DISO:tough as nails mom, must be able to keep calm and carry on. Laughs in the face of adversity. Keeps her wits about her. Deeply rooted sense of humor. Has a soft touch and never neglects to send a birthday card. Must be active military or married to active military. Deployed military will be considered a bonus. Needs an extremely comfortable and functional baby carrier but lacks the wherewithal to acquire one. (Dads will also be accepted)
Let’s get down to brass tacks: thanks in full to a generous donation I have a very cool semi-custom wrap conversion mei tai that I need to put into the hands of my DISO (desperately in search of). This WCMT honors my Grandmainaustralia Margaret Moir. The WCMT honors the sacrifices our armed forces make daily. Please help me find this person.
In your comment below nominate a friend for TOB (Tough Old Bird). Tell me a little about her and why you want her to have TOB. Please include her name; contact information for her is not necessary at this time. The nomination pool will be narrowed to a group of semi-finalists that I feel best evoke the spirit of my grandmother, and the winner will be chosen at random from this group.
Fine print: I will have extremely limited internet access in the coming weeks, and may not be able to approve your comment for several days. This nomination period’s deadline is July 8, 2012
EDIT: Deadline has been extended 1 week. Deadline is now July 16, 2012.
18 Responses to TOUGH OLD BIRD
I would like to nominate Scott and his wife Holly. He has just recently returned from deployment, whilst she has just recently given birth to twins. If anyone needs a baby carrier it will be these two fabulous people.
I would like to nominate my friend Melissa… they have 4 children. She home schools, cloth diapers the youngest, and BFs their 9 month old while dealing with their 2 yr old’s major heart problems. This little girl is recovering from her second open heart surgery in her little life. Because of complications from that surgery, the mother and two youngest children are now back from the children’s hospital and Ronald McDonald House 16 hrs away from home and friends after almost 6 weeks. A special carrier would not only help them out but would be a real blessing to a family that has been through a lot.
I would like to nominate my gorgeous friend Amanda. Her hubby is currently away somwhere with the Army, and she has just applied to rejoin the Navy as part of their reserves, as well as studying naturopathy from home and being a full time SAHM to two kidlets under 3!!
She doesn’t have a drivers license yet either, so does a lot of walking and catching public transport and could really do with a totally rocking carrier. She is an amazing mama who has endured a lot in the last couple of years. A very high risk pregnancy, truamatic birth, bub in NICU and then a move interstate (thanks to the defence force) only weeks after discharge! She soldiers on like a trooper when the going gets tough, and she is always there to support you if you are on a downer. She is incredibly giving and kind and thoughtful. I would love to see this special carrier go to her.
i would like to Nominate my good friend PAm Hall. She has 4 young children and her husband is currently deployed. They are an amazing family! She weekly prepares meals for other familys in her husbands unit who are also deployed. She is always will to help others out! She is very sweet and one of the most generous mamas i have ever met! They had only been at their current duty station 4 months (? or less) when her husband was deployed so she has worked hard to create a support group for her family. We are inthe same AP group but getting to meetings is hard when you have 4 little ones. I know she doesn’t give to herself often enough:-) This carrier would be great as a gift to self without having to take away from their family’s budget
I would like to nominate my friend Alexis. She is Active Duty Air Force and is married to a former Marine. They have spent a good portion of their marriage apart, while they have been stationed in different places, along with her deploying to Korea and him elsewhere. Now, they are finally able to be together and their first child is due in September. I know that Alexis loves ObiMama, and she would be ecstatic to have one. It would be nice for her to have a versatile carrier that her and her husband could both use, as he will be a SAHD for their new little girl.
I would like to nominate another friend of mine, Liz.
She is former Air Force, and married to an Active Duty Airman. She is a full-time SAHM, with a 2 year old son, and a brand new daughter, born just over a week ago. She cloth diapers, babywears, and is an awesoem crunchy Mama! Her husband is currently on his second deployment witihin a year’s time, and has missed the birth of their daughter, along with other family milestones. I know she has been admiring ObiMama, and would definitely appreciate a versatile carrier, especially with two little ones.
I would like to nominate my friend Megan. She and her husband just moved from the base where the majority of her friends were located to a place where Megan knows no one. Her husband is currently a drill sergeant and works crazy hours. He is away most days from 4 am until 11 pm and they only have one car. Megan is a wonderful person who is very much deserving of this carrier for herself and her beautiful little girl. If Megan were to win this carrier I know she and her LO would enjoy getting out of the house more often. Megan wouldn’t have to worry about her LO running off on her in their new neighborhood during their walks because she would be able to wear her comfortably. I know there will be many great, deserving moms nominated for this carrier, but I really hope that Megan is given the opportunity to win so that she does not feel stranded in her new home.
I would like to nominate my friend Lauren. She was medically retired from the AF due to back and leg problems.
She is now married to a Sailor who has a routine of home a few months, then deployed a few months. So she
Has to hold down the fort by herself for atleast 6 months of every year. She is currently living very far from friends and family so se has no help during the times her husband is away. She is a stay at home mom to her 2 year old son, and has another son due in August. All this asside she does her best to be a very natural mother. She introduced me to baby wearing. I think she would benefit greatly from recieving this carrier.
I would love to nominate my husband, Chance. He is active duty Navy and is currently serving his 4th deployment in 5.5 years in Afghanistan. We’ve always been a BWing family with me doing the wearing. However, now that we have 2 children he’s seen the ease and convenience of wearing BOTH babies (especially with traveling- which we do a lot of!!) so I would love to get him his own carrier as he’s frequently expressed interest. However, he always turns me down. He asks to put the money to this bill or that bill.. sometimes even telling me to get a wrap I would like instead. Now that I have been honorably discharged from the Navy (I served active duty as well for 4 years) I have slowly started selling some of my wraps/carriers as I am not employed. My husband would never spend this on himself nor let me spend it on him! This would be perfect for him. It seems he’s either always on deployment, out to sea doing exercises or somewhere for training. That doesn’t leave a lot of bonding time with 2 little ones! I know the sweet moments and memories I’ve acquired with my babies through wearing and I would love to pass that onto him while our babies are still little and LOVING being worn! Thank you!
I’d like to counter-nominate my friend Sarah! She’s an Army wife and one of the nicest, funniest people ever. She’s always willing to help out a friend however she can. She’s even working on becoming a VBE to help spread the babywearing love! Did I mention that she’s pregnant with baby number 3?! This carrier would not only make it easier for her to keep up with a toddler and a newborn, but it could also be a valuable teaching tool for her!
I would like to nominate my daughter, Elaine. She is mom to Cadence (almost 6), Sawyer, (almost 20 months), and Daphne (due in September). They’re currently stationed in Hawaii, far from all their family, and they share a car because shipping two cars to Hawaii wasn’t in the plan. The baby girl will be induced on September 1 because her husband’s submarine leaves for a 2-month patrol en route to its new home port on September 6.
Elaine will be alone at Pearl Harbor with both boys and the newborn baby girl until the submarine arrives in Guam, then she’ll be supervising their move to join up with her husband. He has a six-month cruise scheduled in 2013, and as he was recently promoted to chief, he is kept busy!
In addition to caring for the children and managing the household, Elaine operates a small business as an independent stylist for Stella & Dot so that she can contribute to her family’s financial well-being. Despite all those responsibilities, she is always ready to help another family in need.
Both the boys weighed over nine pounds at birth. I know this beautiful carrier would make a difficult, challenging time a little easier for my girl.
I would like to nominate my friend Norita Nurss. She’s quite possibly the strongest woman I know. Her husband has been through multiple deployments, missed 2 out of their three children’s births, she’s basically been a single parent for most of her marriage. She is completely selfless, never getting angry at her circumstance. She and her husband Josh Nurss (who is now home, yet suffering from PTSD) are currently expecting their fourth child in the next month or so. Norita has been through a difficult pregnancy, yet still caring for her children full time, and even taking time to help others with their children, while her husband works long hours. Due to restrictions in the military, Norita and Josh aren’t receiving full pay because of their family size. They are desperately working to change this, but in the mean time, they are living on VERY limited means. These are two hard working, amazing individuals. They’ve both sacrificed so much for our country, and SO deserve something special.
Tiffany, thank you for your nomination. by random drawing, this submission has been chosen to receive this carrier. will you please ask Norita to contact me through facebook or at jen@obimama.com. thanks!
I would like to nominate a friend of my husbands, her name is Nicole. While “old” is not a word I would use to describe Nicole, TOUGH certainly is. Her story is very touching, but also incredibly personal, so I’ll be emailing it to you
I would like to nominate a dear friend, Teresa Dickens Heier. She has three littles at home, her husband is an army vet that is disabled and having issues finding a job. He’s currently going to school since he hasn’t had much luck finding employment. She’s also a working mom that just had her hours cut all while taking care of her three littles that have special needs.
I’d also like to make another nomination that I’ll be emailing to you shortly
I would like to nominate my friend Becky.
I met and became friends with Becky because it was obvious that she had a shining soul, and a heart of gold. I was attracted to her by her quick wit and strong sense of humor, but as time has gone on I have learned a lot about the things that she carries with her– I would *hate* to call her old, but she certainly is a tough bird: She has been through heartache that most could not imagine, and has endured much being the wife of a military man, being the heart of a blended family with a special needs child, and having her own genetic disorder that makes everyday life both risky and painful for her. These are things that Becky does not want to talk about, and would never want to share– because the reality is she puts on a smile and carries on. And I think that attitude is contagious. My dear friend has been so desperate to try one of your carriers, because it truly would make her life a little easier, in ways that other carriers she has been sensitive to could not. And lets face it, and Obimama is like BUTTAH! <3
anonymous submission by MP