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It’s time – We’re in the New York Times!

Our story in the New York Times 

Jill's photo of me watching as Liam crowns

Jill’s photo of me watching as Liam crowns

Jill has been documenting our story since December – with the intention to promote the piece to as many media outlets as possible in hopes of grabbing the attention of some heavy-hitting names. Well, she succeeded! The New York Times scooped up our photo-story and announced the exciting news to Jill on Wednesday (5/8).

“I have a Mother’s Day present for you!” She said when I answered her phone call while Jake and I were at lunch with Liam. I thought to myself – this girl is too much! Why is she buying something for me, for Mother’s Day?? “Your story is going to be in the New York Times!!!!!!” she squealed. Had I not been in public, I too would have shrieked with joy! All I could say was “….no way”. It was definitely best-case scenario for the marketing of our story and the foundation, and also for her amazing work.

Here’s Jill’s first pitch of the story on Penn State’s Website with photos that didn’t make it into the NYT article: Special Delivery by Jill Knight

It's a boy! Seeing Liam for the first time via 4D ultrasound.

It’s a boy! Seeing Liam for the first time via 4D ultrasound.

We’ve been preparing ourselves ever since, updating the websites and revamping/refreshing the look and accessibility of our information to better handle the traffic that just might ensue. We’re ready [or so we think] for this to go crazy. We’ve needed a push from a media giant like this to hopefully escalate the foundation’s name and therefor get on with what we have wanted to do for so long – help and give back.

To make it easier for people to see how they can help, we created a Go Fund Me account. It’s on the website and the blogs, since people are more likely to donate if the collection source is more readily available and user friendly.

Here we go, we’re in for the ride so let’s see where this takes us!

IMG_20130206_012022

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Putting it out there, universe.

Here are some things I still need help with/contacts for. If you have any info or ideas of who I could contact (6 degrees of separation, people!) please email me -

Jamie@RobertWilliamFoundation.org

Thanks in advance :)

  • Website Design (custom/professional for both RWF & my blog)
  • Literary Agent (for my book – I have some leads but nothing solidified)
  • Contacts for shows – Ellen, ABC, Today Show, etc!

Also, we are filing for our non-profit status this month so any/all donations from here out will be (drum roll)…TAX DEDUCTIBLE! The IRS will back-date our approval date to the date we applied for 501 (c)(3), so we need to start getting contacts for events and products -

  • T-Shirts (both the shirts & screen printing) for us and our March of Dimes team
  • Venues and merchants (catering? prizes? decorations? DJ?) for our next event
  • Companies who would be interested in donating to a TAX DEDUCTIBLE and LOCAL charity ;)             (ahem: Lowe’s Corp., locally owned businesses, etc).

It would greatly help us also if you could share this post link on your favorite social media outlet (or all of them!) to help us get the most exposure possible.

Let’s get this rolling, y’all! We have work to do and lives to change, and it’s not gonna happen without hard work and help from everyone! Be part of the RWF team – We Heart Babies!

Hugs & Thanks

((playing around with signatures for the blog))

((soon to be digitized!))

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A Living Scrapbook

I texted Kristen about a week ago to ask her how she felt about having a photographer in the room during Liam’s birth. I saw a collection of photos from another bio/surro birth shoot and I was in tears. I have to have those precious, priceless memories.

I didn’t know that Kristen had already partnered with Jill of Jillography as a special gift to me.  Not only does she carry our child, but she also reads my mind! To add to this wonderful surprise, this fabulous photographer works freelance for the New York Times! She will be documenting the rest of our journey – appointments and such, through Liam’s birth. I can’t even describe how excited I am!

Introducing...Jill!

Introducing…Jill!

I’ve been trying my best to keep up with our journey thus far with my own cell phone/camera pictures and scrapbooking. Well, there is a huge pile of pictures and scrapbooking supplies in our spare bedroom. Until now I haven’t had time to really contemplate organizing and arranging it all. I’ll get right on that..

Our first meeting and documenting experience will be this coming Monday, December 17th at our OB appointment in Charlotte. Yes, I said Charlotte! Kristen is now officially a patient of the OB/GYN surgeon who saved my life last year (who will be delivering Liam -can we say Hallmark movie worthy?!). I am beyond excited and relieved to know that Kristen and Liam will now be in the safest hands in North Carolina. I would know.

And here’s what’s coming…

  • I’ve restarted my writing/blogging with Fertility Authority. Be sure to look for links coming soon!
  • ..one day until the one year anniversary..

I have a very special, emotionally raw, post that I’m saving for Friday. I’ve started writing it but am adding to it every day as different emotions come to me revolving around the year anniversary. If you’ve followed this blog for even just a short time, you probably realize I don’t hold back a whole lot.  I said from the beginning of my writing that I would always be open and honest, so I feel like I would be lying if I delivered a standard “today’s a bad day” post on such a milestone.

Hugs!

Jamie

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Newspapers & Magazines

We are so excited to have been featured in the Charlotte Observer and Lake Norman Currents Magazine this month! Both pieces were beautifully written accounts of our tragedy turned triumph, thanks to our community. Read our pieces and pick up your copy at the following locations:

Charlotte Observer (Wednesday, April 4th edition: order from www.charlotteobserver.com)

Lake Norman Currents Magazine: Local Harris Teeter’s, Food Lion, and most businesses/medical offices.

Links to our stories:

Lake Norman Currents E-Pub

Charlotte Observer: Mooresville News

April 2012 Lake Norman Currents Magazine

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Blog it up..

I’m so excited to announce that I will be blogging for a public website: Fertility Authority! I can’t believe my writing is going public; but I have to say, it feels pretty darn good. I’ll be writing about the whole process we are experiencing: the first fertility doctor appointments, the glamorous daily hormone injections, and the much anticipated embryo transfer (and everything in between). I want to help couples with this process, it’s not a fun journey when you have no idea what to expect. Being the obsessive compulsive researchers and perpetual planners that Jake and I are, we seem to have our roadmap drawn out; let’s see what other “bumps in the road” we encounter along the way…
Visit my blog on Fertility Authority: Infertility, Surrogacy and Adoptions: Oh My!

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Fabulous Fox News

Our very first news story was taped today with Morgan Fogarty from Fox News @10. The special will air tomorrow, 3/1 at 10pm and also Friday 3/2 on Fox News Rising. We talked about our tragic medical crisis, the foundation, the petition, and our hopes to soon become parents. Wouldn’t it be great if this fell into the right hands and we got Ellen or Oprah to notice us!? We can dream…and trying never hurts either!

I don’t know when I’ll be able to get to sleep tonite..the thought of what this might mean for us is almost overwhelming. I want the foundation to start so badly, and the sooner we reach our goal and begin IVF, the sooner RWF will be running officially.

What better way to have our little boy live on than through having all of North Carolina saying his name! Robert William Foundation is hopefully about to be a household name.

Jake, Morgan Fogarty, and myself (along with our pups)