4 Weeks---and Time to Give Back!

My little one is four weeks old today! I can't believe it! What also blows my mind is my sweet thing went to bed at 10, woke up at 3:30, woke up at 8:30! She must have wanted to give me a present for her big day. I feel like I am in a time warp where it doesn't move, but flies by all that the same time. So crazy! Strange that no matter how much I sleep, I often feel tired and no matter how much lotion I use, my skin is still falling off. It is the third dimension over here or something.

Paige is more alert each and everyday. She will have nothing to do with baby music and sounds, but totally relaxes back to my playlist on itunes. I really think she is 15 trapped in this teeny tiny body. She thinks she can hold her head up and hold her own bottle. She refuses nap time during the day claiming 15 year olds don't take naps. She is still wearing newborn diapers and will be for at least another week. Newborn clothes are on the verge of the wayside......for now they fit, but I can see that changing quickly. Looks like I am going to have to go shopping:)

Now for giving back---Mark was diagnosed with cancer February 11th 2010. His one year anniversary is quickly approaching and we want to celebrate it in a good way, following the lead of our very favorite fellow cancer survivor Ironman and his family. Since Mark's cancer journey was based at Teton Oncology, I called our favorite nurse Linda to see if there was a need that could be filled at the clinic. The clinic means a lot to us and we want to help anyway we can. After discussing some ideas with the nurses and doctors, Linda suggested the following:
   1. Toys that are easily cleaned after each use for the pediatric kids to play with during treatment. Mark was a pediatric patient, and let me tell ya, they do need some more toys! We were bored rather quickly;)  Treatment often takes a few hours, and their toy selection is pretty slim, giving the kids little option to entertain themselves in the office. For any parent out there, imagine trying to keep a happy child for multiple hours while getting some pretty serious treatment, and you can see why this would be a priority need!

2. Not just kids have to burn hours at the clinic, adults need entertaining too! When Mark would receive treatment, it would usually take about 6 hours. That is a really long time to be sitting around. The clinic has 3 portable dvd players and just a few movies to choose from. There wasn't a day we were there that each chair was filled with a cancer patient receiving chemotherapy. The clinic would love to add some more dvd's to their collection, giving patients a bigger selection.

I feel like these two requests are so simple, toys and dvds! They don't even have to be new.  Now, this is where I beg my readers for help. Mark and I could probably fill a few orders, but with the support we have had this year, I know we have an awesome network of supporters out there that could really make this anniversary gift to the clinic amazing. I have noticed a few of you are even cleaning out the toy rooms to make room for the new duds from Santa. If they are easily sanatized, why not donate them to the clinic rather than the trash? If you would be willing to donate to this project, please contact me! We would like to give this gift back around the 11th of February, so it gives us just a few weeks. We love our cancer family at Teton Oncology and would love to help those current patients. These requests might be small, but trust us, they would make a big difference. Through this experience, we learned the small things really make someones day.

In addition, Mark has been asked to speak at the big kickoff to the Relay for Life season on February 3rd. It should be a really fun night, the details are still being ironed out. I will keep you posted about the event. Stay tuned! There might be a possibilty we can tie our project or help with another one this evening. Plus, you get to hear some talks from some pretty amazing people---not just Mark! There will be entertainment and it will be a fun night celebrating those who brave the fight against cancer.

Thank you so much for keeping tabs on Mark and I. It feels so good to know people out there care about us and care about what is going on in our lives. We love little Paige and can't believe how much she is changing already. We know this February 11th will be a much better day than it was last year; we have so much to be grateful for.