Layla's Legacy: Marching for babies

Layla Grace Pettway

Zephaniah 3:17-20 "The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing. ... At that time I will gather you; and at that time I will bring you home."

As most of you know, we lost our baby girl just two days after she was born. Many people that we love rallied around us offering support and love during that time and still continue to do so today. Layla Grace was born 13 weeks premature. A carbon copy of her identical twin sister...I can only imagine what it would be like to have her here today. Making the same silly faces Briley does and hugging my neck each night saying "oh night mama". God has given me peace. Not to say that each day isn't a struggle, but I smile when I think of Layla and rejoice in the moment that God calls me home and I give her all the kisses I want. It is because of the March of Dimes that our Briley Kate has life today. She did not have the same birth defect her sister had, but she was so tiny. The ground-breaking work the March of Dimes does on a daily basis gives babies like mine a fighting chance at life. She hugs her momma and daddy each night because of our doctors, NICU nurses and research completed by organizations committed to the cause of prematurity. Its an organization that is near and dear to our hearts and is the reason that so many babies are being held by their mothers and fathers today. They have LIFE. We are walking for Layla's Legacy and in honor of Briley on April 30, 2011 in Memphis, TN. The walk is a 4 mi walk and money raised goes to support babies like my girls. This organization might not have touched your life in a personal way, but if you are a parent, wife, sister, mother, father, or brother chances are at some point in your life you will encounter someone who has had a premature baby. If you know Briley...and get to feel the warmth of her love then you should raise your hands and praise God that an organization like this exists.

Our team name is Layla's Legacy. We would LOVE for you to join our team and walk with us on April 30. However, I realize that some of you live very far away...please consider donating to our cause. Your love, support and prayers have made a difference in our lives and for that I am truly thankful so please do not feel pressured to donate, but we would love to have you walk with us in honor our children. Please go to
http://www.marchforbabies.org/team/t1515777 from there you can join our team to walk, donate money, or help raise money. We have a team goal of raising $2000.

Love,

Leanne and Brian

Little Boy Blue

They were thrilled to be in the stroller for a walk...NOT



Don't hate on the pink bouncer...he's still a man

Two months Old

Our little man is growing so fast!! Compared to Briley he has been a little more high maintenance which makes me laugh ( well sometimes it makes me cry because i'm so exhausted). He's been fussy and very gassy...I mean VERY GASSY. He cried a majority of the day for the first two months. Which will bring a mother to the brink of tear almost everyday...that coupled with little sleep and chasing a toddler made me realize what God must feel like constantly chasing us. Briley will sit there sometimes, cover her ears and say "hush Colt hust". But as the weeks have gone by our baby boy has learned to digest better and that has made for a much better day.

Here are some stats from our 2 mo check-up:

Weight: 11 lbs 10 oz

Height: 22 3/4 in

Developmental Milestones: Cooing and smiling (he smiled for the first time on Christmas Eve :)

Eyes: Still blue

Hair: Blonde

Sleeping: about 6 hours a night

Stockings Were Hung by the Chimneys with Glee...

So I know its almost February, but here's a brief glimpse into our Christmas. It was a quite one with a teething toddler and a newborn we really just sat by the fire most of the day. Briley made it quite clear that she rather play with her old toys that day than new ones. Oh well... that's life with a toddler, never know what to expect! We really didn't over do it on the presents. We want to teach our children to be christ centered at Christmas instead of self-centered. We didn't really take many pictures (I regret that now) but I was SOOOO tired. The video camera will have to be our memory...