Avon Walk - I'm walking for Rachel Reppert

Rachel signed up for the Marines right out of college, then joined the Navy, where she met her husband. Rachel was the first of her brothers and sisters to have children (2 girls) and first to buy a house. She was a trailblazer in many ways!

We lost touch since my family moved and we grew up but She stayed the same beautiful girl who would get down on the floor to play with me and my sister when parents to visited.

She will be greatly missed...

March of Dimes WalkAmerica

We had a wonderfully successful walk-a-thon. We had over 1350 walkers signed up to walk and an absolutely beautiful day for the walk. Starbucks helped the volunteers and walkers get ready for the walk. When they returned we had the finished site packed with things for them to. DragonSong preformed wonderfully for over 2 hours. I didn't see any folks dancing but I heard lots of praise. The kids had a great time with the moon bounce from Big Country Amusements, making slime with Mad Science DC, Go Go the Clowns face painting, and the My Gym's play space. The moms seemed to appreciate the INOVA baby changing and feeding area. The furry kids (aka dogs) didn't seem to mind getting weight by Science Diet since they walked away with a bag of treats. The March of Dimes Mom and Baby bus was on site for all to see what a portion of the money raised goes to. AKS Massage School students had a line of people waiting for massages. I was told it was a short wait and WELL worth it. Luckily Kaplan Photography was there to capture all of the fun.

There were so many other volunteers who were there and I want to thank you all for making the walk so much fun and such a great success.

Thank you!

Spring Cleaning

If getting ready for two walks and making blankets wasn't enough, it is time for spring cleaning. While trying to clear things out I'm trying to think of family & friends, thrift stores/donations, and other forms of recycling. Just because we have out grown some things doesn't mean they are no longer useful. It does make clearing things out take a little longer but in the long run it is better for all involved. And to be honest when you know something that is hard to part with is going to someone who needs it, it gets easier.

Providing a little comfort

Another opportunity to give back to the community arose at work. One of my co-workers has organized a group to meet once a week at lunch to make blankets for Project Linus. This is a great not for profit group who gives homemade blankets to babies and children in the hospital, or homeless and those who lost a parent or sibling in one of the on going military actions. The idea is everyone needs a little comfort.

I’m currently knitting a baby blanket to be donated at the end of our first 8 weeks of being blanketeers. After this blanket I’m planning on knitting or crocheting (I need to learn how first) one for my daughter before I make another one for Project Linus. Since she is the second baby she didn’t get one when she was born and big brother isn’t giving his grandma blanket up any time soon. After the second donated blanket I’ll make him one so they both have a blanket from mom.

Charity should start at home and you never want to forget the ones closest to you.

Quote of the Day

I receive quotes from several sources to help me get through the day. Today's from Beliefnet.com is perfect for this walking season...

Mile by mile it's a trial;

yard by yard it's hard;

but inch by inch it's a cinch.

-Anonymous

Our personal experience with March of Dimes:

With each prenatal check up I saw the influence of March of Dimes. There were articles in magazines, informative flyers and recommended screenings. The experience of preparing for William and Selena’s arrivals showed me some of the results March of Dimes has accomplished in prenatal education for doctors and patients and the research they support.

While William was a big boy intentionally induced 2 weeks early, Selena arrived 4 weeks early on her own. Thankfully with all the wonderful prenatal care I received our beautiful little premature baby girl was healthy and fully developed in spite of being underweight and very skinny. We were also very fortunate that she was fully caught up physically and developmentally by her nine month check up. Not every premature baby is as lucky.

Did you know that premature birth is the leading cause of newborn death in the first month of life? It affects half a million babies a year in the United States. Those who survive may have lifelong health problems. And premature births are on the rise -- up to 30% since 1981.

That is why I am asking you to support me in March of Dimes WalkAmerica. Because premature birth can happen to any pregnant woman. In nearly half the cases, the causes are unknown. The March of Dimes is leading the way to find answers by supporting research into the causes of premature birth. I am joining the fight, and so can you.

Your support helps fund:
-Research into stress and other factors that may trigger preterm labor.
-Programs to educate pregnant women to recognize the warning signs of preterm labor.
-Tools to help health care providers find better ways to detect women who may be at risk for preterm labor.

I'm accepting donations at http://www.walkamerica.org/Merrily

To learn more about the March of Dimes and our fight to save babies from birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality, please visit our website at www.marchofdimes.com/metrodc.