For My Baby, With Love...

Today I delivered Owen’s birthday hampers. Finally. Seven months after his birthday. My goal was to spend the time between Owen’s birthday in March and Mother’s day in May gathering items for the hampers. And all was going well. And then we got the phone call saying we were getting a baby boy. A precious little baby brother for Owen. And everything was put on hold for a while.

And then, of course, there was another phone call. And for the second time in two years our world fell apart. For the second time in two years, we lost a son.

So the hampers sat in our basement. Beside the car seat and the baby bath. Beside the bins of baby boy clothes, used this time, but only for such a short while.

Finally, a couple of weeks ago, I sat down and assembled my hampers full of baby boy things. Soft little sleepers. Tiny truck and train adorned onesies. Cozy little blankets in perfect shades of baby blue. Not to be worn or used by my baby boys. But for them, nonetheless.

We delivered our hampers to Pregnancy Options, and were given a tour by the director. I was instantly impressed by the work that they do, and knew for certain that theirs was a mission I passionately support. The staff told me with tears in their eyes about another mom who recently lost a child. She had gathered together all of her baby’s precious things – stroller, crib, bedroom furniture, everything – and brought them in to the centre. A short time later, the staff was able to pass those things along to a struggling new mom, who was incredibly touched by the story and blessed as a result.

Actually giving the staff the hampers was a more emotional experience than I had anticipated. Thankfully, one of my wonderful angel mom friends, Donna, was there to support and encourage me. And of course, my princess Nyomi was there in my arms. My constant little blessing. My never-ending source of joy.

It makes my heart smile to think of our little hampers being passed along to moms and babies in need. To think of the staff sharing Owen’s story. And to think of his little life, once again blessing others.

Thank you to all of you who contributed to Owen’s birthday hampers. Your thoughtfulness means more than you can know. I know Owen is smiling at this moment. And that makes my heart smile, too.