I should join the circus!

Really, I should. No, not because I can grow a beard like nobody's business (heh, OK - I'm actually still facial hair free...whew!) and not because I think I'd be a great lion tamer (based on my ability to diffuse 2 and 3 year-old tantrums) no, not for those reasons...but actually because I have recently become a self-taught master juggler. OK, maybe not the kind of juggling you're thinking of, with flaming batons and bowling pins flying through the air while the crowd watches, mouths gaping...just waiting for that one.small.wrong.move. No, no. The kind of juggling I'm talking about is that of the "I have so many things to do/think about right now...its a miracle that my brain isn't blowing right out of my ears as I type this" variety. Sometimes, I have to remind myself to breathe.

Our schedule has gotten ca-razy busy lately. We have PT, OT, Speech Therapy (and all of the daily exercises that we need to do in order to continue working on all of the above listed therapies), a visiting nurse, my 3 day a week job, Hubby's full time job, doctor appointments, birthday parties, potty training (oyyyy!), *pant*, and my newest obsession, I mean scheduled event...a Children's hospital fundraiser.

Really, it's just a walk...a one day event. All I need to do is sign up, show up, and walk...no big deal. But could I really leave well enough alone and keep it simple like that? Would I be writing this post if I could? I think not. No, instead I decided to form a team for the walk,in honor of our Little's strength and bravery in being a patient at said hospital. But in forming a team, I then added to my plate the need to contact everyone I've ever known in my whole 30 years of life to try to get them to sign up and walk with us...oh, and Hubby's whole 33 years worth of friends, family, and acquaintances also. Yep, I sent an email yesterday to pretty much the entire free world. (It was actually quite impressive in that "I wonder how far around the planet this email will travel" kind of way.) So, why, you ask, would I purposely add something else to my already overloaded schedule when I already feel justified in whining about how maxed out we are? Well, either A. because I'm a nut, or B. because this fundraiser just that important to me. I'd like to think that the sole answer is B. but I'll go ahead and admit that it's actually probably a little bit of both A. and B.

In all seriousness, where would we be right now if all of this specialized care wasn't available to our children at a place like Children's hospital, or even if it was around, but wasn't as spectacular as it is today? Would Little be as incredible as she is today, pretty much doing anything and everything a perfectly healthy baby her age can do? Would we have received the awe-inspiring type of care for her that we have at our hospital at some other facility, or even at this facility if the funds weren't available to make it such an amazing place? Would our doctor have the resources to be in contact with doctors around the world in an attempt to continuously advocate for the best outcome for our precious girl? Would there otherwise be any chance that our little girl might possibly live a normal life some day? And really, most importantly, would we even still have Little in our lives right now if we hadn't been so fortunate to receive care there? I think about these things all the time, how fortunate we are. And to be honest, if I had to shave off an eyebrow and post my picture on a billboard in Time Square to get my point across, I would. Children's hospital saved our daughter's life...not once, not twice, but likely three times in the last 8 months. How could I not get out my address book, send a few emails, set-up a few websites, make a few calls to advocate for them in return...juggling as I type? It just wouldn't be right.

So, if you've recently received and email from me about the walk, or if I've called you or talked your ear off about joining our team, or donating anything you can to Little's team...and you now feel "bugged" I realllllly do apologize. I just can't not do everything in my power to make this event as successful as possible. I have them to thank for every kiss and every snuggle I'm able to enjoy with my precious Little everyday...something I'll never be able to repay them for.

If you're at all interested in walking with us or making a pledge to Little's team...please contact me at jenny_in_wi_07@yahoo.com and I'll steer you in the right direction. *wink* Thanks for putting up with me. I'll get off my soap box now.