Two thousand miles away in Kentucky, Dawn Schnee, a blogger and mother of one, awoke Wednesday morning to hear the news.
"I was horrified," she said. "I remember I sat on my couch and screamed so loud I must have scared my child."
After moving to Kentucky as a new mom nearly two years ago, Schnee found solace in reading other mothers' (and sometimes fathers') blogs. Spohr's sense of humor as a parent stood out and helped Schnee not to feel so alone. In February, she met Spohr in person at a blogging conference.
"It was so nice to hear that echo of 'I hear you and I understand,' " Schnee said.
On Saturday, Spohr and her husband, Mike, sat on their couch far from the computer. The home that would come alive daily with Maddie's laughter was mostly quiet. Spohr tightly held one of her daughter's favorite dolls and kept a few of her baby clothes by her side, including a bright yellow dress she wore recently to a birthday party.
"It still smells like her," Spohr said. "When I feel empty, I like to hold it all in my arms and remember her."
The 29-year-old started her blog to update family and friends through her difficult pregnancy, and ultimately, to show Maddie the entries when she grew old enough to understand her improbable story as a preemie baby.
She says it may be a while before she returns to the blogosphere.
"When I do, I will have to figure out what my identity is now," she said.
Friends and family will gather to pay tribute to Maddie at her funeral service Tuesday at 2:30 p.m. in the Old North Chapel at Forest Lawn Memorial-Park, Hollywood Hills.
Then the couple plan to walk with a team to honor Maddie at the March of Dimes' March for Babies walk April 25 at Exposition Park.
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esmeralda.bermudez@ latimes.com
