PLEASE HELP!!!

I'm training to participate in the ING Half Marathon in January 2010 in honor of Caleb Whan, my nephew who passed away 11 days after his 4th birthday after a difficult battle with Leukemia. I watched the life slowly drain from this brave little fighter. His ability to laugh, sing, play and endure throughout the most unimaginable horrors that the treatment for this disease involves has inspired me to feel compelled to make a difference...in any small way. I implore you to do the same. With just a small donation, you can help make a difference in the lives of families living and dying with this disease. I am running on behalf of the foundation my sister and her husband created in memory of Caleb, "Caleb's Crusade".

In the five minutes it takes to make a donation, someone will be diagnosed with a blood cancer and in five more, someone will die.

I know I didn't fully understand the need for donations when I first became involved in running for an organization until I saw firsthand what can be done to benefit families with these diseases. Insurance only covers a small portion of the astronaumical costs for treatment. There are medications, travel expenses (in Caleb's case, he was treated at Duke University Medical Center in N.C), copayments, lost wages...people lose their homes, their cars struggling to make ends meet. In addition to aiding with these costs, there is a great need for continued research to irradicate these life-threatening illnesses.

I fully realize the state of our economy and the fact that many of us are struggling financially but we must remember cancer does not abate for a flailing economy. ANY small donation helps!
I will be running in honor of Caleb...his courage and strength will inspire me to the finish line. I hope his story does the same for you.

Please make a donation...of any value, at the following website: http://www.calebscrusade.com/

"Children with cancer are like candles in the wind who accept the possibility that they are in danger of being extinguished by a gust of wind from nowhere and yet, as they flicker and dance to remain alive, their brilliance challenges the darkness and dazzles those of us who watch their light. "-- Unknown

2 Months and Counting!!

Hi everyone! This is Madeline! I am posting for mommy cause she is super tired...can't possibly have anything to do with ME can it?! I am just perfect, just like mommy and daddy thought I would be. I mean, I have all of my fingers and toes, am simply adorable and smile and coo at them all the time to let them know they are just fabulous! Since mommy posted at one month about what SHE'S learned, I thought I would share what I have learned at two months!

1. I like to sleep...but preferably in someone's arms and for three hours at a time...tops.

2. If I make the littlest of peeps, someone comes running. I barely have to cry! Perfect....

3. It is very entertaining to wait until mommy or daddy get my diaper off to clean me and THEN pee and poop...you should see their faces! Hee, hee...

4. I am not very fond of electronic devices to entertain me...we can just return the bouncy seat and swing to the store and buy something useful to me, like food!

5. If they want a smile from me, they have to work for it! This preciousness does not come for free people! I can only be so adorable in limited quantities as to not spoil you.

6. I grunt alot. It keeps everyone guessing..."Is she pooping? Is she gonna cry? Does she need something?" I'm usually fine, it's just my sound of choice!

7. My daddy falls asleep easier than I do! When he feeds me late at night, I like to see who will fall asleep first. He usually wins.

8. Baths are kinda fun...but I hate the part after the warm, sudsy water when they towel me off and redress me..brrrrrrr!!

9. My mommy likes to read alot of books about how to best take care of me, so I like to do the opposite, just to prove I am not a textbook baby, I am a unique, special baby!

10. My parents love me more than anyone and when I am bigger, I will let them know how fabulous they are. For now though, I have to be 2 months old and be simultaneously challenging and precious.

So....hopefully I will continue to learn how to be a good baby and make mommy and daddy realize they are doing a great job! Now that I am getting older, I will do my best to make things easier for them! I am very happy and healthy and it is all due to them and the rest of my wonderful family and friends! XOXO

Love, Maddie

Impatient...

Ok, I realize I had major abdominal surgery a few weeks ago, and I was on bedrest for the majority of my last trimester but my vanity is starting to get the best of me. WHEN will I lose this last ten pounds and when will working out not feel like attempted suicide?? I can barely do ten sit-ups and get winded with the slightest of cardiovascular activities (to include walking up and down the stairs in our townhouse)! I have had friends and my sister physically assault me for complaining about a mere ten pounds...I get alot of sarcastic "Poor you's". Maybe it's the fact that I have been a petite gal my whole life and never had to worry about my weight (I can hear the snickers already). Or maybe it's the fact that I am now 35 years old and am holding fast to an unrealistic ideal that I am afraid to let go of. Vain, right? But when I look at this beautiful baby I honestly feel it's all worth it! So what if my body is not the same? Look what I DID. I incubated this angel and helped her grow for nine months. Isn't that fact alone worth it? You bet. So I will continue to eat healthily and workout as I am able, but I also have to remember carrying a child may change your body for the worse, but your life for the better.