Day 5 Capture Your Grief - Memorial

I'm really 'into' memorial things. When Dad died, I bought art work by my friend who paints Wembury and my sister and I designed these prints which represent the coordinates for where we scattered Dad's ashes by the Mewstone in Wembury. 

I ran the Race for Life for Dad too

Was booked in to run it this year, but it was the day after having Isla, so couldn't do it. Definitely be doing it next year. 

For Isla, I've done a few things already and more to come. I have chosen the tattoo as the most current memorial thing I've done for her. 

 Forget-me-nots, crab apple blossoms in pink and a star at the top for dad. 

Her casket - I made the burial gown after getting out of hospital and made the teddy the day she was born - it stayed with us in Dan's pocket throughout labour and stayed with Isla at the hospital, the mortuary and the funeral home, to be buried with her in her beautiful resting place. 

Her resting place. We will plant a Crab Apple tree specially for Isla on December 1st. For now, I tied ribbon around the tree that is already at her grave. 

 I was up visiting her grave when she was first buried and there was nothing to mark it. I found some little stones and made a butterfly. Kept me busy for a while but it's still there and looks 'part of' the grave now. 

 I've added more bits to her grave since, including an artificial blossom branch and a little statue of a baby cradled in hands. I wanted people to recognise it was a baby's grave, but you can actually already tell because they leave a 'mound' where the person lays, to encourage it to return to nature. 

 I made more teddies (4 so far) like the one I made Isla and donated them to the delivery suite because they were just so unprepared for a mother going through a loss. Hopefully going to start working with someone on getting some proper memory boxes into Derriford Hospital. 

 The prayer flag I sent to Australia for Carly's Prayer Flag project. So proud of it!

So what's to come in memory of Isla? Well, the weekend of her due date we are climbing a mountain in the Brecon Beacons. Got to think of something to place at the top for her - probably a flower.

A friend of my mum is planning to host a dinner dance for the Snowdrop Appeal and my school are donating money and holding a 'Mufti day' for that charity too. 

Stay tuned!

If you want to donate to the Snowdrop Appeal, visit their JustGiving page here:

 

Prayer flag for October 15th Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day

Inspired by the beautiful projects of Carly Marie, I posted a prayer flag to Australia today. I was very proud of it and it felt very special sending it all that way to fly on a beach in Australia with flags from all around the world. Carly is going to photograph each flag she receives before flying them on the beach she goes to in memory of her son, Christian. 

This is my flag for Isla...

The base cream fabric is the one I used for Isla's burial gown, the lace too. The heart is in the fabric I used for the dress I made and wore to her funeral. The bird houses come from the fabric I had chosen to make her nappy bag out of. And the bow is of the ribbon I tied her burial gown on with. A bit of freestyle embroidery and there we go!

I realise it looks like 'Islan' because of my swirly line but still! That's me, gotta make 1 cock-up per project!!

Flowers for Isla - part 2

And then this is something I got 'done' last night in memory of my amazing baby girl - it's apple blossom flowers with forget-me-nots. 

It's also got a little star for my fabulous dad, who sadly passed away last year. 

I'm so pleased with it and am really proud of what it stands for. She will forever be with me now in a very visible way. 

Flowers for Isla part 1

Gabriel's garden pick beautiful flowers for babies and children who have left this world. Each flower picked represents one very special child. The flowers are photographed so parents can forever be reminded of their child's everlasting beauty.

The lovely lady who does this believes that our children are watching their flowers bloom in Heaven, and that it is them who guide her to the most spectacular flowers.

This is the flower she has chosen to photograph and release for our little Isla. 

 http://babyangelgarden.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/islas-flower.html

She also does baby block pictures - how cute is this?!

Aching arms

Today I received a wonderful gift - and on my birthday too! It's an Aching Arms teddy bear. 

A wonderful charity (here) send them out to mums and dads who have lost a baby. 

Mine is sent in memory of Baby Hodkin with love. I think I may have to start buying teddies and get involved with this charity as receiving this bear today has really warmed my heart!