Feeding Charlie’s Memory

(Topics: Breastfeeding/pumping/lactation, grief, stillbirth) As close as he could get Dear Friends, Recently, La Leche League (LLL, the international breastfeeding help organization) posted some neat new graphics on their Facebook page: little medal/ribbon pictures, with a description of the achievement, so you could post the relevant one to your Facebook wall. Things like “Breastfed for

Pookie Visits Living Treasures “Wild” Animal Park

(Topic: Weighted bear, Zoo. Caution, last picture is of our stillborn son) Pookie chillin’ on a carved tortoise Hi Friends! As you saw a week ago, we like to visit animal parks. We recently went to “Living Treasures”, a local park in New Castle, PA. While not expansive, all the animals were well kept, and

Charlie’s Garden and a Pookie Visit

(Topic: Gravesite) Dear Friends, One of the ways I “cultivate” Charlie’s memory (ha ha ha!) is by gardening around his grave stone. We are lucky to have him in an old and beautiful cemetery that is open to people gardening on the gravesites, as long as you stay roughly within their parameters and guidelines. As

Charlie’s Birthday

(Topic: Grief, Birthday, Anniversaries. Picture-heavy post) Dear Friends, Tuesday was my son Charlie’s birthday, and if he hadn’t died, he would now be 2. Sometimes I tell people that it’s the “anniversary of his birthday”, or that it “would be his birthday”, so they don’t expect him to be alive, but for me, it IS

NILMDTS Walk – Last Request!

Hi Friends, On June 23rd, Hubby and I will be joining NILMDTS on their Ohio Remembrance Walk. For us, this coincides beautifully with Charlie’s birthday, which is just about as perfect as it can get! NILMDTS is the photography organization that takes volunteer professional photographers, and sends them to parents going through a late pregnancy

Post-MWAH Wrap-Up

(Topic: grief, habits, art, religion/spirituality)  Dear Friends, If I can say one thing, it is that adding a daily discipline – other than the habits I’m used to – is hard! No surprise, there, but that’s the short explanation of why I didn’t do MWAH every day this month. Additionally, it’s extra hard if it

Gardening with Pookie

(topic: gardening at a grave) Dear Friends, Several weeks ago, Pookie and I had a fun little adventure! What a fine looking garden! Still though, could always use a little touch-up. Cute gardener to the rescue! Goodness, gardening in a waistcoat? How dapper! Look at him go! The drop-cloth in the foreground is under the

Pookie’s First Flight

[trigger warning: this post will discuss themes related to strong emotion, miscarriage, fear, and grief]  Dear Friends, Guess who just took his first airplane flight?!? [and probably his last… more on that later]. We recently took a trip to Boston, and this was the first time I’d flown with Pookie. Previously, all trips we’ve taken

May We All Heal 2018, Preparation – April 28

(Topic: Grief and healing, art) Dear Friends, I am taking part in a creative healing workshop for the month of May, the month that contains Mother’s Day here in the US. While the workshop is not just for pregnancy and infant loss, it was originally started because the founders experienced infant loss. So, for the