Change of Address

Dear loyal readers!

To all my loyal blog readers.

I have a new blog address but it is the same blog you have been so wonderfully following all these months.  Ready for the new address?  OK, it’s www.joshfightsforpreemies.com.

I think you may have to send me another comment in order to stay a subscriber.  Thanks so much for all of your heartfelt comments you’ve all left on lots of my posts.  They are so much fun to read!  You are all so amazing!

Love,

Joshua

Happy Mother’s Day!

We love our Mom so much!

Today is Mother’s Day!  Alex and I woke up late because we were so tired from the big walk yesterday!  That was perfect for Mom so she got to sleep late, too, on her special day today!  I made some special things for Mom in school and I kept them a secret in my backpack until this morning.  I was so excited to give them to her and she loved them all – my card I made in Art Class, my coupon book full of things I will do for her like fold laundry, vacuum the house, and wash her car! and the fill-in-the-blank sheet that says things like My mother likes to…and I wrote “spend time with me.” and My mother is prettiest when she…and I wrote “goes to an event and she wears a dress.” 

Dad made pancakes for breakfast and then we did do one of the things in her coupon book (without her even asking!) and we washed her car.  It’s very clean and sparkly now.  We drove her clean car to Grandma and Papa’s house where we spent the rest of Mother’s Day.  We went swimming and had a delicious dinner.  Every once in a while Alex and I would say “Happy Mother’s Day” to Mom and she gave us a hug and a kiss.  I think we made Mom’s day very special for her.  And Grandma’s, too!  I hope all Mom’s had a Happy Mother’s Day like our Mom did because Moms are just the BEST!

Walking in my Hometown

Taking time out from walking for a photo on Ambassador Avenue!

Today was March for Babies in Broward County, Florida, my own hometown! It was a beautiful sunny day in paradise, and it was a very hot day too. About 4,000 people came out and everyone seemed like they were having such a great time.  It was fun to see lots of people who I know from meeting them through the years.  People from the different companies who are big sponsors like Publix and Broward Health and University of Phoenix and Mission Pharmacal.  And it was neat to see some of my fellow preemie friends who I don’t get to see all the time.  It’s like a reunion every year and it’s a lot of fun!  We all had the best time today at our walk.

It was so great to have Cari, Florida State Director, Megan, Region Director, and Scott from the National Office join us at our walk!

10-cent Lemonade

Speaking about saving babies!

I was invited to be a Guest Speaker this morning for the one of the classes at my old school. I was very excited to go back and see my teacher Ms. Melissa and my friends from my class last year. They had some great questions to ask me and they really wanted to know all about the March of Dimes and how walking helps to save babies. I told them about how the money we all raise for the March of Dimes goes to things like the medicines I got when I was first born that helped me breath and stay alive. And how it helps the special doctors and nurses all know what to do when a baby is born so early. And even how to help a mom stay pregnant for nine months.  At the end, they gave me a handmade Thank You card and it had $45 in it.  They told me they sold Lemonade and Banana Bread to help save babies.  I thought that was such a great idea and so kind of them to help in our fight for preemies!  That was definitely a great way to start my day 🙂

Hooray for Hollywood!

Here we are in Los Angeles for the premiere of the new Babies documentary tonight. Can’t wait to see it! Will tell you all about it later 🙂

This Morning on The Morning Show!

My hometown March for Babies walk is on May 8.  So Mom and I were on The Morning Show on WSFL-TV this morning because we need to keep spreading the news.  I met Dave, the host, during Spring Break when we shot a commercial together in the park where our walk is.  He’s so kind and fun and I was excited to see him again and be on his show in his studio!

Here we are in the Green Room with Jacquie, Exec Director of our Broward Division March of Dimes, before going into the studio.

This is LIVE on the show when Dave is asking me about my favorite place I went so far as National Ambassador.

I told him about going to Washington DC and meeting President Obama.  He thought that was cool too.

This is at the end of the interview when we are looking at the photos of all our different travels.

By the way, those steps behind Dave aren’t real.  They’re a big flat picture.  Don’t tell Dave I told you.  He may not want anyone to know his secret about his staircase.

Me, Dave, and Nik Robinson, Producer, after the show.

I really love being on TV!  I don’t get nervous anymore.  The more I practice the better I feel.  Speaking of practice, I better keep practicing my basketball because Dave told me he wanted to play basketball with me after I told him how much I like it!

Houston Breaks Fundraising Record for March for Babies 2010!

At the Start Line - we're about to walk with 40,000 people in the Houston record-breaking March for Babies walk!

The Houston March for Babies walk raised a record $3 million this year and we were so happy to be part of the excitement and celebration this morning!

I kept hearing that there would be 40,000 people there, but I really didn’t realize how many people 40,000 people are…until I was seconds away from going up on the Mainstage to give my speech.  For the first time since I’ve been giving speeches, I was actually nervous.  Mom kind of tricked me so I wouldn’t completely freak out and told me that it was still early and there might just be a thousand people there so far.  I’ve spoken in front of 1,000 people so it made me feel better.  But when we climbed the stairs and got onstage and looked out, all we saw was a sea of people.  I didn’t know whether I should be nervous again or think how amazing it was that all those people came out to walk in March for Babies and support the March of Dimes.  It was one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen.  I forgot I was nervous and gave my speech and loved hearing all of the cheers when I said, “my favorite part about coming to the awesome city of Houston is being able to walk with everyone in the BIGGEST walk in the country!”  Wow the people in Houston are so great and it was one of the neatest sounds I’ve ever heard.

It seemed to me like all 40,000 were so happy to be there and had a super great morning.  We had such a great time at the Continental Airlines tent thanking them all for being the Official Airline Sponsor of the National Ambassador Program, for being so kind, and flying us all over the place.  It went by so fast, just like these four months did.  But we have lots of pictures to remember all of the fun moments we had.  Here, take a peek at our day.

First thing we did when we got to the walk was be on TV on Houston's local NBC-KPRC morning news show!

Cheerleaders were cheering for everyone as they arrived.

The marching band invited me and Alex to play the next song with them!

Had a great chat with Craig Cordola, CEO of Memorial Hermann Children's Hospital.

Joining in on a big cheer from the Continental Airlines team headed by Jeffrey Smisek, CEO, and the nicest man!

We had so much fun talking to everyone at the Continental Airlines tent. Check out my great balloon hat!

Ed and Ana from Continental Airlines took such good care of us during our visit.

That's not just an airplane, that's also a bbq pit!

Some of the many amazing people we met at Continental Airlines.

Even this Continental Airlines adorable dog is in the spirit of the March of Dimes - he's wearing the luggage tag we made for everyone at Continental Airlines on his collar! It says "En Route 2 Healthy Babies." On the back I wrote "Thanks for helping us fight for preemies. Love, Joshua Hoffman and my Family"

We just love Frank Vitale from the National Office and were happy to be able to spend some time with him again in Houston!

We flew back home after the walk.  It’s nice to be home but we want to go back to Houston, too, because we had such a great time.

Alex and I were in bed and I had my two little stuffed bears and Alex had one.  He wanted one of mine and because he was so tired he started crying.  I got out of bed and told Alex he could have my I Like Blue (that’s his name) and gave him a hug.  Alex said thank you and stopped crying.  I love my little brother so much and I love my whole family.  Being the National Ambassador for the March of Dimes has been the best experience of my life because I know I almost didn’t live at all.  I’m so happy to be able to share everything with my family. 

The Lone Star State is Filled with Stars!

March for Babies in Montgomery County, Texas!

We went to our first walk of 2010 and it was in Montgomery County Texas!  What a beautiful, sunny morning it was.  We had our t-shirts on and we were ready to walk with 4,000 other March of Dimes supporters.

There were so many families there with babies in strollers, little kids in wagons, and lots of kids my and Alex’s age.  My family and Alison and James, Ed from Continental Airlines, and Lawrence who’s 11, Ernie’s son, all walked together for the whole 3 miles!

First, we got to do the countdown.  Alex and I counted down from 10 all the way to one into the microphone, and then off everyone went.  It was so cool!

Afterwards, we came back and thanked lots of people for all of their support and help.  There was even a balloon man there who made purple swords for me and Alex.  At the end of the walk, Dr. Peg Reiter, Chief Nursing Officer at St. Luke’s The Woodlands Hospital is the co-chair of their March for Babies, and she gave me a big balloon hat to take with us.  That was so sweet!

I got to wish everyone a Good Morning!

Counting down to the Start of the Walk was so cool!

That's me and Alex walking the walk!

Saying thank you to one of the walk sponsors.

A group photo with Dr. Reiter and the MOD Houston staff. Check out that big balloon hat Alex is wearing!

Now we’re all ready for the big walk tomorrow morning in Houston.  The biggest one in the country – oh, boy!

Back Where We Began

We arrived in Houston this afternoon and realized this is the first city we came to on our Ambassador Travels back on January 7th when we met Mr. Jeffrey Smisek, CEO of Continental Airlines.  Now we’re back and it’s time for the March for Babies walk!

Alex and Auntie Alison sat across the aisle from Me and Mommy on the plane ride from New York to Houston.

We love doorbells outside our hotel room door!

We had dinner at a yummy Mexican restaurant with warm, homemade chips!

When we came back to our room, cookies and cupcakes were waiting for us for dessert with a pretty orchid flower, too!

We have our walk tees out ready for our March for Babies walks - tomorrow morning in The Woodlands, and Sunday morning in Houston with Team Continental Airlines!

We’re all set and ready to go walking this weekend.  HAPPY MARCH FOR BABIES TO ALL!

A Surprise Visit

We are staying with our cousins on Long Island until we leave for our next trip – Houston!  Since they live in New York and we live in Florida we don’t get to see them as much as we want.  So when we do, it’s a lot of fun!  When they were in school today, our Aunt Stephie took us to a great park.  When we were driving back home, we drove right past the March of Dimes Long Island Chapter Office – so we just had to stop in a say hello!

Here we are at the Long Island Chapter office. We're about to knock on the door and make a surprise visit since we're in the area and wanted to say hello!!!

Chad answered the door and then Annette took us through the office to where the cookies and cupcakes were.  How did she know those are our favorites?!?   So we ate a yummy snack and had a great chat with Annette.  Then on our way out we met Donna. 

From the park to the March of Dimes Long Island Chapter Office. It was fun to surprise Chad, Donna, and Annette!

We wished them good luck on their walk this Sunday and said goodbye.  It was fun to make a surprise visit and meet more great people from the March of Dimes!

We’re off to Houston tomorrow.