Last week's topic was "Favorite Charities"... I like to think of myself as a charitable person. Before I was a mommy, I volunteered often and loved being able to give my time when I wasn't able to give much money... These days, I don't have the free time I used to, to be able to spend volunteering, but there are still a few charities that are close to my heart & still do work for or will donate money to...
Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation & The American Cancer Society- A few years ago I used to work in medical sales and sold breast cancer products. I even became a certified mastectomy fitter and actually fit the patients with breast prosthesis after they had surgery... Needless to say, I met some AMAZING women with heartbreaking stories! Every time I worked with a patient, we spent most of the time talking and in the end, we would always both end up crying & hugging! And on top of hearing these women's stories, the courage it takes to undress in front of a complete stranger after going through such a physically-altering surgery was just so humbling for them & me!... I can honestly say, that job changed my life! Since then, I have been dedicated to breast cancer research! (Did you know that 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime!... Just think of all the women in your family & your close girl friends... more than likely you can think of more than 8 women... One of them will have a breast cancer diagnosis!)
This was at the finish line of the ACS Making Strides for Breast Cancer walk...
And this is me, Jana, & Stephanie with our significant others at the Race for the Cure... Yes the boys are wearing homemade tshirts that say "Save the Ta-tas"... LOL :) They were a BIG hit with the ladies! ;)
March of Dimes- This is a new organization that has hit close to home! Our sweet baby girl was born 6 weeks premature... and until you become a parent to a premature baby or have a close friend or family member that is going through this situation, you never really realize the battle these teeny tiny babies have to fight the first weeks they are alive... and even some, the affects it has on them for the rest of their lives! I am a firm believer that you have a whole different set of rules if you're a preemie parent!... Hubs & I were lucky enough that our sweet baby girl was considered "big" for a preemie (She weighed 4lbs 15oz at birth) and had to stay in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for 12 days...
While we were there we saw some sweet little babies & families that had it A LOT harder than we did! Some of these babies were smaller than I could ever imagine!It is the mission of the March of Dimes to help prevent premature births and birth defects so it means a lot to me to help where I can to give these sweet babies a fighting chance at life!
To read any more about any of these charities I've mentioned, check out their websites...
http://www.komen.org/
http://www.cancer.org/
http://www.marchofdimes.com/
During breakfast, I'm lucky if I a few peaceful minutes to eat & read my gossip magazine while baby swings, but normally mid-way through breakfast baby girl is ready to get out of her swing & she sits on my lap while I finish eating...
During the day when she naps, she is normally sleeping on my chest because every time I try to lay her down she wakes up crying & doesn't go back to sleep!... She does great at night in her crib, but I can't seem to break this during the day! Her dr said to not put her in her crib during the day because she might think she has to sleep for a long time so we've tried the pack-N-play but with no luck!... {Any mommy tips would be appreciated because even though it's nice to snuggle with my baby girl & catch up on my shows, it would be nice to have the freedom to get things done!!}
She still nurses every 2.5-3 hours so I feel like most of our day is spent feeding & changing diapers... I'll give her pureed fruit around 2:00 and then feed her veggies & cereal around 5:00...
Then I'll nurse her again & afterward hubs usually takes her upstairs to read a bedtime story & puts her to bed...
.jpg)