Here I Am Begging Again

This Saturday at 10 a.m. I'll start my six-mile-walk for a cause that's near and dear to my heart. I'm not worried because last week I walked almost 5 miles over 4 different nights. So why should 6 miles in one long stretch be a problem?

Anyway, I will walk and I will finish because in walking I'm supporting the mission of the March of Dimes which is to improve the health of babies preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality.

Most people that read this are well aware of the loss of James and Jake in February of '08. And I'm sure everyone knows that our team name, and in fact our team, originated from this loss.

But most people don't know that in early May of 2004 our firstborn, Lori, gave birth to a still son at 21 weeks. Jonathan was perfect but for some unexplainable reason the bag of waters broke and he died soon afterwards. I just looked at the pictures from that day and I see so many heartbroken people holding this tiny bundle of perfection. We never understood how this could have happened and it came so out of the blue. We were blindsided and we were devastated.

Then in January of '05 the unthinkable happened again. Lori was pregnant with a baby girl and at 19 weeks a cord accident took her baby girl's life. To say we were stunned, is an understatement. It just seemed impossible that it happened twice in this lifetime. And despite they're best efforts, they have not been blessed with another child.

Then the twins.....

I'm appealing to everyone to contribute a little 'just in case'. Maybe someday they'll find out that cord accidents can be prevented and maybe someday a pill will keep the bag of waters from rupturing prematurely and maybe these things are just unpreventable. But just in case research might find a way to prevent tragedies like these maybe we could band together and a lot of people contributing a little money will save other families from the shock and horror that these unexpected losses do to a whole, extended family and especially to mothers whose hearts will never completely heal.

Research costs money. But just in case that research will help even one baby, I'm asking you to contribute $5 to this walk. If everyone did that - I mean everyone - I know in my heart of hearts, babies would be saved.

Every day, thousands of babies are born too soon, too small, very sick or even without ever seeing the light of day. I'm walking in March for Babies because I want to do something about this. And I need your help ' just in case'.

Please support my walk. Making a secure donation is easy: just click the 'sponsor me' button in the March for Dimes placard on this page. You can donate directly from my personal webpage with a credit/debit card or Paypal; or if you prefer, you can send cash or a check. Just click the appropriate box on my webpage.

Thank you for anything you can do to help this cause. And remember, every little bit helps.

Big Sisters

We start young. When my sister was about three and couldn't pronounce her name, so that people wouldn't keep questioning what she was saying, she started to just nudge me with her elbow so that I would say it for her. And to me, it was just a matter of course. It was my job. I was her big sister. I thought it was a special relationship that we had and it was in a way; but not as special as I thought. It's something that I suspect has been going on since the beginning of civilization (and maybe before). Big sisters help and love and care for little sisters.

My eyes were opened to this fact recently when two new grandsons were born.

Trey was born in Kentucky and his 3-year-old big sister adores him. Really. She just can't get enough of him. And sometimes she seems to think that she and her mom had this wonderful addition to the family together.

See what I mean?

Then I noticed the intensity of Anna's need to just hold her baby brother. And it's not just the holding that shows how much she loves and cares for him. Her mom says that when he cries, Anna tries to help figure out why. She's such a loving, helpful, responsible big sister!

I thought about pictures I'd recently noticed on my screen saver where Superbaby's mom was holding her baby brother and her baby sister. This was the first time she laid eyes on her 7-week-early baby sister.

She loved her younger siblings and they had her wrapped around their little fingers.

I thought of other instances in our family where there was an older sister and remembered the little girl at Ft. Benning GA who thought her younger brother was her sole responsibility. Really, I think she taught him to walk! She was the picture of patience and love and she was only a tiny little girl herself.

Here she is conducting the initial inspection.

Then the sense of responsibility began.

She taught him to walk and play.


And loved him always.

And he obliged by learning to do EVERYTHING that she did. Or at least he tried.

So there you have it. Proof positive. Being a big sister is in our genes.

And we wouldn't have it any other way.

You Capture - Fresh

I've been working on this one all week. When I walk, all I think about is what out here looks really fresh? And I haven't come up with much. I did get this bud:

And freshly bloomed flowers that are still growing are fresh, right?

Even if the background is a snow shovel blade.

And finally, ever since my childhood, nothing says fresh to me like seeing the bedding blowing in the breeze on one of the first warm days of Spring.

For more fresh You Capture photos, visit Beth at ishouldbefoldinglaundry.

An E-mail From Iraq

I sent Dan an email, really? Was it yesterday? I thought it was at least two days ago - maybe even a little more. But I just double-checked and, no, it was just about 24 hours ago. So for that 72 hours since yesterday at this time, he's been even more on my mind than usual though that doesn't really seem possible.

I get pretty anxious for that reply but I don't want him to feel that the minute he hears from me, he has to answer. And I try not to write back immediately because I don't want him to feel that he owes me a reply all the time. I want him to be as relaxed as possible with no pressure from me.

So I hold off writing for at least a day (although now I wonder if it's only an hour since where Iraq is concerned, time is so skewed for me). Once I write to him, I start anticipating.

And then he writes.

I wish I could describe the emotion that I feel because it's overpowering. I feel choked up with happiness that I heard from him. I'm grateful that he sent his address and that he actually told me a couple of things we could send him - chocolate of any kind and a soft, heavy blanket. Oh how I love that he told me that.

And then he includes a little bit of Dan humor at the end and it makes me so nostalgic. It's always subtle and it's always funny.

And he tells us that conditions are pretty bad but he's been in worse and I muse, "does he mean during the invasion? probably". So I know it's pretty not great there but he adds that he's really busy and that's good because time goes faster. He's looking at the bright side but I'm starting to resent that my son has to wish for time to go faster. This is his life.

But before I get too resentful, I think about how proud I am of what he and his brother do and how much pride they take in their jobs. They know how important they are even if not everyone else does. And the jobs have to be done. So I'm also proud that they step up. They don't just put in the time - they work hard and they work well.

So it's a happy woman writing this post. And guess what? Only about 11 months and 3 days to go.

Busy Weekend So Far

What a beautiful Spring weekend it's been and not just because of the weather.

Friday night Superbaby brought his mom and dad for a visit and the three of them have been here since. Unfortunately they're leaving this morning after breakfast but I'm thrilled that they were here for a couple of days and stayed with us! While they were here I was able to catch a couple of photos of Superbaby's feats. Would you believe this first one shows his daddy pulling him off the tree that he had quickly scaled when we turned away for just a second?

Well, don't. LOL Actually his dad was showing him what it might feel like to climb a tree and had just lifted him up there.

Seriously though, here he is working hard to reach the toys that were in the bottom of the tub. Later on he was standing on this upside down tub but I didn't have my camera close enough before his mother snatched him off.

And then yesterday evening look who came for dinner.

And he brought his family with him! Here's a picture of him with his older brother and sister.

Can you believe how lovingly his sister shows him off?

All in all, it's been the kind of weekend that warms my heart marred only by the fact that Mr. Right has worked through almost all of it. But when payday rolls around even that will be a good thing.

You Capture - Comfort

All my comfort things right now seem to involve Beth. One of them occurred when we (two of her sisters and I) visited her on Friday and one of them made this comfort:

My over zealous conscious forces me to admit that it was the other sister that took the picture - not me. But it was taken with my camera and, you have to admit, it NEEDED to be included.

My other comfort pictures are of Beth's adorable newborn and my number nineteen. And these pictures I did take. In the first one you can see that he's already learned how to block the flash and intrusion of the paparazzi:


And in the second one, he's blocking the noise and clamor of the new world he's found himself in:


For more comfort photos, visit Keli at kidnappedbysuburbia.

You Capture - Feet

I had a lot of creative ideas for You Capture - Feet this week but a little guy came along named Eli and erased all those ideas. Not only that, but once you fall in love with him, there's no time for anything else. So my You Capture - Feet post is going to be all about his feet.

This first photo is of feet that haven't even been born for an hour yet.

Then there are the little feet that peek over the top of the bassinet as he starts to wake up and stretch and wonder where dinner is.

Then there are the little feet in Grandpa's lap. Attached to a body so small that it fits lengthwise on his lap and still leaves room for kicking and stretching.

That's my You Capture and I must add that I've never had so much fun fulfilling my You Capture assignment. For more You Capture - Feet pictures visit Kelli at kidnappedbysuburbia.