One of my favorite blogs (and I'm sure it's one of yours, too) is Pacing the Panic Room. If you've never seen Ryan Marshall's incredibly cool maternity photo series, click here and scroll down. Those photos were what originally got me into reading his blog, and following along with Cole's pregnancy became such an amazing thing for so many people around the world. He captured her so beautifully along the way. (Cole is gorgeous, and I loved her baby-making wardrobe, too ... lots of the things she wore were donated by American Apparel.)
While reading, I started to get to know a little bit about Cole's son (who they call LB – Littlest Buddy – on the blog.) LB was diagnosed with Smith Magenis Syndrome in 2009. He loves music, so Ryan decided to compile a charity album called 'Do Fun Stuff' to help fund more research for SMS. Which you can officially buy right now on iTunes. (Dear parents ... you'll love this album. It's nothing like Kids Bop. It's indie rock that both you and your kids will love and I promise you won't want to beat yourself over the head while listening to it in the car. Go on, buy it!)100% of the proceeds from the sale of Do Fun Stuff will go into a grant fund established by PRISMS and the money made available to grad students who select Smith Magenis Syndrome as their field of choice. This is in the hopes of generating more intense case studies to provide parents and researchers with new and important information about the mysteries of Smith Magenis Syndrome.
Give the songs a listen above, and then go buy the album on iTunes! You can read more about SMS and the album and the research by clicking the 'our cause' tab on the little monster guy above. And if you want to help spread the word and share this widget, go here to get the code. (Thanks!)