Happy Birthday to Heather...

Today is a special day.
Heather Spohr is turning 30.
It's a day that should be celebrated.
A day that should be filled with cake and ice cream and LOTS of balloons.
And under any other circumstances it would be.
But this year is different for Heather.
She'll be celebrating this milestone without her precious Maddie.
I know she'd rather let the day pass without a thought.
But it's her birthday and I can't let that happen.

Heather -
You are an AMAZINGLY strong woman.
I admire your strength and perseverance.
I know that today is difficult, but hope you realize just how LOVED you are.
I think of you daily and if I could give you the world I would.
I will continue to keep you, Mike & Maddie in my thoughts for many years to come.
Happy Birthday my friend!

XOXO

Chicago or BUST...

Have you seen my sidebar? Yeah, up there on the left...
Did you hear?
I'm going to Blogher and I'm SUPER excited!!!
Not only will I be attending an awesome bloggy conference.
I'll also be attending tons of UBER cool parties.
And meeting SO MANY awesome ladies (and a few guys) that I've only known through the Interwebz and Twitter.
It's like when you meet lots of unknown family members at a family reunion, but WAY more fun!

We'll be taking Chicago by storm at the end of July in exactly 36 days.
Along with my, "OMG, I'm going to Blogher!!" excitement there's a lot of "OMG, I'm going to Blogher!!" anxiety. The what ifs are creeping into my mind at an alarming rate.
Meeting so many new people for the first time can be a little over-whelming and I think my biggest fear is that no one will like me.
Okay, so I know it's a stretch, but it could happen.

I hope to gain lots of new blog knowledge while in Chicago, you know, if I'm not too drunk or hungover. (I hear there will be lots of drinking going on!)
I will definitely be posting more about the trip as it approaches. I'm sure I'll have lots of questions and concerns to address before I depart and I'm leaving it up to you to help me prepare.
And now that I think about it, I'm so totally not prepared.
I have so much shopping and planning and money saving to do.
Not sure how I'll get it all done in 36 days, but here's to hoping that I do.

If you've been to Blogher before I'd love to hear from you.
What do I need to know before I depart for Chicago?
If you're a NEWBIE, like me, I'd love to hear from you too.
What are you worried/scared/anxiety ridden about?

Absolutely Amazing...

The Internet/Blogosphere is an AMAZING thing.
The love, support and compassion that radiated from most EVERY blog, tweet & crevice in this technological world absolutely blew me away as we all came together to support a family in mourning.
The relationships being formed through this on-line community are definitely "real", and yesterday, 100%, proved that to me.

For those that don't know, a bloggy friend lost her 17 month old daughter, Maddie, on Tuesday evening. You can read about it HERE.
The loss was sudden and very unexpected.
The news sent a shock wave through the Blog World.

By Wednesday morning the news about Maddie's passing had spread like wild fire. The blogging & Twitter community wanted to do what they could to show their love for this beautiful little girl, who lost her life too soon.
As word about Maddie spread a goal was put in place.
Maddie's family is participating in, and has been raising money for, the March of Dimes - March for Babies walk. Because of Maddie's medical history the March of Dimes was a cause that Heather, Maddie's mom, supported with all of her heart.
To honor Maddie, and to express our love for this amazing little girl and her family, the plan was to try and get Heather's fund-raising account to the $10,000 mark. Her goal was $3,000 and on Tuesday night it was just under that goal.
Through a #maddie Twitter campaign and through memorial posts on individual blogs the word was out that Maddie should be honored and remembered. The request was that donations be made to the March of Dimes in Maddie's name. We all watched as the total on Heather's fund-raising page rose, and by Noon, CST, the goal was reached and surpassed. The total currently sits at over $20K. Wow, the power of the Internet is pretty amazing.

I'm so proud to be part of such an OUTSTANDING on-line community. A community that bands together in another members time of need. A community that cares for one another as if we've known each other FOREVER.

Thank you to my on-line family for showing the world that the relationships we are forming really do matter. They are REAL!

In Memory of...

Madeline Alice Spohr
November 11, 2007 - April 7, 2009

My heart breaks today for the Spohr family.
Their sweet baby girl Maddie passed on to be with God last night.
There are NO words to express my sorrow. No band-aid to close the wound.
I've never met Heather, Mike or Maddie in "real life"; they are a bloggy family that I have followed for some time, but my heart is hurting as if I've known them FOREVER.
There will always be an empty space in my heart for baby Maddie and her infectious smile.

In lieu of flowers the family has asked that donations be made, in Maddie's name, to the March of Dimes. Contributions can also be made by clicking on the MOD widget at the top of my left sidebar.

May you all remember to hold your children, family & friends a little closer today. Nothing is ever for certain and things can change in the blink of an eye.

May you Rest in Peace sweet Maddie.
Thank you for bringing light to my life daily.

UPDATE: If you’d like to do even more, please consider donating to help Heather & Mike with the services at this Paypal account: formaddie@hotmomreviews.com

Update: I'm walking for Maddie at the March for Babies here in Houston on April 26. If you can donate to the cause it would be greatly appreciated. Every $1 helps.

Update: The Spohr's web hosting company, BLUEHOST, suspeneded their account because of the high volume of visits. Because TOO MANY people were clicking over to send their love to Heather & Mike. Thanks to some very generous Twitter Tweeps, that are hosting the site for the time being The Spohrs Are Multiplying is back up and running.