definitely become a favorite “blankie” in our house. None of my other kids have ever really used a lovey or blankie, but it’s so cute to see Andres grabbing on to the tags and engaging with the lovey. One great thing about the Baby Jack & Co. blankets are that the tags are sewn shut, so little fingers can’t get stuck! The tags also have several different textures to engage the kids’ senses.
Read more of their review here!Help us spread the word and show her what a true #babyjackfan is!!
babyjackandcompany.com
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"At our 20 week anatomy ultrasound on July 27, 2015, we were SO excited to find out the gender of our sweet baby. Turns out...it was a baby boy!!! We were so happy, as we have 2 girls already. But then we got some not-so-happy news. They saw some "soft markers" in his stomach and brain, that could be indicators of a chromosomal disorder, but most of the time, they go away on their own. So they scheduled us for another ultrasound 2 weeks later to re-check them, and get a better look at his heart since they couldn't see it well, due to his position at the time. 2 weeks later, we had our second ultrasound. We got good and bad news. The "soft markers" we're gone! We were so happy to hear that, but something told me not to get too excited until we talked to the doctor. When we went back to talk to the doctor about the ultrasound, she broke the bad news to us. Our sweet baby boy had a heart defect. She told us that they didn't have the best technology to be able to tell us more about what kind of defect, but she referred us to a high risk OB who could tell us more.
Our first appointment at UVA was October 6, 2015. We had an echo done on his heart, talked to the Cardiologist, and had an ultrasound. It was Tetrology of Fallot. They explained everything to us about it, and showed us a book that explained it with pictures. Basically they told us that they weren't sure about how extensive the condition was, and wouldn't until after he was born, but that he would most definitely need surgery. We were devastated. It's heartbreaking to hear that your baby will need to be cut open, and may not even live. It was the worst thing I've ever felt. The next few months of waiting, not knowing anything else, were awful.
We had a few more appointments at UVA here and there over the next 2 months. Had a few more echoes and ultrasounds done, and met with other people who would be part of the team that would take care of Oli after he was born, and toured the NICU and PICU of the hospital. We eventually set up a date for me to be induced so that we would be able to be at UVA when I had him, as opposed to going into labor on my own and having to have Oli transported there after he was born. Also, I had extra amniotic fluid, so we weren't sure how long he would stay in the womb, but we also wanted to make it as close to 40 weeks as possible so that he would be as healthy as possible. The date we set up was December 7, 2015.
The morning of December 7 came. We got to the hospital at 11 am and started the induction. After a long 17 hours little Oli finally made his appearance in the world!! Born on 12-8-15 at 5:57 am, weighing 8 lbs even, and just under 21 inches long. It was so amazing for him to actually be here! The room was so hectic though! There were about 20 doctors from different fields all around me, and all around Oli. Andrew and I weren't sure what was going on for abour 10 minutes. Finally someone told Andrew that Oli seemed to be doing ok, and Andrew reached over to him and Oli held his finger. He looked over at me, and with tears in my eyes, I asked if Oli was ok. He told me that he was. They brought him to me and let me hold him for a few minutes. I kissed him and took a picture of him with Andrew and myself. Then they took him to the NICU.
Oliver received his first lovey when he was in the NICU at UVA hospital after birth. He didn't really have anything that was 'his' because we weren't sure what to bring with us to the hospital. Having the lovey was special because it gave him something that made him feel comfortable in a scary place. I think that's very important, and I feel that it helps these little ones to thrive. Now Oliver is 9 months old, and he still carries it around. It's still quite a comfort for him, especially when he has procedures done, or doctor appointments. It provides a sense of safety and protection, and knowing he has that, makes it a little easier for me as well"
To read more about Oli's story and to follow his journey visit https://www.facebook.com/OliversHeartJourney/
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"I was always brought up to respect law enforcement and thank them for what they do, but I never fully understood what that was until I worked for a police department. In 1999, I started working at the police department in Pewaukee. Through my dispatching career I worked in Elm Grove and Wauwatosa Police Departments as well. During those years I not only leaned what it was that our officers did out on the streets and what they truly put on the line but I became their family!
The thin blue line is no joke. This truly is a family, a brotherhood. When I sent an officer to a high stress call, I felt the fear of what was happening when they wouldn't answer the radio. I knew what was at stake. I knew the family behind the badge. I saw the faces of the their beautiful children and knew I had to do what I had to to get them home at the end of their shift! I became that family.
In 2004, I truly became family - what they say as blood and blue. I married my officer.
What happened next was never what I expected! I started to realize what it was like to be that family behind the badge. When he couldn't come home on time, I wondered why. What was going on? Was he okay?
I was still working when my husband was involved in an incident where a man shot himself on a traffic stop. It turned out that the man was wanted for killing a judge's family in Chicago. That was the first time I realized we were vulnerable as a family. Truly vulnerable. It scared me as a wife.
Then came March 20th, 2011. My husband and I attended our first law enforcement funeral. Officer Craig Birkholz was shot arriving on scene of a call. It was something that once again made me realize how vulnerable they really are.
When we arrived home from the funeral I sat there, with no idea what to say. My husband started getting ready for work and I felt like I couldn't even move. I couldn't breathe. I found it near impossible to let him walk out the door to go protect his city. I cringed every time id hear a siren go screaming by... I spent the day holding the phone and saying prayers.
I was pregnant.
All I could do was hope and pray my husband would be here to meet his baby girl when she arrived. The funeral made me realize just how much could be taken away from us just like that.
Since that day, I've had two babies and attended more police funerals than I'd like to admit. Each one more difficult than the one before.
Then my husbands department lost a detective. Not in the line of duty but she died giving birth to twins. Twins that will never know their momma. It broke my heart to think about it. At the same time our country lost several officers who also had children they left behind.
It was then that I knew I needed to do something! I teamed up with Baby Jack & Co. and Spread the Lovey to give back!
Throughout the year we collect police lovey donations and then each May we take all the donated loveys we currently have to Washington DC and my husband and I personally pass them out to survivor children at the candlelight vigil at the National Police Memorial Wall.
Other loveys are sent in care packages directly to the families of line of duty death survivors.
Sadly this year alone we've already lost 29 officers in the line of duty and 24 of them have children, almost all of them multiple children. Two of them are currently pregnant. Heartbreaking.
Little Fighter's Club was started to help bring a little bit of comfort to these kids. I know we can't help replace what they've lost but my hope is that we can bring them even a second of comfort and let them know that there is someone out there that cares.
My hope is that after the worst day in their lives, our care package can let them know that this thin blue line family is real and cares about them. At the same time it's our way to reach out to the surviving parent and let them know we're here for them too.
Waylon is a heart warrior that has been touched by Baby Jack & Co's #spreadthelovey kindness project. His family was inspired to collect loveys for their hospital by one of our reps and their kindness inspired others to pay it forward. Kindness is truly contagious. Here is his story --
"After a very easy and uneventful pregnancy, Waylon was born on December 8, 2015. He had some difficulty breathing so off to the NICU he went to be monitored overnight. The next day, he was released out of the NICU so his regular pediatrician stopped by to do a routine check before we could be discharged. He noticed what he thought was likely to be a "nothing to stress about heart murmur". It was recommended that we get an ultrasound of his heart done just to be on the safe side. Later that day, one of the nurses mentioned that the Cardiologist wanted to see us. That is the moment my stomach dropped, I knew they wouldn't be trying to find us to say everything was normal. Eventually the Cardiologist arrived in our room, ready to explain what he found. He started off by handing me a box of kleenex and I knew it was going to be bad. He began explaining that our son had a congenital heart defect called Tetralogy of Fallot. Listening to a stranger in a white coat describe Waylon's heart versus a normal heart was so overwhelming, I felt as though I couldn't even process what he was saying. He drew us pictures and continued on with medical terms that were just buzzing in my head. All I could think about was how could this be? I didn't so much as take a tylenol my whole pregnancy. I did everything I could to make sure my baby would be born healthy. Here he was, just three days old, we had just finally decided on a name and now we were hearing such devastating news.
It took awhile before the Cardiologist told us about the necessary surgery (and possibly surgeries) that he will need. We were told of the "tet spells" that we needed to watch out for and what to do if one occurred. When we were finally sent home from the hospital, I felt like we had brought a live grenade with us. No idea when it would activate and send us all spiraling out of control. Having a child with a serious medical condition is draining and exhausting at times. We always had to be on alert and work to try to keep his crying under control. Life before surgery was challenging at times. We had to take our daughter out of preschool and ballet to limit our chances of him getting sick. It is almost like living on house arrest at times. We have just said from the beginning that this is the way he came to us and now this is our journey together. He had his surgery at Lucille Packard Children's Hospital in May. It was incredible how well things went for him and how quickly he bounced back. The surgery was on Monday and we were home by lunch time on Friday. He will need another surgery at some point, they are predicting in his teen years but of course, only time will tell.
We came up with the idea for our logo, The Warrior Way because heart kids are often referred to as heart warriors and way, for our little dude Waylon. In true warrior fashion, his hair even grows in a perfect mohawk. We have experienced so much kindness from people, it is truly amazing. It is so humbling to see so many people reaching out to us in our time of need. I came across one of Spread the Lovey's reps, Share the Lovey, Instagram account after doing a search of Tetralogy of Fallot. We were gifted one and it became one of Waylon's favorite toys. We were thrilled to be able to take blankets that people donated for us up to LPCH to hand out while we were there. Giving the lovey opened the door to talk to other families in similar situations. We stay in touch with one of the families and now they are part of the Kindness Team, handing loveys at their local hospital. The amount of emotions experienced in those situations can be so overwhelming. We felt so privileged to play a small role in comforting others. It has been such a great opportunity for us to pay forward the kindness that has been expressed to us."
]]>A new Baby Jack & Co. lovey product review from "Stages Learning" --
"Naptime can be a challenging time of day. Sometimes just having the right tools to comfort your child can go a long way with your baby’s happiness as well as your own! As your child’s sense of touch begins to grow, you may notice a curiosity or preference for certain kinds of textures. Baby Jack Blankets from Baby Jack & co. are truly unique in that they provide multiple textures to help soothe your child.
One side is smooth like satin while the other has a soft and furry feel to it. Some come with an attached plush animal if your child likes the softer, cushier textures and all come with a plastic link that’s great for teething (and clipping to a stroller!). The tags around the outside are sewn shut for safety. There are lots of fun patterns and themes to choose from, making it a good learning tool as an added bonus. This truly has everything you could want from a good baby blanket – safe, comforting, educational and entertaining!
The Baby Jack Blankets can be a great gift for any baby, but we also recommend it as a good therapy toy for any children with special needs and sensory sensitivity."
Stages Learning focuses on products that will help children with autism learn and thrive. Their products all feature beautiful, colorful, real-photo images to engage and encourage exploration. www.stageslearning.com
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