Sad day for Baby Hayes and family

A college friend of mine and his wife gave birth to twins prematurely last fall. The babies spent the first three to four months of their lives in the hospital and have battled every day since. Little Hayes had several set backs early on and today the family found out that he will never see because of the extensive brain damage he suffered from an infection. It's so sad to hear, that he will never get to see a sunrise, sunset, the ocean, or someday his beautiful bride. BUT God has a plan for each of us and that includes Hayes. For those reading please say a little prayer for the Perrin family tonight as they take in this news.

A quick update about my last post. I found out this morning that another friend is expecting her first baby and so the cycle begins.

Babies, babies, babies

One of David's law school classmates and his wife welcomed their first child this week, Addison Jane Ritter. Another one of our married friends from DC are expecting their first child this month. They decided not to find out what they are having.
Needless to say I've know about 30+ babies that were born in the last year most of which were born in the last 4 months. I'm fully expecting the wave of pregnancy confirmations to begin again soon.

Since David and I do not have kids yet, I live vicariously through my friends photos, blogs, and status updates. I've loved watching the little ones grow up on my screen. And to think that 5 years ago this would be virtually impossible.

Because of all the baby madness I've taken it upon myself to make booties, leg warmers (coming soon) and flower headbands. Hopefully fingers crossed, my Etsy store will be up soon.

For all my friends in DC, marl your calendars for the Children's Trunk Show at Crystal City Shops March 12. It's a great place to find gently used/new baby items.

What I've been up too

I've been cooped up the past couple weeks due to all the snow and cold weather we've had here in Chicago. So here's an idea of what I've been up to. I was testing out our low budget light box.

BACK ON MY FEET (BOMF)

Before moving to Chicago a friend of mine told me about an organization called Back On My Feet. If a remember correctly she sent me a job ad and told me apply for an open position in Chicago. I didn't apply for the job, but I visited their Web site to see what the organization was about.

A girl several years ago was running by a homeless shelter, as she often did, had an epiphany and the organization was born. (that's the short version) She began a running group with the residents at the shelter to give them hope about the future. The organization has spread to Philadelphia, DC, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, and two other cities Indianapolis and Dallas later this year.

The thought of volunteering with the group did appeal to me. However, I was extremely nervous about the ratio of residents to volunteers. For several months I put off attending the orientation. After I returned from my holiday break I made a commitment to myself to sign up. Now you may be thinking why in the world did you join a running group in the middle of winter? Good question. I don't have no a clue. After attending the orientation last week, I signed up to run on Wednesday mornings at 5:45 am. Volunteers are "required" to run at least one day (Monday, Wednesday, or Friday) a week with the group. My plan is to run two days a week.

I walked to the YMCA (near our apartment) on Wednesday morning. I walked through the doors and straight into a hug. At orientation we were warned that this is a hugging group. I was welcomed with open arms to the group. It was an exhilarating feeling. I had several conversations with the residents who told me about their efforts to get back on their feet and how the organization had helped them with jobs, etc. After a few exercises we were off to the streets. Residents had the option to run 2 or 4 miles that morning. All miles are tracked and milestones are recognized during the week. To be honest I thought I could only run 2 miles. The last time I ran outside was last November in Miami. I started running with another volunteer, also new, and a resident. When we reached the 2 mile mark I was ready to quit for the day, but my running partners kept going and so did I. We may have pushed our resident to far, but we kept up; he's only been running for a couple months now. I was impressed by his determination and spirit.

This was not at all what I was expecting. I have to admit, I've always been fearful of homeless people. I have no clue why, because I have worked in soup kitchens and lived in big cities where homelessness is prevalent. I've known about it my entire life. I think it's the unknown that scares me. I do realize these people are just like me and at one time had a family.

One of the reasons I wanted to join BOMF was to dispel my own myths. I was blown away by the people I met last week. I'm not naive enough to think that everyone in this stage of life are similar to the people I met, but I do have a better understanding. I'm really excited about this program. I think in the long run, I'm going to get more out of this experience then I thought.

Thanks Anne for the great recommendation.

Bathrobes

I spent the last 2 1/2 days in a fabulous hotel in Boston. One of the best things about staying in "luxury" hotel are the bathrobes. They are soft, comfortable, and warm. I'd walk around in them all day if I could.

Growing up I thought bathrobes were worthless. My parents had robes, thank God, but I hated them. I bought my first robe when I went off to college. I shared a bathroom with 30 other girls so the robe was a necessity. That robe stayed with me throughout college. I couldn't bear to throw it out when I moved into a duplex. I never used it, but it was still in good shape.

Preparing for my move to DC I thought as a "grown-up" I needed to have a robe. At this point in my life I probably didn't need a robe, but I can't you how useful it's been and how much I love it. I don't know the lifespan of a robe, but I think mines hitting the retirement age. A part of me can't bear to part with it, we've been through so much. I'm looking for ideas if anyone has a brand they recommend.