Getty Owl Foundation

In A Moment

From Kate:

In a moment:

I gave birth to a beautiful little girl.

We became a family.

Our lives changed forever.

Our lives changed FOREVER.

I stubbornly let go of what  I thought motherhood was going to be like.

I lost control.

We embraced every second of every day.

The future seemed uncertain at every corner.

My heart skips a beat when I catch Getty looking at me and smiling.

You simply no longer have time nor energy to sweat the small stuff.

There is a celebration of every toe twitch, finger tap, head roll, and smile.

The world can stand still when there is an emergency.

There is a sigh of relief when all is okay.

SMA doesn’t even know who he messed with.

Realizing that I never knew love before Getty. She encompasses every sense of the word.

Becoming a mother is so incredibly awesome, the best “job” a person could ever have.

You can become a nurse, a respiratory therapist, counselor, advocate, nutritionist, physical therapist, occupational therapist, and teacher, in a moments notice and all at the same time.

I became a world renowned singer to Getty’s ears. (If she only knew!)

Having marathon book readings is the coolest, but can’t deviate because she knows exactly what is happening in the book.

I feel like the luckiest mom on the planet for letting me be Getty’s mommy.

I will hear the sounds of coos coming from her room as they will travel throughout the house like a breeze. It is her polite way of letting me know that she is ready to start the day.

A sense of relief that she is getting the nutrients she needs to continue to beat the odds healthy and happy.

Making her bed and keeping everything nice and tidy feels comforting.

I am realizing that I need her just as much as she needs me. For so many different reasons.

Noticing that Getty’s hair is getting longer and thicker.

I realize that she is turning into a little lady.

Understanding that I have far more strength and energy that I ever thought I had. And then with a lot of coffee I can go to another level.

Getty is a proud a girly girl. I love it!

I can go from nice mom to dragon mom in a nano second if Getty needs something. (Doctors, insurance providers, DME, Apria; you know what I am talking about.)

I realized how smart Getty is and then I became even more desperate to find more ways to communicate with her.

Getty is defining what she is accomplishing and there is no test, no evaluation, and no professional that can label her abilities. She is our super hero, our genius, and master of her own destiny.

I was humbled.

I am in awe of her giggles. Her timing is impeccable.

I stopped fighting the loss of control and allowed myself to just be.

My eyes see a different world.

I realized who my friends are.

The celebration of 1st and 2nd birthday’s bring such overwhelming comfort. Seeing ahead to the 3rd and 4th and 5th now does not seem unattainable like it once did.

A cure will be found.

No, Thank You!

I’ve gotten a couple emails and comments in the last two days thanking me for Getty’s Virtual Birthday Party.  It’s a motto of mine to always appreciate thanks when they are given so let me start by saying, you are very welcome.  Here’s the thing though, this party was just a little idea in my head when Getty’s first birthday came around.  I knew this was a little girl that might not celebrate her birthday the way most children would because her birthday falls during RSV season.  Being the party planner, I still wanted Getty, Kate and Mark to have a party.

Sounding totally cliche, it wouldn’t work without all of you.  I had an idea, but without you: without the donations, without the party goers, this event would be a complete flop.  It is because of you that it was so much fun and such a huge success.  So, I thank you for doing what you did to make this party the best I could have ever hoped for.

It can’t go unsaid that the donations that came in were AMAZING.  So many that prizes were bigger and most people won two items!  I wanted to do one last shout out for those that donated good.  If you didn’t win something, I highly encourage you to check out some of the websites for these generous people and companies.  They are who we should support when buying!

Cupc4ke

Linda Adams

Say What Creations

Jacqueline

California Footwear Company

Holli’s Blossoms

Katie Angelone

Transient Treasures

Pure Palette

Rain’s Embellishments

Udderly Smooth

Revitalized Vintage

Purple Pansy

Downtown Grid

Kristin Banjany

Mary Johnson

Fuel Belt

Frog Togg

Road ID

Tiny Prints

Earl Grey Vintage

Rita Rebello

Thanks again and love to you all!

Stacey Ball

And the winners are……

We are so excited to let everyone know who won that we just can’t wait till noon!  We assigned each comment an entry number based on the order in which the comments came in.  We then used random.org to pick a winner at random for each prize.  The winners are as follows:

Getty Owl Gift Set  : Debie Trotti

Owl Hat and Bows  : Nicole Juntunen-Williams

Tie Purse and Keychains  : Angelina Bohannan

Say What Gift Certificate ($40 value)  : Shannon McClain

Wink the Blabla Doll  : Shannon Leach

Mother and Child Owl Apron Set  : Char Allen

California Footwear Sandals  : Jennifer Webster

Clip Holder and Owl Clip  : Momma Trumble

Windchime and Upholstery Fragrance  : Kim Saunders

Purse and Owl Earrings  : Kim S.

Udderly Smooth Gift Set  : Lacey

Necklace, Earrings and Gift Certificate  : Denise Lamora

University Art and Paragary’s Gift Certificate  : Susan

Clip Holder and Owl Clip  : Donna Gagnon

Doll Clothes and Pillow  : Melanie O

California Footwear Sandals  : Autumn Nguyen

A Runner’s Gift Set  : Doni

Prudence the BlaBla Doll  : Holli Spaulding

Tiny Prints Set w/Gift Certificate and Crochet Owl w/Clip  : Jenn Lozina

Girls Crochet Hat and Tutu  : Kalynn

Purse and Owl Earrings  : Nikki M.

California Footwear Sandals  : Dannete Lyden

Kindle Fire  : Jen Hanson

Thank you to everyone that entered, sent in videos and partied along with us on Sunday and Monday!  Winners will receive an email from me (staceyball@gmail.com).  Winners must email me back by Thursday at 1opm to claim their prize or a new winner will be chosen.  Please reply to the email with your mailing address.

Congrats to everyone!!

Getty Owl Gift Set

We did it!  We wrapped up over 24 hours of giveaways.  What a perfect celebration this was.  Don’t forget, all giveaways have a deadline to enter of Monday March 26th at 11pm PST.  if you are just arriving to the party on Monday morning, well..we will still be here to party with you.

Our final item tonight is all about awareness.  We are simply calling this the Getty Owl Gift Set.  This will include:

A Getty Owl Foundation Bracelet, tote bag, t shirt, sweatshirt and hat.  Also included will be a physical copy of the tribute album Sweet Water Child – Lullabies for Getty.

We know that the winner of this will wear these items proudly and help us spread the word and raise awareness for SMA.

Leave a comment vowing to tell at least 7 people about SMA in the next month.

Thanks for partying with us, I can only imagine how the 3rd Birthday Party is going to look!

Owl Hat and Bows

Another adorable hat from Cupc4ke!  Perfect for the little boy or girl in your life.

Since it seems like everyone has been a big fan of the boys, how about 4 more bows!  We’ll just keep building up your collection!

Leave a comment letting us know who your owl hat will be for to be entered.  Deadline to enter is March 26th at 11pm.