Day 30. Your Grief – Tell The World-Not the best picture but I had to have it taken at work in the early morning because Brad was at work late last night.
Since Blogger insists on making the picture so small I will write what it says:
"Though you may feel like the only mommy whose heart is broken in two, I walk this path with you along with millions on mommies too. For all you angel mommies I want to make it known, no matter how bad you feel, You are never alone."
Day 29. Music- This is easy for me. When I had Gavin this
song came out. It was a fun song to sing along to before his death but
after it meant so much more. I changed it to my ringback tone ( a song
when you call someones phone) because I wanted people to know how I
felt. I needed a miracle, a dream, a wish. My mom says she cries when it
comes on the radio. Sometimes I do, sometimes I think about how far I
have come. Either way this song reminds me of my baby and is special to
me.
"Can we pretend that airplanes in the night sky are like shooting stars
I could really use a wish right now, a wish right now, a wish right now
Can we pretend that airplanes in the night sky are like shooting stars
I could really use a wish right now, a wish right now, a wish right now
I could use a dream or a genie or a wish
To go back to a place much simpler than this."
Day 28. Memory-This is a good memory that replays in my head the most. It was a beautiful day outside, I just got my check finally for medical leave and I was going to buy my baby some clothes. Since he was premature and it was very hot for that type of year he needed things I hadn't prepared for. Gavin and I were lying on the couch trying to stay cool. I remember looking at him thinking "Wow he is really mine, I created this beautiful boy." I held him close as I sang "Mommy and Gavin will be best friends forever, best friends forever, best friends forever, Mommy and Gavin will be best friends forever and I will never let him go." I always make up songs to sing to my babies. This one sticks with me of course. We were supposed to be together forever. That day replays in my head a lot. I was so happy and full of joy. I was lighthearted, care-free and just so happy to have my baby home. I truly love every moment of motherhood. I didn't mind waking up in the middle of the night because it meant I got to hold my baby. Usually I was up before him waiting for him to get up. I When I finally got to take Gavin home his student Dr. doing his residency said he was off to the PICU. He said "I will never see you guys there. Go home and enjoy your baby." So many things that I now look back as premonitions. Why didn't I realize the signs? Maybe if I did he would still be here.
O.K. so I got off track but every memory has a story and there is so much I want to write about Gavin so it is never forgotten.
So once again I am way behind. Blake has been a bit sick and teething. Plus a million other things have been going on. I started this though and I want to finish it.
Day 21. Altar/Shrine/Sacred Space-It is much to wet outside to show my garden and most of my flowers have died. This is in my living room. I do have a shelf that was in my old house that holds much more but that is one more thing we haven't gotten around to putting up. So here is my shrine. On the left is a photo collage I created days after Gavin died. After his funeral I bought the angel in front of it. It is hard to see put it is a baby angel holding a star, on the bottom it reads "You Are My Shining Star" people who follow my blog know the importance of this. In the middle is a rose that plays music. On the right Is the frame I got from my mother my 1st Mother's Day without Gavin. It reads "To The Best Mommy In The World, Gavin." The Angel in front I got last Mother's day. She is holding a baby boy
Day 22. Place of Care/Birth- I refuse to talk about the place and Dr. that were supposed to care for me during my pregnancy, birth. Here are the people who were there during my pregnancy and labor. My boyfriend, Mother and Best Friend. The one with my mom and friend are from my baby shower for Gavin so I find them quite fitting.
Day 23. Their Name/Their Photo- Here is my baby, my angel, my love, Gavin Alexander.
Day 24. Siblings-Here are Gavin's Brother's. Aiden is the eldest and loved him so much. It broke my heart after Gavin died and he was too little to understand where his baby brother went. He would pull my hand in to the room to look in the bassinet and say baby to me. Every morning he would be so excited to wake up and see Gavin. Blake was born after Gavin so he is the little brother. As they get older I will share everything about Gavin with them so he can live on even when I am gone.
Day 25. Baby Shower/Blessing- I am cheating again and sharing two. The first is of myself, cousins, mom, aunt, grandma and baby sister. The second is with my sister. She was so excited for Gavin's arrival she took a class and learned how to make him a bunny. God what I would do to be taken back to this day. I remember everything about it. What a beautiful day who could have guessed.
Day 26. Their Age- This is how old he was when we took him off of life support.
Day 27. Artwork- I wanted to buy a sign with this quote to hang in Gavin's room. I never got that chance. I thought well I will buy one for Blake's room and it will be for the both of them. For some reason I feel as if I am betraying Gavin though. So tough to be a bereaved momma, you never know what is right.
Yeah I totally suck at this. It is hard to blog with a one year old, an almost four year old and my new 7 week old puppy. On top of a full time job!
Day 18. Your Family Portrait-This one I am going to have to cheat on a
little, since I am in my pjs and home alone with the kids anyways. The tops is the most recent picture of my family now. The bottom is Blake, holding his brother Gavin's picture. This is my family.
Day 19. Project-The project I want to work on is Gavin's scrap book. I know it has been two years but it is still hard seeing the newspaper we saved on the day he was born, the first time I looked at his and the last day he was alive. My mother and I plan to get good and drunk this winter and work on it though. I am not sure I can do it alone. I have a lot of the stuff that goes in it since I bought the supplies while I was pregnant/he was alive. Now I just have to make myself do it.
Day 20. Charity/Organization- Again this is where I suck at taking pictures. My favorite charity is the Stella B. Foundation. They help families with very sick, terminally ill or those who have passed by paying some of their bills that are stacking up at home. The social worker at the hospital asked if I wanted to sign up and I just did whatever she said like a zombie. Turns out we were the first ones they gave money to. I never realized the work it takes to start you own charity. They are now my dear friend and I am so glad I met them. The charity is named after their daughter who passed away from a cancerous tumor in her abdomen. I wish I got to meet her, I know she was the sweetest thing with the caring parents she has.
Day 17. Anniversary/Birthday/Due Dates-On Gavin's birthday we always go to his grave, put things out then release balloons. Afterwards we go out for lunch. I do not feel like taking pictures on that day. This year I was in the hospital getting an awful surgery done on Gavin's actual birthday. As soon as I was released I told Brad to take me to the store to get things for his grave, also the biggest ballon I could find to write on and release. Blake his baby brother was with us and I decided to take pictures of him at the site. Although it may not be Gavin's actual birthday it is the best I could do.
Day 16. Release- I am cheating a bit here because this was done a few weeks ago. Between some health issues I am having and my son's birthday party I am one busy girl. Here are the butterfly balloons we released for Gavin. I finally got a paper lantern and am waiting for one more nice day to release it. I usually save those things for certain occasions but I am going to do it so he can celebrate his brother's birthday with us.
Day 15. WAVE of LIGHT- October 15th Pregnancy
and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. The goal is that everyone at 7 pm, whatever time zone you are in, light a candle in memory of our angel thus creating a "Wave of Light." I told my family to light a candle. I did at exactly 7:00 pm EST. I was watching the clock and was just about to take out my new puppy when I realized the time. I lit my candle at 7 'oclock on the dot here is my picture and what I wrote along with it.
"To
all my angel mommas this is for you. Whether it be a miscarriage, loss,
stillbirth, ectopic pregnancy, infant death (even child death I think
should be included) all of us have walked a path we never thought we
would have to. A path we didn't ever dream we would go down. One we
shouldn't have had to travel. Our hearts are heavy, souls tired but we
keep going loving our angels so much that they
feel
it in Heaven. To mother an angel is one of the hardest jobs. Gavin will
never be replaced and will always be with me. As his brother's birthday
draws near I can't help but wonder what it would be like for them to
get to celebrate together. Not a moment goes by that I am not thinking
of him. I love everyone I've met along the way, although I wish it was
under different circumstances. You are beautiful, wonderful, strong,
women. Thank you for your support, love and for always being there. I
love you all. I love you too Gavin and always will. I will never stop
talking about you or "get over your death". As I always say until we
meet again baby boy my heart will not be whole. I hope you've made many
baby friends in Heaven as I have bereaved moms. "You are my sunshine"
love you baby. To those reading this I hope you can educate yourself a
bit about how many of us there are and how deep we hurt. If you haven't
walked in someone's shoes you can not know how they truly feel."
Day 14. Community-I actually attend many different things with the bereaved community. Some things are not appropriate to take pictures at. I have to get better at taking pictures at the ones that I can though. There is "A Night To Remember" which is a huge raffle that you can bring your own drinks/snacks to, it's a fun gathering. Then there is a ceremony at the church which is a remembrance of our lost babies, there is a few walks I do, a spaghetti dinner and the big walk is "A Walk To Remember." I actually just went to it two weekends ago with my son and mother. Here we are with Gavin's sign and the balloons we released for him. We also watch a releasing of the doves, write notes on a banner, hear songs, poems, bury notes under a tree, eat together and then walk the path of our babies names. I find it very healing to have a day where I can release my grief with many others that feel the same exact way as I do.
Day 13. Signs-I did talk about my favorite sign from my angel which was my shooting star. There is another one I have. I love LED light up things. One year I bought snowflakes for the windows that lit up, I also had a light up heart I got at a carnival (yes I am a big kid at heart and my grandma was buying all the kids one during fireworks so I got one), lastly I have one of those globes you hold where the lights spin around. Especially right after Gavin died, they would go off all the time. It doesn't happen as often but every once in a while they do. Especially when I am having a really hard day. I take it as him saying I am o.k. mom. (Sorry I am kind of cheating on the last two because the baby is asleep and my camera is in the room.)
Day 12. Scents- The detergent Dreft is what reminds me of Gavin. As I prepared for his arrival I washed all of his clothing and linens in it. After he was born, I would wrap him in his Dreft smelling blankets and cuddle him. After his passing I rewashed some of the blankets and even some of mine in it. When I was pregnant with Blake as I washed his clothes in the same detergent all I could think of was my baby. I would wear it as perfume if I could.
Day 11. Supportive Friends/Family-My biggest supporters family wise are my Grandma, Momma and even as much as she is able my 13 year old sister. I can always call the, cry to them, my sister held my hand so much through the wake and funeral. Or she would sit on my lap and always randomly hugs me. I am not sure what I would do with out them because we all know how men are with their feelings. This is a picture of all of us at my baby shower, I had Gavin a few days later.
Day 10. Symbol-I of course think angels and especially baby angels are beautiful. They will always remind me of my son. However that is not his symbol I would choose. Stars and shooting stars and what reminds me of him. After his passing I would often sit on the back porch and there was a star that shined so bright and even during cloudy nights I could see it. I began to call it my Gavin star. Whenever I wanted to talk to him, I would go outside look up at that star and say whatever was on my mind. When I was very close to having Blake I looked up at that star and asked Gavin for a sign. A sign that not only meant he was o.k. but that he knew his baby brother in no way could every replace him. That my love for him would never fade or would I ever forget about him. As soon as I stopped talking a shooting star went across my Gavin star. Living in the city seeing those is extremely rare. So When ever I see a shooting star or any bright star object I think of him.
Day 9. Special Place- I love to be by the water, whether it is on the beach, by the marina or even at a restaurant. When I was pregnant with Gavin I couldn't wait to take him to all of these places. I wanted him to run in the sand, feel the sun beat down on his skin, splash in the water and just be a kid. I did get to take him on a few walks but it was too cold to take him by the water. After he died Brad and I would go to the marina often. We would sit in silence as we looked out at the other kids playing and the sun setting so beautifully. I would sit and look at them trying to contemplate why we had been put through this Hell. It was the only place I found some peace. I couldn't help but cry though knowing my baby would never experience it. He would never see a sunset across the water. I still go the marina often and every time I think of my baby. The strangest things can make you think of your angels and this is one of them. I took this picture our first time at the marina after Gavin died.
Day 8. Jewelery- I have a few pieces that are very special. This piece I hold dear to my heart. My cousin and I were never super close due to our age gap. Once we became FB friends we started to talk often. She is very supportive of me, listens when I need it and always says or does the kindest things. For what should have been Gavin's 2nd birthday this year I was in the hospital getting that dreaded gallbladder surgery that just about killed me. I was beyond miserable that I could not be at his grave. I did pack his pictures with me though so I could at least stare at his face. Anyways, my cousin didn't call any of us but just got in her car and drove to see me which is a several hour drive, all by her self at night time. Not only that but she gave me this charm for my angel's birthday. On the outside it looks like the Holy Bible but on the inside it's an angel mommy watching over her baby. I picture Gavin as a baby in Heaven still. I feel like he has someone up there taking care of him until I arrive. That angel will be me one day when I am reunited with my baby boy.
Day 7. What To Say: Ah now this is where it gets harder. Even after losing Gavin I find I am at a loss for words on what to say to other bereaved moms sometimes. So instead of talking I let them know I am there to listen. That is the best thing you can do for us. Just let us cry, vent, grieve and no matter what we say never suggest counseling!
Day 6 What Not To Say- It was really hard to choose just one thing. What I chose irritates me the most. I have had more than I can handle. I had my son die, my health deteriorate, Brad losing his job because of lay offs mores then once (even while I was in labor with Blake), our car break many times, a life threatening surgery and so many more all within a 2 year span. Losing my precious, beautiful son was way more then I could/can handle. think before you speak and if you haven't walked in someone's shoes be careful what you say.
Day 1. Sunrise-I live in a city so it's hard to get beautiful sunrise shots. Today is a pretty gloomy day too. So the sun didn't even peek out until about 10:00 a.m. So my shot isn't the best "sunrise" shot but it is the sun. I am from the United States and living in NY.
Day 2. Before Loss Self Portrait-This picture is very meaningful. Although it just looks like me standing in a kitchen. I was getting ready to go to a concert with my boyfriend and friends. I was excited, happy and this smile you see is real. This was a carefree girl that when she smiled she meant it. It is also meaningful because it was the night my angel Gavin was conceived.
Day 3. After Loss Self Portrait- Close to two months after Gavin died the annual Italian festival was going on. At the time we lived where it was at the bottom of our street. I had always wanted to live close enough to a carnival that I could walk around it everyday. I love to people watch and just be outside in the sun. Go figure the year it happened is the year I lost my son. I did not want to go at all. Previous years I went and ate all an Italian girls favorite food, rode rides and drank wine slushies. This year I wanted to hide in my house. One night my best friend and her boyfriend decided they would drag Brad and I out whether we liked it or not. This is a girl with a heavy heart, broken soul and that smile is fake. I did NOT want a picture taken but my girlfriend insisted.
Day 4. Most Treasured Item- I have a few of these but I would have to say Gavin's hand print is the most important. I take it out when I need a good cry and look at each indent, I touch the finger tips and I wish so badly it was his hand, not a clay mold I was holding.
Day 5. Memorial- This is the first charity event/remembrance event my family and I attended. It is called "A Walk To Remember." You want the honest truth? I was so numb at this point I don't remember much of the walk. It is really weird because I have a very sharp memory. The walk took place in October, 4 months after Gavin died. It was sinking in then that my baby wasn't coming back. That this was my life. Instead of attending birthday parties and events with my son, I would be doing them in his honor. Tomorrow (10/07/12) is the walk again. I didn't go last year because it was very close to my due date of my rainbow baby and I was already a mess. I am a little nervous about going tomorrow but I also know I need some healing.
