Butterflies on their Way

A new set of butterflies are on their way.

Click on the picture for a clearer view.
Hope everyone is having a great week!

Jeremiah's Boxes now has it's own Blog

Hi- I just wanted to let everyone know that I created a new blog for Jeremiah's Boxes. The project has really taken off and I am currently working on making it a non-profit organization. Please hop on over there and read more! Hugs to all!

Very Late but it's my Happy List #7

It has been an amazingly busy weekend. Happy Easter to all!! I am late with this list but wanted to share.

Here is my new happy list...

1. Morning Jam Sessions with this Cutie! He may not know the words but he sings along with me in the car in the morning. When the song is over he says- "Again Mommy"

2- Jeremiah's Easter decor- I pictured his first Easter very differently but I can't turn back and have to make the best with what I do have left, his memory, his area. It was hard to find the perfect basket to take to him after all they don't have a "dead baby aisle"

3-Awesome Mail- I got this butterfly from Bree this week. I love how it was addressed!

I can honestly say blogging has kept me sane in these last 9 months. Making the butterflies in memory of every one's baby is very therapeutic and I make each butterfly with love. I got this in the mail Friday from Janie-JD's mommy. The stamps were totally appreciated! Thank you! It's nice to know that it is worth continuing to make them, they have helped someone remember their special someone.

Natasha from Blocks of Love sent me this- Love it! Thank you Natasha! Love u

Melissa put this together for Jeremiah for Easter! Love it! Thank you Melissa! Love u

4- Spring Break- I am off until May 2nd Hooray!

5-Finishing Jeremiah's story page. Please know that even though all of our stories are different we are not alone.

6- Trip to the Zoo on Saturday- Had a great time with my big man and little one!

7- Egg Hunt- "Look I find it!" is awesome to hear!

8- Stylish Blogger Award from both Mary and New Year's Mom. Thank you ladies! I have to complete the requirements but it is an honor non the less!

9- Pedicures-

10- NBA Playoff's- Even though Miami loss today, they are leading the series against the 76er's. (Sorry Philly fans)

That's all I have for this week. Each one has brought a smile to my face.

I also wanted to wish Jakin a very happy birthday. I missed the laughter post so I wanted to make sure Mattie knew I was thinking of him.

Thank you for reading. Have a great week!

Butterflies

I just finished a set of butterfly requests. I will drop off the butterflies at the post office tomorrow.

Have a wonderful week!

Happy List #6 and Giveaway Winners

I love the happy list Saturdays. Thank you Natasha for starting them, I have even started writing stuff down during the week to make sure I remember all of my happy things. So here is happy list #6.

1. Pool Saturday- I said I would have the winners for the giveaways by noon but it was a beautiful morning here in Florida so a trip to the pool was in order. Plus who can resist going to the pool with a cute 2 year old who gets so excited about it you have to smile!

2- Figurine- I won this awesome figurine from Mary- Addison's mommy. Actually, I was the runner up, the real winner was New Year's Mum but she did not want Mary to pay for shipping all the way to Australia. So she asked Mary to pick someone else. I absolutely love it and think of both Addie and Gabrielle when I look at it. Thank you to both ladies.

3-Jeremiah's Garden- Spring is beautiful here in Florida. I love his "garden" area. It makes me smile and think of him.

4- Laken's Bears- Melissa sent me more Laken's Bears for Jeremiah's Boxes. She also set me Pennies from Heaven. You can read more about them here. I had never seen that poem. I am collecting pennies to send her so that she can use them for such a great project. She also donated a box in memory Laken that I am excited to have in her memory. Thank you Melissa.

 

5- End of Testing- All state and district assessment are DONE in the state of Florida. That means no more proctoring and putting my kiddos aside to test. We also have four days this week before we go on spring break. I am so ready!! It definitely makes me happy.

6- NBA Playoffs- I am a total basketball fan. My favorite team is the Miami Heat- as a Miami girl I am a total fan. The playoffs started today and I have been in the pool watching the games. (We have a small TV in our pool area.) Miami won their first game and that makes this Miami girl happy!

7- Jeremiah's Pinwheel- Shauna is Janessa's mommy she has a blog called pinwheels from heaven. She added a pinwheel in memory of Jeremiah. I absolutely love it. She's awesome. She used 7 blocks since he was born in July as well as the colors I use in his memory green and blue. If you are interested in a pinwheel please check her out here. Thank you Shauna.

 

 

AND FINALLY.....

8-Giveaway winners- I am so thankful to all of you for entering the giveaways. All of your strength is definitely contagious! I had such a great experience that I will be hosting another one soon in honor of Mother's Day. So stay posted- I already have the items and can't wait to start the giveaway post.

I went to random.org to pick the winners, unfortunately I have no clue to how to show you the proof but here are the winners.

Giveaway 1- The copy of Knocked Up, Knocked Down- Jen!!

Giveaway 2- Figurine by Midnight Orange- Tiffany!!

Giveaway 3- $25 Gift Certificate to My Forever Child- Shauna!!

Winners please email me-RCalderon2629@gmail.com so I can send your items your way!

Hugs to all....Have a wonderful week!

Celebrities Just Like Us

Thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers, I got through Jeremiah's 9 month angel day but it wasn't easy. Thank you! I have also enjoyed reading all your comments for the giveaways. If you haven't entered, it is still not to late. I will pick winners at random tomorrow afternoon.

OK so today I was at work looking for some items for one of my newest projects and I came across something that said that president Reagan declared Oct 15 Pregnancy and infant loss awareness day. I also read a quote he has about loosing a child and I started wondering why was he so passionate about this topic. So I did a google search and found out that he and his first wife loss their daughter Christine a day after she was born. This made me even more curious- How many other celebrities have suffered losses? Of course I kept searching and it was eye opening....the amount of losses in the celebrity world was astonishing to me.

So here is the list. I am sure there are more. The list includes miscarriages, still births, and some infant loss. I did copy this list from the internet.

Lilly Allen (miscarriage 2008; stillbirth 2010)British singer and talk show host

Kirstie Alley (1990)
Actress, Jenny Craig spokeswoman; ‘Miscarriage made me fat’

Tori Amos (multiple)
Singer, activist

Pamela Anderson (1995)
Actress, pinup

Anita Baker (multiple)
Singer

Josephine Baker (1941 stillbirth)
Dancer, icon

Lucille Ball (multiple)
Actress, comedienne

Majel Barrett (multiple)
‘Star Trek’ actress

Ellin Berlin (crib death of three-week-old son on on Christmas day, 1928)
Novelist, wife of 'White Christmas' composer Irving Berlin

Andrea Bernard (2004 stillbirth)
Actress, wife of Rick(y) Schroeder

Michelle Bernard (multiple)
Conservative television figure

Valerie Bertinelli (1986)
Actress

Cherie Blair (2002)
British First Lady

Anne Boleyn (stillborn son)
Wife of Henry VIII, mother of Elizabeth I

Sarah Brightman (three, including one ectopic)
Classical crossover singer and theatre actress

Foxy Brown (2003)
Rapper

Sarah Brown (death of newborn daughter, 2002)
Wife of Gordon Brown, British Prime Minister

Barbara Bush (1960s)
First Lady

Mariah Carey (2008)
Singer

Diahann Carroll (multiple)
Singer

Nell Carter (multiple)
Actress

Courteney Cox (2001)
Actress

Joan Crawford (multiple)
Actress

Doris Day (multiple)
Actress

Sandra Dee (multiple)
Actress

Natasha Stott Despoja (ectopic, 2006)
Australian senator

Diana, Princess of Wales (miscarriage, early 1980s--between William and Harry)
Icon, would-be Queen

Celine Dion (2009)
Singer

Barbara Eden (1961 miscarriage, 1971 stillbirth)
Actress

Linda Evangelista (1999 stillbirth)
Supermodel

Marianne Faithfull (daughter Corrina stillborn at seven months, 1968)
Singer, Rolling Stones acolyte

Connie Francis (multiple)
Singer

Deborra-Lee Furness (multiple)
Actress, wife of Hugh Jackman

Mayte Garcia-Nelson (infant)
Dancer, ex-wife of Prince

Kathie Lee Gifford (1992)
Talk show host

Robin Givens (1988)
Actress, ex-wife of Mike Tyson

Renee Elise Goldberry (miscarriage, 2005)
Soap opera actress

Jane Goody (miscarriage of twins, stillbirth)
British reality show personality, cervical cancer victim

Katharine Graham (miscarriage, stillbirth)
Journalist, Washington Post publisher

Ffion Hague (multiple)
Wife of Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs William Hague (U.K.)

Linda Hamilton (1980s)
Actress

Audrey Hepburn (multiple)
Actress, UN Ambassador, icon

Xaviera Hollander (ectopic)
Sex columnist, writer, 'The Happy Hooker'

Whitney Houston (multiple)
Singer, actress

Jill Ireland (multiple)
Actress

Eleanor Jackson (stillborn son)
Wife of Stonewall Jackson, Civil War figure

Katherine Jackson (stillborn son)
Mother of Michael Jackson; stillborn twin's son was Marlon

Lady Bird Johnson (multiple)
First Lady

Frida Kahlo
Artist

Katharine, Duchess of Kent (miscarriage and stillbirth)

Joan Bennett Kennedy (miscarriage, stillbirth)
Sister-in-law of President John F. and Jackie Kennedy

Nancy Kerrigan (multiple)
Olympic figure skater

Nicole Kidman (2001)
Actress, model

Gladys Knight (1960)
Singer

Andrée Lachapelle (stillborn daughter
Actress

Lucy Lawless (2001)
Actress

Vivien Leigh (multiple)
‘Gone with the Wind’ actress

Annie Lennox (stillbirth 1988)
Singer

Lisa Ling (2010)
Television personality

Sophia Loren (multiple)
Actress

Courtney Love (2001)
Rocker, widow of Kurt Cobain

Susan Lucci
Soap opera actress, 'All My Children'

Loretta Lynn (multiple - due to Rh factor)
Country music legend

Kym Marsh (stillbirth, 2009)
Actress, 'Coronation Street'

Owada Masako (1999)
Crown Princess of Japan

Mary Matalin (multiple)
Political advisor

Bette Midler (1987)
Singer, actress

Heather Mills McCartney (two ectopic and six other miscarriages; *unfortunately doubtful because it seems that everything that comes out of her mouth is a lie); in divorce papers, however, one miscarriage was verified
Activist, ex-model, ex-wife of Paul McCartney

Liza Minnelli (multiple)
Singer, actress

Joni Mitchell (1990)
Singer

Rosa Monckton (stillborn daughter, 1994)
Charity fundraiser, best friend of Princess Diana. This is especially notable because Diana allowed her to bury her daughter Natalia in her private Kensington Palace garden. With Diana's death, however, Rosa was forever unable to visit Natalia's unmarked grave.

Marilyn Monroe (1957 ectopic)
Actress

Nicoletta Mantovani (stillbirth of one of her twins)
Assistant-turned-wife of Luciano Pavarotti

Demi Moore (1987)
Actress

Mary Tyler Moore (mid-1960s, led to her diabetes diagnosis)
Actress

Jennifer O'Neill (multiple)
Actress

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (miscarriage, stillbirth, neonatal death)
First Lady, editor, icon

Yoko Ono (multiple)
Artist, muse

Anita Pallenberg (infant son Tara, 1976)
Erstwhile partner of Rolling Stone Keith Richards

Molly Picon (stillborn daughter, 1920)
Musical theater actress

Pink (a.k.a. P!nk)
Singer

Jane Pratt (still twins, 2005)
Magazine editor, Jane

Gladys Presley (stillborn son 1935)
Elvis' mother; it was his twin

Katie 'Jordan' Price (multiple)
British glamour model and reality TV personality

Gilda Radner (multiple)
Comedienne

Amanda Redman (multiple ectopic)
Actress

Aliza Reger (stillborn daughter)
Entrepreneur and CEO

Sophie Rhys-Jones, Countess of Wessex (ectopic)
Wife of Prince Edward of England

Joan Rivers (multiple)
Comedienne

Katey Sagal (1990 or 1991)
Actress

Jane Seymour (multiple)
Actress

Brooke Shields (multiple)
Supermodel, actress, adversary of Tom Cruise

Elizabeth Siddal (stillborn daughter)
Wife of Dante Gabriel Rossetti, muse

Justine Simmons (daughter, right after birth)
Wife of Reverend Run (Run-DMC)

Danielle Steel (multiple)
Romance novelist

Sharon Stone (multiple)
Actress

Jennifer Syme (stillbirth, 1999)
Actress, late girlfriend of Keanu Reeves

Elizabeth Taylor (miscarriage brought on by physical abuse by first husband Nicky Hilton)
Actress, icon

Emily Tennyson (stillborn son)
Wife of poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Emma Thompson (1997)
Actress

Bess Truman (multiple)
First Lady

Lana Turner (multiple)
Actress

Tracey Ullman (multiple)
Comedienne

Meredith Viera (multiple)
Television personality

Vanna White (1992)
Game show host

JoBeth Williams (multiple)
Actress

Oprah Winfrey (stillbirth in teen years)
Entrepreneur, TV personality

Trinny Woodall (multiple)
BBC TV personality

Pia Zadora (1996)
Singer, actress

Some men that have experienced loss are:
Lamar Odom- LA Lakers 6 month old died of SIDS
Zygrunas Iglauskas- Miami Heat Player loss twins at 5 months of his wife's pregnancy
Billie Donovan- UF Basketball Coach, cord accident at 8 months of pregnancy



Strength Giveaway #3

 Today marks 9 months since we loss our sweet Jeremiah. I knew it was coming but for some reason I did not realize it until I got to work and wrote the date on testing security logs. Once I realized it my heart sank. I started to think about what these last 9 months had brought me. I also thought about the 28 weeks I carried him. I can barely get through this without tears coming out but I definitely miss him today and the fact that it just "hit me" unexpectedly makes it just a bit more difficult! I also got a call from the AMEND coordinator letting me know she has more items for Jeremiah's Boxes HOORAY! but in that same message let me know 3 more boxes were given away. That is news I really could have done without. I guess it adds on to some of the sadness I feel today. It hardly looks like I would be doing a strength giveaway, I know I have to muster up the strength to keep going for so many reasons and I know Jeremiah is looking down and smiling at me today. I know he misses me just as much as I do him.Days like this make it difficult to say the least but I am getting through it.

Thank you so much for those of you that have entered the last two giveaways. I can say I have loved reading your comments. They are definitely uplifting. If you have not entered the last two giveaways please do, it's still not to late. I will be picking the winners at random on Saturday at 12 noon standard eastern time. I know another thing that has brought me strength through this journey is my "armour". I knew immediately when I loss Jeremiah, that I wanted something to wear that would help me remember Jeremiah. My mom got me a charm of a little boys silhouette and on the back it has Jeremiah's name and date. My husband got me a charm in the shape of an angel with little diamonds on it. I love them both but on Jeremiah's due date I decided I wanted something more permanent. On his due date, I went and got a tattoo of his footprint and name on my inner wrist. I picked something simple. I wanted his foot somewhere I could see it all the time. I regret that I never got to kiss his little feet and that is why I wanted it there. People will ask about it so it's a great way to bring him up and acknowledge he was/is here. I have always wanted something with all my kids names on it and birthstone but my problem is that I am allergic to the nickel in jewelery so it tends to get expensive and hard to find something nice.

Now here is what I am giving away....I am giving away a $25.00 gift certificate to Forever My Child.

If you would like to win it...here's what you can do.

1- Become a follower

2- Comment on what armour you wear in honor of your baby and why it's important to you. 

One more thing...more butterflies are on their way. I also teamed up with Melissa, Laken's amazing mom and am sending butterflies along with the bears she is sending. I know that for Jeremiah's boxes they use the butterflies on the new BLM door to alert hospital staff before they walk in yelling "Congratulations!" I hope they can be used and helpful for someone else's memory boxes.  

Good Luck to all of you and happy Wednesday!

Strength Giveaway #2

Before I post the next giveaway I want to make sure that I wish a wonderful angel birthday to Laken. She turned 1 on Friday. We remembered her here in Florida by lighting a candle for her and sending her balloons. You can read more about her AMAZING mommy, Melissa. She is definitely someone I look to for strength.

I also wanted to mention that Sarita- Meredith's mommy is offering to make scrapbook tags in memory of our angels. She made one for Jeremiah and I absolutely love it. So if you are interested you can find her here.

Thank you to those who entered the first giveaway. It is still not to late to enter that one if you have not done so. I loved reading all of your comments. Thank you so much for taking the time to share. It truly is amazing. During this journey, I find strength in the things that remind me of Jeremiah. I feel like those things keep me going, tell me that he is okay, and most of all remind me that he is never forgotten. Many of you know that frogs are what remind me of him the most. It's like every time I see a frog, I take it as a sign from him that he is okay and that I should continue to work on all his projects and take care of his siblings. So for the next giveaway I am giving away this sculpture from Midnight Orange. It is called Go Tell My Mommy I'm Okay. She will make it to order in the colors you would like. For a better description go here.  I have seen other mommies buy items from this shop and have always wanted one so when I buy the one for the winner I will also buy one for me.

If you would like to enter this giveaway here is what you would have to do.

1- Become a follower on this blog.

2- Comment on this post. What reminder of your baby brings you strength? Are there signs you think they send you?

You have until Friday, April 15 to enter all the giveaways. The next one will be posted on Wednesday on Jeremiah's 9 month angel day. I will announce the winner on my happy list next Saturday.

Good Luck to all of you and Happy Sunday!

Strength Giveaway #1

This week has been okay so far. I have had a couple of hiccups here and there. These hiccups could have turned into full blown bouts of grief if I would have focused on them and let them overwhelm me. While reflecting on how I overcame these feelings-one common thread kept coming up- STRENGTH. I had the strength to look beyond it and look at the beauty of life itself. I realized that one of the ways I have gained strength was through blogging. People who have never walked our path would not understand....I am glad I have this outlet. I feel like blogging has saved my life, my soul, my sanity. After losing Jeremiah, I would constantly wonder am I normal, am I depressed, what's wrong with how I am feeling etc. Then I found this community and I quickly realized I was not alone- THANK GOODNESS!

So to celebrate strength I decided to host 3 giveaways. Why 3? I don't know....it sounded great to me. Today I will post the first, I will post the next one on Sunday and the third on Wednesday- Jeremiah's 9 month angel day. I will post the winners on my Saturday happy list on April 16th.

Here's what you have to do:

1- You have to be a follower on this blog.

2-Comment on how you have found strength on your baby loss journey.

Now Here's What I am giving away!!

Something that has helped in my journey has been the book "Knocked Up...Knocked Down" I blogged about it here. It is a humorous spin on something so horrible but it also helped to know I was not alone. So for the first giveaway I will be giving out a copy of this book.

Good Luck to you all!

Happy List Saturday #4

 Hello!! I have a full list this week and I am pretty excited about it.

1. Health- I can't complain about it because I feel great. For those that don't know when I gave birth to Jeremiah my body was shutting down due to the Pre-Eclampsia. My liver and kidneys were hours away from giving out. After  I had him, I became anemic. A month later I was back in the hospital with two herniated discs in my back and bruises all over my arms and legs that came from no where. So being healthy and feeling great is tops on my list!

2- Kindness of others- Last week and this week I have gotten some really great mail. I love being surprised and I can say this has definitely been a great week of that.

Annie, Calvin's mommy began making hats for our babies. I got a shipment of Calvin's Hats for the boxes. They are absolutely beautiful. Read more about them here.

Sarita- Meredith's mommy sent me this great scrapbook tag in memory of my Jeremiah.  Love it! You can read more about Sarita's story here. I honestly think she is a huge inspiration. She is someone that years after losing Meredith is still giving back and keeping her memory alive. What a strong woman.

Taylor's mommy Amy, sent me a surprise package this week. It had two packs of cardstock paper and a donation in memory of Taylor for the boxes. I plan on making cards out of the cardstock to go in the boxes and they will be in memory of Taylor and getting items for the boxes in memory of her as well. Amy lost Taylor at 13 weeks. She is truly an awesome mommy who recently started this journey. Please go to her page and read more about her-here.

Mary, Addison's wonderful mommy sent me these amazing footprint cards to add to the boxes. They are really cute and I am sure they will suit the boxes well. Thank you Mary. Read more about Addie here.

I also got a donation for the boxes from one of the mommies here on the Internet. I just found out about it this morning. I am very excited.

3- Ribbit!On Tuesday morning, I got another kind of surprise but this one was from Jeremiah. Before leaving for work on Tuesday my husband asked me to come outside. I was kind of annoyed because I was already running late and I was administering our state assessment to the second graders so I had to be on time. I walked out and there was this HUGE, HUGE, bullfrog on our driveway staring at our house like he was guarding it. It made my day! It felt like Jeremiah-My bullfrog came to say hello. We have lived in this neighborhood and house for 6 years and we only ever see tree frogs. So this was special. Plus, as I drove out no other bullfrog was in sight in the neighborhood. I was late and you know what I didn't care. They can't start the test without the administrator anyway Right?!?

Sorry it is so dark! But hopefully you can see it.

4-Innocence. I took M outside to play yesterday. While we were out there a lizard was out on the rocks and grass area we have out there. My two year old came over and says "wow". I told him it was called a lizard. He walked over to the lizard and said, "Hi Lezard! I M." He was introducing himself to the lizard. It totally made me smile and I had to add it to my happy list.

So here is it is- My happy list for this week. It's nice to focus on the great things life has to offer!