I am a lucky girl to have a cyber-sisterhood of supportive friends who share in the miracle of trying to conceive with me. I’ve known this group since 2005 when Lovey and I first started trying to grow our family in earnest. Early on it wasn’t easy. We had 2 early miscarriages that year. As I searched for answers on the internet I came across a group on a Babycenter message board of women who shared our struggles and amazingly offered up a whole new world of advice, love and support. They helped me to know what questions to ask and of whom. Many of them had met years before and had been through the stages of the process that we were just starting. Some had their miracles already and others were still working their way through the process. Most of all we cheered each other through this difficult time. Since then we have been there with each each other through more losses, emergency surgeries, fertility treatments, lengthy bedrests, genetic testing and diagnoses, failed adoptions, medical and personal worries, and thankfully more miracles. While none of us are strangers to loss, the loss we all have experienced is our own unique and yet combined story.

Many of my cyber sisters are stepping up together this spring to walk for all babies in the March of Dimes “March for Babies”. A team has been formed to raise money for MOD in the name of one of the most recent and tragic losses of our dear cyber-sister whose precious baby girl Danielle was born sleeping last September, just weeks shy of her due date. The outpouring of love and support and help to her during this sad period from a group that met online is simply amazing to me. We should all be so blessed to know hearts as kind as these in our lives.

If you would like to donate to the March of Dimes March for Babies in Danielle’s dear name, join us here.

I’ve only had the good fortune to meet one of this group of 27 women in real life. Yet I don’t know what I would do without their support and love. They are family now- they are my cyber-sisters, their children, my children’s cyber-cousins.People that I hope to know the rest of my life- and one day in real life.

This winter since a number of our children are no longer babies and are well entrenched in childhood. We decided collectively to do a round of Flat Stanley and send paper versions of our little loves around the country visiting each other. I first mentioned it here with a picture of Flat Zuzu & Flat Quail.

Being a bit more homebound these days growing the newest little miracle it was fun to spend some one on one time with each girl crafting. Zuzu loved to pick the patterns for her flat’s clothes and remained true to her fashionista self. I was impressed with her scissor skills as was she as she kept saying, ” I can’t believe a cut a leotard!!!”.

When Zuzu was ready for a nap that day, her sister woke up full of craftiness. She practiced with her new scissors and took on the clothes pattern picking and gluing like an ole pro.

As life often imitates art, there was a slight unfortunate event involving Flat Zuzu’s hair that resembled 3D Quail’s love of hair-pulling a bit too closely.  It required a bit more cutting and gluing before mailing. And there was much debate with Zuzu over all the extras that she wanted to send along: Flat Sugarplum, Flat Chulacat, a Flat Suitcase, Flat Stuffed animals, Flat Momma, Flat Daddy… in the end the Flat Sistred were sent off solo and together on their adventures around the country.

Some of my cyber-sisters have started blogs devoted to them with the intention of making their own paper books for the kids once their Flats have returned home. I love this idea and we decided we would just categorize our Flat adventures for future reference here.

Meet a few of our Flat Cyber-cousins:

Flat Nathan

Flat Roman

Flat Vincent

Flat Zuzu & Flat Quail are currently in Kentucky with 3D Daniel & Katie and enjoying themselves quite thoroughly. Stay tuned for more on their adventures…