You've come a long way, baby! Part TWO

Yes, I know, I'm pretty late getting Part Two posted. It's been an extremely busy last few weeks. (I'll save that for another post!)

So...where were we? Oh, right, Grant's birthday weekend. Friday, Aug. 13, I got a text but was so intent on working on memory baskets to deliver to the hospital that weekend, I failed to check the phone. Soon after I heard a knock on my door. I got up to answer it and found one of my angel mommy friends standing there. (I recognized her from her Facebook photos) Linda had come to donate some items for us to take to the hospital!
I forgot to mention that I had posted up an event on Facebook a couple weeks prior.  We were hoping for people to drop off items for us to take to the hospital in memory of Grant.  Out of 500 Facebook friends, only a handful of people took pics with Grant's name in them, and even less donated items. I would be dishonest if I said it didn't hurt- b/c it DID hurt.  Kris just says "it was a tragic event that happened to us - it didn't happen to them, so they don't understand the importance." I guess he is right, but I think it's rather sad.  If they could just go into the hospital just once and see how these baskets help these mommies maybe they would feel differently.  I know that I was pretty ignorant about infant loss until I went through it. But that is exactly why I am so passionate about Granting Hope- because there needs to be more awareness. These mommies are suffering so much; and many of them do not have the support or resources they need.

So as I was stewing about the lack of people dropping by my house, I heard Linda's knock.  What an amazing person she is and I was so pleased to meet her and be able to talk with her for a few minutes.  She had lost her son last October- oh and what a handsome little feller he was!!  While in the hospital, she received one of our memory baskets. She went on to explain how much the basket meant to her and her family in their time of need.  And now, she was here to "give back".  What an amazing encouragment to me- and another piece of healing for my heart.!  These moms come to tell me how much they appreciate what we do, yet I am the one who is blessed by them! 

The next day was Grant's birthday so we took flowers up to his grave, had some cake and sent him balloons.  Two of my good friends came over for a bit, which I am totally grateful for because I was an emotional wreck that morning. Two years just seems SO LONG that I have been without my little boy!
In the middle of everything that day Kris came into the house from the garage with a blue piece of paper in his hand. He had been in the process of throwing out Grant's old flowers when he saw a ziploc bag with this blue piece of paper in it.  He read it, then brought it in to me.  It was a letter, and it had Grant's name spelled out in some really cute stickers on the top. Long story short,  this letter was from the parents of the little boy who had just been buried beside our Grant. It stated that they were thinking of us on Grant's birthday and how much they wished both of our boys were here.  It was what was written next that caused me to totally lose it-  "our son would have been two this November 8. " Grant had been due November 4, two years ago.  It just didn't hit me that our boys would be the same age until I read that!!  I cannot believe the people that God sends our way- it's just amazing!  And the really amazing thing is that these parents have just lost their baby in a very sad accident, yet here they are sending us a note that they are thinking of us on our son's birthday anniversary!  I won't be able to write them back until their baby's gravestone and flower vase gets put in, but I certainly plan on doing so the first chance I get. Please keep this family in your prayers- the James family.

The next day, we loaded up the truck with baskets and headed to church.  Wouldn't you know, I got really sick- nausea and other unpleasantries- maybe from the Chinese food the night before? I don't know. But I was ILL! I somehow made it through church and then we drove to the hospital to drop off the baskets.  I knew if I didn't do it it would be another week before I would feel like going out again so I ignored how I was feeling and did it anyway.  I'm really glad we did, too, because I got to talk to the head nurse. (more about that later)  She did ask me if I would be on the parent panel the end of September and I agreed to be there to share my story- or rather, Grant's story, to whatever doctors/nurses are there for their training.  I hope I can get through it without getting too emotional.

On Monday, I got a letter in the mail from the Trisomy 13 and 18 organization. (Grant had one of these disorders) They sent me the card that they had attached to the balloon they sent up with Grant's name on it at their annual conference.  I can't tell you how much that meant to me- first that they would do this for us since we couldn't be there- and second that they would send a copy of the message that they sent attached to the balloon. What a great bunch of people! I'm thankful for support like them!

So that was pretty much everything that happened the weekend of Grantie's second birthday in Heaven.  What blessings we got this year!  Reminders that there are people out there who care- no matter how long it's been.  Kris and I are so thankful for those who have donated money, items, sent cards, pics with Grant's name in them, candle lightings for Grant, and so on.  You don't realize how important and meaningful these things are to those of us who have lost our children.