The Getty Owl Foundation. Auction Day 2!!

Yesterday's piece found here, sold for $102!! How awesome is that!?! If you missed the opportunity to bid there is another opportunity headed your way! How about bidding on this sweet painting done by Natalie.  You can bid on it here.  Don't foget all bids start out at $10!

100% of all proceeds will be going through the Getty Owl Foundation to the Gene Therapy Program at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.
Help us fight SMA, the #1 genetic killer of young children. 

Summing up SMA.

August is SMA (Spinal Muscular Atrophy) Awareness month.  There are a lot of technical medical terms associated with SMA that can quickly get confusing. 
Here are a few things you should know about SMA and then there is an awesome visual aid that has been passed around the internet that really puts things into perspective. 

*SMA is an inherited disease that causes progressive muscle degeneration/weakness. 
*SMA Type 1 is the most severe kind of SMA. Teagan's sweet friend Getty has Type 1.
*SMA is the #1 genetic killer of young children.  It occurs in nearly 1 out of every 6,000 births.
*1 in EVERY 40 people unknowingly carries the gene. No matter their ethnicity.  Their gender.  Their race.
Now, if that alone didn't shock you then let this picture sink into your brain:

Need art for your home?

How about this piece?

The Getty Owl Foundation is having an online art auction. The auction starts on Tuesday, August 23rd until they run out of art which will probably be around August 30th.

All the art sold is either made by a child with SMA or a loving parent of an SMA child.

100% of the money raised is going to the Getty Owl Foundation for the gene therapy program at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.

The starting bid of all of the art is $10

2 pieces of art will be up for auction each day.

This piece of art was made by a little girl name Nora.  Nora has SMA Type 1.  She is a little fighting firecracker though who apparently has a nack for painting! Isn't her "Abstract Minnie" piece fantastic?

Normal Car Conversations

This is what a typical conversation is like with Teagan in the mornings on the way to school:

T: Mommy
Me: Yes, Sweetness?
T: Mommmmy
Me: Yes, Sweetness?
T: (louder) Mommy! *giggle*
Me: Yes, Sweetness?
T: (even louder) MOMMY! MOMMY!
Me: I love you!
T: *giggle*
Me: Look, Teagan! Choo-Choo train!
T: CHOO CHOO! CHOO CHOO! Bye-Bye Choo Choo!

8 weeks to go...

We are in the single digits now when it comes to the countdown to Baby Bear!  It's really hard to believe how fast it's gone by.  In 5 weeks we will be FULL TERM. Really?!? 5 weeks? That means I could be cradling and nursing Baby Bear in 5 weeks.  It seems so surreal that we have almost reached that point.  The point where I need to pack the hospital bag. 

I am doing pretty well with the weight gain with this baby.  Usually I odn't brag on myself but I've tried to do really well this time and it's working.  I have gained right at 20 lbs and it all seems to be in the "proper" areas.  My hips are beginning to take on the "make room for baby" position and so somedays I feel like I look like I've gained more then I really have but the scale doesn't lie! Especially the one at the doctor's office!

I still have only bought 2 pair of maternity jeans.  I bought 2 tanks from Target that were longs and my MIL brought up the straps for me so I can wear them now and later so they count as half maternity even though they aren't.  I am still in the mindset that this will be my last time I need them so I refuse to spend a lot of money on clothes I will only be in for another few weeks.  It has definitely made me more creative when it comes to my wardrobe!

Thankfully I am still sleeping well.  My hips hurt like they did with Teagan but not nearly as bad.  I think that is in part to the weight gain difference.  I am sleeping with a pillow between my knees and that seems to help alleviate some of the pain.  I haven't even had to start the bathroom trips at night yet! I am sure they are coming though...

The only big craving I have had has been pancakes and cereal. I had a pancake craving that lasted about 2 weeks that we finally conquered last night thanks to Josh and IHOP! I have had cereal (usually Frosted Flakes or Honey Smacks) every night for the last few months! I can't go to bed at night without my cereal!

My mood has been on the up and up lately!  My anxiety is decreasing with every week.  It seems like it would be the opposite but once again the Lord's provision is shining through just when we need it.  We have been blessed with such an amazing church community and friends who have offered to throw us a shower for this baby.  We are having a before Baby Bear gets here and then after Baby Bear gets here shower.  We are truly blessed. 

Josh is still building furniture (yes, he is THAT amazing) and has one more coat of paint to put on the nursery walls until they are finished.  We are just worrying with the basics now and then we will tackle the actual decoration part as we learn Baby Bear's personality! I can't wait to dive into that project!!

Vermont: Day at the Fair

We took Teagan to the Addison County Fair when we went to Vermont.  She loved it! The animals, the food and her first ever tractor pull!

She was beyond adorable and I don't think her eyes went back to normal size until we were well on our way down the road!

 

Book Review! Woohoo!

I actually had time to finish TWO books on the flight to and from San Diego for BlogHer ´11.

The first book I read on the way there was ¨Raising Jake¨ by Charlie Carillo.

This was actually a fairly good book.  It was a coming of age book for both the father and the son.  The book was a little raw but it was really honest.  I do think there were  a few parenting lines that were crossed but it was pertinent to the story.  The idea that it took this long for a father and son to really talk or get to know each other seems like it would hit home with a lot of people.  I have been fortunate to be close enough to my dad that it didn´t take something hard in each of our lives to learn about each other so I wasn´t really able to relate to that idea.  It was nice to see the relationship between two people grow so rapidly when they were honest with themselves and each other.  

I think as parents we do need to filter some of the things we reveal about ourselves but I still think we need to be honest with our children.  If there is not a base of honesty in our relationships with our children then what is there?

So, yes, I would recommend this book.  It was a pretty quick and easy read because there was never really a lull in the storyline so a few hours or a couple of days and you´ll have one more book checked off your reading list! If you add it to your list first! Happy reading!