I wanted to quickly share a little something with all of you. A sweet blog reader of mine named Cathy (who has become a good friend!) has a close friend going through a very difficult time right now. She is pregnant and is carrying her precious baby to term despite the fact that he has anencephaly (the formation of the brain is limited or does not occur). This couple is raising money to cover the cost of a memorial bench to have made in their baby’s honor. I am sharing this with you today for two reasons. Reason one is because Cathy has become a dear friend of mine so when she asked me to share this with my readers I didn’t hesitate. If it is important to her it is important to me. Reason two is because I have been blessed to be pregnant four times in my life. My first pregnancy was a miscarriage and it was incredibly difficult even though I lost the baby early on. I can’t imagine carrying a baby full term knowing that your time on earth with your sweet angel will be so short. My heart aches for what this couple will go through. My friend Cathy blogged about their story here and you can see the family’s facebook page here if you would like to learn more or consider donating. Thank you!
This has been a slow blogging week for me! Kenny and I are very much still in recovery mode. Moms don’t get sick days. I almost laughed when the doctor told me to “get lots of rest.” I wanted to say “have you met my two year old!?” :) Hopefully things will turn around and we will start to feel better this weekend. My girls are feeling better and have been doing their best to help entertain Kole.
Of course we all know what that means.
Poor kid doesn’t stand a chance.
:)
Enjoy your weekend everyone!
xoxo, Erin
Sweet Erin. Thank you so much. This means so much to me. You are a treasured friend. I am so sorry to hear that you had a miscarriage. Sometimes things don’t always go as we plan. But, Gods ways are so much bigger then ours! Your heart is a bright as your smile!
Hope you feel better soon. I am loving Kole and his cute personality.
Much love to all of you,
Cathy
Erin,
Do you know what happened to Sarah’s Clover Lane blog? For some reason, I can’t access her blog anymore, as of yesterday.
Thanks!
Loyal reader,
Christine
Wow, what a story that is about baby Zeke. I’ll be donating to their memorial bench. I cannot fathom what they are experiencing.
Hope you continue to feel better. Kole is cuter all the time!
Was going to ask about Clover lane too…anyone?
You know, although my heart breaks for what this family is going through…I have to say it makes me so, well I don’t even know the word… it just warms my heart I guess to hear that they have chosen to carry this little one to term. I honestly would do the exact same thing. I believe it’s not my place to end a life, and if my child were only going to live in the womb, well then he or she would live in the womb for as long as he or she was able to. Who am I to end someone’s life? That’s just not MY area – it’s God’s area. I don’t mess with his area. And perhaps this baby’s life will be short, but it will not be without meaning, without a purpose. You just never know how this child will bless others. He was created for a reason. This I am sure of. My heart goes out to this family. They will be in my prayers. I actually know of two women who had this heartbreaking experience. Neither of them regretted carrying to term. They cherished the short time they had with their babies <3
Thank you Cathy! I feel the same way about you sweet friend!
Amber – thank you so much! I know your donation will mean a lot to their family.
Christine and Kath – Clover Lane is fine and will be up and running soon. Sarah is just switching to a new blog domain and is dealing with a few minor technical difficulties because of it. :)
I thought it was my computer that wouldn’t let me see Clover Lane. It’s so funny that we came to you for answers, and that you knew what to tell us!!!
My heart goes out to your friend. Very nice of you to post about it.
I’m so sorry to hear, but touched by the love of this family. Will hold them in prayer.
PS: I love your blog and took to heart your holiday gift suggestions. You shared that the doll crib was loved by your girls. We got one for our daughter and wow, does she love it!! I see that Cole is enjoying it too! How cute!!
Thanks for sharing with us.
I think one of the most difficult parts of motherhood is being sick and still having to take care of everyone and be in charge of everything. We have lots of college age aides here for the kids and they always talk about just going to bed for a few days when they get sick. Ahhh…how nice that would be! But at least you get lots of entertainment while you are sick! I am glad you are all on the mend and I hope that you can take it a little easier this coming week. Also – the house looks GORGEOUS. :)
~Tamie
Thanks Shari! We need to catch up. I’m calling you this week!
Courtney – Yea! I’m so happy to hear that your daughter loves the crib! That has been such a beloved toy in our house. Clearly. :) Thanks for your sweet comment!
Thank you Tamie! Oh my word – it is SO true! Kenny and I were just talking about that. How we remember the days in college when if we were sick we would take the day off of work/school to rest. Ha! Can you imagine!? Such a different world when you have little kids! This week just about did us in. I know you can relate! :)
Erin,
There are several organizations that I found out about after my son Nathan died. I wish I had known prior to his birth/death so I could have had the resources available. Anyhow first is called Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep. https://www.nowilaymedowntosleep.org
/ They provide professional photography free of charge to families who have babies who are born angels or will become angels
shortly. How I wish I would have known about this, as the only photos I have of Nathan were shot with a snap and shoot camera. Second is an organization called SHARE. It’s a national organization as is the other one that provides help with the loss of pregnancy, stillbirths, and baby loss. They often will go and do hand and feet molds, group meetings, etc. They are also free of charge. I am grateful because of I do have a hand mold of Nathan and often I find it brings comfort and a remembrance that he really did exist and come into my life..and not just some bad dream. Anyhow – my prayers are with them.
Thank you so much for sharing that Rachel! So kind of you. I’ve heard of organizations like those before and I think having professional pictures taken would mean so much. I’m so sorry to hear about your son Nathan. It was sweet of you reach out to help. I really appreciate it and I’ll forward the information along to the family.
Erin,
I wanted to write to express my appreciation. I am Cathy’s daughter and Brittni is my best friend. I am so touched that you would write about my dear friend. We were both pregnant together for a short time. As you can imagine, my heart broke into a million pieces when we got the news about her precious Zeke. But even through all the sadness, these two have been amazing! Their faith is unbelievable. I commend them for making the right decision to carry Zeke to term. He is God’s perfect creation! There are no words to express the joy that filled my heart when I read this post. To see others reaching out to help this incredible family is truly admirable. Brittni and her mother were there for us in our time of need, and we hope to return the favor, if that’s even the slightest bit possible. Thank you Erin, for giving sweet Zeke a voice… and for giving my friend, and other Anen mommies hope! you will be blessed for it.
May God shower your precious family with blessings!!
Hi Elle!
Oh my word – you are too kind. I was more than happy to spread the word about this sweet family. I can’t stop thinking about them. You and your mom are amazing and Brittni is lucky to have you two in her life!